15. SIENNA
15
SIENNA
Sicily
I should have figured they lived in a fucking castle. Because why not? I mean, the place looks like it’s straight out of a storybook. It is a beautiful sandstone color with white and gold accents that give it that rich feel. The elaborate gate is opened for us by the many guards all wearing the matching dark suits that probably cost more than an average family’s rent. Clearly this business pays well.
The road leading up to the castle is almost white in color, and the lush, well-maintained lawn is just the pop of color it needs to give it the luxurious look along with the charm of its age. The house itself has a lower door right off the driveway before double staircases lead up both sides, with a rounded door at the top that’s surrounded by stunning carvings. All around the front are windows and balconies, and I wonder how many rooms are in this place, and how I’m not going to get lost. Still, the little girl in me is screaming in delight at seeing such a place and actually getting to go inside.
The most interesting part of the house is how it spreads out in a half-circle on each side, which I assume are more rooms and hallways. It’s a perfect fortress while also being stunning. The driveway follows the circle of the home, providing cover from any prying eyes. Guards are visible everywhere, some staying close to the home, while others are out in the open, standing sentry.
Fuck, I’m definitely not in my element here.
In an attempt at humor, I remark, “You know, if you told me you live in a castle, I might have considered not putting up such a big fight. Do you all live here?”
Alessio gives me an amused smile. “It’s been in our family home for a very long time, cara mia . And we both know telling you wouldn’t have changed your mind. My family lives here, and most of our staff and many guards live here as well. Aurelio prefers a separate home on the grounds, but for the most part, we all live and function here. I’ll give you a tour once you’re settled.”
Lazaro pulls the car up to the steps and I climb out, not bothering to wait for Alessio or Lazaro to help me. Alessio shoots me an annoyed look, which I promptly ignore. I agreed to be here, not to be pliant and obedient, so he’ll have to get used to it. Instead, I look around, trying to take it all in before Alessio leads me up the steps, with Lazaro right behind me.
Of course, the inside is just as grand. I glance around at the ornate paintings, carvings, and art tastefully decorates the walls and ceiling, and its sprawling marble floors. Just like outside, there is a double sweeping staircase that leads to who knows where. Hallways spread off to the left and right, with another two just ahead.
I’m going to need a damn map to figure my way out of here.
“This way,” Alessio instructs, taking my hand and leading me toward the corridor at the back of the room. I glance down the other one, but see nothing but a bunch of doors, and then a full story window at the end before it splits off into more hallways. I’m too entranced to pull my hand away from Alessio, and instead follow along, trying to create a mental map.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Lazaro assures me quietly.
“Do you have any of those you-are-here signs somewhere?” I ask. “I mean, how the hell do your staff know where to go? Or is this one of those, ‘you can’t go into the west wing’ kind of castles? I mean, the beast has already shown his true colors, now we just have to find that pesky princess for him to terrorize.” Lazaro snorts out a laugh, while Alessio looks down at me with an irritated scowl. “What?” I ask with a bland smile. “It’s a good question.”
“I’m starting to think about adding a gag to my list of things to use on you, coniglietto ,” he replies silkily.
I don’t even bother replying. Instead, I say to Lazaro, “Do you live here too?”
Lazaro’s eyes dance with mirth, clearly realizing what I’m doing. Alessio’s scowl darkens. “I do,” Lazaro replies. “As do my other brothers. My father prefers his own space. I think it’s because he’s been courting a lady as of late, though none of us have figured out who yet. The bastard is far too clever.”
“Tell Sofia. She’ll be able to sniff it out in no time,” Alessio says. We finally reach a corridor that splits off into a staircase on the right, and then another back hallway to the left. “We’ll be down shortly. Tell everyone we are not to be disturbed,” he orders Lazaro, and I narrow my eyes at him as he starts to lead me up the steps.
“Where are we going?” I demand.
“We’re going to get you settled.” Alessio tightens his grip on my hand when I attempt to pull away. “Keep that up, cara mia , and see what happens,” he warns, glancing back over his shoulder at me, his eyes dark.
I glare back, and while I want to argue and fight with him on principle, I also don’t want to risk not seeing everything. When we reach the top of the steps, I’m unsurprised to find more hallways, while another set of stairs leads up to another floor. Alessio pulls me to the left and down the hallway to the very end where a set of tall, wooden double doors wait. He pulls a key from his pocket, unlocks the door, and then pulls me inside.
