CHAPTER TWENTYARIA“It’s dinner time. The boss requests your presence downstairs,” Maria announced as she stepped into the room.I internally smirked. When Maximo didn’t call me down for breakfast this morning, I was confused, pissed and disappointed. Did he take my word for it when I told him I never wanted to be around him? No. That would mean he was granting my wishes, which isn’t Maximo-like.Did he decide to leave me locked in the room till I starved to death? I doubted that. If Maximo finally decided to kill me, I was sure he would want to do it with his hands. I had spent hours asking myself questions, with nervous anticipation coursing through my veins. I had a plan to escape, and for it to work, Maximo had to be predictable. I had to see him at least once every day. Seduction. That was my plan, to seduce him.There was something between us—a tension, hot electricity and heat that swirled in the air whenever we were in the same room. It had always been there, from the fir
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONEMAXIMOMy hands remained balled into fists as anger coursed through my veins. I never had a problem with Lorenzo showing up for dinner unannounced. He was my brother, the only person I trusted, the only one I would lay down my life for if needed.But at this moment, he was the person I wanted to smack in the head, and he was the last person I wanted here.“I don’t understand why she’s having dinner with you, Scar,” he said, switching to Italian.I stabbed a piece of chicken with my fork, brought it to my mouth, and took my time chewing it before swallowing and turning to answer him. “Because I wanted her to.”We’d had this same conversation in the past, and it annoyed me that he was bringing it up again. Lorenzo’s brown eyes regarded me for a few seconds before he burst out in laughter. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I continued to devour my dinner.“I’m curious to see how this whole thing will play out,” he eventually said after his laughter had died down
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOARIAI was livid. At first, my anger stemmed from the fact that Maximo’s brother interrupted the moment we were having. I had been confident that my plans to seduce Maximo would work, especially as I saw the way he reacted to me. Until Lorenzo showed up, glaring at me like he wanted to kill me with his own bare hands. Lorenzo was the type of man who was all smiles and jokes but was actually very dangerous. Men like that were dangerous because people often underestimated them. But there was something about him that made dread skitter across my stomach. It was different from the transfixing fear I felt for Maximo—the one that held me in a state of captivation, unable to look away from him despite my trepidation.With Lorenzo, the fear I felt was dirty and repulsive. His presence in the room made my skin crawl. My anger only worsened when they began to speak Italian, deliberately exempting me from the conversation. Each time Lorenzo laughed and glanced at me, I wis
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREEARIA“Why are you hesitating, Red?” Maximo drawled, his voice husky. One hand came up to stroke the side of my face. I shuddered despite myself, loving the feel of his warm, calloused fingers stroking over my skin. ‘Just shoot him. Kill him now and all your problems are gone. Pay him back for all the pain he caused you.’My head was a fuzzy mess, my plans and schemes all evaporated from my brain as he leaned further into me. His scent enveloped me, his body warmth radiating through his thin shirt, sending shivers up my spine. I couldn't look away from his grey eyes, his dark lashes brushing against them, framing them so beautifully. My body ached with want, longing for just a touch.There were only two thoughts in my head at that moment. One, I wanted to kiss him so badly. Two, I couldn’t kill him even if I wanted to. This has to be a trap. Maximo Morelli would never let me kill him.My grip on the gun loosened. The weapon clattered loudly to the floor. None of
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURMAXIMOIt’s been four days. Four days since I kissed Aria, four days since I touched her, felt the contours of her soft skin under my palms and the silky smoothness of her lips pressed against mine. Four days of torture, having her moans replay in my head over and over again. It’s pathetic. I am Maximo Morelli. I never pine over anyone. Heck, I have a rule of not fucking one woman more than twice. I have more than enough women at my disposal, women who would beg me to give them pleasure…Yet here I was, sitting at the back of my car with a laptop positioned on the headrest mount, watching Aria through the remote security system I had installed on my personal computer just for her. I always had CCTV cameras in every corner of my home, but there was a security room in my mansion where all the monitors were located. I’d never had any reason to have the network installed on my personal device, and yet I did this just so I could watch her whenever I wanted to.I loved
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVEARIAI flipped a page of the old, giant hardcover book I was holding, my fingers skimming across the letters inked on the pages. I had gone exploring in Maximo’s mansion, deciding to take advantage of the little freedom he had given me. I was shocked to find out that he had a library here. Not just any basic library, a large, well-decorated one, with shelves and bookshelves upon bookshelves stacked high with ancient, leatherbound books in pristine condition. Like the rest of the house, this large room had an antique, Victorian-style interior design. The furniture was very rich and dark wood, and the carpets were thick and fluffy. A grand fireplace, complete with fire, lined the back wall of the room, giving it a warm glow. I took a deep breath as the scent of cinnamon filled the air. The pleasant scent of old, crisp book pages was calming and relaxing. I had always loved reading, and that made me wonder why a man like Maximo had a well-maintained library in his h
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXMAXIMO“B-boss?” Pietro’s eyes widened as I walked down the stairs. “I-it’s not what it looks like,” he stammered, then realizing Aria was still in his arms, he shoved her away.Aria’s body crumpled to the floor and she immediately crawled to a corner. I was livid, willing my hands not to shake due to my anger.“She came here trying to seduce me! She asked me to let her escape…”A loud bang rang out as I pulled the trigger. Pietro let out a blood-curdling scream as his leg gave in beneath him and he fell to the ground.“You touched her,” I breathed, trying to appear calm, my hand clenching around the cold metal with restrained rage. “I was on my own!” He screamed. “She came onto me…”I shot his second leg, then his shoulder, before aiming for his head. “Stop!”It was Aria who screamed this time around. I gritted my teeth painfully before turning to glance at Luca who had walked in behind me.“Take her out of here,” I barked.“No!” She screamed again, her voice fi
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENARIAMy eyes slowly opened to reveal the dark room. I blinked severally before sitting up and taking in the room before me. Maximo’s room.My body flushed with warmth as the memories from earlier came rushing back to my mind. The way he’d rescued me, the way he held me, the way he kissed me. My heart beat rapidly, desire and confusion fighting a battle for dominance within me. I should be happy that my plan to seduce him was working. That should be all I thought about—the plan. Instead, all that lingered in my mind was the way he made my heart flutter, my toes curl, and my blood run hot. How could someone so evil be so caring? How could the same hand which killed me touch me so softly, like he was scared I would break? How could he leave the room earlier when I was sure he wanted more than just the kisses and humping sessions?“Ugh! I need him out of my head,” I muttered under my breath. I also needed him out of my skin, his taste out of my mouth, and his veno