Page 29 of Tormented Diamonds
That’s all it takes. Lightning strikes, and I explode like a crack of thunder. Somewhere between gasping for breath and fighting my way through my post-orgasmic fog, I feel my panties being ripped off, and my chin being turned.
“Becca?” Gianni says, placing a soft kiss on my lips as his palm cradles my stomach.
“Hmmm?”
“You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, right?”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Good. Because I’m about to fuck you like I hate you.” The shower blurs as Gianni spins me around, my spine smacking against the wall as he grabs the back of my knee and pulls my leg up. There’s no warning as he drives into me, the restraint he’s held onto evaporating.
I dig my nails in his back, able to do nothing but be the calm to his storm. His thrusts turn savage as he settles his hand on my throat. Only this time, he squeezes … harder and harder until the line of trust between us thins as shallow as my breathing. I fall victim to instinct, panic and fear pulling my hands from his back to claw at my neck.
“Trust me,cara mia,” he grits out between clenched teeth. “Give in to me.”
There’s something in his eyes that calms my fighting.
Something I haven’t seen before.
Something I’m deathly afraid to put a name to.
I’m fully aware one extra millimeter of pressure could kill me, but I’m not afraid. He said he’d never hurt me, and I believe him. With Gianni, I’ve learned violencecan be a punishment or a power play. The difference lies in the hand wielding it.
So, I do the one thing that only weeks ago would’ve been unthinkable.
I put my life in a man’s hands.
And then, just when my vision blurs, and the darkness rushes in from all edges, I come. It’s volcanic and powerful, and by the time I’ve stopped convulsing, I don’t know if I’m passed out or dead. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Gianni roaring out my name, his voice hoarse as he spills inside me.
Then everything goes black.
I awake naked and in bed, a blanket draped over me. At first, I think I’m alone, but then, I feel the light touch of a hand stroking my hair. I bite my lip, debating on what to say when I hear Gianni’s low voice whisper across my back.
“You and your invasive fucking questions…” he says, his breath uneven and heavy. “Nine weeks ago, Johnny Malone would’ve baited his tempting psychiatrist into some sexually charged banter and led her down a tangent riddled with innuendos and half-truths. But that’s not us anymore. We’re different, and I don’t think even you could fix what’s wrong in my head.”
My heart flutters when I feel his fingers trail down my spine, his lips dusting the back of my neck. I fight the urge to move, knowing this raw moment is only being offered at the expense of my “consciousness.” The moment he knows I’m awake, it’ll all evaporate, and his shell will harden. So, I keep my eyes closed and my breathing steady, praying he continues.
“You asked me about becoming Torch, about what made me obsessed with fire.” I feel him stiffen behind me. “The answer is loss, Doc…excruciating, soul-changing loss. The kind of pain you never want to feel again. The kind you’ll do anything…beanything to avoid. So, I promised myself at a young age I’d never let myself care about anything again. I built wallsaround my demons and fueled them with hate. Then, I met you”—a soft laugh blows across my back—“stubborn, frustrating, determined, perfect,you. You were my downfall. As much as I fought it, I knew you’d be the one to tear them down. Now, here we are, battling the same monsters… All because I let myself love you.”
Oh my God.
My breath seizes in my chest as tears roll down the side of my nose. I want nothing more than to roll over and take him in my arms—to tell him I love him, too, and promise love is enough to win this war.
But it’d be a lie.
I have no clue if it’s enough, or when the smoke clears, if we’ll be just two more casualties to be replaced and forgotten. So, I hold tight to his confession, keeping mine tucked inside as silence falls behind me, and sleep claims us both.
And for the first night in years, I dream of nothing…
No bullets and blades.
No roses and daggers.
No small eyes and big teeth.
Just love.
Chapter Nine
