The three-hour trip from Venice to my family home outside Florence was complete hell.

I found an American music station on the radio, hoping it would keep Natalie distracted from my growing anxiety with every passing mile. The worried looks she repeatedly shot my way told me I did a craptastic job hiding my stress.

I kept my eyes on the road as I drove, pointing out towns and landmarks we passed. She was quiet beside me, muttering comments like “That’s pretty,” or “Very interesting,” instead of asking for more detail as she would normally do. I knew I’d scared her with my harsh warnings, and I felt bad for causing her any angst, but I needed her to get it.

If it were up to me, we wouldn’t be making this trip, but it wasn’t up to me. Now that my father knew about her, if I didn’t follow his order, he’d go after her. And I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t make her any more of a target than I already had. But I couldn’t keep her safe in Tuscany if she didn’t listen to me. Now more than ever, I needed her to submit to me in every way so nothing would go wrong and I could get her out of this godforsaken country as quickly as possible.

I just hoped like hell she didn’t see or witness anything at my parents’ home that would put her in even more danger.

As we neared the outskirts of Florence, the hair on my arms and legs began to tingle. Natalie sat up straighter when we passed a sign that read Firenze.

“I don’t suppose we’ll have much time to check out Florence, will we?” she asked. “I’d love to see the David.”

There were a number of things I’d like to show her in Florence—the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Museum, the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens—and I knew she’d enjoy each and every one. I knew I’d enjoy seeing them through her eyes just as I’d enjoyed all our touristy stops in Rome and Venice. But it wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t keeping her in Italy a moment longer than I had to. As soon as this little visit with my parents was over, I was getting her back to New York. And from there…

Shit. From there I didn’t have a fucking clue what I was going to do with her or how I was going to keep her safe now that the family knew about her.

“Sto rincoglionito,” I muttered, keeping my eyes on the road.

“What did you say?”

I clenched my jaw. “Nothing.” I couldn’t exactly tell her I’d just admitted I was out of my fucking mind, even though I was. “And no, we don’t have time to tour Florence. Maybe next time.”

More like not in a million fucking years.

She sighed and continued to look out the window.

Twenty minutes later, as I pulled off the road onto a long private drive that wound up my parents’ mountain, my chest felt as if it were being squeezed by a boa constrictor. Clenching the wheel in both hands, I breathed slowly through my nose and fought the urge to drive head-on into a tree trunk.

Mountain was a loose term. The Apennine Mountains that formed the spine of Italy were more like rolling hills near Florence rather than the sharp, jagged Alps we’d seen from Venice. My parents’ “mountain” happened to be the highest point in the area just south of Florence—and the most secluded, surrounded by thick forests, vineyards, and olive groves.

“Oh my goodness,” Natalie muttered, sitting up straighter in her seat as we neared the top of the rise and my parents’ villa came into view. She turned shocked, deep blue eyes my way. “You didn’t say you grew up in a freakin’ castle.”

I shifted in my seat and worked like hell to relax my jaw. I hadn’t mentioned it because I didn’t even like to think about this place, and I’d never thought I’d be bringing her here. “It’s not that impressive. It’s what’s left of an ancient castle. What you see there was the keep. The wall crumbled hundreds of years ago.”

“It’s incredible.”

I didn’t think so. To me, it was a prison, but I kept my opinion to myself, knowing it would only unleash a thousand questions I wouldn’t answer.

I followed the road as it curved into the circular drive. A tall fountain sprayed water high into the air, and trees that were bigger than when I’d left surrounded us. Pulling to a stop between the fountain and the house, I looked up at the ancient structure, trying to see what she saw.

The aged stones rose two stories, with two tall towers rising on each corner of the structure, connected by battlements. There were very few arched windows on the front for security reasons, mostly up high, and someone had added window boxes below each one. Pink, red, and white flowers spilled out onto the warm rocks. My gaze slid lower, to the massive arched, double front door with iron scrollwork, the twelve steps that rose from the drive to the door, and the large urns—two at the top of the stairs and two at the bottom—also overflowing with flowers, making the place look almost homey.

Almost. Too bad I knew what kind of shit went on behind closed doors in this place.

My anxiety hit epic proportions as I killed the ignition. “Remember what I said. No arguing with me. Follow every order I give you and stick close to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

My head swiveled her way. A warm, mischievous smile slid across her pretty face. “Not convincing enough? Would yes, master work better?”

My eyes narrowed. “You’re teasing me.”

Hers sparked. “I might be. Like it?”

Hell yes, I liked it. I liked her. Too damn much. I just hoped after this fucking trip, she still liked me.

I was just about to give in to the urge and lean toward her to show her how much I liked her when one side of the double doors on the house pulled open, and I spotted a young woman with a lithe build and long dark hair highlighted with one white streak rushing down the steps toward the car.

“Luc!” she yelled through the windows.

My anxiety shot sky-high when I realized this was just the first of many family reunions. As much as I wanted to sit in this car and never get out, I was out of options.

