Leonardo set me by the bed, and I sat down, exhausted as I was. But when he took off his t-shirt, I turned my head away.
“Don’t get naked in front of me,” I said.
“Don’t act like a child.”
“I only turned eighteen a few weeks ago,” I replied, looking back at him. “I practically am a child.”
He cocked his head to the side and inspected me. After sauntering over, he lifted my head, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“Most mates sleep together on the night they meet,” he said. “Why are you so different?”
“Don’t you dare try to make it out like I’m the different one in this. I’m as ordinary as mud, not the most infamous alpha in the world.”
He continued to inspect me, trailing his eyes down my cheeks to my lips.
“I’d have sex with you tonight without a second thought. You’re the one resisting our connection. Why?” he asked. “How can you ignore your wolf?”
“I’m a virgin.”
He smiled. “I am well aware, sweetheart,” he replied, “but that’s not the reason you’re holding back, is it?”
My eyes fell to the floor as he continued to hold me there. “Are you scared of me? Is that why?”
“No.”
“So why do you struggle to look me in the eye?”
I realized I’d been looking anywhere but at him this entire time. He was right, and that irritated me. So I shoved his hand off my face and shuffled to the other end of the bed.
“You don’t have to pretend to be brave for me, Ella,” he said, walking into the bathroom.
I heard the water running through the faucet, and after a few minutes, he returned. “I ran you a bath.”
I nodded.
“Get the wretched smell of stale alcohol off you, and then we’ll talk,” he added.
I got up and headed straight for the bathroom, locking the door behind me. On the toilet seat was a neatly folded white fluffy towel and a large clean t-shirt.
The water was a milky pink color with dark red rose petals which joined with Leonardo’s rich scent to make for a heavenly smelling room.
As I dipped into the warm water, my aching limbs relaxed, and the floral scent drifted up through my nose to my head, soothing my worries.
When I left the bathroom, dressed in the huge t-shirt, Leo was holding a pillow and a blanket.
“Are you still sleeping on the floor or…?”
I looked at the hard wooden floor and back at the bed. The softness and warmth were too hard to resist.
“The bed,” I mumbled. He smiled before throwing the extra pillow and blanket on the mattress. “My brother will still worry about me,” I said. “Can I—?”
“No,” he interrupted.
I frowned. “... Why not?”
“I’ve sent one of my men to tell him,” he replied. “Now, sit.”
“But I want to talk to him.”
He stepped toward me. “In the morning. For now, I want you to sit and rest. It’s late.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “I have to speak to him,” I said firmly.
His jaw tightened as he glanced out of the window. A few seconds later, he brought his piercing eyes back to me.
“I told you, I have dealt with it. My guy will inform him you are safe and well with me. Now, get in the bed.”
I scoffed. “You think that will ease his worries? Finding out I am with you of all people?”
He gritted his teeth. “This doesn’t have to be difficult, Ella. Get in the damn bed before I lose my temper.”
It was too late, and I was too stubborn to swallow my pride now. So, I folded my arms and stood in front of him, staring into his eyes. “No.”
The tension in the air heightened with every second before it shattered when Leonardo lurched forward, grabbed my shoulders, and threw me onto the bed.
I wriggled and squirmed, but he was soon on top of me, grabbing my flailing arms and pinning them to the mattress.
“I thought you would have learned by now to not disobey me,” he snarled.
“And I thought you would have learned by now that I don’t do what people say, especially if they don’t ask nicely.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you seem to have forgotten who you are talking to,” he spat. “I am in control here. You will obey me. Understand?”
Already out of breath, I fought against his hold. I tried to free my hands from the tight grip he held on my wrists, but it was useless.
He just sat straddling me, looking down in amusement as he held me effortlessly in place.
He waited until I gave up and threw my head on the mattress in frustration.
“Are you done?” he asked.
He brought his thumb to my lips and lifted my chin. My hair rested disheveled across my eyes until he swept it aside with the light touch of his fingertip.
He kept touching me. My cheek, my hair, my neck.
My heart pounded as I looked up into his eyes, unable to do anything.
“I do not tolerate disobedience,” he said. “Do you understand?”
“Why should I obey you? Mates are supposed to be equal.”
He laughed before he brought his mouth to my ear.
“Not when your mate is an alpha,” he whispered as he released my arms to bring both of his hands to rest on my neck.
He dragged his hands across my shoulders where he trailed kisses up to my cheek. As I closed my eyes, both shivers of excitement and fear consuming me, his fingertips brushed over my breasts.
With that, I couldn’t take it anymore. Before you could say stupid decision number three, I had slapped him hard across the cheek. So hard, the room filled with its echoes.
“Do not fucking touch me,” I growled as he froze.
His eyes slowly cast to me, his body shaking as every muscle in his shoulders and chest tensed.
“You are going to regret that,” was all he said before he grabbed my hands, plucked me from the bed, and slammed my chest against the wall.
He pressed his body hard into mine, his crotch against my ass as he pulled my hands behind my back.
“If you ever dare try that again, there will be consequences,” he growled. “Do you understand?”
I swallowed, wincing at the discomfort he was putting me in.
He grunted before pushing me harder against the wall. “I said, do you understand?”
“Yes.”
With that, he let me go.
I shuffled away from him as he took a deep breath.
“I am not used to having to control my anger,” he said. “You do not want to provoke me.”
My wrists throbbed with a flush of red. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Well, let’s keep it that way,” he said, sitting on the bed. “Control your mouth, don’t disrespect or disobey me, and we won’t have any issues.”
I couldn’t control what came out of my mouth. I had a severe case of verbal diarrhea.
“Come,” he said as he lay down, “you need rest.”
I perched on the edge of the bed.
He reached his hand up to play with a lock of my hair between his fingers, which only made my stomach tighten more.
My breathing was heavy. I tried to control it; I tried to hide my fear. But my lungs only begged for oxygen more until I had to gasp for air.
He just lay staring at the ceiling and playing with that same strand of hair. “I’ve seen you before,” he said.
I kept my eyes on my hands.
“You work in the diner on the edge of Kellington,” he said. “You would have been too young for either of us to sense the mate-bond, but I caught your scent and it intrigued me.
“I listened to you argue with your boss and heard him threaten to fire you until you begged.”
“I remember that day. Someone left a thousand-dollar tip, and Connor and I used it to pay for groceries for months,” I said before looking at him and the realization hit me.
“Oh, Goddess. That was you, wasn’t it?”
He smiled. “I followed you home too.”
My face creased with concern. “You did?”
I had the most dangerous alpha in the world following me?
“You were alone in the dark. Some part of me wanted to make sure you got home safe.
I rarely care about anyone and my feelings toward you messed me up in the head.”
“I take that route almost every day. You are the most dangerous thing to find me,” I said, looking back at my hands.
“You weren’t in any danger. I would never have hurt you. I may have a bad reputation, but I draw the line somewhere. Please understand that.”
He wore a genuine expression and refused to take his eyes off mine until I nodded. “Okay.”
He nodded too and rested his head back on the pillow.
“You’ve killed people though, haven’t you? Innocent people?”
His jaw tightened as he looked back up at the ceiling.
“So, the stories are true?”
“What does it matter? You’re my mate, whether you like it or not.”
“For your information, I don’t like—”
“Don’t go there, Ella,” he grumbled, “you’ve said enough already tonight.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his chest.
His bare skin was warm against my cheek and when he rested a gentle hand on my back, my shoulders relaxed.
