Chapter 9
Luca
I’d been a married man for nearly a week, and I still barely knew my wife.
I’d been busy with the family business and with moving my ailing father into our house in the city.
He’d insisted on giving the Long Island mansion to “the newlyweds” since I had no plans to take a honeymoon.
Tensions were still running high, and Dante hadn’t shown his face since I’d stolen his bride.
If Dad found his absence at the reception odd, he didn’t remark upon it.
Most likely, he hadn’t even noticed. He’d barely made it down the stairs to join the party, and exhaustion sapped his senses.
I’d taken note of it. And I was wary that Dante hadn’t come to meet with my father once since the wedding.
I had no idea what his next move might be.
He hadn’t declared open war on me, but he hadn’t come back into the fold either.
For all appearances, he seemed to be running his business as usual.
The money was still coming in from his various enterprises, so there was no reason for my father to be suspicious.
I would never trust the sadistic bastard.
So, I’d been working long hours away from Nora, coming home to find her already asleep in our bed.
I hadn’t fucked her in the harsher way I truly wanted since the night I’d taken her virginity, a delay I wasn’t keen to continue.
After the reception, she’d been too traumatized by her sick cousin’s attack for me to touch her sexually.
And in the days since, I’d been more cautious in how I handled her.
I’d made sure she experienced pleasure when I claimed her body, but I hadn’t been fully satisfied.
I hate you. Every time her acerbic words needled my mind, they dug a little deeper. I didn’t want to share my life with a woman who hated me. And I certainly didn’t desire Nora’s disgust.
On the night she was assaulted by Alberto, she’d shown remarkable strength and resilience.
And she’d never once crumpled and sobbed since I’d kidnapped her and forced her into this marriage.
She’d told me that men had beaten her throughout her life, but she still possessed fire in her soul.
I’d liked that defiant fire the first time I’d taken her over my knee.
I didn’t want to be the one to snuff it out.
I’d been more careful with her than I would like since the reception, sparing her from my darker needs. I liked taking care of my pretty bride, but I didn’t intend to deny my desires for the rest of my life. She would learn to accept them; I would teach her to love my more deviant plans for her.
I just had to woo her outside the bedroom, and she would be more amenable to trusting me to fuck her however I pleased. This could be a happy marriage, if I could just convince my beautiful wife not to hate me.
She watched me warily as I approached her in the library, sinking slightly deeper into her plush armchair and pulling her book protectively up to her chest. Nora didn’t fear me, exactly, but she always tensed when I neared.
Particularly now, when I was in a deviant mood.
She must’ve been able to read something darker in my demeanor, because she licked her lips in trepidation and desire.
Perfect. My pretty wife was learning to please me, even if she didn’t realize it.
I planned to take another step in her training.
I held out my hand, beckoning. “Come here.”
She was breathtakingly graceful when she unfolded herself from the chair and got to her feet.
She truly did have a dancer’s form. I relished the prospect of admiring her at my leisure.
I hadn’t wanted to marry, but Nora would be a good companion for me.
There were worse fates than having such a striking woman in my bed and at my side.
She looked up at me, curiosity sparking in her hazel eyes despite her attempt to put on the composed mask that I hated. She couldn’t seem to help herself; she always tried to hide behind it, a lifelong mechanism for self-preservation.
I could be patient with her. I loved slowly making her come undone as I tempted and provoked her by turns, until the real woman underneath was panting and moaning in my arms.
“I have a surprise for you,” I told her, watching every nuance of her expression.
Her eyes sparked before she blinked away the moment of anticipation. An arrogant, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Yes, she would like this. She would love every aspect of what I was about to give her.
“You don’t have to give me anything,” she murmured, demure behind that false serene smile.
I touched two fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face so that she was locked in my steady stare. “I want to give you things, Nora. I can make you happy. Let me.”
Her brow furrowed slightly, the mask starting to crack. “You really mean that?”
She still didn’t believe me.
I caressed her cheek. “Why would I want my wife to be miserable?” I reasoned. “We can have a good life together, kitten.”
