Chapter 6
Massimo
Hadley is silent as I drive along the dark back road. I wonder what is going through that beautiful head of hers. She has to realize that if she tries to escape again, there’s nowhere to go—only forest and swamp out this way, winding back roads, and with the snow picking up, the roads are going to be treacherous. I’ve got her out in the middle of nowhere with no sense of direction, and a snowstorm on top of that. Fate has a funny sense of humor, giving ice and snow right now of all times. The fuckers chasing us don’t stand a chance of catching up or finding us. I’d bet at least half of them end up in a ditch or wrapped around a tree.
If, by chance, Hadley happens to try another grand escape and make it to the main road, my men will be waiting for her. No way am I letting a repeat of this and allow my enemies to get so close to her again. Despite the cold, my body is boiling with rage at the thought. Foolish of me to think I could let my guard down long enough for a damn shower. The idea of tying her to my bed sounds tempting. Or bringing her to shower with me…
I keep my eyes trained ahead until I finally come to the turn that leads to my property. Too bad it’s dark and she doesn’t get to enjoy the view of the vast landscape that leads up to the cabin. It’s a simple two-story log cabin home—roughly a little over three thousand square feet, much smaller than my main home. I’m not a fan of the holidays, but I do enjoy the escape from everyday life this place offers. My son still believes in all the magic of this time of year, so he loves spending Christmas here.
Instead of opening the window and risking Hadley watching me key in the security code, I call my team to alert them of our arrival. Immediately, the gate slides open, and I drive us forward. Hadley shifts in her seat, and I swallow my dark chuckle. That’s right, Tesoro, you’re mine now.
Halfway up the drive, I stop the SUV. I shift to park and turn in my seat to face her. Even in the dim lighting, she’s stunning. It’s a shame she’s been dealt a shit hand, and now she’s trapped with me. But these next few days don’t have to be unbearable if she agrees to everything I want.
“My son is going to be with us. Nothing ever touches my son.” My voice is heavy with warning. “If you do something stupid, you will pay dearly. Do you understand?”
She whips her head to glare at me. “Define stupid.”
I’m beginning to regret this. Infuriated that she thinks this is a joke, I grind my molars. I’m trusting her to be around my son. Plus, I just saved her life. Not that being with me is much of an improvement. I grab the bridge of my nose. “You’re young. And it’s pitiful how na?ve you are.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m not that na?ve.” There’s a hint of pain in her voice, but she quickly covers it up with sass. “I can see how a cruel monster, like yourself, might think anyone who is decent must be na?ve.”
I respect bravery in this situation, but there’s a fine line between fearlessness and stupidity. Where my son is concerned, I want her to show neither. I need her to be obedient.
“Let me be perfectly clear. You’re already caught. Look around, take in your surroundings. If you do leave, what do you think is waiting for you? There will be grave consequences if you do anything to jeopardize the welfare of my child. I’m trusting you, don’t make me regret it.”
Her eyes narrow. “Why would you trust me?”
“That’s a really good fucking question,” I grumble and stare out the windshield. I know she’s a good person. There’s not a single doubt in my mind on that. She wouldn’t intentionally hurt my child. But people become reckless when they’re cornered or scared. My son is to be off the table in whatever hairbrained plan she might come up with. She needs to understand this isn’t going to be some Hallmark Christmas vacation. She’s not our guest, but my captive.
Hadley regards me with open disdain. “I’ve met your son before. Cute kid. Hard to believe he’s yours.”
Tell me about it. Luckily, he takes after his mother. Not that she knows that, him, me, or anything. I shoot her a warning look to stop discussing my son as though she knows either one of us.
She doesn’t understand the risks in my line of work. I don’t think she’s even aware of the real risks to her life right now. More importantly, she’s not grasping the situation at hand. I’m bringing her to my one weakness. The only person I truly care for. My Amos.
I’m not a man known for possessing an iota of patience, but for whatever reason, I’m trying with Hadley. Warning bells ring in my head not to let my guard down again because I’m becoming enthralled with this woman. I’ve always been known for my cruelty, yet the feeling somewhat of—is that fucking sympathy—for this woman.
