Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Suddenly and to my surprise, Mariana comes running out of the shelter in my direction. Her eyes wide and full of panic. Acting quickly, I nab her in broad daylight with my hands wrapped around her waist and my mouth closing down on hers. Her hands dig into my hair, clinging to me as I carry her to my vehicle. Realizing what we’re doing, she tenses in my arms, but I continue our kiss without allowing her to break our intense first taste. Once I reach the passenger door, I finally release her mouth, and she attempts to catch her breath. Looking around, there’s no one in sight so I twist her around and pin her to the vehicle, snapping the cuffs on her wrists.
“What the hell? Let me go,” she cries out, wiggling and tossing her hips back.
“No, and stop fucking fidgeting. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
“I wouldn’t be hurting myself if you hadn’t grabbed me.”
I tap my finger on her nose. “You ran into my arms.”
“No, I ran into a brick wall you call a chest.”
“Behave.” I swat her ass and set her down in the back seat.
“No,” she says, fidgeting. I grip her throat which calms her down and then I put her seatbelt on. I kiss her cheek before letting go of her slender neck. Damn, my dick got rock hard at the way she reacted to my hold. I walk around to the driver’s side and then slide in, locking the doors before pulling into traffic.
“Why are you doing this? I promised I wouldn’t say anything.” She leans forward, giving me a whiff of her scent.
“Well, that remains to be seen. Now sit back properly.”
“What are you going to do with me?” A lot of fucking things… all of which will make her scream in ecstasy. The way she reacted to my kiss I know damn well we’re going to be great together. Still, it’s not time to mention all the fucking wicked things I want to do to her.
Keeping my cool, I answer, “Until I say otherwise, you’re my captive.”
“Great,” she huffs, rolling her eyes and sitting back. “I’m guessing these doors don’t unlock.” She can’t reach them without twisting awkwardly, but I made sure to put the child locks on.
“Right on that one. Now, be quiet. I need to make an important call.” I call Dom and speak in Italian, and then hang up.
“Okay. So I’m guessing you’re Italian.”
“You got that right. Can you speak Italian?” I didn’t want her to hear what I had to say.
“No, but I understood ‘Grazie.’”
“That’s good because the less you know, the better.” Especially about how you’ll be marrying me and having my babies as soon as I can get you naked.
“You can trust me. I’m not going to tell anyone.”
“I know you won’t.” A look of fear crosses her face, misunderstanding my meaning, but I’m not going to correct her just yet because I need that control until I can get her in my home where she can’t escape. Call me a monster, but this isn’t the worst thing I’ve done and technically she’ll be a lot better off in my home.
I hop on the expressway and drive toward home. We live on the north side just between the border of Chicago and Arlington Heights. My estate isn’t as grand as Domani’s but it’s nothing to sneeze at, so she’ll be happy with it. Or so I hope.
She refuses to look at me directly, but every once in a while, I catch her stealing glances. “So tell me why you’re at the shelter. Hiding from me?” I ask, testing her responses.
Her eyes widen in fear. I hate it, but it’s a necessary evil. “No. I swear I wasn’t.”
“Then why were you there?” I challenge, hoping she’ll tell me what’s going on with those fucks.
“Um, I was getting evicted.”
“In such a hurry that you left half your things? Don’t lie to me, Mariana. How can I trust you if you lie to me?”
Her mouth falls open in disbelief and irritation. The irony of my question isn’t lost on me. “Says the man who kidnapped me and did what you did the other day.” She wags her finger, but she doesn’t mention exactly what I did, which is good and bad. I don’t know if she’s repulsed or just keeping to her promise to stay silent on the matter.
“Well, I’m a bad man, there’s no doubt, but sometimes things are necessary. So, tell me what made you speed out of your apartment like a bat out of hell if it wasn’t because of me.”
She looks out the window and when she looks back at the rearview mirror, her eyes are watery. “I was told if I didn’t get a sale yesterday, my boss would make me earn my money another way. He just messaged saying he’s found out where I am, so I ran away from the shelter.”