Page 36 of Cruel Heir

I can feel my cheeks flush as he presses down, his finger rubbing the silk of my panties against my clit. A flood of pleasure streaks through me, warm in my belly and thighs, and I hate him for it. I hold myself perfectly still, trying not to squirm as he teases me, my mind going blank with sensation. I can feel the eyes of the other dons on me, hear their murmurs as Andre strokes between my thighs, and anger floods me along with pleasure as I lose control of my emotions entirely.

I jerk away from him, scrambling off of his lap and away, nearly trembling. Andre’s gaze lands on me, startled and brimming with his own anger just from that simple defiance, but I can’t stop myself now that I’ve begun. I’ve forgotten the consequences, forgotten everything except how ashamed I am, how close I came to giving in to the pleasure, and how much I hate him for it.

“How dare you,” I whisper, glaring at him. “How dare you treat me like some kind of whore that you bought for the night? That’s not how you would treat me in my father’s house. That’s not how you behave with a mafia princess—and certainly not how you treat the woman you were so insistent on marrying!” My voice rises with every word, filling the room, and I can see that everyone has gone still. Andre’s face is flushed with anger, but before he can speak, before he can come after me, I spin on my heel and flee the room.

I expect him to follow me as I hurry for the stairs, taking all three flights as quickly as I can, all the way to my room. I shut the door heavily behind me, waiting to hear his footsteps, for the door to slam open, and his angry voice to fill the space around me.

But I don’t hear anything. There’s nothing but silence, and I sink onto the edge of the bed, wondering how grave of a mistake I just made. If he hasn’t followed me up because what he plans to do to me in recompense is terrible enough that he doesn’t want witnesses.

I sit on the bed for a long time, wondering what I should do. If I should try to run, even though I know the chances of success are almost nil. Finally, with my nerves shredded from anxiety and the constant knot of fear in my stomach wound so tight that it’s nearly impossible to differentiate it from the cramps, I decide to take a shower instead of sitting here and tearing myself apart with worry.

Leaving my dress on the bed and kicking my shoes off, I leave my jewelry on the vanity and walk into the expansive bathroom, turning on the hot water. Stepping inside feels like insulating myself slightly from everything else going on outside, from all of the worry that I don’t want to face. I tilt my head back into the water, letting my hair cling to the back of my neck, letting out a sigh. If Andre wants to find me anytime soon, he’ll have to do so in here.

Which, unfortunately, he does.

I don’t hear his footsteps until he’s already at the shower door. He yanks it open and steps inside, already naked, and I flinch back as my eyes fly open. I immediately back up towards the wall without realizing it—a mistake, because Andre’s hand closes around my throat.

“You humiliated me.” His voice is a furious hiss, and I wonderwith a cold chill of fear if this is it. If I was wrong when I told Celeste earlier that he wouldn’t kill me. Maybe I’m not that valuable to him after all. Maybe he’s decided that my deathwouldbe enough to get back at my father. “In front of all my allies. You made me look weak. As if my wife could shout at me and storm off without consequences.”

“You’re the one who didn’t come after me.” I choke out the words breathlessly from behind the grip of his hand.If he’s going to kill me, I’m not going to go out begging and crying. I tilt my chin up, meeting his gaze as defiantly as I can.

“No, I needed to make it look as if it didn’t matter. To play it off as hysterics. I even suggested that perhaps you were already pregnant with my heir, and so you were more emotional than usual.” His hand tightens on my throat. “Is it that, Lucia? Are you pregnant and hormonal?”

Andre’s gaze shifts downwards towards my stomach, and that cold chill jolts through me again. I know the moment he sees the spots of blood on my inner thighs that haven’t washed away in the shower yet, the moment he realizes that his wishes aren’t going to come true—not this month, at least.

“You—” He yanks me forward, shoving me against the opposite wall hard enough that the back of my head hits the tile. “Worthless—”

“And you’re an idiot!” I shriek the words at him, fear overwhelming me and making me furious beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. “It doesn’t always happen immediately. You should know that! And I had every right to storm away from that table. You kidnappedme, Lucia Fontana, not some street whore!” Every word comes out strangled behind the press of his hand against my throat, but I don’t care. “I am yourwife! You remind me of that constantly! So fucking act like it, instead of showing me off like I’m some mistress that you keep for your entertainment!”

