Page 480 of Hate Mates

I tryto catch my breath while he seems barely winded, effortlessly hoisting me into the air and flipping me over so I land hanging over his shoulder, my head bouncing on his chest as he stalks back toward the armed men who watch from a distance.

My throat burns,fearing I may have taken this too far, may have pushed him more than I should. I know the stories, and they aren’t untrue. “I’ll go willingly,” I whisper.

Massimo snakesa hand beneath my hair, and one arm over the top of my thighs, his fingers cradling my nape as my face rests against the hardness of his abs, rubbing small circles against the sensitive flesh as we walk back to his sprawling white estate. “As if you have a choice.”

I should scream,scratch or kick, anything to get myself free, but his hold on me is as resolute as the steps he takes, marching me closer and closer to my new and unwelcome home. Yet, the fresh scent of soap invades my nostrils, and my cheek presses against the hardness of his belly, the warmth of his body, and the fierceness of the man as though a protector and not the devil himself.

Whether this tremblingis spurred by the overwhelming desire caused by the run and chase, the way he held me tight and whispered in my ear, the feel of his dick so hard pressed against my butt cheeks when he caught me, or simply because I know it will only make things worse if I scream, it’s hard to say, and I doubt for one moment the devil even cares how I feel or what I do.

The next donof the Roselli crime family has completed the order no doubt issued by his father. One my papa would have given himself if wronged by a rival.

Only they haveit completely wrong. My father would have warned us. Of that, I have no doubt, no matter what this man says, or that my father just let him take us. Papa didn’t do this.

Yet,the war has started, and for now, I am a casualty, no matter the reason. Massimo walks past a group of men standing on the lawn who may not look like your normal run-of-the-mill criminals, but the silencer-equipped, 22-cal. automatic pistols in their hands don’t look much different from the ones my father’s lieutenants sport. Deadly and ready at a moment’s notice.

The men partlike the Red Sea as Massimo walks me up the porch and into the grand foyer, keeping his fingers grasped around my nape as he carries me upstairs. “Last door on the left, next to mine,” he says, as though he were guiding me down the hall lined with family pictures instead of carting me like a caveman.

If I thoughthe would dump me and be rid of me, I was wrong. The door closes with a snap, the position he holds me in allowing me only a brief glance of the canopied French provincial bedroom set, complete with yellow drapery flowing from the four-poster bed.

Instead of dumpingme in the middle of the floor or unceremoniously on the bed as my mind assumed he would, he sits on the mattress and flips me from his shoulder, across his knee, placing a strong leg over the top of mine, rendering me his captive while this time my face hangs to the floor.

“Let me up!”

His hand laysflat on my back. “Too late for that. You had it easy but made it hard. There are rules you need to follow if you’re going to survive this ordeal, and you’re going to learn the first one today.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

He rubsa hand over my ass. “That’s not very smart, nor was talking back to me in front of the men. They do not respond well to weakness. Now, I’ll give you a choice. I can let them take you to the warehouse, the one you’ve undoubtedly heard of, or I can spank your ass for speaking out of turn and let my men hear you cry. Your choice, Sophia. Which one will it be?”

My mouth goes dry,because I don’t have to ask to know he’s as serious as a heart attack, and no one, no one would ever go willingly to the hell that is the Roselli warehouse.

“Spanking.”

Massimo’s handcomes down without warning, right over my jeans, burning heat through the material and straight to my skin, not giving me time to yell or even breathe before doing it again. This time the heat lights a fire on my ass.

I kickout and try to raise my head to squirm from his lap, but he holds me down even firmer as he continues to light a vicious pattern of heat to my already hot ass, with no signs of letting up.

“Ouch! Ouch! Massimo! Stop it!”I will myself not to cry, but tears of mortification fall from my eyes like a river as theonslaught of his spanking continues. I know what he wants but still my mind resists giving in to him, but my ass is ready to surrender this game without any hesitation at all. “I’m sorry. I won’t run. I promise.” There, that should placate the bastard of a beast.

The steady onslaughtof his spanking ceases as quickly as it started, yet his hold on me does not lighten. “Do you know why this rule is important, Sophia?”

I sob,rubbing my face on the leg of his dress pants, not worried at all with leaving my tears and remnants of my running nose. “Because you want me to cede control. To know I’m your prisoner and you are in charge. Fine, I’ve learned your lesson. Let me up.”

Massimo runsa hand over the top of my ass, the hands that not moments ago rained a barrage of intensity now caressing the tender flesh with the gentlest of hands. “No, because if you were dealing with anyone but me you would be in a warehouse without any of the amenities you see in this bedroom, without a shower, hot food, or someone to protect you from men who may see you as a toy during this period of debt, am I making myself clear? You do what I ask without question, especially when we are in front of my men. Capische?”

I nod,having a difficult time focusing on what he’s saying rather than the seductive sound of his voice as his hand continues to splay over the curve of my ass, and the hardness of his cock beneath me digs into the sensitive skin of my center. My hipspush toward his heat of their own accord, my attraction to the beast undeniable, while my center slickens with need.

His hand slidesbetween my legs, rubbing my jean covered clit from behind. As though the beast knows he started a full-blown fire that now needs to be extinguished when he whispered in my ear and spanked my ass. “Spread your legs, kitten.”

I should be mortified,ashamed, or just plain mad at myself for wanting to sleep with the enemy, but all is fair in love and war. Especially when the attraction is this strong, has been, since the first time his eyes raked down the length of me, setting my insides on fire, no matter his last name.

There isno sense in denying it or prolonging the inevitable. My legs spread for him, and his fingers slide over my waist, caress my ribcage, and slip beneath the lacy bralette, stroking the sensitive tips of my nipples that strain with pleasure as his fingers squeeze and then caress, only to squeeze again while I lay splayed across his lap, my fingers unconsciously kneading the luxurious material of his pants. Over his lap, upside down, with no shame at all.

There isa fine line between pleasure and pain, and the balance of them both is enough to send me reeling as his fingers explore.

My mind ison sensory overload, capable of focusing on one thing only at this moment and when he’s rubbing like that, it’s easy to forget, to give in, and to fall over the deliciously dark edge as the blinding orgasm hits me, wave after wave until he finally allows it to end.

The devil strokesme through it even after it’s finally subsided, pulling my bralette into place and setting me upright in front of him. I swallow hard, not knowing what he expects next, imagining a scenario with me on my knees while trying to adjust to the length of his cock being shoved down my throat.

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