Chapter 10
Ten
Lissia
Leaves crunched under heavy boots outside my bedroom window. Milo stomped over to his car with two of the guards he arrived with. He glanced over his shoulder at my window and scowled before climbing into the back seat and slamming the door.
Why didn’t Ricardo leave with them?
Did it matter? I had more important matters to deal with.
I changed out of the sweats and into the tiny pink boy shorts and the tank top Marchello had ordered for me.
I glanced at the mirror, admiring the way my booty looked in the shorts.
Let’s see if you can resist me now, Mr. Accetti.
Poking the bear might not be the right decision, but getting him to warm up to me could be my only hope of getting out of this with little damage.
I hurried down the stairs and into the study—a magnificent room with mahogany bookcases and high ceilings. There was also a cozy window seat by the fireplace that overlooked the backyard. I could easily curl up there for hours with a hot cup of tea and one of those books while Marchello worked at the desk.
The quiet inside the empty room drew me in. For the first time since meeting Marchello, I had a moment to process everything. I’d reacted to my father’s demands without thinking. Because if I had taken a second to breathe, I probably would have realized that running to the enemy camp might not have been the best idea.
But if I hadn’t come to Marchello, I’d be preparing for an engagement.
This was my father’s fault, not mine. He forced me into the arms of his rival, and now we were all going to pay the price.
I stood in front of the tall bookcases and ran my fingers along the spines of each title. They were arranged in alphabetical order and organized into two sections: fiction and nonfiction.
There were plenty of political thrillers and history books. I chuckled when I came across Mario Puzo’s The Godfather . Did the Accettis read that one?
“What are you doing in here?”
I whirled around to find Marchello standing in the doorway, brooding more than usual. How sexy.
“Waiting for you,” I said.
“In your underwear?” He stepped into the room and closed the door.
“You wanted me to wear the clothes you bought for me.” I smiled. “I like these.”
“I’m sure my staff will like you in them too.” He picked up the bottle of vodka on the desk. “Is that your intention? To put on a show for my men?”
There is only one man I’m interested in.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to marry Collins?” He poured himself a drink. “Didn’t you think that would be useful information?”
“I was never going to marry him.”
“That’s not what people are saying.”
“I only found out about it last night, which is why I came to see you.” I nodded at his glass. “You drink an awful lot.”
“You talk an awful lot.”
“That’s fair.” I nodded to his glass. “Can I have one?”
He poured another glass and handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Why did you come to me?”
“I wanted you to help me. I thought we could make a deal, but you had other ideas.”
“I still have those ideas.” He downed his drink. “Do you still want my help?”
“What’s it going to cost me?” I chugged my vodka, trying to find some courage in the contents. “I’m pretty sure I can afford it.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
“Why not?”
“My help comes with a hefty price tag, especially since what you’re asking of me could cost my family a great deal.” He poured more vodka into my glass. “Are you sure you’re ready to enter into such a contract?”
“Why would you sacrifice your family for me?”
“It’s not my family I’ll be sacrificing.” He nodded at me. “It’s yours who will pay the price.”
I brought the rim of the glass to my lips, but this time I only sipped it. The strong taste coated my mouth and throat before settling in my chest.
“Milo thinks I should cut you loose and focus on my own concerns.”
“What do you think? Aren’t you the one in charge?”
“Do you really have to ask?” He leaned against the edge of the desk. “I take full responsibility for the people who matter to me.”
Would I ever matter to him?
“I also take care of those who are loyal to me. If you put your trust in my hands, you won’t regret it, but you have to abide by my rules.”
“I don’t like rules.”
“I don’t care what you like. I’ll enforce the rules to protect my family, and if you can’t follow them, you’ll regret it.” He ran his gaze down my scantily clad body. “What’s it going to be, princess? Should I have Ricardo take you home to your daddy?”
What choice did I have? If Marchello sent me back, I would have to follow my father’s rules. I could try to run, but how far would I get?
However, if I stayed here, who knew whose blood would be shed? Was disobeying my dad worth the loss of lives? Was obeying him and marrying a man who I didn’t love—and would never love—something I could do?
Could I give up the possibility with Marchello?
“I don’t want to marry Danny.”
God help me, I would sacrifice everything to be with the man who despised me and wanted to own me. Was that any better than marrying Danny?
Yes, a thousand times better.
“Why not?” His jaw tightened and his face twisted into what could only be described as fury.
“Would you marry a woman you didn’t love?”
“I wouldn’t marry anyone,” he mumbled. “It’s not in the cards for me.”
“Why not?”
“We’re not talking about me,” he snapped. “You marrying Collins is a good opportunity for your father. One that will secure your family’s position in the organization. I understand why he dangled you in front of him.”
What does he have against marriage?
“I don’t care about my family’s position.” Heat rose up the back of my neck at the thought of being forced into such a barbaric alliance with a man who wanted to take me to see a doctor to make sure I was a virgin.
Who does that?
Don’t even get me started on the producing of an heir either. I would never have sex with Danny.
“Why is it my responsibility? My father has managed this life for years without me. He’s never asked for my help before. Couldn’t he have started with something smaller?”
“There’s such a thing called duty.”
“Would your father make you do something you didn’t want to do?”
“He wouldn’t have to make me. I would do whatever it takes to keep us safe. No questions asked.”
“I guess you’re a better child than I am.” I finished the vodka, hoping it would calm my anger about my father’s plans.
