Page 96 of Pride

When I received the invite to the party for suitors for Bella, I expected to meet a spoiled, stuck-up mafia princess who would be easy to hate. This woman is the opposite of anything I imagined.

“What are you thinking?” she asks, searching my face.

I swallow hard. “I think we should eat.” I pull the lid off the tray to reveal a delicious fish curry.

“Curry again?” Bella says, eyes wide.

I smile. “Not a fan?”

Her brow furrows. “I enjoy it, just not every day.”

I let the staff pick the food, asking them to prepare fresh local food, which does indeed involve a lot of curries. “I’ll mention to the staff you’d like more variety.”

“Oh no, wouldn’t that offend them?”

I shake my head. “Certainly not, considering how much I’m paying for this trip.”

She sits back and nods. “Okay, but I wouldn’t want them to think I don’t like the food. It’s delicious. I just enjoy variety.”

We eat the delicious meal and admire the beauty of our surroundings, neither of us talking much. There’s an unusual tension in the air that I can’t quite comprehend.

“Shall we take a walk on the beach?” I ask, gazing down the hill toward our villa.

“Sure, that would be nice,” she says, standing from her seat and stretching.

I notice her glance toward her painting, still sitting on the canvas, half finished. “We’ll return in the morning so you can paint more.”

Her smile is the most genuine I’ve seen from her. “Okay, thank you for this,” she says, nodding at the cabin. “It’s been too long since I put a brush to canvas.”

There’s a twinge of something in my chest, and it feels like a warning as I nod. “You’re welcome, love.” I take her hand and lead her down the winding path through the overgrowth to the beach below. Before long, we’re walking on the sand, watching as the soft waves caress the shoreline. The moonlight reflects off of the small ripples of water, creating an ethereal glow that illuminates Bella’s face as she looks out at sea with wonderment in her eyes.

“Let’s sit,” I say, choosing this spot to sink into the soft sand below.

Bella sits next to me and places her head on my shoulder gently, making me tense at the closeness. “It’s paradise here.”

I'm not used to being this close to someone, but slowly I relax and allow her to remain in this position. I swallow hard, knowing that anywhere she is, is paradise for me. A concerning feeling, but one that I know with utter certainty. Bella is mine. And I won’t rest until I possess every part of her, mind, body, heart and soul.

She looks up at me then, catching me staring at her as if she’s the most precious thing on this earth. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you are so damn beautiful.” I kiss her then, not wanting her to scrutinize my look any further, as I really don’t know how to explain what is going on between us.

I’m supposed to hate this woman and make her life miserable, instead I’m making a fucking makeshift art studio for her.

The kiss grows more passionate as I feel her heart beating in sync with mine, our souls merging as one. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me even closer, urging me to deepen the kiss further.

We break apart for a breath of air, but it doesn’t last long as I can’t keep myself away from her. I lean into her again, forcing her to lie down on the sand, and this time my hands explore her body as my hunger for her grows with every passing second.

I pull back only slightly and take a moment to look at Bella—the intensity of my longing for her is almost too much for me to take. “I’m going to fuck you,” I breathe, loving the way her eyes flash. “Own every part of your body,” I say, kissing her neck and enjoying the moan that escapes her lips.

“Isiah,” she breathes my name and I can feel the desperation to be inside her heightening.

Grabbing her hips, I pull the hem of her skirt up and slide the string of her thong out of the way. My fingers delve into her soaking wet cunt and drive in and out, making her moan even louder.

“You are so fucking ready for my cock,” I say, partially in awe that she’s completely soaked.

“I need you,” she murmurs, and that obliterates any control I had. Quickly, I free my cock from my trousers and slide inside her as deep as physically possible. And then I kiss her, sliding in and out more tenderly than ever before, but still deep and forceful. This moment is different than any that has come before, in that she’s not resisting my advances. Instead, she’s begging me for it.

We move together, each thrust pushing us further and further into a climax that neither of us can escape. Our passion gets too intense and I start to lose control, fucking her harder as my brutal, animalistic side always comes out. She cries out my name as I slam in and out of her with a ferocity I didn’t know I was capable of.

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