Page 21 of Captured Innocence

Apparently, playtime was over.

“I…” A nervous laugh bubbled past my lips and my stomach was suddenly in knots. As I raked my hand through my hair, I thought about the ramifications of my decision. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t make me tell you again.”

Mattia DeLuca was many things. Powerful. Dominating. Ruthless.

He was also mesmerizing, his tone of voice almost hypnotic. I was thrown by the effect it had on me, a draw so intense that I couldn’t say no to the man. Swallowing hard, I eased one slender strap of my dress over my shoulder, never blinking.

You did this to yourself. This is what you said you wanted.

Hushing my little voice did no good. I was quivering all over, my brave façade fading. I’d thought alcohol would fuel courage. I was sorely wrong.

His nostrils flared and he finished off his glass of wine, never blinking as he observed from his perch. He was comfortable in his skin, happy in his place of control, even though his joy was ill conceived. When I slipped the other strap over my shoulder, he took a rattled, deep breath.

There was no doubt what he had planned on doing to me, which is exactly what I’d wanted but wasn’t entirely certain I could handle. After I pulled both straps to the sides, I held the dress against my breasts, hating how rapidly my heart was beating. I’d fooled myself into believing I could maintain control.

He would never allow that to happen.

“Drop it.”

His entire demeanor had changed, becoming even darker. I took a few seconds to think about my choices but when he slapped the glass on the table, I tensed, a single moan slipping past my lips.

“You will obey me. That was our agreement.”

Yeah, I’d played with the devil alright and had lost. I allowed the material to slip through my fingers, uncertain what to expect. I’d never believed myself to be pretty, just an average girl with a gangly body. I hadn’t grown breasts until I was sixteen, which had kept me looking much younger than my actual age.

The rush of air he took surprised me but I quickly covered my breasts with one arm.

“Never hide from me, bellissima principessa,” he growled, the bulge between his legs swelling as it had done before. Calling me his beautiful princess had an entirely different effect on me. I was swooning inside, my pulse quickening. There was no doubt I was beautiful in his eyes, his shimmering in the twinkling lights from above. “In time, you will learn that our bodies were meant to be together, that the sacrifices made will allow us to thrive where most couples fail. You’ll learn to appreciate pain as much as pleasure, the two intertwining until you’re uncertain where one begins and the other leaves off. I will show you what ecstasy is about, indulging your darkest needs. And in turn, you will surrender to my commands.”

My mouth was suddenly dry, the flutter of my heart increasing with every passing second. Every muscle was aching, the radical change in my desire for the brutal man something I’d question.

But not now.

Now, I wanted him to teach me.

Taste me.

Train me.

Fuck me.

Oh, God. Was I losing my mind or had destiny always known we’d be together?

He placed his hand on his heart, growling under his breath in such an animalistic way that I was certain he’d ravage me within seconds. When he took a purposeful step toward me, I held my breath. He stopped only inches away, muttering in Italian words that I could barely hear but did.

The most beautiful woman in the world.

A warm flush swept across my jaw, my legs shaking. He moved away from the table, walking around me in a wide arc, the simpleness of his action leaving me trembling to my core.

“Perfezione assoluta e tutta mia.” Utter perfection and all mine.

His words were frank, stated with little inflection but oh-so possessive.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I told him, twisting my head to try to look into his eyes.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Arms by your sides.”

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