Andre is staring at me as if he’s never seen me before. His gaze darkens, his hand squeezing at my throat until my vision starts to darken around the edges, and I’m sure this is it. I’m sure that this isthe moment I’ve finally gone too far. And yet—I can’t quite bring myself to regret it. At least I said what I meant. At least I’m not cowering in front of him before I—

His mouth slams against mine, hot and hard, more of an attack than a kiss at first. I feel his teeth scrape over my lower lip, his tongue thrust inside, and his body surges against mine as he presses me against the wall. I can feel the hot, hard line of his cock against my belly, searing between us, his hand still gripping my throat as his hips rock against me, rutting against my skin almost like an animal as he devours my mouth. “You—fucking—” He pants against my lips, tongue tangling with mine, and to my horror, I find that I’m kissing him back.

I try to push him away from me, off of me, but he keeps me pinned to the wall. I hear the dark chuckle in the back of his throat as he holds me there, breaking the kiss just long enough for his gaze to lock with mine. “You want it too,” he purrs, that satisfied smirk twisting the edges of his mouth. “You kissed me back,principessa. Don’t pretend like you really want me to stop.”

His hips rock forward again, rubbing his cock against the taut flesh of my stomach. “I should strangle you for speaking to me that way,” he purrs, his thumb pressing just below the corner of my jaw.

“Do it.” I glare back at him, hating that I’m trembling from desire as much as from fear. “Go ahead. You’ll never get anything you want if you do.”

“I would take something from your father the way he took something from me.” Andre’s gaze slides over my face, hot and hungry, and I don’t know if it’s sex or violence that he wants—or both. “Maybe that’s enough.”

“Not for you.” I breathe the words, looking up at him with the same rage reflected in my eyes that I see in his. “I know you better than you think. It might be enough in the moment, but not later. Not tomorrow, when you realize what you’ve done.”

I can feel my pulse fluttering under his hand like a trapped bird, fear rippling through me. Andre leans into me, his mouth hovering over mine, the air between us thick with desire—both his and mine.

“The fight turns you on.” He whispers the words against my mouth, biting at my lip again. “You like it. You don’t want to admit it to yourself, but this battle of wills between us—you’re enjoying it. I’ve taught you so much about yourself that you never would have known without me,principessa.”

His hand loosens on my throat, sliding up to cup my jaw, and then his mouth presses against mine again, hungry and devouring. My hands push at his chest, and then my fingers curl against him, as if I want to pull him closer. He grinds against me, groaning, and it’s not until his cock slips between my thighs that I come back to myself for a moment.

“You don’t want to—I’m—”

“I don’t care.” He growls it against my lips, reaching between us to angle his cock against my entrance, his other hand sliding up my outer thigh as he hooks my leg around his hips. “I’m going to fuck you,principessa. And you’re going to come for me.”

He thrusts into me, hard, his cock sliding into me to the hilt. His hips meet mine, hard, the steam wreathing around us as his mouth slants over mine, and I hear myself cry out with pleasure. Everything feels more sensitive, swollen, and faintly raw, but the hint of pain only makes it feel more pleasurable. Andre’s tongue tangles with mine, his hand wrapping in my wet hair as he pulls my head back, his mouth leaving mine to drag down my throat as he nips at the soft skin. I feel him grind against my clit with every thrust, slamming into me again and again, and when he sucks hard at my throat, I know he’s going to leave a mark.

“Andre—” I gasp his name, but he doesn’t stop. If anything, his teeth bite harder into my skin, and then lower, again and again, until his teeth sink into the curve of my shoulder, his hips thrusting up hard. I’m on the edge, my thighs trembling as I feel myself so close to coming, the hot surge of his cock inside of me driving me closer and closer. I feel him shudder against me, his hand digging into the side of my hip, and for the first time, I anticipate the feeling of him coming inside of me. With the fear of pregnancy momentarily gone, I can focus on the feel of his cock hardening even more, swollen andstiff, as he thrusts hard into me once more, driving me over the edge at the same moment that I shatter around him.

I hear the sound I make, filling the space with my cry of pleasure as Andre surges against me, still thrusting as I feel the hot spurt of his cum. I feel like I can’t breathe, overcome with sensation, as his cock slides into me again and again, fucking me through both of our climaxes as he groans against my skin. I feel him shudder once more, pinning me to the wall as he stays buried inside of me, the hot water splashing down around us as I sag against the tiles.

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