Page 35 of She Belongs to Me

Yeah, that was my fault, but there was often no controlling my anger when it raged on this way.

I was just inside the gate and for the first time since I could remember, Romeo flew at me equally as pissed. “What is wrong with you, Mr. Marciano? You could have gotten either Alexandra or Sadie hurt or worse with your antics.”

Later I would realize how much I overreacted, but without thinking, I threw a punch.

Alexandra not only screamed in anger, but came at me, pummeling me with her fists. “You are crazy. Crazy. You don’t have any right to do this. All I wanted was to sit on a horse and Romeo was nice enough to take me for a stroll around the pasture. You’re a madman, horrible. I hate you.”

“Hate me all you want.” She was fairly strong, but I grabbed her wrists, glaring at her.

She jerked away from me, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Romeo. Thank you for your kindness. At least I know not everyone in Italy is a motherfucking asshole.” She stormed off and I had no idea how to react.

I glared at Romeo who wasn’t backing down. I had to give him credit for standing up to me in his way. After a few seconds, he trotted after Sadie.

Yeah, I was an asshole, but Alexandra was mine.

The thought, the realization hit me harder than almost anything else had in a long time.

“I wouldn’t touch her, Mr. Marciano. I am a man of honor,” Romeo insisted.

“Yeah, I know that. She’s simply a firecracker.”

“And I know that. I know it’s not my place and I mean no disrespect, but if you can, give her some time. From what she told me, which wasn’t much, she’s hurting from the huge changes.”

The aggressive side of me was prepared to react badly, but he was right. I’d pushed her too hard already and she’d just gotten here. “Thank you, Romeo. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I turned, expecting she’d be waiting by the car. She was nowhere to be seen. Talk about rebellious. She was going to push every button until I broke. I left the corral, trying to figure out where she’d gone. Twilight was settling in, and even if she’d traveled from the estate to this location twice in one day, at night things were completely different. I needed to find her before true darkness settled in. That wasn’t long.

With no indication of where she’d headed, I took off jogging at first, trying to crisscross my way through the vineyards before reaching the olive trees. I wouldn’t put it past her to hide if she knew I was close. I’d sparked more than just defiance in her. I’d unleashed her full anger. I’d had no idea just how spunky the girl was, but the more I got to know her, the more I realized she was very much like her father.

Adventurous.

Refusing to follow rules.

Even now as I picked up speed, I reminisced about his death all over again. Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped looking for his killer or the reason why he’d been targeted. What if the situation she was facing was only partially due to what she’d accidentally seen? What if once the Greeks had figured out who she was, they’d been determined to finish the job?

Or had they realized and embraced another opportunity given how powerful my regime was?

I’d kept Alexandra hidden on purpose, hiding as much about her as possible. I’d done a damn good job, all but erasing her existence. Of course she could be found if someone was looking, yet there’d been no reason. She’d been a tiny baby when the horrible act had been committed.

The oppressiveness of the trees captured my attention, the shadows likely playing tricks on the girl.

“Alexandra. You will get lost. Just call out and I’ll find you.”

I heard the rustle of trees later and a laugh. She thought this was a game. She was perhaps the most frustrating woman I’d ever met in my life. “I will find you. I’m a damn good hunter.”

“Bring it.”

The strange thing about the night settling and the denseness of the foliage was that there was no clear indication of where her voice was coming from. A grin popped across my face, ridiculous or not. She was making this a game. So be it. I took off running, weaving through the trees. My big advantage was knowing every inch of the forest.

After a couple of minutes, the chase, the hunt started to become fun. Maybe I wasn’t thinking rationally, but my entire body was tense from need. Even worse, my cock was throbbing. A damn day. It had taken a damn day and I couldn’t imagine not owning her. What did that say about me?

Nothing good.

My father would laugh first before applauding my awakening desire. I moved deeper into the forest, stopping to listen. The single crack of timber brought a smile to my face. “You won’t get away from me.”

She laughed again and I realized I’d made some headway. The question remained furrowing in my mind. What would I do when I tracked her down? And I would.

There was no easy answer even if my body told me what would happen. She’d learn what kind of man I really was.