Chapter 1
Dante
Nora’s delicate body shook in my arms, so I pulled her closer to my chest. A sour tang coated my tongue, but I swallowed it down.
“Don’t worry, little bird,” I murmured. “Remember what I told you in the woods? I promised that if I break you, I’ll always put you back together again.” No matter how deviant my games with her became, I would protect her.
She simply shuddered in silent response.
I firmed my resolve.
She would learn to love serving my darker needs. She would be happy with me.
“You don’t understand yet, but you will,” I said firmly. “You can trust me. I’ll prove it to you.”
We would be a family, and our children would have a safe, stable home.
As the Boss of our organization, I could give them everything they could possibly desire.
I wouldn’t settle for anything less in life.
I’d earned this position of power and security with pain and blood.
I’d spill a lot more if it meant getting what I wanted.
My victory wasn’t quite complete. Many of Luca’s allies had escaped from my estate, retreating from the firefight when he’d come to take Nora from me.
I’d let most of them go; I would need their allegiance.
The Russians were circling like sharks, and I intended to rally all the men I could command to defend our territory.
I just had to break Luca first, and then they would all be mine. He would order them to pledge their loyalty to me by the time I was finished with him.
Then my wife, my future family, would be safe, protected. The power to provide that mattered to me more than anything money could buy.
Nora was the key to his undoing. He cared for her. I’d seen the anguish in his eyes when he’d watched me touch my pretty wife. He’d torn his wrists bloody in his futile attempts to break his chains and save her from me.
But she didn’t need saving. She was safe with me, safer than she’d ever been with him. He was too weak to protect her. He’d never been worthy of controlling our organization. He’d never been worthy of pretending to be her husband.
My arms flexed around her. She pressed her hands tighter against her face, as though she could hide her pretty tears from me.
I didn’t like the violent shudder that wracked her willowy frame.
Ever since I’d known her—ever since the day I’d noticed that she’d matured into a stunning woman hiding in her father’s shadow—Nora had possessed a quiet strength and elegant poise.
Now, she quivered and sobbed even though I held her with tender care.
I firmed my jaw and ignored the slight twist in the pit of my stomach. I’d given her my word: I would put her back together again. I always kept my promises, especially the vows I’d made to my wife.
I carried her away from Luca, back to our bedroom. I would make her forget all about him, flood her with so much pleasure that she had no room in her mind for thoughts of him.
Or fear of me.
She was still crying into her hands when I laid her gently on our bed. I stroked her tear-wet hair back from her cheek, and her teeth chattered. My gut twisted, and I pulled away with a frown.
I’d have to find a way to calm my wife. I wouldn’t leave her shivering and sobbing in our bedroom, even if I did have pressing matters to attend to.
“Stay here, darling.” I dropped a quick kiss to the top of her head and reluctantly pulled away.
I wanted to keep holding her, but I had other plans to soothe her. My base desires didn’t rule me, especially not when I had her wellbeing in mind.
Even now, lust was a low simmer in my veins: residual arousal from our powerplay in my dungeon. Nora was breathtaking when she surrendered to pleasure, and the high of humiliating my worst enemy was intoxicating in a way I’d never known before.
If I were a beast like Luca, I’d drive into her tight heat and take advantage of her for my own release.
But that wasn’t the way my marriage would work. She would welcome me into her body the first time I truly claimed her. There were so many other wicked ways to ensure my wife was pleasured. She would surrender fully soon enough. I could be patient.
Taking in a breath to tamp down my lust, I turned from the alluring sight of her naked body and went into our bathroom. The bathtub was enormous—big enough for both of us. Her skin was oddly chilled, so I would warm her back up.
I tested the water’s warmth and began to fill the bath with soothing lavender bubbles—a scent I hoped would please her. She always smelled delicately sweet and slightly floral, a delicious perfume. The lavender should suit her.
When I was satisfied with the bath, I quickly stripped out of my own clothes and walked back into the bedroom.
She must’ve heard me approaching, because she parted her fingers to peek at me from behind the mask of her hands. Her knees drew up tight to her chest in an unmistakable protective pose.
My jaw tightened. She was afraid of me, afraid that I intended to force myself on her.
“Don’t worry, little bird,” I soothed as I scooped her up in my arms. “I promised I wouldn’t fuck you until you beg me to. I’ll always keep my promises to you.”
“I will never beg you for anything,” she hissed, her hands finally falling from her face. Her hazel eyes shone with tears, but they sparked with defiance.
Some of my tension eased, and my lips curved in a small smile, satisfied to see her fire again.
My smile seemed to unnerve her, because she quickly dropped her lovely gaze. I didn’t like the distance that put between us, but I allowed it. She was still upset, and she needed a tender touch rather than sharp commands.
I carefully eased her into the warm water, and she made a soft gasp when she settled down on her bottom—she would be sore from the flogging. The bath would help soothe her physically as well as emotionally.
She stiffened when I got in with her, sitting behind her and pulling her toward me so that her back pressed against my chest. My desire for her pulsed through me, an involuntary response to having her naked body cradled by mine.
She squirmed and tried to pull away, but my arm was an iron band around her stomach, pinning her in place. I brushed a kiss over her shoulder.
“Calm,” I urged, a cajoling order. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She went still as a statue, each of her lithe limbs tense. “And why should I believe you when you’ve already caused me so much pain? You hurt me, and you liked it.”