“I’d never hurt a child. I’m horrified you feel the need to threaten me over this.” She wouldn’t be so surprised if she knew how the world really worked. Sweet Hadley has been kept in the dark about our world, and she’s so damn young. And strikingly beautiful. My heart hasn’t felt this alive since… I don’t want to remember. I’m not looking for romance, but I can certainly appreciate a woman’s beauty and body. Even in the darkness, I can make out her full breasts rising and falling with each breath. She looks delectable. And for all intents and purposes, she’s mine.
My dick stirs with excitement, but I hide all of that with my cold voice. “Good. Do not alarm him either about your… unique predicament.”
She eyes me with disbelief. I hate how I enjoy the sound of her laugh, even though she’s clearly mocking me. Hadley manages to gather herself and holds a hand up. “Don’t worry. I won’t let junior in on our little secret of you taking me against my will. He’ll be none the wiser that his father is a raging, psychotic, abducting asshole.”
“See to it he doesn’t.” My voice is firm, leaving no room for argument and not finding any amusement in her smart mouth.
“And what of Greta? What am I to tell her?”
Jealousy rolls off of her, and that does amuse me. I rub my hand down my face to hide my smirk. She has fire, I’ll give her that. I’m ready to taste that fire again, get lost in her heat, and if I get burned, it’ll be worth it.
Instead of answering her question, I decide to let her stew on it. I put the SUV in drive and take us to the front of the house. Immediately, the door opens and the woman of the hour steps out.
Greta is in her late sixties, about five feet tall, curvy, with short red hair styled with curls and so much hairspray I worry every time she is near an open flame. The woman has the mouth of a sailor, heart of a saint, and God blessed her with hands to turn any dish into the best thing you ever put in your mouth. Hadley doesn’t have to worry about hiding anything from Greta. There’s nothing this woman doesn’t already know.
I circle around the SUV to open the door for Hadley. Greta is on my heels with her hands waving wildly in the air, scolding me. “You lost your phone? Did you break all your fingers? Is that why you couldn’t call? Doesn’t that fancy, overpriced, and oversized car not have the hands-free feature to call?” Her anger morphs into shock when I open the passenger door. “I see. Maybe your fingers were busy hitting her button.”
Hadley gasps at Greta’s crudeness. I ignore both of them and, in a bored tone, begin introductions. “Greta, this is Hadley. She got loose, and I had to chase her down. Then I had to take the long way here because I wasn’t the only one after her.” I glower at my little runaway and then give her a smug smile.
Greta huffs. “I’m still not seeing how, in all that, you couldn’t call?”
Ignoring Greta, I keep my eyes trained on the woman who has created chaos in my life. “Hadley,” I say with false sweetness. “This is Greta.” Red creeps up Hadley’s neck, and it sends a thrill of delight through me at her discomfort. “The one you were so curious about. She knows you’re not here for a friendly visit.”
“Really, Massimo. Little Amos was asking if you were coming tonight, but I didn’t know what to tell him.” Guilt strikes me—a feeling I loathe and don’t feel often, except for with my son. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I made him some brownies and gave him extra time in the hot tub with his toy dinosaurs. You were long forgotten about after that.” Thanks. “He’s in bed now. Been asleep for about an hour. And don’t you dare think about waking him up. It’s too late. That boy needs his sleep. Get up early and you two can have a snowball fight. I’ll help him pack some snowballs with rocks or ice in the center to throw at your head.” Greta shivers and then scowls at us. “What are you doing? Get her inside. It’s freezing out here. Dinner’s on the stove, and so are some brownies.” She tilts her head at Hadley. “You seem like a nice girl. I don’t know how nice you could be considering you’re mixed up with him.”
Hadley gives Greta a genuine smile. It’s breathtaking. So much that I want to grab her by the neck and kiss it. “You seem like a nice lady, but you’re right; how nice could you be if you’re involved with this asshole?”
