Chapter 417
However, she never got to finish her sentence.
Jarred suddenly clamped his hand around her jaw, forcefully jerking her face toward him.
His cool, thin lips crashed precisely against hers.
It was not a tender kiss. It was an explosive, near-savage assault fueled by entirely too much pent-up emotion.
He plundered her mouth with an utterly unreasonable, suffocating dominance, kissing her with brutal force.
It made her head spin, his teeth scraping so hard against her lips they nearly drew blood.
Sienna’s eyes flew wide open. She shoved her hands frantically against his shoulders, but it was like pushing a brick wall.
Balling her hands into tight fists, she pummeled his chest, muffled, indignant protests tearing from her throat.
Her wide, blazing eyes were overflowing with pure fury.
Thankfully, the assault didn’t last forever.
Jarred finally pulled back. His breathing was ragged, his dark gaze swirling with unfathomable intensity.
“Darling p>
He narrowed his obsidian eyes, the volatile sparks within practically ready to explode.
His large hand maintained its vise grip on her jaw while his other arm banded around her waist, crushing her flush against him.
“I don’t like it when you speak to me like that p>
Sienna’s heart was hammering erratically against her ribs. Her breathing was a mess, and her swollen lips still bore the brand of his assault.
She stared back at him, finding the entire situation absolutely absurd, almost laughable.
“If you don’t like it, then don’t listen,” she hissed, her voice slightly raspy. “Just get the hell away from me p>
Jarred stared down at the beautiful face caged in his grip, his gaze tracing the swollen flush of her lips.
He noted the fading red tint at the corners of her eyes, and the impenetrable, freezing glacier settled deep within her irises—a frost he simply couldn’t melt.
That realization made the dark, chaotic inferno in his chest burn even fiercer.
“I go out of my way for you,” he murmured, his voice dripping with suffocating restraint. “And this is the dismissive garbage you give me p>
Sienna thought his statement was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.
Her icy gaze locked dead onto his handsome face as she sneered. “How exactly do you go out of your way for me? By putting all your effort into pissing me off and humiliating me p>
Watching the mocking twist of her lips, Jarred’s gaze plunged into a pitch-black abyss.
He crowded a step closer, leaving virtually zero space between them. She could clearly see the dangerous, inky storm brewing in his eyes.
It was a tempest of arrogance, ruthlessness, and a terrifying obsession she adamantly refused to acknowledge.
“If I can’t even get the woman I want, then every ounce of wealth and power I possess right now is a complete joke p>
His voice was dangerously low. “Any woman I choose to waste my time on has to fall in love with me p>
Witnessing the sheer, delusional arrogance in his eyes, Sienna actually wanted to laugh.
Her frigid gaze dissected his handsome face as if he were nothing more than a dancing clown.
“You definitely go out of your way for Celeste,” she enunciated sharply. “And now you’re going out of your way for Daisy. From where m standing, they both look incredibly in love with you p>
Jarred’s eyes turned instantly murderous.
She was lumping him together with other women in a tone that proved she genuinely did not give a damn.
It was as if whatever kind of man he was didn’t matter to her in the slightest.
As if whoever he claimed to love was completely irrelevant to her.
He drew a sharp breath, fighting desperately to suppress the unbearable wave of volatile agitation clawing up his throat.
“Yes, I brought Daisy here p>
His voice slowed, his grip forcing her face up so she had no choice but to meet his quiet, deadly serious gaze.
“But if you want me to wash my hands of her, I at least have to guarantee her safety and ensure she’s securely shipped out of the country unharmed p>
Staring right into the total alienation in her eyes, he continued, “To me, she is just Mrs. Bridges’s daughter. That’s all p>
The sarcasm in Sienna’s eyes didn’t just fail to fade; it amplified tenfold.
She had seen enough of his fake, impassioned explanations and heard enough of his hypocritical excuses to be completely numb to all of it.
Seeing her remain completely unmoved sent a sharp, needle-like pain lancing straight through Jarred’s heart.