“Well, you’re not the damned police, and I don’t consent to you frisking me.”
With one last slow scan over every inch of her, I lean in close, my body flush against hers, trapping her against the wall. I speak slowly, deliberately. “If you ever try to shoot me again or spray me with that shit, hell, if you look at me the wrong way, Iwillpunish you.”
She glares up at me, and her palm lifts. I see it coming, but I do nothing this time. She’s earned it for the fight she’s put up. I never expected her to be so wild. The crack sears across my cheek, and a smile parts my lips.
“So you like it rough?” she hisses with the slap still echoing between us.
“I’m pretty sure I’d like it any way with you, princess.” A wicked grin curls the corners of my mouth. She’s hot as fuck, especially like this, and she’s not wrong, I do like it rough. And in this moment, there’s nothing I’d like more than to tear her wet clothes off, bend her over the couch and fuck her until she screams my name.
“Dream on,bastardo. Never happening.” Her mouth is a heartbeat from my own, her hot breath ghosting over my lips. She struggles against me, palms pressed to my chest. Heat races from her fingerprints, branding me with each touch.
Her mouth says one thing, but her body betrays her. Her dark pupils are blown out, nipples peaked against my chest. Hell, she’s breathing heavier than I am. Here I thought she’d be a safe bet. An answer to my dating dilemma. I never thought sweet, innocent Stella would have a dark side.
This certainly complicates things.
Energy crackles between us, but I finally peel my body from hers. My cock curses me out as I slowly back away. Stella still watches me, eyes wide, as she adjusts her skirt to cover those irresistible pink panties. I swear I see a twinge of disappointment. I should’ve expected it. If she dated Bo, she had to have a thing for morally gray, fucked up men.
Leaning against the wall, she crosses her arms over her chest and inhales a deep breath. “Now what?”
I eye the mess on the floor. “Now we clean that up.”
She scoffs. “So I’m supposed to be your maid too?”
“No. I have a housekeeper, thank you very much. Magda is a lovely young woman who I’m sure you’ll meet shortly. She’s just stepped out to run some errands.”
“Figures.”
I glance down at my white shirt and scowl at the tan splotches from the scotch incident. My hand is sticky from the liquor, and to be honest, I could use a nice, cold shower. “I’m taking a shower. Clean it up or don’t. Magda will take care of it when she returns.” I spin toward the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.
“Wait.” Her footsteps echo behind me. “I’m drenched in alcohol in case you didn’t notice, and I don’t have any other clothes. You didn’t really give me time to pack before you kidnapped me.” She fishes into her top and pulls out an ice cube. Her white shirt is soaked through, revealing tight peaked nipples.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I force in a deep inhale. “Come with me.”
She follows me down the hallway, eyeing the array of paintings lining the white walls. They’re all landscapes of Italy: Naples, my hometown, the islands of Ischia and Capri, the Amalfi Coast, the most beautiful places on earth, in my opinion.
“Beautiful,” she murmurs, her voice so soft I’m not certain I hear the word.
From what I remembered, Stella and her brother were born in New York. Her mom had met her bastard father in the U.S., and Stella had never been to Italy. “Have you ever been?” I ask without turning.
“No.”
It’s the fucking stupidest idea ever, but for a second, I imagine the two of us there. Strolling down thelungomare, eatinggelatoat thepiazza. I’m definitely losing my shit.
I finally stop at the end of the hallway in front of the double doors that lead to my bedroom. I pause, my hand curled around the handle. I’ve never brought a woman inside. If they even make it into my penthouse, I usually fuck them in one of the guest bedrooms. It’s clean, sterile, and outfitted with an array of toys. It’s silly really, but it’s one of my rules. Letting someone in feels too intimate.
“Are we going in or what?” Stella’s breath ghosts over the shell of my ear.
I cant my head back, and my nose nearly brushes hers. She’s on her tiptoes, peering over my shoulder. “Yeah,” I mutter and turn the handle.
CHAPTER13
AN OFFER I CAN’T REFUSE
Stella
I walk into the uber-modern bedroom, a spicy, musky scent thick in the air. I’ve only spent a few hours with Luca and already I recognize it as his. It was all I could smell when thebastardohad me pinned to the ground.
He treads behind me, so close his warm breath brushes the shell of my ear. I wait for the fear, the icy fingers crawling up my back at his proximity, but I feel nothing but excitement. I should be terrified. I’m alone in an empty penthouse with a stranger who’s been dubbed the most ruthless man in New York City. Only, I feel none of those things.
