Page 87 of Crowned In Blood
He spanked my ass. Hard.
I gasped. He'd smacked my ass before, but not like this. He didn't soothe me immediately, or check to see if it hurt, because he wanted it to. And it made me so fucking wet.
"Do you know how many of my calls you ignored?"
"I—"
His hand collided with my ass again. "Thirty. And I'm going to spank you for every single one of those missed calls. For every second you made me worry. For every second you actually thought you could get away from me."
"Marco—"
Spank. I clenched my thighs tight as another surge of heat went straight to my core.
"How many times do I need to tell you I would follow you to hell and back? How many times do I need to make you understand that you're not leaving me?"
"Marco, Felipe is trying to kill you!"
"And?"
My blood chilled. "What do you mean 'and?'"
"Do you think this is the first person who's tried to kill me, Catalina? There's been so many I've lost count!"
My eyes widened and my body grew slack. I never thought, never could have even imagined that was the life he'd lived.
I'd been so stupid.
My life had value because everyone thought I was weak. They thought they could easily take from me because I was a woman. They didn't view me as a threat. Believed they could simply force me to do whatever they wanted.
But Marco? He was respected. He wasstrong. No one could take anything from him, which meant his life had no value.
A beast that couldn't be controlled was put down. And that's how everyone saw Marco.
"But that doesn't mean you should continue to risk it. Marco, I don't want you hurt and if you stay with me?—"
"I'd rather die than live a second without you. If you run away from me, that's the life you're sentencing me to." His voice dipped, growing darker, more dangerous. "Is that it? Do you hate me so much that you want me to die? Because I'll do it. Say the word and I'll take myself out right now for you with a smile on my face."
"No!" I roared. "No. No. No. No!" I slammed my fists into his back. "How could you say that? How could you ever ask me that?"
"Because that's what you did, Catalina! When you told me to leave you alone, when you tried to run away from me, that's what you almost made me do. You constantly say that you have a duty to your familia, but you keep forgetting that you have one to me too!"
"I-I do?"
"Yes." He put me down, and the blood rushed back to my head, making me dizzy. He steadied me, and when the room stopped spinning, I realized we were in my house.
Gently, with so much tenderness that my breath stopped for a moment, he took my chin and whispered, "You own my heart, my soul. Mylife. My future is inyourhands. I will have no one else. There will never be anyone else for me but you. So take care of me, as my teammate, my partner. As the woman I plan to share the rest of my life with."
His eyes searched mine as if begging,pleadingfor me to understand.
"I don't care if you agree with it. I don't care if you want me or not. You have me. Soacceptme."
I couldn't speak, couldn't move. His declaration was too much, his gaze too steady, too sure. He really would take his life if it pleased me. He'd kill for me, die for me, live for me. He'd given everything that he was tome.
His hand slid into my hair, pulling at my scalp, forcing my head back. "Accept me." His lips brushed over mine.
I wanted to.I already have.
I didn't know when it happened, but I knew that was the answer deep in my heart. It rose to the surface, but my fear shoved it down.
