Page 120 of Corrupted Seduction

A fiery jolt of arousal shot through me as memories from the night at the edge of the woods flashed behind my eyes.

“I do,” I admitted.

It was strange how easy it was to be honest with him about my sexual interests, even those I hadn’t pursued prior to him. But he made me feel like there was nothing I could ever propose, ever want, that would change the way he looked at me.

The devilish grin remained in place as he leaned in and kissed the top of my head.

“Then let’s get you home,perla.And we’ll see just how far you get when you run from me tonight.”

The fiery jolts continued, like mini fireworks inside my body, but at the same time, one word stood out from all the rest, pulling on something inside my chest.

Home.

“…let’s get you home, perla,” he’d said.

He opened the passenger door, and I slid inside.

Perhaps I was reading too much into it.

I stayed silent as Amadeo got behind the steering wheel and revved the engine. But it was dark out; if I wanted any hope of a conversation, it would have to be now before we left the bright overhead lights of the parking lot.

“What are we doing, Amadeo?” I asked, just like I had before. And in truth, I was expecting the same answer now as I’d gotten then.

He let out a sigh that deflated his chest, shaking his head to himself with a wry grin.

“Fuck if I know,perla,”he said, still wearing a wry grin.But then the grin vanished and he met mygaze.“Whatever it is, I’ve never done it before. We’re in uncharted territory for me.”

“Me too,” I replied. My chest filled with warmth even as a knot twisted in my stomach. We were more than sex, but to have more meant there was more to lose.

He shrugged, and the grin returned. “We’ve got time to figure it out, and I’ve got plenty of ideas on how to spend that time.”

The grin turned devilish, but there was something in his eyes that wasn’t right, a tension in the corners that concerned me.

Before I could decide whether to inquire about it, he turned away and started us on the drive back to the Luciano estate. To his estate. To… home?

He was silent on the drive out of the city, but that didn’t surprise me. I tried to watch his lips, but he had to know it would be difficult for me to keep up any kind of conversation in the intermittent light of streetlamps.

I found myself relaxing as he turned onto the highway, and I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes, we were no longer on the highway, but on one of the long stretches of road that led to the estate. The lighting was even more intermittent here, just enough that I could make out where the edge of the road turned to grass, whipping by beside me.

I turned my head, but the moment I saw Amadeo, my breath caught in my throat.

“Find. Him,” it looked like he said, the movements of his lips exaggerated like he was speaking very slowly and clearly.

He hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket, his movements brisk. The muscles in his clenched jaw twitched and his gaze moved back and forth between the road in front of him and the rearview mirror.

“Find who?” I managed to force out past the panic that was taking root in my chest.

I don’t think he answered.

“Find who, Amadeo? Are you talking about Grayson? Where is he?” Questions tumbled out one on top of the other, as images of the boy’s bullet-riddled body flooded my brain.

He shook his head. “Grayson’s fine,” he said, turning his head just enough that I could see his lips better as he spoke. But he said nothing more.

We were speeding up, flying down the road at twice the speed limit.

“Amadeo, what’s—”

The impact came out of nowhere.

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