Would never be enough.
The sound of running water filters through the audio feed, faint but unmistakable, the steady rush of the shower drumming against tile.
No doubt steam clouds the air, thick and warm, wrapping around her like a lover’s embrace.
I imagine her stepping under the spray, the hot water cascading over her shoulders, rivulets tracing the elegant curve of her spine, pooling in the dimples at the base before sliding lower.
Her dark hair, wet and heavy, clings to her skin, strands framing her face as she tilts her head back, eyes closed in momentary relief.
Droplets bead on her breasts, nipples hardening under the temperature shift, her hands gliding over her body with soap-slicked fingers, washing away the traces of our encounter but not the memory.
The thought sends a fresh wave of heat through me.
My cock stirs again, pressing uncomfortably against my zipper.I adjust in the seat, the friction only heightening the ache, an unwelcome reminder of how she unravels my control.
A soft sound crackles through the speaker—perhaps a sigh, or the clink of a bottle on the shelf—and my imagination runs wild.
Is she relaxing?Thinking of me?Remembering the way I so thoroughly commanded her reactions?Or is she plotting her escape?
I’d give anything to watch the play of emotions across her face.
My frustration builds, and I clench my free hand into a fist on my thigh.
She’s my captive, a means to an end.
But this pull, this hunger to witness her in every unguarded moment…
Damn her for awakening this, for turning my lust for revenge into something laced with desire.
The road ahead curves, and I close the app and drop my phone back into my pocket.
Drawing on my normal self-control, I force myself to breathe deeply.
But each inhalation seems to draw in the faint remnants of her wild orchid scent on my clothes.
It’s her, always her, now, invading my thoughts like an unwelcome storm.
Eventually Adriano turns into the River Oaks neighborhood where I was raised.
My parents’ home.Now Matteo’s domain.
After being cleared on to the property, the wrought iron gates part.
The estate sprawls like the fortress it is.
Nico’s car is still here.Has he been in my Matteo’s office all night?
Dario’s SUV is also here.Which means my youngest brother has been summoned to deal with the situation I created.
Adriano brakes to a stop, and I step out.
The humid Texas air wraps around me, and my shoes crunch on the gravel path.
My mother opens the door.
Even though she has her own place now, leaving Matteo and Alessia to forge their own way forward, she’s obviously heard word of my actions.
Her strongheaded, reckless child.The one who reacts first and thinks later.
