Page 70 of Massimo

Then she stands before me, naked—not vulnerable and broken, but strong and defiant.

She's completely bared to me, her walls gone.

She's a fresh slate wiped clean of the wrongful hard lessons she learned.

She's ready to walk through the flames and emerge on the other side, forged by the fires of hell, strong and fierce.

And soon, she'll be ready to stand by my side as my queen.

Chapter 30

Nova

There'sanothershiftbetweenMassimo and me. Within me.

I want to believe him so badly, but I need to remind myself there is no future where he and I will live happily ever after.

At the end of this, I'm still a Mancini and he's still a Santoro. He'd never blend our families because that would mean aligning with a nest of vipers. And even if he did, his family wouldn't accept me.

I'm the daughter of a vile man who is responsible for horrendous things, including wrongs against the Santoro family.

But why can't you enjoy yourself in the meantime? Take the power piece off the chessboard and give your father and Julien Moreau the finger while getting more of that mind-blowing pleasure Massimo introduced you to.

My decision is made, my mind is the clearest it's ever been, and certainty cascades over me as I pull off my T-shirt. Massimo's eyes darken as I unclasp my bra and bare my breasts to him. The huge shaft that is standing proud jerks, and a pearl of liquid fills the slit in the top of its head.

A surge of power washes over me as I watch his reaction. In this moment—seeing the way Massimo looks at me, like I’m the only thing in the world and he’d give me anything I asked for—I feel like I have all the power and control.

The battered parts of my psyche try to warn me that this is a trap, a lesson, a test. But I push that away as heat flushes through my entire bodywhen Massimo licks his lips and wraps his hand around the base of his shaft.

My hands shake with need and lust as I undo my jeans and push them and my underwear off in one movement. Stepping out of them, I stand there completely nude, but no vulnerability or shyness pushes in.

I love the way he's looking at me. It's addicting as hell.

"Come here, princess." He holds out a hand to me.

For once, I resist the conditioning to obey, and my feet remain still. "I want to see you."

His chest heaves as he looks like he's trying to control himself. Then he nods. "No sex tonight."

A smug little smile tilts the corner of my mouth because it sounds like he's reminding himself as much as me.

But my smile fades as he stands.

Christ on a bike, the man is huge—and not just his body. My eyes are glued to his long,thickerection that seems even larger now that he's standing.

There's no way that's going to fit, right? Even if he stretches me out somewhat with his fingers, that's going to hurt like hell.

"I'd never hurt you, Nova."

My eyes track upward to meet Massimo's dark brown ones. The heat and look within them…I could lose myself in it. I could fool myself into believing this might be real, that we could have a future, and that this isn't a monster set on destroying me.

"Don't say things you don't mean," I whisper.

His jaw stiffens, but rather than saying anything in response, he starts to undress. He undoes the buttons of his shirt and shrugs it off. The motion has his cock bobbing and slapping against his chiseled abs.

His arms, chest, and shoulders are just as defined and muscular as his abs. I was right about the tattoos; his arms, chest, and shoulders are covered with thick ink, completely hidden by his shirt.

He pushes his pants and boxers down his thick thighs, then kicks them off along with his shoes and socks. Then he stands straight to let me look at him.

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