Chapter 4 #2
Without thinking about what the repercussions of being caught down here would be, I make my way down the corridor.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I shouldn’t be doing this.
The adrenaline in my body is making me want to throw up, but I can’t think of that right now.
I need to look down here and see if I can find their torture room or see if they have any prisoners. What if they have my brother?
Since we’re supposedly at war with the Andrettis, they could have kidnapped my brother.
It wouldn’t hurt to look to make sure I’m wrong, right?
I know in my heart that my brother isn’t dead, no matter what my father or anyone else says.
I just wish I knew where he was so that I could bring him home.
Someone somewhere has to know something about the attack.
The hallway is empty so far, which I’m happy about as I keep walking. If anyone caught me down here, I’d be dead in an instant. Come to think of it, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. At least then I wouldn’t have to marry Salvatore. The only way out of that arrangement is through death.
I get to the end, and there’s another door.
I slowly swing it open and discover another large room.
The air is cool in this one, sending a shiver throughout my body.
The first thing I notice is that the walls are covered in paintings.
Even from here, I can tell they look authentic and expensive.
Whoever purchased these has great taste.
Guess that’s why it’s cool in here. I slowly walk around the room, taking a moment to look at each piece of art as it captivates me.
They’re all gorgeous, and some are worth millions of dollars.
Damn, this is quite the collection. I only know this because Luca used to collect art too.
Ever since he started collecting, I have been interested.
I wanted to know the history, so I studied by doing tons of research and reading about famous and expensive paintings and sculptures.
I learned a great deal about the subject.
“I do believe this is called trespassing,” a voice suddenly speaks from behind me, sounding a little harsh and authoritative, disrupting the otherwise silent space.
I was so engrossed in studying the paintings that I hadn’t realized someone else was in the room with me.
A scared shriek escapes me as I spin around to face the person standing there.
He starts speaking again before I can say or do anything.
Not like I actually want to say anything, though.
“Who are you and what the hell are you doing down here?”
I don’t respond because what the hell do I say? For all I know, he could think I’m here trying to steal the art. I just stand there and stare at him, hoping he’ll disappear, but I have no such luck.
The guy is tall, like freakishly huge, as he towers over me. He’s definitely over six feet, I’d say about six four or something like that.
I slowly start to inch my way backward, not that there’s anywhere to fucking go. He notices the movement and stalks over, grabbing me by the throat and slamming me back against the wall. At least he did it where none of the art pieces are, I muse.
An oomph escapes me. I’m ticked off at how this damn brute is handling me.
The top of my head only comes up to his shoulders, as he almost flattens me into the wall.
I can see him staring at me through the slits in his mask, and it’s intense.
His mask is half white and half black, with a gold design around the eyes and down the middle.
My body trembles a little at the contact between us, creating a weird current that washes over me as we continue to take one another in.
He moves even closer to me, so that his front is touching mine.
A gasp slips out when I feel him harden against me, and I’m sure my face is scarlet red right now.
I’m beginning to feel many things that I can’t explain.
But for some unexplainable reason, I want to explore them and see where they will take me.
And maybe I will, since it’s my one night to be reckless, but not here. Giana and I are still going to the club later, so I have to figure someway out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into. I can’t let these new and unexplainable feelings get in the way of my escape.
Though with the way my nipples are pebbling beneath the wrap I’m wearing, I’m hoping it’s thick enough to hide them.
“Are you going to tell me your name, sweetness?” he questions. I shake my head no, and he lets out a sigh. “We’re doing this my way then.”
I’m beyond riddled with anxiety right now, hoping that he won’t figure out my secret because that will lead to so many questions.
Questions I definitely don’t want to answer or even have the answers to.
Fuck! Maybe I should have stayed the hell home.
But from the way he’s acting, I think he already knows.
His hand moves up toward my head, but I can’t pull my gaze away from those striking blue eyes behind the mask to stop him.
He rips the mask off my face, and there is no missing that I’m a woman.
My wig and the wig cap quickly follow, causing my hair to slide down my back. I gasp, indignantly this time.
He drops everything onto the floor as he stands and watches me.
Well, we’re both studying each other, though I can’t see his face yet.
I have a feeling that this brute is smiling behind that stupid mask if the way his eyes are crinkling is any indication.
His gaze scorches me as it roves over every inch of my skin.
