Page 100 of Thorns of Death

Did he just—

He just called me a brat.

I closed the distance and bit his lip.Hard. Fuck, even when I was mad at him, he tasted good. The slight taste of copper touched my lips. “I am not a brat,” I mumbled, our lips brushing. “You are an asshole. It’s like you’retryingto start a war with my brother.”

His mouth crashed against my aching lips for a bruising kiss. He plunged his tongue inside and twirled it against mine, drawing a moan from me. I sucked on his tongue greedily, my thighs quivering with need.

Good God. This lust and attraction between us had to extinguish eventually. Right? I didn’t understand it. For some reason, it grew instead of faded.

He pulled away. Too quickly.

I blinked my eyes, disoriented, while he looked completely composed. Bastard.

“If that is what it takes to keep you, Isla, I will go to war.” His voice was cold, sending a chilling feeling of dread down my spine. “I’ll end every goddamned business alliance my father and grandfather built to keep you with me. Youwillgive me everything. Your all.”

Was that deranged or romantic? Fuck if I knew. My heart skipped a beat and my chest tightened. I didn’t know whether it was anger, hate or… something else.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “How can you ask me to give you everything, when you’ve given me nothing?”

It wasn’t until I said those words that I realized what held me back. He wanted to strip me naked while remaining fully clothed. It’d leave me vulnerable, but he’d still have his shield.

I was young. Maybe even naive, in some cases. But I knew it should be a two-way street. We studied each other intently, each measuring the other. Or maybe both of us readied for a battle of wills. It was hard to read this man. He kept his thoughts and emotions locked in a vault.

I held my breath while I waited for him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t, my stomach sank with disappointment.

“I’m going upstairs to be with my brother,” I said, finally breaking the silence. “Come or don’t, I don’t care, but keep out of Tatiana’s room.”

He raised a brow at my sarcastic tone, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, we both exited the car, his bodyguards rushing forward. I didn’t wait for my husband to join me as I neared the entrance of the hospital, but he caught up to me just the same.

His hand came to rest on my lower back as he pulled me closer to him.

“I’m sorry,piccolina,” he murmured into my ear. “After the hospital, we’ll talk.”

My heart shuddered in my chest, and I turned my head to meet his gaze. He’d said this exact thing before and didn’t follow through.

As if he could read my mind, he added, “Te lo prometto. On my brother’s grave. On my parents’ grave.”

With that promise, I took his hand off my back and held it the rest of the way to Tatiana’s room.

* * *

Enrico kept his word.

He remained in the hallway as I entered Tatiana’s room, even though I knew it killed him. He gave me a reassuring smile, but his hands were fisted so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

“If you need me, text me,” I murmured, rising on my tippy-toes and pressing a kiss on his lips. “It’ll buzz in my butt pocket.”

His lips curved into a smile, molding against mine. “You know I love your butt.”

“I do.”

Another kiss. “Make sure you come out,dolcezza. Or I’ll level this hospital to the ground until I find you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Italians are so intense.” Although I started to think it was just him. This man. “I’ll come back to you. Always.”

His eyes flashed like black diamonds. I didn’t know why I uttered those words, but I realized I meant them. I didn’t know how things had shifted so quickly. Maybe it was the sex, maybe it was that crazy obsession that I saw lurking in his gaze, or maybe it was that simple apology a few minutes ago. Nobody had to tell me this man never apologized, but he did for me because he knew I needed it.

“Va bene. Go to your brother,” he said. “I’ll be here.”