She dug her fingers into my arm, her body swaying. “Uh. Uh. Uh. Uh.”

  I pumped several times, curling my fingers until I knew I’d hit her G-spot. Damn, she was so wet, slickening my entire hand.

  Her soft moans became elongated whimpers, her breath skipping. I knew she was close to coming.

  “Do you want to come, little girl?”

  “Um... Yes... Please.”

  “Ask...”

  “Please. Let. Me. Come.” Her words were pronounced, almost slurred from the passion shooting between us.

  “Come on my hand, princess. Come for me. Come!” Her body convulsed against me, her head bobbing up and down.

  “Oh. Oh. Oh!” The scream flew into the air, floating amongst the rustle of trees and the flock of birds. The sound was utterly joyful.

  The way her muscles clamped around my fingers did little to calm my raging libido. I wasn’t finished with her yet.

  Francesca finally laid her head on my shoulder, still breathing raggedly, her hand caressing my arm.

  I forced her head into my hands, nipping her lower lip, laughing in an evil fashion. I could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she was far from being sated. There was no reaction as I moved her to face the tree, kicking her legs apart.

  She shifted her arms over her head, tipping her head until I could see the smile crossing her face.

  I drove my fingers into her pussy one more time, covering my long digits before wiggling them between her reddened cheeks. Every time I slipped them inside her tight little asshole, my heart raced with increased longing. “I love fucking your ass. Do you enjoy something so dirty, sweet girl?”

  “Yes. Yes, sir.”

  Everything about this was sinful, so delicious.

  Carnal.

  I replaced my fingers with my cockhead, pushing until the tip was just inside. Then I slapped her ass several times before plunging my shaft inside. “God!” I couldn’t stop shaking as I fucked her, driving my cock in with extreme vigor.

  She held her own, arching her back as she pushed against the tree. She wanted the brutal action. She craved the demanding man.

  One who would always take her to new heights of pleasure.

  One who would introduce her to several methods of pain.

  And one who would always be by her side.

  Mine.

  Mine...

  I gripped her hips, closing my eyes as I plunged in long and deep. My balls were so full, swollen to the point of sheer anguish. I wouldn’t last long.

  The sound was mesmerizing, our combined animalistic growls, skin against skin. This was pure magic.

  “Squeeze that tight ass of yours. Do it. Now!”

  She did as she was told, clenching until she stole my breath.

  “Fuck. Yes. Yes!” As I threw my head back, issuing a ferocious roar, I envisioned another time and another place.

  One of peace.

  One that had lasted forever.

  I filled her with cum, more satisfied than I’d been in a long time.

  “Mmm...” she mumbled, her body relaxing.

  I rubbed her hair, tangling my fingers in the beautiful silky strands and pressing kisses along the back of her neck until our breathing quieted. “We need to get back.” I heard the odd slant in my tone, a mixture of continued anger and anxiety. I backed away, sliding my cock into my pants.

  She turned to stare at me, chewing on her inner cheek. Exhaling, she scanned the area, suddenly becoming embarrassed, her arm moving over her breasts. She grabbed her dress, struggling to get it over her shoulders.

  “You’re angry with me,” I said as gently as possible.

  “I think the realization is that you’re angry with everything and everyone.”

  “You’re right in what you said before. The rage is eating me alive. I have my reasons. I’ve been angry for a very long time, but I promise you that I know what’s best. You’re going to have to learn to trust me.”

  She was shivering in my arms, her eyes searching for the truth. “Trust. You have to be kidding me. I don’t know you and I should hate you instead of...”

  “Fucking me?”

  A strangled sigh slipped past her pursed lips. “Exactly.”

  “You don’t hate me, Francesca, because I’ve opened your eyes, peeled away those layers of chains you had wrapped around you for decades. I’ve given you the freedom to choose.”

  “Are you crazy? I’m your prisoner. Even the intimacy we share is all your deciding.”

  “But are you really my prisoner? The way you react to me, the electricity we share can’t be denied.”

