There was a moment while I told her about the first time I saw her that I thought I was finally making some progress with Snow. At no point did I think this was going to be easy. I was, after all, stealing her from her life and everything she loves, but what I didn’t prepare myself for was the fact that she sees me as nothing more than another Russo man, and the anger beating through my blood right now is barely contained. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact her body is pressed against mine and the soft skin of her wrists are bundled in my hands, I would be tearing apart this whole fucking house.
“Come again,” I growl.
“At the end of this, are you going to let me go, or are you going to dispose of me like yesterday’s trash like your family is so good at?” Snow asks calmly, like she doesn’t realize she’s poking a bear who could easily snap at any moment. But she knows. There’s no doubt in my mind that my little Snowflake is testing the waters and how much she can get away with before I’ll snap, how much I’ll let her push me before I’ll push back, and she’s reaching that limit very fucking rapidly.
I close my eyes and let out a breath, trying to contain the angry beast pushing against my chest to be let out. The one I was trained to be, the one I am in every other part of my life but this one, the one I can never allow Snow to see. She’s trying to make me snap. She wants me to be the monster in her closet at night, but I’m not, and at some point, she’s going to have to accept that. Before I register my own movements, I’m tearing the blanket down between us, her hands still held in one of mine as I flip her onto her stomach.
The hitch in her breath tells me she’s scared, but she makes no attempt to throw me off. She could escape if she really wanted to. I’ve seen Snow fight, seen her and her sister spar when Wynter forced her to go to self-defense classes a few years back. But even though she’s scared, even though her pulse beats quickly against my fingers, she doesn’t fight. I’m not sure what to make of it, to be honest. I’ve stolen her from everything she loves and locked her up in what even I can admit is a creepy duplicate of her childhood bedroom, she should be making every attempt to rid herself of me, but each time I’ve touched her, each time I’ve pressed my body to hers, she’s stilled and allowed it to happen. Does my Snowflake feel it too? Does she feel the pull I felt all those years ago? The invisible tether that held us together even when she had no idea I existed in the shadows.
I settle my weight across her back, my legs straddling her perfect ass, and my cock immediately hardens at its proximity to her tight holes. But it’s not time yet. Not until she begs for my cock. I lean down until my lips brush the shell of her ear and she shivers at the touch.
“Let’s get something clear, Snowflake. This arrangement is not temporary. When I took you, it was with the intention of keeping you. Not for a few days, or a few weeks, or even a few years. No, the intention is to keep you forever. You and I will get married, sooner rather than later if I get my way. So no, I will not be killing you and disposing of your body like trash. Because you are the greatest treasure I’ve ever had. I am not my father, and I am not my uncles. I will not treat you like all your worth lives between your legs, but I would suggest you stop comparing me to them because you will not like the consequences if you keep that shit up. Do you understand?”
Snow nods against the pillow, her breath coming in hard and fast.
I grind my hard cock against her ass, making sure she feels every inch of hardness. “I need your words, Snow.”
“Yes, I understand,” she pants, the slightest edge of lust masked just beneath the fear.
“Good girl,” I rumble.
Being so close to her, having her addictively sweet scent so close, it’s almost impossible for me to drag myself from her warmth, but I meant when I said I wouldn’t force myself on her. Slowly, I drag my body from hers before pushing myself off the bed and taking a few steps to where her French toast is getting cold. I glance over my shoulder to make sure Snow hasn’t picked up anything heavy to hit me with. I find her sitting up with her knees pressed to her chest and her eyes darting around the room, still trying to find an escape from her new reality.
Once I’m sure she’s not going to attack me from behind, I busy myself with preparing her plate and bringing it to the bed. I expect her to flinch away from me when I kneel on the edge of the mattress, but she remains perfectly still, her eyes tracking each of my movements. I place the tray down beside her and sit back against the headboard.
“What are you doing?” Snow whispers.
“Making sure you eat.” I nod toward the untouched food.
She sighs loudly and unfolds herself, making sure to inch farther across the bed away from me. The movement is so slight I’m sure she doesn’t think I would have noticed, but soon she’ll see that every move she makes is one I see. There’s nothing she can do without my knowledge. She watches me closely as she reaches for the knife and fork and tentatively cuts off a piece and brings it to her lips.
The moment the food passes through her lips, she lets out a groan of appreciation and my cock reacts immediately to the sound.
“This is so good,” she moans and takes another bite. This time her eyes close and another happy sound erupts from her throat.
Fuck me. I should have left. I shouldn’t be sitting here watching her eat like what she’s tasting is better than any sex she’s ever had. “I’ll make sure to tell Mrs. Chambers you enjoyed it.”
She watches me carefully as she chews another piece of French toast, as if she’s trying to figure out how to ask something. “Why do you call her that?”
“Who?”
“Mary. She asked me to call her that and she hates that everyone else calls her Mrs. Chambers, so why do you call her that?”
I consider my answer for a moment because I don’t know why I’ve refused to use her first name for all these years. Or maybe I do know, but I’m not sure if being so vulnerable with the woman I’m holding against her will is the best choice. “Mrs. Chambers raised me. I suppose it’s the same way you don’t start calling your mother by her name. She’ll always be Mrs. Chambers to me.” I shrug.
Snow’s eyes soften as she takes her next bite. “I suppose I can see that.”
“She really wants to make you feel at home here and to make your adjustment as easy as she can on you.”
Snow sighs. “What exactly did you expect when you stole me away from my family and my life? Did you think I was going to lie down and take it? Because you claim to know me so well, and if that’s the case, you should know there’s no way I won’t fight until my dying breath.”
I chuckle, my head dropping until my chin brushes my chest. “No, Snowflake. I knew you were going to fight. In fact, I counted on it. But you can fight all you want, it’s not going to make a difference to the end result. This is happening, and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. The sooner you accept your fate, the easier it’s going to be on you.”
Without waiting for a response, I push myself from the bed and cross the room without looking back. Spending any amount of time on a bed with Snow Saint James when I can’t take her the way I want is a bad idea, and I need to get back to work. The sooner I find someone to take some of my responsibilities, the sooner I can start putting the rest of the wheels in motion so Snow has no other choice than to be mine for the rest of her life.
