Vanessa made good on her word.

She really was addicting.

I hadn’t gotten that much enjoyment out of a woman before. The sex was good, but once I was finished, the drive was usually gone. I was a man with needs, so lots of sex was a part of my life. But it wasn’t ever with the same person.

Until now.

I fucked her once, but immediately afterward, I wanted her again.

I told myself that my obsession came from the context of the situation. She was the daughter of my mortal enemy and stuffing my come between her legs felt forbidden. It felt like a form of revenge, a way to get off without actually killing her. If Crow Barsetti knew what I was doing, it would send him on a terrifying rampage.

Especially since his daughter enjoyed it.

I had to release her back into the wild soon, but I had no intention of letting her go. She would still be my prisoner because I had the kind of power to control someone without being in the same room or the same city. I only had a few more days before one of her parents called to check in on her.

I had to make sure everything was ready by then.

Richard knocked before he stepped into my office. “Sir, I just wanted to let you know Vanessa is outside.”

I immediately turned in my chair and looked out the large window. “What is she doing?”

“Looks like she’s playing in the snow. Just wanted you to be aware.” He walked out again.

The storm had passed, and it was a sunny day. The snow had settled, and the sunlight made it ten degrees warmer than it usually was. I wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate my opponent. No matter how much she liked to fuck me, I knew she would betray me the second the opportunity came up.

I’d do the same to her.

I pulled on my boots and jacket before I went outside. She was in the back, dressed in snow gear she must have found in her closet. With a thick jacket, water-resistant pants, and gloves, she was building a snowman. She made the bottom snowball then worked to construct the next piece that went on top. On the ground beside her were carrots, olives, and a piece of wood she would use to make the face.

I stared at her for a second, unable to believe what I was looking at. This woman had been kidnapped and almost murdered, but she was outside on a nice day making a snowman. She reminded me of a child visiting her grandparents on Christmas.

I came closer to her, my boots crunching against the snow.

She looked up when she noticed me. “Does it look like I’m running?”

“Would you tell me if you were?”

She shrugged. “Good point.” She finished the second ball and then placed it on top of the bottom one.

I slipped my hands in my pockets and watched her.

“You don’t need to babysit me, Bones. If I were going to run, I would have made my move already.”

“Unless you realized the garage is locked with a code and the path down to the road is completely covered in snow.”

She grinned as she rubbed her hands together and wiped the snow from her gloves. “Alright, you got me.”

Her honesty heightened my attraction to her.

“Then there really is no reason for you to be out here, then.”

“I can think of one.” I placed my body in between her and the snowman, and I stared at her lips like I could claim them with just my look.

She cocked her head slightly, holding my gaze with her fiery expression. “You want to build a snowman with me?”

“I want a kiss first.”

She pressed her lips tightly together then rolled her eyes. “I’m not giving you anything. I’ll kiss you when I fuck you—”

My hand dug into her hair, and I crushed my mouth to hers, kissing her in the snow. I took charge of the kiss, forcing her lips to move with mine. Our breath escaped as vapor into the dry air. The back of her neck was warm because her hair protected her skin, and my fingers latched on to it as I deepened the kiss.

She was a big smartass, but the second my mouth was on hers, she was completely cooperative.

I pulled away but kept my face close to hers. “You’ll kiss me when I say so.” I turned away then kneeled down to the snow. With my bare hands, I constructed a small snow ball. I lifted it and placed it on top of the snowman.

Vanessa chucked a snowball at the side of my face, the cold ice striking me right on the cheek.

I turned back to her, my eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to play that game with me.”

“Come on, I’m a good shot.” She wore a playful smile on her face, the sunlight highlighting the beautiful color of her skin. Her eyes were full of life despite her current circumstances. Nothing could keep this woman down for long.

“If you were a good shot, I’d be dead right now.”

She rolled her eyes. “Guns are different. I don’t use them often. I only shot someone one time before—and I didn’t miss then.”

