Chapter 14
Massimo
It’s nearly two in the afternoon, and Evelyn is sleeping.
Unsurprising, considering I finally tucked her into bed around dawn.
She’s stirred in her sleep a few times, her brow furrowing with an echo of the fear she faced last night.
I held her through the tense moments, stroking her silky platinum hair until she slept peacefully once again.
Keeping one arm draped over her, I continue texting my friends with my phone in my other hand. Enzo and Gian are traveling back to Naples. In the coming days, they’ll place the bribes we need at Italian ports and arrange the payment to the cartel for their product.
They have a lot of work ahead of them, but my only job is to maintain a good relationship with Stefano Duarte. He’s extended an invitation to one of his infamous parties tonight, and I can’t refuse.
I’m not willing to take my eyes off Evelyn. I’ll have to figure out a way to take her as my guest.
And deter her from making a scene.
I won’t let you down. I text the promise to the encrypted group chat I share with the brothers. I can handle Evelyn.
Gian shoots back almost immediately: How? What do you think Duarte will say when he finds out you’re holding Crawford’s fiancée as a hostage in his home? You should have asked his permission before you kidnapped her and took her there.
I blow out a soft sigh, careful not to rouse Evelyn.
She’s not my hostage. I’m protecting her from Crawford. Duarte is the kind of man who will understand that. He didn’t mind that I killed his men to save her.
Duarte won’t like the fact that Crawford is still breathing. Enzo is quick to remind me.
My jaw clenches.
I don’t like it either. He’ll be dead soon enough.
Once I take Evelyn in hand and ensure she won’t try to run from me, I’ll be free to resume my pursuit of Crawford.
She seems like a reasonable person; she’s endured horrors and hasn’t broken down into hysterics. She’d been consumed by panic for a few terrible minutes—when she’d been afraid of me—but I managed to soothe her.
In her confusion, she might not realize the electric chemistry we share, but I’ll use it to my advantage. She responds to my touch, and I’ll gladly take every opportunity to hold her.
Have a safe flight. I send the final text and close the messaging app.
I don’t want to argue with my friends anymore. They need to trust that I’m capable of navigating this situation, just as I trust them to set up the infrastructure we need in Europe.
I know I’m acting out of character, and that’s worrying them, especially when we’re so close to attaining our goal. I’ve never obsessed over a woman like this, and I definitely don’t hold them captive, no matter how dark my sexual games can become.
My connections with women are meant to be hedonistic and fleeting—fulfilling my most savage needs without the headache of emotional attachment.
I’m too busy with my work to indulge in long term distractions.
Ensuring my security, power, and wealth is more important than a relationship.
And my devotion to my friends’ mission far outweighs my nonexistent interest in romance.
But Evelyn looks at me like I’m her salvation. No one has ever looked at me like that. The feeling is new and addictive, and I crave more.
I reach for my phone again and tap out a message to Duarte’s staff, requesting breakfast. Evelyn will be hungry when she wakes up, and I can’t allow her to sleep for much longer. I have to talk to her about attending Duarte’s party tonight.
I have to make sure she’ll behave for me.
A few decidedly wicked ways to enforce her obedience play through my mind, but I shut them down before they fully form.
She’ll be terrified if she wakes up to my hard-on. It’s difficult to keep my lust in check with her delectable body cuddled up against me, her feminine curves barely concealed by my oversized shirt.
The sight of it on her pleases me. After seeing her in Crawford’s bloodstained shirt, the visible sign that I’ve staked my own claim over her fills me with savage satisfaction.
I stroke her soft cheek, tracing the tiny, light freckles that dust her creamy complexion.
“Farfallina,” I murmur, rousing her gently. “It’s time to wake up.”
Her long lashes flutter, and her brow pinches with confusion. Those stunning green eyes peer up at me, and I watch as reality darkens her lovely gaze. She’s remembering where she is and what happened to her last night.
I flex my arm around her, tugging her closer in a reassuring embrace. “You’re safe, dolcezza.”
Her eyes begin to shine, and she blinks quickly to hold back her tears. I cup her cheek in my hand, grounding her to me.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You can cry. You don’t have to hold back around me.”
After I saved her from the creep in the bar, she’d hidden her distress from Crawford. She’d protected him from worry with her quiet strength.
But I’m strong enough for both of us, and she doesn’t have to bear that kind of burden now that she’s with me.