  “Just physical attraction.”

  “I think you know better. Why did you run?”

  “Because...” Francesca opened her mouth then closed her eyes. “I don’t understand any of this. You tell me bits and pieces while keeping me locked away. Then you destroy our dinner without telling me why. The rage comes on out of the blue. You’re right. I am afraid of you!”

  There was no retort that was going to make this any better. “I’m sorry for that.”

  She shook her head, wrinkling her nose. “I’ve seen such gentleness, passion roaring from you like just a few moments ago, but I never know when you’re going to erupt.”

  Seeing the fear in her eyes was gut-wrenching.

  “I saw you watching your own movie with tears in your eyes. What the hell was that? Remorse? Guilt? You called that man a fake. What do you call the man you are now? When you get what you want, then what are you going to do with me?”

  “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, Francesca, that I’m guilty for, but wanting to harm you isn’t one of them. The simple truth is that I’m the only man who can keep you safe.”

  “You are kidding me! Why should I believe you? Why? Why would you even bother? I’m just a method of revenge for you. Nothing more. Well, maybe a good piece of ass.”

  “You’re more than that. Why should you believe me? Because I wouldn’t lie to you. Because I do care about you whether I should or not. You’ve gotten under my skin. I can’t stop thinking about you, the way you taste and the way your body writhes underneath mine. I want to fill you with my cock several times a day, taking you over and over again. I care about the beautiful yet vulnerable woman who has obviously lived a difficult life. I adore your energy and intelligence, your verve and lust for everything around you. Why? Because you belong to me. As crazy as it sounds, you are mine. And why would I protect you? Because that’s what men do.”

  “Neanderthal men. There has to be another reason. The truth, Michael. Tell me the truth.”

  I spit out the words without thinking.

  “Because there’s a contract on your life.”

  Chapter Ten

  Francesca

  Michael handed me a glass of wine seconds before he grabbed his phone, forcefully punching in his code. I watched him, the way his fingers pressed the screen, even memorizing his damn code. He was still angry, the silence on the ride creating a stagnant pool between us.

  He’d taken a picture of a folded piece of paper seconds after coming into the house.

  “Grinder. I’m texting you a picture. We need to find this asshole.” He paced, darting a look in my direction then rubbing his brow. “And I need to know more about the contract on Francesca’s life. Rattle every fuckin’ cage you can. I want information. And I want Saltori.”

  Ending the call, he continued to pace, cursing under his breath.

  “Contract? Are you going to talk to me, explain?” I’d been stunned by his words, shaken to the very core. Now I was numb. “I don’t understand.” He’d refused to talk to me until we were safely locked behind closed doors. He stood at the window, staring out at the pool, as if none of this should bother me. Just another freaking day at the office. I almost laughed at the concept.

  He’d learned there was a contract. He’d hunted me in the middle of a freaking forest. He’d spanked me. Fucked me. Spoken words as close to love as I’d ever heard.

  Now... silence.

  Damn the man, stoic in all manners. I wanted nothing more than to shake him, screaming at him for keeping me in the dark. He obviously hadn’t explained the truth of what was going on. Everything must have escalated. Hell, maybe he didn’t even know anything and was just guessing. Was it a way to keep me under lock and key? How was I supposed to cope with utter silence?

  “Michael,” I attempted.

  No answer.

  I wasn’t entirely certain he was going to talk to me at all. Exasperated, I sat down, staring at the glass of wine in front of me, the one he’d ceremoniously poured as if alcohol would calm my fears. My stomach was churning, not only from the news but from the vehemence of his emotions.

  His desire.

  His dark needs.

  The hard fucking had been wonderful. Amazing. I couldn’t help brushing my fingers across my lips. Every kiss was more intense than the one before. Every time he shoved his cock inside my pussy or my ass, the action was brutal, desperate with longing. He was a man dying of thirst, in need of a fix.

  I was his drug.

  And he was mine.

