Page 15 of Little Rabbit

“I’m going to figure that out,” she warns me, still watching me without retreating. I can all but see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to predict what I’m about to do. Well, she’s not the only one with tricks up their sleeves. I’m not about to let her think that she’s able to slip away again. As I get closer to her, I see the tension increase in her body, and her eyes narrow on me. “Don’t even think about it,” she hisses at me. In a heartbeat, the knife is in her hand, but just before she can raise it – no doubt to stab me – I reach out and grip her wrist, twisting, and we both listen to it clatter to the counter once. Using my free hand, I slide it away and let it crash into the sink before I let her go and step back, blocking her leg before it can once again connect with my groin.

“You got one free shot, Sienna,” I tell her darkly. “You probably killed half of our future children with it.”

“Jesus, you really are insane,” she grits out, side-stepping away from me and backing around the island again toward the living room. I keep in step with her, smirking when her frustration starts to show on her face. She’s trapped, and she knows it. I just need to wait her out long enough to grab her and take her sexy, annoying ass home. “I’m only going to say this one more time, Alessio, so you need to listen carefully. I’m not going to marry you and I’m not going to have children with you. I’m going to leave this building, and probably the country, and you’re going to forget all about me.”

“Impossible,” I declare, and then I do the one thing she doesn’t expect. I move to the recliner and sit down, the picture of nonchalance. I can see the shock on her face, but also the hope, when she starts moving faster toward the elevator. “Don’t bother, Sienna,” I tell her casually as I put one foot over my knee and sit back. “I have men stationed at every floor and in every stairwell, so no matter how low you go, you will not be getting away from me this time. Come sit down. We’re going to talk this shit out like fucking adults.” I sigh at the last part. “Though, if it were my choice, I’d tie your ass to the bed and have an entirely different kind of adult discussion, but there will be plenty of time for that later.”

She stops at the elevator doors, gives me a defiant look, and hits the button. I bite back my growl of annoyance, and instead pull out my phone. I send a text to my men to alert them to Sienna making a break for it, and to instruct that she be returned to me uninjured. I don’t need to add the obvious threat that if there is even one scratch on her, they’ll be paying with their fucking lives. My men know enough about me not to test me.

“You won’t catch me again, Alessio,” Sienna declares smugly as she steps inside the elevator. “Like I said, your stalking skills leave much to be desired, and you have even more to learn about showing a woman a good time.” Then she steps inside, and the doors close behind her.

I sigh and tamp down my annoyance at this whole mess. The woman is severely testing my patience, but this time, I need her to realize who she’s dealing with. She isn’t getting away from me; we’re going to figure this shit out tonight, once and for all. Then we’re going back to Sicily where I can finally start going after all the other fuckers.

I watch the numbers above the elevator stop at every floor, before it finally ends at the bottom. I can’t help but chuckle and shake my head. I loosen the tie around my neck and pull it from my collar. I have a much better use for it now. It’s another few minutes before the numbers start to climb back up, and I get up and walk over just as the door opens and a furious looking Sienna is deposited outside into the condo once again by an amused looking Lazaro. He gives me a nod, steps back into the elevator, and closes the doors with a press of a button.

I don’t waste time as I grip her wrists again, and this time, I wrap my tie expertly around them, tying them tightly together before she can so much as snarl out a curse. Then, I put my shoulder to her stomach and lift her, careful to keep my arm wrapped around her so she can’t fall off as I make my way toward the living room. We’re going to have a discussion, and she’s going to fucking listen to me this time.

A thought occurs to me as I reach the sofa that the woman will no doubt be hell on wheels, even if her wrists are tied, so I detour and head down the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. Which of course, she notices, and begins to struggle even more earnestly. “Let me fucking go,” she screeches.

I walk straight into the primary bedroom, and seeing the mussed up sheets, I know this is where she’s been sleeping. Even better. And the icing on the cake? The bed has a metal headboard with rungs. Anticipation burns in my veins and a dark smile pulls at my lips. I get to the bed and throw her onto it, but before she can roll away, I follow her down. Gripping the loose tail of the tie that’s dangling from her bound wrists, I use it to pull her arms up and over her head, quickly knotting it around one of the rungs before I pull away and get back to my feet.

Sienna is still for a moment as her gaze moves up to where she is now tied, before returning to mine. But instead of panic or fear, the only thing I see is fury. “The minute I’m out of this, I’m going to kill you,” she spits.

“You can certainly try, coniglietto,” I reply breezily. “But first, we have a few things to discuss before we can get to what I’m sure is going to be a fun evening.” I take her in, a dark, twisted pleasure building inside me at seeing her tied up and at my mercy. It’s a pity she’s fully clothed, but there will be plenty of time to remedy that later.

She struggles and yanks at the tie, but she’s soon going to learn that getting free without hurting herself is going to be damn hard. I learned how to tie knots from some of the best, after all. “Fuck,” she hisses when she finally stops and lays there, her breathing quickened from exerting herself. Her eyes find mine. “Are you seriously going to leave me tied up like this?” she demands.