She blinks again and swallows hard, edging away from me. “Let me go.”
I don’t budge an inch. It takes no effort at all to keep her pinned to my side, trapped in my arms.
“I’ve got you,” I soothe, trailing my fingers through her silken hair.
She calmed when I petted her like this last night, but it doesn’t seem as effective now.
She squirms.
“Please.” Her plea comes out on a ragged whisper.
I can’t bear the prospect that she might fear me, so I reluctantly release her. Maybe she needs a little space to sort through her surging emotions.
She scoots away from me, clambering off the bed to put distance between us. Her eyes are wide on me, her gaze flicking over my bare chest before snapping back up to my face. She licks her lips and takes a step back, putting more space between us.
Her pupils are dilated—with fear or desire?
I want to believe that she’s aroused by the sight of my body, but she’s undeniably shaken by everything she’s been through in the last twenty-four hours.
I sigh and nod in the direction of the ensuite. “Everything you need is in the bathroom. Let me know if you want anything different from what I ordered.”
Her toiletries, makeup, and clothes were quietly delivered a few hours ago. Duarte has an efficient team on staff, and they didn’t ask any questions when I messaged them to request everything that Evelyn might need. I’ll make her comfortable here with me, and she’ll have no reason to want to leave.
“Go on,” I prompt when she doesn’t immediately move to obey me.
We’ll have to work on that. I’m accustomed to having my orders followed without question or hesitation. If it weren’t for her traumatic circumstances, her delayed compliance would irritate me.
As it is, I have more patience for her. She’s been through a lot, and she needs a little time to process her new reality.
Once she accepts that she’s safest with me, she’ll be much happier and more amenable.
I’ll care for her and give her everything she could possibly desire, and she will be eager to please me in return.
“Breakfast will be here soon,” I tell her when she continues to linger. “You have fifteen minutes.”
“And what will you do if I don’t comply? Drug me again?”
I grimace and cross my arms over my chest. “You needed rest.”
She lifts her brows. “And you had to tie me up for that?”
Her chin tilts in that same defiant posture I glimpsed last night. It should irk me, but I’m consumed by the nearly overwhelming urge to take her in my arms and kiss all the defiance from her fragile frame.
But I won’t scare her again. I never want her to look at me with terror in her lovely eyes.
I can be careful in my seduction. She’ll welcome my kiss soon enough.
“I tied you up to prevent you from doing something foolish,” I explain.
“If you’d tried to leave as soon as my back was turned, Duarte’s men would’ve stopped you from leaving this building.
They wouldn’t hurt you, but I decided you didn’t need to go through that when you’d already had a difficult night. ”
She scoffs. “What if I don’t want you to decide what’s best for me? I understand that you think you’re protecting me, but I want to go back to America.”
“That’s not an option.” My firm tone is a warning; I won’t accept further defiance when it comes to her safety. “I won’t put you at risk when Crawford will come after you as soon as you leave my side.”
She wilts at the reminder of his betrayal, her shoulders dropping. Her teeth sink into her pillowy lower lip, holding in words she’s not ready to say.
“We can talk more over breakfast.” I’m gentler with her this time, gesturing in the direction of the ensuite. “Go on.”
She shivers, and her eyes drop to the floor, as though she’s forcibly breaking from the power of my steady stare. She keeps her eyes averted from mine as she walks the short distance to the bathroom.
I take a breath and struggle to master my desire to hold her. I ache to touch her, to make her melt in my hands.
A knock on the door distracts me from my internal battle, cooling my mounting need for her. I pull on a lightweight black robe and cross the sitting room to accept our breakfast. I thank the server and wheel the cart into the suite myself, ensuring that Evelyn and I have complete privacy.
I’ve just finished setting the small dining table when I hear the bathroom door unlock.
“Come here,” I call out, another firm order. “It’s time to eat.”
I won’t allow her to neglect her needs. Evelyn is my responsibility now, and I’ll make sure that she’s well cared for.
She appears at the threshold to the sitting room, and her eyes narrow on me.
“You can’t just order me around like that.”
I meet her with a cool stare of my own, my brows raised expectantly. “You’re hungry.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I am not.”
“I warned you not to lie to me.”
She huffs out a frustrated breath. “Fine. I’m hungry. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you boss me around.”
My mouth quirks in a crooked smile. She’s cute when she’s indignant.
I simply pull out a chair for her and wait, keeping her locked in my expectant stare.