“Stay with me at all times,” I said to Natalie as I opened my door.

Ariana rushed around the car and caught me in a hug before I’d even closed the door. Warmth flowed through me. Of all my family members she was my favorite. And I’d barely seen her in the last twelve years.

“I’m so glad you’re home!” she cried in Italian, hugging me tight, then drawing back to peer up at me with wide brown eyes. “But I’m still mad at you for staying away so long.”

“I know,” I responded in English, not wanting to leave Natalie out. I was aware of her every move as she climbed out of the passenger side and closed the door to look over the roof of the car at us.

“You got old,” Ariana teased, following my lead and lapsing into English.

“And you got tall.” She had to be at least five-nine now. The white streak in her hair was also more prominent, starting near her part to fall down the left side of long dark locks, no doubt making her stand out among the crowd. The last time I’d been in Italy, three years ago, she’d been off at school. Before that… I racked my brain…

Shit. I hadn’t seen her in six damn years. Back then, she’d been just a teenager and Natalie’s height.

I glanced over the hood of the car toward Natalie. “This is my little sister, Ariana. Though not as little as before. Aria, this is Natalie.”

Ariana slipped an arm around my waist and walked with me around the car to meet Natalie. “Mamma said you were bringing a woman, but I didn’t believe it.” She let go of me as we stopped near Natalie. Ariana held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Luc’s never brought a woman home before.”

Natalie lifted one brow and glanced at me with a smug grin. The victorious look sent heat all through my groin. I sucked in a breath because that kind of heat would only get me—and her—into trouble here.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Natalie said, shaking Ariana’s hand. “This is a beautiful place.”

Ariana opened her mouth—probably to give Natalie a history lesson on the property—but before she could get a single word out, the double front doors to my right opened, and the rest of my family spilled down the steps.

“Bastardo!” Dante rushed toward me with a laugh and caught me in a tight hug, his mismatched eyes—one a deep brown, the other a lighter green-hazel combination—sparking with excitement. “I thought you’d died and gone to hell,” he teased in Italian.

That pressure tightened around my chest. I was in hell. Or about to enter it.

My gaze immediately skipped to Natalie’s bright smile as she spoke with my sister. She was the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. An angel in a sea of all this wicked depravation. I just hoped to God she stayed innocent, and that by bringing her here, I wasn’t corrupting all that goodness I loved in her so much.

“Not dead,” I managed, again in English, patting Dante on the back. He’d grown too. At twenty-four, he was nearly as tall as me now. His thick dark hair—shaggy and hanging around his chiseled face—and athletic build were the same, though. “At least not yet.”

Footsteps sounded on the steps, and I glanced past Dante as my mother approached. She held out her arms. “There’s my boy,” she said in English. “Come and give your mamma a kiss.”

The tight ball of nerves in my gut urged me to grab Natalie and run, but I knew we were already trapped. I couldn’t get out of this any more than I could get out of my fucking position with Covet. And I didn’t want to start this trip off on the wrong foot by causing problems. I had to be on my best behavior so nothing would happen to Natalie.

I let go of Dante and moved toward my mother. “Mamma.”

She grasped my face and kissed both my cheeks then drew back and looked up at me with pale eyes. “I knew you’d be a smart boy.” Letting go of me, my mother angled slightly away, and I noticed a young blonde woman behind her. “This is Maricella. Dante’s friend.”

The way my mother said friend told me exactly what this woman was to Dante. My gut tightened even more as I reached out a hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Maricella didn’t shake my offered hand, just bowed her head, careful not to make eye contact with me. But I saw the way her gaze skipped past me, toward Dante, and the way she lowered her head even more in response to their unspoken communication, then silently stepped back up the stairs away from the group as if she’d imposed on something she shouldn’t.

I glanced at my brother, and my anxiety melded with a simmering anger I knew I had to keep under wraps. But, fuck, I didn’t want this girl anywhere near Natalie.

That pressure in my chest squeezed so hard, I wasn’t sure I could continue to breathe. I looked toward Natalie, still speaking with my sister, and wondered how far we could run before we’d be found. Then I heard my father clear his throat from the base of the steps, and everything inside me turned to ice.

Slowly, I looked his way. My father’s hair was more silver than black now, but his gray eyes—exactly like mine, even down to the same coloboma iris defect in his left eye—were as hard and cold as I’d ever seen them. He motioned me forward like a fucking child.

“So the prodigal son finally returns home,” he mocked in Italian with clear contempt.

I let the dig pass without a response. I was determined not to cause trouble this early in my visit.

“Papà. You look well,” I added in English, making it clear to the whole family that was my preferred language for this visit.

I let him air-kiss my cheeks, but we didn’t embrace, and he showed no signs of affection, but I was used to that. I was the sinner. The disgrace. The disappointment because I’d never wanted this life. He took great joy in making sure I never forgot that.

Silence settled over us as I grappled for control over my bitter resentment. When Dante cleared his throat, I realized even Natalie and Ariana had fallen quiet.

