Page 26 of Wicked Angel

My fist landed against the door and I laughed, the sound low and anything but amused. “I assure you, sweetheart,” I said, “if you don’t open this door for me of your own free will, when I do get to you—and I will, make no mistake—you’ll regret it. Now, be a good girl and open the door before I kick it in.”

More silence followed my threat and I was preparing for what I would have to do to break the door down when finally, I heard the tremble of the chain lock unhooking.

Wide eyes peeked out from the sliver of the door Angel opened, coated in shock, a hint of anger, and more than a little fear.

Good,I thought.She should be afraid.I looked forward to more of it, but first … it was time to deal with my wayward bride.

I smiled wide, all teeth filled withpromise. “Hello, Angel.”

11

ANGEL

The charming façade had fallen away, revealing once again the true Gaven Belmonte, and this time the greedy monster was here for me. My heart pounded a rapid beat in my chest and sweat slid down my spine as I took a careful step back. His eyes followed the movement forcing me to freeze in fear that he would give chase.

“Gaven…” I stumbled away from the door as it swung inward and he stepped into the dark interior of the shitty motel room I’d rented for the night.How the hell had he found me so fast?I’d been careful. I’d only used cash. I’d caught the first bus I’d been able to. I hadn’t even really planned—thinking that if I planned too far ahead then he could predict my movements. Yet here he was. I swallowed roughly. “I-I can explain,” I started.

“No.” He shook his head at me as he reached up and unbuttoned the single button holding the lapels of his suit coat together. “No more talking, Angel. You’ve lost the right to speak.”

“Excuse me?” He shut the door behind him and flicked the lock back into place. My heartbeat picked up speed. More sweat coated the back of my neck.

Gaven shrugged out of his coat before tossing it across the room as if it wasn’t thousands of dollars worth of designer material. My eyes trailed the path of the black suit jacket before reluctantly and nervously returning to the beast that stalked forward. With a yelp, I stumbled backward and slammed into the wall as he came down over me.

He snatched my hands up and slammed them both over my head, holding them in place at the wrist with one of his while his free hand reached up and gripped me by the throat. My widened eyes turned upward and I met the gaze of my soon-to-be husband. His nostrils flared and his eyes were ablaze with dark fury as he glared down at me. His face was shadowed like this, making him appear even more sinister, and his hair was in wild disarray as if he’d run his fingers through it several times instead of its typical slicked-back style.

“Do you know what a man like me does to those who betray him, Angel?” His question filtered into my ears as he leaned forward and the softness of his breath touched my neck. A shiver stole over me.

I gulped. No. I couldn’t let him have this kind of control over me. I needed to be stronger than that. Inhaling, I bucked against him. The attempt to force him a step back, however, did nothing. It was as if I were trying to shove a brick wall.

“Stop it,” I snapped.

“No.” A gasp escaped me as Gaven’s response was quickly followed by teeth sinking into my earlobe, biting down hard. Blood rushed up through my body and dispersed into my limbs. So fast, so suddenly, that it filled my mind with horror. Yet, deep inside, I couldn’t deny I felt something else too. Excitement.

The sharp pain of Gaven’s bite made another part of me soften. My thighs rubbed together as wetness leaked from between them. I closed my eyes as the pain blossomed and I felt it as something wet dripped onto the top of my shoulder.Blood? Had he bitten me hard enough to draw blood?

I didn’t get the opportunity to look. Gaven released me for a split second, but in the next breath, he dragged me away from the wall, turning and lifting me off of my feet. Fear erupted within me and I jerked against his hold, struggling within his arms as I shoved the flat of my palm up his chest and into his jawline. “No!” I screamed. “Stop!”

Gaven didn’t speak. No words left his mouth as he reduced my struggle to nothing. Twisting one way and then the other, I cried out and cursed as he carried me over to the bed in the center of the room and tossed me upon the mattress. Stripping off his necktie, I half expected him to tie my hands, but instead, he surprised me. The necktie was yanked down around my own neck and then tied into a series of strange knots to the metal headboard.

“What the hell!” I fumbled, feebly to try and undo the knots he’d created, but the more I tugged, the tighter the fabric squeezed my throat until it grew hard to breathe. Spots of black and white danced in front of my vision as I gasped for breath. “Gaven … please.” I was beyond being too proud to beg. This had gone too far. “Let me go.”

Again, Gaven refused to reply. His jaw was tight, a vein throbbing in his throat as the dark look he gave me bore into my very soul. He gave nothing but utter silence. Instead, his hands moved to the button of my jeans. He popped the closure and then unzipped me. “No!” I screamed and kicked. A mistake on my part, because all the kicking did was make it easier for Gaven to remove my pants and underwear in one quick sweep.

Pressing my thighs together, I growled low in my throat, sure my skin was turning a molten shade of red as embarrassment spread through me. Gaven Belmonte might have been acting the gentlemen for me before, but the fact was … he wasn’t. He was a mobster. A killer. Why would a killer respect a woman’s wishes if he could take her regardless? He was caustic. Selfish. Cruel. Controlling. And at the end of it all, I was just a means to an end.

My heartbeat—which was already racing fast—picked up the pace. The necktie around my throat cut into my flesh, making me wince. I opened my mouth to talk once more, but before I could say a single word, my own underwear was shoved between my lips.

Gaven’s gaze met mine. “Spit them out and you’ll regret it, Angel,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. I contemplated doing it anyway, but I was already tied to a bed and at his mercy. There was no telling what else he would do.

Gaven waited a moment—I assumed to see what I would do—and when I didn’t immediately spit the thong back in his face, he went back to work. His movements were meticulous. Lifting a knife from his pants, he set the cold metal to my lower stomach. I sucked in a sharp breath at the icy feel of it as he sliced upward, cutting my shirt straight up the center and in half.

Tears gathered along my lashes, but I blinked them away—not wanting him to see as he carefully ripped my shirt to shreds and then used the pieces to tie my hands to the headboard as well. Finally, he was left with two long black strips of fabric of what used to be my favorite t-shirt.

One hand gripped the underside of my thigh, making me jump, and a muffled sound escaped past the underwear in my mouth. He shoved upward and then used one of the strips to bind my leg together, my calf to my thigh. Gaven turned and repeated the process with my other leg until it was clear that his objective was to keep me from closing my legs.

Closing my eyes, I turned my head to the ceiling as a tear broke free and then trailed down my cheek. Heat burned into me. I’d never felt so humiliated, and it had nothing to do with my nakedness but the fact that I knew he could see the ripeness between my legs. With the fresh air brushing over my pussy, I could feel just how wet I was.

It was wrong. It was disgusting. How the fuck could I be attracted to this? How could my body betray me like this?

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