“I did.” I wouldn’t lie to my wife, not ever. Especially not about the things that brought me pleasure, no matter how perverse they might be. “But I’m not going to hurt you now. I’ll always take care of you.”
She released a soft huff but otherwise didn’t respond.
I began gently rubbing her shoulders. “Relax,” I murmured.
She didn’t. She remained so still that she might’ve been carved from marble.
Undeterred, I began to massage her, working out the tension from her neck and upper back. Slowly, she softened in my hands.
I decided to reward her for her good behavior. I would teach my wife how to please me, and when she surrendered, she would experience bliss.
I began to explore her body, finding each tender spot that made her sigh and unwind ever so slightly. After a while, she leaned back against my chest, her tired muscles relaxing despite her efforts to resist the allure of my touch.
My hands skimmed down her stomach, dipping between her thighs to urge them farther apart. When I brushed her clit, she shuddered and jerked away from me. Without thinking, I grabbed her hips and held her tightly against me with a warning growl.
I liked her sexual trepidation, but I wouldn’t allow her to cringe away from me every time I held her.
That wasn’t the kind of marriage I would build with her.
She would come to understand me better in time.
I just had to show her how good I could make her feel, how I would spoil her and give her everything she could possibly want in life.
She’d already responded to my darker games so beautifully.
She would come to crave them as much as I did.
“I hate you,” she seethed, her entire body practically vibrating with rage.
I gnashed my teeth, cutting the inside of my cheek. “You are my wife,” I reminded her. “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you. I won’t have you flinching away from my touch.”
“I don’t want you to touch me,” she snapped, twisting in my grip.
Her suds-slicked skin slipped beneath my hands, and she whirled to face me.
Water splashed onto the tile floor when she scooted away until her back hit the opposite end of the tub.
She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly.
Her thick, dark lashes were narrowed as she glowered at me.
“Your touch disgusts me,” she spat. “You’re a monster for what you just did to Luca and me.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, preventing myself from reaching for her. I was on edge, and I would never put a hand on her when I wasn’t fully in control of my emotions.
“You came several times,” I reminded her. “I made sure you enjoyed our game.”
“Our game?” She almost shrieked the words. “I had no part in what you made us do. How dare you call it a game? You debased me. And Luca—”
“Don’t say his name,” I barked, rage flashing red over my vision. “He is nothing. He is no one. I’m your husband.”
“You’re sick.” She flung the accusation like a dagger, but she watched me warily, as though I was a rabid animal who might turn on her at any moment. “You’re a sick, sadistic bastard, and I hate you.”
I raked a hand through my hair and drew in a deep breath, centering myself.
I’d pushed her hard today. Of course, I’d known that she wouldn’t take to my games immediately; she was too na?ve and innocent for that.
I didn’t like hearing that she loathed me, but her anger was understandable.
She would grow accustomed to my darker needs in time, especially when she learned how much pleasure she could find in surrendering to me.
I hadn’t anticipated the spike of jealous rage at the sound of Luca’s name issuing from her lush lips.
Yes, I’d ordered her take him in her mouth, but that had been to torment him, not to allow him to possess her in any way.
Nora was mine and mine alone, no matter how I used her to torture my enemy.
“This is all for your own protection,” I explained as calmly as I could manage, keeping my arms tight against my chest. “I need Luca’s men to hold off the threat of the Russian Bratva.
He will break, and they will pledge their loyalty to me.
I’m strong enough to provide a safe life for you, Nora. I swear I’ll always protect you.”
“You’re the one I need to be protected from,” she said bitterly.
My jaw tightened, and I sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “That’s not true. I’ll prove it to you in time.” I’d show her with my actions that I would defend her and provide for her. I could be patient until she came around.
She lifted her delicate chin, defiant. “If you want to prove that you’re not a monster, let Luca and me go.”
“Not happening,” I bit out. “For one, you are not my prisoner. You are my wife. And Luca isn’t going anywhere. He’s mine now.”
“The last time I tried to run away from you, you hunted me down and tied me up. Then you whipped me and locked me in a cage. And you say I’m not your prisoner?”
I huffed a frustrated sigh. She was being more difficult than I’d anticipated. While I liked her fire, I didn’t enjoy being needled.
“It’s not safe for you to leave. Like I said, the Russians are a threat. I won’t let you go anywhere outside of this fortified estate for now. I won’t let them to get to you.”
A small shiver raced over her delicate frame, the smallest sign of fear.
“Yes, they’re the ones you should be afraid of,” I approved. She needed to stop having notions about leaving me. “I’ll always protect you. And I’ll always ensure that you enjoy our games. You’ve liked them so far, haven’t you? Or did I not make you come hard enough?”
Her cheeks flamed, and her eyes glittered with pure malice.
She still hated me, but she knew the truth: I’d introduced her to more ecstasy than she’d known was possible.
I could work with that. My beautiful wife wouldn’t hate me forever. She would grow accustomed to my desires, and she would relish breaking Luca almost as much as I would.
My phone rang where I’d left it on the counter, distracting me. I surged out of the bath, grabbing a towel from the rack so I could answer the call.
“What?” I demanded, irritated at the interruption.
The guard gave me a panicked message, and anticipation coiled my muscles.
“Let him come,” I commanded with a sharp smile.
It was time to show Luca just how powerless he truly was.