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“You obviously don’t understand that as my wife, you will now follow my commands. My rules.”

There were several nasty things I wanted to spout off to him before I slapped him in the face and I would have had I not noticed the shift in the way he was looking at me. He couldn’t care less about whether I was obeying him as much as he did about stripping me bare in front of him.

The revelation brought an entire package of fireworks to the table, the rush of excitement nothing I’d wanted.

Alejandro took the time to take both our drinks to the end table. When he returned, his expression had turned primal. His hunger knew no bounds of decency or anything else. He also couldn’t care less whether we had a hotel full of guests or that soldiers from either side of our worlds could come knocking at any time for a safety check.

He immediately tugged at the sash on my robe, slowly but purposely sliding the light material through the two loops. As soon as he had it in his hands, he gave me a single nod. Without a word spoken, I knew what it meant. There seemed to be no denying the man or his needs.

I continued to tremble as I eased the material from my shoulders, allowing gravity to pool the robe around my feet. Without a second’s worth of hesitation, he yanked it into his hand, tossing it aside. We both watched as the material fluttered to the floor like a sail.

The man was very much in control, the corners of his lips upturned while I was biting my inner cheek I was so nervous. I was a thirty-one-year-old woman who’d been with more than one partner, yet no man had ever made me feel so anxious.

What crazy kind of power did he have over me?

He shook his head several times as he peered down at me. “Mine for the taking. You are truly a magnificent creature, Carmella. I’m a lucky man.”

In the world of powerful mafia men, his attitude and behavior were unexpected. Yes, I’d seen the adoration in my father’s eyes for my mother and now for Sasha, but things could always be different behind closed bedroom doors.

“Perhaps you are.”

When he took my arms, holding them out in front of me, I fisted my hands. I knew almost immediately what he had planned, but as he wound the sash around my wrists, I swayed back and forth. The knot he tied provided another glance at his level of expertise. There was no way I could loosen the knot myself.

He backed away, his nostrils flaring as he studied both me and his work.

“You do know you’re going to get fucked again before we attend the reception. Don’t you?” His question was laced with an intense level of hunger.

“Is that what you’re going to do?”

“Yes, I will, but first…” He didn’t finish the sentence, pointing at the floor instead. I didn’t need to be told what to do and in truth, I was eager to hold his thick cock in my hand.

And feel it pulsing inside my mouth.

My eyes never leaving his, I lowered to my knees on the floor, fighting with the bindings on purpose. He shifted to the back of the couch, leaning against the edge. He appeared comfortable in his own skin, enjoying every second of controlling me.

If I was truly honest with myself, I’d admit I was enthralled, his command of me scintillating. I did what I could to crawl toward him, even feeling comfortable enough to toss my head back and forth.

He wore no expression, but his dark eyes continued to bore through me. I was breathless by the time I reached him, settling on my knees and shaking my head back and forth for a final time.

“Why do I feel free around you? That doesn’t make any sense,” I admitted.

“Because there’s no pretense between us, no fixation on the failure of love. We can truly be ourselves and enjoy what we crave.”

Sad, but profound.

I forced his legs wider and rolled one finger of my bound hands along the inside of one leg and down the other. When I didn’t even brush a single finger across his groin, his entire body tensed.

There was no mistaking how excited he was. His cock was throbbing through his jeans. My mouth watered in anticipation. I gently brushed one palm across the thick bulge before reaching for his belt. I found it fascinating to try to accomplish anything ordinary while being shackled like a captured prisoner.

He kept his hands to himself, even crossing his arms while I worked to free his cock. When I managed the task, an involuntary moan floated between us.

“My thirsty baby.”

“Perhaps.” I tugged on his jeans, forced to yank them down his hips. Just seeing the deep lines of the V that were cut from his abdomen to the creases of his legs kept my pulse high. When I freed his cock entirely, he finally groaned. I’d never thought of a man’s shaft as a thing of beauty, but Alejandro’s was an exception.

It was long and thick with a perfect formation and a beautifully bulbous tip. Veins were pulsing on both sides, similar to the thick cords in his neck.

As soon as I blew across the tip, he lost some of his trained control by grabbing a handful of my hair. I darted the tip of my tongue around his sensitive slit and he growled.