Page 16

"You drew attention to it, which piqued my curiosity. Human nature makes us want what we can’t have. You set me up."

His bright blue eyes rake over me with a heat so raw it singes my skin and sends a trail of fire down my throat and chest, coiling low in my stomach.

“Careful, Sunny. It sounds like you like how forbidden tastes.”

He cocks his eyebrow and … oh boy. That voice. That smoldering handsomeness.

Wait … is this psychopath flirting with me? In the middle of this fucking kidnapping.

Oh, the asshole.

"Is that going to be a problem?" he asks finally, taking a sip from his glass.

I cross my arms. “I guess we’ll find out.”

He sets his glass down. "Miss Meadows. Stay out of the room."

“Fine,” I say.

I am absolutely getting into that room.

Because I know that if he doesn’t want me to see it, it means he is hiding something. And I have a feeling whatever it is will tell me everything I need to know about this man.

“If this arrangement is going to work," he says, "then I need to know you understand the rules."

"The rules?"

"When we're in public, you will present yourself as my wife. Not my hostage. Not my prisoner. My wife. That means you smile, you stand beside me, and you give every person in the room the impression that you choose to be there."

"That's a lot of acting."

"And there will be no other men."

I blink. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. No dates. No drinks. No flirtations. If a man puts his hand on the small of your back at a party, you step away. If one of them starts to believe you're interested, you correct him." His voice stays level, but his expression does something else entirely. It turns possessive. "You will not so much as smile at another man in a way that could be mistaken for an invitation."

"That is all very specific."

"My capos need to believe my wife is completely devoted to me. One sighting of you laughing with the wrong man in the wrong bar and the entire arrangement collapses. So no, Miss Meadows. No other men. Or there will be consequences."

Consequences. The way he says it sends a shiver through me.

Although, the explanation makes sense. It's cold and strategic and exactly the kind of logic this man deals in.

But for one unnerving second, I get the distinct impression that if some poor man did put his hand on the small of my back, the consequences wouldn't be mine.

"And in private?" I ask.

"In private, you can think whatever you want about me. But you follow the rules of this house. You don't leave the penthouse unless you ask me first, and I can arrange a security detail. You don't discuss our arrangement with anyone, and you don't disobey me."

I stare at him. "Disobey you?"

Oh boy, I hate this man.

"Yes."

Because I’m sure he isn’t going to kill me tonight, I let my resentment get the better of me.