Page 66 of The Empress

“You’re not allowed to wear leggings outside of the mansion. I won’t have any other man oggling what’s mine.”

I’m surprised when a pink flush creeps up her neck, ending in her cheeks. “In that case, I’ll never wear leggings again. I don’t need you oggling me.”

I let out a chuckle. “It doesn’t matter to me what you wear,principessa. You wearing a trashbag will be hot to me.”

Her breathing speeds up a little, drawing my attention to her breasts as they rise and fall.

I can’t fucking wait to see her naked.

The thought has me hardening, and I rest my arm over my lap while I take a deep sip of the whiskey.

As I continue to stare at Haven, she grows more and more uncomfortable, and eventually the blush remains on her skin.

“How innocent are you?” I ask.

Her eyebrows draw together. “What do you mean?”

“How many men have you slept with?”

“Jesus,” she whispers before looking at the windows again to avoid my gaze. “One.”

The idiot she dated for four years.

“Was he vanilla?”

She sucks in a deep breath, then nods. Suddenly, her eyes widen as they snap back to me. “Don’t even try weird-ass-kinky shit with me.”

I let out a bark of laughter while I shake my head. “I’m not into BDSM, but I’m pretty sure you’ve never been fucked hard.”

“Stop, Leo,” she snaps, turning her gaze away from me again while the blush on her face deepens.

“You’re even uncomfortable talking about sex,” I mention.

“Because you’re a stranger to me.”

“Ask me anything,” I say before I drink the last of the whiskey.

When I lean forward and place the tumbler on the coffee table, Haven asks, “What calms you down when you’re upset?”

“When I get angry, I need time to process shit.” I relax back against the couch again and tilt my head as I look at her beautiful face.

“Me too,” she whispers. “You’ve given me the impression you have a quick temper.” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “Have you ever hit a woman?”

“No.” My expression grows serious. “I’ll never hit you, Haven. It’s my privilege to protect you. I meant it when I promised your mother that I wouldn’t hurt you.” I gesture at her left hand. “When Edoardo called me yesterday morning, I cut my trip short to come back to you. I hate that you hurt yourself. Don’t ever put yourself in danger again.”

Haven’s gaze searches mine for the truth in my words. When she seems to believe me, tension visibly drains from her body, and she relaxes.

She scoots back on the couch and crosses her legs beneath her. “What makes you angry?”

The fact that she keeps circling the topic of anger makes me think she’s trying to find out how she can keep me calm.

“When people disobey me,” I reply. “I get the feeling that seeing you talk to another man will make me lose my shit, so let's avoid that.”

Her lips curve up in an incredulous smile, making the dimple appear on her left cheek. “You’re being ridiculous. At some point, I’ll have to interact with other men. What about when I’m out with the guards?”

“You only talk to Edoardo and ignore the others, unless shit goes down and Edoardo gets killed.”

Her eyes widen again. “Is that a possibility?”