Page 28 of Merciless Desires

“You’re a fool.” He took my chin in his forceful grasp and kissed me hard, shoving his tongue inside my mouth and slowly and deliberately swirling it against mine. When he broke the kiss, he pushed me against the couch and stepped back. “Go upstairs. Don’t make me say it again.”

“Not without you.” I placed my hand on my hip. “I want to be with you.”

“That’s not happening.”

“Tell me why you’re struggling?” I inched closer to him and stroked his cheek. “You’re conflicted. Tell me why.”

“I need you to leave me alone.” He pressed his hand over mine and gazed into my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me.”

“Cinzia, please,” he shouted. “Just do what I asked you to do.”

“No!” I felt the connection between us. We had already established the emotional part in Italy a few months ago, but now the physical chemistry was heating between us and he wanted to deny it. “There’s something between us. Why are you holding back?”

“Ignore it.” He removed my hand from his face. “Trust me, we can’t be together.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t follow the rules!” He ran his hand through his hair. “You don’t even know what the rules are. You don’t know what you’re setting in motion. Please, forget about us.”

“Why are you so frustrating?” I yelled as I paced in front of him. “I’m not stupid. I felt something when you kissed me before you left Italy.”

“I was wrong to do that.”

“Don’t say that.” That was my first real kiss. It meant everything to me. “If you want to deny that the kiss meant anything, you can lie to yourself, but what about last night? That was nothing? We were in sync.”

“No.” He shook his head. “That got out of control. I should never have used you like that.”

“You didn’t use me.” I stopped pacing and stared into his eyes, searching for the truth. “You wanted to do that with me.”

“You’re not experienced enough to know what I wanted.” He clenched his fist by his side. “You frustrated me when you caused a scene. I reacted.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that our argument aroused me, and I took it too far. I used you to take my frustration out. That’s what I do. I fuck a woman when I need a release. It doesn’t mean anything. It meant nothing.”

No! The hurt his admission evoked in me was nothing compared to the anger and humiliation that pulsed inside me. Not even his gorgeous green eyes could stop the rage surging through me. I raised my hand, fully intending to hit him with more force than I had the night before, but this time he was ready for me.

He caught my wrist in his tight hold and shoved me against the wall, knocking me into it hard enough to shake the pictures.

“Last night that slap was a freebie.” His tone was low and steady. “I wouldn’t raise my hand to you, so I don’t expect you to do it to me. If you do, there will be consequences.”

My chest tightened as I tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t seem to get enough air in my lungs. My legs trembled beneath me and a chill ran along my skin. I had never seen this side of Gio before.

“I’ve had enough.” He released me from his hold. “This isn’t going to work.”

I didn’t say anything as I tried to gain my composure. He swiped the bottle of vodka off the coffee table and headed for the stairs. I wanted to follow him, but there was a finality in his words when he said he’d had enough.

“We’re not doing this anymore.” He turned and looked over the banister. “I’m sending you to Romero. He can handle you.”

“I’ll behave,” I mumbled, but I was too tense to go after him. “I’ll listen to you.”

“Neither of us believe that.”

He finished his journey up the stairs and then shut his bedroom door, leaving me alone and afraid. Not afraid of who he was and what he was capable of—I could handle that. I was groomed to be a mafia companion. My fears ran much deeper than not being able to stand by his side. No, I was terrified to know the reasons why he didn’t want me there in the first place.

There was only one way to find out. No one walked away from me. I inhaled that elusive breath and exhaled as I slowly progressed to the steps to claim my future.

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