Page 58 of Captured Innocence

Oh, my God. The man was as arrogant as I remembered, maybe even more so. “I don’t think it’s a worry about whether I can handle you, asshole. It’s whether or not I’ll need a flashlight or a telescope to find what you’re offering.”

The look on his face turned carnal, the fire in his eyes adding a stream of luminance. “Be careful what you ask for, little girl. I’m not the kind of man you want to challenge. That’s something you should have learned years ago.”

I wasn’t the kind of girl to be put under any man’s spell, but Mattia DeLuca was larger than life itself, so brutal that there wasn’t a man alive who didn’t fear what he could do. He was by far the most handsome man I’d ever seen, but someone I’d promised myself to hate for the rest of my time on earth. And here he was saving my life.

Again.

And the crazy girl inside of me longed to share the same intimacy we had all over again, pretending as if six horrible years hadn’t passed. We were no longer the same people, our lives taking different paths. Could I place my trust in him? A huge part of me wanted to but I refused to get hurt all over again.

Then he grinned and I sensed his mockery, which made the anger and unresolved feelings swim to the surface. Goddamn the asshole. He thought he was God’s gift to everything, especially women. I took a deep breath, allowing a smile to cross my face. “Thank you for saving me, my darling man.” I tried to have the sweetest tone possible.

He narrowed his eyes, easing back and studying me. “You’re mine to protect, bellissima principessa.” After he nodded, he pulled back even further.

Beautiful princess. His words brought back another strangled wave of memories.

Mine. It was the single word I hated most.

Dropping his guard was a mistake he’d not soon forget. Giving him a hard shove, I crawled away quickly, kicking him in the chest. Then I issued a brutal punch to his jaw, the force not only nearly destroying my hand but also pitching him against the hard floor just like he’d done to me. He rubbed his face, grinning like some oaf before throwing himself on top of me again.

“Jesus Christ,” he huffed, immediately lunging forward again.

I let off a ragged squeal as he yanked my arms over my head, holding them in one hand then pressing his groin between my legs. This time he was hard as a rock, his cock throbbing. I was horrified, trying to keep my wits about me. The man was completely aroused by the fact I’d hit him? Then he’d absolutely love me when I drove a knife into his gut.

Very slowly he lowered his head, his eyes now hooded as desire roared through them.

“You’re very beautiful, Sophia, but also a very bad little girl.”

“Fuck you.”

“Such a mouth. I was told you were a prim and proper princess. Look what I found instead. Perhaps you need a harsh round of discipline to embrace who you owe your life to.” He lowered his head another two inches until our lips were almost touching. I was both horrified and completely turned on, furious at any feelings other than disgust for the man. I knew exactly how he handled his business operations, the brutality he used rivaling my father’s. But that wasn’t nearly as repulsive as the way he treated his women.

And he had lots of them.

I’d meant nothing to him; the gift he’d acted as if it mattered more than anything had been a joke.

“Are you out of your mind? I can take care of myself. Or hadn’t you figured that out? Two men down and I would have handled the others with no issue.” Even smelling like sweat and blood, a hint of exotic spices filtered into my nostrils from his masculine aftershave. The fact I was lightheaded further infuriated me. How could I find this… horrible, reprehensible man attractive in the least?

“Uh-huh. I’d love to see that, princess. Hell, I’d take a video of the bloody action for a keepsake,” he whispered in a husky tone and I hated myself and my body’s betrayal as longing tickled every one of my senses. The fact he continued to laugh at my skillset was only making me hate him that much more.

“Get off me,” I struggled to say, although there was no conviction in my voice.

“Is that what you really want, or would you prefer me to plunge inside, sweet princess, ripping away your veil of innocence? Did you wait for me to take what you always wanted to belong to me? What you offered all those years ago?”

I struggled hard in his hold, mortified that he thought I wanted anything from him. He was goading me on purpose, just because he’d almost been bested by a woman. I could see it in his eyes. “Fuck you, Mattia.”

“We’ll get around to that, princess. Just like old times.”

When he crushed his mouth over mine, I was floored how much my body reacted, the tingling sensations shifting into a red-hot heat of fire threatening to expose the yearning I’d had, the fantasies that had infiltrated my sleep every week. I did everything I could to get out of his hold, pitching my body back and forth but it was no use. He was far too strong, my strength all but shot, and the last few days had drained me almost completely.

But that wasn’t really why I couldn’t get away. I was electrified, jolts of current making me feel more alive than I had in so long.

As he thrust his tongue past my pursed lips, the taste of him was shockingly refreshing, as if he’d just popped a peppermint candy before rescuing me. Seconds later, my body relaxed against his and I was thrown into a strange, frenzied state of mind, blocking the reality of where we were from my brain.

He gyrated his hips back and forth, creating the kind of friction that pulled at my defenses. I was so wet and hot, my pussy quivering, the reaction crazy. Every synapse exploded, our connection unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I was losing the tiny bit of self-control, which just couldn’t happen. I couldn’t want him. Not now.

Not ever again.

When he rubbed his hand down my side, crunching his large fingers around my thigh, I was certain he had plans on fucking me right here. That couldn’t happen. Somehow, I’d find the strength not to allow it.

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