13
TATUM
When I heard his footsteps outside the bedroom door, I held my breath. He seemed to know me better than I knew myself. How was I going to manage keeping my secret from him?
I tied my robe, my hands brushing against my stomach. My heart skipped a beat.
I have to keep this secret.
“Why are you not in bed?”
I looked up. “I’m feeling better.”
“Doc tells me he’s been up here to see you again.”
My heart stopped. “What else did Doc tell you?”
“Just that he’s sure your fainting spell was stress related.”
I let out a breath, and tried to muster up a smile. “See, I told you I was fine.”
He sauntered toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. He managed to always make me feel like the prey whenever he approached me with such confidence, such hunger reflecting in his eyes.
“Uncle Gino would like us to join them for dinner. Are you up for it?”
No. “Yes.”
He smiled. “Good.” He took my chin between his fingers. “After dinner, I’m going to find out just how fine you really are.”
My body shivered, the sound of hidden promises in his words making me hyper aware of the sexual tension that always sparked between us. It was undeniable. Neither he nor I could stop it, or fight against it. It was like a force of nature which no one could control. I didn’t want it controlled. Unfortunately, our situation no longer depended on what I wanted, or what Castello wanted. It was no longer just us.
I gave a subtle step back. “I suppose I need to get ready for dinner then.”
“Why did you do that?” His brows slanted inward.
“Do what?”
“You stepped away from me. Why?”
“I didn’t.”
His eyes narrowed. “You did.”
My heart started to race, and the way he looked at me had me nervous.
He stepped closer and without warning his arm shot out and he grabbed my hair pulling my head back. “Don’t ever do that again. Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard, dark angry eyes boring into mine. I knew the right thing—the normal thing—for me to think right then was for him not to hurt me. But by the way he tightened his grip at the back of my head, the pain that seared my scalp, all it did was wake my body, igniting a fire that could only be extinguished with ecstasy. Right at that moment, all I wanted—needed—was for him to wrap his other arm around me and show me how truly twisted we really were.
He gave another jerk, and I yelped as a strong current of need crashed against my core the same time I felt the pain of him pulling my hair.
“I asked, do you understand?”
I lifted my chin, and kept my gaze on his. “Yes.”
His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, and I could feel how hard and ready he was for me. God, I wanted him. I wanted him so much, my entire body ached. His tongue slipped out of his mouth, and eased over his lips. It made me want to taste him. I wanted to be reminded of the bittersweet taste of him in my mouth.
“Tonight,” he whispered with a promise, and let go of my hair.
I remained still, not daring to move. Firstly because he had already warned me never to step away from him again, and secondly because my body was under his spell, heeding no other command than to be taken by him.
He stepped back, and his eyes made no secret as to what he wanted. His gaze alone told stories of sordid affairs and wicked touches.
“Go get ready while I pick out something for you to wear.”
“You won’t let me pick my clothing?”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a sly grin. “Of course not.”
Of course not. Castello was not a man who would willingly change his possessive ways…and I loved it. Even though I was the one whose choices were taken away, I liked the sense of power it gave me to know a man like Castello Fattore felt possessive over me. The more time I spent in his presence, the more I submitted to him, the more I realized how much I loved rendering such powerful actions from a man as influential and powerful as Castello.
On my way to the bathroom, I stopped by the door, keeping my back toward him. Slowly, seductively I untied my robe and gently eased it off my body until it pooled around my feet. By the way my skin tingled, and my stomach clenched, I knew he was watching me. I could feel his gaze caressing me, touching me, claiming me. It was something I could easily have grown addicted to—the feeling of being wanted by a man to a point where he needed to control all of you.
Without saying a word I walked into the bathroom, not closing the door behind me. He had warned me the day before to not close the bathroom door. And I was an obedient little mouse, for I had long realized my reward was worth every choice I was being denied.
When I stepped into the shower I realized that for the last ten minutes, while I was under the spell of a man that now ruled every aspect of my life, I didn’t once think about the two pink lines. Two thin little pink lines that I had to keep hidden for as long as possible.
As I walked out of the bathroom Castello stood by the closet holding out a white cocktail dress. I moved toward him. “You seem to have a thing for white dresses.”
