A Thief's Kiss

8| Brownies

Chapter 8: Brownies (Alexander's POV)

I glared at the door that the officers had just walked out of before turning to my parents and Aria. Both our eyes fell down to her hand that I was holding. I dropped it and then turned to my parents. "Anything else for tonight?" 

"Take her to your room," my dad nodded. 

"W-what?" she sputtered. 

"There's no room that's been prepared for any guest's stay," my mother explained. "But I guarantee, tomorrow we'll organize a room for you to stay in until the wedding, hmm? Arthur, come on." My parents left the dining room, leaving the two of us in awkward silence. 

"Thank you for-" 

"Don't," I huffed, shaking my head. "Things just keep getting more and more complicated because of you," I sighed, running a frustrated hand through my hair. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't think she would-" 

"You didn't think," I scoffed. "Do you ever think before doing anything? Before stealing something? Before saying something? Before doing anything, Aria?" I took a step forward, anger bubbling inside of me. She took a step back and I took another one forward. "Why the hell did you agree to marry me?" I asked as her back hit a chair at the table. I leaned forward, putting my hands on either side of her, trapping her there. 

"You already know that I-" 

"I know that you made a selfish decision. That's what I do know," I nodded, my fingers brushing her waist. "But tell me," I sighed. "What do you have to offer as my wife?" She blinked in confusion. "What do you bring to the table?" 

Anger flickered in her eyes before she glared at me. "What do you have to offer as my husband? What do you bring to the table, Alexander? It's your family that brings it all. Their legacy, their title. Not you. You're not the king... yet," she challenged me. 

"But I will be." 

"But right now? You're not," she nodded, pushing me back. I grabbed her wrists, pinning them down to my chest so she wouldn't try pushing me again. "Let go," she huffed. I tightened my grip. "Ow, be careful," she hissed. 

I remembered the bruises and cut and loosened my grip on her wrists. I sighed, letting go of her wrists and taking a step back. "Go to the room," I ordered. 

"I don't take any orders from you," she argued. 

I stepped forward, trapping her between me and the chair, making sure she couldn't move. "Oh, don't you?" I arched a brow at her. 

"Move," she groaned, attempting to push me off. 

I grabbed her hands since I can't grab her wrists and I locked my fingers with hers so she couldn't pull her hands away. I pushed our arms out and kept her pinned to the chair. 

She started struggling against me, continuing to try pushing me off. "Alexander, let go!" I ignored her protests and kept pinning her down. "I said let go! Alexander!" I tightened my grip on her hands. "Alexander! Let go!" she yelled. 

I sighed, letting go and taking a step back. She glared at me, both of us breathing a little heavily from the struggle. I put my hands up, mocking surrender. She opened her mouth, probably ready to curse me but held herself back. She leaned back, grabbing her hat off the table, and started walking out. 

I managed to loop my finger through her belt loop and yank her back, pinning her against the chair one more time. She mumbled curses under her breath, staring at me expectantly. "What?" she spat.