Page 41 of Wicked Knight

I took it because I could tell that I wasn’t going to get anywhere with Luca tonight. He was too mad at me to listen. When I made to leave, Luca reached for my elbow and gripped it tight.

CHAPTER13

My Dirty Little Secret

Luca

I brushed my thumb across the inside of Donata’s elbow. What the fuck was this? Why couldn’t I let her go? She didn’t belong here. She had no clue what was going on. Jesus, five minutes ago, I wanted to kill that asshole from the ballroom. When I saw him kissing her, the urge to burn down the entire place swept over me, and it was all I could do not to follow through with it.

These irrational feelings were the problem with Donata. She turned me into a mindless beast, into something I never wanted to be. Every time she was near, with each passing day, the urge to possess her grew. Every time she touched me, she made me lose control.

“Go straight home, Donata.” The tone in my voice came out harsh and intolerant, but I didn’t care. Her safety was the only thing that mattered. “Do you understand?”

“Actually, I don’t. Why do you get to stay? You like this sort of thing?” Her cheeks turned bright red. “Never mind, don’t answer that.”

My cock stiffened in my pants as the memory of her pretty ass in the air flashed in my mind. I shouldn’t have spanked her that first night when she came to see me in my office. Up until that day, I had refused Uncle Jimmy’s request. He thought he was doing me a favor. But only because he didn’t know Donata. I had turned down his offer, even when he threatened to kill me himself.

But as soon as Donata waltzed back into my life, I couldn’t stay away. And now the idea of someone else marrying her was like a punch to the gut. I glanced down at her arm. Jesus, even now, I couldn’t let her go.

“I’m here on important business, Donata. There’s no need to put yourself in this kind of danger. Or do you not get what almost happened downstairs?”

“What happened?” Enzo stepped toward Donata, still holding her hand. His gaze darted between Donata’s face and the grip I had on her. “Did you trick him into coming here, Donata?”

“What?” She pulled her arm away from me and then Enzo. “You think I did this? This was his idea, remember?”

“What?” I furrowed my eyes at her. “You’re unbelievable. You followed me here?”

“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and her tits inched out of her dress a little, enough to distract me and make me wish Enzo hadn’t found us. When Enzo cocked his eyebrow, she blew out a breath. “Fine. Yes, I followed you here. But only because I was worried about you.”

“Donata, you promised this whole stalking thing was over.” Enzo stepped closer to her as if she were some sort of wild animal.

“It is. But he…” She stared at me with doe eyes.

“I, what?” I smiled at her. I had considered she might tell someone about our game. Knowing she’d kept it a secret pleased me to no end. “Go on.”

“I know what she did.” Enzo turned to me while Donata looked at me with desire in her eyes. “She told me about what happened sophomore year in high school.”

“Is that so?” I chuckled. “I didn’t think she was capable of telling the truth.”

“Well, I am. Enzo knows everything.”

“For what it’s worth,” Enzo cleared his throat, “I wanted to apologize. Our senior year, I spent a great deal of time trying to get you fired a second time.”

“I never should’ve returned to the school.” I’d been stupid enough to think that if I returned, people would see that I was innocent. But instead, they assumed Uncle Jimmy had bullied Signoria Vittoria into vouching for me. As if anyone could tell her what to do. “It was a stupid idea.”

“Well, I’m glad Donata finally decided to come clean.” Enzo gave her a meaningful look.

“I’m sorry.” Donata glanced down at her hands. “It was a very childish thing to do. I thought if I showed you how people didn’t care that I was fifteen and you were my teacher that you would want me.”

“Jesus, Donata, do you hear how insane that sounds?” I raised my voice. “Of course people cared. It would’ve been an abuse of power on my part.”

“You’re only six years older than me. But I see that now. It wasn’t about age.” She nodded. “I made things so bad for you. Do you forgive me?”

Her question sent a rush of adrenaline through me. I’d been harboring this resentment toward Donata for almost five years. I never considered the idea of letting it go. In a way, even if I mostly felt hostile toward her, she’d been on my mind constantly. All this time, she’d been my dirty little secret.

“I should hate you. But I don’t.” And that was the truth. I tried to hate her, only because I wanted her so much.

“See that wasn’t so hard.” Enzo smiled at Donata.

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