He’d had enough. Fisting my hair, he yanked my head back and barked in my face. “Answer me, woman!”
This time I finally met his eyes, and recognized him instantly. There was no doubt. It was Carlo Bruni. His face had changed a lot since the only photo I’d seen, but those familiar eyes gave him away.Gray eyes that, with a hint of surprise, somehow made me feel safe for a moment.
He stared at me, pupils dilating until they looked nearly black. Then, without warning, he let go and stepped back a little.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice wasn’t as rough as before.
“I just want to go home. Please.” I finally whispered as another tear slid down my cheek.
Maxim made another cheeky comment. “I bet Tony pulled one of his kinky-fuckery moves on her. Don’t worry, sugar. Worst I’ve seen is a couple busted ribs and bruised asses. No fatalities… far as I know.”
“Take off your shirt,” Carlo suddenly ordered him, still looking at me.
Maxim blinked, hesitated half a second, then peeled off his shirt and handed it over without a word.
Carlo tossed it to me and issued another command. “Leave.”
One word. That’s all it took. The four riders turned their horses and rode off, dragging the bodies behind them. No one questioned him. No one spoke.
I clutched the shirt and pulled it over myself. My head tilted all the way back just to look at him, and I couldn’t tell what scared me more, his face, or his body. He loomed over me like a wall, casting a shadow that swallowed me whole.
I didn’t know it at the time, but in that exact moment, Carlo had already made up his mind. He was going to drag me into even darker shadows, forcing me to live in his darkness forever.
FIVE
Emily
“Get up. We’re heading back.”
His voice wasn’t as sharp as before, but the authority in it was still loud and clear. I braced myself with my good arm and pushed off the ground, legs trembling like a lamb taking its first steps. Every inch of me throbbed from falling down twice.
Before I could even steady myself, he bent down and lifted me effortlessly, then set me on the horse. A second later, he climbed up behind me. That’s when I felt my ass pressed right up against the bulge between his legs.
Mortified, I tried to shift forward, but he wrapped an arm around me and yanked me back against his chest. The heat of his bare skin against mine sent a strange shiver through me.
“Relax. It won’t bite,” he muttered dryly.
I think it was a joke, but neither of us laughed.
His muscular arm pinned me against him, and I caught a whiff of his intense cologne, laced with sweat. It was like leaning against a stone wall rather than flesh and bone. The horse began to move, and instinct took over. I clutched his arm for dear life.
He dipped his head, and our eyes met. His arm tightened around me, anchoring me in place as he reassured me with a confident tone. “I won’t let you fall.”
I was in the grip of a man who looked like he’d walked out of some savage, ancient world, but my body felt weirdly numb. Like he’d put some kind of spell on me.
A quiet “thank you” slipped from my lips, barely a whisper. He studied me for a beat longer before pulling me in closer.
A few moments later, I saw Tony at the mansion’s entrance, arms crossed and watching us. Carlo suddenly pressed his heels into the horse’s sides, making it break into a gallop straight toward him. But Tony didn’t move.
Right before we reached the end of the path, Carlo yanked the reins hard. The horse reared back, stopping a few inches from Tony, and I shrieked, clutching onto Carlo for balance. He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling like a war drum. I glanced up, his face flushed with fury.
Tony’s cheerful voice broke the silence. “Carlo, long time no see.”
“Not that long for me,” Carlo gritted out. “If I remember correctly, you were only supposed to visit your mother in my absence.”
Tony stepped forward, arms spread in mock welcome. “And yet, here I am. Choosing family over grudges.”
Carlo dismounted and stalked toward Tony. He stopped inches away, breaking every rule of personal space.