  He wasn’t blinking, was barely breathing. “I can’t stand this. I can’t. What contract? What are you talking about?” I heard the desperate exasperation in my voice. I was chilled to the bone, my fingers tingling from numbness. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I needed to hear the ugly details from him. I deserved it. No, I should demand he talk to me. As if that would break the ice that had formed around his emotions.

  And his blackened soul.

  “On. Your. Life.”

  “Why?” I managed, struggling to even mutter the single word. Why would someone want me dead? What had I done in my life to deserve this? I heard the sound of my father’s voice inside my head, the basic warning he’d given me since the very day I could comprehend the meaning.

  “You are a special girl and there are many who will shower you with gifts, trinkets of worth, even promises of love and honor. Never believe them. Never trust anyone but your family. They are scavengers willing to sell their souls to the devil in order to wallow in power. They will use you, my beautiful Francesca. Then they will abandon you.”

  I shuddered from the realization that my father had been correct. One single time I’d allowed my guard to fall. One time I’d believed in the breath of passion, my lust consuming me to the point I lost my self-worth. And everything had been a lie.

  I refused to allow that to happen again.

  Michael shook his head, a deep sigh rolling from his gut. “I don’t know. That is the truth. Maybe you should tell me.”

  “Are you accusing me of something?” What the hell was he getting at?

  He simply looked at me. That damn sexy clenched jaw. Eyes that bore into me with extreme heat. I bit back a groan, forced to look away or he’d capture me in his spell once again.

  “Vincenzo?” My skin was clammy, my entire body shaking. I threw out the name, unsure if the pompous asshole selected for my hand even had the intelligence. “Why bother marrying someone he didn’t give a shit about just to put out a contract on me?”

  “I’m certain there are many reasons for the possibility. Granted, I’ve never known him to get his hands dirty but then again, maybe I was a fool for years. He and I were both hiding behind masks, pretending our fathers didn’t have the power to alter our worlds. We were such fools.” He chuckled, the sound more ominous than I wanted to admit. The shit was getting serious. “Have you read over the terms of your trust lately?”

  “I...” I had to think about what my father had shown me. A single page. “Not all of it.”

  “Maybe there’s something buried inside that you weren’t supposed to see, a reason for blackmail, extortion. I can only imagine.”

  “I don’t get this. Does my father know?” I tried to visualize what I had seen. My father had been particularly cagey about the details, but I’d trusted him. Maybe I shouldn’t have. What was my father caught up in? Could I dare share my fears with Michael?

  “If I were to guess, I’d say your father is being coerced into something, but I doubt he knows about the contract on your life.” He gave me another hard, cold look. “At least one would hope.”

  “My father isn’t that kind of man. I’m his only child, for God’s sake.”

  “And what kind of man is he, Francesca? Do you even know him any longer? You said so yourself, you’ve lived in the States for years.”

  “Just stop it! Just because you have a horrible relationship with your father doesn’t mean that I do!”

  He lifted a single eyebrow before nodding. “Point taken.”

  I let out a long and agonizing breath, feeling gutted. He watched me intently, his gorgeous eyes flashing the anger overtaking his body as I reached for my wine. I had to trust someone and as much as I hated admitting it, Michael was right. My father could have been involved in anything during the last few years. I’d even avoided some of his phone calls, preferring to pretend that I had nothing to do with the mafia. I was perhaps the biggest fool of all. “I saw something in my father for the first time in my life. Fear. My father is a very strong man. Nothing terrifies him. I don’t think he had a choice in coercing me to marry Vincenzo. It’s not what he said as much as how he issued the words. He was fatigued, so much older than I remembered.”

  “Do the Massimos have something on him? Perhaps a deal gone bad?”

  “I don’t think so but that’s not a conversation I’d have with my father. I really did try to stay out of the lifestyle, whether you believe me or not. I just wanted a regular life. Unlike my sister.”

  “We can’t have that, Francesca. We were born into something that can’t be refused, at least not forever.”

  God! I wanted to scream at him for continuing to use my name like it provided more emphasis, some additional level of truth.

