Page 61 of Diavolo

The moment Elyse madeher choice known, it bound them together like an unbreakable spell. Its seductive force enveloped her. Those six words—I choose to stay with you—appeared to have a potent effect on Alessandro as well. Emotions flickered across his features, disappearing from one second to the next until his pupils grew round and black with desire.

Fiercely, he demanded, "You will not leave? Truly?"

A lump formed in her throat. "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

Within the expanse of her clipped response, Elyse grieved everything she would be losing. Her career. Her freedom. Her identity. But Elyse also reflected upon all that she might gain. A new beginning with a beautifully complex man who was unlike any other she'd met. Supposedly, he would protect her. Supposedly, he would care for her. Supposedly, he was her best option in this clusterfuck of fuckery.

Supposedly.

Supposedly.

Supposedly.

Elyse prayed she'd made the right call. That she wouldn't end up like the abused girlfriends and forsaken mistresses and dead wives that Stefano and Mikey had often mentioned in her presence.

"If I share my secrets with you," Alessandro whispered, "how do I know you will not run again?"

"Neither of us knows what the future holds," she replied, placing a gentle hand upon his face, "but I promise you. I have no intention of running now."

"Women lie all the time," Alessandro grumbled as he shot her a pointed look. "Especially the intelligent ones."

"Men lie, too, regardless of their intelligence level."

Alessandro chuckled low and deep. "I suppose we are equals when it comes to bullshit."

Elyse cocked an eyebrow. "You'll have to learn to trust me as your woman. Just like I'll need to learn to trust you as my man."

He gazed upon her intently. "Is that what you want for us?"

"Yes."

"I feel the same way."

"In truth," she drawled, "only time can strengthen our bond."

He sighed. "Your reasoning is flawless. But another matter weighs on me quite heavily."

"Tell me."

"You made me look weak in front of my men tonight,Signora Vitale, and for that," Alessandro rolled on top of Elyse with a smirk, trapping her beneath the muscular barrier of his body, "you must be disciplined."

She eyed him with a flicker of defiance. "I dare you to threaten me again."

With an evil-sounding laugh, Alessandro didn't waste any time locating the generous swells of her breasts. His calloused palm felt rough against the soft, rounded smoothness of her flesh, kneading her tits firmly in his hand. His head dipped downto catch a nipple between his teeth. Alessandro sucked on the pebbling tips until Elyse sighed with pleasure. As Alessandro continued to roll and tease her nipples around his tongue, Elyse reached down to fondle his hardening cock, but she only managed to give him a few quick tugs before he pulled away, rising from the bed to retrieve something from the floor.

He returned to her side with a black leather belt in hand. Elyse's heart sped up. "Oh, fuck."

"Are you game,Signora Vitale?"

"Depends on the rules."

He climbed toward her on the mattress with a knowing gleam in his brown and blue-gray eyes. "These rules have everything to do with trust."

"Trust?"

"I am providing an opportunity for us to strengthen our bond."

She eyed his belt with trepidation. "But trust must work both ways."

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