“Maybe it’s not the child who is the problem?” He shrugged. “Although, you’re definitely a problem child.”
I rolled my eyes, and he clenched his fist.
“What I meant was, perhaps if your father parented you better instead of giving in to your every whim, you would be more inclined to assist him.”
“If he needed to borrow from my trust fund or wanted me to drop off a package, I would help, but marrying a man I know nothing about because he wants to make an alliance is a little much, don’t you think?”
“Knowing what type of man Collins is makes me question your father’s motives.”
“I don’t want to be caught up in the middle of this business. It’s not my legacy. Obviously, my father would hand me over to an unscrupulous man before trusting me with anything that had to do with his world.”
Not that I wanted any part of this brutal business. I may have benefitted my entire life from how my father made his money, but that didn’t mean I approved of it.
“If I keep you here with me, I’ll have to fight hard for my territory.” He set his glass on the desk. “A battle will be inevitable, and people will get killed.”
“My father?” I asked. As much as I despised him for thinking he could force me into an arranged marriage, I didn’t want him to die. I didn’t want anyone to die.
“It’s a possibility.” Marchello didn’t even flinch when he looked me in the eyes.
“Why does anyone have to die?” I refocused on the books because this conversation was far too real. “Why can’t you negotiate?”
“Negotiate what?”
“I don’t know how this works. Why are you even fighting over territory? Why is your dad on the run?”
“None of that concerns you.”
“You sound like my father.” I placed my glass on the shelf. “He never tells me anything either. He just expects me to follow his orders.”
“I expect that too.”
“Then you’ll be disappointed.”
“I’ll get what I want.” He came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “But I promise, I’m nothing like your father. You might not like my tactics.”
“You might be surprised.”
His warm breath ghosted along my flesh, causing it to prickle in its path.
“Where did all these books come from?” I asked, trying to change such an intense subject.
“My mother was an avid reader. She instilled that quality in Milo and me. All the houses my father owns have enough reading material to keep a person busy for years.”
“You read a book and you’re never lonely.”
“That’s what she used to say.”
“She sounds like she was very intelligent.” I scanned the shelves. “We took a lot of unexpected vacations when I was a child. I realize now that was because my father wanted us out of danger. I read a lot too.”
When I reached up to grab a book on a higher shelf, Marchello slid his hand up my stomach and to my breasts. I gripped the bookshelf as he kissed the side of my neck.
“I want to get back to where we were before Milo interrupted.”
“Where was that?” I breathed out.
“Right about here.” He slithered his hand down the front of my shorts. “Are you still wet for me?”
I’ve been wet for you since you took me hostage.
“You’ve been flaunting this.” He shoved his fingers inside me, moving them faster and rougher than earlier. “Since the minute our eyes connected that first night.”
“Marchello.” I pressed my legs shut, clenching around his fingers. “We shouldn’t… I mean… I don’t know if…”
My mouth said one thing, but my body responded entirely differently to his pleasurable motion between my legs.
“We’re not playing any more games.” He squeezed my breast, rolling my nipple between his finger and thumb. “Do you want my protection? Are you ready to give yourself to me and trust that I can keep you safe?”
“It’s difficult to concentrate when we’re like this.” I shifted my hips back, riding his fingers.
“You don’t need to concentrate.” He kissed the side of my neck. “Let me lead.”
“You mean you want me to relinquish control?”
“That’s part of it.” He increased his tempo inside me. “You’re already giving in. It’s not going to take much to get you to give me everything I want.”
I gripped the shelf when he leaned me forward, arching my backside in the air.
“Marchello!” I screamed because the building sensation inside my stomach shot lower, throbbing between my legs. When he stroked my clit, my body trembled like a woman possessed.
Maybe it was more like an addiction. Whatever it was, I had never had this kind of reaction to any man. I had been drawn to him from the moment I saw him at the auction.
I scratched the wood beneath my fingers as I rested the side of my face on the shelf. Rocking my hips in time with his finger caused my legs to quiver, so I steadied myself, focusing on not letting them give out and falling to the floor.
He lowered his lips to my ear, licking the lobe as he grasped my hip with his free hand.
“What’s it going to be?” His warm, vodka-laced breath swept along my heated flesh. “Are you willing to relinquish control and place all of your trust in me?”
“I…” I closed my eyes and gave into the authority he already held over me.
“Do you want my protection, and are you willing to pay the price to have it?”
“Yes!” I exploded around his fingers. Was I giving in to the sensation he rained down on me, or was I agreeing to his terms? Did it matter at this point?
White bursts of lights fluttered behind my eyelids as he continued to swirl his fingers inside me. My breath heaved in and out in fast succession, but I was too stimulated to move.
“We need to make it official.” He rustled behind me with one hand still holding me down. “You made the right choice.”
I glanced over my shoulder as he undid his belt.
“Wait!” I pushed myself up from the bookcase and turned to face him.
“I don’t want to wait.” He tangled his hand in my hair and kissed me with the force I’d come to expect from him. The power I craved. “If I claim you like this, there is no going back for either of us.”
“Not here.” I gazed around the room. “Not like this.”
“Why not?” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “It’s what we both need.”
“I, ah, well, I want to be with you. I definitely want you to be my first.” I kissed him softly. “Just not like this.”
He gripped my upper arms and backed me against the shelves. His expression flipped from sexy and lustful to…rage?
“Your first what?”