Chapter 4
FOUR
Lissia
What the hell did Marchello want from me? The weight of his ultimatum pressed down on me, stifling my ability to breathe more than the grip he had on my throat ever could.
Six hours ago I buried my father. Now, I found out Marchello’s father was the reason he was dead and that my father had sold me again to a brutal man who wanted to do vile things to me.
I spun around to face Marchello. “I don’t deal well with ultimatums. You should know that by now.”
The coldness of the room intensified my numbness.
“I know better than anyone.” He slipped his shirt off, and placed it over his jacket that was already on the chair.
His muscular chest tempted me. Now wasn’t the right time for sex, but feeling him inside me was the only thing I needed. Losing myself in his forceful, authoritative strength would get me through this horrible nightmare.
He ran his hand through his hair, his bicep practically popping out of his arm. “What my father told you wasn’t easy to hear, but it was true. He trusted you with important information.”
“I’m not going to turn against him.”
“I know you would never do that.” He took my hand. “I just wanted you to know he realizes how important you are to me.”
“Marchello.” I let go of his hand. “I don’t care.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to have this conversation right now.” I walked through the archway that led to the bedroom. “It’s too much.”
The news that my father basically signed my death warrant when he gave the order for me to be sold to a man I didn’t know against my will was too much. The fact that this was the second time was ridiculous.
Guilt had filled me from the moment Marchello told me my dad was murdered. Why did I fight with him? Why did I betray him? What could I have done differently so that he would still be alive? I couldn’t help but feel like everything that had happened up until the moment I learned that Nico pulled the trigger was my fault.
And now all of that guilt exploded into pain and sorrow. I grieved, but not because he was dead. No, I was in mourning over the loss of a man who had never been who I thought he was.
“What can I do for you?” Marchello came up behind. “I’ll make everything right.”
“Nothing will ever be right for us.”
How could it be? We were doomed from the start.
“Your father was right,” I said. “Men like you don’t need attachments. You can’t do your job if I’m in the way.”
“You’re all over the place.” He reached for my arm. “I understand why, but pushing me away isn’t going to help you.”
“It might.” I yanked out of his hold. “I think I need some space.”
Space was the last thing I needed. I wanted to be with Marchello more than anything, but it didn’t feel right. Not when I had all of this guilt and anger over what had happened with my father. How could I ever feel safe in the arms of a man whose family dismantled mine?
“I don’t want you to be tender or nice to me.” I moved toward him. “That’s not who we are.”
“Space might be what you need. I’ll go to the kitchen and get you something to eat.”
His muscles tensed when I touched his chest.
“Did I hurt your feelings?” I trailed my hand down his abs and to his belt buckle. I tugged on his belt. “Maybe you should use this on me. It’s been a while.”
“No.” He grabbed my wrist. “That won’t help you tonight.”
He was wrong. Maybe the pain of the strap would dull the agony in my gut. I was willing to try.
“I know you’re hurting. You lost your father and then found out what he was capable of doing to you.”
“What he did do to me,” I said, raising my voice. “You seem to think because he’s dead that solves everything—that because your father took care of it, I’ll be okay.”
How would I ever be okay after learning what my father had planned for me? Not only was he going to allow those brutal men to kidnap me and hand me over to a stranger, he was going to rip me away from Marchello. Even after I pleaded with him and explained how much I loved Marchello, he was still willing to tear my world to shreds.
“No one expects you to be okay, but we had to tell you the truth. Hearing it has hurt you. I get that. But you can’t lash out at me. We need to stand together. Don’t make my job of protecting you impossible by fucking things up and going rogue on me.”
“Your job?” I pushed him, but he didn’t budge. “Is that what I am to you?”
“At the moment.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If being your captor is the only way I’m going to get through to you, then that’s who I’ll be.”
Damn it! He was giving me what I wanted. He was being the possessive alpha who set my soul on fire. And it still wasn’t good enough.
“No.” I shoved him harder this time, but I still didn’t knock him off-balance. Frustration boiled inside me.
“I’m going to give you a pass because of your current state of mind, but I would keep your hands to yourself if I were you.”
“Maybe I don’t want a fucking pass. Maybe I need you to unleash on me.”
“Don’t provoke me to get what you think you need right now. You’ll regret it.”
“I never regret it.” I thrust my finger in his face. “But don’t make me regret choosing you.”
“Choosing me?” he shouted. “Do I have to remind you that you pursued me?”
“You’re the one who held me hostage.”
There was too much pain, too much hurt. I wanted him to make it go away. I needed him to take care of me the way he always did.
“This conversation is over,” he said. “I’m leaving before one of us says or does something we can’t take back. You’re hurting. I want to be here for you, but I won’t let you trash us.”
