“The night I slaughtered Paulo and his family, I purposely had Paulo’s bodyguards kept alive,” I continue explaining. “My men brought them to the living room where Paulo’s family awaited me. That night, I helped all the innocent women and children to escape to a new life in Italy. Every woman except Paulo’s mother, sister, and sister-in-law.”
Shock splays across his face, and a wry smile tugs up the corners of my mouth. “You heard the rumors.”
He nods. “It was said you slaughtered everyone. Women and children too.”
“I wanted everyone to believe that. I knew I would not be taken seriously as a woman or accepted as a donna if I was seen to be merciful. I needed men to fear crossing me. I needed to prove I could be as bloodthirsty as my male counterparts.”
“That photo of Paulo more than proved that.” Massimo’s lips twitch, and amusement dances across his face.
“Aren’t you even a little bit afraid that fate might lie in wait for you?”
He shakes his head and pins me with a confident look. “Paulo was a monster who preyed on innocent kids and abused his wife. I am neither of those things, and I won’t hurt you,mia amata.” He brings our conjoined hands to his lips, dusting kisses across my knuckles. “I promise. I could never treat you like that. I want to resurrect him so I can help you to kill him in even more creative ways.”
“My only regret is I didn’t have more time to torture him, but we needed to act fast to get the families out and gain complete control. It was a coordinated plan of attack that had to be executed with military precision.”
“You’re fucking amazing. You make me proud to be your husband.”
His words, though sweet, unsettle me. So, I refocus on the original topic and pretend like he never said them. “It was important to me to get the families away from this lifestyle. I didn’t want anyone making life difficult for them. The women would’ve been forced to marry other monsters, and the whole cycle would repeat itself. I wanted them to have a better life. They were all given homes and enough money to provide for them for the rest of their lives. I got them away from this life. Gave them back true freedom.”
“You have only gone up in my estimation.” His eyes penetrate mine. “There are so many layers to you, aren’t there?”
“Not at all,” I lie. “It’s really quite simple. I want power and control and to pave the way for other women to ascend to positions of responsibility in our world. I’m not afraid to do the things made men do, but I will do it my way while protecting the innocent and respecting the men who work for me.”
“What did you do to Paulo’s mother, sister, and sister-in-law?” he asks, waggling his brows. “I’m dying to know.”
A genuine smile creeps over my mouth. “I re-enacted my wedding night with the same bodyguards. I stripped the women naked and forced Paulo’s men to fuck them while Paulo’s brother and his sister’s husband watched. Then I made Paulo’s mother pleasure her son-in-law and his sister pleasure her brother before forcing the two men at gunpoint to fuck the guards and each other in rotation. I wanted all of them to know what it feels like to be violated. To have your will stripped from you. To be forced to do despicable sickening things. I positioned Paulo’s mutilated body in the room as a threat of what would come if they disobeyed me. I can still hear their screams and their pleas. Oh, how they begged me.”
I crank out a laugh. “Maybe I’m a sick bitch because I watched the whole thing and derived enormous satisfaction seeing them do anything in exchange for their lives. I enjoyed seeing them humiliated. I enjoyed seeing them suffer, and I enjoyed ending them.”
“I think it makes you human.” He chuckles. “I might be sick too, but knowing you have this dark side and that you are prepared to do whatever is necessary to get the job done gets me so freaking hard.”
My eyes lower to the bulge in his pants, and I can see it’s no lie.
“I respect the hell out of you, Catarina.”
I shrug, shuddering as his thigh brushes against my leg, sending a flurry of delicious tremors coasting over my skin. “They were always so cruel to me, and his mother and sister knew he abused kids and did nothing to stop it. They were lucky I was short on time because I would have tied them up and had them repeatedly defiled all night long. Instead, I showed them more mercy than they ever showed me. I personally put a bullet between their skulls, and the sense of relief I felt is indescribable.”
“You are unbelievably strong, and I’m in awe of you.”
I arch a brow, wondering who is playing who.
“Come here.” He pats his lap and opens his arms.
I shake my head. “I shared my story so it would explain my reluctance to fuck you on our wedding night. Not so you could use it to seduce me.”
“I want to hold my wife and comfort her after she’s relived the worst moments of her life. What is wrong with that?” He quirks a brow, reaching out for me. “Just come here.”
I shake my head again. “Youcome here.”
He flashes me a panty-melting grin, and liquid warmth gushes between my legs. “I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity to relinquish control if that’s what you need.”
I scowl as he scoots down to my side of the couch. He never acts how I expect him to act. He is unlike any man I have ever met. Before I can protest, he scoops me up, depositing me in his lap as he slides underneath me. His arms automatically band around me, and my heart thumps wildly behind my chest cavity. The spicy, citrusy scent of his cologne wafts through the air, like a hypnotic cloud, lowering my defenses and luring me into the promise of false pleasure.
He brushes hair back off my face and lightly grips my chin. Our faces are so close it would take nothing to breach the gap and kiss him.
I hate that I want to.
“I hate you went through all of that. It enrages me to know you were hurt in that way.” His fingers sweep across my cheeks and warmth fills every nook and cranny in my body. “I promise you no one will ever hurt you again. I will kill any man who dares to breathe funny on you.”
