Page 125 of Carnal

Tristano steps next to me and slides his arm around my shoulders. He leans in, murmuring, "As soon as dinner's over, I'm taking you back to the room."

My butterflies expand in my belly. I glance up, my lips curl, and I suggest, "Maybe we should utilize the deck on our bungalow."

Tristano grins. He drags his knuckles down my arm, asking, "Did you see the hook on the overhang?"

Zings fly through my body. I nod, whispering, "Yes."

His lips brush my ear as he asserts, "I'm going to tie you to it, eat your pussy, and make you come so many times, you beg me to stop."

I swallow hard, squeezing my legs together as he tugs me closer.

He continues, "When that happens, I'm going to—"

"Let's go," Massimo booms.

Tristano kisses my neck, leads me to the car, and we all get in to go to dinner. We pull up to the valet area, but as he reaches for the door, Tristano shoves the lock down and shouts, "Go! Go now!"

The hairs on my neck rise. I glance out the window, but I don’t know why he's freaking out.

Massimo fumes, "Tristano, what in God's name—"

"Get down!" Tristano shoves my head to my knees and cries out, "His men are here!"

For the next twenty minutes, I pray for our lives. We weave in and out of traffic, and Tristano jumps to the front. He forces the driver to get in the passenger seat while the vehicle is speeding down the road. How he manages to exchange places without us crashing amazes me.

The smell of urine fills the small car. I inch my window down to help me breathe, trying not to puke from the harsh ammonia smell. I don't dare lift my head, scared I might get shot from the bullets being fired.

Tristano manages to ditch them and heads toward the private airport. When we pull up, Massimo's plane is on the runway.

We race inside it, and within minutes, the pilot takes off.

Tristano tugs me into him. Concern laces his expression. He frets, "Baby girl, are you okay?"

I nod, snuggling into him. "Yeah. How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Take over driving while we were going that fast?"

He shrugs, and Massimo holds out the phone, stating, "Dante wants to speak to both of you."

My anxiety sparks. It shouldn't since Dante knows were here together, but why does he want to speak with me?

Massimo must sense my worries. He mumbles so Dante can't hear, "It's fine."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

Tristano rises and grabs the phone. "Let's take this in the back."

I follow him, and once we're in the bedroom, he shuts the door and holds the phone to his ear. "Dante."

I bite my lip, cross my arms over my chest, and stare at Tristano.

"I told you yesterday that we believe her. You need to let this go before we get home. She's part of our family now. Plus, she was put through as much trauma as Bridget was," Tristano declares.

Goose bumps break out on my skin. I can't imagine what both Katiya and Bridget have been through.

"Yeah, she's right here," Tristano replies, then hands me the phone.

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