Page 12 of Captured Innocence

“You don’t know a thing about me.”

“I know that you’re beautiful, forbidden, and that you shouldn’t be here.”

“But often the forbidden fruit is the sweetest.”

He smiled, his eyes now completely hooded. “You’re right. I am curious, princess. Why come to my club?”

“Because it’s the best in town.”

“There are plenty of others that you would have found enjoyable.” He crowded my space, taking deep breaths.

I couldn’t stop tingling, my heart racing from being so close to him. “I do what I want, Mattia. This is where I selected to come.”

“Ah, including coming into the club of a known enemy. Are you a danger junkie perhaps?”

Laughing, I had a sudden urge to kiss him. “No, do I need to be around you?”

He shook his head slightly. “You are certainly in a dangerous position being here by yourself. Aren’t you aware that there are predators in the room?”

“Does that include you?”

When he nipped my earlobe, I couldn’t stop shivering. “Yes, it does, princess.”

“Does that mean you’re going to hurt me?”

As he pulled away, he lowered his gaze to my throat. “I already told you what I intended a year ago. Or did you forget that I saved your life.”

“Is that what you want me to remember, Mattia? That you were a hero or that you laid claim to me?”

“What if I told you both?”

“Then I’d call you an arrogant bastard. You can’t own me.”

“I can do anything I want. Maybe it’s best if you leave before it’s too late.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

He cupped my face, tilting his head as he brushed his fingers back and forth. “Then I’d call you a woman who had no understanding of the lifestyle we live, which I find difficult to believe.”

“You don’t know me very well at all, Mattia.”

“Perhaps I don’t. However, I do know you’re very beautiful, Sophia. Are you aware of the kind of effect you have on men?”

“No one has called me beautiful before.”

“Then everyone who knows you is a fucking fool.”

I suddenly felt beautiful around him, so much so I could feel the warmth between my legs drifting up to my stomach. Everything about him was warm and inviting, allowing me to feel something real and incredible for the first time in my life.

Other than just pain and anxiety.

As I bit back a moan, he rubbed the palm of his hand up and down my back, pressing my hips tightly against him. When he slid his fingers under my thigh, lifting and pushing my leg against his, I took a series of shallow breaths. He was everything I’d fantasized about.

I gasped involuntarily, which finally brought a dark chuckle from his throat. “Be careful, princess. I’ve been called the devil for more than one reason.”

“Heat I can handle. I can also handle what you have to offer.”

“Who says I’m offering anything?”

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