When her body stills in my arms, I know she’s about to fight me, but I don’t give her a chance, quickly scooping her up and carrying her back to my room before she can draw out her claws.
“I don’t understand, I thought…” Snow looks up at me with confusion and worry etched into her features.
“What did you think, Snow? Did you think I would have a wife who would sleep in another room?” I ask, placing her in the middle of the bed and tugging the tie of her robe open.
“I haven’t agreed to that,” she whispers.
I shake my head, making no attempt to hide the smile that tugs at the corners of my lips. “Didn’t you say in the bathroom it’s not really a choice at all?”
She glares at me. “I did. And then I had a man hold a gun on me, and now I’m kinda reevaluating things. That kind of thing happens when your life flashes before your eyes.” She crosses her arms across her chest to stop me from undressing her any further, but she should know if I want her naked, that’s exactly how I’m going to have her.
I sigh and massage the bridge of my nose. Every time I think we’ve made progress, she takes three steps backward, and it’s incredibly frustrating. “I know you’ve had a challenging evening, but I almost lost you tonight. You almost died right in front of me, and that’s moved up the timeline. You are my woman, and therefore, you will sleep in my bed.”
She considers me for a moment, and then she does exactly as I expect. She rolls off the other side of the bed and shakes her head. “Nope. Not going to happen. You said you wouldn’t force yourself on me, and this feels a lot like that.”
“I am a criminal, Snow. I lie for a living.”
Fear crosses her features, and her eyes dart to the door, looking for an escape that doesn’t exist. “There’s nowhere in the house you can hide from me, nowhere in the world, for that matter.”
“I’m not sleeping with you,” Snow whispers.
“I’m not asking for sex, Snow. That will come, but tonight you’re sleeping in this bed, with me, whether you like it or not.”
“Or what?”
“There is no or what. Either you get your pretty ass between those sheets, or I’m going to tie you to the bed until further notice. Which option do you like better?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I don’t believe you.”
I laugh, the sound almost foreign to me, it’s so rare. Slowly, I reach for the bedside table and pull the drawer open, keeping my eyes locked on hers while I fish around to find what I’m looking for. I meant it when I said she wasn’t going to like the result of defying me. My fingers brush across cool leather and a small smirk settles on my lips as I bring the item into view.
Snow’s eyes fall on the leather handcuffs I’m holding, and her mouth drops open. “Elijah,” she warns.
“Get in the bed, Snow. One way or another, you’re sleeping in here tonight. I suggest you choose the right option.”
After another moment of consideration, she sighs and steps back toward the bed, slowly pulling the sheets away so she can slip between them. Even as the words occur to me, I know I shouldn’t voice them, I shouldn’t push her any harder than she’s already been pushed tonight, but I can’t help it and the words slip free before I can stop them.
“You’re wearing too much.”
She looks down at the robe and quickly pushes it off her shoulders, discarding it on the chair by the window.
“Still too much.”
Snow’s mouth drops open and her eyes flare with a mix of understanding and anger. “I am not sleeping naked with you,” she snaps.
I sigh, holding up the cuffs again. “Either you strip down to those tiny little panties, or I’ll do it for you.” She’s trying my very thin patience, and if she were anyone else, I would have already thrown her in the bed and tied her up so she couldn’t run. But she’s not just anyone else, she’s the woman I intend to force to marry me as soon as possible, and therefore a certain level of restraint must be shown.
The defiance that flares to life in Snow’s blue eyes only makes my cock harden in my dress pants. I haven’t had a chance to change from dinner yet, and my dick begs to be set free. With one last sigh, Snow pulls the camisole from her body, her perky tits bouncing slightly when the fabric brushes past them. Next, she bends over and shoves the shorts down her toned legs until she’s standing in nothing but a black thong that leaves nothing to the imagination.
“Happy?” she snaps.
“Delirious.”
Snow mutters something under her breath as she climbs between the sheets and pulls them up to cover her naked body, but I don’t question her. Instead, I start to undress myself. I slip my jacket off my shoulders and watch her closely as I unbutton my shirt. She’s trying not to watch me, looking anywhere but where I’m standing at the base of the bed, but every now and then, her eyes dart past me. She’s not as unaffected by me as she would like me to believe.
I push the shirt off my shoulders and allow it to drop to the floor before moving my hands to my belt.
Snow’s eyes finally settle on me, giving up her attempt to keep them off me and what I’m doing, and her mouth drops open slightly as I shove my pants down my legs and all I’m wearing is a pair of boxer briefs. The outline of my rock-hard cock is clear through them, and I can’t help but tease her by squeezing it once.
“Do you like what you see, Snowflake?”
“Aw, Elijah. Do you need your ego stroked? I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong girl if that’s the case.”
“My ego isn’t what I need stroked, Snow, and I suggest you keep that pretty mouth shut if you don’t want me to fuck it.”
She crosses her arms across her chest, which only pushes her breasts up and considers me for a moment. “You promised you wouldn’t do anything until I begged you, and I don’t recall begging you for that.”
I smirk as I drop my boxer briefs, leaving me completely naked. Her eyes drift across every bit of skin, tracking across the dark tattoos as if putting together the pieces of the puzzle her mind has been trying to since she saw the ones on my arms. Slowly, almost too much so, I place each knee on the edge of the mattress and prowl toward her. It’s not the first time I’ve likened myself to a predator hunting my prey, but it’s the first time Snow has been my target.
“Do you know what the good thing about being in charge is, my little Snowflake?” I murmur as I close the distance between us until our faces are just an inch apart. “I can change my mind any damn time I please.”