“Yes. In fact, I might just leave you all tied up until we get back to the villa. You’ll be easier to tolerate that way.” And while I don’t want to frighten her, I can’t resist leaning over her, putting my hand around her throat and giving it just the slightest squeeze. She stills, her eyes widening, but there’s no fear there. Apprehension, sure, but nothing that would make me immediately stop or feel bad for scaring her. “Because nothing is better than having such a pretty little rabbit at my mercy,” I whisper. “One squeeze, with just the right pressure, and I can silence you when you push me a little too far.” I tighten my fingers ever so slightly, and her eyes widen further; apprehension turns to shock, and then something darker and far more enticing. I relax my fingers as a smug smile pulls at my lips. “Something tells me you’re going to do that a lot.” I pull my hand back and straighten.

“Bastard,” she rasps.

“Mmmm, yes, I am. My family will tell you that I can be a royal one if you get on my bad side.” I move to pull the chair from the corner of the room next to the bed, lifting my feet and resting them on the bed next to her. She tries to curl her body to knock them down, but I put the tip of my shoe to her side and push her back. “Now, it seems, Sienna, that we have some time to figure some things out, you and I. The longer you fight, the longer you’re going to stay tied there.”

She glares at me. “Oh, yeah, because I’m going to want to talk to you about anything while you have me held here against my will.” She lets out a soft grunt as she uses all her strength to pull against the tie, her face reddening as she maneuvers herself so that she’s no longer laying flat, but propped up on her side, leaning into the headboard so she can face me. She tucks her legs up and lets out a huff as she glares at me. “If you were hoping to charm your way into my pants, tying me to the bed with my arms suspended like that was a terrible plan. Or were you trying to cut off my circulation?”

Any other man would run to check the severity of her bindings, but I’m all too aware of the games Sienna is trying to play. “Nice try, cara mia, but we both know you’re fine. Now, let’s get down to business, hmmm? Then we can get our asses out of here and back where you belong.”

“I don’t belong anywhere with you,” she snaps. “And despite what you seem to think, I’m never going to belong to you, Alessio.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, cara mia. You see, the moment you threw that cup at my face and escaped, you belonged to me. If you simply listened and come with me, perhaps I would be bored of you, and you’d be free to live your life however you like once this is over. Except, you did hit me with that cup, and you’ve led me on a merry chase across the seas, and now across Europe. You’ve shown your hand, Sienna, and I very much like what I see. So, I’ve decided I’m going to keep you. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can get to the more pleasurable part of our relationship.”

Her face reddens with anger, and I bite back a grin. It looks like the show is about to start, and I for one, can’t wait to see her erupt.

9

SIENNA

I’ve almost got the damn knot figured out; I just need to keep him talking until I can get myself loose. Though he’s doing a damn good job of trying to distract me, sitting there in his stuffy suit coat, the collar of his white dress shirt unbuttoned, dark slacks, and shiny shoes. The man looks like he should be on the cover of a magazine, and it’s fucking distracting. He thinks I want him to get close to untie me, but if there was one thing I learned from all the lessons from my mother, as well as Rori, it’s that you can always escape if you have enough time and can keep a clear head. Not to mention they taught me all kinds of ways to get out of different restraints. Though, Alessio certainly knows some complicated knots.

Unlucky for him, I’m damn resourceful, and became adept at picking apart knots as a kid. I learned to get out of this one in less than five minutes. I just need to make sure he doesn’t catch on. So, talking it is.

“Fuck you, Alessio,” I hiss at him. “You’re sick in the head if you think any of that is going to fly. I’m my own person, and I belong to no one. Especially not a spoiled rich boy that relies on fear and intimidation to get what he wants. If you want a woman to simper at your feet and belong to you, as you put it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“We’re all a little sick in the head, Sienna,” he replies, seemingly unfazed by my insults. “I embrace mine and live my life the way I want to. As for fear and intimidation…” He gets to his feet, making me pause. The man moves like a wolf stalking its prey, and a trickle of apprehension moves through me. The look on his face turns from easygoing to dark and predatory, and then he leans down, putting both hands on the mattress as he leans forward so his face is close to mine. I don’t pull away, though everything in me is screaming to be cautious. This isn’t the Alessio I’ve been dealing with; that easygoing facade disappears to reveal an entirely different man. His eyes are dark, hard, and alive with something sinister that has my heart pounding in my chest. This is the face of a killer, one that will slit your throat without care or question. “You haven’t known true fear, Sienna,” he says so softly that I’m almost sure I’m not hearing him properly. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that anything I have done up until now is even remotely close to what I’m capable of. I’ve allowed you far more lenience than most would give you, and while I enjoy your feisty spirit, do not mistake me for weak like those pussy-assed men you’ve been with in the past.” He eases back, and the darkness retreats behind the mask. He’s once again the same smirking Alessio as before.

If it were anyone else, I would wonder if I’d imagined the whole thing. I feel bad for the people who realize it too late that Alessio is far darker than they realize. I doubt he’ll kill me, but there are other ways he can make me hurt, or break me into pieces, which means I need to get far away from him and quickly. But first, I have to get out of this fucking knot.

“You think that’s going to endear me to wanting to marry you? You think I don’t know already that you’re a weapon in a fancy suit? I’m not stupid, Alessio. I grew up in Europe for most of my childhood, and we heard all about the mafia. My parents refused to vacation in Italy for a very long time because of it. And now you expect me to go with you into that life willingly? You’re crazy. No sane, normal person would make that choice and think life would ever be the same.”

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