I wanted her here so fucking badly I forbid her to leave the house. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to watch every expression on her face. Wanted to feel the way she made my blood rise when she stood up to me. And how she made it burn when she was underneath me.

Veda was watching me. Waiting for something. “What?” I snapped.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Closing the distance between us, I took her jaw in my hand and forced her to meet my eyes. “If you tell me ‘nothing’ one more fucking time tonight

—”

“You’ll what?” She stared up at me in challenge.

The...