I can’t sleep.
How can I when Carmine’s body is so close to mine I can feel his heat? I can feel his breath against my skin with every exhale. The man is pure seduction wrapped in barbed wire, and I know if I get too close, he’ll cut me and make me bleed.
I look at the clock on the nightstand and see it’s only five in the morning. All I’ve done is toss and turn all night. I can’t stand it anymore. How am I supposed to be in his bed and fight the temptation he causes?
Turning over, I watch him sleep. Even resting, he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. His brows are furrowed, causing a wrinkle in his forehead, and his lips frown. Perhaps some sins can never sleep.
I scoot closer, tracing the scars with my eyes. Everywhere I look, there’s another. They are smooth, sharp, and vary in length. One travels from his collarbone, down his pec, and then his abdomen. I can’t see the rest because of the blanket.
I have so many questions, but I know he won’t answer them. He won’t answer anything I ask, but he expects me to answer all his questions. I don’t like it, and I’ll fight tooth and nail until we are on an equal playing field.
He’s handsome, annoyingly so. I don’t want to be attracted to him, but I am. I find myself wanting to get closer, wanting to get every story of every scar. I want to ease the wrinkle between his brow, and I want to kiss away the frown on his lips. He pulls me into his darkness without trying. He is overly possessive and arrogant.
So damn arrogant.
And I find it sexy.
What does that say about me?
Especially when he wants to keep me locked inside the house, barefoot and pregnant. That’s not okay with me. I won’t be a hostage. School isn’t mentioned in the contract. He might want to take everything from me, but I won’t let him take this.
A small part of me feels bad for deceiving him, but he’d deceive me, wouldn’t he? Without a blink of an eye. Without a second thought or glance.
Inching backward, I keep my eyes trained on his face to make sure he doesn’t wake. His black lashes flutter over his sculpted cheekbones, his eyes moving behind his lids as he dreams. For a split second, just one, I consider staying in this bed.
My butt hangs off the edge of the bed, and I’m about to roll away and make a run for the bathroom when his arm wraps around my waist and tugs me against his chest. I gasp, holding my breath as I feel his body against mine. His skin is warm, and he smells so good like a bonfire and whiskey rolled into one, and I know fire and alcohol combined are deadly.
But here I am, putting myself in harm’s way and becoming his target.
His arm around me is weighted like a blanket, and I feel safe. I stay there for a minute, letting his heat seep into me, his flaccid cock still huge in the confinement of his underwear as he presses against me. His lips find my forehead, kissing me gently before rolling over and giving me his back.
I cover my mouth when I see the scars. Tears prickle my eyes. There are so many; I can’t even see smooth skin. I want to reach out to comfort him, but I know he won’t take it well, especially after how he reacted when I saw him in the bathroom. So, touching them will be out of the question. Plus, I want to go to school, and I won’t be able to if I wake him up.
I take my time slipping out of bed, careful not to move too fast. Slow and steady, I ease the blanket down on the mattress and stand as soon as my feet hit the floor.
For a long moment, I don’t dare move. I wait. I watch to double-check he doesn’t wake or sense that I’m gone. After a few minutes, I tiptoe away from him, slip into the bathroom, and dodge into the closet.
Pressing a hand to my chest, I let out the breath I had been holding the entire time. My heart is racing, and I throw off the shirt I’m wearing. I snag a pair of comfortable leggings, an off-the-shoulder shirt and a tank top to wear underneath, then finish getting ready.
Looking in the mirror propped in the corner, I brush my hair and do a quick side braid before sliding on a pair of black flats. I wash my face with the faucet barely running so I don’t make any noise, brush my teeth, and just as I’m about to leave, I remember I don’t have my backpack.
I can borrow paper and a pencil until I can get my bag.
After slipping through the bathroom door, I tiptoe across the bedroom, pausing when I hear the bed squeak. Wincing, I turn to see if Carmine’s awake, but he’s flat on his back, arm over his face, sleeping soundly.
I pull open the double doors, wincing when the hinges creak.
I open them just enough to slip through then quietly hurry down the hall. I relax when I’m far away, knowing I left the wolf’s den without getting caught.
The entire house is dark, quiet, and eerie. It’s hard to believe a fortress like this knows how to rest. Walking down the stairs to the front door, I have a smug pep in my step. Did they not think I’d try to escape somehow? I mean, I’m coming back, but I’m going to fight for my freedom, no matter the cost.
