Page 24 of Stranded with My Mafia Boss

"I'm yours," I said. Despite not meaning them, when the words left my mouth, they felt real. Too real.

Triumph lit his expression as he slammed into me again. The pace he set was punishing, each thrust pushing me higher and higher until I shattered around him with a scream, wrapping my tied arms around his neck.

He followed soon after, burying his face in my hair with a groan. We remained there for a long moment, panting harshly as the anger seeped from our limbs, leaving only a sweet release in its wake.

Damien placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

I turned my head away, staring at the far wall as he withdrew from my body. The evidence of our passion trickled down my thigh, a reminder of how deeply I’d gone into his web. Pregnancy had suddenly come onto the table. I wasn’t on any form of birth control other than abstinence.

What should I do? Oh, damn it.

Damien untied my wrists, massaging the tender flesh there. I kept my eyes averted, unwilling to meet his gaze. What had I done? This wasn’t me.

One moment we were fighting, anger hanging heavily between us, the next our mouths and bodies had collided in a clash of teeth and tongues and greedy hands.

Now...now I didn't know how to feel. My body still thrummed with pleasure, but my mind was in turmoil. I cared for Damien, far more than was wise, but being with him was like dancing with the devil—intoxicating and dangerous all at once.

"Look at me." His tone was soft but brooked no argument. I lifted my gaze to his, heart twisting at the warmth I found there. It made me want to believe he could be tender, that there was more to him than just ruthless ambition. Cold common sense told me not to hold my breath.

Damien cupped my cheek. "You're mine now, Katie. We were made for each other."

I knocked his hand away, scrambling off the couch to grab my robe. "I don't belong to you," I said, anger rising once more. "No one owns me."

"Keep telling yourself that." He stood as well, stalking toward me like a predator after its prey. "You can deny it all you want, but you know the truth. You admitted you're mine, not five minutes ago."

"Go to hell." I stood my ground, glaring up at his smug face. "I only said it to get my rocks off."

He grasped my chin, tilting my head back. "I've already been there,cara. Now come to bed."

I wrenched out of his grip, clutching my robe tight. "No."

For a moment I thought he might pick me up, but then he shrugged. "As you wish. This isn't over, Katie."

My chest squeezed at the promise in his words. No, it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

His phone rang, jangling the stillness. Mixed anger and amusement filled me as he went to check it. At least it hadn’t happened in the middle. I wasn’t sure what he would have done.

This was the first time it had rung this whole time. Normally, at the office, he got calls all the time. Strange.

"Hello, Bria." He held the phone away from his ear.

Someone was screaming in pain on the other end, and a female voice shouted, "Can you hear me now?"

I flinched.

Damien stared at me, then strode into the library.

My heart squeezed. I wanted to stay, so much, but Max needed me too and I couldn’t afford to become Damien’s plaything. Even if I couldn’t quit my job, I needed to keep my heart and soul, what made me myself, my own, and not his toy.

I ran up the stairs. I needed warm clothing. I was leaving, right now.

I grabbed the heaviest clothing I could find and rushed to the closet where the gloves, coat, and boots I wore earlier waited for me, threw them on, and then ran for the garage.

I’d been four-wheeling with Connor and Max a few times this summer when Max had a good few weeks. The snowmobiles had the same setup—turn the key, then a button to push to start it. I hit the switch to open the garage door, grabbed a helmet, and then climbed on the running machine. Thankfully, the snow hadn’t piled in front of the garage door.

Guiding it to the road was hard, even steering carefully. It was so cold it wasn’t even funny when the wind picked up as it moved. Shivering so hard it felt like I was going to tear muscles, I gave up only a little way down the road. This was not going to work, no matter how much I wanted to leave, I turned in a wide U, then yelped as I went too far, and the machine and I went over the edge of the road, tumbling into the ditch and deep, soft snow.

It pressed me down, and I shoved, but I didn’t have any leverage to get it off me.

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