CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEARIA‘Or maybe I should just kill you now.’For the majority of my life, I’ve thought of dying. Losing my mother and watching my stepfather turn into a monster. Running away from him while knowing that I could get killed. Getting kidnapped a good number of times. Staring at the walls of my prison room with no hope of escape. I’ve thought of dying all these times, but I never thought of how exactly it would happen. I let that particular thought wander, leaving it up to the universe to decide. Now, as I stared into Maximo’s eyes gleaming with an unreadable emotion, I wondered how he would kill me. I let my mind wander for a second, to the pleasant moments we once shared. The desire that coursed through my veins whenever he was near, the feel of his skin against mine, his lips on mine, the pleasure he gave me and the conflicting feelings I felt in my chest afterwards.I let myself feel everything for what could possibly be the last time. A single tear rolled down m
CHAPTER FORTYMAXIMOThe car engine came to a stop directly in front of the beach house. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling a heavy breath. My heart was still heavy despite my efforts to forget everything that had happened in the past hour. I wished I could forget the details of my argument with Aria, I wish I could forget how her words cut me like a knife, how the mixture of hurt, pain and guilt settled in my stomach. But I couldn’t.I accused her of being impulsive, but heck! Bringing Aria here was an impulsive decision, one I hoped would get her to open up to me. I knew she hated being in my mansion. She hated being locked up. She hated being stuck with me.But the realization that was too painful to accept was the fact that she hated me too, so much that she wouldn’t mind risking her life or dying just to get away from me.The pain in my chest returned in full force, squeezing and burning my lungs, making it hard to breathe. My hand tightened against the steering wheel before
CHAPTER FORTY-ONEARIAMy breath hitched in my throat as I stared at Maximo, his words replaying over and over again in my head.‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’A rush of warmth spread through me, my heart racing as I still processed his words. My skin erupted in goosebumps, and I felt the heaviness in my chest slowly begin to dissipate.I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would leave them. “Ah...where's my mouthy spitfire when I need her the most?” Maximo chuckled, running his thumb over my lips.A shiver ran through my body. I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or his touch.“Fuck. I need to get you inside.”Standing up from the sand, Maximo lifted me into his arms like I weighed nothing. Mindlessly, I put my arms around his neck, looking up at his face as he led us back to the beach house.He loved me?Another shiver wracked through me. This man, with his beautiful grey eyes and long dark hair that fell loosely past his shoulders, loved me. The Don of the Italian ma
CHAPTER FORTY-TWOARIAMaximo’s jaws clenched as my words echoed around the room. A beat of silence passed between us. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds.My heart squeezed painfully at the turbulent emotions in my chest, then sank as I got the answer I needed.“That’s what I thought,” I muttered bitterly before exiting the living room. The sound of shattering glass followed me as I got to the bedroom door. Tears burned behind my eyes, and they came flowing down the moment I entered the room and shut the door behind me. A sob wracked through me as I sank onto the floor. Clutching my stomach, I tried to calm myself down. But no matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. It felt like someone had taken a knife to my chest, puncturing it repeatedly while ripping me apart. The pain was indescribable.I thought I needed his answer. I thought making him choose would be easier. He wouldn’t marry me, which he made very clear. I should be happy that I w
CHAPTER FORTY-THREEMAXIMO‘Don’t stop.’A low groan escaped my throat as I captured her lips with mine. She moaned into my lips, immediately returning the kiss with equal fervor as her hands slid up to my neck and clung to me desperately. My hands roamed over her body, feeling every dip and curve of her smooth skin. Our tongues danced together in a fierce battle of passion, and I poured out my anger, frustration, hurt and love into the heated embrace.One hand traveled under the t-shirt she was wearing, grazing her inner thighs as it went deeper, seeking her heat. She whimpered and sank her hands into my hair, pulling me impossibly closer as my fingers found her wet folds.“Maximo,” she moaned and threw her head back as I slipped two fingers in. Her hips rolled against my hand as I pumped slowly, teasing her. Her arms wrapped around my neck, keeping our bodies tightly pressed together. Our breaths came out in pants, our hearts pounded against each other and everything else disappear
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURARIAMy heart thudded in my chest as anger, lust and desire burned in my chest. I hated that he was right. I already knew it would be impossible not to think about him. “You have everything you would need. Food, clothes, a television, phone and laptop to keep you from being bored,” he continued, heading towards the door.I clenched my fists, determined to say nothing else to him. As he got to the door, he turned to glance briefly at me. And for a brief moment, my heart tugged towards him, wanting him to stay even for a short moment. But then the feeling disappeared as I remembered all the reasons for my anger.“Goodbye, Maximo.”He chuckled darkly. “This isn’t goodbye.”As he shut the door, my fury returned in full force. It burned in my throat, making it difficult to breathe. How could he lock me up here and go on to live freely? Did he think that keeping me here was the right thing to do? He thought he was protecting me, but all it did was fill me with frustrati
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVEARIAThe sound of the doorbell ringing woke me up from my sleep. I rose from my bed with a frown. I wasn’t expecting any online orders, and the bodyguards never disturbed me. Yawning, I stood up and stretched my limbs before walking over to the living room.As I approached the door, a slight wave of fear washed through me. What if it was someone dangerous? What if somehow, Maximo’s enemies had found my location? What if they took down Miguel and Enrico?“Stop it,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head to get rid of the paranoid thoughts.I got to the door and stared into the security monitor screen. A soft breath of relief escaped my lips as I saw it was just Enrico. As I pulled the door open, I wondered why he was knocking on my door this early in the morning.“Hey,” I greeted groggily while rubbing my eyes.Enrico’s scowling face appeared hazy in my eyes for a few moments. I had to blink repeatedly to get myself fully awake. “From the boss,” he said gruffly, han
CHAPTER FORTY-SIXARIASeveral emotions filled me as I stared at the man standing before me. Anger, lust, frustration...all swirling in my soul like a tornado.“Get out,” I hissed, stepping forward and shoving his chest with both hands. He didn’t budge. Instead, it was more of an invitation for him to step further into my space. “Get the hell out of here, you asshole.”My voice was loud and I was sure Miguel could hear me insulting his almighty boss, but I didn’t care. I was blinded by rage and exasperation.Maximo however didn’t seem pleased. His face contorted in anger as he grabbed hold of my wrists and used his leg to close the door shut. “You know better than to speak to me like that,” he said in a low growl, his dark eyes staring down into mine. The heat from his body seeped through his black dress shirt, making my breathing hard. I gritted my teeth and snatched my hands from his grip. I wanted him to feel how much I hated him right now. Wanted him to know how furious I was.