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He leaned in close, one finger brushing the collar before following the edge of the material down my chest, sending goose bumps skittering over my skin. ”You’re right.” His voice was a sensual caress dragging over nerve endings without mercy. “It does.”
In an instant, my body was burning, craving him like the traitor it was, like the toxic drug he was, and I hated it. Hated him. Hated myself.
My hand landed on his pec, fingers curling into his shirt as though I could dig them into his heart and pry it from his chest. His palm spanned the small of my back, pinning me against him.
“You know if you’re going to hold me captive in this apartment, you could at least give me clothes.”
His lips pulled up on one side. “And why would I do that when mine look so good on you?” Did he think this was some kind of game?
My temper spiked. “Are you just going to keep me locked up like some half-dressed little pet indefinitely?”
“For now.”
Until he could drag me down the aisle. My chest tightened at the thought, and I tried to push away from him, but he wouldn’t let me go. “You know, I don’t want to marry you. I’d rather jump off this fucking building.”
“Would you really?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” He gripped my waist and lifted me, and my thighs instinctively clamped around his hips. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?” He moved, and my entire body tensed when he set me on the edge of the glass railing that surrounded the rooftop.
“What are you doing?” I breathed, holding onto him tightly. Wind ripped at my hair, reminding me just how high we were. My heart jumped into my throat, knowing the sheer drop that lay behind me. Survival instincts seized my mind, and I clung to Gio like a baby monkey.
A smile played over his lips. “Do you trust me, piccola?” Not even slightly. “Do you think I’d let you fall?”
Adrenaline slammed through my veins like a freight train because I was scared, because I was more alive this close to death than I’d ever been.
“Do you think I’d let you die?” he breathed.
My arms wound around his neck, and he touched his forehead to mine, his warm breath washing over my lips. He could have let me die in that motel room, and he hadn’t, but that didn’t mean I trusted him or that I even wanted to. A blissful rush hammered against my temples, the night sky spinning around us, driving a familiar sense of recklessness.
“You don’t own me, Giovanni, and you never will.”
With that, I let go of him and leaned back. My weight teetered for a split second, and I half expected the wind to rush up around me, but deep down, I always knew he would catch me. His arm wrapped around my waist, a hand on the back of my neck, wrenching me up, then off the railing and against his chest. My feet hit the ground, limbs shaking.
Giovanni clutched me to him like a lover, my racing pulse drowning out everything as his lips brushed my cheek. “Defiant to the very end, Emilia, and that is why I want you. You sealed your fate the second you were brave enough to run. And now you’re mine.”
“I just tried to throw myself off a building to escape you.”
He huffed a laugh. “But you always knew I would catch you, didn’t you, princess? Deep down, you trust me. Deep down, you know I’ll protect you…and kill for you.” Like he had in that motel room.
Did I trust him? It didn’t matter. I’d never play into Sergio’s hands, never be their pawn. “Trust you, hate you,” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I could love you, and I would still always fight you, Giovanni.” Even as those words left my mouth, my body gravitated toward him, like an invisible thread suddenly bound us.
His nose traced the side of my throat on a groan. “I know. That’s what makes you so perfect.”
He straightened to his full height, and my heart hiccupped in my chest. I hated him, wanted to fight him until my last damn breath, but I saw how much he wanted me, beyond a simple family name. He was chasing, but the chase only lasted long enough that the predator either made the kill or lost interest. My hand in marriage was the only leverage I had here, and his wanting me was my only advantage. Maybe I could use that… He stepped away from me, and the cool breeze rushed in between us.
“Is my brother really alive?” I blurted, an idea forming in my mind.
He frowned. “I don’t lie.”
“Then send him home,” I stammered, and Giovanni stilled. “Send Renzo home and I’ll marry you willingly.” My heartbeat threatened to choke me as I held my breath. This was all I had. The only card I could play, and I’d toss it into the ring for my brother.