The playful mood immediately evaporated when I heard what she said. “You shot and killed someone?”

“Yeah.” She pulled out the carrot and shoved it into the center of the snowman’s face. She brushed off the conversation like it was casual, like the current circumstances we were in was completely normal.

My attention was only on her, not the snowman she was making. “Who and why?”

“My future sister-in-law had some asshole who was obsessed with her. So he kidnapped me and said he would only set me free if my brother released his girlfriend. He wanted to make a trade. But I ran for it instead, got a gun, and shot one of his henchmen in the skull. I didn’t have time to check, but I’m pretty sure he died.”

Pride rushed through me, pleased that Vanessa was smart and cunning enough to escape her captors. She didn’t think twice before she claimed a man’s life. Life wasn’t as simple as people thought it was, and those who would rather die than take a life deserved to die anyway. Vanessa acted quickly and got herself out of a bad situation. She tried to do the same with me, but I was a much harder opponent. “Did you kill the guy who took you?”

“No. My mom did. She had a gun, but she strangled him with a rope. I’ve never seen my mom look like that…look so terrifying.”

Had she been as vicious with my father?

Vanessa must have picked up on my mood because her gaze shifted to my face, full of concern. “What?”

I stared at her beautiful face and did my best to combat the rage burning in my blood. I was an orphan because of Vanessa’s family. I had everything stripped from me. I was punished for a crime that occurred when I wasn’t even alive. It didn’t matter how attracted I was to this woman. The lines between us couldn’t be blurred. She was my enemy. She would always be my enemy. “Nothing.”

We had dinner together.

Vanessa must have known I was in a bad mood because she didn’t make conversation. She drank her wine and cut into her chicken, being so quiet it was like she wasn’t even there.

I stared at her hard across the table, my jaw tense throughout the entire meal. This woman was so beautiful but so deadly to me. She had the life I should have had, loved by both of her parents with a life of luxury. While she was going to recitals and private school, I was in an orphanage or living on the street. She had it easy. I had it fucking hard.

“You need to let it go.”

I stopped chewing for a second, surprised by what she said. I finished my food before I swallowed. “Meaning?”

“You’ve been pissed since I mentioned my mom earlier. It’s the only explanation for your mood swing.”

“It’s not a mood swing. I’m always ticked.”

“Well, you’re more ticked than usual.”

“I hate your mother. You think that’s ever going to change?” I gripped my fork so hard it hurt my fingertips. “Fuck me as good as you want, but my hatred will never settle. Your family ruined my life. They will pay for what they did.”

She stilled at my words, her own anger slowly filling the room. “Be careful what you say, Bones. You know I’ll defend their honor to my final breath, even turn this delicious dinner into a knife fight.”

“You’d be dead before you could even grab your weapon.” I picked up my scotch and took a long drink.

“Don’t underestimate me.”

“I don’t.” She might come in a small package, but she was packed with intelligence and strength. She proved to me that she was a formidable opponent. I knew it the moment I electrocuted her in the neck and she didn’t stop running.

Badass.

She turned her gaze down to her food. “Once you let your anger go, you’ll finally be happy.”

“I’ll never be happy. I’ve never been happy. I don’t even know what that word means.”

“Because you’ve never given yourself the opportunity.”

Even if I did, I’d been through too much. I’d suffered more than she could understand. Living on the streets left me begging for food. People took advantage of my position and beat the shit out of me just to take the few euros I collected from strangers. I toughened up at the age of twelve, learning to survive with nothing. Before I turned eighteen, I was a force to be reckoned with. “You’ve had a nice life. A nice family. You’ll never understand what I’ve been through. You can’t even conceive of it.”

“Then show me.”

I finally loosened my hand on my fork and returned to eating. “You don’t give a damn about me and you shouldn’t. If given the chance, I would kill both of your parents right in front of you. So don’t waste any time pitying me or pretending to pity me. I hate you. You hate me. Let’s leave it at that.”

