Point of retreat in the mind, where everything else was blocked away.
Fuck.
Moving my hands up to her neck, I gently caressed her cheek, as my soothing voice murmured, “Hey,krasavica. Me, baby, it’s me.” Running my lips over her cheek, I listened to her rapidly beating heart against her ribcage as her chest slowly evened out and the panic glazing her eyes disappeared as the things around her penetrated her mind. Lifting both of us up, I sat on the edge of the bed and placed her on my lap. Her arms and legs wrapped around me as she shoved her face between my shoulder and neck. Wetness coated my skin from her tears.
“I’m sorry, my Rosa.” Patting her gently, I asked, “What happened?” Gentleness was what she needed right now. Otherwise, I would have acted on instinct and rushed to demand who the fuck Don thought he was marrying her off to.
“Dad is still considering the possibility of me and Lorenzo.” My hands on her back clenched into fists as I tugged on her hair so her hazel eyes collided with mine.
“Why would this even be brought up?” The man spent hours daily with my woman. Was there some history between them I wasn't aware of? He had a great code of honor and never created trouble for me or my men. The idea of harming him didn’t sit well with me, but if all this bullshit continued, I’d have no choice.
“When we were kids, our fathers joked about the possibility of us being together. But that was it. All this stuff wasn't even brought up until Allegro showed up today.” She didn't have to explain about the Delucci family. I ran a background check on them myself. Besides the sorry excuse for a son Romeo was, I couldn't hold anything against them. “So I want to move out to the apartment Damian bought for me,” she said, and everything inside me froze.
“What?” She wiped her nose on her shoulder, and said, “I can’t stay here if Dad can’t respect my choices.” She blinked a few times, palmed my face, and whispered, “You understand, right?” Yes, I did understand indeed.
She really was that naïve.
In what fucking universe did she think I would allow her to live alone?
Rosa belonged to me, and with a threat looming over her head with the whole marriage thing, no way in fuck she’d stay without the protection of my claim. My eyes looked down to her neck. Her bare neck.
“Where is my cross?” I growled, as she blushed.
“I hid it so Dad wouldn't see it. It seemed inappropriate to wear.”
“I see.” She frowned, as a line appeared between her brows, and without stressing her further, I kissed her deeply, trapping her mouth with mine as our tongues collided with each other. There was nothing like the softness of her kiss, but before I could take it further, I rose with her in my arms and squeezed her tighter. “Goodnight, Rosa. Pack everything you want.”
Her eyes lit up with delight. “Really? I’m so happy you get me!” She slid down my body, her curves making it hard for me to concentrate after our garden rendezvous yesterday. Even jerking off in the shower twice didn't help much. I took a step back.
“Yes, I just came to kiss you.”
“Oh,” she swooned, and part of me felt like shit for deceiving her, but my limit had been reached.
With one last glance at her, I grabbed the rope I brought and jumped out the window on to the grass and walked slowly to my car. My black clothes were extra insurance against the cameras that Vitya made sure were off.
Taking out my phone, I dialed Luke’s number, and once he picked up, I said, “Tonight.”
Rosa was in for a surprise. All this bullshit with being a gentleman ended today.
I would whisk my woman back to Russia, where she would discover a new side of me and learn to deal with it. Doing things her way clearly didn't work.
Man with the dragon tattoo
Barely containing a smirk, which threatened to spill out, I tried to keep my face neutral as I slowly sipped my drink.
The evening went exactly as I planned.
Don stepped right into the trap I set for him, and Rosa’s reaction was priceless. Stupid women, once they were given freedom, they thought they were entitled to it. They were good for nothing except for fucking.
All of them.
Bianca playing with the silverware and dishes grated on my nerves. I kicked her under the table, hard, making sure the tip of my leather shoe dug into her bare skin, and pleasure spread through me as she bit her lip to prevent crying out in pain. She stopped, straightened her spine, and pressed a napkin to her mouth with her trembling hands. My cock stirred against my fly, and I adjusted it. Tonight, she’d satisfy it good, once I was done terrorizing her skin with knifes.
A night like this required celebration, and nothing spoke of a party like drinking blood from a female’s body.
Rosa. Rosa. One step closer to getting my hands on you, and two steps closer to inflicting my revenge on the men in your life.
Sixteen years ago