She glares at me and digs in her heels, lips pressing to a thin, angry line.
“You can sit down and eat your breakfast, or I can feed it to you while you sit on my lap.”
Even as I issue the ultimatum, the prospect of following through on my threat stirs my darkest carnal urges.
I’m almost disappointed when she releases an exasperated breath and strides toward the table. Her obedience should please me, but I crave to cuddle her close and feed her from my own hand. Now isn’t the time to hold her against her will, but I resolve to fulfil that particular fantasy soon.
She sits stiffly, her back ramrod straight.
“Good girl.”
She bristles at the praise.
“I don’t want to be here,” she announces, keeping me fixed in that defiant glare. “I’m not behaving out of some desire to please you. I know I can’t fight you. I can’t outrun you. But you’re making a mistake keeping me here. The DEA will figure out where I am, and—”
“Your fiancé isn’t coming to save you,” I snap, a wave of ire surging to wash away my deviant pleasure.
She pales, but she doesn’t back down. “I know.” She swallows, her eyes shining with pain. “But I’m still an American citizen, and you’re friendly with the cartel. You can’t just kidnap me and expect to get away with it.”
“I didn’t kidnap you. You came with me willingly,” I remind her, not caring for the way she’s twisting the facts.
“I want to leave,” she insists. “Are you going to let me go?”
“No,” I reply flatly. “Don’t ask again.”
She rolls her shoulders, shrugging off the threat in my tone. “Then you’re holding me captive, whether you kidnapped me or not. It won’t make a difference to the American authorities.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the American feds,” I growl. “No one will take you from me.”
I hate the fear that shadows her eyes. I’d wanted to make her melt, not shudder.
“I’ll keep you safe,” I promise, gentling my voice.
I sit down beside her so that I’m no longer looming over her.
She tenses when I take her hand in mine, but she doesn’t try to pull away. Her fingers are chilled with fear, so I brush my thumb over her knuckles to warm them.
“I can’t let you go,” I say, a confession and a promise.
She’ll accept that she’s safest with me, once I prove to her how I’ll take care of her in every way imaginable.
“It’s not safe for you out there. Crawford is still working for the DEA. If you go to the authorities for help, he will find you. And now that you know the truth about him, he won’t let you live.”
“You don’t know that.” Her denial hitches despite her bravado.
“He didn’t lift a finger to protect you,” I remind her. “He would’ve let his cartel friends shoot you to keep his secret safe.”
She closes her eyes and turns her face away, as though hearing the truth in my words causes her physical pain.
“I don’t want to be here,” she whispers. “I don’t want any of this.”
I touch two fingers beneath her chin, directing her gaze to mine. “Look at me.”
The glimmer of tears that brightens her eyes cuts into my chest, but I keep my most volatile emotions off my face.
Revealing the depth of my hatred for Crawford and the murderous rage I feel toward him for causing her this pain won’t soothe her.
She needs me to be calm and composed, in control of the situation.
“The time for regret is over,” I tell her. “There’s no going back. You know the truth about Crawford, and you know you’re not safe with him. I will protect you with my life. Stay with me, Evelyn.”
She doesn’t have a choice, but it’ll be easier for her if she can pretend. And I won’t have to worry about her trying to escape if she chooses to stay in the gilded cage that I’ll build for her.
A single tear rolls down her cheek, spilling over despite her attempts to rein in her emotions.
“I’m scared, Massimo.”
Her admission hits me like a gut punch. It’s the first time she’s ever said my name, and it wavers with fear.
But not fear of me. Not anymore.
Moving slowly so I won’t spook her, I lower my face to hers. Her gorgeous eyes widen, and her lush lips part on a sharp intake of breath.
“Don’t be afraid,” I murmur a hairsbreadth from her mouth, allowing my low command to sink into her.
She sucks in a soft gasp and turns her face away, but she doesn’t shudder in revulsion. Her cheeks flush a delectable shade of pink.
I ease back, giving her space.
I can be patient. Evelyn will come to me. She’ll welcome me to ravage her. She will beg and whimper my name.
I breathe her in to center myself, focusing on the light floral notes of her scent that mingle with my own. I wonder if she tastes as sweet as she smells.
Soon, I tell myself, noting her perfect blush and the way her light green eyes flash as she takes a quick peek at me. She’s drawn to me, even if she’s conflicted.
Evelyn is all mine, and she isn’t going anywhere.