Page 19 of Depths of Obsession
The silence that follows is deafening, the tension so thick it’s almost suffocating. My heart pounds in my ears, and I feel the weight of Luca’s words settle over the room like a storm cloud, dark and foreboding.
Gazzago stares at Luca, his face contorted with rage, but he doesn’t move. Slowly, he raises a hand, signaling his bodyguards to lower their weapons. “This isn’t over,” he snarls, his eyes narrowing. He glares at me, then back at Luca. “Not by a long shot. You need to talk to your brother. He’ll tell you the deal we made.”
Luca doesn’t respond, his gaze steady, unwavering. Gazzago turns on his heel, storming out of the apartment, his bodyguards following closely behind.
“Oh, my God, Luca, he could have killed you.” I come across the room and wrap myself around his chest. “You can’t do that. You can’t get hurt because of me.”
He looks down at me. “Isn’t that my job? As the hired help, I’m just here to make sure you’re safe.” Fury is written all over his features as he turns away from me. “Maybe now you understand the stakes. This isn’t some stupid game Pippa. Gazzago is playing for keeps. Stop being an idiot and just do what I say. That will make it much easier and less dangerous for all of us.”
My jaw drops open. I feel as if I’ve been slapped. Or sucker punched. Air hisses out of my lungs as fiery heat fills my cheeks once more. Luca keeps offering up humiliation after humiliation to me and I fall for it every time. No more, I vow as I stand there staring. I will not play this game with him. I’ve been down this road before.
I straighten my shoulders. Best thing I can do is keep my mouth closed and my eyes open. There’s going to come a moment, a chance and that’s when I’ll do it. I’ll escape. Luca, my parents, this whole life. I’ll disappear and start new somewhere else as someone else. And I will rain hell down on anyone who tries to stop me.
CHAPTER 6
“Get your things. We’re leaving before that asshole changes his mind,” I say between clenched teeth. I am barely hanging on to my anger. Gazzago is a sick fuck who needs to be taken out. I told Renzo that ages ago and now the man is causing me pain. I won’t put up with it. Not even a little bit.
“I’m ready.” Pippa’s quiet voice trembles.
I glance over at her, and my chest tightens at the sight. Her face is pale as alabaster, her eyes wide and haunted. But there’s a fierce determination on her face that wasn’t there before. She smells of lavender—sweet and soft—followed by the acrid stench of fear. Her fright curls around me and squeezes my heart in a vise-grip. It pisses me off more than I can say.
I never want Pippa to be afraid.
When she touched me earlier, I almost gave in.Almost. Her touch lit my skin on fire and the sound of her blood rushing through her veins was almost too much to bear. I struggle over the fact that I desperately want to hold her but know if I do, then I may not stop there. It damn near killed me earlier when I had my hands on her ass. Just a taste, that’s all I want.
Yeah, right. I know myself well enough to know that’s a steep, dark hill, once I start down it, there will be no coming back.
I signal to Rocco, who opens the door and starts down the hallway. The air feels thick, charged with tension. Gazzago could be lying in wait for us, and every fiber of my being is ready to fight. But I’m betting against it. I’m betting that instead, Gazzago is licking his wounds, calling Renzo to complain, then calling Pippa’s father to demand further restitution. He’ll say Danillo is disrespecting him, and he can’t let that stand. Danillo will crumble and agree. He always does. That man is spineless, especially when it comes to dealing with someone like Gazzago. Okay, spineless might not be the right word. He’s…old-fashioned. He will do what Gazzago asks because that’s how it used to be done, and because he wants the job Gazzago has dangled in front of him.
Why does he want it so much? Something worth looking into. It won’t even occur to Danillo to fight for his daughter. They’ll set the wedding to happen in the next few days, a week at the outside—just to appease that fat fuck..
Rage swells in my chest, a dark, consuming thing that threatens to drown out all rational thought as we step into the elevator. The doors slide shut, enclosing us in a small, quiet space, and the muscle in my jaw pops as I clench hard. I’ve been alive for closing in on four hundred years and now I’m supposed to put up with an asshole like Gazzago? No fucking way. I will not let him ruin Pippa’s life. Guilt and remorse float through my brain as I vow she will not end up like Vittoria.