I quickly looked toward Natalie, standing on the other side of my sister. “Everyone, this is my”—Shit. I did not want to introduce her as my girlfriend or friend. I didn’t want them to know anything about our relationship, because they’d twist it into something vile for their own purposes—“assistant. Natalie,” I said to her, “you already met my sister and my mother. This is my youngest brother, Dante, and my father, Antonio.”

“It’s nice to meet all of you.”

Natalie stepped forward and shook Dante’s hand. I forced myself not to bolt toward her as my brother’s assessing gaze slid over her curly hair and down her curves.

Luckily, my mother grasped her hands, pulling her away from Dante, and kissed her cheeks. “Welcome to our home. How was your trip?”

“Fine. A little long.”

“Then I’m sure you’re ready for some fun.”

I forced back the panic those words stirred inside me, and watched as my mother let go of Natalie with one hand and turned toward my father. “Antonio, say hello to Natalie.”

My father was a big man—as tall as me, but broader across the shoulders. At sixty, he was still in great shape, mostly from the hours he spent walking through the vineyard on the property, but he was every bit as intimidating as he had ever been. My stomach twisted tighter as my mother pushed Natalie in front of him.

Tension hung like thick smoke in the air as my father’s devious eyes skipped over Natalie’s face and body. After an excruciating silence that only made me want to scream, he finally said, “So this is the woman who’s monopolized my son’s time on his business trip. Welcome to Castello Salvatici, Ms. James.”

“T-thank you.” Natalie flushed as my father held her hand between both of his much larger ones. I couldn’t remember if I’d used Natalie’s last name when my mother had ambushed us yesterday, but I wasn’t at all surprised that my father knew it now. I drew in a quick breath that did nothing to alleviate my unease and forced myself to stand still. But all I wanted to do was rip Natalie’s hand away from his and never let the sonofabitch touch her again.

“Come.” My father finally released her and turned. Placing his big hand at the small of her back, he ushered her up the steps, never once looking my way. “Have you ever been in an Italian castle?”

“No, never,” Natalie answered.

“Well.” Pride and something that made the hair on my nape stand straight swelled in his voice. “Then you must have a tour.”

My adrenaline shot through the roof, and I jerked up the stairs after them. Just inside the grand foyer, my mother caught my arm, pulling me to a stop.

“Luciano, I need your help,” she said in Italian.

Panic surged inside me as I watched my father all but pushing Natalie farther into the house. Ariana must have seen the fear in my eyes, because she hustled after my father and Natalie and threw me a pointed look that said she’d stay with them.

I breathed a little easier as all three disappeared under an archway—but not much. My irritated gaze dropped to my mother. I knew what she was doing, and I didn’t like it. No doubt she’d already been ordered by my father to let him get Natalie off alone.

“What?” I snapped in English.

My mother’s pale eyes narrowed. “Watch your tone, young man. I’m still your mother.”

I sucked in another breath that did shit to cool me down. “Sorry. What do you need?”

My mother’s expression softened, and she linked arms with mine. “Come into the kitchen with me. Rosabel is anxious to see you.”

Rosabel was the family cook, and she’d worked for my parents since I was a boy. Reluctantly, I let my mother pull me down the two sunken steps, through the living room, and under a different archway that led to the kitchen.

To say Rosabel had been more of a mother to me as a kid than the woman currently on my arm was an understatement. She’d snuck me cookies and treats whenever my parents hadn’t been looking, and every time I’d been punished for not doing things the family way, she’d slipped playing cards and comic books into my personal prison to keep me entertained. I hadn’t seen her in years—the last time I’d been in Italy, I’d met up with my father in Rome, avoiding this hellish home—and I was looking forward to feeling her bountiful arms pull me in for a real hug.

But my anxiety over where my father was taking Natalie and what he was telling her was still sky-high, and my gaze kept skipping toward every doorway and arch we passed, waiting for them to reappear. We hadn’t even been here five fucking minutes and the bastard had already isolated her from me. I wanted to wring his miserable neck. I wanted to grab on tight to Natalie and never let go. Neither of those things was feasible now.

All I could do at this point was pray that Ariana stayed with them and didn’t let Natalie out of her sight.

---

I had zero appetite.

In honor of my visit, Rosabel had cooked a lavish feast that included multiple courses: the antipasti with meats and bruschetta drizzled with garlic and olive oil from the grove on the property, the primo consisting of a wild mushroom risotto, the secondo which included roast leg of lamb and locally grown grilled vegetables, the formaggi e frutta plate of Tuscan cheeses and fruits, and the dolce—my favorite—tiramisu and cappuccinos.

I watched Natalie, seated kitty-corner from me across the long table, during each course. She sampled the foods set in front of her, but I could tell her appetite was as small as mine. And the nervous looks she kept sending me didn’t help my anxiety any.

I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her privately since she’d returned with my sister and father from their little “tour.” She’d seemed okay when she’d joined the rest of us in the dining room, albeit nervous, and I couldn’t tell if my father had said or done something that had unsettled her or if she was just feeding off my stress. All I’d gotten out of Ariana before we’d been ushered to sit was that everything was fine.