When he turned his back, I snatched the vase off the nightstand and launched it at the wall, shattering it into hundreds of crystal pieces.
I couldn’t take losing him. As irrational as I was, I couldn’t make this behavior stop. Marchello wasn’t doing anything wrong, but I needed someone to lash out at.
Twisting back, he stared at me with a deadly calmness in his sinister gaze. With two quick, long strides, he closed the distance between us, grabbed my wrists, and tugged me to him. The force of his pull propelled me into his solid chest, knocking the wind out of me.
My wrists ached from his grip, but I didn’t try to free myself from his bondage. I welcomed the restraint.
“Is this what you want?” With his free hand, he unbuttoned his pants and lowered his zipper. “Do you want me to fuck your pain away? Is that what you’re trying to do?”
I nodded.
“Then have the balls to ask for what you want instead of acting like a petulant child throwing a tantrum to provoke me into getting what you want.”
“I want you to make it go away,” I cried as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. “I want you to make my heart stop hurting.”
“Fuck.” A flicker of sadness crossed his face, but the emotion vanished as fast as it appeared.
He spun me around and threw me down on the bed face-first. He forcefully spread my legs apart and thrust my funeral dress over my hips. In one swift move, he tore off my thong, then ran his palm along my backside.
This was how we thrived. This is who we are.
The mattress dipped when he got on his knees next to me. He grabbed my arms and pinned them above my head, holding me in place. Rustling behind me, he positioned himself between my thighs.
My heart strummed fast as he ran his hand along my inner thighs, making his way to my entrance. He drew his fingers along my slit, then slid two inside me.
“Ahh…” I moaned when he inserted a third finger, working me from the inside. I pushed against his hand.
When he stopped, I blew out a frustrated breath.
“Did you think I was going to make this easy?” He released my wrists and trailed his hand down my back and to my hip. He hoisted me onto my knees, but held me down so my face was still on the bed.
I shivered when the heat of his breath danced along my backside. He pulled me closer to his mouth, inhaling deep before he flattened his tongue against my wet sex.
Thrusting in and out, he tongue-fucked me from behind, creating the most delicious sensation between my legs.
He licked me slowly, paying attention to my clit with the tip of his tongue. He added his fingers, moving them in time with his mouth, tasting me and bringing me to the edge.
My legs quivered, and I tilted my hips and rocked into his face. My nipples tingled each time they scraped against the comforter. I clawed at the bed, seconds away from exploding into his mouth, and then…
“No!” I breathed out when he stopped.
This was getting old. I tossed him an aggravated look over my shoulder, but he didn’t waver. He took his time removing his shoes and socks before sliding his pants and boxer briefs down his muscular legs.
“Take off your dress.” He kicked his pants to the side. “Don’t make me wait.”
“You’re making me wait,” I said.
He reached for my arm and yanked me off the bed into a standing position. Swiftly bringing his hand to the front of my dress, he ripped the garment from my chest, causing the buttons to fly off and scatter across the floor.
“My dress!”
“I told you not to hesitate.” He dropped my now ruined outfit onto the floor, leaving me in nothing but my bra. “Turn around.”
He didn’t wait for me to comply. With a fast turn of my body, he spun me to face the bed. He roughly popped open the clasp on the black lace and tugged the straps over my shoulders.
Swiping my hair to the side, he kissed my neck as he took my breasts in his hands and squeezed them hard. His erection nudged into my backside as he forced me onto my stomach.
“Do you still want me to hurt you?” He leaned into my ear, trapping me between the mattress and his solid form. “Because I could tear you apart.”
He shimmied his hand between us, grasped his length in his hand, and rammed the tip inside my slit. My pulse quickened, and my heart pounded against my chest.
“I could fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a week. You won’t feel anything but the burn of my cock.” He thrust forward, fully sheathing himself inside me. “Do you want me to rip you in half?”
“Yes.” I rammed my hips back. “Fuck me. I want to feel you and nothing else. Make it go away.”
“Just remember, you asked for it.” He shoved the side of my face into the bed as he buried his length deep inside me. His hold on my head matched the power of his chest, waist, and legs.
I couldn’t move beneath him. I surrendered to his total control and let him use my body in ways that he never had.
He slammed into me, digging his fingers into my hip, thrusting relentlessly, taking out his frustration on me. Was it the anger of the past week? Or was he pounding into me to relieve all the stress and aggravation I had caused him since the night of the charity auction?
Whatever the reason, we both needed this. I needed him more than I needed to breathe.
“Brat,” he moaned as he slowed his pace.
“Don’t stop.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” He pulled out of me and flipped me onto my back. “I don’t like it.”
He was delaying his release to prolong my torture. The torture I had begged him for.
Gazing into my eyes, he lowered his face to mine and slowly kissed me, sliding his tongue between my lips and exploring my mouth.
