Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
It's freeing to know I'm not alone in this storm. That the maelstrom raging in my veins rages in his too. We're two imperfect people, but together, we're something that defies description. Yin and yang. Light and dark. We're polarity, the force that balances all things.
Maybe I'm supposed to be a frightened, quivering little virgin. But I'm not. In his arms, I'm powerful and safe. His darkness calls to the sexual, curious woman inside, the one eager to explore all those fantasies that make me ache with longing.
I want to yield to this man, give myself over to him, but I don't trust easily. He wants to possess me, to ruin me for anyone else, but this complicated man wants to worship me too. This—the way I fight him, the way he revels in it—isn't about consent. It's about submission.
He wants to earn the right to claim me. And I need him to earn it too.
His arms lash around me, dragging me up his body. "Get your legs around my waist," he growls, his voice throbbing with dark urgency.
I hurry to obey this order, scrambling to lock them around his hips as he drags us from the sofa. As soon as we're up, he storms toward the house like the hounds of hell are nipping at his heels. We turn the corner as he jerks my skirt down, covering my ass.
"Keep everyone off the second floor," he snaps.
"Yes sir," Carmine says.
I frown, turning my head. Carmine stands beside Domani instead of Coda. He's staring straight ahead, not looking at me. And yet, I feel like he's staring directly at me.
"I'm not to be disturbed."
"Yes sir," Carmine says again.
Satisfied that his orders will be carried out, Rafe ducks inside the house, Carmine and Domani already forgotten.
"Where's Coda?"
"Busy," he grunts. "Get your teeth back in my skin, Amalia."
I thread my fingers through his hair, pulling his head back just hard enough to make it sting. "Feeling bossy, are we?" I ask when his eyes meet mine. "I already told you that I don't take orders from you."
His eyes blaze hot enough to rival the sun. "You'll take plenty of them when you're bouncing on my cock, Amalia. You'll be a good little girl and do exactly what your king says."
My clit throbs at his promise.
"We'll see," I sniff, refusing to bend. "Maybe I'll give the orders. Maybe I won't bounce on your cock at all."
His eyes narrow to slits, a warning growl vibrating in his chest. Oh, he does not like to be told no. He turns for the stairs, taking them two at a time.
"Oh," I moan, locking my legs tighter around him as every step causes his erection to grind against my clit.
"That's what I thought," he says. "Don't fuck with me, Amalia. We both know you're dying to feel me wrecking that tight little cunt. It's all you've been thinking about since the first time I kissed you, isn't it?"
"N-no," I lie.
"Did you touch yourself in our bed while I was gone, tesoro?" he asks. "Did you bury your face in my pillow and pretend it was my hand between your legs?"
We reach the top of the stairs, my head lolling on my shoulders. I should be fighting him and defying him, but I can't. I'll do it in a minute. After I regroup.
"I thought about you," he says, setting off down the hall at a brisk walk. It’s as if he doesn't even notice my extra weight. "Every fucking night I was gone, I thought about you alone in our bed, touching yourself, calling out my name. It nearly drove me mad. But I didn't give in. I didn't allow myself the pleasure."
The way he says it sets off an alarm in the back of my mind.
"Why did you leave?" I ask once we cross into the bedroom and the door closes behind us.
"I didn't trust myself to stay." He meets my gaze, still holding me in his arms. "I didn't deserve to stay. I could have hurt you. Killed you. When I realized I had you pinned beneath me…" Shame sears his expression. "I didn't bring you here to hurt you, Amalia."
"Why…" I lick my lips, terrified of his answer. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I had to."
My heart trembles, threatening to crack. "Because of Diego."
"No." His denial is soft, emphatic. "Women are off-limits under my rules, tesoro. Anyone who targets a woman faces death. I broke my own law for you, not for Diego. Because I took one look at you and knew you were mine."
"Rafe," I whisper, pretty sure he means it.
"You're mine, tesoro."
"I'm not yours," I say, plunging my hands into his hair to pull his head back. His gaze tangles with mine, all pissed off, territorial male. "Not yet, Rafe."
"Careful, little girl," he growls, his eyes heating like metal at a forge. "I've been dying to fuck the fight out of you since I met you. Don't tempt a desperate man."