His body presses into mine, and he gets hard, rubbing against me for a second, before quickly pulling away. A moan escapes me. Something passes between us, and it builds in intensity as the minutes pass.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the elusive Mafia princess, Aria Bellucci,” he finally says in a gravelly voice, breaking the silence that stretched between us.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Well, any hope of him not knowing who I am just went out the window.
“I’m sorry, you must have me confused with someone else,” I mutter. “I don’t know who that person is.”
“Oh, I’m not confused at all, babe. I know exactly who is standing in front of me.”
“You clearly don’t,” I say, grasping at straws.
“If you aren’t Aria Bellucci, then why do you look just like her and why are you wearing Luca’s mask?” he questions.
“Huh?”
“That mask. Luca Bellucci is the only person I’ve ever seen wear this particular mask. So how did you get it if you aren’t who I say you are?” he questions.
I’m so confused right now. Fucking hell!
Is that why I was getting all those stares earlier and why people seemed so interested in talking to me?
That would explain things. But it’s confusing all the same, because everyone knows Luca is still missing.
I’m guessing they were confused, too, since I'm much smaller than Luca.
“Wh-who are you? What are you going to do with me?” I ask, instead of answering his questions. He also doesn’t answer me, instead moving his hand to his face, pulling his mask off, and dropping it to the floor with mine. I inhale deeply as I come face-to-face with him.
Fuck. Me. All. The. Way. To. Hell. And. Back!
It’s the Devil himself.
Enzo freaking Andretti.
I scan his face as I look up, landing on fierce blue eyes glowering down at me. I can see so much now with his mask off. Wow! It should be illegal to look that perfect. No. No. No. Don’t think about his stupidly perfect fucking face!
The first couple of buttons on his shirt are open, and I see tattoos peeking out on his chest, running all the way up to his neck.
From the little I can see, he’s a damn fine work of art.
The photos I’ve seen of him online do not do this man any justice at all.
By the way, I can’t believe I missed all of that while he had me pinned against the wall!
The sight of his ink instantly turns me on. They’re gorgeous. Huh? I can’t believe that just the simple sight of tattoos would get me so hot and bothered. Or maybe it’s because they're on him.
He has a chiseled jawline with a hint of stubble, a straight Roman nose, pink full lips, and a low-cut black hairstyle. He’s lean and muscular with broad shoulders, if the way he’s filling out his suit is anything to go by. He is quite literally the most beautiful man I have ever seen.
The implications of his identity break me out of the spell I was under, and without thinking, I shove him away. The move is so unexpected that he actually takes a step back, and I take the opportunity to make a mad dash for the door to get away from him.
He recovers fast, and I only make it about three steps before he grabs my arm and pulls me back into him once again. He spins me so that our fronts are pressed together, and he wraps his hand around my waist from the back as he holds onto me tightly.
“If you don’t let go of me, I’ll scream,” I warn.
“Go ahead, baby. No one will hear you. I love it when people scream for me, but I have a feeling I’ll love yours more,” he whispers sultrily in my ear, before unexpectedly slamming his lips down on mine.
I try to keep my lips closed and not open up for him, but he bites them, causing a gasp to leave me, and my mouth opens for him.
He slips his tongue into my mouth as he kisses me with a passion I have only read about in books. It’s my first kiss, and mind-blowing doesn’t even begin to cover it. All I can think about is how much more of this—of him, I want.
I know this might turn out to be a disaster for a million reasons, and I shouldn’t want to be with him, but his kisses are making me stupid.
Instead of some random, faceless man at the club I want to lose my virginity to, I want it to be Enzo instead.
I want to follow this man and see where the night will take us, if that is even what he wants.
I want to know what it feels like to be with a man who is scorching hot, exudes power, and is definitely an alpha.
Plus, the energy he’s giving off feels like it’ll burn me alive.
I have no doubt that I will not enjoy being with my future husband.
This might be my one and only chance to enjoy a night with Enzo Andretti.
He pulls away from me a moment later, and the look in his eyes is what I can only call possession. It’s a look that says he wants to devour me and that I’m his. Well, at least for tonight that is.
“Let’s get out of here and go into the guesthouse where we can talk better. And trust me, we have a lot of talking to do,” he says huskily as he drags me along with him. He doesn’t give me a chance to accept or decline his offer. Not that I would’ve said no.