Chapter 88: ‘We have been set up, little girl.’

My action must have been totally unexpected.

There was a moment's silence, and then with a roar, he reacted. Even before the stinging sensation in my palm had died down, he had jerked me to him, his mouth plundering mine, his tongue forcing itself into my mouth. He bit my lower lip and as I cried out, he plundered my mouth cruelly.

All the while, his hands roughly pulled at the neck of my gown, his hands squeezing my soft breasts coarsely, painfully as his lower body pressed against me, the strong thick thighs making me aware of how hard he was. I could feel the urgency of his hard shaft, tenting his immaculate trousers and I sobbed, struggling, trying to turn my head away. He raised his head, breathing heavily, eyes dark with desire and a softness I had not seen before. I pushed at his chest and managed to place a few inches between us as I whispered,

"I did not choose to wear this gown. You got Daniela to buy it. Why are you punishing ME?" And taking a deep breath, I looked beseechingly into his flinty eyes as they roved over my face, I whispered, pushing against his chest futilely, tasting blood on my lip,

"Why do you abuse me so? Calling me a ...a slut..." My voice trembled and the tears spilt over as I continued, my voice weak with desperation, "A ...wh...Whore?"

Taking in another shaky breath, I whispered softly, sadly, as I bowed my head to hide my tears, "Lucien Delano, I have only ever loved one man and that is you, have only slept with you...!!!" Giving in to my pent-up grief, I met his hard look as I pounded my stomach with my fists, bending my head as I tried to prevent him from seeing my heartbreak, "Isn't this evidence enough for you?"

He gripped my wrists in a vice-like hold to stop me but I turned my back to him, pressing my body to the door as I sobbed openly. He remained behind me silently, his body still pressing into me. Then gently, so very gently, his lips bent to my exposed shoulder, trailing his mouth over the soft, sensitive skin, arousing me. His large hands moved down my back, the exposed back giving him free access to my body.

His tongue slipped into my ear, and he tugged at my earlobe tenderly. As I gasped in amazement, he responded by sinking his teeth into my nape, and I whimpered, shuddering.

"You fuck with my mind, woman." He growled hoarsely, "You f*ck with my mind so bad, I can't see straight, I can't f*cking THINK straight anymore. When I see those f*cking bast*rds looking at you, stripping you with their blo*dy eyes, I can't help myself." Roughly he pulled me around and looking into my eyes for a minute, his own eyes grey with passion, he said in a thick voice, "You belong to me. Remember that."

And then, pinching my chin brutally, rubbing a thumb hard against my lower lip, he placed a hand on my neck, just a hint of a threat, as he spoke the words against my plump lips, biting them alternately, making me gasp with the pain even as excitement stirred in me. "If I see you with another man, little one..." His words made me freeze. THAT DID IT. I exploded in fury. I pushed at him blindly, my eyes blazing as I spat, wounded, "So if women come up to you and publicly rub themselves against you and you stand there, enjoying it, I have to take it?" I was furious too. "It's sickening, it's disgusting," I cried. And tried to push him away, pounding on his bare chest with my small hands, ineffectively. A rumble of satisfaction in his chest made me stop short.

Too late I realised what I had said. Now there was a gleam in his eyes as he crooned silkily, "So my little hellcat, my pure little Buddhist nun, is jealous?" I glared at him, breathing heavily, trying to ignore his arousal that was prodding against me, making my body long for nothing better than to surrender to him. "If you can do that," I snapped, "I can do the same." And as an afterthought, wanting to hurt him, I carried on spitefully, "I can also fancy a younger man then, can't I?" I jutted my chin out and glared at him challenging him. The snarl he gave and the way he pressed into me, one hand around my throat, made me widen my eyes.

Don't you ever say that again, little one,' he growled and the whiskey fumes in his breath swirled around me as he spoke, eyes glittering with pure undiluted rage, ' I might not be responsible for what I do .' I swallowed hard and stared at him, wide-eyed as his hand slid down, to my waist, my breasts, touching, feeling, nuzzling my neck and soon, I was a helpless mass, abjectly surrendering to my master.