I stare around the room in shock, though I suppose I shouldn’t. The room is large and grand, and far darker than I imagined. The fading sunlight shining through the windows is the only source of warmth. I crane my neck up to the golden ceiling; with intricate paintings of cherubs and clouds and other creatures I can’t quite figure out. It’s classic Italian, but still, there is a darkness that surrounds the images that has me curious. The walls are painted a dark gray, again almost black in color, with golden accents scattered around, including light fixtures and even a few lamps on small, elegant tables scattered throughout. In the center of the wall straight ahead is the four-poster king-sized bed that takes up a lot of the space, complete with black sheets and black and gold pillows.
Clearly the man has a thing for gold.
I look to the left of the bed and see two doorways, and assume they are the bathroom and closet. I wonder if the bathroom is as dark as in here. The place certainly could use a bit more color. I turn to look behind the broad door I’ve just walked through, and see that there is another door, and when I move to look behind the one on the opposite side, again, another door. Jeez, how many doors does one man need?
Alessio smiles at me as he shuts the door, a look of pure satisfaction on his face. “What do you think, coniglietto ?”
I arch a brow at him in question. “What do I think of what? It’s a bedroom. And since I’m assuming it’s yours, I have to wonder where I’m going to be sleeping.”
He gives a low chuckle and steps forward, reaching up to grip my chin with his fingers. I resist the urge to jerk away, instead, holding his gaze as he leans down and murmurs, “You know very well where you’ll be sleeping, Sienna. You will not be away from me another night. And if I have to tie you to the bed, then I will.” Then he leans down to press a hard kiss to my mouth before he pulls away and lets me go.
“I am not staying in here with you.” There is no way I can resist him if I do, and I need to make sure that when Nico and my sister leave, that I’m with them. I will not let Alessio derail that. “I agreed to come here, but I never agreed to be your prisoner.”
“Prisoner?” Alessio repeats as he steps away, shrugging off his suit coat before moving to toss it onto the leather bench at the end of the bed. He watches me as he unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows and baring his forearms. Fuck, why is that so hot? “I suppose that chaining you to the bed could count as such,” he muses thoughtfully, though his eyes are mocking. “And the thought of having you at my mercy whenever I please is a tempting one. Mmm, yes, I’m not seeing any downside to this at all.”
I scowl at him. “I’m not here to cater to your fantasies. You insisted on bringing me here, and now that I am, this whole charade can stop. You already fucked me, so you can lay off the bullshit. Please show me to my room so I can get some sleep. After that, I would like to meet my sister and brother-in-law.”
“Charade?” Alessio asks. His voice is silky as he watches me, but his eyes going dark has a pool of heat building in my belly. Fuck, I really need to get a grip. A man looking at you like that should not be so hot, which is exactly why I need to get away from him. Being around him is not good for my health. I’m far too tempted by him, when I should be running the hell out of this room. “Clearly you haven’t been paying attention, Sienna, if you think that any of this is some kind of ruse. I can assure you, I am very fucking serious.” He stalks toward me, but I hold my ground. “You’re right, I’ve fucked you, and I’m going to do it again. And again. And again. Because I am far from done, and if you think you’re going to escape me again, or even try and sweet talk your way out of here by cozying up to your sister, you had better think again. Your ass is staying right here, and the sooner you accept that, the better it will be.”
“Better?” I hiss. This man has some serious balls, and right now I’m about to drive them up into his fucking throat. “You call having no fucking privacy or freedom better? Let’s be clear right the fuck now, you and I are not going to be anything. Ever. If I have an itch I want scratched, sure, but other than that, I’m under your protection so my psycho family doesn’t try to kill me or sell me off to the highest bidder. You will not be that highest bidder, are we clear? I am not marrying you, and I am not going to spend every waking moment with you because I’ll probably end up murdering you.”