“I have a thing for you in white dresses.” He held up his other hand. “And heels, too.”
I snickered. The mischievous grin on his face showed a different side to him, a playful side…a human side.
I dropped the towel I had wrapped around me, and as Castello continued to watch me I slowly pulled the dress on. It was a sleeveless dress with sparkly beads creating a belt around the waist. And unlike the one I wore earlier, this one had a flair from the waist down. I closed the zip on the side when Castello went on his knees. What is he doing?
Softly he wrapped his hands around my ankle, caressing my skin. I couldn’t take my eyes off him crouched before me as he gently slipped the stiletto heeled shoe on my foot. It was something I never thought I’d see—Castello on his knees in front of me. This big, powerful man was on the floor kneeling, placing a shoe on my foot like he was the slave and I the mistress—the queen. The sight took my breath away, and it made my heart feel too big for my chest. The moment felt so surreal.
Fingertips caressed my skin, setting my body on fire inch by inch, his touch burning straight through to my soul.
No words were spoken, yet the silence felt light, calm, as if for those few minutes everything between us was right…normal. There was no role playing, yet it seemed like he had given up the dominance he yielded over me for so long, showing me that a part of him was submitting to me. A part of him needed me—needed to please me. I knew for as long as we were together he would be my dominant, my master, my king—and I wouldn’t want it any other way. But now I realized that I meant more to him than I thought. There was no way a raw, alpha man like Castello Fattore who was driven by his most primal desires would go on his knees for anyone…unless that person meant something to him.
I meant something to him.
His fingertips caressed my skin as his touch moved up my leg, leaving burning flesh in its wake. With ease he placed my foot down before wrapping his fingers around my other ankle. This time I closed my eyes as he placed the shoe on my foot, fingertips travelling up the inside of my leg. Slowly his touch moved up…and up…and up. His hand wasn’t yet between my legs, but it felt like he was already caressing me, touching me, causing my body to weep tears of lust and desire. He was still on his knees, making me feel like his queen in every way, and by God it felt euphoric. Castello was right when he said that some things couldn’t be said with words, because right now he was telling me everything I wanted to know by showing me one simple act of submission.
I felt the subtlest touch of his fingers against my slit and I moaned, my head falling back.
I didn’t even notice he had straightened in front of me, not until I felt his lips placing a tender kiss on my shoulder.
“Perfezione.” Perfection. “Tu sei la bellezza nel mio mondo oscuro.” You are the beauty in my dark world.
I leaned my head to the side. “E tu sei il mio Dio.” And you are the God of mine.
A low, heady growl escaped him, and he cupped me hard between my legs.
“Do not speak such words, little mouse.”
“Why not?”
His finger entered me, and I moaned as my body welcomed it inside me.
“Because a devil like me would use those words to justify the claim I have taken over you. A claim that was taken without your consent.” His finger kept its slow rhythm, only going deeper, pushing harder.
I grabbed ahold of his shoulders, my legs threatening to give way beneath me. “No,” I whispered. “You have not taken anything from me without consent.” I leaned closer, my lips brushing against his ear. “I give it…freely.”
“Cristo, aiutami.” Christ, help me.
He pulled me hard against him, one finger joined by another. My body was being rushed toward the edge by his brutal touch. Breaths escaped me in huffs of greedy desire, the feeling of his cock pressing into my hip causing me to ache with the need to feel it inside me.
“Nessuna donna.” No woman.
It felt like he ripped his fingers from my body, the throbbing ache forcing a desperate moan from my mouth.
He took my face in his hand, gripping tight. The evidence of my desire coated his fingers, the scent of my lust assaulting my sense of smell like a potent aphrodisiac.
“You will seduce me to my own death, woman.” His jaw ticked, his teeth clenched. The elongated pupil in his eye showed the anger and the lust—anger because I almost made him lose control, and lust because he wanted me to make him lose control.
He wiped a wet finger across my lips, and I could taste the sweetness of my depraved desire for a man who once dreamed about my death.
“Tonight, I won’t give you what you need. Tonight, little mouse, I’ll take from you what I need.”