Page 62 of Hostile Rival
“My earpiece fell out when I was fighting the guy who dragged me down here,” she replies, barely audible.
Strands of her hair stick to the slimy blood staining her cheeks. The sight of it should disgust me, make me gag, or have me wiping her skin clean. Though none of that happens.
This way, her identity is guarded. It also gives her a rough edged, badass vibe that I’m so fucking into.
I’ve found my deviant kink.
Located the very thing that makes my heart race.
Pinpointed the exact formula to get my freak on.
Plugged myself into a live wire and let her electrocute me, willingly.
“Put me…down.” Dani starts to wriggle in my arms when we reach the elevator doors. “Please.”
I growl under my breath at her independence, hating how she pushes me away when I need to pull her closer. How ironic.I could have any woman out there, even marry goddamn royalty, yet the only woman who matters isn’t on the same page.
It’s like dealing with my father all over again. The more attention I had craved, the more a barren void grew between us. My brothers took on his paternal role instead, however this time, there’s no one worthy to replace Dani.
André stalks up behind me, joining us in the elevator, the smokiness of his Marlboro cigarette thick in the air. I pinch it from his lips and take a long drag, my eyes burning into Dani’s side profile.
We came here to create an international syndicate and now we’re leaving with a new enemy to add to the list. If my brother’s wedding wasn’t coming up, I wouldn’t give a fuck. The Souzas would always have lesser, weaker factions waiting for an opportunity to hit. However, this particular war has increased the risk of an attack on Tomás’ big day. When Giovanni catches wind of this, the fall out could be devastating.
Dani refuses to look at me in the confined space. Rather, she gently taps a fingertip on her bruised throat and stares at the floor.
“What’s the plan?” André asks me as the lift rises.
Slowly, her head turns and her eyes narrow. Before she speaks, she swallows, the act seemingly painful. I fold my arms across my chest to stop myself from dragging her into me.
“I’m going to slit…Giana Di Rossi’s…fucking throat,” rasps Dani’s quiet voice.
24
DANIELA
I stare up at the two powerful Souza brothers who I never expected to be this close to in my life––without wanting to stab each of them in the heart.
And oddly, I don’t have a bitter urge to kill either of them. Especially not the gorgeous youngest brother who’s blindsided me. From out of nowhere, he’d slammed into my world, crashing into me harder than anyone ever had.
Underneath our bad blood lies undeniable sparks ready to burst into flames if I let them.
God, he’s so sexy. Even now, while my head is thumping and my throat aches, the way he watches me still heats me from the inside. The real cruelty in this situation is how the twenty something guy next to me is all that I hate and everything I’ve come to desire.
His presence fills every breathable space of the small compartment, stealing all the oxygen and blocking the overhead light.
Jet-black hair falls over his forehead in messy bangs and those chestnut eyes of his have darkened, the color mahogany deep. They burn into my face as blood-stained fingers lift to his mouth, and he inhales a lungful of smoke.
The skull ring on his finger is a reminder of this dangerous world he rules over. I can’t help the tremble in my hands or the undying dark lust poisoning my veins.
I might have taken a beating from Di Rossi soldiers, but no man’s hit me harder than Matheus––emotionally, sexually, and physically. My body reacts to him in ways I can’t control or understand. He has a certain way about him that commands my attention, makes my blood run hot, and my core wind tight.
Giana Di Rossi, on the other hand, has a big mouth and bad intentions.
Fuck her, that woman would die tonight. Partially because she ordered henchmen to interrogate me rather than face me herself. Cowardly bitch. But mostly, for compromising Matheus with her hero bullshit.
He had followed through on an order, that's all. It definitely wasn’t personal nor a romantic gesture, and now she’s spreading dangerous rumors. Planning a white wedding and building a dream aroundhim––the guy who’s crawled so far under my skin it actually feels like he’s a part of me.
Regardless, being together in any way is impossible.
