She squirmed against me, her sex rubbing my thigh. I wedged it between her legs, so she could stimulate her clit while I ravaged her mouth and tormented her breasts. My cock was rock hard, pressing into her abs. I had to bury myself inside her wet heat, had to claim her as deeply as possible. I would mark her with my cum, a brand that would tell her exactly who owned her lovely body.
I released her wrists so that I could yank her leotard off, baring her small breasts to my rough caresses. She shimmied it down her legs, breaking contact with my thigh in a wild attempt to remove the barriers between us. She was just as caught up in this madness as I was, craving to connect. The fear and violencehad stripped away our civilized veneer, and we came together in a rush of primal need.
She fumbled at my belt, her small hands shaking as she stroked her tongue against mine, the kiss stealing her breath. My head was spinning, too, so I tore my mouth from hers and grabbed her hips, turning her around so that she faced the mirror. Her hands fisted around the barre, and I pulled her hips toward me, so that her lower back arched and her cunt was offered to me.
Her pretty tights were still in the way. I tore at the delicate material, the ripping sound harmonizing with the swelling music that still soared through the dance studio.
I shoved her panties aside and wrapped my free hand around her throat, holding her in place for my use. Before I thrust inside her, our gazes locked in the mirror. Her face was flushed, her hazel eyes wide but slightly glassy with lust. My hand was crimson against her tanned skin, the blood of my enemies smeared over her cheeks where I’d grabbed her jaw during our harsh kiss.
More blood splattered my own cheeks, arterial spray from where I’d slaughtered the men who’d tried to take her from me.
“Mine.” The snarled word echoed around us, thundering through the classical music as I drove into her wet heat in one brutal thrust.
She cried out, her willowy body rocking in my grip. I firmed my fingers around her throat, restricting her ability to breathe. She could do nothing to resist me, nothing to deny my claim over her entire being. I controlled her body, her breath. I fucked her mercilessly, her tight channel squeezing me with velvet heat that made pleasure gather at the base of my spine. I gritted my teeth and shoved it back. This wouldn’t end so quickly.
She released little whimpers with each of my harsh thrusts, squirming in my ruthless hands. I reached around her andground my thumb against her clit, keeping a firm hold on her neck as I rubbed her in a rhythm that I’d learned she liked best.
She shattered on a scream, the ecstatic sound holding an edge of pain as I forced the orgasm from her helpless body. Her inner walls contracted around me, squeezing my dick and triggering my own release. I tipped back my head and released an animal roar, spilling my cum deep inside her, marking her.
My wife. My Nora.
“Mine.”
Chapter 11
Nora
“Nora!” My sister’s arms closed around me, and the fear that’d plagued me since Luca had left my side melted away.
“I’ve missed you,” I confessed, allowing some of my vulnerability to spill out now that I was safely with Giana. I would be strong for her—I didn’t want her to worry about me—but I couldn’t help returning her hug with a fierce embrace.
She stepped back so that she could study my face. “How are you, really? I can’t believe Father wouldn’t let me come to your reception. I’ve been dying to see you.”
I squeezed her hands in both of mine. “Me too.” At least Luca had provided me with my own phone, so I’d been able to talk to Giana every day since I’d been forced into this marriage. Still, nothing compared to being in her presence, to see that she was safe and whole.
Giana’s chocolate brown eyes were wide on mine. “I heard Luca talking to Father before he left. Did Dante really send men after you yesterday? Are you hurt at all?”
I tensed. I hadn’t intended to tell my sister about the kidnapping attempt that’d taken place in our own home. It waswhy Luca had brought me here, to my father’s house. While my husband was out consolidating power and reaffirming alliances against Dante, he wanted me to be somewhere nearby but well-guarded. His estate had been breached, so he didn’t want to leave me there while he was in the city. My family home was the closest option, and Luca had secured my father’s loyalty through our marriage.
“I’m okay,” I promised Giana before she could spiral deeper into anxiety. “Luca protected me.”
Giana kept one of my hands in hers as she sank down onto the couch in our sitting room, and I settled in beside her. We didn’t break contact; I needed to feel her comforting presence as much as she needed to reassure herself that I was safe and whole. My kidnapping by Luca had been traumatic for her, and worry for my wellbeing had been consuming her.
Her fingernails were too short beneath my soothing touch; they were ragged from where she’d been biting them, a nervous habit she’d kicked years ago.
“Giana,” I sighed her name, hating that I was the cause of her distress. “I really am okay.”
“But that brute kidnapped you. He forced you to marry him. He’s a monster, Nora.”
I pressed my lips together, considering. Yes, I’d called Luca a monster when he’d first taken me. I’d hated him for ripping away my future and—even worse—for humiliating me with dark pleasure.
I thought of how he’d handled me so roughly in the dance studio yesterday, after he’d killed the men who’d threatened me. My body was still sore from the savage encounter, but my blood heated to think about it. My new husband was fierce and possessive, but he’d protected me. I’d witnessed shocking violence before, but it was the first time someone had held meafterward. He’d bled for me; he’d been grazed by a bullet while fighting our enemies.
He’d saved me from Alberto’s sick lust, too. And when he’d held me after our reception, he’d told me about his mother’s tragic death. He’d made himself vulnerable with me, just for a few minutes.
“He says he wants me to be happy,” I admitted.
Giana’s brows drew together. “He’s essentially holding you hostage to ensure Father’s support. How can he possibly expect you to be happy when he’s using you like a pawn?”