  The quiet was terrible, biting. My skin was crawling.

  “What happened to your sister?” he finally asked.

  I hung my head into my hand, taking several deep breaths. The last thing I wanted to do was dredge up the past, but I wanted to have the truth exposed just as much as he did. “I saw my sister get sucked into what she thought was the glitz and glamor of the mafia. Sasha always adored the concept of being on the arm of a powerful, rich, and dangerous man. Maybe because she worshipped my father instead of seeing any of his faults.”

  “She found one,” he said quietly.

  “Yes. Always a party girl, she had her wish fulfilled, meeting what she called the only man for her at a swanky party. The wealthy man was handsome and showered her with gifts. They were inseparable for a couple of months and my sister fell head over heels in love. Not long after that everything changed, including my sister’s behavior. I nagged her to tell me what was wrong. One day I saw the massive bruises and swore I’d tell my father if she didn’t confess. That was the only day my sister broke down, weeping as she told me how he’d started to abuse her.”

  “Bastard!”

  I was surprised at his exclamation but perhaps it gave me the courage to finish the ugly story. “She screamed love to this man while he professed infidelity. He was married, a ranking member of the Massimo organization. That’s all she would tell me. Never his name. She simply began to fade into someone I didn’t know. It was heartbreaking. Then she... died. I made a promise to myself that I’d never become a mafia princess.” I couldn’t tell him the rest. Not now.

  Not ever.

  He took a swig of his drink, turning his head to stare out the window once again. “That’s a wonderful speech and a horrible story, but even you told me that you can’t run away from who and what you are. You are an Italian mafia princess and there would be a number of families who would enjoy using you in various ways.”

  “Including you.”

  “Including me.”

  He was so callous in the way he said the words.

  “Fuck you!” I spouted off.

  Michael tensed, the grip on his glass increasing. “As you said, I’m not that man.”

  “That’s bullshit and I was wrong. You are that man. You couldn’t care less about anything else but yourself.”

  Laughing, he lifted his glass. “You are tenacious and wise.”

  “Why do you do this? Why? You want me to hate you so badly? Fine.”

  This time I could cut the tension with a spoon.

  “I don’t want you to hate me, sweet cherie. The truth is that I want just the opposite. You might not believe me, and I honestly can’t blame you, but I do want to protect you, if only from myself.”

  The words hung in the air, clawing and digging. He could be so damn infuriating yet endearing at the same time. “What are you going to do? You have the power, the muscle, and the anger. Are you going to wipe everyone out until you get exactly what you want?” Yes, I was goading him, but I wasn’t certain I cared what the outcome would be.

  I’d never seen him so calm, maybe calculating. This man I was even more terrified of.

  “There is no news that you’re missing, nothing even from your father, which must mean that he is under duress of some kind.”

  “Let me talk to him. He has to be worried sick,” I blurted out. “I can find out what’s going on.”

  “Do you really think he’s going to just give you information?”

  “I’m his daughter.”

  He smiled, huffing under his breath, further infuriating me. “I may allow that to happen but first, I’m going to deal with Louis Saltori.”

  “Meaning? You just have to be in control of everything. Don’t you?”

  “I am in control. The sooner you understand that the better.”

  “Jesus.” I curtailed all the nasty words that came to my mind. “Then what are you going to do? I at least deserve to know.”

  He took another gulp of his drink and walked closer. “I think it’s best you don’t know the details.”

  “I’m not a child, Michael. You won’t shock me by your words or even your behavior. I’ve been around it all my life.”

  We both heard a knock on the door leading to the great room. The way Michael snapped his head given the interruption and the disgruntled look on his face should be even more terrifying. Maybe he was right. This was simply a part of the dark business we’d both been born into. I glanced at the very sheepish man standing in the doorway, the one who’d introduced himself as Rocco. The various nicknames reminded of my MC gangs, not soldiers prepared to die for the men they worked for. The man who’d been required to watch me like a child had been easy to play. I was almost ashamed at what I’d done.