He towers over me, dark eyes flashing in the low light of the room. His face flushes with his anger, and while I should probably be feeling some kind of fear right now, it’s the last thing I feel. “You are pushing me, Sienna, and I think we’ve already established that doing so only ends in one of two ways. Me fucking all that attitude out of you, or…no, actually, I think that’s the only option at this point, because you don’t seem to be hearing me any other way.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” I demand in exasperation. I step away from him, dodging his hand when he tries to grab me. I shoot him a furious look. “Sex is not going to suddenly make me all happy and calm, you entitled prick. You want to get your rocks off, you go use one of the many willing women I’m sure you’ve got on speed dial. In case you’ve forgotten, ever since you barged into my life, I’ve been running, and I haven’t had any time to decompress. I’ve been worried sick about my parents, trying to dodge you, and now that you’ve got me where you want me, you think you’re going to run roughshod over me and I’m going to fall in line, all sweet and subservient? I want my own damn space so I can decompress and work, considering how far behind I am now. I am not, and will never be, at your beck and call. I will not spread my legs just because you want to prove a moronic point.”
His eyes are mere slits as he moves quickly toward me, countering every step I take until he’s successfully maneuvered me so that my back hits one of the slivers of wall between the windows. Before I can shove at him to get him away, he grips my wrists and pins them between us, and once again smoothly blocks the knee that I aim for his groin. I let out a low snarl when he pins me and then reaches up to grip the back of my neck to hold me in place. It’s a possessive and commanding hold, and I fight the urge to melt into it.
“That gag is looking better and better, cara mia ,” he murmurs silkily, his fingers flexing on my neck. “Now, I want you to shut up and listen to me, because I’m tired of repeating myself. While you are under this roof, you are in my room, and in my bed. You’re mine, and this is where you belong. If you try to leave, I will follow you, find you, and bring your ass right back here. Every fucking time. I don’t care who I have to kill to get out of the way. I would think about that long and hard before you decide to do something stupid, like try to leave.”
My own anger rises. “For fuck sakes, I never said any fucking thing about leaving. Are you so fucking dense you can’t even comprehend that? I just don’t want to be around you every minute of the day, because I can’t fucking breathe with you smothering me.”
“What did you think was going to happen?” he yells back at me. This large man yelling in my face should have me cowering, but it only infuriates me more. At this point, I’m a bottle of barely contained rage ready to explode. He lowers his voice, but it’s still angry as he continues, “After all the shit you’ve pulled, did you really think I would waltz you into my family home and let you have free reign?”
“What, you think I’m going to steal the silverware and climb over the wall?”
“I think you’re far too damn stubborn for your own fucking good, and the moment you think the coast is clear, you’ll be trying to get the fuck out of here and back to whatever the fuck you think is your new normal. Do not think I haven’t noticed that you’re so keen to talk to Nico. You seem to be under the impression that if you can charm your way into your sister’s life, he’ll take you away and protect you back in New York.” His face lowers until he’s staring directly into my eyes. “That will never happen, Sienna. I will never allow it, and Nico would never risk an alliance with us over a woman he doesn’t know. And if you think I’m a bastard, then you’re about to get an education, because Nico is just like me. So you have two choices. You can accept you’re not going anywhere and that you’re mine, or you can fight me, and I will spend every day for the rest of my life reminding you.”
His lips press to mine in a hard, bruising kiss, and while I struggle, it’s of no use, because I’m melting far too quickly into it. There is no love or romance in this kiss. It’s a punishment, pure and simple, and despite the part of me that wants to fight back, to push him away, or even bite him, I’m pulled into the fog of desire again.
When he abruptly pulls away, a gasp leaves my bruised lips, but that’s quickly followed with a sharp cry of pain when he latches his teeth onto my neck. A new spot this time, but there is no mistaking what he’s doing. He’s marking me.
Why is that so fucking hot?
When he pulls his teeth away, I shiver at the feel of his tongue soothing the skin, and then shudder when he rasps in my ear, “No one will ever doubt that you’re mine, Sienna. You’re wearing my mark, and soon enough, you’re going to wear my ring. Because no matter how much you fight me, you know this is right. To feed that dark desire inside you the way no one else can. You think I haven’t noticed how excited you get every time I dominate you, or when I prove how much I own this lithe body? Because I have, and I’ll use it every damn time you try to leave me, or pull away. You say sex isn’t going to fix everything, and you’re right, but with you and I, it’s going to be a damn big part of it. When we fight, and we will, I’m going to fuck the mad right out of you. Just like I’m going to do now. Because when I’m inside you, when you feel me filling you so full that you can’t take any more, you can’t deny that you’re mine.” Then, before I can argue, he takes my mouth again, releases my wrists and neck, and then uses both hands to grip my ass and haul me up.
