Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
His touch withdrew abruptly, and I whimpered at the denial.
“Believe me, this hurts me just as much as it hurts you,” he promised roughly, grinding his erection against my hip. “But you haven’t earned an orgasm yet. You might have made yourself forget what it’s like to be with me, but I never forgot what it was like to be with you. I think you remember now. And you can suffer right along with me until I’m satisfied that your submission is genuine.”
He grabbed my wet hair, wrapping it around his fist and yanking back sharply to expose my throat. His teeth closed around my earlobe, biting hard enough to make me cry out. The dual, rough sensations jolted me out of my semi-lucid state, and my eyes flew open on a gasp.
“You don’t get to close your eyes and hide in your own head when I touch you,” he growled. “When I make you come, you will be fully present for every second of it, and you will know who controls your pleasure. You’ll know who has mastered your body. You’ll know that you’re mine.”
Chapter 10
Stefano
Carmen was quiet throughout our dinner, and I found it…unpleasant. I’d much preferred her sweet sighs and soft surrender when I’d bathed her, even if she had refused to open her eyes and be fully present with me.
But I’d let my irritation get the better of me when she almost came against my hand without permission. I regretted my loss of control, but my frustration was completely reasonable. Blue balls would sour any man’s mood.
“Everyone knows that Carmen Ronaldo isn’t shy, so you can drop the silent treatment act,” I announced, setting my fork down on my empty plate. Carmen had barely picked at her dinner; she’d spent most of the time chewing at her lower lip, keeping her eyes downcast.
“There’s no use pretending I’ve shocked your delicate sensibilities. You’re not delicate, are you?” I imbued my statement with subtle mockery, seeking to goad her into talking. Arguing with Carmen was fun. This silence was…not.
Her spine straightened, and her steel gray eyes cut to mine. “And what the fuck do you expect me to say? There’s no point arguing with a crazy person. You can’t be reasoned with.”
I grinned, genuinely delighted. “So, you are still trying to figure out a way to outmaneuver me. Good. It would have been very disappointing if you gave up on our first night together.”
“Disappointing?” she demanded, her voice at a much higher pitch than usual. “I’m fighting for my sanity, and you were worried that your game with me might turn out to be disappointing? Why can’t you see how imbalanced the stakes are in this little game of yours? I want my freedom, my life. You want a good fuck.” She threw up her hands with an exasperated growl. “And now, I’m arguing with a sociopath. Which is exactly what you wanted. There. Are you happy?”
“No.” I frowned, thrown off by the absence of satisfaction. She’d given me the reaction I’d anticipated, but I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like the way she characterized what I wanted from her.
“I don’t just want to fuck you. I want—”
“Yeah, yeah. You want to own me.” She cut me off with a derisive wave, her delicate features pinched in disgust. “I heard you the first ten times you said it, and I managed not to vomit. But I just ate, so maybe don’t go for number eleven.”
“You didn’t eat enough,” I scolded her instead of responding to her pointed accusation. Hearing that the prospect of my possession made her want to vomit made my own stomach turn. I didn’t care for that at all.
Her pale eyes glinted. “Are you going to micromanage my calorie intake from now on, too? Is that part of your fucked-up vision for our life together? Or have you even thought about what will happen when I do finally surrender in this fantasy scenario of yours? Well, I’ll tell you the end of this story and save you the time: either I manage to kill you, or you eventually get bored of me and then you kill me. I’m not interested in allowing you to break me just so you can murder whatever’s left of me at some merciful point in the future.”
I scowled, swallowing the metallic tang in my mouth. During her little tirade, I’d bitten the inside of my cheek.
“I’m not going to murder you,” I barked. “Why would I have dragged you out of that crumbling mansion if I intended to kill you?”
She fixed me with a level look and spoke slowly, as though I was incredibly stupid and needed to be guided to a logical point. “Because you hadn’t gotten the satisfaction of fucking me yet.”
She held up a hand, silencing my protest before I could voice it. “Taming me. Owning me. Whatever insane twist you want to put on it. It all means the same thing: you refused to let me die with dignity so that you could drag me here and fulfil some sick kink you’ve been lusting after for years. Well, I’m not enthusiastic about any of these options. Don’t expect me to change my mind.”