Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Sable
There was no stating my case, and no trying to get away. This man was an absolute savage, and I was in his clutches. I asked to be here.
Milo didn’t even try to argue with me. He simply hoisted me up, knocking the wind out of me when my ribs slammed into his shoulder.
“Put me down, you barbarian!” I kicked my legs, trying to get him to release me.
One of his guards opened the SUV door, giving Milo the opportunity to shove me inside the dimly lit backseat.
“Settle down.” He pointed at me as he climbed into the backseat.
Once the guards were inside the car, the locks clicked, and the car moved onto the busy street. I flinched when Milo leaned across me. He glared at me and then secured my seatbelt .
“Where are we headed?” the guard who was driving asked.
“Penthouse.” Milo kept his voice low as he rested his head against the seat. “I want to stay in the city in case I need to handle business tonight.”
The penthouse was only a few blocks from the restaurant. Even with the city traffic, we would be there in less than five minutes. Did I want to be alone with him after what he had just done?
“I want to go to my apartment,” I said. “I don’t want to be with you tonight.”
“That’s not the vibe I picked up at the dinner table.” He stared straight ahead. “Is it?”
“That was before I saw you impale a man’s hand to a bar.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t know who I was before you came to me.”
“I didn’t know you were capable of that.”
I couldn’t get the vision of Romeo’s face when the knife went through his hand out of my mind. The few times I was in his presence he seemed untouchable. People respected him, even feared him. I was afraid of him. He was going to kill Chance over ten grand.
Milo’s words came back to haunt me. As long as you understand I’m far worse than the man you’re running from. He proved that tonight.
“That was nothing compared to what I’m really capable of.” He took out his phone. “I guess you have some thinking to do, because you are not going to save me from who I am. You’re not going to change me.”
I gazed out the window, taking in the hectic streets as he composed a text. Was he seeking out the council of his father? The guidance of his brother? Did I care? My debt was paid off. I was free to go. Why am I still here?
When the driver pulled into the spot in front of the penthouse, two more guards came out of the building and greeted Milo as he stepped out of the car. He briefly spoke to them before coming around and opening my door.
“If you get out of this car and come upstairs with me, it will be because that’s what you chose to do.”
I placed my hand on my knee, trying to stop my leg from twitching.
“I won’t force you to be with me.” He draped his arm over the top of the door. “But know this, if you do come with me, there will be things I do that you won’t approve of. I’m not looking for your blessing when it comes to my business practices. I won’t explain myself to you.”
He was giving me an out. Do I take it?
“There’s something about you that intrigues me,” he said. “I felt it the second our eyes connected at the club. I should have left you alone, but I couldn’t.”
I felt it too.
“I’m not ready to let you go.” He stroked my cheek. “But if you know in your heart that you can’t be with me, then you should leave.”
“You scared me tonight.” Why did leaving him seem scarier than staying?
“It probably won’t be the last time that happens. I do scary things.” He extended his hand. “It’s your choice.”
Is it my choice? How could it be when the passion in his gaze left me with only one option? Being with him was all I wanted. How could I have let this happen?
My heart rate sped up as I raised my hand and placed it in his. Don’t make me regret this.
He helped me out of the car and guided me to the sidewalk. Adrenaline shot through me, making it difficult to focus as we walked into the building and stepped onto the elevator. Milo tapped his phone against the panel on the wall, granting us access to the penthouse floor.
“You’re shaking.” He put his arm around me as we ascended to the top floor. “Didn’t we get you a coat?”
“This dress is so pretty, I didn’t want to cover it up.”
When the doors opened to the foyer of the penthouse, Milo led me out. He nodded to the man standing by the door.
“Ax,” Milo said. “This is Sable.”
“Hello,” the large, muscular man with a tattoo that trailed up his neck and skimmed the edge of his jaw said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” I gripped Milo’s hand harder and stood behind his shoulder. The other guards were intimidating, but Ax towered over Milo, probably putting him at about six-five.
