Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
His hands slid over my ass. He gripped me with the same hunger I craved. The animal was ready to play.
He kissed my lips. “Lose yourself with me tonight. Let me take care of you. I think you’ll like the game I have planned.”
“Don’t you ever get sick of playing games?”
He pulled away from me, his blue irises wild as he hook his head. “Never.”
“Why not?”
He smirked. “Because I can win games.”
Luca peppered my jaw with kisses, then he sat up, lifting us from the chair. Tall and imposing, he towered over me. I looked up at him, noted the nefarious glint in his eyes, the devilish smirk touching the corner of his mouth. He looked like he was up to no good, which sent a shiver down my arms.
Luca steered me toward the center of the room, his hand on my back. Men watched us, their eyes traveling up and down my body.
Some licked their lips.
Others sucked in deep breaths.
The room was five times the size of most people’s living rooms. It had a vaulted ceiling, high walls, and a ton of furniture.
Sonny plopped into a chair across from Drake and shoved a glass plate of cocaine in front of him. Two dark-haired men tapped shot glasses, drinking with their eyes on Luca and me. We were the center of attention.
Money exchanged hands.
Why were they betting?
Luca wrapped his arm around me, then tipped a bottle of scotch to my lips. “You want more, baby girl?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
“I want you to enjoy yourself tonight.” He tilted my head back, pulled down on my bottom lip, and poured more scotch into my mouth. “This game will be fun. Like a flash from the past.”
“What are you talking about?”
Holding me against his chest, he dragged his index finger between my cleavage and whispered in my ear, “See how jealous they are?”
I stared at the men surrounding us.
Even Kali was watching.
“Everyone wants a piece of you,” he insisted. “They want to take you from me.”
His words sliced into my chest.
“You’re paranoid, Luca. I think you drank too much.”
“I’m serious, baby.” He took another swig, his hand now covering my right breast. “It’s only a matter of time before someone steals you away.” His hand slipped beneath my top. “I have a lot of enemies.”
As he cupped my breast, rolling his thumb over my nipple, heels clicked on the marble floors in the hallway. The sounds slowly approached the sitting room, and my eyes shot toward the entrance. A group of women walked into the room wearing black gowns like mine and Kali’s. Some of them had blonde hair, a few with brown, one with auburn. But all of them had curly hair, which surprised me.
Ten beautiful women for twenty men. Also weird.
Were they going to fight over us?
I shot a glance at Kali, who gave me a worried look.
A man I didn’t recognize moved toward the group of women. He had sandy blond hair swept off his forehead, dressed in a navy blue sweater over a white shirt and gray slacks.
“Welcome, ladies.” He handed them black and gold carnival masks with a cocky smirk. “Now we can get this party started.”
The girls slipped the masks over their eyes without complaint. I assumed they were hired pros brought here for the occasion. My gaze went back to Kali. Damian pulled a mask over her eyes while Bastian fixed it into place, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
A man cleared his throat beside me.
Luca lowered a mask over my head from behind.
“It’s time,” Marcello said in that deep, sexy voice that glided along my skin like a melody. “Let the game begin.”
As Luca tugged the mask over my eyes, the lights went out… and my heart sank to my stomach.
Alex
Cloaked in darkness, I stretched my fingers out in front of me. The panic set in within seconds, and my heart raced like a speeding train.
It was too dark.
Too quiet.
The old memories came flooding back, washing over me like breaking waves. I closed my eyes, tried to blink a few times, wishing it was all a dream. My body shook uncontrollably as the past collided with my future.
The closet.
The silence.
The never-ending darkness.
My screams. The dread.
My mom laughing at me.
“Luca,” I whispered. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Shh,” he said against my earlobe.
“You know I hate the dark. Turn the fucking lights on. Now!”
He wrapped his strong arms around me, flattened my back against his chest. “You want me to have a happy birthday, baby?”
“Yes.”
He kissed my cheek. “Then play the game with me.”
“What game?” I choked out.
Luca turned me around, so we were facing. Though, I couldn’t see shit, not even his face. He could have been anyone.
Brushing the hair off my forehead, he whispered against my lips, “It’s called Capture the Queen.”
My chest tightened, nerves shaking through me.