Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
My chest rises sharply, and a breathless sound escapes me. He captures it with his mouth. We shift, my arm falling back to my side as he turns me to face him. Our bodies press together, and he threads his fingers through my hair, angling my head back, and deepening the kiss. A low hum of pleasure rumbles from his chest as he sweeps his tongue across my bottom lip and then inside my mouth. He licks me, and I feel it right between my thighs. I want him to do it again and again.
A thought plays through my mind—him ripping my dress in half, sending buttons scattering as he peels it off my naked body. That’s what this kiss feels like.
My hands map the expanse of his back, all muscle and solid bones stretching beneath his shirt. I’m annoyed by the material in my way, so I fist his shirt and start to tug.
A quiet sound of amusement vibrates against me, and gradually, he pulls his lips from mine.
“Tell me what you want, Abella.” He unravels his hand from my hair and brushes his fingers against my cheek.
I’m a mess of nerves. Heart pounding. Ears thrashing. Breath hitching. I know he can see that, even if I can’t see him. But he wants to expose me and make me vulnerable.
I guess that’s what I deserve.
“You,” I breathe. “I want you.”
A grating noise echoes in the silence, and I freeze. It sounds like something scraping over stone, and I can’t tell if it’s coming from behind the castle wall or inside with us. But Angelo seems unfazed as he presses his lips to my ear.
“You will have me, cara...until death parts us.”
Those ominous words lodge deep in my chest, among the shattered remains of the same promise I once made to him.
He guides me across the terrace toward what I presume is the throne and begins the painstaking process of unbuttoning my dress. It’s a slow, deliberate unraveling that reminds me how patient he can be—when he wants to.
I’d almost forgotten about the marking ceremony, but the shift in pace tells me that Angelo hasn’t.
When he finishes with the buttons, he traces the straps of my dress with his fingers and carefully slides them over my shoulders. The bodice slips down to my waist, and he coaxes it over my hips until it pools around my feet.
Silence lingers as I stand there in nothing but a corseted black-satin bustier and thong. I feel the weight of his gaze through the blindfold, but he says nothing. Every second feels like a punishment, and I hate that I crave his approval. The worst part is that he knows it. This must be the reason for the blindfold—so he can deprive me of any pleasure I might witness on his face.
When the warmth of his hand finally settles against my hip, a swell of relief rises in my throat. He drags his thumb along the band of my thong, sliding beneath it and snapping it against my skin.
“Look at you,” he hums. “The trinket every man in Seattle wants. And here you are…mine. Why is that, bella?”
He’s baiting me.
Another game.
Another manipulation.
“Because you can?” I answer honestly.
“And?” His hand slips beneath the fabric of my thong, fingers gliding through my arousal.
A breath hisses through my teeth as I arch back into him and repeat what he told me in my bedroom. “And you’re the only one who can give this to me.”
The sound that rumbles from his chest is dark as sin and dripping with pleasure. “Clever girl.”
His head dips, and he drags his teeth over the delicate skin of my neck like he wants to bite me. He sucks and licks and tastes me there, driving me to the point of madness. It shouldn’t feel so good to have the devil at your throat. And I definitely shouldn’t be moaning when his teeth finally sink into me.
He soothes the sting with the softness of his lips, and my nervous system short-circuits. I lose myself to his control and the friction of his fingers between my thighs. In a matter of moments, I’m on the verge of coming undone.
“Come for me,” he murmurs. “I want you so wet when I fuck you, you’ll take every inch of my cock.”
A roaring flame licks down my spine and crashes deep inside me, exploding into an orgasm that steals my breath. I collapse into his arms as wave after endless wave rolls through me, dissolving every ounce of tension in my body. Warmth spreads through my veins, liquid pleasure saturating my blood as I bathe in the afterglow.
“Brava ragazza.” Angelo’s heated praise soaks into me like golden sunlight.
He holds me upright, waiting for my racing heart to calm before he lowers me onto my knees. Soft velvet brushes against my skin, and I know it must be the pillow that was resting on the throne. A small comfort for the tattoo ceremony.