Chapter 15:
Chapter 15:
Chapter 15
SOPHIA
When I wake up in the middle of the night, Dario is still with me. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, as if guarding my sleep.
I feel grateful he didn’t leave me alone. I don’t feel fear anymore, only anger.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Are you okay?” I nod.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been through worse.”
“You were very brave.”
“Before or after crying like a little girl in your arms?”
“Many people can’t react in situations like that. Don’t try to diminish your courage.”
“I learned early on that no one was coming to save me.”
“I’m here for you now.”
“Yes, you are. You were coming to save me, and you would have done it even if I couldn’t. Thank you.”
He takes my hand.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“No, I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. But… he didn’t just want to kill me.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“You were drugged.”
“What? How?”
“The wine. I wasn’t the one who sent room service to you.”
“No? Then who… Xavier? Those men… did your men catch the guy?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“I want to see him.” I sit up on the bed.
“No.”
“You don’t understand? He can testify against Xavier if he’s the one behind this. I need to talk to him.”
“No. You need to rest.”
“Rest? Are you kidding me? Look, I’m grateful for everything you did, but this has nothing to do with you. I’m the one who has to handle this now.”
“Sophia, trust me.”
“How do you expect me to trust you when I don’t even know who you really are? The only thing I know is that you’re not telling me everything. So thank you for what you did, but I’ll handle this on my own.”
“I don’t want you to be angry with me.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“It wasn’t Xavier who planned all this.”
“Then who was it?”
“Catherine.”
“Catherine? Your… ex-girlfriend?”
“She never was. But I’m sorry. I didn’t think she was capable of this.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she knows I want you.”
“Jealousy? But we… we’re not together. And she only saw us having dinner.”
“She knows what that means because I never do that.”
“What? Take a woman to dinner?”
“Yes. So I’m the one who put you in danger. What happened is my fault. But I promise none of them will go unpunished.”
Fuck. I’ve heard of crazy ex-girlfriends before. But this? Catherine isn’t just crazy, she’s dangerous. Dario and I aren’t even together.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t usually expose the women I get involved with, and there’s never been one who interested me for anything beyond sex. Catherine knows that. She knows she meant nothing to me, unlike you.”
“But… you and I…”
“You know how much I want you, sweetheart.”
Hearing that stirs something wild inside me. And even though I know he’s hiding things from me, his intentions sound honest.
He isn’t guilty of what Catherine did, and he was ready to save me. But his involvement with her proves what I already suspected: Dario is tied to dangerous people. And maybe that explains the security that’s always around.
I know I should stay away from him, but right now all I want is to be with him, because his gaze and his words make me feel desired in a way I never have before.
“Why?” I ask, breaking the silence and feeling the tension thicken in the room.
“Because you drive me crazy,” he says, with those seductive blue eyes.
“That’s what wives do, isn’t it?” I tease.
Getting on my knees, I crawl closer until I’m right in front of him. His hair is tied back, and I take the liberty of freeing it.
“I like it better this way.” I smile, biting my lip and admiring his absurdly handsome face.
“No… don’t do that.” He gives me a hard look that makes the desire between my legs pulse.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t do this with you right now.”
He’s rejecting me?
“Are you saying that because you’re worried about what happened or because you feel… disgust?”
“Never say that again.”
“Then?”
“This wouldn’t be good for you right now.”
“Why are you saying that?”
“Because I wouldn’t be able to be gentle with you.”
His words make my heart race and my skin heat. He’s worried about me. But I’ve never doubted that if we ever have sex, Dario won’t be the gentle type. Everything about him shows that.
His energy is dark and dominating. The kind that makes me tremble and feel intimidated. It’s exactly the kind of man who attracts and hypnotizes me, the kind who seems capable of completely taking control of me.
And despite everything, maybe that’s why I’m here with him right now, on the verge of doing what my body has been begging for all along. What I’ve wanted since the first day I saw him in that bar.
Feeling the blood pounding through my veins and the desire throbbing between my legs, I take his hand and guide it between my thighs, under my nightgown.
“I don’t want you to be gentle.” I whisper.
“Sophia… no.” He tenses his arm, stopping me from going further.
“Do you want me to beg?” I lean closer, making his fingers brush against my skin over the thin fabric of my panties. My clit throbs hard, desperate for attention. “Please… fuck me.” I plead, knowing he can feel how wet I am.