Chapter 15
Laurie
Sweet Jesus.
The way Adriano puts me under his spell should be studied.
As I lick the inside of his mouth, his taste addictive, I keep being dragged deeper under whatever dark magic he’s woven around me.
He allows me a couple of seconds before he takes control of the kiss, and with the hard stroke of his tongue, I’m swept up and stolen away from reality.
All the alarm bells fall silent, every single way this man terrified me today is forgotten, and my survival instinct becomes non-existent.
I get completely lost in his kiss, as if I’ve known him all my life, and he’s the safest place I could ever be.
His kisses. They’re otherworldly.
Usually I’m stuck in my head, either wondering if the guy even wants to kiss me, or counting down the seconds for it to end.
But not with Adriano. God, no.
His lips nip and tug at mine in the sexiest way, and those hard strokes of his tongue before he laps at my mouth…Sweet, sweet, baby Jesus.
My hands frame his jaw, and when I feel his bristles scraping against my skin, I let out a satisfied moan.
Suddenly, he lifts his head. With hooded, black eyes and sex written all over his face, his hold on my butt tightens.
As I come out of the spell, I feel his hard-on, and it clears my mind at the speed of light, but before I can extract myself from his arms, Adriano lets me go and gets up from the bed.
Holy shit, I forgot we were lying on his bed.
With my hair probably all over the place, I sit up in the cloud of white fabric and pat over my strands, tucking some behind my ears.
Adriano unbuttons his vest, and when he pulls it off, my eyes land on his gun tucked into the waistband of his pants, and it feels like someone pours a bucket of ice water over me.
Then he takes hold of his gun, and I watch with wide eyes and a bobbing throat as he checks the magazine.
Even my breathing is cautious while my eyes track his every movement as he walks back toward the bed. His gaze flicks to me, then he opens the drawer, and I see boxes of bullets and…Oh my God, he uses XL condoms?
Not wanting to get pregnant, I did a lot of research on condoms and know it means Adriano is packing some serious thick heat, as the size of a condom is usually for girth and not length.
I hear a metallic clicking sound, and my eyes snap to where he’s loading bullets into the magazine.
The way his fingers move tells me he’s done this a lot of times.
How many people has he killed?
The question rips through me with the force of a category five tornado.
“Laurie.” The low rumble of his voice startles me, and I jerk. When my gaze flies to his, he tilts his head, his eagle eyes searching mine. “Are you okay?”
My eyebrows lift, because…seriously?
Of course I’m not okay!
Then I snort, and as my nerves quickly unravel, I begin to laugh while scooting off the bed and walking out of the bedroom.
With every step, I move faster, panic clawing up my throat, and when I reach the stairs, I grab the banister and rush down them while muttering, “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”
The stupid damn dress tangles around my sneaker, and my stomach drops as I pitch forward.
I grab for the railing, my nails scraping over the polished wood, but before I can go tumbling down the marble staircase, an arm hooks around my waist. I’m yanked backward against Adriano’s chest with enough force to rip the breath from my lungs.
One second I’m falling, the next my front is pressed to the wall beside the staircase, his body caging me in from behind.
His hand slides into my hair, brushing it away from my face while I drag in panicked breaths. “Take a second to calm down.”
Nope. Not happening.
Now that he’s removed the vest, I feel the heat pouring off him through the white dress shirt that’s stretched over his muscled chest, and when his mouth presses to my temple, something inside me weakens in the worst possible way.
What chance do I stand against this man?
He’s a criminal with no conscience, a mafia boss who kills, coerces, and manipulates everything around him.
“Shh…” Adriano presses his forehead against my hair, his breath warm on my ear and throat. “I give you my word, I won’t hurt you.” His arm tightens around my waist like a warning wrapped in comfort. “Calm down for me, mia piccola farfalla.”
My breathing slows down, and I swipe my tongue over my dry lips. Once my chest stops heaving, Adriano eases his hold on me. As he steps back, I stay plastered against the wall while slowly turning around.
“Go to our bedroom,” he orders. “I’ll bring your suitcase so you can change into something more comfortable.”
He takes the rest of the stairs down, and when he disappears into the short hallway that leads to the living room, I let out a harsh breath and press my hand to my racing heart.
Shit. What the hell am I going to do?
