Alessandro continues to lean over me, frozen.
“Alessandro, please…”
“Wait, you’re not serious, are you?”
“Please! I’m telling you the truth. I really did jump—”
He pulls his hand out and takes a step back, helping me stand and then spinning me around. I lick my lips, expecting him to kiss me and take me, but genuine rage covers his face.
Suddenly, I feel completely naked. I try to squirm away from his grip, but he holds on firm.
“You jumped that far? You could have died, Sofia.”
“It was a risk I was willing to take! You know you guys are kind of holding me hostage?”
Anger boils in my chest at his change in mood.
“You could have died,” he hisses, repeating himself.
“And why do you care?”
“I…” He closes his mouth and looks away, as if he doesn’t know the answer to that question. “Because Marco would kill me.”
I know that reason isn’t completely true. There’s a part of him that wants to keep me alive.
I instinctively cover my chest with my free arm, not able to meet his eyes anymore.
What is happening? I question why I even played along with his little game in his office. My family is probably worried sick, and instead of getting upset about getting caught, I become excited? Aroused?
“I want to put my clothes back on.”
He lets go of me and then gestures to the pile of clothes with his head. I hurry and get everything back on, though I’m still annoyingly itching for relief despite hating him again.
He grabs me by the arm again, his demeanor cold and unattached, as he leads me back to his place silently.
I keep my eyes down at the floor as he parades me back to his wing. No one looks our way. The staff members don’t want to get in between our weird relationship. The lower soldiers don’t want to disrespect him. And luckily, we don’t run into Marco on the way back up.
The guards look utterly terrified outside his door as we walk towards them.
“Shejumpedover to Elena’s side. Be sure to watch her door as well until I get a cage installed over the balcony.”
“Acage?” I snap.
He yanks me closer to him, pointing a finger in my face. “You should be grateful I don’t install a cage in the living room to put you in. How else am I going to be sure you don’t find a way to kill yourself?”
He unlocks the door, pulling me in with him. I’m dragged all the way to the bedroom. “Now, you stay in here for the rest of the day. I need to make some calls and plan what I’m going to do with you.”
Alessandro storms out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. I jump onto the bed, burying my face in a pillow.
I almost made it.
And I almost voluntarily had sex with Alessandro. Hell, if he didn’t act like such an overprotective asshole, I was primed to beg for his cock. I can’t deny that I’m attracted to him—then a cold thought washes over me.
I can use that to my advantage. Seeing that he’s going to install a cage on the balcony and that there probably isn’t any way out of this place now, seducing him might be my ticket home.
I didn’t think I’d be someone capable of this sort of thing, but desperate times, right?
And it’s not like I’d have to force myself to flirt with him; clearly, I’m genuinely attracted to him, and his personality will prevent me from falling in love myself.