I hooked my legs around his waist and scratched at his back. When I raised my hips off the bed, he glided his hand between us and stroked my slit.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, trying to control my desire for him.
“Taking care of you.” He replaced his fingers with his hard length. “I don’t have to cause you pain to take away your anguish.”
His gentle actions confused me. I wanted to be angry and out of control, but I also craved this side of him. My protector, my lifeline… His love was my anchor through all of our craziness.
“I only have to be here for you.” He lifted up and rested on his forearms as he continued to move inside me. “I’ll be here through all of your chaos. I won’t leave during your tantrums. I will stand by you no matter what.”
A lump caught in my throat. I don’t deserve him.
“Do you know why?” he asked.
“Because you love me.”
“More than I ever thought I could.” He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me long and deep as his strokes inside me intensified.
I tightened my legs around him and raised my hips off the bed. He picked up the tempo, meeting my upward thrusts with quick and powerful plunges inside me. I let go, knowing he wasn’t going to stop. It was time for both of us to lose ourselves in one another.
“Marchello…” I sighed, climaxing in one long breath.
He covered my mouth with his. Frantic and chaotic, he clawed at my sides before gripping my hips and using my body to bring him to ultimate pleasure.
Collapsing on top of me, he breathed in the scent of my hair before rolling off and bringing me to his side.
“Thank you.” I rested my head on his chest.
“You don’t have to thank me for that.” He quietly laughed. “I wanted it too.”
“As much as I appreciate the sex, I’m thanking you for loving me. I know I’m not easy.”
“Well.” He held me close. “Neither am I. That’s probably why we work so well.”
“I’m all over the place right now.” There was so much to process, but I didn’t know where to begin.
“I’m your safe place,” he said. “That’s why I allowed that behavior.”
“I don’t know why I provoked you.”
“You wanted me to rein you in.” He sat up and rested against the headboard. “I can let you be you, but I know when to bring you back in.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” He stroked my hair. “We’re going to get through all this shit. I promise.”
I didn’t want to deal with Nico’s confession right now. I didn’t want any more explanations. All I needed was to be with Marchello. The rest would fall into place.
“I’m hungry.” I gazed up at him.
“I’m sure you are.” He slipped out of bed and went to the closet, giving me a sinful view of his glorious backside. “I’ll get you something from the kitchen.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you need anything else?” He pulled on a pair of black sweatpants.
“Can you hand me my bag?” I nodded toward the sitting room. “I want to check on my mom.”
We had left so abruptly from the luncheon, she probably wondered what happened to me.
Marchello brought me my bag, and then gently took my chin between his fingers. “I’ll be back soon. Do you think you can stay out of trouble?”
“I won’t move from this bed.”
“That’s my girl.” He winked at me, and a sense of normalcy flowed through me for the first time in days.
I dug in my bag for my phone and then settled into the pillows as he left the room. Maybe things would be okay. We could do this.
My phone rang with an unknown call. I wasn’t in the mood for a telemarketer.
“Hello,” I answered. “Whatever you’re trying to sell me, I don’t want it. Go scam someone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” a hauntingly familiar voice responded.
“Danny.” The few seconds of solace drained from my body. How could it ever be okay with Danny Collins still walking this earth?
“She got it on the first try.” He laughed. “You deserve a prize.”
“What do you want?”
“I want a lot of things, but we’ll start with what you owe me.”
“I don’t owe you shit.” I pushed myself into a seated position. “You shot at me.”
“I wasn’t shooting at you. But hitting you was a bonus.”
“Why are you calling me?” I asked. His rough voice irritated me.
“Well, it certainly isn’t to offer my condolences for that scum father of yours.”
“Screw you!” Adrenaline raced through my system. I should hang up, but the fire inside me wouldn’t allow it.
“Oh come on. You know he was a dirtbag, but we don’t need to discuss that now.”
“Marchello is going to kill you,” I said.
“He has to find me first.” His laugh was menacing. “And getting to him is a lot easier for me now that I know he’s moved you into the main house.”
My stomach churned. “You’re not getting anywhere near us.”
“The Accettis can’t protect you. They’re in the business of killing, and your father knew that better than anyone. That’s why you put him in the ground today.”
“Shut up.”
“You chose the wrong side, and you’re going to regret that.” He blew into the phone, probably exhaling the smoke from his filthy cigarette. “The one good thing your father did was not disinheriting you before he died. I know what you’re worth, and I intend to collect.”
“You’ll get nothing from me.” My steady voice surprised me.
“You’re wrong. I’m going to get everything, but first, I’ll be the one killing Marchello, and you’re going to watch me do it.”
“You stay away from him! I’ll kill you myself if you try to hurt him.”
“I look forward to the fight, baby girl. I’ll be in touch.”