Page 488 of Hate Mates

No.My brain shouted for me to get up, to run away, to reach for his dinner knife and end him for all the torment he had caused me. But my body resisted. It was too weak to fight anymore.

All I could do was writhe under him, praying he’d give me more.

His tongue skated over my belly, dipping into my belly button.Fuck.My eyelids fluttered from the sensation.

He tugged the waist of my shorts down, removing them and my panties along with them. The fabric caressed my legs as they fell down.

Desperate for pressure to ease the throbbing, I squeezed my thighs together. Taking away any autonomy I’d had left, he regained control and hooked the backs of my knees around his neck. “All woman,” he growled.

His fingers swiped at my slit, playing with my slickness. “So wet and ready, like you wanted this.”

I didn’t. I swore I didn’t.

I kept saying it in my head, but it became harder to convince myself every time he touched me.

When his tongue made contact with my pussy, I nearly exploded into two. He worked my clit in tight circles, winding me up like I was his favorite toy to play with. My back arched as I wove my fingers into his hair, locking him against me.

The scruff on his chin grazed the sensitive skin of my inner thighs as he worked diligently.

One of his hands came up to play with my breast, palming it with the same rhythm that he used to lick me. His calluses grazed my nipple in the most achingly delicious way.

His tongue slid down to my entrance, delving inside to taste all of me.

“Lazaro,” I moaned, not caring if any of his staff heard me. “Please...” I wasn’t in the habit of begging any man for anything, but tonight, I found myself to be an open sack of pleas.

“Pleasewhat, signorina?” His voice hummed through my center, reaching all the way down to my toes.

I was so close to the edge . . . so close to ecstasy . . . so close to freedom.

“Please . . . make me come.”

And, like the true monster he was, he retreated—backing away from me until his warm touch was just a ghost of a memory. “No.”

I gaped at him, my body shaking from the pent-up energy that he had so skillfully cultivated with his tongue. “What?” I needed him to finish, to relieve me of the yearning that overloaded my body.

But he just stood there, his expression merciless. “You didn’t give me what I want, so you don’t get what you want.” He wipedmy juices off his fingers with a napkin that had fallen to the floor before turning his back to me and strolling out of the dining room.

The fight that I had momentarily lost reignited within me, this time coursing through my body so strongly that I trembled with rage. A blood-curdling scream ripped through me. “I’m going to fucking kill you, Lazaro!”

It was a promise.

Chapter Two

ANTONELLA

“You look hot today!” Massimo wiggled his eyebrows at me as his lavender-manicured fingers worked at warp speed dicing a bell pepper.

“You’re going to lose a finger if you keep checking me out,” I teased.

“Then it wouldn’t be in vain,” he shot back, winking. “Seriously, though, your face is glowing. And your makeup is perfect. You’ll have to teach me some of your tips.”

My smile stretched from ear to ear. I loved makeup. Expressing myself with pots of creams and powders brought me great satisfaction. Just the act of applying makeup was comforting. I always fell into a peaceful state for the next five to ten minutes anytime a brush was in my hand, painting my face to match my mood. Sometimes I didn’t even realize how I felt until I started the application, and then it would all just appear in the mirror, inviting me to dig deeper, to find out why I felt that way and how I wanted to proceed with my day. It was like therapy for me.

I had put the products that Angelica had stocked for me to good use today. My signature everyday look was a thick wingedblack liner and rose-colored lips to balance the sharp eye. I kept everything else neutral, only adding a touch of poppy-colored blush to my cheeks and some light contouring to carve out my almond-shaped eyes.

I felt like my old self again. Well, almost...minus the whole “being kidnapped by a criminal” thing. So, I would gladly accept Massimo’s compliment when it was handed to me.

“Thank you,” I said, stealing a piece of prosciutto and shoving it into my mouth.

---