Page 32 of Tainted Obsession 1
The world softens at the edges, until he becomes the center of my focus.
“You can sleep,” he rumbles. “The sedative should help you relax after everything you’ve been through.”
Alarm barely lances my consciousness. “Sedative?”
He nods, unrepentant. “The doctor left it for you. I put it in your water. I had a feeling you might not want to take it if I offered it to you, but you need to rest.”
“You had no right to do that.” My indignant admonishment is strangely slurred, and I barely manage to twitch against my restraints.
“I’m going to take care of you, Evelyn. You’ll see.”
He finally pulls away and gets to his feet, all six and a half feet of him towering over me.
I feel small and achingly vulnerable, but I don’t experience a flicker of fear. The world has become surreal, my thoughts going quiet. There’s nothing for me to do but lay where he’s positioned me and wait for him to get cleaned up.
His eyes burn into me, pinning me with his full focus as his hands move to his belt. He unbuckles it and frees the button on his jeans before my slow mind processes the fact that he’s stripping right in front of me.
I suck in a soft gasp and close my eyes, my cheeks burning. I still feel his gaze on me, like a physical caress on my skin.
“You’re welcome to look.”
I press my lips together and swallow a reply. The unformed words come out like a soft whimper.
My cheeks flame hotter, and I squirm in his ropes. The jacuzzi is cool against my flushed skin, making me acutely aware of the warmth in my body.
A low, hungry growl rumbles through the bathroom, but he doesn’t say anything more. The sound of spraying water tells me that he’s in the shower.
My eyes open a fraction, and I peek at him through my lashes. The glass shower stall has already begun to steam up with the heat of the water, but I can make out the imposing shape of his powerful body.
I squeeze my eyes shut again, reasoning that I’ve only been studying my surroundings to assess my situation. But there’s nothing more I can do to try to escape now, and staring at Massimo’s naked body won’t help me figure out how to get away from him. If anything, the reminder of his physical strength and how easily he could overpower me should make my stomach sink with despair.
But the warmth between my legs doesn’t feel like despair.
I don’t dare contemplate it. Instead, I allow myself to drift, surrendering to the pull of the calming drug he gave me.
As I relax into the cool tub, the ropes cradle my body. My limbs are so heavy, and it’s almost a relief to have the excuse that I can’t try to run.
When the shower turns off, warm steam rolls over me. My eyelids are too heavy to lift, my body too tired to rouse any anxiety over what he might do next.
“Let’s get you to bed,dolcezza.” His low, sure tone blankets me with comfort as his scent enfolds me.
Those corded arms cradle me once again, and I can’t quite manage to see where he’s carrying me. His calloused hands brush over my skin as he deftly frees the knots that bind me and slowly unwinds the rope from my body. His fingertips trail along the slight indentations that the rope has left on my skin, and my nerve endings crackle with awareness even as I hover at the edge of consciousness.
I release a shuddering sigh, not quite waking at the strangely decadent sensation.
He lays my body down, and a plush pillow cushions my head. A thick duvet settles over me just before his warm body shapes around mine, his hard chest pressing against my back. His fingers play through my hair, further lulling me into relaxation.
“You can sleep, Evelyn. No one will hurt you. I’ve got you.”
With that promise, I drift down into deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 14
Massimo
It’s nearly two in the afternoon, and Evelyn is sleeping. Unsurprising, considering I finally tucked her into bed around dawn. She’s stirred in her sleep a few times, her brow furrowing with an echo of the fear she faced last night. I held her through the tense moments, stroking her silky platinum hair until she slept peacefully once again.
Keeping one arm draped over her, I continue texting my friends with my phone in my other hand. Enzo and Gian are traveling back to Naples. In the coming days, they’ll place the bribes we need at Italian ports and arrange the payment to the cartel for their product.
