18. Daniela

Iwake as Antonio curls his strong arms around me. What time is it? Still dark. Good.

When I got back from our dinner with Fedorov, I spent what felt like hours arguing with Valentina about whether she should be allowed to return to London with Alexis. By the time I collapsed into bed, I was so exhausted, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I didn’t feel the dip of the bed when Antonio climbed in. I didn’t smell the warm, masculine scent that’s uniquely his. The one that’s teasing me now.

“Did Fedorov let Cristiano go?” I ask, sinking deeper into his embrace.

“Mmhm,” he murmurs into my hair. “I’m here to make good on my promise.”

The sleep melts away as his body envelops mine with a familiar heat that sends spires of energy through my languid limbs. I’m not sure what promise he’s talking about, but I hope it involves that thick cock that’s pressed against my ass.

“Did they hurt him?”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear Cristiano’s name from you, or Fedorov’s, or the name of any other human with a dick, while you’re in my bed. You want to say someone’s name, say mine,” he purrs, pushing his cock deep inside me, with a single brutal thrust.

My walls groan at the sudden fullness, stretching to accommodate him.

“Whimper it. Moan it. Cry it out while you come. But my name only.” He pulls out, leaving me gasping.

“I promised I’d fuck you until you didn’t know your name, and I’m going to do just that. But it’s going to be slow torture, Princesa.” He cups my sex gently, but provides no relief. If anything, it arouses me even more.

As the ache between my legs grows stronger, my hips sway of their own accord, grinding my pussy into his palm.

“Uh-uh-uh,” he tuts, taking his hand away. “The path to bliss is going to be long and rocky—for you—and for me,” he murmurs, gently pushing my hair off my neck and pressing his warm lips into the exposed skin. “I’m going to savor every frantic moan. Every shudder.” He slides his mouth near my ear. “Every scream. Because you will scream for me before I’m through.”

I’m fully awake now. The unremitting need pulses through me as he stakes his claim in a prelude of what’s to come.

With razor-thin patience, Antonio rolls me onto my back, pawing at my nightgown, until it’s in tatters. Until there’s not a single thread covering me, and I’m fully bared to him.

He pulls back, and his eyes glitter dangerously as he admires his handiwork—or maybe he’s admiring me. “You’re beautiful. So beautiful. It’s a crime to dirty you. But I’m going to do just that.”

Searing heat radiates from him, while cool air dances on my bare skin, raising gooseflesh.

Every inch of my body burns for him.

Antonio draws a ragged breath as he nudges my legs apart and climbs between them. I need him right here. I snake my arms around him as he lowers his body onto mine.

I’m skin to skin in a sensuous feast with a dangerous man. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

I feel the rumble in his chest as his mouth crushes mine, our tongues tangling in a way that sends my senses reeling.

When he pulls back, my fingertips find his face. They trace the elegant contours, dipping into a faded scar at the corner of his brow, before indulging in the prickle of an unshaven jaw. Classically handsome, with a dangerous edge. Although, he’s so much more.

Silently, he captures my gaze, holding it steady, seeing everything I am. Showing me everything he is. The intimacy is almost too much to bear. But neither of us shies away.

We let the moment bathe us in an elixir so potent it could destroy us, if we’re not careful. If I’m not careful. Antonio knows no caution—especially tonight.

The full moon shines through the drapes, providing just enough light for me to see the wolf baying in his eyes. It beckons me closer, even as it warns me away.

I choose to stay. To inch closer to the wild animal. I have no sense of self-preservation when it comes to this man. I want everything he has to give, even knowing it might leave me in pieces.

I make no apologies for what I want. I feel no shame. He taught me to own my sexuality, and no matter what happens between us, I will always be grateful for that lesson.

“Princesa,” Antonio mutters, in a strangled plea, sweeping the hair away from my face. His hand trembles with a barely controlled need that takes my breath away. “Keep your safeword close.”

It’s not a threat, but a warning, delivered in a rasp that amplifies his tenuous restraint. With the sand spilling from the only bag holding the dam, he’s begging me to help him keep me safe.