Page 124 of Claimed At First Sight

“Merda, Maximo,” she curses behind me, jumping to her feet too.

“You can’t just take it. It’s mine.”

I don’t answer and continue toward the door.

“Maximo,” she yells this time, sounding furious.

I don’t look back and call over my shoulder, “I’m going to put this book into my safe where no man can accidentally stumble across it.”

“Are you kidding me? This is theft. It’s bad enough you invaded my privacy.”

I laugh. It comes out as a short, humorless sound.

“Privacy?” I turn to face her, my anger resurfacing.

“Yes, privacy.”

“There’s no privacy in our world. You and I are always going to be under the microscope.”

Her cheeks turn even redder than before.

Is it rage? Embarrassment? I can’t tell.

“You still had no right to look through it!”

Somehow we’re standing nose to nose again, both fuming and refusing to back down. The room suddenly feels much smaller than it did five minutes ago.

“You hired a man to photograph you wearing next to nothing.”

“I did not hire Lee Roberts.”

“Let me guess, he did it for free?” I snarl.

“Correct, no money was exchanged. I had a deal with Lee.”

Now she’s taunting me. I know she is. I loosen my tie further. It’s far too tight around my neck.

“What was that deal?” I grit out through clenched teeth.

And there it is, her devilish smile. “That’s none of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business.”

How many more times do I have to explain this to her?

“I can’t have semi-nude pictures of you out there for anyone to see.” I wave the envelope in front of her eyes. “And you can’t spend hours alone with a man while you’re dressed like that.”

Outrage, disbelief, and mortification chase each other across her face. Then her expression hardens and all three disappear beneath anger.

“You do not get to decide that.”

“I do.”

“You are not my husband.”

The words hit harder than they should, and before I can respond, she pokes a finger into my chest.

“And don’t you dare say, ‘Not yet’.”