Page 7 of Depths of Obsession (The Emerald Dagger Mafia #2)

CHAPTER 7

I walk down the hallway and pause outside Pippa’s door, listening. Her breathing is steady, deep—she’s asleep. I lean my forehead against the door, my chest tightening. The urge to go in there, to hold her, to reassure her, borders on physically painful. I want her to feel safe, to feel like nothing can touch her as long as I’m here. But after what Renzo just told me, I’m not sure I can promise anything like that. Putting Pippa before all of us…all vampires, that’s a big fucking deal. The needs of the many…

Why is she so important to me? Where does this pull come from, this calling to protect her at all costs? It’s far beyond mere lust or animal need. If I wanted to get laid, I could make that happen all day, every day. This—whatever the hell this is—is deeper, something that makes me want to tear apart anyone who looks at her the wrong way. The tarot reader claimed we’d known each other in a past life. That’s a long time to feel this depth of emotion for someone from a past life, considering I’m pushing four hundred. It doesn’t seem reasonable to reconnect with someone I might have known half a millennia ago. Not sure I believe in that stuff. I shake my head. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it felt like magick—a bond forged in something beyond the human world. And that thought is the most terrifying of all.

I take a deep breath and push away from the door, walking back to the living room. The monitors flicker, casting shadows across the walls. I sink into my chair, the exhaustion settling in again, my thoughts swirling in a tangled mess of anger, fear, and something else—something I can’t quite name.

I need to focus. I need to be ready for whatever comes next; for whatever Gazzago throws at us. But as I sit there, the only thing I can think about is Pippa. The way her eyes snapped with anger. The way they flashed with defiance. How her voice softened with fear. I rub my face with both hands, and curse. I need to get away from Pippa before I do something stupid.

I stare at the screens, checking on my brother’s holdings. Everything looks normal. A sound catches my attention. It’s Pippa. She’s dreaming. Her heart rate is going up and her breathing is getting shallow. She’s having a nightmare.

I’m on my feet and headed to her room before I can stop myself. I open her door and go to her bed. I sit down as she sits up and starts screaming. “Pippa,” I say wrapping my arms around her. She fights me, still half asleep. “Pippa, it’s Luca. You’re okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

She still fights me but opens her eyes and stares. Then the fight goes out of her and she wraps her arms around me burying her face in my chest. Her scent engulfs me, and I can’t stop my body from responding.

I start to pull back. “Pippa, it’s okay. You’re safe here.” She meets my gaze, and damn me, the fire of desire flickers in her eyes.

I know I should get up and leave but she is intoxicating. I can't help but feel an overwhelming possessive desire for Pippa.

I drop my arms and stand. “You are safe. Please try and remember that. I’m sorry you’re having nightmares. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” I hurry to the door, putting as much distance between Pippa and me as possible is the only solution.

“Luca, don’t leave,” she pleads.

I lower my head before turning toward her. “Pippa.” It’s a warning and she knows it.

“You can help by staying with me.”

“That’s not a good idea.” I can’t simply hold her all night. I’m too wound up. I am struggling as it is to keep from tasting her. Spending hours wrapped up with her would be exquisite torture.

Pippa gets out of bed and comes to stand in front of me. She’s wearing a matching lacy red tank top and panties.

My body instantly responds. I grit out, “Pippa, get back into bed.”

“No. You said to tell you if there is anything you can do.” She raises her arms. “This is what you can do, me. I need you to hold me. I need a distraction, a way to get some relief. This whole mess is killing me. Help me, Luca.”

“You have no idea what you’re asking.” I grip the door handle so tightly, it dents under my fingers. If she thinks this is killing her, she has no idea what I can do to her. I can literally fuck her to death. Vampires aren’t known for being gentle. I don’t have it in me to do that for her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I do,” she responds.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” I repeat.

She puts her hands on my chest. “Oh, I think I do.” She leans up and brushes her lips over my neck. My fangs grow as well as my cock. There’s no escaping this.

“Pippa,” I say through clenched teeth. “Please go back to bed,” I say as I turn her around. “There are consequences for what you want, and I don’t think you will like them.”

Instead, she backs up into me, rubbing her ass against my erection. “I need you. I need to feel you inside me. That’s what I need, Luca.”

“You don’t know what this means. You have no idea of the consequences.”

“I don’t care about the consequences. I want you to fuck me. Make me forget everything. I want to feel you inside me. That’s all I care about. The hell with the rest of it.”

“Pippa,” I try one last time, “if we do this, you will pay a heavy price. The consequences are intense. You won’t like it. Climb back into bed and forget about you and me fucking. I promise you, it’s a bad idea.”

“I’m a big girl. I can deal with any consequences, I promise.”

“But you don’t even know what they are,” I say.

“I don’t care what they are. I’m willing to live with them. I just want to spend the next few hours fucking you.”

I am helpless against her. “Pippa, once I have you, I won’t let you go. You will be mine… Permanently.”

“Then you can keep me permanently safe,” she says as she runs her hands over my thighs.

I breathe in her scent, and I know I’m lost. “Chances are excellent that you will regret this,” I say as I wrap one arm around her hips, pulling her back against my hard cock, while my other hand grabs her neck. Her breath quickens as I squeeze her neck slightly.

