Another beautiful rush of wildfire fell over me, the orgasm even more powerful than the one before. Now, colorful stars crowded my vision. So bright. So beautiful.
He broke the kiss, pushing up on one arm so he could return to watching me in the throes of passion. The moment wasbreathtaking. Every muscle in his body tensed, the thick cords on his neck more pronounced. His entire body seemed to coil, his breathing little more than ragged growls.
When he closed his eyes, throwing back his head, I clenched my muscles. Every thrust was wilder, harder. Faster. He was losing control and I was loving every minute of it. His guttural sounds were short lived, his entire body shaking as he erupted deep inside.
With a single sharp cry, he lowered his head, a smile curling across his face.
We were both sweaty, both basking in the warmth and glow of our sinful act. Seconds passed. Maybe minutes. “Have you learned your lesson?”
“Which one? About being a bad girl?”
“That one.”
I pressed my hand against his chest, digging my nails into his skin. “Absolutely not.”
His laugh was short lived. “Then I guess you better be ready. I won’t let you out of my sight until you do.”
CHAPTER 4
“They will say I shed innocent blood. What’s blood for if not for shedding?”
—Candyman
Eight months later…
Valentina
“What do you want, Bruno? I told you never to call me again.” Another reason to change my number. I hadn’t heard from him in over a year, maybe longer. Days, weeks, and months had run together recently. Just hearing his voice brought the same terrible angst as the day I’d finally driven the bastard from my life.
“I just need to talk to you.”
While there wasn’t the familiar haze of drugs clouding his voice, that meant nothing to me. He’d burned every bridge and thensome. “I told you before. I will not talk to you. The courts have spoken. Just leave me the fuck alone.”
“Baby, this is important. I’m calling to?—”
There was no chance in hell I was giving my abusive fucking ex another moment of my time. I didn’t give a shit why he was calling. Fuck him. Almost as soon as I ended the call, the phone rang again.
Anger replaced annoyance. Why had he called me? Why? Because he was the most selfish bastard in the world. Was it not enough he’d cleaned out my bank account to feed his habit? My God. I glared at the phone, refusing to answer. This time when it stopped ringing, my fingers flew, blocking his number forever.
Thank God, he didn’t know where I lived. After the horror of the last few months, I’d taken every precaution to ensure my address had been wiped from every database. Thank God for good friends who knew about computer programs capable of doing so. There. Now I could breathe.
The nervousness continued. I was sick inside, furious that Bruno had found me. At least I shoved aside the memories, much more in control of myself than I’d been when under his spell. Never again. If I ever became involved with a man, he would be above reproach. Maybe a cop.
Or a judge.
I bit my lip as a sweet memory replaced the ugly one.Bad girl. You can’t always have what you want.
Sadly, that was far too true. But a girl could dream.
A flash of lightning outside the window drew my attention. I was very anxious. After witnessing the murder months beforeI’d learned to hate storms. Yet tonight and with Bruno’s call, I felt even more on edge. As if something terrible was about to happen.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Your time is up.
For some reason the words continued to tickle the back of my mind. They were something a friend of mine used to say when we were kids. They’d flustered me at least five times in a few days, mostly since I had the terrible feeling I was being watched.
Stalked.
