A man stood by the door, his powerful frame filling the space, arms crossed over his broad chest, studying me.
My stomach dipped.
This was him. Romolo Ferraro.
Dressed in a suit, he was every bit as huge and imposing as I'd imagined. But what I hadn't expected was that face.
Strikingly, breath-catchingly handsome. The kind of handsome that made you do a double take.
“Did you enjoy the show?” he asked, his voice a low rumble that rolled over my skin like distant thunder. He didn’t sound even a little friendly. He soundedpissed.
Fear knotted my stomach. I was so screwed.
“Uhm—no. I’m just…uhh…” Words. I used to have those. I used to know how to form coherent sentences. But all that knowledge seemed to have been vacuumed out of my brain, leaving it completely blank.
Romolo arched a brow, clearly unimpressed with my eloquence or lack thereof. “Not exactly a glowing review.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” I tried.
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. “We both know that’s not true. Do you know what we do to eavesdroppers around here?”
Nope. And I had zero interest in finding out.
My adrenaline surged. My gut screamed at me to move.Right. Now.
I lurched toward the heavy lamp sitting on the nightstand at the same time as he moved toward me.
My hands curled around the base. I raised the lamp above my head, and whirled around to face him. “Stay back!”
He took another step.
“I said, stay back!” I lifted the lamp higher.
Another step. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
I hurled the damn thing at him.
God, whatwasthat aim? He barely had to duck to avoid it. The lamp hit the wall behind him, bursting into shards.
Stupid.If it weren’t for the music thundering outside, the crash would’ve drawn every set of ears out in the garden.
He ignored the crunch of ceramic beneath his dress shoes as he prowled toward me, anger flashing in his eyes.
Panic rose up my throat. In retrospect, I should have thought this through. I was boxed in by the bed with nowhere to go.
A large hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I shrieked. He tensed, jaw clenching as he grabbed me and pulled me hard against him. My back hit his chest. His arm slid across my collarbone, the other clamping a hand over my mouth.
“Stop,” he hissed into my ear.
I didn’t listen. Of course, I didn’t. My animal instincts had taken over, and I was fighting for my life.
I bucked against him, doing everything I could with my five-foot-five frame to fight him off. My heels dug into the tops of his shoes. I kicked backward at his shins and landed a hit.
He grunted, lost his balance, and fell, taking me with him.
My body hit the bed, and he landed on top of me. He washeavy. The impact pushed all the air out of my lungs.
