“Ms. Vaughn?”
His lips curl to one side and my mouth waters. I can’t control it. I don’t even want to admit to it. My skin burns. My body aches to be touched but he’d never touch me — not unless I touch him first.
I pull my hand away and my pinkie slides against his inner palm.
Lightning strikes up my arm. The glass slips from my fingers and shatters on the floor beneath us.
Dante’s victorious eyes never leave mine.
Oh, no.
I touched him.
Chapter 4
Lucy
Dante lays his hand on my throat, drawing me against him while shoving me back against the archway. I gasp as his fingers dig into the sides of my neck and he leans in until his body is flush with mine.
“Look at me,” he whispers.
I realize that my eyes are closed. I force them open and I flinch at the look in his midnight eyes, full of lust and sinister intent.
Christ, what have I done?
“Remember…” Dante rests the tip of his nose against my cheek and draws a warm line toward my ear. “You chose this,” he says, his lips grazing my earlobe.
I shiver but it’s more than fear crawling beneath my skin.
He kisses me, stealing my breath away without even trying. It’s hard and fast, almost as if he truly believes it’s the last kiss he’ll ever take.
Dante’s glass clatters to the floor and I feel his other hand reach around to my ass. He squeezes me hard, pinching me until it hurts. I yelp in pain, but it mixes with a moan I can’t deny. His tongue fills my mouth. His bulge digs into my hip. He holds me like his own personal hostage but, as my body responds to his touch, I can’t argue with his words.
I chose this.
I lay a hand on his wrist near my throat. He breaks his kiss to look at me, breathing hard as I put a little pressure on his hand. To my surprise, he loosens his grip and lets me guide his touch. I move his hand downward and set it against my breast instead.
Dante watches me, his dark eyes full of amusement. He massages my breast and I feel my nipple grow taut in my blouse. A light moan teases my throat. I rest my hands on his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt as I reach up to cup his face.
I pull him down, unable to resist another kiss.
He presses my back harder against the wall. I hop up and wrap my legs around his waist. We push off and he carries me to the stairs in the foyer, our lips blending the entire time.
We travel upward slowly, climbing one step at a time, fumbling with ravenous hands and dizzy kisses. Finally, Dante lets me drop and he forces me onto my back on the stairs. It digs into my spine, but I merely purr as he parts my knees and settles his body between them.
Dante grabs my blouse and tears it apart. The buttons pop free and clack against the wooden stairs beneath us. He cups my exposed breasts, pinching them together as he laves my cleavage with his tongue and nibbles my flesh.
My moans echo up the staircase. Every swipe of his tongue across my skin brings even more painful agony between my thighs. It throbs harder the closer he gets, and I can tell he takes great pleasure in teasing me. His teeth drag along my thick nipple, bringing it to life against his tongue. I twinge in pain, unable to wait any longer, and reach for his belt.
Dante pulls back and lets me tug it free. He stares with a cool smirk on his lips like he always knew we’d end up like this. I’d disagree if I could do anything other than imagine what his semen tastes like.
I open his zipper and gasp, taken back by the sizable bulge hidden inside his briefs. He guides my chin up and his thumb swipes against my bottom lip. He pushes it between my teeth, his eyes telling me what he wants me to do with it. I wrap my lips around his knuckles and suck. My tongue twitches, immersed in the flavor of his skin, preparing for something far larger than his digit.
I wrap my short fingers around his shaft and a breathy exhale escapes his lips. I lean forward and he slides his thumb out of my mouth, wiping my spit along my lips before settling on the back of my neck. I pull his briefs down and his manhood falls free, standing on end between us with a glistening tip.
His grip digs into my hair to pull me closer he forces his cock into my mouth.
My tongue explodes, reacting to his salty, sweet nectar. I lick it clean, only to entice even more out of him. He groans above me and I feel his body go stiff. I close my eyes, relishing in him as I work him in and out of my lips, sucking so hard my cheeks cave against his thick tip.
