Bound | H.S.

Chapter 9

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The commotion in front of the door stopped, except for Alex who was still shouting lewd suggestions of what Harry could do to me, or I to him.

"Shut up, Alex, and go find a whore to fuck!" Harry shouted.

Silence reigned outside.

My eyes wandered toward the king-sized bed in the center of the room and terror gripped me. Harry had his own whore to fuck tonight and until the end of days. The price for my body hadn't been paid in money, but it might as well have been.

I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to quench my panic.

Harry turned around to me with a predatory look on his face. My legs turned weak. Maybe if I fainted, I'd be spared. And even if he didn't care if I was conscious and took me anyway, at least I wouldn't remember anything.

He thrust his jacket over the armchair next to the window, the muscles in his forearms flexing. He was muscle and strength and power, and I might as well have been made from glass. One wrong touch and I would shatter.

Harry took his time admiring me. Wherever his eyes touched my body, they branded me as his possession, the word 'mine' edged into my skin over and over again.

"When my father told me I was to marry you, he said you were the most beautiful woman the Chicago Outfit had to offer, even more beautiful than the woman in New York."

To offer? As if I was a piece of meat. I dug my teeth into my tongue.

"I didn't believe him." He stalked up to me and grabbed my waist. I swallowed the gasp and forced myself to be still as I stared at his chest. Why did he have to be so tall?

He leaned down until his mouth was less than an inch from my throat. "But he told the truth. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and tonight you are mine."

His hot lips touched my skin. Could he feel the terror pounding in my veins? His hands on my waist tightened.

Tears pressed against my eyeballs, but I forced them back. I wouldn't cry, but Grace's words slammed into my brain. He'll fuck you bloody.

Be strong. Be strong. I kept telling that to myself. I was a Vercellino for God's sake, but Gianna's words flashed in my mind. Don't let him treat you like a whore.

"No!" The word ripped from my throat like a battle cry.

I wrenched myself away from him, stumbling a few steps back. Everything seemed to still then. What had I just done?

Harry's expression was stunned, then it hardened. "No?"

"What?" I snapped. "Have you never heard the word 'no' before?"

Shut up, Aria. For God's sake, shut up.

"Oh, I hear it often. The guy whose throat I crushed he said it over and over and over again until he couldn't say it anymore."

I took a step back, bristling. "So you're going to crush my throat too?"

I was like a cornered dog, biting and snapping, but my opponent was a wolf. A very big and dangerous wolf.

A cold smile twisted his lips. "No, that would defy the purpose of our marriage, don't you think?"

I shuddered.

Of course, it would. He couldn't kill me. At least not if he wanted to maintain peace between Chicago and New York. That didn't mean he couldn't beat or force himself on me though.