He was getting closer, and with each step he took, her nerves grew. She didn’t know what he wanted from her, and that terrified her more than anything else. No matter what her father subjected her to, she was used to it. With this man, his reputation alone was enough to send the best people running for the hills.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I heard all of those rumors about you, and yet here I stand. I don’t see anything wrong with you at all.”
She frowned, looking at him. Just this morning, her father had thrown a breakfast plate at her. Her weigh-in had shown she hadn’t lost anything, which fucking sucked more than anything seeing as she’d started skipping meals to try to please him.
“I think it’s time we should start heading back.” Isabella tried to brush past him, but he captured her arm, pulling her close to him.
“They won’t be finished with negotiations. Nowhere near close.”
“Get your hands off me.” She pressed a hand to his chest, somewhat shocked by how muscular he felt beneath her palm.
With all that strength, he still didn’t hurt her. There was no pain in his touch. She paused, not fighting him.
“You’re not supposed to touch me,” she said, trying to find the right words to tell him to back off, but she had nothing. “Not until after the marriage.”
“You really think our families would care at this point? They’d be happier if I fucked you right now and put my Accardi baby inside you.”
She glared at him and tugged at her arm. Much to her surprise, he let her go. She didn’t run away. “You shouldn’t be talking to me like that.”
“You want me to treat you like you’re thick and stupid?”
“No!” The word snapped out of her before she could stop it. “You should treat me with respect. I will be your wife. Not your … whore.” Sickness swirled within her gut and she started to feel a little light-headed. Skipping breakfast and lunch today might not have been the best idea. She also wasn’t close to water. Whenever she felt sick and in need of food, she often drank sips of water to help stop her from wanting it.
Licking her dry lips, she turned away from him and put a hand to her stomach to try to control herself. She was supposed to be putting on a good show.
“I’m not asking for a whore, but if you want a life like our families’, then tell me now.”
She took a deep breath and looked back at him. “What?”
“You heard me.”
Isabella glanced at the door, and he followed her gaze. They were alone. “You shouldn’t be talking to me like that. I don’t have experience with men.”
He stepped toward her and this time, she backed away from him. Klaus kept on coming though. She couldn’t stop him. He was everywhere. He slammed his hands on either side of her head, pinning her against the wall.
“Do you want a marriage where I don’t give a fuck about you? I’d treat you like trash. Screw my way around half of the whores. Take a mistress. Hit you. Beat you, but above all else, use you to give birth to my kids. Nothing more than a breeding machine.”
The picture he played brought tears to her eyes. Most of the women in her life had to live that exact nightmare. Was it her future, too?
She went to open her mouth, but all of a sudden, her stomach betrayed her and made the most awful noise, groaning with hunger. She placed a hand over her middle and tried to hide the noise. His gaze went to her hand.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said.
He didn’t move.
“I don’t want a marriage—”
“You’re hungry.”
“I’m not!” She snapped out the words, and this time, she tried to cover her mouth. All her life, she’d been trained in how she should behave around men like Klaus. Her father would surely put the belt to her if he heard her tone.
“I can fucking hear it. When was the last time you ate?”
“It doesn’t matter.” It was on the tip of her tongue to lie, but as she tried to, she couldn’t seem to bring the words in his direction. He didn’t deserve to be lied to.
“When!”
She looked at him and waited, hoping he’d get bored.
He grabbed her wrist and started to walk her toward the door. Panic filled her.
“No, please, no. Don’t say anything.” She tried to dig her heels into the carpet. “Yesterday!”
This made him stop, but he didn’t let her go.
Gritting her teeth, she tried not to squirm beneath his intense stare, but that was next to impossible. He kept on looking at her, and she didn’t know if he liked what he saw, not that she should care.
This wasn’t going well.
“I don’t want a marriage like our parents. I’ll … I’ll be good to you, I promise. I won’t embarrass you, but please, let me go.”
“I’m taking you to the kitchen to get some food.”
She shook her head. “No, please. I’m not allowed. I think you should go back to your father, so you can be part of the negotiations.”
He didn’t move.
“Please,” she said.
Begging was something she hated doing, but in her life, she’d been put in situations that actually required it of her. If that wasn’t humiliating enough, her soon-to-be husband was already pushing boundaries.
Her heart raced. If he caused trouble, her father would make her suffer.
“He starves you,” Klaus said.
Lifting her head up, even with tears in her eyes, she looked at this giant of a man. She’d heard so many rumors about him. Most of them were bad, but there was no mistaking the attraction a lot of women felt for him. Many women in their world would envy her, and she knew it wasn’t going to be long before she became the target for hatred. She wasn’t the most-liked woman as at eighteen, she’d been the first woman without an already arranged marriage. She was used