Fine was not a word that calmed my racing pulse. If I didn’t get Natalie up in a locked bedroom soon, I was afraid I might have a massive coronary.

“Natalie,” my mother said from her end of the table where she sat to my right. “Do you not like your tiramisu?”

“Oh. Um.” Natalie set her spoon down on the linen tablecloth. Candlelight drifted over her smooth skin where she sat next to my father, as far from me as he could put her. I knew she’d been placed there on purpose so my father could talk quietly with her without my interference. Again, her worried gaze skipped to me before darting to my mother. “It’s wonderful. I think I just filled up on too much risotto and lamb.”

I knew that was a lie.

My mother smiled and scooped a dainty bite of dessert from her plate. Sconces were lit on the stucco walls around us, lending a warm, relaxed feeling to the room, but I was strung tight as a drum.

“I’m sure you’re not used to all these courses,” my mother said. “In America, I hear you eat quickly.”

“Yes, that’s true.” Natalie’s gaze darted back to mine before quickly moving away again. “We’re always in a hurry, I suppose.”

My father lifted his fourth glass of wine and leaned back in his chair at the head of the table near the massive stone fireplace, angling Natalie’s way until the hair on my nape tingled. “Always amazes me when I’m there. Americans do not understand that food is to be savored, not rushed.”

“That’s because life moves faster in America than it does here,” Dante muttered to my left as he sipped his cappuccino.

Maricella sat between Dante and my father, but she hadn’t spoken since the meal began, and every time I looked her way, I noticed her eyes were downcast. Natalie hadn’t missed it either. Each time she glanced at Maricella, I saw discomfort in her blue eyes.

“Well, I think America sounds wonderful,” Ariana said across from me as she scooped up the last of her dessert. “Especially New York. Luc, how do you like the apartment on Fifth Avenue? Benito said it encompasses the entire thirty-fifth floor. I can’t wait to see it.”

My father’s hardened gaze shot right to Ariana, and in Italian, so Natalie couldn’t understand, he said, “You will not be going to New York.”

Ariana slumped back in her chair with a frown, but she didn’t look at my father. She stared at me with a see what I have to put up with? look on her face.

On this point, I agreed with my father. In Italy, Ariana was safe. She was protected by the family. On her own in New York, anything could happen to her.

I reached for my cappuccino but didn’t miss the way Natalie’s brow lifted as she glanced at me. I hadn’t told her I lived in a lavish apartment overlooking Central Park. I hated that apartment as much as I hated my job at Covet, mostly because my lecherous uncle and no-good cousin had lived there before me. But maybe…

Maybe if Natalie were in that apartment with me, it wouldn’t be such an awful place to live.

“It’s fine,” I said, trying not to think too far ahead just yet. First I had to get through the next few days. I also didn’t want to think about Benito and where the hell his depraved ass was at the moment. If I never saw the fucker again, it would be too soon.

Natalie yawned and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. When my father glanced at her, she said, “I’m sorry. I’m still not used to how late Italians dine.”

Thank God.

I saw my out and wasn’t about to ignore it. It was close to eleven o’clock, and this agonizing dinner had stretched almost four hours.

I quickly pushed back from the table and tossed my napkin beside my plate. “I’ll show you to a room.”

Natalie smiled and rose as well. “Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful.”

My father cast her a tight smile. “Tomorrow, you’ll tour the property and sample more of our wine.”

It wasn’t an invitation. It was an order, and the look in Natalie’s eyes told me she caught it loud and clear.

She nodded and laid her napkin on the table. “Thank you.”

My mother smiled up at her. “Sleep well, Natalie.”

Dante—the fuck—watched Natalie as if she were fresh meat as she rounded the table toward me, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to backhand the dick right there in front of my parents.

“Good night, Natalie,” Ariana called.

I turned for the archway that led to the stairs, willing Natalie to follow. At my back, in Italian, my father called, “North wing, Luciano. And be back down here in ten minutes.”

Sonofabitch. The north wing was empty. The family slept in the south wing. My father was isolating her from me, and by calling me back, he was making the fact he planned to keep us apart even more clear. My anxiety kicked up all over again as I tried to remember which rooms in that wing had locks.

I didn’t speak as I led Natalie up the stairs and into the north wing of the villa, afraid what ears might be lurking and listening, but I felt her disquiet at my back. Her suitcase was already waiting for us at the top of the stairs, and I reached for it, fighting the urge to reach for her instead. My hand itched to close around hers, my body ached to feel her curves pressed up against me, but I didn’t do either in case we were being followed.

I chose the last suite on the right at the end of the corridor. Turning the knob, I pushed the door open and peeked inside.

The large room was unoccupied, as I expected. Windows looked out over a stone veranda that opened to the courtyard below in the U-shaped villa and the countryside beyond. Pulling her roller bag behind me, I checked the lock as I stepped inside and made room for Natalie. It worked, but I knew my father had a key for it somewhere.