I flick my eyes upward to catch his face in the shadows. Sweat has broken on his brow. His jaw hangs open and his tongue lingers between his lips. He’s expecting me to stop, or perhaps choke on him, but I let him slide deeper into my throat.
His brow twitches in surprise, yet again underestimating me.
I clamp my lips around him and suck even harder. He flexes his jaw and closes his eyes, deep pleasures radiating throughout his trembling core. When he opens them again, I see the challenge in his dark blue eyes.
He slides out of my mouth and I gasp for air as he grabs me off the stairs. His kiss shakes me again, stealing the breath I so desperately need but still I hear myself laughing in his arms. I feel completely weightless. He barely even flexes as I settle against him, wrapping my knees around his waist with my tongue back in his mouth where it belongs.
Dante tosses me onto a bed and reaches for my jeans with his eyes fixed on mine. He scratches my thighs as he pulls them down to my ankles, drawing even more pain into my body to combat the rising tide of pleasure. I push back toward the pillows as he hooks my knees and throws them over his shoulders. I bend to his will and I catch the twinkle in his eye as he wonders how flexible I really am. I smirk at him, silently daring him to test me, but he looks down at my pink folds instead.
He glides his tongue down my taut belly, tasting my skin, inching closer and closer to my slit. I bite my tongue, trembling with each touch. I reach for the pillow beneath my head and curl my fingers into fists, latching onto it to keep myself steady.
Dante’s breath teases my thighs as he kisses down to my knees. My quads quiver with anticipation. He feels it and looks at me with those devious eyes, refusing to give me the pleasure I so desperately want. His tongue parts his lips above my swollen bud but he refuses to appease me.
“Say it…”
My voice catches in my throat. “What?”
“My name.”
I grit my teeth, overwhelmed by knee-jerking rebellion. “No.”
He slides a fingertip along my closed, wet folds. “Lucy…”
I bite my cheek, fighting against my back as it attempts to arch off the bed. “Mr. Hart…” I say.
He digs his sharp teeth into my thigh with playful frustration. “Say it or I’ll make you scream it.”
I try to breathe deeper, but the air rattles my insides. I dig my nails into the pillow in defiance. If I give in, he owns me.
“No—”
Dante tosses my legs off his shoulders as he reaches for his tie. He loosens it with a quick tug and flicks his shirt buttons free with his eyes focused on me. His abs peek out from underneath and I quiver with a fresh, desirable urge. I can’t look away from his body as he slides his shirt off and tosses it to the floor.
I gasp at the black tattoo on his chest, curling between his pecs all the way down to his navel.
A cobra.
He leans forward and I feel his hard cock knock against my beckoning slit. “Lucy…” he whispers, his lips teasing mine. “Do you have any idea what I could do to you?”
I keep silent, unable to give an answer.
“Lucy.”
“Do it,” I dare.
He smiles with surprise and grips my wrists to pull them above my head with his tie in one hand. I lurch with fear as he latches my hands to the wooden spokes of the headboard with quick expertise.
“Wait—”
“Shh,” he warns with smiling lips. He kisses me again, this time soft and slow. Almost romantic.
“Just say my name and I’ll untie you.”
I furrow my brow, refusing to give in to his game. He stares me down, studying my face for any tells I may have, wondering how far he’ll have to bend me before I break.
“After you, Mr. Hart,” I say.
Dante moves without hesitation, forcing my legs back up onto his shoulders. I focus on the pleasure inside of me as his huge cock pushes against my aching crevice. He takes it in hand and touches the firm tip to my clit, firing shock waves throughout my body with each quick rub.
He reaches down to slide his thumb into my mouth again. I bite down hard to see the pain in his eyes. Instead, he smiles at me as if I’m incapable of hurting him at all.
“Lucy…” he says with laughter on his breath. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
He pulls his thumb away and slides the moisture down my chin, leaving a long trail downward between my breasts and along my belly.
