“I don’t understand, to be honest. I’ve been pushed away all my life. I signed the contract in the hope that I’ll—”
“You can’t change him. You can’t help him. It’s who he is. Don’t take it personally. He’s like that with everyone. Sometimes, he even pushes us away.”
“What happened to him?” I question, shutting the refrigerator and closing the distance between us as I settle in the chair again. I want to know more about the man who has embedded himself inside me.
“It’s not my story to tell,bella,but just know that he pushes people away for a reason. Our life”—he glances away, looking at something on the screen before he brings those brown pools back to mine—“it’s dangerous and all the people we care about could get hurt in the blink of an eye.”
“Then why not just… I don’t know… stop?” It’s then that Giovanni chuckles. His laugh is musical, deep and rough. He’s handsome. The creases at the edge of his eyes make him look older than he is, and his full lips press against white teeth. I thought he was handsome when he’s serious, but his smile lights up his face in such a way that he almost looks like a painting. Like you want to freeze time just to look at it.
“Sei divertente. Funny girl,” he points at me with long, slender fingers. “The only way out is if we’re buried six feet under, Raina.” A shudder races through me at his warning. “It’s our life.”
“It’s not a life, it’s a death sentence.” My vehement words earn me another chuckle and he shuts the lid of his laptop, bathing us in darkness. A sliver of light from the new moon is all that illuminates us.
“A death sentence that we’re born into,” he affirms with a nod and pushes up from the table. The chair scrapes across the tiles and he positions it back under the table. “Remember,caro”—the Italian word for darling drips seductively from his lips—“you can’t change the stripes of a tiger. All you can do is learn to appreciate them.”
He turns then and saunters out of the kitchen with my gaze following each confident step. Giovanni is dangerous in his own way, oozing confidence, sexual prowess, and I know he has the ability to bring any woman he wants to her knees and that makes me worry about my cousin. I know they’ve been seeing each other, and something tells me she’s going to fall head over heels for the man who I find myself gaping at.
“Something wrong?” Franco’s voice drags me from my thoughts. He’s standing in the doorway, watching me. The silvery light casts his face in a glow that makes him look ethereal.
“No, I came down to find some dinner, but ended up chatting to Gio for a little while. He just left.” He nods, stepping farther into the shadows.
“Come.” Offering a hand, he waits until I slip mine into his. “I must apologize for earlier,” he states matter-of-factly, as if it was a misunderstanding that he stormed out of the room, leaving me reeling. As we make our way down a long hallway, I realize we must be going to his personal suite. My heart rate spikes as we stop at what I’m guessing is the entrance to his bedroom. He’s been silent all the way, and it’s only when he opens the door and allows me to step inside that I notice what he’s done. A small table at the window with two candles shimmering against the glass, a place setting on either side, and a bottle of red wine with two glasses await.
The room itself is dark, a contrast to the one I’m meant to be staying in. The walls are a dark brown, with wooden paneling and one filled with books, old books, that remind me of my father’s library. The only word I can think to best describe the bed is humungous. It’s a four-poster, and I’m certain he enjoys making full use of them by tying his submissives to them.
“What’s this?”
“My apology.” He stalks by me, pulling out a chair. “This is my room.” He gestures for me to sit. Once I’m settled, he slips into the seat opposite and lifts the bottle, pouring the red liquid into the crystal goblets. The rich scent of Merlot hits my nostrils and I inhale deeply, enjoying the smell of the wine.
“You know”—I lift the glass to my lips, taking a long sip before continuing—“I’d much prefer you either an asshole or not. Your current mood swings are difficult to get a handle on. As if I’m watching a tennis match. Jekyll and Hyde.”
He regards me silently for a moment and I take another long gulp of the alcohol, which seeps into my bloodstream. My body is buzzing from an empty stomach and almost a full glass of wine.
“Perhaps, act the asshole, so when I walk away, it will be less traumatic.” It seems my mouth has a mind of its own because I can’t stop it from spewing shit and the dark glare Franco pins me with has my body both trembling and quivering.
“So you want me to act like an asshole toward you?” His head tips to the side. He regards me with a look filled with curiosity. The energy in the room is palpable. Thick and unyielding, and it leaves me speechless. “Rai, I told you that’s who I am. And if you listen to my brother, you’ll know it’s not you I show that side to, it’s everyone.”
“Why do you push people away? He told me you’ve been hurt before. Is it because you’re afraid to love someone?” I should shut up. I shouldn’t taunt him or anger him, but I can’t help myself. My stubborn pride always gets the better of me and I watch as his face turns from gentle inquisitiveness to something akin to rage. But he doesn’t direct it at me. Ice fills the space between us as he gently sets his glass down. He pushes up from the chair and rounds the table toward me.
“Stand.” Immediately, I find myself obeying his order. “Turn around.” I face the window, with his heat on my back. The tense energy that simmers behind me causes me to shudder and he hasn’t even touched me yet.
In one swift move, he rips my yoga pants down my legs and allows me to step out of them. With his one foot, he kicks mine apart. Spreading me for him. A firm hand pushes me forward and I have to hold on to the window to keep from stumbling. I’m bent at the waist, wearing nothing but a tank top.
He doesn’t comment on the fact that I have no panties on. Instead, I hear the shuffle of his clothes, but I don’t dare turn to look at what he’s doing. Silence falls around us and I watch the cars on the highway in the distance. Movement behind me sends my senses into overdrive as he reaches in front of me and ties a material over my eyes. In an instant, my world is black.
For a long while, I stand there, feeling the heat of his gaze as it travels over me. The soft cotton of my top falls away when he slices it from my body with the steak knife. I’m only guessing that’s what he used because I can’t hear anything else being shifted.
“Franco.” My voice is tentative, but he doesn’t answer me. Instead, the cold liquid of what I assume is the red wine trails from my neck down my back and trickles between my ass cheeks. A shiver races through me and goose bumps rise on every inch of my skin. I await more, but it never comes because his mouth is on me in an instant.
He licks and nips at the flesh between my thighs, lapping at the wine and my arousal mixing on his tongue. A swat on my ass has me yelping. Another and another is rained down on my skin. His hands spread me open obscenely and I can’t stop the heat, the blush that I know is clear on my cheeks.
His tongue darts into my forbidden puckered entrance, which sends me spiraling. The need to orgasm taunts me. But he’s an expert at this and keeps me on edge. Between his tongue lapping at me, teasing my ass, and nibbling on my clit, my nails attempt to dig into the window, but all I do is claw at the slippery surface.
My knees tremble and I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. “If you come, I’ll punish you,bella. Make no mistake,” he warns and I bite my lip to keep from coming too soon, before he orders me to.
Another swat and another. More. I want to ask him for more, but words fail me. As soon as it started, he stops. I’m left trembling as I hear the clink of a belt buckle and I know I’m in for it.
“You want love? You want a sweet relationship where I buy you flowers?” he questions and I shake my head because to be honest, I don’t want that. I’ve never been fond of flowers. Yes, perhaps I wanted love, but this… this violent passion he’s giving me is so much more. It sets me alight. “Answer me,” he commands and with it the leather of the belt bites into the soft flesh of my ass.