Page 40 of Luciano (Belles & Mobsters 1)

I never even turned my head their way. Manners be damned! I always tried to do the right thing, and what did it get me? A gun against my head, being tossed away like a piece of trash, used as a pawn by my family and my husband.

“I don’t give a damn about your friends, Luciano.” I spat out in disgust. “Any friends of yours are enemies of mine.”

He was on his feet and hovering over me in my next breath.

Before I got a chance to process him getting to me so fast, he continued in a calm voice, a storm brewing behind those hazel eyes. “Now, Grace. We don’t want to be rude to our guests. Be a good wife and say hi.”

“No.”

“Do I need to take you outside and put you across my knees?”

“Fuck. You. Husband.”

His lip tilted up as if my rebellion pleased him. We stood toe to toe, his hard body too close to mine. I could smell this cologne, mixture of citrus and cedar, and feel the heat coming off him. The heat I craved last time I spent winter in New York.

“We’ll do that later,” he cooed softly, but there was a hard gleam in his eyes.

“You can do that later by yourself.” It was stupid to challenge him, taunt him. But the reasonable part of me disappeared and only my anger, agitation, and need to hurt him were left. “I want my own room.”

“No.” I didn’t realize my feet had taken backward steps, and suddenly I found myself against the wall.

“I agreed to stay here till our annulment comes through,” I hissed. “Stay out of my way. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret ever finding me.”

He laughed, the sound bitter.

“Too late for that, wife.” Despite my anger and hate, it still hurt to hear him say that. I wanted to slap him, claw his beautiful face, make him hurt like he had hurt me. “Now greet our guests.”

“How about I greet them the way you said farewell to me?” I raised my chin in fake bravado. He was so much taller than me, I had to crane my neck for better effect. “A game of Russian Roulette. Which one should I pull the trigger on first?”

Something flashed in those hazel eyes, but he quickly recovered and blanked his expression.Probably a regret that bullet never came!His head bent forward, and I could feel his hot breath against my earlobe.

“You don’t want me to punish you here, Tesoro.” I knew fear flashed in my eyes because he chuckled softly. “That’s right, there will be punishment. But if you behave now, I’ll save it for later. And you might even enjoy it.”

“You have no right.” I meant to sound defiant, tough, but the words came out in a breathless whisper. I hated having him so close to me. I didn’t want to smell him, feel his body brushing against mine. Oceans between us was not far enough if you asked me.

“I’ll make you scream so the entire household hears.” He made promises that I dreaded he intended to keep. But I would fight him. I wasn’t that same young girl anymore.

I scoffed in fake bravado. “What the fuck ever, Luciano. Go fuck yourself.”

His hand gripped tight around my arm and he pulled me along through the door, into the hallway. I thought he’d dragged me through the house to our bedroom. But instead, he shoved me into the closest, dark corner, a mere ten feet from his office. I noted from my peripheral, his office door remained open.

“Always so defiant. What shall we do with that mouth of yours?” His voice was a warm caress on my cheek, sending shivers through my body.

They are shivers of disgust, I told myself.

His mouth crashed against mine. The kiss was meant to punish, dominate, bruise. And God helped me, I liked it. I haven’t felt another man’s lips on me since that day over three and a half years ago. It felt like a different lifetime, different me, but I always craved that feeling. Before it all burned down to ashes.

His lips trailed down my neck, leaving searing skin in its wake.

“Stop it.” My voice was small but I refused to beg. I refused to plead with him. “Your friends will see.”

I felt him more than heard him chuckle. “I’d never let them see you like that. That pleasure is reserved only for me.” He let the words linger in the air before he continued, “But I’ll let them hear you submit to me. So, they know who you belong to.”

I tried to push away from him, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

The palm of his hands were on both of my thighs, trailing up. My mind kept warning me, reminding me how much I despised him. But my body refused to obey, to remain still. Instead, it molded under his hands, pushing into his touch. My legs parted, the sweet spot between my thighs pulsed with need for him. I hated my body for craving him.

“Are you wet for me, Tesoro?” he purred. I bit my bottom lip, refusing to let the answer slip through. I hated that my body responded to his touch, even after all this time apart. All he had to do was glance my way and my body woke for him. For the past three years, every fiber of me was in a sleep mode; till Luciano came for me.

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