I writhe beneath him, sparks igniting along my skin wherever he touches me. His thumb finally settles on my mound, reaching deep between my thighs to lie against my vibrating clit. I press my lips together to try and hide my moan but it’s no use. Every purposeful flick of his thumb brings me closer to letting go. He pushes down, sliding slowly between my wet folds and sets his thumb against my dripping entrance. My back arches off the bed and I bite my tongue to keep from begging him to be inside of me.
Dante keeps his eyes trained on me, testing my reaction as he slides his thumb in less than an inch. I sigh, longing for even more of his thick digit but he refuses me. He just massages along my opening with his eyes on me, smiling at the pleasure overwhelming my body.
“You’re tight, Lucy,” he says, his voice dripping with desire. “Relax.”
I nod, unable to say a word.
Dante pulls his hand away and brings his thumb to his mouth. He tastes me on his skin, sucking his own thumb clean of my moisture.
A chill climbs down my spine as a deep chuckle fills the back of his throat.
“My god, Lucy…” he growls. “You taste like…”
He lowers himself down to me and runs his lips against my neck before landing a firm kiss on my mouth.
“You taste like a good kill,” he says.
I quiver with fear, suddenly remembering who this man is between my legs. My wrists tremble against my restraints. I realize how foolish I’ve been to challenge him.
There’s no way out of this without submitting to him completely.
“I wonder…” he continues, studying my frightened eyes, “if you feel like one, too.”
Dante rises again, this time grabbing his huge cock and sliding it downward to meet my slit. I grip the headboard, preparing for his urgent thrust, but he moves slowly, almost with a degree of hesitation.
His tip pushes inside, and he closes his eyes to feel it.
Pleasure rocks me instantly and I moan for more of him, but he keeps himself still. He exhales with heavy breath as he struggles to control himself.
“Mr. Hart…” I sigh, willing for his eyes to open.
They stay closed as his hands fall to my waist. He pulls me closer, burrowing his shaft even deeper inside of me. I moan louder, feeling every inch of it stretch me out. My hips jolt, begging for his thrust, but he digs his fingers into my skin to hold me down. The ends of his mouth twitch as I squeeze him from the inside, but he still refuses to give me what I want.
“Mr. Hart…”
Dante’s eyes open slowly, and I see it staring back at me. Those eyes, far different than they were before. That playful, boyish charm is gone, leaving behind the black, soulless eyes of only one thing.
A killer.
“Dante.”
He leans over me and lays a hand against my chin, drawing my mouth toward his. “Say it again,” he whispers.
I shake in his hands. “Dante—”
His lips crash into mine. “Lucy…” he groans, moving a hand along the bedspread toward his bedside table.
He reaches over and grabs something from the drawer. I can’t make it out in the darkness until I hear it flicking open.
I jolt in fear at the knife glimmering next to his lifeless eyes.
“Shh…”
He offers me a soothing kiss to silence me. I keep my eyes open, watching his hand move above my head. He slides the blade between my wrist and his tie and slices it apart with one quick flick.
My hands fall to my sides. Dante tosses the knife away before kissing me again. He juts his hips forward, rocking us both with a hard thrust.
I moan between his lips, holding his body even closer to mine as sweat gathers along his rough skin. My fingers drag across his body, feeling the bumps and tears of scars along his back and abs.
“Oh, god—”
He pumps me again, this time giving in to his own desires. He doesn’t stop. He holds me down against his bed and pistons in and out of me, breathing fast as his lips never leave my own.
Warmth bleeds from every muscle. I let it overwhelm me, riding the wave higher and higher until I can’t anymore. “Dante…”
He guides my arms above my head and entwines our fingers together. Without saying a word, he lays his head on my shoulder and rests it there while he continues the hard grind inside of me, drawing me even closer to the edge.
“Dante—!”
The climax strikes me down. My entire body quakes, feeling the rush of pleasure radiating throughout my limbs. Everything explodes, from my head all the way down to my toes, far more intense than I’ve ever experienced in my life.
He raises his head and smiles, his hips still bucking wildly. “Lucy…” he whispers my name, his voice smooth as butter.