“We’ll be staying here for the night.” Milo pushed open the door. “You did a sweep?”
“As soon as I heard you were coming,” Ax said. “It’s all clear.”
“Just the other two in the trinity can disturb me tonight.” Milo nudged me inside. “Or Lucas.”
“Understood,” Ax said.
“The trinity?” I asked as Milo shut the door, shielding us from the outside world.
“The guards refer to my father, Marchello, and I as the trinity. They check in with one another and communicate who has eyes on us at all times. It started because my dad wanted to know my brother and I were safe.”
“Do you expect them to show up tonight?” I didn’t think I was ready to meet the unholy trinity .
“No.” He stared out at the skyline from the large windows. “I’m not sure when either of them will be home.”
I hoped whatever business Nico and Marchello had resolved itself fast, because Milo needed them. Propelling my wobbly legs forward, I stood behind him and rested my head on the back of his shoulder, breathing in his comforting, woodsy scent.
Less than thirty minutes ago, I witnessed him attack someone, and now I craved to be close to him.
Is it possible for him to be anything more than a monster?
I saw some of his good traits. He could have killed Chance the night we first met, but he didn’t.
Instead, he made sure we got home safely, and the next day he paid my rent.
Did the embers of kindness absolve him of the flames of evil? I didn’t have the answer.
“What’s going through your mind?” he asked.
“Will you get in trouble for what you did tonight?”
“Trouble?” He laughed as he pulled his jacket off. “Do you think anyone in that restaurant will swear to what they saw me do in a court of law?”
“I guess not.” The bloodstains on his skin and on the edge of one of his sleeves rattled me. “You have blood on your hands.”
“I’ll always have blood on my hands.” He walked over to the sink behind the bar and washed the evidence away. “Is that going to be an issue for you?”
“I’m just trying to process what you did.”
“Bello disrespected me.” He dried off with a paper towel and then tossed it in the trashcan under the bar. “I had to make him pay for that.”
“You were so calm. It was second nature to you.” It was his demeanor that frightened me the most. He didn’t even have to think about what he would do. He executed the attack with one quick and effective action.
“If it isn’t natural for me to defend myself, I shouldn’t be in this business.” He took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. “I’m in a brutal line of work.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Would you like a drink?” He swiped a bottle of vodka from the bar and poured himself a hearty glass. “Before that unfortunate incident at Franchi’s, you were on your way to getting drunk.”
“I’m sober now.” I slipped off my heels to give my throbbing feet a break. “I’ll stay that way tonight.”
“What did he say to you?” Milo took a sip of his drink, scrutinizing me from the rim of the glass. “What did Bello want?”
“He asked if I was really with you or if I traded myself for Chance’s life.”
“Bello isn’t stupid.”
A horrible thought crossed my mind. “Milo! After what happened tonight, will Romeo retaliate and go after Chance?”
“If he retaliates, he’ll come for me, not your brother.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel much better.”
He grinned before gulping the remaining contents of his glass. “Does that mean you worry about me too?”
“You can take care of yourself.”
“I can take care of you too.” He set the glass down on the bar and came to stand in front of me. “What did you tell Bello?”
“About what?”
“When he asked if you were really with me?” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “What did you tell him?”
Did I want to admit what I said to Bello? Losing myself in Milo’s eyes became easier every day. If I surrender to his darkness, would my life be better or worse?
“Sable,” he whispered.
“I told him I belonged to you.” I brushed my fingers along his stubble. “Only you.”
He cupped my face in his hand, tilting my head as he dropped his gaze to my lips. “That’s the only thing that anyone ever needs to know about you.”
When our lips connected, I lost my breath, submitting to his control. Without breaking the kiss, he walked me back until I hit the bar. He trailed his hand down my face, stroking my neck on his way to the back of my dress.
I shifted my stance as he lowered the zipper and glided the dress down my body.
The abruptness in his actions startled me when he whipped me around to face the bar, pushing me against it with his solid form.