I wrap my legs around him out of pure instinct, my hands coming up to tangle in his hair even as he spins us and I feel him moving. Even in my clouded brain, I know I need to stop this or I’m going to lose this battle. With some kind of control that I dig from deep down inside me, I use the grip on his hair to yank his head back, hard, and he lets out a hiss of pain. His eyes darken until they’re almost black. Someone likes that; though, I shouldn’t be all that surprised. “I don’t need you to fill some part of me,” I rasp, staring down into his eyes, trying to get my stupid hormones under control. “And I’m not fucking you again. You think a bite mark makes me yours? That you’re going to force me into marrying you all so you can gain more power and money? You’ve got another thing coming, Alessio.”
Then, in a move that I haven’t done in a very long time, I use all my strength to propel us back onto the bed. While we’re falling, I dislodge my hands from his hair and then lock my thighs, spinning us so that he has no choice but to let go of me to keep us from falling off the bed and onto the hard floor. I take that moment to curl my body forward, doing a half-somersault across the bed and landing on the other side, even as Alessio gets to his feet. A thunderous look covers his face as he glares at me. I’ve well and truly pissed him off now, and I can see him struggling to contain it. Oh yeah, he wants to make me pay for always fighting him and outsmarting him.
“I’m running out of patience for you, Sienna,” Alessio grits out between clenched teeth.
“Then we’re even,” I toss back. “Now, I’m tired and I’m going to bed. And no, it won’t be in here. So unless you’d like to spend the rest of the night repeating this over and over again, I suggest you figure out where the hell I’m going to be sleeping.”
“You already know my answer.” With a strength and speed that surprises me, he launches himself across the bed toward me. I jump back and make a break for the door. No way can I stay in this room any longer.
I manage to wrench the door open and get a couple of feet into the hallway before he’s on me, grabbing me around the waist and hauling me back and up in a show of strength that surprises me. Fuck! I struggle, snapping, “Let me fucking go, Alessio. Now.”
“I’m going to tie your ass to the fucking bed. And this time, I’m going to gag that pretty mouth so I don’t have to listen to you screeching your nonsense.”
“The minute I’m free, I’m going to find that knife of yours and slice your throat,” I vow as he starts to walk backwards toward the bedroom.
“I do believe she means business, son,” a deep voice says in amusement, making us both still. An older man stands in the hallway, and I immediately know this is Alessio’s father. Considering what I know about Alessio and read about him, that would put his father closer to seventy, but he doesn’t look a day over fifty. His clean-shaven face is nearly free of any lines that would belie his age, and he’s kept his body in good shape. His dark eyes are lit with laughter, and he’s got his salt and pepper hair slicked back, but there is no mistaking the power of this man. He’s every bit the Don the media makes him out to be.
“Papa,” Alessio says in a calm voice, though his grip on me doesn’t loosen. “I’ll be down in the morning to see you and we can get everything caught up.”
“We’re all gathered in the sitting room,” Pietro says easily. “Bring Ms. Harris down. We have a lot to discuss.” It’s not a request, it’s an order. “And, Ms. Harris, however justified you may be in wanting to kill my son, please hold off for now.” He winks at me, and then turns down the hall toward the stairs.
Neither Alessio or I move for a moment, until Alessio gives an aggravated growl and reluctantly lets me go. Not that I get very far. Before I can take a step, his hand lashes out and grips my hair, hauling me back. “Owww!” I hiss, turning my head just enough to glare at him. “Let go of my hair, asshole.”
Surprisingly he complies, but unsurprisingly, he moves his hand down to grab the back of my neck instead, holding me in place as he hisses, “Do not think that we’re finished with this discussion, Sienna. You’ll pay for that threat. You won’t need to worry about a new place to sleep because when I’m done with you, you’ll be far too tired and sore to walk.”
I suppress a shiver as he removes his hand from my neck, and then grips my hand as he slams his bedroom door loud enough that it echoes down the hallway. Maybe I should be grateful we’ve been interrupted, because, fuck if that doesn’t sound like something I would like.