Greta claps her hands together and chuckles. She looks at me with raised brows and then back to Hadley. “I like you. I can always tell right away if I’m going to like someone. Don’t let this big knucklehead give you any trouble.” She loudly shivers and turns away. “I’m going inside. It’s colder than a penguin’s pecker out here. Lord have mercy. If you two want to stay out here, suit yourselves.”
The snow is steadily falling, but I don’t move. I’m busy watching Hadley stare at Greta’s retreating back in fascination. “Wow. Not what I was expecting. So she is…”
“My housekeeper.”
“She’s different from your other staff.”
“Very observant.” I don’t elaborate. Greta is the only person I permit to use such colorful language around me. Anybody else would’ve lost their tongue, along with their job.
I hurry Hadley up the stairs inside the house and excuse everyone around us to allow for privacy. She awes as soon as her eyes see the fully lit and impressive Christmas tree next to the window. It’s decorated in white lights, tinsel, and colorful glass ornaments. Not far from it is a large stone, wood-burning fireplace. Garland with lights entwined is draped across the mantle.
“This is like something from a movie. It’s gorgeous. This is the perfect place to be for the holidays.” Her face dies as her eyebrows pull together. “I’ve never had a Christmas like this. Funny this is how I’m going to get it.”
I really am a cold-hearted bastard. Here she’s having a moment, taking in her new surroundings, and wishing for the picture-perfect Christmas; meanwhile, all my blood has gone to my dick. “Remember my offer.”
My desire is strictly to possess her body, not her heart. That part of her I’ll have to politely decline. Not that I have anything to worry about on that front. As na?ve as Hadley may be, she surely has enough instincts to not fall for a man like me. I’m sure recent experiences have taught her a few lessons.
“You’ll protect me if I let you use me like a whore?”
My eyebrows rise up as I advance toward her. “Whore? I don’t recall using such a degrading term. But if you’re into it…” I place my hands on either side of her shoulders and begin to gently massage the tense muscles. Shamelessly, I press my erection against her. “Do you want to be my whore?” Hadley further surprises me by grinding her ass against me. “Should I find out?” I gently move her hair off her neck and trail my nose along the slender column. “If I slip my hand down your pants, will I find your cunt soaking wet?”
She spins around, and her hand cups my throbbing dick, causing a hiss to slip past my lips. “I’ll give you my answer tomorrow. I need to sleep on it. But for now, you’re going to fuck me.”
“Am I? I don’t appreciate your tone.” That’s a lie. You’re practically trembling with need for this woman. Her demanding me to fuck her is one of the hottest moments of my life. She’s taking control of the situation. I’ll allow it because it gets me what I want.
She quirks a brow. “Think you can fuck me so hard I forget why I’m here?”
“You’re going to forget your fucking name.”
“Funny, I forgot yours. Remind me again?”
Smartass.
Hadley
My brain keeps screaming at me to stop, run, grab a weapon—and not his dick. You’re playing a dangerous game. But nope, here I am relishing the gorgeous man with the talented tongue. I tip my head back with a moan. In a matter of seconds, I went from watching the snow fall to being on my back between the fireplace and Christmas tree. It’s like a Christmas porno.
Massimo isn’t even taking a single breath. His mouth is sucking my clit, harder and harder, as two fingers are curled inside of me.
“You’re mine.” I think that’s what he growls against my sensitive skin. I can’t be sure because I’m delirious from him bringing me to the brink of pleasure. He rises up and reaches for my shirt. All rational thought has gone out the window as I crave my orgasm. I shed my shirt as quickly and clumsily as possible. He does the same with his own. I’d just barely gotten my bra unfastened when Massimo snatches it from my body.
He kneels before me shirtless, and his pants unbuttoned with his pulsating cock hanging heavy. My eyes zero in on his large fist wrapping around it and bringing it between my thighs. I release a sigh of pleasure at the first feel of contact. His warm cock taunts me, barely going in and then circling around my clit. The heat of his mouth taking my nipple has my back arching. His palm covers my other breast, massaging it before giving it a little pinch, and then trailing up my collarbone to my neck, where he gently holds me in a firm grip. A sharp pain from his teeth taking a nibble from my breast makes me yelp. He places an open kiss, soothing the sting from his bite marks. The grip on my neck tightens as he brings his face to mine. “You’re mine, Hadley.”
