Page 78 of Vows of Blood

Luca regards me mildly, then, after a long pause, designed I’m sure, to make me even angrier, he drums his fingers on the table.

"I'll call you back." He ends the call without waiting for a response, impatience clear in the way he regards me. "I did. I edited them."

Huh. I expected him to deny it, at least, at first. Instead, Luca doesn't even have the decency to look the least bit apologetic.

"You edited them," I repeat the words slowly, each one dripping with disbelief. "And you think this is okay? Normal?"

"Normal, no. Necessary, however, if you’re to be the wife of the head capo? Yes."

The calm certainty in his voice makes me want to scream. "This is wrong. Undo it."

Luca gives me a cocky smile and shakes his head, like the mere suggestion that he fix what he's done is ludicrous.

"No." When his fingers wrap around his phone, conversation over, about to go back to his call, I cover it with my hand. His dark eyes lift to mine, corners pinched, and his lips press together.

"Luca..." I warn, not sure what else I can do, but the urge to stomp my foot is strong.

"Sienna." He rises from his chair and rounds the desk, moving toward me with an intensity that makes my pulse jump. "You agreed to be my wife. That means there are certain... boundaries."

Edging back, I attempt to look unbothered as he steps closer, invading my personal space, forcing me to tip my head back to look up at him.

"Boundaries?" It comes out high-pitched and shrill despite my best efforts. "Having friends is breaking a boundary?"

"Having male friends who have your personal number and can reach you whenever they want?" The knuckles on his clenched fists turn white, and the muscles in his arms bulge. "Yes."

"That’s ridiculous." I’ve always had male friends. I work with men. It doesn’t mean I’m going to run off and have affairs with them.

"Perhaps to you, it seems that way." He doesn't appear bothered by the accusation as he tilts his head to the side and crowds me, my ass now resting on the edge of his desk, as far back as I can go. "But you agreed to this, to me. And I don't share. I won’t share any part of you."

We stare at each other, the air between us crackling with tension. Part of me wants to throw the phone at his head, but another part of me, the part I'm ashamed of, feels a dark thrill at the possessiveness I see.

“You’re crazy,” I whisper, my tongue darting out to wet my lips.

He looms over me, further and further, until I’m forced to sit my ass onto the wooden table, or I’ll tip backward. “And you’d do well to remember that, Sienna.”

He checks his watch, and just like that, his intensity transforms into cool professionalism.

"I have meetings this afternoon. Carmella will be here if you need anything. She’s ordered some clothes for you and left them in your room to try on.” Easing back, he stares at my lips once more. “We'll finish this discussion when you’ve calmed down."

"Don’t count on it."

Snatching up my phone, I stomp out of his study, vibrating with a heady mix of lust and fury, and call Rebecca.

22

LUCA

I've been staring at the same information regarding Bellini’s insurance claim and repair estimates for twenty minutes.

The kitchen island is covered in papers, my laptop open to emails I should be answering, and an espresso grows cold at my elbow as I make absolutely no progress on my ever-growing to-do list.

Maybe it’s because I never work here. The lighting is too bright, and the interruptions too frequent. My study is designed for exactly this purpose, as Carmella just reminded me, wiping around me aggressively, clearly bothered by my presence.

Yet this morning, I found myself gravitating to the bright, open space with its wide windows and clear view to the rest of the house.

The sound of bare feet on tile makes me look up, and whatever hope of concentrating I had evaporates entirely.

Sienna stands in the doorway, sleep-rumpled and irritatingly beautiful, wearing nothing but one of my white dress shirts. The hem grazes mid-thigh, revealing an indecent amount of those long, toned legs I had wrapped around my head less than 48 hours ago. Her dark, silky hair is loose, tumbling over her shoulders.