Lifting the fabric of the wedding dress, I walk up the stairs, and entering Adriano’s bedroom again, I glance over the rumpled black covers on the massive bed, the side tables, lamps, chaise, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The walk-in closet is huge, and every piece of clothing is packed neatly and arranged by color.
I walk a little deeper, and spotting the bathroom, I hurry into it and shut the door behind me.
Okay. Process this and come up with a plan of action.
Moving toward the long black-stone counter, I take in the sheer luxury of the spa-like tub and shower that’s straight out of my fantasies.
I flick up the lever by one of the sinks and wait for the water to warm a little before I squirt some handwash into my palm. Sniffing the gel, it smells expensive. While I wash my hands, my gaze locks on my reflection in the massive mirror that stretches across the wall above the entire counter.
The kink I always have in my hair has returned, and you wouldn’t think I spent thirty minutes straightening it this morning.
God, was it really this morning?
It feels like it’s been a week since I woke up in the penthouse and gorged myself on the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever had.
I signed the contract and marriage register. I’m legally bound to Adriano and so very screwed.
As I rinse my hands and the suds whirl down the drain, I try to remember everything he said, but that proves to be impossible.
After drying my hands, I glance around the bathroom. Spotting a round ottoman, I plop down on it, settling my chin in my palm as I stare at the shut bathroom door.
What am I going to do?
Adriano paid me. He’s made it very clear he has zero intention of going back on the deal or letting me go.
He has armed men who will stop me if a miracle happens and I manage to escape him.
I let out a sigh.
Jesus, can we just take a minute to think about how freaking intense and hot he is?
I shake my head, adamant not to go down that path.
But, damn, girl! You’ve been complaining about being ignored and treated like trash, and now there’s a drop-dead gorgeous billionaire who wants to lavish you with attention.
“Ugh. Stop, Laurie,” I mutter under my breath as I stand up again. “He’s a mafia boss.”
Jesus. A mafia boss.
It sinks in like a ton of bricks, and fear clears my head. Using common sense, I decide to play his game for a little while until the opportunity to escape arises.
Then my ass will take the first available flight to the other side of the country.
“Okay. You can do this,” I whisper as I walk to the door, but when I open it and my eyes land on Adriano, I start blinking like crazy and my brain misfires.
Mother of God.
My eyes drag over the black ink covering his chest, and for a second, I honestly forget to breathe.
His broad chest is defined with muscles, as if he’s spent his entire life exercising and fighting to survive.
There’s not an ounce of softness on him.
The man is all hard pecs, deep lines running down his stomach, and every ab cuts sharp into his bronzed skin.
Adriano looks even more dangerous without a shirt on, like violence wrapped in beautiful, expensive skin.
I suck in a breath as I take in all his tattoos, the dark ink wrapping over his right shoulder and down his arm in brutal detail, consisting of roses, guns, prayer hands holding rosary beads, skulls, and five crows.
There’s a deer grazing on his left side, and across the entire right side of his chest is a devil with hollow eyes, the mouth smirking as if it knows all the secrets to the universe.
As his hands move to grab a soft-looking shirt from a shelf, his skin ripples over roped muscle and veins that lead all the way to his hands, and once again, I get stuck on the words above his knuckles.
KNEEL.
Now it makes sense.
As I take in the detail of the skull, sitting in the center of a sharp-pointed star, I know with dead certainty this man is used to seeing people on their knees.
Adriano pulls the shirt on, and as he adjusts it over his torso, his eyes suddenly lock with mine, and I’m blasted a step backward from the intensity in his stare.
Laurie, I have bad news, girl. I don’t think you’re going to get away from this man, so… uhm… maybe you should try to win him over? Turn his obsession into love.
Jesus. How? I couldn’t make a normal guy love me, so how the hell am I going to get it right with someone like Adriano?
“Feel better?” he asks.
I nod, and wiping my sweaty palms down my sides, I swallow hard.
He closes the distance between us, and placing his hand on my hip, he presses a kiss to my forehead before saying, “Change into something comfortable and come to the kitchen.”
I wait for him to leave and shut the door before I walk to my suitcase. So over this damn wedding dress, I practically rip it off and dig out a pair of jeans and a sweater. This mansion is icy from the AC blasting through the air.
It’s probably so the smoking hot devil doesn’t combust into flames.