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And in the raging storm.
Terror had kept me going, the certainty of what I could expect from my fiancé weighing heavily in the back of my mind. Now I felt safer than I had in a long time as Francesco sped away from the neighborhood, the lights from the luxury homes finally fading into the distance.
I leaned my head against the supple leather seat of his expensive sports car, concentrating on the lull of the engine as my hopeful savior drove. What little I knew about him was from observation. He was a man of wealth, in his mid-twenties. He had gorgeous shaggy dark hair, tousled curls rising against the collar of his expertly tailored suit jacket. The luminescent glow of his DE Bethune watch, one valued at well over eighty grand, had initially kept my attention. He was insanely gorgeous and rugged, but his eyes were cold and calculating.
At this moment, I didn’t care.
I wanted to be swept away in an entirely different level of danger, one that I chose to be involved in. I wanted to feel alive if for only a short period of time before I was sent to hell. Which is exactly what would happen to me. But any beating I received would be well worth a night of utter bliss.
There was no need to say anything else, our bodies speaking for us. The moment I’d rushed into his arms I’d felt an instant connection, the powerful draw to him from continuing jolts of electricity keeping my heart racing. I remained still, keeping my eyes on the road even though I wasn’t seeing anything. There was too much excitement soaring through me.
Yet as the few miles turned into a dozen, I found myself relaxing beside his massive frame. I turned my head, studying his profile as the storm began to subside, additional streetlights allowing me to catch a better glimpse of the man I’d allow myself to enjoy.
His jaw was strong, chiseled to utter perfection, his suit unable to hide his carved physique. I took a deep breath, holding his exotic scent in my system. The fragrance was exquisitely manly, hints of timber mixed with citrus and balsam invigorating my senses, igniting a fire deep within my core.
“Who are you, Francesco?”
He laughed and threw me a look. “A very bad man, the kind who will devour such delicate innocence.” As if to prove his point, he pressed his hand against my knee and I shuddered audibly. There was an undeniable connection between us, something I’d never experienced.
Every word out of his mouth made me shiver. Desire electrified every muscle, my heart thudding to the point the sound echoed in my ears. I’d never felt so wild and free in my life.
I forced my attention away, staring out the rain-streaked window at the darkness enshrouding the surrounding area. The pelting sound of raindrops matched the erratic beating of my heart. Where the shadows had once been ominous, as malevolent as the storm, now they provided the comfort of secrecy, allowing me to vanish for a little while. Only the blips of exterior lights strategically positioned on stone pillars and ornate iron gates marred the obsidian bleakness.
My mind remained tangled in an ugly web of deceit and fear, the uncertainty of what I’d face remaining crouched in the foggy corners of my mind. There was no doubt my vulnerability could be taken advantage of, but given the circumstances, I wasn’t entirely certain I minded. However, even if I did, I doubted I could turn back the clock. It was as if this moment in time was a blip of destiny that would remain with me for all eternity.
Maybe the romantic girl inside of me still believed and hoped for the possibility of true love.
Or perhaps I was finally accepting the reality of my life, and this was the only moment of control I’d manage to carve out for myself. It was time to grasp onto it, refusing to let go of the incredible feeling.
One thing I was certain about was that the carnal sin that occurred between us would leave an indelible mark on my heart. Could the mysterious stranger possibly know how important our accidental meeting had become? A smile crossed my face and I pressed my fingers to my lips, eager to taste all of him.
When he rolled into another neighborhood that seemed similar to where we’d just been, I tensed, another wave of fear rushing into my system.
“Relax, Chrissy. Where we’re going, no one will hurt you.”
“You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
There was something chilling yet comforting about his dark and sensual laugh. “Apparently, you don’t have an understanding of what I’m capable of. I didn’t lie to you when I said I wasn’t a good man.”
For some crazy reason, I believed him. There was no doubt he was a vicious person capable of violence, but I also sensed that I was completely safe with him.
He pulled down a long driveway and into an oversized garage, the bright lights inside the interior highlighting several expensive vehicles. A Range Rover. A Mercedes convertible. A Jeep Wrangler. And a Dodge Ram. The powerful man had eclectic tastes.
As soon as he pulled to a stop, he was out of the car, taking long strides around the back of the vehicle, then opening the passenger door. I could tell by the heated look in his eyes alone how enticed he was. Yet the thick bulge between his legs made my mouth water, a need furrowing into my system that I’d never known existed before now.
The moment he wrapped his fingers around my hand, a single strangled moan slipped past my lips. I took a good look at him as he tugged me across the cement floor toward the door. He was even more gorgeous than the shadowed light had allowed me to see.
Tall.
Broad.
Muscular.
Deadly.
Of that there was no doubt. I’d seen the outline of the weapon in his tightly fitted jacket, the holster easy to identify. Only when I was inside his house did my pulse began to skip, another ragged whimper pushing up from my throat.
He’d pulled me into a kitchen, the neon blue glow on the display of two wall ovens drawing my attention. There was no other lighting, the darkness almost suffocating.