Natalie stepped in after me and gasped. “Wow.” Her gaze shot to the four-poster bed with gauzy red fabric tied at each corner, then to the sitting area across the room with a couch and two plush chairs positioned in front of a dark fireplace. “Each room in this place is even more amazing than the last.”

I didn’t agree. The rooms in the north wing weren’t nearly as nice as the ones in the south wing, and every single one of them turned my stomach, but I didn’t tell her that.

I closed the door and hefted her suitcase to the bench at the end of the bed. “What did my father talk to you about on your tour?”

“Just the history of the castle.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

“And what did you tell him about us?”

“Nothing.”

My gaze held on hers. “Nothing?”

She shook her head. “You introduced me as your assistant. I didn’t think you wanted me to tell him anything about us.”

Still gripping the ends of her suitcase, I closed my eyes quickly and drew in a relieved breath. But I only had time for one because my fucking father was waiting for me downstairs, and if I didn’t return right away, his retribution would be swift.

“Lock the door after I go,” I said, turning back for the hall, “and slide the desk in front of it to be safe. Keep your windows locked as well.”

Natalie’s hand closed around my forearm, stopping me. “Hold on. Slide the desk in front of the door? Now you’ve got my attention. Are there vampires or monsters or something in this castle I should be worried about?”

My stomach pitched. I knew she was joking, but I could see no humor in our situation. “No vampires.”

Her eyes searched mine in the low light, growing more worried the longer she stared at me.

I knew I was being cryptic, and I hated that I was confusing her, but I was walking a very fine line between telling her just enough to keep her safe and not too much to make her run.

“What the hell is going on?” she whispered. “Why are you so on edge? Gio isn’t here. Luc, I know you don’t get along with your father, but your family seems nice enou—”

“You don’t know my family, Natalie. You don’t know what they’re capable of. Monsters come in many different forms, but, believe me, they’re real. They’re real, and they’re in this house. Which is why I need you to listen to me. Lock the doors and windows, slide the desk in front of the door, and don’t let anyone in here but me.”

Her face paled, and regret stabbed deep in my chest because I knew I was scaring her, but I needed her to be scared. She wasn’t getting it, and I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let anything happen to her.

At the same time, though, I didn’t want her to be terrified. At least not so much it caused her to act differently in front of my family. So I gentled my tone when I reached for her arms and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “Look, just do as I say, okay? I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.” I wanted to take her mouth. I wanted to wrap myself around her and never let go. Instead, I forced my fingers to release her. “I’ll come for you in the morning.”

“In the morning?” she said at my back as I turned for the door. “You mean you’re not staying with me tonight?”

“No. My mother is…old-fashioned.”

It wasn’t a lie. My mother was ultrareligious, probably because she hoped hours in the chapel on our property would balance out the sinful things going on around her. I didn’t know her reasons. I didn’t care. I’d never asked.

“Luc, wait.”

Her hand closed around mine just as I reached for the door. Heat seeped into my skin under her soft touch, and I craved the feel of her hands on every other inch of my bare skin, but I didn’t have time for that now. “What?”

Soft blue eyes met mine. Eyes I could get lost in forever if I let myself. Eyes that would get us both killed if I wasn’t careful. “You don’t need to worry about me so much.”

She thought I was worried about her? I nearly snorted. I wasn’t just worried. I was scared out of my fucking mind. But I couldn’t tell her that. All I could do was hope and pray she listened. “Then do as I said, and we’ll both be fine.”

I tugged my hand from her delicate fingertips and opened the door. Pulling it closed behind me, I stopped in the hallway and waited. My heart raced as seconds ticked by. The lock clicked, then a loud scraping sound echoed around me, telling me she’d listened and slid the heavy, old desk in front of the door.

The pressure in my chest eased—just enough so I could breathe.

Pushing my feet forward, I moved back down the corridor toward my father and whatever the hell he was summoning me for. Hopefully it was just to shoot the shit with him and Dante and not something else.

Not something I dreaded with every fiber of my being.

---

I should have stayed away from her, but she called out to me like a singing siren, drawing me to her. Even when I knew it was safer for both of us to be apart, I couldn’t stay away. My body needed her like it needed air to breathe. I needed her like a meth addict needs his next hit. Every rational thought and plan shattered in my mind, overwhelmed by one thought and purpose and desire.

Her.

I wasn’t stupid, though. I knew the dangers. So I waited.

Thankfully, my father hadn’t called me back down to discuss anything other than operations at Covet. After a brandy on the loggia with him and Dante, I’d said good night to my mother and sister and retreated to my room in the south wing. Then I’d lain on my bed and waited until I heard my parents and siblings retire for the night. I’d waited even longer until I was sure they were all asleep.

The villa was quiet and dark when I finally ventured out around two a.m. I wasn’t as nimble as I’d been as a teenager when I’d last snuck into the north wing, and twice I almost slipped on the trellis and dropped to my death. I could just envision my parents finding my broken body in the morning, knowing exactly what I’d been up to. The forbidden and the risk only heightened my hunger for Natalie.

