Then she spoke, clipping out every word. “Beautiful house. Beautiful clothes. Beautiful path that leads down to a beautiful lake. Beautiful pool. Ritzy neighborhood. Going to the opera with gold butterflies in her hair. A housekeeper who launders her clothes and makes her breakfast. Hot, superhuman vampire with a great body who’s good with his hands, not to mention his mouth, coming home to her every night. A girl could get used to that.”
“That’s the point,” he returned.
“Okay then, what happens when you’re through with me?”
“It’s common practice for other vampires, including myself, to move their concubines into less lavish accommodation after the Arrangement is finished. But, if you’d have given me five minutes to explain in the last month, you would know that, given the taming, this is your life until you die.”
Lucien thought that was rather substantial.
Leah disagreed.
“Thanks, Lucien,” she snapped back sarcastically. “That takes a load off.”
He gave her another shake, this one far less gentle. “Explain yourself.”
She gave him another look, this one far less amusing. She also started trying to pull away again but he held her close.
“I don’t think I care to,” she stated.
“Let me see if I understand you, my pet. What I told you tonight is that you’re an important part of my life, meaningful to me. I intend to live with you, share my life with you, take you as my lover, something you want as badly as me and don’t f**king deny it, and provide you with supremely comfortable life until you die and you’re throwing that in my face?”
“Yep,” she returned instantly now irritatingly glib. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t want any of this.” She threw an arm out, encompassing the room before it went back to push against his chest. “I don’t want any of what you said. And most of all, I don’t want you.”
His patience fled, anger replacing it. A great deal of anger.
He yanked her over his body so they were chest-to-chest.
His voice was low and cold when he replied, “I’ve an urge to call you on that last lie.”
He could see her anger was escalating at the same pace as his.
Therefore she ignored his threat and demanded, “Release me.”
His arms grew tighter. “Not until you’ve learned tonight’s lesson, my pet.”
“I don’t mean now!” she snapped. “I mean completely. Release me from our Arrangement. Find someone else’s head to mess with.”
Her words roaring through him, leaving behind that twisting, vile feeling he despised, he sat up suddenly and to accommodate him she was forced to straddle his lap.
She gasped in shocked surprise then tried to pull away.
“Stop struggling,” he demanded, his arm locking around her waist, his other hand fisting in her hair.
“Release me,” she shot back.
“That’s not going to happen, Leah.”
“You want me to give you everything. My trust, my body, my time and you think I should be grateful because of some pretty clothes and a f**king great house?”
“You missed some things,” he returned.
“Oh yes, my blood,” she clipped.
“Yes, your blood and a great deal more.”
She stopped struggling against his hold and her angry face got close to his.
“Yes, I get that Lucien.” Her voice was an enraged whisper. “You don’t say it but I know what you want. And you can’t have it because I know, eventually, you’re going to throw it away. Therefore, it doesn’t mean one f**king thing to you, no matter how you pretty up the words. So I’m keeping it.”