Page 21 of Violent Delights

I’ve touched myself, made myself feel good in the dead of night. But nothing could prepare me for how Domenico sparks a fire inside me.

“I want you so much,” he whispers along my lips, the heat of his breath fanning over my face. He tastes like mint and Domenico. The masculine flavor of him is heady, intoxicating me before I have time to think.

“I want you too,” I moan when he grinds his hips against me, sending arousal flooding my body, as if I’d just been injected with drugs. Every nerve in my body is alive, an electric current coursing through my veins.

“Little Montesano.” The voice of my cousin cuts through the desire, and Domenico goes cold against me. It’s as if a switch has been flicked and the desire he felt seconds ago is all gone.

His gaze pins me to the wall, much like his body just did. “What is your cousin doing here?” he hisses, accusation clear in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” I tell him in a whisper. I don’t know how Cassio found us. I made sure I wasn’t followed, but Domenico doesn’t look like he believes me.

He glances over his shoulder, listening for footsteps, but it’s quiet for now. He turns back to me, his eyes black as night as he regards me. “Are you sure?”

“I told you, I’m not a monster,” I bite out, anger taking hold of me now. I may be a Vitale, but I’ve never hurt anyone before.

“I know you’re here, and when I find you, I’ll gut you like a fucking fish,” Cassio calls out, sending ice racing down my spine, causing me to shiver.

“This isn’t over,” Domenico promises before he turns on his heel and makes his way out of the back entrance of the tomb. The cold concrete feels like needles piercing me right through the heart.

When he’s gone, I take two long, deep breaths before I step out into the open. Cassio’s gaze finds me quickly. I notice he has three of his soldiers with him. They all look at me as if I’m a ghost. An apparition they weren’t expecting.

“What are you doing here?” Cassio asks.

“I was visiting the family tomb,” I tell him easily. The lie not burning my tongue like I expected it to. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“You should have guards with you,” Cassio replies, ignoring the question I’ve asked him. I don’t bother responding to him. I make my way toward the exit, praying I have distracted them enough to forget they’d been searching for Domenico.

Before I can get away, though, Cassio’s hand snaps out, gripping my arm in a stranglehold. “Let go of me,cugino.” I use the Italian word for cousin, but he isn’t stupid. He’ll hear the wobble in my voice.

He leans in close. His hot breath on my ear doesn’t have the same effect on me that Domenico’s warmth did. “If I find out that filthy bastard put his hands on you,cugina,” Cassio sneers in my ear, spitting the word I used, “I’ll cut you both into ribbons.” The threat is clear, and I don’t doubt that he will keep to his word.

I don’t look at him. I don’t breathe. “Let me go.”

He releases me and I make my way out of the graveyard before I breathe again. My pulse is thrumming wildly in my neck and I wonder if Cassio saw it. He’s trained to read people, and I don’t doubt I may have just given Domenico away.

Chapter 11

Domenico

The house is quiet when I get back. It’s not unheard of for my folks to leave and I’ll have the mansion to myself, but right now, all I can think of is her. I managed to get away from that bastard Vitale before he and his soldiers found me. But I saw how he treated Lelia. I’m not happy about it.

I shouldn’t feel so protective of her, but I can’t help it. She’s going to marry into a family that is known for their torture methods. The man in question is the devil himself. I can’t imagine what he would want such a young wife for. Actually, I can, but I don’t want to.

The thought of her with him, his hands on her, sends me into a blind rage. It shouldn’t be like that, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it now. She’s under my fucking skin. The scent of her perfume is still on me when I reach my bedroom.

I’ve decided what I’m going to do. My father gave me a choice this morning, and I told him I needed time to think about it. But after my meeting with Lelia, I know what I’m going to do. At first, I was against it, and I still am. However, I know my father. He wants power over the city, over every aspect of the underground world we rule. And I want to give him that.

It may be selfish.

It is.

But the solution is simple and when I explain it to him, he’ll see it too. One thing my father enjoys is a good bloodbath, and I intend on giving him just that. I make my way to the desk that sits against one wall in my bedroom and I fire up the computer.

I spend my time researching the Mosca clan. We have access to records that most people think are sealed, thanks to our resident hacker, Gian. He’s good with computers, and when I find the information I need, I smile. Mosca has never met me. He’s never seen me. I can become a ghost to the world. Reborn.

My father cannot deny me this.

The plan is foolproof, and I’ll be right there with Lelia. She won’t be in danger because I’ll be the one who saves her from a life of servitude. I dig into the Vitale family as well. Her father’s email is easy to hack. The imbecile doesn’t know how to use password protection.

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