Page 72 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

Not after everything.

The heady scent of bourbon floated through the darkspace as Affonso shrugged off the rest of his clothes and grumbled to himselfall the while. Emma closed her eyes, gripped the bedsheets, and pretended to beasleep as her husband climbed in the bed and under the covers.

“Emma,” Affonso said.

His hand landed on her side and gripped tight. Hepulled, trying to turn her over. She refused to move.

“Donna, come here.”

“Go to sleep, Affonso. You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk enough yet. My cock is still hard. Comehere, woman.”

Emma yelped when the blankets were pulled away and shefound herself under Affonso. He tugged at her chemise, determined to get ithigh enough. She could feel the length of his erection digging into her thigh.

It made her fucking sick.

“Stop,” Emma said, her tone weaker than she intended.

Her husband didn’t listen. He continued pulling at herchemise and working her thighs open. Emma wouldn’t relent. She twisted underhim, pushing to get away. Fear saturated her heart, almost enough to freeze hersolid.

He’d never taken from her what she didn’t give.

Never once had he forced her.

Her fighting didn’t seem to slow Affonso in the least.His fingers dug deep into the muscles of her thighs, hurting her and making hercry. She clawed at him when he finally got her legs opened. When she could feelthe head of his erection pushing against the panties she wore, Emma couldn’tbreathe.

“Affonso, stop! No, stop! Please!”

She slapped him once.

Hard.

It reverberated through the room.

Affonso stopped moving, his eyes glazed and wild as helooked down at her.

Emma sucked in a ragged breath when he grabbed her jawwith enough pressure to leave the marks of his fingerprints behind. He forcedher head back and stared at her, hatred brimming. As quick as his anger hadcome, it faded into something different.

Something she didn’t understand.

“Cam,” he said quietly.

Emma swallowed the sickness down. “Emma, Affonso.”

He blinked again.

Finally, he let her go with a disgusted grunt. Rollingover in the bed, she heard him mumble, “Fucking pointless with you. Dead babiesand heartache, girl.”

She wouldn’t be able to get pregnant at all, but shedidn’t tell Affonso that. Once the doctor confirmed that she was healed, shehad started birth control pills to prevent further pregnancies. There was aslight risk the pills could fail, like any birth control, but it was betterthan nothing.

“That’s all your good for,” Affonso added, still goingon.

Agony sliced through Emma’s nervous system. She curledup on her side with her back facing Affonso, like she wanted to hide. Shedidn’t realize until she could hear the soft snores from the other side of thebed, but her body hurt all over. Between her thighs, a deep, stinging achesettled where his fingers had pried her legs open.

She wondered if he left bruises on her face.

Emma, not knowing what else to think, thought abouthow to hide them.