I look into his eyes to find the stunning waves of blue looking back at me. The killer is gone. Either that or the killer has taken over me.
I push up to kiss him and he takes my face in his rough hands, holding me tight as if I could float away at any second. My knees hug his waist and I wrap my arms around him while guiding him onto his back. His thickness slides out of me as we move but I quickly maneuver him back where he belongs.
Dante lies down and watches as I take control. His eyes grow wider as I ride him, dancing on his cock like a well-practiced routine. I bob and move my hips, drawing his hands up my body to cup my breasts. His massive hands cover them completely and my nipples swell even more against his calloused palms. I grunt from the back of my throat, digging my nails into his chest as hard as I can. Still, he doesn’t even wince at the pain it brings him.
He leans his head back and groans softly at the ceiling while his hips buck to meet my bounce, pushing against my inner walls until they crumble.
“Oh, fuck — Dante!” I moan for him and he holds me together while I start to unravel on his big, thick rod.
He draws his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down as he presses his thumb against my clit again. He wags his knuckle, drawing another scream from the back of my throat, and he doesn’t stop until I’m moaning his name so loud I think my ears will bleed.
I come again, forfeiting everything for him. The moisture inside becomes a deluge raining down on his cock. He slides out of me and rests the tip against my taut navel. He marks me with a quick, sudden stream of cum, shooting thick and wet across my skin. I lower myself down and take his cock into my mouth to appease my salivating tongue.
Dante snatches my hair as I suck him dry. His warm desire sprays the back of my throat, teasing my taste buds until I’ve had my fill of him, and he goes flaccid between my teeth. I taste both of us on our tongues as we bring our lips together again.
I fall to his bed, submitting to the numbness in my thighs. Sweat bleeds off my brow. My abs burn. Everything feels so alive inside, but I can’t bring myself to move. I sense him beside me, breathing heavily into the air, his thick chest rising and falling as much as mine.
Finally, he sits up and spreads my knees again.
“Dante—”
“I have to taste you...” He licks
his lips like a hungry animal standing above his dying prey.
I fall silent and bite my cheek to keep from screaming as his tongue parts my nether lips and plunges inside. A moan escapes me, drawn out by the smooth fucking of his tongue in my core.
“My god…” He moans, his voice breathy and wild. His eyes close and he rests his head against my breasts, licking his lips clean of my flavor. “You taste so…”
He doesn’t finish. I’m not sure I’d understand even if he did.
I lie still beneath his heavy weight, listening to the rhythmic sound of his breath until my eyelids finally submit to sleep.
Chapter 5
Dante
She’ll be gone by the time I get back.
I step outside with my briefcase in hand. It’s still dark, only about an hour before sunrise. I’m not much of a sleeper or else I’d stay in bed with her. Then again, Zappia’s waiting on my kill confirmation and he isn’t a man you want to keep waiting for very long.
I head for the docks. It’s a quick drive. The city isn’t quite awake yet. The roads are clear of commuters and school buses and the usual morning annoyances.
Zappia’s casino sits near the docks just west of Montrose Beach. Not exactly the place you’d expect a mafia family to do business, but I guess that’s the whole point. A little research points out that this entire area was used to smuggle alcohol during the Prohibition Era, a trade the early Zappia men were particularly famous for throughout Chicago.
“You’re late, Hart.”
Martino Zappia greets me as I step inside with a cigarette butt between his lips and a deck of cards in his hands. He leans against the metal stairwell leading up to his father’s office, casually shuffling the cards. I grit my teeth and throw on a smile. Marty’s the youngest of the family and as such, the hardest-working man in the business when it comes to earning daddy’s approval. And failing.
Behind him shines the Zappia Casino but the Las Vegas Bellagio it ain’t. It’s one floor with about a dozen or so tables scattered around. The air is full of controlled, chaotic sounds like chips clacking, cards shuffling, and dials spinning as the dealers speak softly to the players. It smells like cigar smoke, cheap whiskey, and a hint of chocolate — but I haven’t the slightest idea why.
Tainted Love Page 3