I fucked her from behind, gripping both of her shoulders as I slammed my fat cock inside her. Despite the tense conversations we had that day, she was soaking wet and my cock was rock-hard.

We hated each other, but that didn’t stop us from wanting to fuck each other’s brains out.

The chemistry was natural. I desired her, and she desired me. She was the sexiest woman on the planet, and I knew she looked at me like I was the kind of guy she’d always wanted. If we’d met under different circumstances, at a bar or a restaurant, we would have found each other.

And fucked just like this.

She came around my dick twice, just as I intended. I wanted her to hate everything about me except my dick. I wanted my cock to have unquestionable power over her, to bring her to her knees every single time.

I pumped my come inside her when I was finished, my white seed seeping out of her because there was too much of it to fit inside her. I gripped her ass when I finished, my cock twitching at the very end. I let my length soften a little before I pulled out of her then lay on my bed. I stared at the ceiling, listening to the fireplace die out as my heartbeat slowly went back to normal.

She lay beside me, keeping several inches between us so we weren’t touching.

I didn’t kiss her that night.

It was pure fucking, all carnal and passion.

She broke the silence once our breathing returned to normal. “When are you going to let me go?”

I kept my eyes on the ceiling, my hand tucked under my head. “When I feel like it.”

“My mother is going to call any day…”

“Don’t give a damn.” Now I wanted them to come after her. Once they were on the front steps, I would slit her throat. Killing her would be the perfect revenge, and now it sounded appealing once more.

But I knew I could never do it.

There was something about Vanessa that softened my resolve. I respected her too much to kill her. We needed more women like her in the world, women who could hold their own against a man twice their size. If only my mother had been more like her, she might still be alive. Perhaps that was why I’d become so fond of her. She told me she’d been kidnapped before and she got away.

Why couldn’t my mother have gotten away?

If she were alive right now, I’d be taking care of her. She’d have a nice house and everything she needed.

But some asshole killed her and left her in a dumpster.

Vanessa turned on her side then propped herself on her elbow, looking down at me as her hair fell toward the sheets. “What’s your real name?”

I turned my head slightly toward her, my eyes looking at the beautiful woman staring down at me. “You know my name.”

“I know that isn’t the real one, though.”

“It’s the only one you need to know.”

She scooted closer to me until her leg was tucked between mine and her hand was on my chest.

I just filled her with pussy with so much come, but when she touched me like this, it sent another wave of pleasure through me. Her skin was so warm, and her fingertips felt so soft against my hard chest. Her hair fell down toward my face, so my fingers slid through the strands and kept it pinned back. I could stare at this woman forever. Sometimes, when I looked at her eyes, I forgot her roots. I pretended she was no one, just a woman I stumbled upon during one of my adventures.

My eyes moved to her shoulder, to the scar that was still slightly fresh. It was obviously a bullet hole. I noticed it the first time I saw her naked on the blue plastic. In that moment, I intended to kill her, so I never asked about it. “What’s this from?” My hand grazed over the injury, feeling the slight bumps.

“When I ran from that guy, he shot me.” She talked about her past with simplicity, like it had no hold over her anymore. She wasn’t in emotional distress or suffering from post-traumatic stress. She was accepting of her past, even the ugly scar that destroyed the softness of her skin.

I raised my head and kissed the skin, kissed the scar tissue like it was her lips. “I’m sorry.” I returned my head to the bed, my fingers still gliding over the area.

“You shouldn’t be sorry.”

“But I am.”

Her hand moved to my arm, to the area where she shot me with her bullet. “I want to apologize for shooting you, but I can’t…” She ran her fingers over it, where the ink had been destroyed because the bullet pierced the skin.

“I don’t expect you to. You did the right thing.” My hand glided down the steep curve in her back to her ass. My hands were obsessed with her body, obsessed with touching her. I gripped her ass cheek then slid down her long leg. “But you should have aimed better and killed me.”

She smiled slightly. “I don’t know if I agree with that. You didn’t kill me, after all…”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t.”

