Page 23 of Until Death or Defeat

I can’t help the smirk on my face when she brings up the last time I was able to punish her. Although that was because she lost terribly at a high-stakes poker game at one of theevents a couple years ago, I had put the years of utter rage into it.

But she isn’t mad about the spanking.

No.

She’s mad because I took her soaking wet panties off and kept them as a souvenir of how fucking well she listened for the first time in her life.

“You’re going to be my wife in a week,solnishko,” I say, stalking slowly around the car, as she slowly walks further the opposite way. “You’ll be in my house, with my family, under my rules,” I continue as we continue our slow game of tag around the car, the tension rising with every step. “I don’t know what your father let you get away with, but I won’t fucking have this attitude. The brat act stops now.”

I can see the color drain from her face, as she realizes this is not our game we typically play.

“So you’ll stop fuckingtestingme, stop questioning every single thing I say in front of others,” I say as I resume my stalking around the car, faster this time, “and just maybe, I’ll let you live.”

With my final word I quicken my pace, causing her to stumble in her heels on the grass field I pulled over from the highway in. She tries to get up, but I pin her legs down with my knees, and keep her wrists together behind her back as she lays face down on the grass.

“Get off me!” She struggles, and I chuckle darkly.

“You only have the upper hand when you play unfair,solnishko,” I use my free hand to lightly trace her jaw, my fingers softly going through the strands of her hair until I get a good grip from the base and pull her head back toward me.

I lean forward to whisper in her ear, “But I can best you with only half my strength. Even someone as stubborn as you is aware of that, right?”

She defiantly keeps her mouth closed, and I grip her hair tighter until her lips part.

“Tell me you understand.”

“Fine!”

I lean back to her ear. “Good girl,” I rasp, letting go of my grip in her hair.

“Are you done with your power play now?” she asks defeatedly, laying on her cheek.

“No, I’m not. Unless you’ll willingly agree that you’ll stop acting up in front of others.” My fingers trace lightly down her exposed back, slowly making its descent to her perfect ass before I give a harsh squeeze, and she yelps.

“Fine asshole! No one but you and our siblings. I’ll keep my mouth shut. Happy?”

I hum, releasing her wrists and standing. She sits up from the grass, and when I extend my hand to help her up, she glares at me and does it herself. I watch as she huffs and wipes the grass off her dress, holding back all the comments I want to make about her flushed cheeks.

We quietly get back in the car, and I’m beyond satisfied by her submission, however fleeting it was. I know she’ll break, and I’ll have fun reminding her of it again.

“You know Lyra likes your brother, right?” she says softly, looking out of her window to avoid me.

“Which one? Roman?”

She nods, and I press on the gas to get us back on the highway.

“Well, if Roman is willing to have her, then he’s free to. I’m sure he wants to, because that would put him at the head of the Ivanov family.”

She doesn’t answer, but I can just feel her itching to say something. I don’t know why it bothers me so damn badly that she’s staying quiet.

“Speak. I would never silence you when we’re alone.”

She gives a soft sigh before finally speaking. “Lyra seems sweet, she shouldn’t be forced into a loveless marriage to benefit your selfish family.”

I chuckle at her words as I switch gear as we get off of the highway. “Lyra grew up with us; even if Roman didn’t love her romantically, he’d still care for her as family. She’d be lucky to be with someone as collected and gentle as him anyway.”

She sighs. “Men are just stupid. Roman can’t love a sweet, drop-dead gorgeous girl who likes him so much? How stupid would that be, to have everything someone would dream of, when she’s so willing and then just ignore her.”

It is stupid. I know it is, because I have to share a bed with this woman for the rest of my life while pretending to ignore her.