Athena
The heat radiating off him was intense. My body ached to be pressed against him. To feel all that delicious hardness in all the right places. I stepped back, angry more at myself than at him. What the hell was wrong with me?
I was turning into a fucking mess and it was all because of him.
Luciano covered the space I had created between us and reached for the clasp of my bra. I gasped as the clothes piece came undone and my breasts were freed. His eyes became hooded and he tossed the bra behind him, fixing his gaze on them. When his eyes flitted up to meet mine, a shudder racked my entire body.
Fuck me! It had to be a sin to want him this much. To ache for him so. It had to be a fucking mistake. Just his gaze was enough to stoke the fire in my belly. A fire only he could quench.
Luciano let out a groan that sounded more like that of a wounded animal and gingerly cupped my breasts. “Ah, Raven,”
It’s Athena, I wanted to tell him. Call me Athena. If you’ll kill me anyways, I’d rather you call me Athena.
Shit, I was doomed. Was I ready to give it all up just for a few minutes -hours perhaps- of pleasure? When did I become so damned pathetic?
“I have missed this,” he whispered, slipping his arms around my waist. “And I know that you have to, Cara. Look at how eager you are. Your nipples are as hard as pebbles. And I haven’t even touched you yet.”
“Stay away from me,” I warned, but considering it came more like a whisper, I doubted he would take me seriously.
“Why Cara?” He murmured, burying his face in my neck.
A moan slipped from my lips when his tongue darted out, tasting the curve of my neck. My knees weakened and like a fool, I held on to him. His chest shook and rumbled with laughter at this. Bastard. He must have done it on purpose. I had aimed to seduce him and had gotten seduced instead. Talk about the turning of tides.
“Stop this,” I begged.
“Just give in Cara. You want this.” He urged.
“I don’t!” I yelled, trying to summon the energy to pull away from him. “I don’t want you!”
“Liar!” He spat, pulling away slightly. “Fuck Raven, stop making this so damn hard!”
“I don’t get why you’re doing this!” I yelled. “I know who you are. I know your identity. How can you think about sex at a time like this?!”
“So what if you know who I am?” He said, breathing heavily. “Nothing changes! You’re with me, aren’t you?”
“Are you listening to yourself right now? Will your men let me go? They’ll come after me!”
“And I’ll protect you. I swear it. Why won’t you believe me?!” He thundered, eyes flashing in anger.
“Why the hell should I? You’re not supposed to be my protector… You-” a sob got caught in my throat and to my utter shame and disappointment, I burst into tears.
Hormones. I’d blame the hormones. Maybe my period was near. Ah yes, that was the only explanation. What else would explain the whole constant tears? I had to have cried buckets since yesterday. It sucked terribly.
“Raven,” he said in a low soothing voice and hugged me tightly. “There’s more to this, isn’t there? There’s more to you finding the mafia house. Tell me what’s going on. I’ll fix it. I swear I will.”
“You can’t,” I cried, trying to push him away from me.
“I can!” He whispered harshly, running his hands down my hair. “I can if you would let me. Trust me, woman.”
Trust him?
The tears poured harder. I had no idea how long I stood there in his arms, crying my eyes out. All I knew was after a long while, I grew tired and limp in his arms. I stayed immobile as he undid the rest of my dress and lowered me into the bathtub.
Everything happened in a daze. I didn’t want to be pampered. I didn’t want to be taken care of. Not by him. Not by him at all.
***
By noon I had given up on escaping. To escape I would have to leave through the doors. The wood used in making the cabin was strong as hell. Perhaps if I chipped at it constantly, in about ten days or so, I should be done.
However, there was no way I could be consistent with it. Luciano stayed glued to my side almost through the entire day. If I tried to chip away at the wood, he would notice.
Leaving through the doors would be harder than I had thought. The doors were automated. At least that was what Luciano had told me. He had them on lockdown and there was no way I could open it manually. That meant there was a remote for it and if Luciano wasn’t so glued to my side, I could look for it.
Overall I couldn’t go anywhere.
I watched Luciano as he massaged my feet, while I kept my eyes glued to the TV. I barely saw whatever it was that was showing, unable to fight the way my body reacted to his touch. His hands drew slow lazy circles on my foot. It felt too damned good and made me feel sleepy.
“Feel better?” He asked, a smile playing on his lips.
I frowned at him. “When we first met, you rarely smiled.”
The mafia lord chuckled and nodded. “I didn’t have much to smile about.”
“Now you do?”
“Si,” he replied. “Perhaps I do.”
“What if I betray you? I know who you are. I could tell the authorities.” I said with a straight face.
His hands stilled for a while and he seemed to ponder over what to say and decided to keep silent.
“Really? You won’t say anything?” I asked.
Luciano pushed my legs aside and rose. His dark eyes narrowed as he loomed over me. “Do you plan to?”
“Maybe,” I mumbled, looking away.
“I don’t think you will,” he replied and held his hand out for me to take. “Come, Cara,”
Left with no other option, I obliged. He led me out of the cabin. He must have unlocked the doors when I wasn’t looking. That meant that the remote was with him. If only I could get it. He led me into a garden by the side of the cabin and we settled in the patio there.
The garden was quite beautiful. A little unruly, but beautiful still. Gardening. It was something I hadn’t thought the Lord of the Italian Mafia would be involved in.
“Remember what I said to you yesterday?” He asked.
“What exactly?” I feigned ignorance. I knew what he was talking about. But hell I wished I didn’t. What he had said, had confused the hell out of me.
…. Why does there have to be another motive, Raven? I just wanted to spend time with you…
“I said I wanted to spend time with you.” He explained. “Remember now?”
“Ah that,” I grumbled. “I guess I do a little.”
“Just a little?” He teased, nudging my shoulders with his. “You’re a terrible liar, Raven.”
Hilarious. He thought I was a terrible liar? The woman he thought was Raven was an entire lie. For a mafia lord that was said to have precision and tact, he was quite dumb.
“I don’t know why you’re fighting against what we could have, Raven. This was what you wanted, didn’t you?”
“Why would you think I want this? To be kidnapped and held captive. I’m not into that shit.” I spat.
“I didn’t kidnap you, you minx. Quit using that word. I’m protecting you. My men may take orders from me, but they do have free will too. If I allow you to roam freely, you’ll be dead by sundown.”
“Then so be it!” I spat.
His breath snagged and he cupped my face, urging me to look up at him. “Take that back. I do not intend to lose you to death.”
“What do you intend to do to me?” I asked, then, getting distracted by his face that seemed to draw ever closer.
“I intend,” he whispered, stroking my cheek with his thumb. My close closed impulsively as I leaned deeper, seeking his touch. It felt so good when he touched me. It burned, but it felt so fucking good. “I intend to make you utterly and completely mine.”
My eyes flew open at his words, holding his dark vulnerable gaze. It felt like someone had whipped my hair clip out of my hair and stabbed me in the fucking chest instead.
Luciano smirked at my speechless state and covered the distance between us. His lips brushed against mine briefly, teasingly, taunting me.
And like a moth addicted to flame, I opened up for him.