I glance at her again, standing beside me, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle as if she’s trying to hold herself together. Her gaze is trained on the buttons on the elevator panel, but they’re vacant—she’s somewhere else entirely. My fingers itch to reach out and touch her, to pull her against me and promise that no one will ever hurt her. And I will, whether she likes it or not. Her heart is slowing in her chest as the adrenaline wears off. She’s cold and she’s angry. Rage is coming off her in waves. Well, that makes two of us.
The elevator ride lasts an eternity, and every second is another battle to keep my emotions in check. My rage isn’t what Pippa needs right now. She needs safety. Stability. Not the monster I’m barely managing to contain.
After a silent, tense, and lengthy drive, we arrive back at my apartment, and Rocco is already there, checking the cameras on the app on his phone, making sure my haven is secure. I keep my eyes on her, watching her every movement as we ride up in the freight elevator. She’s quiet, subdued even, and I miss the fire that usually burns so brightly in her. I hate seeing her in this state. I love it when she challenges me.
I also miss her being in her underwear, that confident, sassy edge that made me want to rip her clothes off right then and there. She looks incredible in her bra and thong, but it’s more than that. She looks incredible all the time. Her strength and resilience draw me in, and I know the moment she looks the most beautiful will be when she’s on top of me, riding me, her face flushed, her body trembling as I make her come. It’s a vision I’ve had far too many times, and I know it’s wrong—I know I’m not supposed to touch her. But my resolve is crumbling.
The elevator doors open, and I lead Pippa into my apartment. It’s dark, the only light coming from the city beyond the windows, casting long shadows across the sleek, modern furniture. Rocco moves ahead of us, checking the cameras again, making sure there’s no sign of anyone near us. I turn to Pippa, watching as she stands in the middle of the room, her eyes darting around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Come on,” I say, my voice gruff. I’m so pissed off I’m finding it hard to control my anger. It’s seeping through. I lead her to the guest room, my footsteps crisp on the polished wood floors. “You can stay here tonight.”
She nods, her eyes downcast, and exhaustion is evident in her posture, the way her shoulders slump, her movements sluggish. She’s been through too much tonight, and it’s taking its toll.
“Get some sleep,” I say, lingering in the doorway, my hand resting on the frame. “We’ll figure this out in the morning.”
“Wait!” She looks up suddenly, confusion shading her face. “Before you told me to sleep on the sofa. Now you tell me you have a spare bedroom?”
I grin as I move to stand in front of her, my eyes locking onto hers as I run my fingers slowly down her neck. Her skin is warm and soft beneath my touch, and her pulse picks up under my fingertips. I feel powerful knowing I can affect her like this. This is the way it’s meant to be. “I didn’t want you to get too comfortable. Women tend to want to come up to my place and then never leave,” I say, my voice low, a hint of a challenge beneath the teasing words.
Her cheeks flush a delicate shade of pink, and I feel a surge of satisfaction. I let my thumb rub over the tender spot at the base of her neck, her pulse quickening under the pressure. Her breath catches, and I swear her energy pulls me closer, a magnetic force between us. Just one taste. It would be so good. I can practically taste the tension in the air, thick and charged.
Pippa was made to be mine, and no one else’s. I know it, and I can feel it in every fiber of my being. I don’t care about some tarot card reader. So what if I knew Pippa from before, from a past life of hers. That had to be a helluva long time ago since I’m nearly four hundred. Do vampires even have past lives? I really don’t give a shit. I want to know her in this one in all kinds of ways. And if she brings my downfall? I have a feeling it will be worth it.
She’s looking up at me, her eyes wide, lips slightly parted, and the desire I see there mirrors my own. I bend down, my lips brushing her cheek, and I linger there, breathing her in. Her scent is intoxicating, it pulls me in deeper. Her skin is so soft, so inviting, and it takes every ounce of my self-control not to turn my head just slightly and capture her lips. Just one taste.