I bite down on my lower lip to fight back a moan. This man is going to destroy me. If it’s to be from ruining sex with anyone else ever again, emotional whiplash, or flat-out killing me when all this is over is yet to be determined. He thrusts deep inside of me. His slow, measured thrusts become more manic.
Faster.
Harder.
I cling to him as he keeps a ruthless rhythm. He raises up and flips me to where I’m on my knees. “Please,” I beg. It all feels too much.
He sinks his cock back into me. It feels deeper this time. His lips trail kisses along my back. “Please, what?”
“Please make me come.”
He emphasizes each word with the thrust of his dick. “Acknowledge who the owner of this body is.”
Good grief. He’s not going to let this go. He’s not going to let me go. Might as well get what I want. “Yours. It’s yours.” Asshole. I don’t voice that part out loud, but I think he knows exactly what I’m thinking from his dark chuckle.
He flips me back over, and his hands capture the sides of my waist. “I want to watch you come all over my cock. Oh, look at you. You’re spread out for me to do whatever I want. Christmas came early.” His hand cups my wet pussy in a possessive grip. “This pussy is mine.” He groans and releases a curse. “Greedy little cunt milking my dick. Come on, Tesoro , give me your orgasm. Give it to me.”
The man hardly ever spoke in the diner. Who knew he had such a dirty mouth? His head falls forward, and his lips claim mine. My tongue eagerly slides through his lips to caress his. I feel my body tightening. It’s right there. The release I so desperately need. I wrap my legs around his waist, my heels digging into his back as my hips meet each of his thrusts. My orgasm is borderline violent. He holds me as I ride it out. Then the warmth of his release fills me, and it sends me into another earth-shattering orgasm.
“Let’s go clean up and get some sleep.” His voice is thick with exhaustion.
“I can wait for you—”
“Oh, no. Not falling for that again.” He stands and extends a hand to help me up. When I stand, I feel his cum ease down my thigh. Massimo takes his two fingers and shoves his cum back inside of me. “Let’s get you cleaned up and to bed.”
We didn’t use protection… I could have God knows what kind of STD right now. He doesn’t seem concerned about protection from sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy prevention, or anything. Then again, he seems to know everything about me. I'm sure he has a copy of my medical records. I barely survived today; I’ll worry about everything else tomorrow.
“Do I get my own bed?” I ask foolishly.
“My bed. The deal is my bed.”
The next day, I wake up alone to look out a window to see the ground powdered in snow. I crawl out of bed to go stare out the double balcony doors. Off in the distance, there’s a beautiful lake. The trees have lost their leaves, but the glow from the sun and ice makes them hauntingly beautiful. The water has a few small patches of ice around the edges and floating about.
“Hi, Hadley!” Amos cheers from behind me. “Do you want to go out to play in the snow with me?”
“Amos! Hi!” My smile is wide, but I feel self-conscious. How do I explain being in his dad’s room? What does he think? What has Massimo told him? Speaking of, where in the hell is Massimo?
“Please? My dad is busy talking to security at the gate. So can we go play? I’m not allowed to be outside alone. The security guys are kind of boring.”
“We need to ask your dad. If he says it’s okay, I’ll be more than happy to play in the snow with you. But if he says no, we could make homemade ornaments for the tree in the living room.”
The tree is stunning, but I couldn’t help but notice nothing personal about it. Amos tells me he wants to do both and then leaps from the bed to go find Greta and call his dad. While he’s gone, I search the room for something to wear. A pair of drawstring sweats and a hoodie will have to do. I’m fully dressed, teeth brushed, thanks to stealing Massimo’s toothbrush, and hair tamed by the time he returns.
“Dad said yes! He’ll join us soon.”
“Let’s go then!”
Greta hands me an egg burrito and a cup of coffee as we pass through the kitchen. I really like her. For the first few minutes, I eat my burrito and sip my coffee while following Amos around the vast property. Once I’ve finished my burrito, I place my coffee cup on the ledge of the porch and join Amos. We toss snow at one another and run around. We’re having a wonderful time until Amos begins heading toward the lake.