She held my gaze, her confidence shining like a beacon. “I don’t think you will.”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong. I wanted to force her to her knees on the floor and execute her right then and there. I could shove her hand into the fireplace and watch her burn alive. It wouldn’t be my first time. But I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything, knowing I would look like a fool because I wouldn’t follow through with it. “You’re a smart woman, baby. It’s one of the things I like about you. So don’t drop your guard around me. Don’t assume you’re safe with me. Because if the time comes when I need to end you, I want you to fight me every step of the way.”

Her eyes hardened as she stared at me. “I never said I felt safe around you. I’ve never dropped my guard. And if there ever comes a time when I can be free or betray you, I will. But that doesn’t change what I said. I don’t think you’ll kill me. In your heart, you know I’m not guilty of the crime my family inflicted on yours. I wasn’t even alive at the time, and neither were you. I’m an innocent woman who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time…like your mother. I find it hard to believe you would do something like that.”

When you possessed as much hatred as I did, nothing was logical anymore. Everything was about bloodshed and revenge. Innocent people died every day in the crossfires. Vanessa was no different. “All is fair in love and war.”

I was hard when I woke up every morning, my big dick lying against my stomach. It happened every single day since I hit puberty. And now when I woke up, Vanessa was cuddled right into my side. When she fell asleep, she was always at the far end of the bed. But she always got cold in the middle of the night and migrated her way toward me without even realizing it.

I took one look at her, her face well rested after a long night of sleep, and rolled her to her back. The second I saw this beautiful woman beside me, I wanted to be buried inside her. It was how I wanted to get my morning started every single day, giving my come to Vanessa Barsetti.

She stirred as I moved her but didn’t wake up fully. She was used to doing this every morning, so now her legs spread automatically, and she hooked her arms over my shoulders and held on.

I sank my cock inside her, moving slowly until I was sheathed to my balls. My face moved into her neck, and I started to thrust, pushing my dick inside her over and over. She was wet in the morning, probably because her body was getting used to taking my cock at the same time every day.

She moaned with me, her throat still dry from being asleep.

I loved fucking her like this, half asleep. My cock was more sensitive in the morning, so she felt even better than usual. I grunted with my movements, smelling her hair. My body rubbed right against her clit because my body rested on hers, so I usually made her come in record time.

She loved morning sex as much as I did.

She clawed at my back and moaned directly into my ear, quieter than usual but still climaxing hard. Her teeth sank into my shoulder and her pussy tightened around me, begging my cock to give her the seed she loved so much.

I came right after, finishing us both off in less than two minutes. I dumped all my come inside her before I rolled over onto my back again. My eyes closed, and I caught my breath, still reeling from the orgasm I just had.

Fuck, I could do this every day.

Vanessa turned on her side and snuggled into me, her pussy full of new come and the come from last night.

Damn, she was always full of me.

Her arm wrapped around my waist, and she rested her head on my shoulder.

My fingers slowly dragged down her side, feeling her smooth skin. My fingertips were callused, but I could still feel her intimate details.

She sighed against me, satisfied and relaxed. “Morning…”

“Morning.”

She moved closer into me, her body all over mine.

I liked it—a lot. My hand moved to her thigh as it stretched across my body. “You’re studying art?” I knew a bit about her from my research. She was going to school in Milan with art as her discipline. She didn’t exhibit any specific traits that identified her as an artist, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she had the talent to paint a masterpiece. She never failed to surprise me.

“Yes.” Her small hand rested right on my sternum. “I want to be a painter.”

“What do you paint?”

“Everything.”

“Be more specific.”

She tilted her head up so her eyes could meet mine. “Well, my last piece was an image of my parents working in the vineyards together. Husband and wife cultivating the soil. It’s supposed to represent Italian culture, of the foundation and loyalty of family.”

Anytime her family was mentioned, I became angry. But this time, I controlled my rage. It was too early in the morning, and I just had an amazing orgasm with my cock buried inside this woman. “So you want to paint professionally?”

