Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
He smiles at me through the mirror. “You look gorgeous with my ring around your neck.”
Even though I don’t want it to, a blush still creeps onto my cheeks.
Could I …
No. Don’t ever give in. He’s just another man looking to own your body in exchange for your safety, Stella.
His fingers trail a line from my clavicles to my neck, the soft touch sending shocks down my body, and my breath shudders. Good God, even this simple touch has my knees buckling.
His head lowers down toward my neck, and when his hot breath fans my ears, I nearly cave to the need to moan as my eyes roll into the back of my head.
Fuck.
What has this man done to me?
“Is this what you want, Tesoro?” he whispers into my ear.
I shouldn’t.
He’s a mobster, a killer, a monster.
I can feel his breath. “Is this what it takes to keep you from running away from me?”
My eyes burst open and connect with his through the mirror in an attempt to curtail my arousal, but the dirty grin spreading on his cheeks fills me with rage.
Goddammit, he nearly got me to say yes.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that,” I growl back.
He pulls away, and I force myself to ignore the rampant disappointment coursing through my veins at the thought of his lips grazing my skin.
He chuckles. “Don’t say that to a man like me … you know I’d never back down from a challenge like that.”
Fuck.
“Pfft. You’re not going to win,” I retort, folding my arms. “I will always hate you for locking me away.”
I spin around on my heels. Big mistake, because seeing him right in front of me is even harder than through the mirror. And for some reason, that one image of him jerking off on his bed suddenly crosses my mind for just one second. But that one second is enough to completely throw me off my resolve to despise him.
“If you behave from now on …” He pauses for a second. “I’ll allow you to roam about the house freely.”
“What about going outside?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Small steps, Stella.”
“But I don’t want to be a prisoner,” I say.
He slides his hand across my hair and tucks it aside until he can cup my face, his coarse hand so gentle with me that it nearly makes me falter right there and then.
“You’re not my prisoner. You’re my wife.”
“Then let. Me. Out,” I hiss.
“Not until I’m certain you’ll return to me.”
His thumb brushes across my lips as his eyes desperately search for answers to questions I can’t give him, and he leans in, closing the gap between us.
Don’t give in. Don’t let him worm his way into your heart.
“You only want me to exact revenge on Lucio,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I do crave revenge … desperately. But I also can’t help but think …”
What if?
What if we just gave in?
His lips graze mine, and I can nearly taste the desire on his mouth, while his fingers graze my shoulders, pushing aside the fabric of my dress that keeps my rampant lust contained.
Suddenly, he pulls away and runs his fingers through his hair. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
He backpedals his way out of the room, almost like he regrets ever coming in … Like it’s becoming harder and harder to resist.
But as the door shuts behind him and he leaves me to myself again without locking the door, a smirk still forms on my face.
And I can’t help but wonder … What if I can use this attraction to my advantage?
MATTEO
I could barely stop myself from kissing her.
Fuck.
I grab a new bottle of scotch from the liquor cabinet in my bedroom and pour myself a glass. I’ve been going through my stash far too quickly ever since I brought her to my home, but I’d rather dull my senses than come face-to-face with the ravenous monster I’ve created.
God, I nearly went there.
Just one more second, one more breath from her lips, and I would’ve devoured them whole.
But it’s wrong. It’s so fucking wrong after I saved her from those monsters that tried to rip her away from me. And then I go around and nearly turn into a monster myself.
I stare at my hands like they aren’t even mine. The moment my fingers touched her skin, I was done for. So goddamn soft and divine, a creature like her is almost unfathomable to exist, yet … she’s right there, in my home, mere steps away, but miles out of reach.
I’ve never craved for anything.
Not a single thing in my life.
My parents taught me to only ever care about the business, the legacy … and then she came along and threw all that overboard.
I want her.
God, I want her more than anything in the whole damn world. Maybe even more than vengeance itself.