Page 20 of Caruso
She makes to open her mouth, and I reach across and place my finger against her lips and inject steel into my voice.
“Eat. We’ll talk over the whiskey.”
Her eyes soften, and she says nothing, just lifts her spoon and cuts into the first item on the plate. A delicious New York cheesecake. As she samples the taste, her eyes swim with gratitude, and I can’t tear my eyes away for a second. She fascinates me even in the simple tasks, and now that the idea has planted a seed in my head, I am convinced she is the one.
Taylor will become my perfect woman, and I will teach her everything I know, all the time hoping my brothers don’t decide to throw their interest her way because, right in this moment, I’m not up for sharing.
Chapter Nine
Taylor
I’m not sure what’s happening, but I like it. I like him. I never expected to. From what I’ve heard, he’s not a man who is easily liked, but he has proven his critics wrong. He is a gentleman. I killed one of his guests, and he treated me like a princess. I’m not used to that. I’m not used to men like him.
Men in my world are rough, cruel and unforgiving. They take—not give and demand, not ask. Matteo had every opportunity to take and yet gave back instead.
Perhaps it’s because I’m not his usual type. I’m no supermodel, actress or heiress. I’m from the streets, and the rougher ones at that.
He wants to educate me—what does that even mean?
He is gazing at me as if I’m a project. His project and something curls inside me that feels a lot like desire, pleasure and need.
I have never met a man like him in my life. Whywould I? I don’t mix in these circles, and I shouldn’t be here now.
The meal ends, and he fixes me with a firm gaze, one that slides across my soul like a serpent, slithering over every nerve I possess, threatening to cause irreparable damage.
“Follow me.”
He stands and holds out his hand, and as mine slips into it, he squeezes it hard, almost as if he owns me now.
My breath hitches as I sense something happening I have no control of and if I did, I would want anyway. I am putty in his hands for him to mold into shape, and I’m curious about that.
He doesn’t lead me onto the terrace, to stare at the bright lights of Vegas while my dress lies in tatters on the floor. I half expected that, but he is a man of surprises, and I wonder what he has in mind.
I follow him along a marbled hallway toward another door set in the opposite direction of the room he had shown me to earlier. As we step inside, I’m surprised to find myself in an office of sorts. His den definitely.
It reeks of masculinity, and I take a deep breath because Matteo appears to be all man, a vibe I am beginning to love above anything else. Despite how terrifying this man’s reputation is, I can’t escape my fascination with him. I crave his masculinity and his compassion in equal measure. I crave him, which is why I asked him to be my first. I thought he’d relish the chance, but apparently virgins aren’t his thing.
He points to the chair in front of his desk.
“Sit.”
Nerves coil around my ability to speak as I wait for his judgment. He may have decided to call the cops after all and I must be prepared for that, so I sit, twisting my fingers nervously in my lap as he takes the seat opposite me.
He stares at me with a grave expression, and my heart beats frantically faster.
“You asked me for one thing earlier. To take your virginity. Why?”
I squirm in my seat. “I told you why. You are the first man I have met who I wanted to ask, and I’m scared it won’t be my choice.”
“Your stepfather?”
“No.” I shiver with revulsion. “I’m never going back there, but if he finds me, I may not be so lucky.”
“But you can defend yourself; you demonstrated that earlier—very well, as it happens.”
I shrink in my seat. “I’m not sure I can defend myself against him.”
Matteo’s jaw ticks angrily, and a thunderous expression reflects back at me. It’s now that I see the man he is—the reputation that precedes him. I stare in awe as his features tighten, and darkness enters his soul. Murder shines in his eyes like a promise, and it terrifies the shit out of me.
