If I didn’t already know I needed to find a way out of here after my altercation with Elijah yesterday, I certainly know it now. And not entirely because he’s a raving lunatic who stole me from my life with crazy expectations that we’re going to get married and live happily ever after.
No, the reason I need to get the fuck out of here is because when he touches me, he sets my body on fire. There’s something about having his hands on me, hands that have killed people, who have torn people’s lives apart without so much as a thought, that takes the air from my lungs and makes my heart beat so hard it hurts.
Perhaps it’s my self-destructive nature talking, or maybe it’s more than that, but regardless, I need to run.
Lucky for me, Elijah presented me with the perfect opportunity this afternoon. He walked straight into my room and told me we’re going to have dinner with my family, and then he left without another word. I can only assume we’re going somewhere public and not to the estate where I would have the upper hand but seeing as we’ve spent a total of half an hour together since I arrived here, I’m quietly confident my siblings will be able to see through the charade he’s trying to portray and rescue me.
So instead of fighting everything he says as I have with everything else he’s ordered me to do over the last few days, I set to getting ready. I’m almost overwhelmed by the number of dresses I have to choose from and the number of beauty products he bought me before I arrived, but I go through the motions of primping to the utmost degree. After days of being locked up in this room, I’m almost excited to step foot out of the house and to converse with people who aren’t a raving lunatic and his dutiful housekeeper, but it’s all the unknowns that eat away at that excitement.
Elijah has to know I’m going to try something to escape tonight, and I almost wonder if this is a test, if he’s setting me up to fail. But it doesn’t matter what his intentions are for tonight. All that matters is that I’m going to be leaving with my family, never to see Elijah Russo again.
“You look breathtaking,” he says from behind me, making me jolt in surprise. He’s so light on his feet I swear he’s part cat, not that I would ever say that to him. Something tells me comparing a big bad Mafia leader to a cuddly kitty cat probably isn’t the best life choice. He stands in the doorway behind me, a tailored suit making him look every bit as handsome as it does terrifying. It’s the big bad wolf in sheep’s clothing you have to worry about. His eyes lock on mine in the mirror, making no move toward me as he waits for my reaction to his words.
“Thank you,” I murmur, reaching for the necklace I have set out on the vanity in front of me.
Before I’m able to unclasp it, large, tattooed hands envelop mine and take the delicate jewelry from me. His heat against my bare back makes it impossible to breathe, and for the first time since I picked my outfit, I wonder if the mid-length, backless crimson dress I chose was the best choice. Perhaps I should have chosen something more conservative, like jeans and a sweater.
His coarse fingers brush across my neck as he winds the gold chain around my throat, never breaking contact with my eyes in the mirror in front of us. An involuntary shiver makes its way across my skin at his gentle touch, so at odds with the man he is.
Elijah doesn’t pull away once the clasp is fastened, instead his fingers run down my bare arms. I question my decision to wear my hair up in a messy updo when his breath whispers across my bare neck. His eyes flame with desire, taking my breath away.
“Before we leave, I wanted to run over the ground rules,” he rumbles.
“Okay,” I whisper, not trusting my voice to be steady with his proximity.
“I organized this night for you because, contrary to what you believe, I do not want to tear you from your life or your family. Being locked up in the house is a temporary measure until I’m sure you’re not going to run, and then you will be given some of the freedom you’re accustomed to. Tonight is the first step in me allowing you some of those liberties. If you try to tip your siblings off to our circumstances, I will whisk you out of there so quickly you won’t be able to finish your sentence. If you try to run, I will chase you, and I promise you will be locked in this room indefinitely. And if any of your attempts happen to be successful, I will not hesitate to make good on the promise I made you the first morning. Do you remember?”
I close my eyes to push down the bile rising in my throat. “Yes, I remember.”
“Eyes on me, Snowflake.”
My eyes snap open and I meet his in the mirror again. For someone who claims to have had their feelings repressed their entire life, his eyes are so expressive I can see what he’s feeling before any other part of him shows signs of that emotion.
“Good girl.” His eyes finally break contact with mine as they track down the bare flesh of my neck. “Your heart is beating so hard. Are you nervous?” His hands tighten around my forearms, holding me in place as if predicting I might try to move out of his grasp, but honestly, the thought hadn’t occurred to me.
“No,” I lie.
Every moment Elijah is close is another moment I live in fear of what he might do, and what I might allow him to do.
Elijah chuckles, his fingers moving back up my arms and resting on my shoulders, rubbing the bare flesh beneath the spaghetti straps in comforting circles. “You forget I’ve been watching you for ten years, little Snowflake. I know you better than anyone else ever could.”
“You know that’s creepy, right?”
“I’m very aware that my obsession with you is untraditional, but that doesn’t change anything. If you’re a good girl for me tonight, you’ll be rewarded. But if I so much as suspect you’re up to something, I can promise you will not enjoy the consequences.”
“Just so we’re clear, if I don’t behave, you’ll hurt one of my loved ones?”
“Exactly.” Elijah smiles widely as if pleased we’re on the same page and not at all concerned by the fact he’s blackmailing me into compliance.
I take a steady breath, calming myself for the words about to slip from my lips because I don’t know how he’s going to interpret them, and although historically my favorite thing to do is poke the bear, Elijah is a whole other kind of unpredictable that makes me hesitate.
“They’re going to know. We’ve told them we’ve been… dating, for lack of a better word, for a month, but in reality, we’ve spent less than an hour together, and most of that time has been spent with you threatening me. There’s no way they’re going to buy this.” What I don’t say is that I hope they see through the farce and whisk me back to the safety of the estate.
His grip on my shoulders tightens, and he brings my body back until I’m flush with his front, and his very obvious hard-on presses against my ass. The first time I felt that thing against me, I hoped I was imagining the size, but I wasn’t. He brings his lips right to my ear, the softness brushing against the shell of my ear and causing an involuntary shiver throughout my body.
“I can assure you they’ll believe I’m infatuated with you, little Snowflake. You just need to convince them you’re equally so with me. Shouldn’t be too hard for you, you’re constantly leading everyone to believe you’re something you’re not, isn’t that right?”
“No,” I hiss, attempting to move from his embrace, but he holds me tightly, his hands moving around my torso and anchoring me to him.
“Little liar.” He nips at my ear, the sting only making my anger simmer hotter. “You want everyone to believe you’re the spoiled little Mafia princess trapped in your ivory tower. You allow them to believe the mask you portray in front of the world, the partying rule breaker, the black sheep of the family, if you will. But in reality, you’re so much more. You were meant to lead just the same way your siblings do.”
I stare at him in the mirror, his eyes barely blinking as his gaze remains on mine while I assess him. If I thought I wished I was wearing more before, that’s doubled, hell even tripled now because I may as well be naked. I’ve never felt so seen. No one has ever called me out like this, and my brain screams for me to move, but my body is powerless to move away from the man who seems to know me better than I do myself.
