Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
But that doesn’t matter right now. She saw me put it into my drawer last night. And she somehow got out of her room today to take it. She’s clever. Manipulative.
I take her arm and walk her back toward her bedroom. The soldier tasked with guarding her is still standing, smiling at something on his phone. He’s clearly startled when he sees us return.
“What’s your name?” I ask him.
“Anthony, sir.”
“Anthony, did you let my guest out of her room today?”
The answer is written on his face as he scans hers, then turns back to me. “She needed tampons she’d left in your bathroom.”
“Oh, did she?” I turn to Vittoria, who tilts her chin up, not looking at all sorry.
“Yes, sir. I didn’t think you’d want her messing up your things. I stayed with her. She just went in for a minute.”
“So you didn’t leave her alone at all?”
“No, sir.”
“Hm.” I’ll deal with him later. “Go downstairs and get some dinner.”
He clearly senses something is off but nods and scurries away. I open the door and lead Vittoria back inside. Once she’s in, I release her. She walks backward away from me as I stalk to her.
“It’s my father’s ring. It’s not yours.”
“Spoils of war, Dandelion. Everything is mine.” Once she’s got her back to the wall, I set the flat of one hand to her stomach and study her while I consider the best way to manage this. “So you needed tampons?”
She clears her throat as I slide my hand down to her lower belly.
“Got your period since last night?”
“I thought you’d—”
“You thought I keep tampons in my bathroom?” She opens her mouth, but I slip my hand under her dress, and she shuts up. “Do men make fools of themselves often for you, Dandelion?”
I grip her inner thigh and force her legs apart.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m guessing yes. You’re a beautiful woman. A wealthy, connected one. You’re a catch.”
“What the hell are you doing?” She grips my forearm with both hands.
“Me personally? Not so much.” I push the crotch of her panties over and, without preamble, with no ceremony, I push two fingers inside her.
She gasps, hands like claws as she rises on her tiptoes.
“If my fingers come away bloody, then you’ll have proven me wrong. I’ll even take your word for it that you went hunting for tampons in my bathroom and that the ring somehow accidentally dropped into your pocket.” I draw my fingers out and thrust them back in. She whines. The way I’m touching her is very different from last night. “Will I be proven wrong, Dandelion?” I thrust again, unable to resist running a thumb over her clit, which has her squeezing her eyes shut and pressing the back of her head to the wall. “But let’s say they don’t come out bloody,” I say, circling her clit, liking how she looks when she opens her eyes to meet my gaze. Her cheeks flush pink, and there’s an audible shift in her breathing. “Tell me, what do you think I should do with you?”
“I just… I...”
I watch her face, see her eyes darken as the pupils dilate, and watch her small white teeth as they close over her lower lip. That’s what hooks me. Her mouth. How she tasted for our brief kiss at the restaurant.
“You what?” I ask in a whisper, my face so close to hers the warmth of her breath caresses my lips.
“I…”
She doesn’t get to answer, though, because before I can think straight, I press my lips to hers and kiss her. For a moment, I think she’s stunned. As stunned as I am. But then she yields. I’m not sure who’s more surprised when her grip softens on my forearm, and her breath turns into a moan.
That sound reminds me that I’m kissing her lying little mouth. There’s a reason she’s here. A reason we’re here. And I need to keep my head on straight.
It takes all I have to pull away. She leans toward me, surprised, her eyes opening. I swallow, feeling the loss of her mouth on mine and the swelling of my own lips. I draw my fingers out of her pussy. They come away wet. I raise them between us, and we both look at the glistening digits. Wet with arousal. Not blood. As we both knew they would be.
“How do we punish liars, Dandelion? How do we punish thieves.”
“It was my father’s ring,” she says weakly.
“So you didn’t take it from my room?”
“You stole it from his corpse. Why would you even want it?”
It’s a good question, but I’m not here to answer to her. I shift my grip to her arm and march her into the bathroom. “In some countries, thieves have their hands cut off.”
“Let me go!”
“I’m not such a barbarian.” I switch on the tap and pick up the bar of soap, shifting my grip to the back of her neck and leaning her toward the sink. She holds tight to the edges of it in her resistance. “Open your mouth.”