I squeeze my eyes shut, suppressing the image of Cyan’s face between my legs. His hand drifts to my neck, massaging gently. I sigh, helpless. His touch trails lower… to my shoulder… down, down… sending sparks through my gut.
His palm cups my breast. A shock of dark, wicked pleasure streaks through me.“Please, Dove let me explore you.” A soft, betraying moan escapes my lips. Cyan takes that as a yes; his hand trails to my second breast, thumbs rolling lazily over nipple. Heat floods my belly, warmth pooling between my thighs. His mouth finds my skin. His hand cups my other breast, thumbs teasing my nipples, his breath turning ragged.
“Let me lick them,” he murmurs.
I turn onto my back, offering more. His mouth descends, hot and wet. I arch up to him, a shudder ripping through me as his tongue flicks over my sensitive nipple, teasing, sucking, owning.
“Cyan,” I gasp.
“Hmmm,” hums against my nipple. For a heartbeat, I let myself float, let myself forget where I am, who he is, what he’s taken from me. But then the fog thins. The locked doors, my grandmother, blood on the pavement.
This is the man who cages me with one hand and makes my body betray me with the other. If I let this continue, I’ll lose myself piece by piece.I must live up to all my family would have been.His hand moves lower… “No.” I shove his shoulders. “Stop!” He freezes, one long second, then another. His breath is still warm against my skin.
He lifts his head. “Go to sleep, Aria.”
Cyan rolls onto his back, arms behind his head like he didn’t just have my body arching for him. I need to get out of here. I need to get away from him.
Twenty-Seven
“The most dangerous prisons are the ones that feel like comfort, where the lock is his touch, and the chains are your own desire.” – Aria Boschett.
Iwake in warmth where there shouldn’t be any. Not on the far side of the bed where I remember falling asleep. A heavy arm traps me to his chest, a wall of muscle and heat.Cyan.His scent woody, unmistakable, threads through my nostrils and clings to my skin. My instincts collide. One moment, I know I should move.Run.The next, I lie still, listening to the steady beat of his heart as memories of last night seep in. His hands, that mouth, his low, addictive Irish accent. I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing the sensations away. No… no, Aria. Don’t get lost in feelings. Cyan is holding my Nonna hostage. He’s using her to keep me docile, to keep me trapped.
He needs to let me go before Tasha gets back into Boston. If I’m still trapped here, she’ll show up with Trevor in tow. Then there’s Ethan and the FBI threats —that’s a whole different prison I refuse to think about. I won’t trade one cage for another. I need a reset. A hot shower. A rational mind. To figure out my next move. Easing out from Cyan’s hold. The mattress shifts, and I freeze. He murmurs something low in his sleep, then rolls onto my pillow, inhaling it. His hand searches instinctively for me, fingers curling into the warmth I left behind. The movement is so natural, so heartbreakingly human, it punches the breath from my lungs.
For a moment, I don’t see the Capo or my stalker but a man reaching for the place where I’d been. When I’m certain he’s still asleep, I slide off of bed. Cool air rushes over my skin, grounding me. I stop long enough to look back. Cyan lips part slightly, and my fingers twitch with the irrational urge to touch him. I don’t. Walking to the bathroom instead.
***
When I emerge from the bathroom later, dressed, hair brushed, mentally bracing for another battle, he’s gone. Something unexpected sits atop the ivory sheets. My phone, with a note.
Dove, here’s your phone. Remember it’s the only link you have to the outside world. Whether you keep it, is up to you. Cyan
He hands me back my phone like it’s a gift, when really, it’s a leash disguised in pretty ribbon. Another reminder that my choices no longer belong to me. He stole my Nonna, locked me in here like some prized possession. Now he expects me to feel grateful. Screw him. Before I can throw the phone across the room, it vibrates. The screen lights up with a stack of missed calls and messages, all from Aunt Cathy. Crap. I dial her right away. She answers on the first ring.
“Aria, thank goodness, child, what’s going on? You disappeared. Not answering my calls or texts… Aria, you scared me half to death! I was about to hop in my car and drive to Crescent Bay.”
Guilt punches me straight in the chest. “Aunt Cathy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to disappear on you like that.” I pace near the window, gripping the phone tight. “Had to leave in a hurry. I left my charger at your place, and by the time I realized, the phone was dead.” I force a weak laugh. “Classic me, right?”
There’s a pause on the other end before she sighs. “You scared the life out of me, Aria. What made you leave in a hurry? Is Nina okay?”
Again, guilt wraps tight around my throat. “I’m sorry for stressing you out. Nonna’s great, everything’s fine now, I promise.” It’s a lie. But what choice do I have? Walking to the window, I press my forehead against the glass, staring out at the ocean. “Nonna got accepted into the medical research program, the one I applied for.” I swallow. “A spot opened up suddenly, that’s why I rushed back to Crescent… they admitted her for assessment yesterday.”
She exhales, an excited sound that makes my stomach twist harder. “Oh my, Aria! That’s... that’s wonderful news!” she yawns sounding tired and blame sits like a brick in my chest.
“Again, I’m so sorry, Aunt Cathy.”
“It’s fine… you’re okay; that’s all that matters. I have a four-day weekend coming up next week. I’ll drive over, and we can visit your grandmother together.”
Shit.Panic rises in my throat. “Uh... Aunt Cathy, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What? Why not?”Lie. I have to lie.
“Be- because... because…”Think, Aria, think.“She’s still being assessed,” I blurt out. “It’s a drug trial. They won’t let us see her yet.”
There’s a pause. “Oh, right, of course. Those things can be strict.”
“Yeah,” I force calm into my voice. “No visits until the observation period is over.”