Her door was unlocked and open when I reached her balcony. Frustration shot through me that she’d disobeyed my order, followed by a wicked burst of heat I knew I shouldn’t feel.

My blood thumped hot and fast as I pushed her door closed behind me and flipped the lock. The room was quiet and dark. I glanced toward the desk pushed up against the door, then to the four-poster bed, where the covers were thrown back, the sheets cold and bare. Soft light shone from beneath the closed bathroom door, drawing my attention. When the muffled sound of water splashing met my ears, I envisioned her in the bathtub, wet and soft and naked, and all the blood in my body rushed right into my cock.

As quietly as I could, I crossed the floor and pulled the door open. Just as I’d pictured, she was reclined in the deep claw-foot tub, her head resting against the rolled edge, her eyes closed. That silky hair I loved to run my fingers through was pinned up, and damp tendrils brushed the delicate line of her throat and jaw. Water droplets glistened on her delectable skin in the flickering light of the dozen candles she’d lit around the room, and the sweet scents of lavender filled the space.

But all I could focus on was the water splashing gently and rhythmically against the side of the cast-iron tub. Her heavy breaths lifting the tips of her pink nipples out of the water. The soft moans slipping from her lips. And her hand moving beneath the surface as she stroked that sweet, warm spot between her legs that made me absolutely ravenous.

My cock grew instantly hard. Heart pounding, I moved silently into the room and stepped up behind the end of the tub. She didn’t hear me, and as I drew close, I could see her fingers moving faster between her legs as she flexed her hips forward, rocking into her hand.

Fuck me. I could come right now, just watching her pleasure herself. I hoped like hell she was thinking about me as she flicked her clit.

Kneeling on the tile behind her, I drew in a deep whiff of her insane scent—that grapefruit and honey combination that made my blood hum and my body throb and ache and crave only her. I swiped my suddenly damp palm against the thigh of my jeans, then pressed it over her mouth.

Her eyes shot open, and she gasped. Her sexy body jerked, sending water sloshing over the side of the tub, and her hand flew free of that steamy spot between her legs as her torso jolted forward.

Closing my other arm around her upper body, I palmed her plump breast and pulled her back against the tub. Her muscles flexed, fighting my hold, and her hands rushed to pull mine free, but I didn’t let her go. Instead, I leaned toward her ear and breathed hot over her sensitive skin. Then I whispered, “Oh, you naughty girl. You’re not supposed to do this without me.”

She stilled, and her shallow breaths lifted her delicious breasts higher into my hand. Beneath my palm, I felt her lips move, and her muffled whisper drifted to my ears. Any part of me that was still soft went rock hard when I heard the thirst in that one word.

“Luc.”

“That’s right,” I whispered, loosening my grip on her breast and trailing my fingers down to pinch and roll her nipple between my thumb and finger. Her hands drifted away from mine, and she pushed her chest forward as she angled her head back until it rested against my shoulder. I released her mouth and slid my other hand to her neglected breast at the edge of the water, pinching and rolling the tip in the same way until it was a hard pebble between my fingers. “Show me what you were doing, angioletto.”

She moaned, and her hand slid beneath the water and between her legs. My gaze followed, riveted on her fingers as they slipped between her folds and across her sensitive clit.

“Oh, that is naughty,” I breathed against her, watching every stroke. “Does it feel good?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“How good?”

She turned her face into my neck, her breaths hot and fast against my skin as she touched herself. “So good.”

I knew it felt fucking good. I could feel her body undulating forward, searching for release. My cock pulsed in my jeans, desperate to break free. To slide through her wetness. To sink deep into her heat.

I moved one hand down her belly and over the sensitive spot at her groin. She shivered but stroked herself harder. “Tell me what you were thinking about before I caught you, dirty girl.”

She swallowed hard. “You.”

“Me?” I angled forward so my fingers could drift along her inner thigh and up into her wetness. She groaned and lifted into my touch, but I was careful to keep it light, stroking her slowly as she flicked her clit. “What was I doing?”

“Touching me.”

“Where?”

She rocked against my hand. “Here.”

“Say it.”

She breathed hot and hard against my neck. “My sex. You were touching my sex.”

I drew my hand back, not letting her have any of the friction I knew she wanted. “Uh-uh. Say it the way I say it. The way I like to hear it. Tell me just what tight, sweet place you were stroking with those naughty fingers.”

She groaned, and her cheeks turned pink. Even after everything she’d given me, every way she’d let me touch her, I could still make her blush. The knowledge made me abso-fucking-lutely on fire.

Against my hands I felt her whole body tense. “My…pussy,” she whispered. “You were touching my pussy.”

I vibrated with the need to feel that heavenly place closing around me. Trailing my fingers lower, along her opening, I said, “And what else was I doing, angioletto?”

She groaned and flexed her hips forward, desperate to draw me inside. “Taking me.”