“Doubtful,” she murmurs as she tilts her head back.

“Have you ever been fucked with a dildo?” My hand on her hip strays to her pussy and I tighten my grip on her throat. “We can do that, if you prefer. I promise to make it good for you.”

Her hips rock just a bit, enough to make my fingers crest her slit. I curl my hand, adding enough pressure to make her moan. The idea of drilling her with a vibrator while fucking her ass with my fingers hardens my cock to the point of pain. I’ll make it hurt so good for both of us.

“I…” she started breathlessly, as if considering. “That seems cold, and what I need is heat. Your heat, Luca.” She leaned against me, and although I didn’t move my hand from her cunt, I was relieved she didn’t want to go that route. I wanted to be buried deep in her when she comes.

I skim my nose along the column of her throat, breathing her in. Her neck smells of lavender, and the spice of her desire rises, tickling my senses. It’s accompanied by a tang of fear which only adds to my arousal. The urge to taste her blood is overwhelming and my gums prickle with the need for my fangs to drop. Fighting is useless. I am powerless to stop myself. I nip her ear as I squeeze her throat a little more. She lets out a moan when I tap her clit, then rub her slit.

“Has anyone ever choked you?” I ask.

“N-no,” she murmurs and grips my thighs with her hands.

I increase the pressure ever so slightly on her neck while I move up to cup one breast and squeeze. “Do you like it rough?”

“I d-don’t know.”

“You’re about to find out,” I say as I kiss her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark. “Promise me, little one, that if it’s too much for you, if you’re scared and need me to stop, you have to tell me.” I squeeze her breast again. “Promise me.”

“I-I promise.”

I rain kisses down her neck as I keep rubbing her breast. “How about a safe word? A word that says you’re scared and want to stop.”

She rubs her ass against my cock, and I am finding it hard to focus, to keep control.

“Snowman.”

“What?”

“That’s my word,” she says. “Snowman.”

I smile and I know my fangs are growing but thankfully she can’t see them. “Snowman,” I repeat. “Make sure you use it if you get too scared.”

“I will… But I won’t.” She stops touching me and instead she slips her tank over her head and drops it to the floor.

I curse as I cup her breast and then pinch her nipple. She moans and rubs against me. I unzip my pants, bringing out my cock and rub my hard shaft into the cleft of her ass. "Do you like feeling me against you? You'll love it when I fuck your pretty little ass and make you come so hard." Her heart rate ticks up and her breathing changes again. Adrenaline has kicked in. She’s scared.

My hand travels up to her belly before squeezing one of her breasts. "Nervous? Does the thought of me buried in your ass make you nervous?" God knows it makes me horny as hell. I revel in the power I have over her; it makes me rock hard. I nip her shoulder, wishing I could taste her blood. "No need to be nervous, little one. I promise you'll have fun."

With one hand still on her neck, I massage and tease her breasts one at a time, keeping pressure on her neck, taking in her softness and scent. My desire for her intensifies; there's something about Pippa that calls to me on a primal level. It's almost as if there's magic in her blood, but I know she's human.

I kiss and lick her neck and shoulders, then bring both hands to play with her nipples. She moans softly and reaches back to grab my thighs, grinding her sweet ass against my cock. "My little one," I growl, already smelling her musky scent and knowing she is wet for me. "Should I touch you and see just how wet you are?"

I spin her around and press her against the door, relishing the shiver that runs through her. She takes a deep breath as I claim her mouth, kissing her fiercely and passionately. She responds eagerly, wrapping her arms around my neck as I press her against the door. This moment has an intensity I have never felt before, like we were forged out of the same piece of iron and only now after all this time come back together.

My hand travels from her hip to her thigh, then back up along the inside of her leg. I place my other hand on her throat and squeeze gently. "I love the way you feel," I whisper to her. As I slip my fingers between her legs, a wave of possessiveness overcomes me. She may not know it yet but she belongs to me. Pippa Dominici is mine and I’m going to stake my claim permanently. “How many men have been here before me?” I demand.

Her eyes watch me but she remains silent.

I squeeze her throat a bit more. “How many Pippa?”

She licks her lips. “One,” she says. “Only one.”

The thought of anyone else even thinking about touching her makes me furious. I grip her chin and force her to look at me. "There will never be another one. From now on it’s only ever me. If you ever think about sleeping with another man, I'll kill him right in front of you." My hand moves down to her underwear, feeling the heat radiating from her core. "No one else will ever touch you here. You're mine, all mine."

“Yes,” she moans.

I kiss her fiercely again, not giving her a moment to catch her breath. Holding her wrists above her head, I let my other hand wander south and inside her lacy panties to explore between her legs. She's so damn beautiful, and she'll only ever be mine. It's almost painful how much I want her right now. “If I ever find out who that one man is, I will kill him.”

She opens her eyes wide and the scent of fear hits me. She knows I’m telling the truth. “I did say you wouldn’t like the consequences. Do you want me to stop?” Too bad if she does because I am not stopping, not now. I drag my fingers over her slit, up between her ass cheeks, and then back again, slipping just the tip of one finger into her opening.

