Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
My cock, already half hard, thickens and strains against my pants. I lift a hand, tracing my thumb along her jaw, tilting her chin so she’s looking right at me. “I’ve never fucked a woman who didn’t beg me for it, Aemelia.” My voice drops to a rough whisper. “And I mean, begged. On their knees, hands pressed together, pleading for my dick.”
Her breathing stutters, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, her fingers curl around the counter.
I grin, slow and wicked, loving how easy it is to turn her on. “Tell me, kitten. Are you the begging type?”
The back door opens, drawing Aemelia's attention away from me to Luca, who stands on the threshold, his jaw set and glacial eyes narrowed on us. I don't pull away from Aemelia immediately, though. Luca hasn't got a leg to stand on when it comes to keeping distance between us and our captive.
“Aemelia, you should shower,” he says coolly. “I'm sure Antonio is done by now.”
“If not, maybe you could join him like last time,” I add, smiling as her cheeks flush at whatever memory she has of Antonio's tongue. Jealousy slides through me, not because I'm angry with my brother for getting a taste but because I want one for myself, with a fever and determination I haven't felt in a long time, maybe not ever. Why does the forbidden fruit always seem the sweetest?
Before she answers, something flickers in her expression—uncertainty, maybe realization. She inhales sharply, then steps back, slipping past me with a grace that’s almost frustrating. “I should go upstairs,” she says, her voice quieter now.
I let her go, watching her retreat with a smirk, knowing this isn’t the end of it.
Luca steps inside just as she disappears up the stairs. “You’re playing with fire.”
I stretch my arms above my head before leaning back against the counter. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want me touching her?”
Luca’s jaw tenses. “I’m saying don’t get too close.”
I chuckle. “This coming from the guy who spent the night in her bed?”
His nostrils flare slightly. “That was different.”
I push off the counter, moving toward him. “It was?”
“She was scared. She needed comfort.”
I snort. “And if she needs comfort again? What, we take turns?”
Luca’s glare sharpens. “This isn’t a game, Alexis.”
I smirk. “Who said it was? Look, I get it. You think she’s some delicate thing who needs to be handled carefully. But let’s not forget—we paid for her virginity. If she wants to experience what it’s like to be with the Venturis, that’s her choice.”
Luca’s lips press into a thin line. “That was never part of the plan.”
“It wasn’t?”
He lets his eyelids drop slowly, exhaling like this whole conversation is paining him. “She does it for the right reasons, or not at all.”
I shrug. “We’ll see.”
He exhales sharply, shaking his head before changing the subject. “We need to talk about the video.”
I nod. “Yeah. Carlo’s still not taking the bait.”
Luca crosses his arms. “We need to be ready. This could get messy.”
I grin, my pulse thrumming with anticipation. “Messy is my favorite kind of fun, as Aemelia was about to find out.”
Luca grinds his teeth. “We send the men out to gather intel. That should be the only thing we’re interested in.”
“When Carlo is a corpse, his daughter is ours,” I say.
“If she wants to be,” is my brother’s pragmatic answer. It’s the first time he’s admitted that he wants her. The metaphorical line I was talking about is real, and I’m not remaining at the back of it until this vendetta is settled. There is nothing to do in this place except eat, watch TV and fuck, and only two of those options interest me.
23
AEMELIA
NOT MY FATHER
Antonio left after breakfast with a lingering backward glance as though he was worried about leaving me in the house with four gnarled soldiers who barely speak, and his brothers. After showering one by one, the soldiers disappear to man the perimeter, and Luca spends most of his time pacing in the backyard on the phone, leaving me alone with Alexis.
His words won’t stop echoing around in my mind like a drug, dissolving my composure and making me restless.
Are you the begging type?
I didn’t think I was, but when he said it, my pussy tightened like a closing fist, and my knees softened like they were ready to bend for him. Heat pooled low in my belly, pulsing between my thighs. I remembered Luca ordering me to my knees, his fingers brushing against me, and instead of disgust, all I felt was rage and hunger.
Something happened to me during my captivity. These men, who at first seemed like monsters, have become undeniably human in my eyes. The fear I once felt is no longer a scream in my mind. It’s just a whisper now, an occasional shiver down my spine, something that lingers but does not command me.