“I guess. There’s not really any such thing. I just want to be good enough so people will buy my work. Maybe I can open a gallery or something. But making art is about connecting with people. I have to create something that moves people. If I fail to do that, then no one will be interested in my pieces. It can’t just look nice. It has to be something that someone wants for many years.”

“Has anyone ever bought one of your paintings?”

“Just my parents,” she answered. “And they would buy anything I make, so they don’t really count.”

She clearly had a perfect childhood, judging by the way she spoke so highly of her parents. They had a nice, quiet life in Tuscany, working their successful winery. I’d never started an honest business, choosing to remain in the dark and make my money in horrid ways.

“You have a lot of artwork in your house.”

“Richard picked it out.”

“They’re nice,” she said. “I’ve looked at them many times. I noticed you don’t have a picture of you or your mom anywhere.”

I turned my face back to the ceiling and never commented.

After a tense moment of silence, she sat up and pulled her hair from her face. “I should get up and take a shower. I’m really hungry and can’t wait for breakfast.” For a small woman, she had a big appetite. She always ate everything at our meals and complimented Richard on the dishes he prepared.

“Make sure you get enough to eat. We’re leaving today.”

She turned her gaze back to me, the hope obvious.

I didn’t like that look. I wanted her to stay at my house with me forever. I wanted to keep her as my prisoner forever. If she didn’t have such a powerful family, I probably would. But under the circumstances, I was risking too much. If I killed her, that would be one thing. But her family would kill me, and if I never finished what I started, I would have accomplished nothing. “Don’t be too excited.”

Once the snow was shoveled away, we got into my truck and left the property.

I handed her phone back to her. I had it in my office, constantly charging so it wouldn’t die. I looked through her text messages, seeing some of her friends check in with her. A few guys texted her too.

I didn’t care for that.

She took the phone with shaky hands, rubbing her thumbs over the screen like she couldn’t believe it was really in her possession again.

Some things were too good to be true, including this.

I pulled onto the icy road and then began the journey back to Milan. She was in the clothes she arrived in, but now they’d been cleaned. The heater was on so she wouldn’t freeze, but I kept the radio off.

I preferred silence.

She finally asked the question on her mind. “You’re taking me back and you’ve given me my phone…how do you know I won’t just round up my family to kill you? I know where you live.”

“You know of one place where I live.” I drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the windowsill. My eyes were on the road, but I could see her in my peripheral vision. “I have many places.”

“Do you have a place in Milan?”

I grinned. “Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious.”

“Yes. I have a place there.”

“Well…you didn’t answer my question.”

I was taking a gamble here, but the reward outweighed the risk. “You won’t say anything to them.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. “You didn’t kill me, but you’ve made it abundantly clear my family is your blood enemy. While I’m grateful I’m still alive right now, I will do anything I can to protect my family. This is a stupid thing to say, but the second I talk to them, I’m telling them everything.”

That didn’t surprise me. I’d judge her if she did anything less. “You’re missing a piece of the story.”

“What piece?” she asked.

I followed the curves of the road and headed down the mountain. Lake Garda was beautiful right now, calm and flat while the mountain peaks behind it were covered in white caps. I thrived in the winter and despised the humid heat of summer—along with the tourists. “Keep this to yourself, and I promise I won’t touch any member of your family—that includes Sapphire, who isn’t family yet.”

“How did you know her name?”

I chuckled. “Baby, I know everything about my enemies.” Plus, she was on TV everywhere. The media thought she was the most stunning woman in the world, but I’d seen a different woman in lingerie—and she was way better.

“And that’s it?” she asked incredulously. “You’ll just drop your revenge like that?”

“Not quite. I am getting my revenge, just in a different way.”

“How?”

“Because you’re mine.” I felt her head immediately turn my way once she heard the words.