He raised his eyes and surveyed my dishevelled state. I was quite exposed, my dress had slipped off my shoulders sometime during our tussle. The possessive look he gave me as he surveyed my full breasts and swollen belly, made me colour. My nipples had hardened in anticipation and I felt my cheeks turn hot. I raised my hands belatedly to pull up my gown in some semblance of cover.

But his large hands stopped me. He pressed his forehead against mine and grunted. Then raising his head, he looked at me and I saw the tortured look in his face as he spoke slowly in a gravelly voice, his steely eyes holding my gaze as I stared at him helplessly. "Woman, I don't know what you mean when you say you love me... I only know that I can't live without you. I want you. I need you.'

And then, burying his head in my nape, biting and nipping my shoulder and the sensitive spot at the base of my neck, till I was writing in excitement, he growled, "I can't think of a life without you. All those women you saw, the ones I tried to fu*k, I can't ...damnit, I don't feel a thing for them. ' And then, almost angrily, nipping at my lower lip in between his words, he growled, pushing his hardness gently against my body as he went on, gruffly, all his defences down,

' Little girl, I have not wanted another woman since I had you in my life. I tried, believe me, I tried to get over you. But ...' he dropped his head and kissed me hard, his tongue thrusting forcefully as he groaned against my lips, 'I know that I do not deserve you, my pretty little girl; you are too sweet and innocent. But damn it, I cannot live f*cking without you. I want to take you here, and it is not just a blo*dy physical thing. I want to have you in my life. I want to wake up and see you every f*cking morning, feel your f*cking soft body trembling like this...' here he kissed me again, his mouth slanting down to mine as I shut my eyes, bewildered and humbled.

The anguish in his voice was real as he said the words, his breath mingling with mine as he held me in his strong arms, the hands roving over my body. " I feel like a bloody pervert because I know that you are f*cking full-blown pregnant and carrying my son, now.' His erection prodding against my hard belly made me aware that he was telling me the truth. 'You.' Pausing, his hands tenderly stroked my swollen belly. He kissed my eyes as he spoke, the tip of my nose and my jawline, soft kisses and I sighed. Breathing heavily, desperately, as though the words, the confession was killing him, he growled, "You, my children, ' Here, his hand gently caressed my swollen stomach as his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, 'You are my world. The only world I want.'

As the words sank into my emotionally charged mind, I stiffened. Then I slid my arms around the strong shoulders that were bulging under the jacket, revelling in my power over him. The tears trickled down my cheeks as I drew his head to mine and kissed him hard and with all the love and passion that I felt, pressing into him as best as I could. I knew he would never have words of love for me.

But it was only because he did not know the words to say... Yet the confession he had just made was enough for me. It would last me a lifetime. ***

The phone in his trouser pocket pinged and he turned, the alertness back in his stance as he pulled it out, urgency in every action. He read the message on the screen and his face changed. His shoulders seemed to sag and I felt alarm race through me.

This was not the Mafia Don I knew. This was a man who had taken a body blow and was still recoiling from it. WHAT WAS IN THE MESSAGE HE HAD JUST RECEIVED?

I tugged at his arm, my eyes clouded in consternation, in alarm. When he turned to meet my eyes, it was like drowning in the depths of a pool of sorrow, there was such a bleak and terrible expression. I had never seen him so ...defeated before. Immediately, I moved closer, wanting to absorb the pain he was feeling, for only a deep wound in his spirit could make him seem so broken.

"Lucien,' I cried, gripping his torn shirt front. "Lucien, what...what has happened?' He spoke, as though the words were being forced out of his mouth, as though it killed him to say the words. But there was no denying the sadness in his harsh face as he went on, stroking his thumb over my lower lip, a look of infinite tenderness on his face as he murmured, pulling me into his arms, holding me there,

'We have been set up, little girl.'