Page 18 of Burning Beauty

He seemed to understand. "Put your arms around my neck."

Again, she did as she was told. It was an odd sensation, willingly touching him, but being commanded to do so. It had been so different last evening when he'd grabbed her forcibly and kissed her. Now, she was moving fluidly, sensually, she was experiencing everything in slow motion, instead of a rush of sensations.

She touched the hair at the back of his neck, curling just above the collar of his shirt. It was thick but also soft and smooth against her fingers, sliding easily in between as she slid her hands around his neck and settled more deeply into his lap.

"Now kiss me, Maria," he said, his mouth inches from hers.

The pounding of her heart sent blood rushing through her veins, her pulse points throbbed and her sense of sound disappeared since all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. As she lowered her mouth to his, she watched his lips. They were thin, hard, controlled, and unforgiving. Yet they parted slightly just before her lips settled against them.

She closed her eyes, sank into the moment and kissed the Italian mobster sitting patiently beneath her.

It was so intense, so intimate, that it captured her, body and soul. They were the only two that existed in that moment, sitting on an airplane, on a seat designed for luxury, next to a window, which was bright with the light of the day.

Her lips moved across his in a gentle exploration before moving deeper, seeking and attempting to give pleasure. When he first demanded a kiss in return for her brother's things, she'd agreed, thinking she would just stick her tongue in his mouth and get it over with. But that wasn't what this kiss was about. She didn't want it to end, and he made no moves to break it off.

After a moment, his hands crept up her back, anchoring her against him as the kiss grew more passionate. Her mouth slanted across his and she demanded more, taking more of the heated pleasure she was finding within. Perhaps, it was the dangerous aura surrounding the man, or perhaps it was the danger itself that she found herself in, or maybe it was an honest connection between them, but the kiss was by far the best she'd ever experienced.

She didn't want it to end. Actually clung to him and held him with a desperation she couldn't have imagined feeling in this kind of situation with this kind of man.

Finally, after god only knows how long, she surfaced, lurching back on his lap in shock. If he hadn't been holding onto her, she might've fallen off his lap and onto the floor. Instead he held her on his knees, his hands clenched on her hips. She felt the unmistakable push of his erection directly against her crotch. The feeling made her light-headed.

She lifted a hand to her lips and sucked air into her starved lungs. She was in very big trouble. If she'd had any doubts before, they were now gone. She was about to become the mistress of one of the most dangerous men in the world.

Chapter Ten

Nic lifted her off his lap and she felt a split second of disappointment thinking he was putting her back in her seat, but then he stood with her, took her hand and started pulling her toward a door at the back of the plane.

"What... where are we going?" she asked dazedly.

"Bedroom." His voice was a guttural bark as he reached for the door and jerked it open. But before he could usher Maria inside, Luke interrupted them.

"Call for you, Mr. DeLuca."

Nic turned and narrowed his eyes at Luke before reaching for the phone the other man was holding. "Yes," Nic said sharply.

He listened for a few moments and then sighed deeply and shoved a hand through his hair. "I don't give a shit what you ask the chef to make, Cassandra. Tell him to expect one more guest."

Maria heard an excited feminine voice on the other end and then realized with a sinking heart that Nic was talking to his wife. She tried prying her hand from his, but his grip became crushing keeping her in place. After another moment he hung up the phone without so much as a good-bye.

He handed the phone back to Luke and dragged Maria into the bedroom. She resisted, dragging her feet, but his strength was far superior to hers. He slammed the door behind her, then turned and shoved her back against it, his mouth slanting across hers in a harsh kiss. She gasped into his mouth and struggled against his hold.

Finally, he broke the kiss and placed his hands on the door on either side of her head, trapping her. The aggressive move sent her heart soaring in fear.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. "You were grinding that little pussy all over me a few minutes ago. I got the feeling you wanted to close the deal as much as I do."

She slapped him, her hand snaking up between them and cracking across his cheek and jaw before he could react. She glared up at him, daring him to slap her back. She didn't care how dangerous he was, not in this moment. No, right now he was just a man, like any man, acting like a piece of shit dirtbag scum.

"How dare you speak to your wife on the phone in one breath and then treat me like some kind of cheap whore in the next," she hissed, pointing a finger into his chest.

He reacted so swiftly she had no time to brace herself as he spun her around and slammed her face first into the door, bruising her chin. One fist tightly gripped her hair while his other arm pressed against the middle of her back. She gasped and choked as he wrenched her head back and to the side, dropping his face into the crook and biting so hard she let out a startled scream. Tears stung her eyes and a sob crept up her throat.

"I don't give a shit what you think, Maria," he growled in her ear. "I will fuck you, as often as I want, as hard as I want, any way I want. You will take it with a smile and thank me politely. You understand?"

A tear crept from her eye, falling onto her cheek and trickling down. He didn't sound angry, his voice was cool and in control. As though he had no doubt of the outcome of this interlude. His lack of emotion terrified her.

"Answer," he demanded, wrenching her head further back while pressing her harder into the door.

"Yes, I understand," she gasped.

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