Her lips no longer pursed with irritation when I used the endearment.
My smile widened. She was doing so well.
“What’s the surprise?” she asked, avoiding my more serious assertions about our future.
I let it slide. In the short time I’d known her, I’d gotten the sense that Nora didn’t allow herself to envision her future.
She was in survival mode, living day to day and struggling to adjust to her new reality of married life.
She’d spent her time exploring the layout of the mansion and the grounds, and she’d met the staff who ran it.
She was learning to manage the household, a task I was certain she would perform beautifully.
But that alone wouldn’t fulfill her. I’d found her in the library more than once, cozied up with a romantic novel. My wife would want more from her life than a cold union with a mafia Don, existing solely to keep my home and raise my heir.
I could offer her so much more than that. Not the fantasy of love that she probably secretly dreamed of, but I would provide for her and give her a good life. That was the most anyone could ask for in the real world.
I smiled down at her, my grin a touch wicked. I loved the way she shivered in response.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” I chided.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the length of black cloth. She blinked at it, puzzled. My innocent bride had no idea what I planned for her.
Anticipation coiled my muscles, and my grin sharpened.
She swallowed hard, but she tipped her chin back and didn’t retreat so much as an inch.
Nora was brave and beautiful, a good match for me.
I would quickly tire of a wife who crumpled and wept every time I turned this darker side of myself on her.
I lifted the cloth to her face, and she didn’t flinch when I brushed the satiny material over her soft cheek.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice a touch breathless.
“Trust me,” I cajoled, desire already gathering at the base of my spine. I craved her trust, her true submission. She would surrender completely to my will, and she would love every ecstatic second of it.
Her eyes were wide and wary on mine. She didn’t trust me at all. Not yet.
That would come with time. For now, I would revel in corrupting my innocent bride.
“Close your eyes,” I ordered, tone soft and encouraging.
My kitten could be very sweet if I handled her gently.
A barked order would make her bristle, and I didn’t want to treat her harshly today.
This was all about her pleasure, making sure she enjoyed my kinkier games.
She would come to crave them as much as I did.
She eyed me suspiciously, but as I lifted the cloth, her lashes obediently lowered to fan her cheeks.
I drew the blindfold around her head, careful not to trap any of her glossy hair as I knotted it firmly in place.
Her lips parted on a soft gasp, and she shook her head slightly as though to toss the length of cloth away.
I cupped her face in my hands, stilling the sign of defiance.
“It’s too late for that, kitten,” I told her, leaning in close so that she could feel the heat of my declaration on her neck. “You’re mine now.”
“I don’t like this.” Her protest shook slightly, but her voice was low and breathy. And she made no move to fight me off or tear away the blindfold.
She stood stiffly before me, small hands fisted at her sides as though she was willing herself to stillness.
I stroked my hand through her hair in the way that she liked. “You’re being so brave for me, Nora. Such a good girl.”
She huffed, her pride chafing. “I don’t like this surprise.”
I nipped at the shell of her ear, and she trembled.
“Liar,” I whispered, the truth snaking into her mind.
I wrapped my fingers around her nape, squeezing gently. Her lips popped open on a soft gasp, all her senses heightened now that I’d taken her sight. My arrogant chuckle was slightly cruel.
“But this isn’t your surprise,” I said, allowing the words to fan her neck with heat. Her sensitive skin pebbled, and I ghosted a kiss over her throat.
A soft keening sound slipped from her, and she quickly pressed her lips together, cheeks coloring with a touch of embarrassment at her lustful response.
“Come with me, kitten.”
I eased back, and she swayed toward me. I laughed again, delighted with her responses. She truly was perfect for me.
I took her dainty hand in mine and led her out of the library. Her first steps were slow and hesitant, but not clumsy. Graceful Nora would never be clumsy, even blindfolded and disoriented.
“Where are you taking me?” She tried to issue a demand, but it was little more than a whisper.
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “Has no one ever given you a surprise, Nora? You don’t seem to understand how they work.”