“Just taking you?” I pushed the tip of my index finger into her a fraction of an inch, then drew it out. She moaned in frustration and rocked forward again, but I kept my touch shallow, knowing it would heighten her pleasure, knowing it would make her greedy for more. “Tell me what I was really doing. Tell me what I want to hear, and I’ll give you what you need.”

“Ah, Luc… Please.”

She lifted against my hand again, but I kept my pumping finger slow and shallow, not giving her what she craved until she told me what I ached to hear. “Tell me, Natalie.”

She swallowed hard and brushed her nose and lips against my throat, her hot breath scorching my flesh until I felt as if I might spontaneously combust. “You were using me, controlling me, doing every filthy thing you wanted to me.”

“What else?” I pushed in just a tiny bit farther. “Tell me what else I was doing.”

“Oh yes…Luc.” She tightened her slick wet pussy around my finger, trying to draw me in deeper.

“Tell me.”

Her whole body undulated, sending water sloshing against the side of the tub. “You were owning me.”

Heat rushed through my veins, turning my blood to lava. I drew my finger out and thrust deep with two, filling her until she gasped.

“Yes, I do,” I growled in her ear, drawing my fingers back and shoving in hard again while I twisted one perfect, wet nipple with the fingers of my other hand. “I own this pussy. I own every part of you. Just me. Rub your clit faster. Feel me owning your body. This is mine. I say when you can come. Do you want to come, angioletto?”

“Ahh…” Her hand moved with lightning speed as I stroked that special spot deep inside her. “Yes, yes… Please, yes.”

“Then do it. Come hard for me. Come for me now.”

Her whole body tensed, and she clamped down, growing so tight, I growled with the need to fuck her hard and deep so I could feel her pulsing around my aching cock the way she was pulsing around my fingers.

When the orgasm hit her, she jolted, sending water sloshing over the edge of the tub and across my shoulders. Her head jerked back, and a scream was rent from her mouth. My pulse shot up, and I let go of her nipple and slapped my palm over her lips to muffle the sound. She continued to throb around my fingers as the climax consumed her, then slowly relaxed in the water until she was nothing but a limp, sated, gorgeous naked angel beneath my touch.

“Dio dannato,” I muttered, slowing my strokes and drawing my fingers from her slick, tight grip. “That was so fucking hot. The only thing I love more than hearing you come is making you come.”

She groaned and rolled to her side in the tub. Her head lifted, and then her mouth was on mine, drawing me into a scorching kiss that made my balls tighten and my cock swell to an unbearable size.

I shoved my tongue into her mouth and devoured her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pushed to my feet and pulled her from the water. She immediately twined both arms around my shoulders and found her footing. My hands slid down her damp skin and squeezed her ass. She groaned into my mouth and kissed me harder. Desperate to get inside her, I lifted her from the tub. She slid her sexy legs around my waist and stroked my tongue with hers as I carried her to the bed.

“Luc…” Her hands grappled with the buttons on my shirt. “I need you.”

I groaned because I needed her too. Right fucking now.

I dropped her to her feet and let her pull my damp shirt free of my arms and over my head. As soon as it hit the floor, she stepped into me and claimed my mouth again, her wicked tongue flicking against mine as her hands streaked to the waistband of my jeans and freed the snap. I kissed her deeper and pinched her nipples. She grunted and pushed my jeans down just enough to free my aching cock. Then one naughty hand closed around my length and stroked until I thought I would explode.

“Cazzo.” I couldn’t wait. I let go of her nipples, grabbed the condom from my pocket, and grasped her by the shoulders as I twisted and fell backward onto the bed. She landed on top of me with a grunt but quickly recovered. Snatching the condom from my hand, she drew back from my mouth long enough to tear the wrapper open with her teeth, then quickly sheathed me and straddled my hips.

I held her at the waist, fighting the urge to shove in deep as she positioned me at the entrance to her steamy pussy. Her hands landed against my shoulders, and when she looked down at me, her face flushed with lust, her eyes glazed with hunger, I knew it was all only for me.

“I want it slow, Natalie.”

She shook her head and pressed down with her hips, trying to take me in hard and deep. “Fuck me fast, Luc.”

I captured her hands at the wrists and shoved them behind her back. The movement caused her to drop onto my cock until I was buried deep inside her, and she groaned as I filled her, so overcome by the feeling, she couldn’t fight me. Holding both wrists in one of mine, I sat up and grasped her jaw with my other hand. Then I slowly rocked into her, showing her I was in control even when she was on top.

“I said I want it slow, angioletto. So slow you can feel me devouring your soul.” I pressed my lips to hers, then let go of her jaw and feathered a string of kisses along her cheek, to her ear, and down her throat.

She groaned, and I felt her muscles relax, felt her head fall back. Felt her whole body surrender to me.

“Oh yes.” I rocked into her again. Deeper this time. “Feel me take over your body. Feel me give you everything you need.” I pushed the first and second finger of my other hand into her mouth. “Get my fingers good and wet.” She sucked my fingers as I held her wrists pinned at her back and flexed my hips, pressing deep inside her again. “Lick them.”

