Page 8 of Angelo

"Takingwhatever-the-fuck-I-wantfrom you."

She blinked in shock at the size of his audacity. Then, her gaze grew sharp and thin. All thoughts of reconciliation shattered in an instant. "Taking and giving go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other."

"Indulge me."

Daggers flew from her glare. "Like hell I will."

With a smirk, Alessandro tilted his head to the side. "The murder in your eyes concerns me."

Elyse snapped, "Then stop pissing me off if you want a long and happy life."

"A wife should not kill her husband," he mocked in low tones, "right before she is about to get her brains fucked out."

In the moonlit dimness of their bedroom, her face burned with indignation. Or was it desire? Conflict stirred within. Elyse wanted Alessandro as much as she worried for him. Solutions to his problems always seemed to end with fucking or setting shit on fire. No matter how much he wished to detach from emotion, reality was a bitch that couldn't be ignored. Their lives were forever fucked because his father had died. Desperately, Elyse wished to lessen the hurt for Alessandro and lighten his burdens. Her mind began to race. Sex might not lead to a resolution, but it could certainly ease some of the strain between them.

Perhaps, afterward, Alessandro might be more willing to confront his demons head on?

Demons couldn't be chased away, but she could give him a moment of respite. For better or worse, Alessandro was her husband, and she was ready to be sword and shield in his time of need.

"Is that what you want right now?" Elyse asked faintly. "To fuck me?

Eyeing her in the dark, he murmured, "I do not know if you are ready for it."

"For what?"

"For me to take and take and take until you have nothing left to give."

The dark conviction in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Anticipation trembled through Elyse. Alessandro didn'tjustwant to fuck her. He wanted to possess her.All of her. He wanted every fucking piece of what she could give him.

"I'll let you know if I want to... stop," she murmured. "Io sono tua,right?"

I am yours.

He once told her that it meant—diamond.

The beautiful liar.

"Sì, sì, sì." Alessandro's breaths quickened in a gasped whisper, "Mine."

"What?"

The corner of his mouth curled up. "Nothing."

Slowly, she lay back in bed, surrendering like a queen before her king. Alessandro's tall, imposing figure approached her in the darkness. Even though Elyse couldn't quite read his facial expression in the shadows, she could sense a very smug slyness radiating from him. "I have a surprise for you."

Wariness creased her brow as Alessandro took another step closer. "Lucky me."

"I thought it might be fun to add new toys in our bedroom."

"Your idea of fun," she muttered, "is usually pretty fucked up."

He smiled like the devil. "You have nothing to worry about,cuore mio. Let me show you what I have done. Everything has been customized and designed—just for you."

Alessandro's hand drifted toward a touchscreen panel on the wall. With a few gentle taps, their bed was no longer their bed. Dim lights flickered on, gears began to turn, hidden compartments opened up, and intimidating-looking cuffs, hooks, and chains shifted into view.

Green eyes rounded out as she took it all in. "When did you get theseinstalled?"

"Not long after I left Queens."

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