“Hey, buddy,” I call out. “I don’t think we should go down there. It might be slick and we could fall in.”
He laughs and keeps skipping in the snow. “We go down here all the time. I throw rocks.”
“I’m not comfortable with this. Let’s wait for your dad. Amos. Amos!” I call as I chase after him. Shit. I don’t have a phone to call for help. There has to be security off in the distance somewhere.
Amos gets to the edge of the lake and yells, “There’s something in the ice! It’s poking up!”
My heart is in my throat. I hurry to him, my feet sliding on the snow, screaming for him to get away from the edge as his tiny foot takes a step onto the flimsy ice.
“Amos! Get back! No!”
I’m almost to him when he retreats one foot. Thank goodness. Relief floods through me as I go to reach for him, but his foot slides. To my horror, he falls backward into the chilly waters. Two things happen simultaneously: a six-year-old boy has fallen in a lake in the middle of winter, and the thing that Amos saw in the lake is an alligator’s snout poking up from the ice.
I don’t think. I dive into the water after him. Sharp tiny pins hit my skin. I ignore it as my feet push me through the icy water. I wrap my arms around Amos’ tiny body and shove him to the shore as hard as I can. I can’t even see from the water splashing in my face. It burns. Everything hurts. And there’s a fucking alligator within reach of me.
I’m too terrified to look behind him. My hands sink into the muddy bank as I try to climb out of the lake of death. Two strong arms hoist me up. I don’t even pay any mind to my rescuer. I rush to the little boy and grab Amos’ teary face between my hands. Somebody has already wrapped him in a thick blanket.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I begin touching his shoulders, the top of his head, his back. “You’re freezing, little buddy. Did you get hurt when you fell in?”
He shakes his little head. “I’m so cold.”
“Yeah, yeah. Me too, buddy. Let’s get you inside. Maybe sit by the fireplace and have some hot chocolate.”
“I was so scared. It was looking at me.” His tiny voice guts me.
My tears are hot as they trail down my freezing face. “Me too. Me too. But you’re okay now.”
A deep voice behind me answers, “Thanks to you.”
Massimo.
His security men circle us. Massimo removes his jacket and wraps it around me. He whispers something to one of his men, and they lead the boy to the house. They all leave me standing there with their boss.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed closer. I’m going to be sick, oh my God. He could’ve…” I can’t even finish the thought.
“Stop. Please. I saw everything that happened.” His fists clench and unclench, the knuckles turning white. “I know my son. He’s always wanting to run to the lake. I watched you dive in immediately after him. You didn’t hesitate. Even with an alligator there. I’m not sure many people would do that. Luckily, gators move slower in the winter to conserve energy. It’s been a while since one has come this close to our property.” He regards me for a moment and then shakes his head as though he’s in pain. “Thank you.” Another pause, and then he seems to remember I’m standing there soaking wet and my teeth clacking so hard they’re about to break. “Let’s get you inside.”
He wraps his arm around me and then places a gentle kiss on my forehead. His eyes bore into mine. “Thank you,” he whispers again.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I didn’t save the child for him, even though I promised I’d never hurt his son. I simply could never stand by and allow a child to be in danger and do nothing. Captive or not, the boy is innocent. I wonder what kind of soulless monsters he’s been around to seem surprised I’d save his son's life.
I can add that to my list while I’m still trying to figure out what monster abducts a woman and promises her safety in return for sharing his bed.
Massimo keeps me against his side as we walk away from the lake. A group of men in black security gear are hauling two similarly dressed men to the lake.
“Who are those guys?”
“The incompetent men who were tasked with guarding my son.”
“Massimo. I was supposed to be watching him.” I try to dig my heels into the ground.
“And you did. Unlike those imbeciles who are supposed to be hyperaware of any and all threats and protecting him with their lives. The only one who did their job today was you.”
“What’s going to happen to them?”
“What could’ve been the fate of my son.”