He jerked his arm out of my grip, his eyes in flames. “Listen to me,Don Bellomo. I’ll go to college. I’ll have a decent job when I graduate that isn’t remotely related to any of our precious family business. I will marry a girl that has nothing to do with mobsters of any kind and the blood that comes with them. If a war is bound to happen because of a promise I never made, so be it. It’ll be on your hands, not mine.” His mouth curled with a snarl. “Just like Mom’s.”
Chapter10
Lina
In the shower, as I worked the lather on the side of my neck, the feeling ofhisbeard on my skin revisited me. As if it’d left me all night or this morning.Hisscent—masculine, expensive cologne I imagined only celebrities and models in those brand commercials wear—and the brief memory of our encounter stayed with me until I fell asleep, invading my dreams, waking up with me and wouldn’t leave my head—and my body—yet.
Closing my eyes, I licked my lip at the heavy throbs between my legs I’d only started to have since last night. To say I was confused was an understatement. How I was feeling about meetinghimwas messing up my mind. I should have been scared, and I was, enraged and alarmed, too.Hewas a dangerous stranger that lured me to a dark corner to do only God knew what beforehemanaged to stop or changehismind.Hewas older than me. I didn’t know how old, but judging fromhisbeard,hisvoice, the wayhespoke, the clothes and cologne, I’d say much older, likehe’d go to jail for a long time ifhetouched me older. But the main, dominant emotion that climbed on top of everything else was dangerously depraved. For the first time ever I felt…turned on.
As if they had a mind of their own, my hands slipped down to my soapy boobs, feeling my painfully erect nipples, the throbbing and sticky wetness between my thighs intensifying. I’d heard cold showers cooled people off, but even that wouldn’t conquer the horny spell a stranger—my stranger—had put me under just by breathing on me.
I moaned a swear, my fingers sliding down my hips and then touching the insides of my thighs, the urge for another release too loud to resist. I’d never…masturbatedbefore last night. Never wanted to. Never had the privacy to try it even if I had. Just the mention of the word sent me blushing, and in all honesty, shaking. The idea of being touched, even by myself, had been terrifying. Because then I’d have thought of the only man who had ever touched me, and that was horrid.
Yesterday, things changed. Even thoughhedidn’t really touch me, I found myself thinking of how it’d have felt ifhehad.
God, that was wrong. I shouldn’t fantasize about an older murderer guy. A stalker like Nicky said. But I was. The throbbing wouldn’t fade. It was increasing, aching.
Don’t move.
I trembled as I rememberedhiswords,hisvoice, picturinghimhere in the shower with me, water cascading on both our bodies. My finger rubbed over my wetness, and I imagined it washim, holding my hand and rubbing it against me, ordering me to stay still while making me come. Forhim.
You smell so good. You’re so beautiful.
Gasping hard like I’d been when I felthisbreath on my skin, whenhesniffed my hair, now because of the pressure building down my belly, not because of fear, I imaginedhisfree hand on my boobs, andhismouth I had yet to see on mine.
The orgasm hit me hard and fast. I stifled my moans so Nicky wouldn’t hear, but I so wanted to scream. To come was the best feeling ever, and if that was how I felt while I touched myself, how would it feel if a boy was touching me? If a man was making love to me? Ifhewas that man?
A knock made me jump. I almost slipped. “What’s taking so long? You can’t stay in there all day. We have to run to the mall to return those dresses before they close,” Nicky said.
I turned off the water and evened my breath, trying to sound as cool and not guilty as possible. “My dress is in the closet, Sis. Just take it and go. You don’t have to wait for me.”
“You still need to come with me.”
“Don’t you have the receipts? What do you need me for?”
“I don’t haveyourreceipt. You never gave it to me.”
What? Why wouldIgive it to her? She was the one who bought it so she must have had it. Did she lose—
The panic of having to pay twelve hundred dollars because my sister lost the receipt crashed into me for a second before a bigger wave of panic replaced it.
I was too taken by how beautiful the dress was on me to notice yesterday, but the realization came rushing in now. When I wore it, the tags weren’t there.
What the hell did that mean?
A loud gasp escaped me.Could it be…?
“Lina, you okay? What are you doing in there?”
My heart thrashed, and my body trembled as I grabbed a towel. I covered myself, and my feet faltered their way to the door. When I opened it, her brows were shot high up, her quizzical expression scrutinizing me.
“Nicky…I’m gonna ask you something really stupid, but I want you to answer me anyway.”
She snorted. “Okay.”
“Who bought my dress?” I held my breath.
