His gaze drifted down as if he was soaking up the sight of me, and then his eyes were on mine again. Antonio always looked handsome, wearing his trademark black suit and white dress shirt. The five o’clock shadow he had this morning was gone, his face cleanly shaven around his chiseled jaw. Smooth. Enticing.
“Doe,” he started then took a breath. “Doe, you look…wow.”
My cheeks flushed, the heat spreading down my face and neck.
“See.” Karina nudged me. “I told you his jaw was going to hit the floor. Now you,” she pointed at Antonio, “while we wait for the go-ahead from Lucio, you can spend the time complimenting her and telling her gorgeous she looks. ’Kay?” Antonio shot her an unamused look, and she smiled brightly. “You’re welcome.”
The sarcasm in her voice wasn’t lost on us. But when Antonio’s gaze swept back to me, my heart skipped a beat. It was one of those moments you dreamed about as a little girl. The moment when you looked into the eyes of the boy you liked and saw he liked you back just by the way he stared at you. As if he saw you for the first time. Noticed that you were a girl for the first time. It was the kind of moment I never thought I’d have. But here it was…thatmoment, and it was everything I had dreamed it would be.
I stroked my palms down the front of my dress. “Do you like—”
His lips were on mine before I could I finish the question. A kiss so soft, so gentle, yet utterly disarming and powerful. With that single kiss, he stole my breath and forced life back into me at the same time. And the entire time I felt his lips on mine, all I could do was pray that this would never end. That whatever it was that pulsed between us like a lifeforce would never end. I survived years of abuse, torment, rape, and pain. But I knew I would never survive him. I would never survive Antonio Valenti.
***
We drove in a large, black SUV. I sat in the back seat with Lorik and Karina, while Antonio drove with Dante in the passenger side seat. The energy in the car was electric. Dante and Lorik were making jokes. Karina laughed, and I found myself in awe at how close they all were. The dynamic they shared as a family was amazing to witness, and I wondered how perfect it would be the day when Layla and Dante’s son would be able to join us.
Us.
It was a strange word for someone like me. I never thought I’d be in a situation where I would have the honor of thinking about me and others as…us.
In the rearview mirror, I caught Antonio’s eye. He was worried. Brooding. His brown irises were almost black, his forehead creased. He wasn’t happy about me joining. The tension was almost toxic, the way we stared at each other in the mirror.
I couldn’t blame him. It was risky. And a part of me hated that my being here had him anxious. I didn’t want to be the cause of any unhappiness or worry for Antonio. What we had might have been different now, but I still carried around this need to please him. To satisfy him. To make him happy. In fact, if I was bold enough, if I had the courage, I would have spoken up and told all of them I wanted to go home. But I couldn’t say anything now. Not when I listened to Karina’s laugh and felt their excitement. I felt a little torn, actually.
The only thing I could do now was to stay close to Antonio, to not cause him anymore worry or turmoil. I’d be on my best behavior and do as I was told.
Dante’s phone rang. “Lucio…we’ll be there in ten. Make sure everyone is where they should be.” He hung up and turned to Antonio. “We’re good to go.”
Antonio broke my stare in the mirror and looked ahead, his only response to his brother a slight nod.
Karina leaned over to me. “Don’t worry about the brute behind the wheel. Once he has his first drink, he’ll loosen up.” She took my hand in hers and clutched it tight, smiling. “It’s going to be fun, I promise.”
I turned to get a glimpse of the outside world through the heavily tinted windows. There were so many cars, lights, people. The streets seemed alive, but we were driving too fast for me to take anything in.
I glanced out the back window. The two SUVs which left the estate along with us were still on our tail. There were also two at our front. It felt insane for all this protection detail just for me to go on a night out. As if it wasn’t enough that I brought the devil to their doorstep, Dante’s family couldn’t come home because of it, but they couldn’t even enjoy a simple night out all because I had been dumped into their laps. Guilt was starting to saddle itself on my shoulders, ready to ride me into the fucking dust.
Antonio made a sudden turn to the left, and we drove into an underground building. I heard the tires screeching as we came to a stop, and Antonio was out the door and opened mine before he even shut his.
“Out.” He reached for my arm and pulled me out of the car. I didn’t even have time to take in my surroundings since I was suddenly surrounded by four strange men, Antonio’s hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, and we were rushing toward an entrance. I searched for Karina and saw her behind us, Lorik and Dante both flanking her.
Within seconds, we were inside the building, and Antonio’s grip on my wrist loosened a little. He stopped, pulled his hand through his hair, and let out a breath before his eyes met mine, dark and tormented. “At my side. Every. Goddamn. Minute. Understood?”
It had been a while since I saw this part of him. Since I saw the master who demanded obedience. My body felt electrified, adrenaline rushing through my veins. No matter how deep we fell into each other, how strong our bond became, the slave in me still craved the dominance of my master…just like he still needed my submission.
“Do you understand, Doe?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Good. Now, when we enter the club, I’ll walk out front. These men will flank you, and you will not under any circumstances move away from them. Is that clear?”
Again, I nodded.
“Good.”
Karina walked up to us. “Everyone okay?”
“Yes.” Antonio’s answer was clipped, never taking his eyes off me.