Page 36 of Wicked Games of Desire

“I want to see my friend from the diner or at least talk to her. I understand there are some safety concerns, but I can’t live completely cut off from the rest of the world. And I’ve been missing for a couple of weeks, she will be worried about me.”

His eyebrows narrow. “What else?” he says, not agreeing to anything.

“You stop keeping shit from me. I want—no, Ideserveto know what’s going on. We can’t do this if there is no trust between us.”

“Secrets are necessary to ensure your own security.”

I arch my eyebrow, signaling that his excuse is inadequate.

“I will tell you anything that relates directly to you,” he responds.

I consider him, knowing I can’t expect anything more than that. “One last thing. I need to know what happened the night my family died and my house burned down.”

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

I shove off him. This time I’m too fast for him, and I’m standing before he catches me. His hand wraps around my ankle, tugging me back to the carpeted floor with a bang. “Ahh!” I cry out as pain shoots through my knee. I try to wrestle against him, but he’s too strong for me. He pins me underneath him. Both of us are struggling to breathe smoothly.

His lips come to my ear. “I will accept all your conditions,” he whispers in my ear, sending a fresh wave of goosebumps over my skin. “After the engagement party, you will know it all.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell me that?” A sound of frustration escapes me as I groan. Why does he always have to complicate things?

He lines himself up and pushes inside of me again, brutally claiming me. “Because this is more fun.” One hand tangles around my hair, pulling my head closer to him as he moves with more determination than before, increasing the depth and force of the thrusts.

I cry out, murmuring incoherent sounds into the room as my body convulses around his cock. “Alessandro,” I cry his name in pleasure, but it’s still laced with how much I hate him.

He jerks forward, filling me with his own release. “My princess,” he growls out my name like a plea. For what I don’t know, but I’m right there with him. That was the craziest sex I’ve ever had. I just agreed to be the prince of the underworld’s wife. My fate is sealed. He might have agreed to my conditions, but I know he will own me.

Chapter 21

The ride over tothe Moretti estate in Maddox’s Maserati Quattroporte was quiet, deathly so, and I got the distinct impression the boys were on edge. But they couldn’t have been any more than me. They all grew up there, they knew what to expect, but I was feeling out of my depths.

Alessandro had given me a brief rundown on what to expect of his father. His description didn’t make me feel any more at ease. Even Alessandro thinks his father, Enzo, is a ruthless motherfucker, ruling his business and life with an iron fist. He had a stronger affection for his mother, Valentina, and described her as a beloved socialite who had friends in every social circle. I preferred not knowing. Part of his description, though, explained why the boys have turned out to be the cold calculating killers they are. Growing up in a family like the Morettis, it would be unavoidable.

A sickening thought occurs to me, one I hadn’t considered before. By agreeing to marry into his family, I will be knowingly bringing more children into this fucked-up situation. How the hell do I protect themfrom turning out just like these guys? Or, in a worse scenario, like myself. Trapped in a marriage I want no part in, with all my power taken away.

Nervously, I fiddle with the soft chiffon fabric of my cocktail dress. Alessandro sent a girl to the house yesterday with a rack of gowns for me to choose from. It was a gigantic leap from demanding I wear what he told me to, so I tried not to act like too much of a bitch about it. I selected a three-quarter-length, rose-gold, A-line, wrap dress that sinches in my waist and highlights my curves. Ricky’s wolf whistle as I descended the stairs told me everything I needed to know. I looked hot, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. What would tonight’s crowd even be comprised of?

When I imagined attending my engagement party, I never would have thought I would do it completely alone, with no friends or family to celebrate with me. Yet here I am. The only three people I even know will be the guys in this car, and I certainly don’t consider them my friends. More like overbearing, asshole, prison guards who I accidentally let give me a couple of orgasms.

Worry churns inside me as we pull up to the mansion, and Maddox kills the ignition. The home is massive, grander even than the boys’ place, and that’s saying something. It looks like a historic castle or museum, with sandstone bricks lining the front façade and a perfectly manicured garden cradling the perimeter.

Ricky glances at me before exiting the car like the other two. “Are you okay, baby doll?” he inquires, and I’m grateful he’s noticed my unease.

“I’m not sure,” I mutter, casting my eyes over the sprawling estate, dread filling me.

He takes my hand, intertwining my fingers with his. It’s a slight gesture, but I appreciate it. “You have all three of the most powerfuland ruthless men in the country by your side. You have nothing to fear,” he assures me, but his words aren’t as convincing as the smile of encouragement on his handsome face.

I take his tie in my hands, running my fingers through it. “Mr. Moretti?” The way I raise my eyebrow suggests that there is no way the three of them can save me from him.

“Just let us guide the evening. Keep your sassy comments to yourself.” He offers me a playful smirk, trying to lighten the mood, but it doesn’t help.

That’s half the trouble. I can’t always control the stuff that comes out of my mouth. Especially when I’m already feeling stressed and on edge from being caged up and kept in the dark. I’m liable to cause an all-out war, say some shit in the heat of the moment and not even mean to. “I wish I could just stay here with you.”

His lips drop to my neck, and he places a delicate kiss. “As wicked fun as that sounds, baby doll, we both know you have to attend this party. But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you later. If you behave.” His promise sends a shiver right through me. Whatever he has in mind, I’m up for it.

Alessandro opens my door abruptly, breaking our moment, shoving his hand in my direction for me to take.

I swallow down my fear. “Okay.” I take his outstretched hand, and as soon as I’m out of the car, he wraps his arm protectively around me. My skin prickles, wanting to run the fuck in the opposite direction, but I know this is the best option. The only one really, so I’m going to have to pull up my big girl panties and get on with it. “Remember who you belong to tonight, princess,” Alessandro growls in my ear.

---