He sauntered toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. He managed to always make me feel like the prey whenever he approached me with such confidence, such hunger reflecting in his eyes.
“Uncle Gino would like us to join them for dinner. Are you up for it?”
No. “Yes.”
He smiled. “Good.” He took my chin between his fingers. “After dinner, I’m going to find out just howfineyou really are.”
My body shivered, the sound of hidden promises in his words making me hyper aware of the sexual tension that always sparked between us. It was undeniable. Neither he nor I could stop it or fight against it. It was like a force of nature that no one could control. I didn’t want it controlled. Unfortunately, our situation no longer depended on what I wanted or what Castello wanted. It was no longer just us.
I gave a subtle step back. “I suppose I need to get ready for dinner then.”
“Why did you do that?” His brows slanted inward.
“Do what?”
“You stepped away from me. Why?”
“I didn’t.”
His eyes narrowed. “You did.”
My heart started to race, and the way he looked at me had me nervous.
He stepped closer, and without warning, his arm shot out, and he grabbed my hair, pulling my head back. “Don’t ever do that again. Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard, dark angry eyes boring into mine. I knew the right thing—the normal thing—for me to think right then was for him not to hurt me. But by the way he tightened his grip at the back of my head, the pain that seared my scalp, all it did was wake my body, igniting a fire that could only be extinguished with ecstasy. Right at that moment, all I wanted—needed—was for him to wrap his other arm around me and show me how truly twisted we really were.
He gave another jerk, and I yelped as a strong current of need crashed against my core the same time I felt the pain of him pulling my hair.
“I asked, do you understand?”
I lifted my chin and kept my gaze on his. “Yes.”
His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, and I could feel how hard and ready he was for me. God, I wanted him. I wanted him so much, my entire body ached. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and eased over his lips. It made me want to taste him. I wanted to be reminded of the bittersweet taste of him in my mouth.
“Tonight,” he whispered with a promise and let go of my hair.
I remained still, not daring to move. Firstly because he had already warned me never to step away from him again, and secondly because my body was under his spell, heeding no other command than to be taken by him.
He stepped back, and his eyes made no secret as to what he wanted. His gaze alone told stories of sordid affairs and wicked touches.
“Go get ready while I pick out something for you to wear.”
“You won’t let me pick my clothing?”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a sly grin. “Of course not.”
Of course not. Castello was not a man who would willingly change his possessive ways…and I loved it. Even though I was the one whose choices were taken away, I liked the sense of power it gave me to know a man like Castello Fattore felt possessive over me. The more time I spent in his presence, the more I submitted to him, the more I realized how much I loved rendering such powerful actions from a man as influential and powerful as Castello.
On my way to the bathroom, I stopped by the door, keeping my back toward him. Slowly, seductively, I untied my robe and gently eased it off my body until it pooled around my feet. By the way my skin tingled and my stomach clenched, I knew he was watching me. I could feel his gaze caressing me, touching me, claiming me. It was something I could easily have grown addicted to—the feeling of being wanted by a man to a point where he needed to control all of me.
Without saying a word, I walked into the bathroom, not closing the door behind me. He had warned me the day before to not close the bathroom door. And I was an obedient little mouse, for I had long realized my reward was worth every choice I was being denied.
When I stepped into the shower, I realized that for the last ten minutes, while I was under the spell of a man that now ruled every aspect of my life, I didn’t once think about the two pink lines. Two thin little pink lines that I had to keep hidden for as long as possible.
As I walked out of the bathroom, Castello stood by the closet holding out a white cocktail dress. I moved toward him. “You seem to have a thing for white dresses.”
“I have a thing for you in white dresses.” He held up his other hand. “And heels, too.”