She shifts her hips, like that would move my finger deeper inside her. “N-no,” she says and then she kisses me hard as I continue to rub her slit and tap her clit.

She's already wet for me, and coating my fingers with her essence as she spreads her legs without hesitation. "You're already dripping for me," I growl as I push in a little deeper. "You've been waiting for this, haven't you? Waiting for me." I adjust my grip to position my index finger at her butt hole.

“Yes, Luca,” she breathes as she grinds against my hand, eager for more.

"You're so damn wet," I mutter. I release her wrists and she quickly undoes my shirt before running her hands down my chest. Her nails dig into my skin, but it doesn't faze me. This is more like it, my little one with claws. It makes me want her even more.

I guide her towards the bed, letting her fall onto the soft mattress. I discard my clothes and then remove her panties. "I'm going to make you come so hard," I promise her as I kneel between her legs. "This is only the beginning. I'm going to show you all kinds of pleasure." My lips trail down her thighs until they reach their destination. I watch as she bites her lip but doesn't break eye contact with me. I dip my head and take my first taste of my new prize. Fucking amazing. I lick and suck her clit while she digs her heels into the sheets. I put my hands under her ass and haul her lower. She moans and lifts her hips while sinking her fingers into my hair.

I push a finger inside her, as I suck her clit. I add another finger and then one more. Her hips are moving matching my rhythm. I speed up and slam my fingers up inside her reaching for her g-spot.

“Yes,” she pants.

I know she’s on the edge. “What’s his name?”

She lifts her head confused. “What?”

“His name. The guy you were with.”

“What the fuck? You want to talk about that now?”

“Yes.”

“No,” she says. “It’s none of your business.” She bites her lip, her eyes dropping to the blankets as a shadow passes over her face. Vulnerability—an emotion I had not often seen from her—surfaced, making her appear younger, almost fragile.

My protective instincts go into overdrive. “He hurt you. Now you have to tell me his name.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not important and I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Pippa, a man hurt you. I want to know who he is and what he did. We won’t go any further until that happens.”

She huffs out a breath. “He did it on a dare.” Her voice cracks slightly, betraying the pain beneath the defiance. She takes a breath, as if trying to steady herself, then reached to pull the blankets over herself, her fingers trembling.

I put my hand firmly on the blankets, halting her attempt to hide. My voice was low, steady. “You will not cover up, little one. Not with me. Tell me.”

She glances at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty, and then her gaze bounces around the room as if searching for an escape. Finally, her voice returns, small and shaky. “It was the first year of law school. I thought he liked me. I was wrong. We dated. He said he wanted to sleep with me, but really, he wanted to take pictures of me naked and show them to everyone in class.” Her lips twisted into a bitter smile, and a flicker of anger flashed in her eyes. “I beat him for the top of the class and he was angry. He wanted to humiliate me. I realized what was going on afterwards, and we fought. I gave him a black eye and then told everyone the next day that his dick was tiny. He didn’t get his pictures, and he was humiliated even further.”

She took a shaky breath, her eyes hardening. “He vowed revenge, but then I let it slip who my family was and why exacting revenge on me would be a bad idea. He left me alone after that, but then so did everyone else.” Her voice softened, sadness seeping into her words. “I graduated and came back here. My father isn’t big on letting me go out with random men. And honestly, it’s not like I’m in a rush to go through something like that again.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy and filled with a pain that still seemed raw and fresh, as though the wound had never fully healed. My chest tightened at the thought of someone hurting her—my Pippa. Anger simmered beneath my skin, clawing at my control.

“What is his name?” I demanded, my voice a growl that reverberated through the quiet room.

She shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. “It’s not important.”

My voice softened, but the command was still there. “Little one, it is very important. What is his name?”

Her eyes met mine, and I saw the flicker of resistance in them. With a sigh, she pulled herself up to a sitting position, her expression guarded as she grabbed a pillow and placed it in her lap, using it to cover her nakedness.

“Luca,” she said, her voice almost pleading, “just let it go. It’s over and done with. It happened a while ago, and I just don’t need the hassle.”

I moved closer, my eyes never leaving hers. “Pippa, remember when I said you wouldn’t like the consequences? This is one of the things I meant.” I cupped her cheek gently, my thumb brushing over her skin. “You are mine now. I will keep you safe, but I will also kill anyone who hurts you. You do not have a say in this, and you will obey me.” I leaned in, my voice a whisper against her ear. “Tell me his name.”

Her eyes searched mine, a mixture of fear, vulnerability, and something else—something raw and undefinable—flickering in their depths. She bit her lip again, and for a moment, I thought she might argue, but instead, she nodded slightly, her resistance crumbling.

“His name is Matteo,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she gave in, the weight of her past finally coming to light.

A dark smile tugged at my lips. “Thank you, little one. I promise you, he will regret ever touching you.”

Pippa's eyes filled with uncertainty, but there was also a glimmer of relief—like the burden she'd been carrying for so long had finally been lifted. She leaned into my touch, her body relaxing slightly, and for this moment, she is mine to protect, mine to cherish. Matteo doesn’t know it yet but his days on this earth are numbered.