Page 35 of Take Me Under

“You intrigue me.” The low, erotic rumble of those three little words made my stomach flip. Powerful, unbridled heat sizzled though my veins as his penetrating gaze seemed to bore deeper. “I keep asking myself the same question over and over again. Who are you, Serena Martinelli?”

“I’m nobody.”

“We both know that’s a lie, princess. You’re unique and extraordinary. It’s why I’m attracted to you. I’m bored by the mundane and, somehow, I know I’d never get bored with you.”

“I’m really not that interesting,” I insisted. My words sounded hoarse and breathy, even to my own ears. My reaction to him was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, and I didn’t understand it.

“I disagree. You’re fascinating, and it’s why I want you.”

I sucked in a breath as my world seemed to tip on its axis.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“No. What makes you think that?” he asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Your wi-fi password. It’s Rebecca. Who is that?”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a sardonic smile. “Jealous, princess?”

“No,” I lied, despite knowing I had no business being jealous. It shouldn’t matter if he had a girlfriend. I had no claim to him.

“Rebecca was my mother’s name,” Anton explained, and I suddenly felt extremely foolish.

“Oh.”

“You don’t have to worry about other women, Serena. Relationships are more effort than they’re worth.” I tended to agree but didn’t let on as he continued. “I’m not a hearts and roses kind of guy.”

My brows pushed together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that despite my desire for you, I don’t know if we’d be a good match. You seem like you would need…more. And romance isn’t my thing.”

I never had any illusions that he was the romantic type. On the contrary, I thought he was the exact opposite. My eyes skimmed over his corded neck and strong, square jaw. Five o’clock stubble darkened his features, making me wonder what it would feel like brushing against the insides of my thighs right before his mouth closed over my sex.

“Who said I wanted romance?” I challenged.

“You seem the type.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know what type I am.”

“I’m a pretty good judge.”

“I might surprise you.”

“Alright, princess. I’ll indulge in this game of cat and mouse. But let me warn you. I’m the predator, and I always catch my prey.” He stepped closer to me, filling the space as if he owned it.

“And when you do?” My voice was steady even if my heart was racing. I held my breath, preparing for an answer that I somehow knew would shatter the fragile foundation I was standing on.

“I don’t play in the conventional way. I fuck. And I fuck hard. If or when that time comes for us, I won’t be gentle. I’ll possess you in a way that will make you forget any other man ever existed. Do you think you can handle that?”

A ripple moved down my spine, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. My nipples hardened almost painfully, and my body hummed to life. I wasn’t sure how or when the conversation took such a dramatic turn, but I was here for it. Angling my chin in defiance, I embraced his suggestion.

“I think you underestimate my wants and desires, Mr. Romano. I’m a thirty-one-year-old woman in tune with mysexuality. You seem to suggest that I don’t appreciate a good, hard fuck. As for possession, no man owns me.”

“Make no mistake. When the time comes, you willwantme to own you.” His eyes darkened and he leaned forward. I thought he might kiss me right there on the street. I breathed in, preparing for the thing I so desperately wanted. But instead, he bypassed my parted lips and brought his mouth close to my ear. Then he whispered, “When you look at that statue in the flames, what do you see?”

---