I’ve watched Snow cry so many times I’ve lost count. When her parents told her she couldn’t go to Mexico for spring break with her friends, she cried. When boys broke her heart in high school, she cried. And when her parents died, she cried for days on end. Her tears have always been fascinating to me, and at times I’ve imagined them rolling down her cheeks as I fuck her pretty lips. But there’s something about holding her as she sobs and being the reason for her tears that makes the cold, dead place where my heart should live hurt.
I’ve never given much thought to other people and their emotions, the concept of which never resonated with me, but holding Snow right now, her broken sobs vibrating through our bodies as she begs me not to tear her away from the people she loves, an unfamiliar feeling washes over me. Guilt.
Carefully, I grasp her shoulders and push her back just enough so I can look at her. Dark smudges under her eyes and black streaks down her cheeks make it obvious she’s been crying.
Snow looks up at me through soft blue eyes, the plea in them not lost on me. I’m not one to bend for anyone, not even my own family. I was born to lead, born to kill, and born to take what I want when I want it. But right now, looking down at my woman, I want to bow down and give her the whole fucking world.
“Marry me.” The words fall from my lips before I can think them through. I never intended to ask her, never intended to give her a choice, and therefore, why would I bother asking the question?
“What?”
“Marry me. Marry me, and I won’t ever keep you from your family.”
Her mouth drops open and anger fills the normally calm blue, a storm raging behind them. “It’s not really a choice then, is it?” she hisses, bringing both hands to my chest and shoving me away. When my body gives her a whisper of space, she slips from my arms and moves to the paper towel dispenser before stepping up to the mirror and dabbing at the dark marks beneath her eyes.
“You’re asking me to give you something, so I’m asking for something in return.” I shrug, keeping my distance from her for the moment. What she doesn’t realize is that I don’t compromise. When I decide something, I don’t back down from it. What I’m offering her is a rare moment of compassion… well, my version of it anyway.
“That’s not a fucking choice, Elijah. Jesus fucking Christ, you’re an asshole.”
My jaw tightens as anger washes over me. Can’t she see I’m trying? Can’t she see I’m giving her something where I don’t have to? I hold all the cards, every single fucking one. She’s mine regardless. I’m marrying her regardless of whether she agrees to it or not. But I’m offering her something I never intended to. Unlimited access to her family.
I prowl toward her, the heat of anger washing over my normally calm demeanor. There’s something about Snow that gets under my skin the way no one has ever done before. She has a power over me that’s dangerous, one that could lead to my own demise, but I don’t care. There’s no option where I don’t have Snow by my side, and soon enough, she’s going to accept that.
By the time she notices me behind her, it’s too late, there’s no time to dodge what’s coming. I grip her waist in both hands and spin her to face me, lifting her from the ground and perching her on the edge of the vanity, and step between her legs. The position is intimate, almost too much so. My cock aches behind the zipper of my pants, begging to be allowed closer to Snow’s sweet cunt, but it’s not time for that yet.
I bring my hand to her chin and lift it until our gazes meet. Defiance flares behind the blue and only makes my cock harden further. She doesn’t understand yet, but her brattiness only makes me want to bend her over and fuck her so hard she can’t breathe, let alone talk back.
“Your brothers despise my very existence. They are going to constantly try to take you away from me, and I can’t risk that. You’re mine. You’ve been mine for the last ten years. I gave you that time to live your life and do whatever the fuck you wanted to do, but now it’s my turn. The only way you get unlimited access to your family is with a ring on your finger because that’s the only way your brothers will stop trying to take you from me.”
Annoyance hovers behind her eyes. “Let me down,” she demands.
“No.”
“Elijah, I swear to God I’ll scream so loud this whole fucking place hears and your little plan will be over so quick, you won’t be able to blink.”
I chuckle. “Oh, sweet Snowflake, if you think anything could keep me away from you, you’re sorely mistaken. Even if your brothers whisked you away and sent you to the other side of the world to hide, I would find you and bring you home. There isn’t a corner of this earth I wouldn’t find you, that I wouldn’t scour to bring my woman home.”
“I’m not your woman,” Snow hisses.
“Oh, but you are, Snowflake,” I growl, a sinister smile tipping up the corners of my mouth. “I am not a good man, nor am I a reasonable one, but this is my version of a compromise. I suggest you think long and hard about your choice.”
I turn on my heel and stalk out of the bathroom before I can do something stupid like bend her over and spank her bratty ass.
By the time I take my seat at the table, every single set of Saint James’ eyes settle on me. Wynter’s curious, Everett questioning, but every other person at the table is furious.
“What the fuck are you playing at, Elijah?” Storm snaps from his seat at the other end of the table.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Why the fuck are you going after my sister? The alliance wasn’t enough for you, you want to take an insurance policy as well?” The barely contained anger behind his words would make a lesser man quake with fear, but lucky for me, I’ve faced much scarier men than Storm Saint James.
I take a breath, settling the need for violence simmering barely beneath the surface. The combination of Snow and her brother makes it hard to keep the mask I wear in public in place, hiding the ruthless man I am when no one else is watching. “I have been interested in Snow for a long time, much longer than she has known I exist,” I admit. “I made my move as soon as my father and uncles were out of the picture for her safety. I would never put her in danger, never allow any harm to come to her. I’m sure you don’t believe my intentions are pure, however, they are as pure as a man like me can offer. I can assure you that this is not some kind of revenge plot for you taking out my family. It’s not a way to unite our two families. This is real.”
Typically, I don’t like explaining myself. Perhaps it’s the Russo blood running through my veins or the lifestyle I’ve become accustomed to, but deep down, I know I have to offer them some kind of explanation, because without one, they’re going to try to take her from me, and I’m not going to allow that.
The moment Snow steps out of the bathroom, I turn in my seat. She’s done a good job of fixing her makeup, to the point I’d be surprised if anyone bar Wynter notices she cried at all, but it’s the venom in her gaze as it settles on me that has my cock twitching in my pants.
She takes measured steps toward the table, never faltering as she weaves her way through the tables of people.
Movement to her left draws my attention away from my angel, and I’m out of my seat and barreling toward her before I can take my next breath.