The heat of his breath swept along my neck when he leaned in and unhooked my strapless bra.
As the black lace fell to the floor, he traced his finger down my spine.
He nudged his knee between my thighs and spread my legs apart. I gripped the edge of the bar when he ran his hand along my backside.
“I want to claim all of you,” he said into my hair. “I want you to believe you belong to me.”
“I do believe it.” I twisted in his arms. “I see it when you look at me.”
He reached behind his back and took out his gun. The sight of it unsettled me, but I had to accept who he was if we were going to make this work. After he placed it on the bar, he smoothed his hands down my sides.
I grazed my mouth along his throat as I slipped his shirt over his shoulders and down his taut back. Every nerve in my body tingled for him. I ached for his touch, craving his undivided attention.
His lips skimmed my breasts as he dropped to his knees. I sucked in a breath when he pressed his mouth to my panties and pushed his tongue against my slit through the delicate silk. His hot breath forced a chill to shudder through me.
He slid his fingers on either side of my panties and glided them down my legs. I held onto his shoulder as I stepped out of them. A fire ignited inside me, shooting between my legs when he licked his lips.
“I’m thirsty.” He lifted me to lay across the bar and then picked up the vodka bottle. “Body shots.” He bit the corner of his lip before pouring the alcohol over my breasts. “Should do the trick.”
“Ah…” I scratched at the cool granite beneath me as he leaned forward and licked the vodka from my breasts, swirling his tongue around my nipple and scraping his teeth against it.
“How am I ever going to drink vodka out of a glass again?”
When he tilted the bottle over my stomach, I lifted my backside off the bar, trying to keep the vodka from dripping down my side. He lowered his head and sucked the liquid that pooled in my belly button, being sure to lap all of it from my stomach.
My nipples ached as he drenched them with what was left in the bottle. I ran my fingers through his hair as he cleaned my flesh, swiping his tongue down my body. He nipped on my hip bone as he plunged his fingers inside me.
I arched my back and thrust my pelvis in time with his hand, becoming damp enough for my juices to trickle down my thighs. The wetter I became, the more effortlessly his fingers rammed deeper inside me.
He brushed his lips along mine, shoving his tongue inside my mouth and moving in sync with his fingers. The sensation inside my core shot lower until I unraveled under his possessive touch. Spreading my legs apart, I rocked into his hands and screamed out as an explosive climax took over my body.
He kissed me as he withdrew his fingers, spreading the dampness on my upper thighs. Through my hooded eyes and foggy brain, I admired his sculpted chest and stunning face. He stepped back and unbuckled his belt before unbuttoning his pants.
“Come here.” He dragged my naked and still-aroused body off the bar and into a standing position. “I need to fuck you.”
He unzipped his pants and then tugged them, along with his boxer briefs, down his legs. I dropped my gaze to his erection, still not fully understanding how that fit inside me, but I was so glad it did.
“Turn around.” He didn’t wait for me to obey, and before I knew it, my cheek was pressed against the cool bartop. “I’m going to show you who you belong to.”
He grasped my hips, raising me up on my toes, and propelled inside me. My arms stretched out in front of me, knocking the vodka bottle to the floor.
“Milo,” I moaned when he worked my body with his powerful jolts, slamming me into the bar with every forward thrust. I gripped the edge of the counter when another violent orgasm convulsed through me. “I…”
My toes curled as uncontrollable trembling rocked my world. As I tried to get ahold of myself, a guttural roar ripped through Milo, vibrating against my back. I clenched around him as he released his liquid in long, hot spurts.
He stilled in me, kissing the back of my neck as he stroked my hair. My heart beat hard and my legs were spent, but I didn’t want to lose this connection. The closeness we created.
“There was never a choice,” I whispered.
“I know.” He squeezed my hip. “I’ll never let you go.”
I had become his captive in a matter of days. The hold he had over me should have been frightening, especially given who he was, but I didn’t care. I wanted him. And more importantly, I needed him to want me.
No matter the consequences.