Page 7 of Burning Beauty

She flinched at his blunt assessment. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he drawled, taking a sip of his wine. "That I'm willing to play Delgado's game. For a while."

"I don't understand." But she did understand. She'd have to be stupid not to get his implication.

He stood and took the few steps separating their chairs, towering over her as he looked down. "I assume Delgado is going to use you against me? Get you to seduce me in his hotel, under his surveillance, then use the footage as blackmail."

She squirmed in her seat and finally shrugged. She didn't really know the plan, but if she had to guess she would say that Nic nailed it.

His shrewd eyes delved into hers as she looked up at him defiantly. "Will it work?" she asked. "Can you be blackmailed?"

He chuckled, the deep mirthful sound sending a shiver down her spine. He picked up her hand where it was resting on her knee and took a step back, pulling her to her feet. She wasn't very tall to begin with at 5’7”, of which four of those inches belonged to the heels on her feet. Next to him, she was tiny. He would be a foot taller than her if she wasn't wearing shoes. She had to tilt her head to look up at him.

"What are you asking me?" he demanded, his Italian accent growing thicker.

She swallowed and tried to take a step back, but his grip tightened, holding her in place. "I'm asking how a recording of us could be used as blackmail against you."

"Is it your job to ask questions?" he asked sharply. "Or is it your job to fuck me?"

Her outraged gasp was swallowed in a hard kiss as he swooped down, capturing her lips with his. She was shocked and automatically tried to move back, but he wrapped one arm around her waist while his other hand tangled in her hair, holding her head still and cutting off an escape. She didn't know what to do with her hands, whether to try and shove him or to let them dangle uselessly at her sides. Finally, she lifted them, balled her hands into fists and pressed them against his shoulders, giving an experimental shove that did absolutely nothing.

His lips were hard on hers, smashing them against her teeth and hurting her until she gave him what he was clearly seeking, access to her mouth. When she finally opened to him, he surprised her by pulling back a few inches.

"Bite me and I will snap your scrawny little neck and find another way to fuck with Delgado's plan."

Anger rushed through her. "My neck is not scr—" He cut her off with another devastating kiss that she couldn't escape from. This time he forced entry into her mouth, shoving his tongue past her teeth and sweeping her mouth like some kind of marauder.

She thought about biting him but decided against it. He didn't seem like the type to lie about his intentions. If he said he was going to snap her neck, she believed he would. Though she really wanted to argue with him about the scrawny part. While her neck might not be classically long and slim, it was a nice shape with a cute little hollow at the bottom.

The kiss went on and on. Her thoughts scattered in every direction, never really settling on anything in particular. At first, she just wanted the kiss over with and tried to distract her mind. She wondered if his breath tasted more like spearmint or peppermint and if there was an actual difference between the two tastes. She thought about her mama, and how disappointed she would be to see her daughter now. She wondered if her lips would bleed from the force he was using. She wondered if she was going to die tonight.

Then the kiss shifted into something else entirely. The arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her in place, and his other hand slid up her back, the broad palm caressing her. His fingers tangled in the ends of her hair, tugging a little on her scalp. His other hand wrapped around the back of her neck, holding her in place, but also sending a thrill down her spine.

His lips softened as they moved on hers, his tongue taking the time to explore and seduce. A melting sensation started low in her belly and started to spiral outward, stealing everything in its path; her breath, her beating heart, her sanity.

When he finally broke the kiss and looked at her with those piercing amber eyes she realized she was fucked. The most dangerous man she'd ever met was fully capable of melting the ice she'd carefully constructed around herself these past five years.

Chapter Four

The moment he released her, Maria pushed herself back, stumbling as her heel caught in the carpet. He watched dispassionately as she righted herself. Her heart was pounding at the confusing mixture of fear and desire warring within her. She wanted to grab her purse and run from the room. She didn't think she would get very far, but she had to try.

She edged around the back of her chair, reaching down to snatch up her purse. "This was a mistake," she said, her voice husky with a hint of a quiver to it. "I need to go."

As she reached the door and lifted her hand to the latch, his voice stopped her. "You think that's a good idea?"

She glanced over her shoulder and let out a bitter laugh. "None of this was a good idea, Mr. DeLuca. Not my being in America, Las Vegas, this casino or your room."

Her hand hovered against the door, every fibre of her being screaming at her to run away and not look back. But something held her. His next words echoed her hesitation.

"What happens if you leave here without doing your job?"

Her job. As in, seduce and set up Niccolo DeLuca for blackmail. She sighed and turned around, her back still against the door. She knew what would happen. She wasn't naive or stupid, and Franco had been explicit in his details. Still, Nic had to remind her.

"Let me tell you what happens if you leave," he said, walking slowly toward her, like a shark circling its next meal. "Your brother dies because he is no longer any use as a bargaining chip and Delgado will need to show you that he is not to be fucked with. Once your brother is dead, you are more likely to fall in line."

He stopped right in front of her. The hard wood of the door pressed against her length as she pushed back against it. His gaze, his very presence was hypnotic in a dark, disturbing way. He picked up her hand and drew her back into the room. She went with him because he was right, she didn't have a choice. They stood together in the middle, him looking down at her while she stared back, heart hammering, palms sweating and the desperate need to run still strong within her.

"What do you think he'll do to you if you fail to seduce me?" His tone of voice suggested he didn't really care about her answer. Perhaps because he already knew.

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