“Going somewhere, Princess?”
My hand slaps against my chest, and I sag against the front door. Footsteps thud against the expensive floor, and a bruised face appears from the shadows, the stench of alcohol following him.
I think back to Carmine’s knuckles and piece together what must have happened.
“I’m Ari. To clear up any confusion,” he says. “You might get me confused with my twin, Matias.”
“Well, with bruises on your face, I doubt it,” I sass, opening the door to get out of here when he places his hand against the door.
He moves closer, invading my space. “I’m not going to stop you from going, Princess. It will infuriate Carmine to wake up and to know you’re gone, and you need to be ready for those consequences when he finds you because he will. And I won’t lie to him. Tell me where you’re going, Delilah,” he orders, keeping his hand on the door so I can’t escape.
“You’ll figure it out.” I fight him, struggling to open the door, and he pulls out his phone.
The light shines from the screen, illuminating the bruises on his face, and they’re gruesome. I have to look away.
“You don’t like what you see? Well, that’s just a taste of what Carmine does when someone says something he doesn’t like. He got very bent out of shape when I talked about you. Nothing personal. I wanted to rile him up.”
Did he beat his brother for me? Do I find that romantic?
In a sick and twisted way, I do.
“Do you see this button?” he shows me a screen with different views of the house, and there’s a red button at the top. “I press this, and the entire house goes on lockdown. The doors will seal into place with steel bars, and steel sheets will cover the windows. If you don’t tell me where you’re going, I will press this button and wake Carmine up. He is not a morning person. He isn’t an anytime-of-day person, actually. So, he’ll be furious. Where are you going, Delilah?”
He has been so rude. “I’m going to school. I’m in college, and I will not let him stop me from earning my degree. I’ve already had my dad do that one too many times, and I won’t let Carmine’s need to control me pick up where my dad left off.”
Ari grins, a side smirk that tells me he likes what I’m saying. “You won’t have much time, but if I were you, I’d expect to see us in a few hours.”
“You’re going to let me go? You aren’t going to stop me?”
“Why would I do that? Plus, if I do this, I’ll be your favorite Milazzo in the family, making Carmine angry too.”
“Why do you like to make him mad?”
“It’s fun. He’s always so put together. Plus, it’s what little brothers are for.” He tucks his phone into his pocket and opens the door, allowing me to leave. “Be careful.”
I snort and step outside, but Ari’s hand grips my arm. “I’m serious, Delilah. Be careful. You have no idea what we are capable of. If anything happens to you, expect my brother to burn the city to the ground.”
“He barely knows me.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re his. And he always takes care of what’s his. You’re family now, Princess. We protect family.”
“Not according to your face.”
“Even families fight,” he corrects me. “Plus, I basically asked to get my ass kicked, and it was all for you. Have fun at school. Learn something.” He slams the door in my face, and I hear a click.
Panicking because I don’t know if I made the right decision going out, I try the handle, wiggling it for good measure.
Nothing.
He locked me out.
“Damn, Milazzo men.” They are all the same and oddly intense, which should be a con on my pros and cons list, but I’m finding my pro side longer.
What’s that say about me?
Wanting to get out of here before the sun is officially up, I run down the path that leads to the gate, passing the stone fountain.
I notice coins at the bottom, as if someone has made wishes. Why make wishes when you already have everything you could ever want? Maybe they were their victims’ wishes, made before someone put them out of their misery.
I look up at the balcony belonging to Carmine’s room. The sun is creeping over the roof, telling everyone it is time to get up. Guilt eats away at me, but I stick with my decision and begin to climb the gate. Since it is a tall piece of solid metal, no one can see through it. I have to place my feet on the beams that stabilize it to hoist myself over.
Climbing the gate and grunting, I realize how weak I am. I need to work out.
At the top, I take a deep breath, already exhausted, and then look down.
Oh, this is high.
Too high.
Closing my eyes, I grip the top of the gate and swing my body down, stretching until I’m as close to the ground as possible before letting go.
Releasing my hold on the gate, I freefall and keep my knees bent so I don’t hurt myself. I grunt when I land, holding out my arms to steady myself, and I’m impressed.
I didn’t think I had it in me.
The university is a few miles away, so I decided to walk a block and call an Uber to take me the rest of the way. I have class and then a study session at the library. No one will interfere with my success.
Not even Carmine Milazzo.
Plus, I hear the Devil likes to chase, so I might as well give him something to catch.