When my fingers were coated in her saliva, I drew them free and moved my hand around her back. My fingers slipped between her soft, plump cheeks.

“You belong to me, Natalie,” I breathed against her neck. “Say it.” I nipped at her throat and licked the spot as my middle finger slid lower until the slick pad rested against the crinkled skin of her anus. “Say you belong to me.”

“Oh my God, Luc…”

Her sheath grew wetter and tighter around my cock. With her hands pinned behind her back, she was powerless to do anything but flex her hips into mine. I found another spot on her neck to nip and lick and suck, then I applied a tiny bit of pressure to that sensitive bundle of nerves.

The tip of my finger pushed past her resistance and sank in to the first knuckle. Every muscle in her body tensed, and around my cock, I felt her absolutely gush.

“Oh…fuck,” she cried.

I pumped slow with my finger, careful not to give her too much, but the double sensation made her wild. She moaned and kissed me, rocking harder and faster over my cock. Lust consumed me as I heard and felt hers rise. My plan to take her slowly, shattered into a million pieces.

Letting go of her wrists, I wrapped my arm around her waist and drew my cock back, then thrust inside her, striking her G-spot. Her hands landed on my shoulders, her nails dug into my flesh as she lifted and lowered, riding me fast. My finger sank farther in her ass, to the second knuckle, and her groan deepened and lengthened. I drove into her harder. Pumped my finger faster. A keening sound rose in her throat, telling me she was getting close.

I wanted to give her an orgasm like she’d never had before, but my own climax was rushing in fast. I grunted as her sweet, hot pussy milked my aching cock, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

“Dio,” I groaned against her lips. “Do it. Come all around me. Take me with you when you go.”

“Oh, Luc. Oh fuck… Yes, yes, yes. Don’t stop. Right there. Right fucking there…”

My balls drew up tight. All it took was the throaty sound of her voice massaging my name and begging me to take her to paradise.

Electricity streaked down my spine and swelled in my balls. I let go of her waist and grasped the back of her head, pulling her mouth to mine so I could swallow her scream. And when it happened, when her climax consumed her, pulsing around my cock and my finger at the same time, my own orgasm exploded in a wave of heat and light and energy that devoured me from the inside out until the only thing left was us, wrapped together and unbreakable.

At some point, I must have fallen back on the bed, because when I opened my eyes, I realized I was staring up at the ceiling with Natalie’s naked body draped over mine.

“Holy hell,” she breathed against my chest. “What did you just do to me?”

I smiled and slid my hand from between her cheeks to rest against the sweaty skin of her lower back. “I owned every part of you.”

“I didn’t think I’d like that.”

I’d known she would. I knew she’d love even more, and I couldn’t wait to give it to her. But it wouldn’t be tonight.

Reality settled in like a cold wind. I didn’t know what time it was, but morning would be on us soon, and with it, everything I was trying to keep her safe from.

“You left your balcony door open and unlocked. I told you to lock it.”

“I was hot. There’s no air-conditioning in this room.”

She snuggled into me, resting one hand on my chest near her face. And man, I liked that. Liked the feel of her so damn much. Wanted only to fall asleep right here with her curled over me but knew I couldn’t.

“If you don’t listen to me, Natalie, there will have to be consequences.”

Her lips curled against my chest. “Like the consequence you just gave me?”

Holy fuck. I loved how responsive this woman was to my touch. I loved how orgasmic she was. I loved that she let me do every dirty, naughty thing I wanted to her and that she enjoyed each and every one.

And I couldn’t wait to show her other, darker ways to come.

But not tonight.

“I’m not playing here.”

She pushed up on one hand and looked down at me. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from my mouth, her eyes sated and glazed with lingering pleasure. And there was absolutely no fear in her sweet blue eyes.

She pursed her lips, fighting back a grin. “So serious. Tell me again how you’re not playing with me.”

Something light and warm and full swelled inside my chest, tugging my lips into a smile, one I couldn’t contain. Lust resurged inside me, taking control of my body the way I’d just taken control of hers. Before I could stop myself, I flipped her to her back and sank my teeth into her throat. Then I rocked my already hardening cock into her, knowing I didn’t have time for another round, knowing I needed to get a second condom on before I took her again, knowing this woman was changing everything for me. And damn, I didn’t want to stop her. “Cazzo, you are a naughty little thing.”

She wrapped her legs around my waist and grasped my face in her hands. “Then teach me a lesson. Right now. I want you.” She pressed her lips to mine. “I miss you. Stay with me the rest of the night and I’ll give you anything you want.”

I groaned, unable to resist her, and sank into her kiss. I was lost in this woman. Lost and completely entranced by the light in her soul washing over all my darkness. So lost, I hoped I was never found.

So lost, something inside me feared if I wasn’t careful, I might not see the shadows lurking in that darkness, waiting to steal her away.