“What?” she asked quietly. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’re mine. You have your own life, and I have mine. I’ve got a lot of shit to do, and I can’t be with you all the time. I travel a lot for work. Sometimes I’ll be gone for weeks at a time. But I’m free to come and go as I please, to fuck you before you wake up in the morning and to fuck you before you go to sleep at night. You’re a prisoner—but you’re free at the same time.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I grinned when I listened to the terror in her voice. “No.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ll have a boyfriend eventually.”

“You can have a boyfriend. But when I stop by, he’s forgotten.”

“I’m not a cheater,” she snapped.

“Then don’t have a boyfriend.”

“I’m going to fall in love with someone and get married.”

“And when that day comes, the blood war is back on. You can break our arrangement anytime you want, but the second you do, I’ll be coming after your family.”

She stared out the window and sighed under her breath, livid.

I was enjoying every second of it.

“You can’t do that,” she whispered.

“Would you rather I kill you?” I questioned. “This is the only other option. I have you as my prisoner, and I’m punishing your parents without them even knowing about it. I know you’ll comply because it’s the best way to keep everyone safe. And it’s not like you don’t get other things out of it…”

“Fuck you,” she snapped.

“Baby, you aren’t going to want another man after having me. The sex won’t be nearly as good, and he won’t be nearly as big. You’re used to the best now, to a man who knows how to please a woman. And once you’ve had a taste of that…you’ll never go back.”

“Your arrogance is disgusting.”

“But it makes you want me more anyway.”

She sighed again and looked out the window. She turned quiet, her arms folded over her chest. Her legs were crossed, and her phone sat on her lap. She didn’t say anything else on the drive. She knew the only way to get out of this situation was to kill me herself.

And I knew she would try.

I was looking forward to it.

We pulled up to her apartment, and I killed the engine.

She didn’t ask how I knew where she lived, but I knew she was wondering.

We walked to her front door, and she got the door unlocked before we walked inside. Her apartment was small, perfect for a single person. She had a small living room with two couches and a TV. Down the hall was her bedroom and her bathroom.

I glanced around, seeing the brightly colored furniture and the vase of flowers that had died while she’d been away for the past few days.

She set her purse and phone on the entryway table then crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her smoldering attitude filled the space between us.

I took a look around, moving through the limited space. She had pictures of her family on one of her shelves, images of her and Conway along with her parents. My eyes didn’t linger for long before I turned away.

“I have a question.”

I turned around and faced her, seeing the anger in her eyes. I’d seen her enraged before, but this look was different. I knew she felt powerless, frustrated. She always managed to get the upper hand in the worst situations, but this time, there was no solution. The first person she would turn to for help was her father—but now he was off-limits. “Yes, baby?”

Her eyes flared a little when she heard the nickname. “I have to know…that night in the alleyway…was that a coincidence? Or did you plan for all of that to happen?”

It was purely coincidental. I was a lucky son-of-a-bitch that was in the right place at the right time. She was the unlucky one. And I wanted to keep that information from her, to make her feel unsafe. But I also vowed to be honest with her, and since she was such a respectable woman, I didn’t want to go back on my word. So I chose not to give her the answer. “It doesn’t matter. This is where we are, and any speculation on the past won’t change it.”

“Why don’t you just tell me?”

“Because not knowing makes it more interesting.”

“No. It’s just another way for you to have power over me.”

She was absolutely right. “And I love having power over you.” There was no greater feeling than making a powerful woman like Vanessa submit so obediently. Only a very powerful man could get a woman like her to listen.

And that man was me.

“This can’t go on forever,” she said. “I won’t be your slave forever.”

“You’re right. Eventually, I’ll get tired of you.” I found her mesmerizing now, with those full lips and beautiful eyes. I thought she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever been with. I hadn’t even started to do the dark things I wanted. But like any other woman, she would lose her allure and someone else would take her place. “I just don’t know when that will be.”

“And then what?” she demanded. “You’ll kill my family then?”

I wouldn’t stop until both of her parents were dead and buried in the Tuscan soil they loved so much. “Yes. So if I were you, I would make sure I don’t get tired of you.”