The whiskey sits hot in my empty stomach as I stand and leave my office for dinner. When I arrive in the dining room, Bianca is already there, wearing a long black gown and red lipstick. She smiles wickedly and she may as well be the Devil as far as I’m concerned. She knows that she’s won a victory over me by splitting Lydia and me apart. I feel a growl forming in my throat. The animal that Lydia has awoken inside me wants to rampage, to go crazy, to show just how mad Bianca has really made me. But I swallow it all down and take my seat at the head of the table. After all, I’m the one in control here. I made the choice to turn Lydia away, not Bianca. She’ll never let go of the fact that I bested her for the control of this family. That’s why she’s so bitter. That’s why she’s trying to take me down.
She won’t succeed.
Bianca takes her seat and our chef serves up an incredible meal, but I know I won’t eat a bite of it. My stomach is in knots. I sit silent and still as Bianca picks up her cutlery and tucks in with appreciative noises.
“It’s so good,” she says. “You’re really not going to eat?”
“I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Oh, I know what your appetite is for, little brother.”
I grit my teeth but say nothing. This is like a practice test for dealing with my real enemies. I have to try and pretend that nothing she says is bothering me. I have to pretend that her betrayal is nothing to me. I clench my fists beneath the table.
“You don’t know a thing, Bianca. Get that through your head.”
She chuckles to herself. “Oh, but I do. Do you think I haven’t noticed the way Lydia’s been sniffling like a child all day? Do you think I don’t see the tension in your body? You broke things off. And let me say, I’m actually impressed for once. You did the right thing.”
I say nothing at all, but I know she’s going to keep poking at me until I explode. She sighs as though she’s actually upset for me.
“What a shame, little brother. Seeing you this way...it gives me no pleasure. But at the end of the day, you know she doesn’t matter. You know our family is more important than some American girl. Maybe you’ll find someone more suitable.”
“She’s not just an American girl,” I say through gritted teeth. Bianca looks up at me smugly, glad to see me finally reacting. I know I shouldn’t say anything. I know I should just realize that my master manipulator of a sister is trying to goad me into exploding with anger. She chuckles to herself.
“Of course not. That perfectly ordinary girl from the States is interesting as hell...oh, wait, no...she’s just young and hot. There’s a difference.”
“She’s everything,” I growl. And the realization of my words hits me like a tonne of bricks. Because it’s true. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted or needed. What’s the point in everything else now? What’s the point in my job when I make millions if I have no one to share it with? What’s the point of all this risk when I could just run away with her and find peace elsewhere?
Bianca is still talking to me, trying to wind me up, but I’m not listening anymore. How could I be so stupid? I don’t need to keep my distance from Lydia. I need to take her away and leave this life behind. I can hand everything over to Bianca on a silver platter. I don’t even care about my pride anymore. She’d tell me I’m giving up, but how can I be giving up when the only thing I’m losing is money? How can I compare that to the possibility of losing Lydia forever?
I’ve been a fool. I’ve spent this whole day thinking that I have to sacrifice Lydia, but all I need to sacrifice is this way of life. And if that means I get to be with her forever, then it’s not really a sacrifice at all.
I stand up from the table, my heart racing in my chest. Bianca smirks at me, clearly thinking I’m about to snap on her, but I don’t need to do that anymore. I have many more important ways to spend my time now. I’m going to go upstairs to Lydia. I’m going to tear off her clothes and take her hard and fast until she cries out my name. I’m going to come deep inside her and impregnate her with my baby. Then we’re getting out of this place tomorrow. Tonight, I’m going to seal our future. I’m choosing her over everything else.
“I should thank you, really,” I tell Bianca. “Now I know exactly what I want.”
She blinks in shock at me, but I’m already leaving her behind. I’m already racing upstairs, my cock hard in my pants, and ready to fuck. I’m breathing hard, ready for this moment that I’ve waited all my life for. I’m not holding back this time. Now, I’m going to make her mine.
I throw open her door without knocking. She’s sitting on the edge of her bed, tears in her eyes. I move to her and wipe the tears from her beautiful face.
“No more tears,” I growl. “I’m never leaving you again. And I’m going to make you mine. Right. Now.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lydia
He kisses me before I even have time to register what’s happening. It’s all changed so fast. One moment he’s telling me that we can’t be together, and now he’s all over me like he can’t stop himself from touching me. He growls against my lips, pushing me back onto the bed with animalistic ferocity.
“Wait!” I breathe, pulling back from him as I try to regain my senses. “What’s happening? I thought we couldn’t be together?”
“Screw
