Page 30 of Dreadful

She unties the apron from her waist and snatches off the measuring tape hanging from her neck before packing them both into her messenger bag.

“You look mad enough to strangle me with that tape.” I chuckle.

“Nope. Not at all. Like I said, I feel nothing.” She gives me a smug look over her shoulder. “You’d probably like it anyway, wouldn’t you?”

Her dare heats the space between us like a flame. My voice lowers, and I whisper in her ear. She can’t help but lean toward me.

“Try it and find out,vipera.”

A low gasp escapes her, and I stroke my finger a hair’s breadth away from her cheek. She drifts toward me, touching her back against my chest. My cock hardens, begging to feel her. I don’t move, but I keep silently encouraging her to come to me.

“You know what I think?” I ask.

“What do you think?” Her question is husky and full of need.

“I think you’re afraid of what will happen when you give into this. You know that once you do, you’ll crave my firm hand as much as I already crave your soft touch.”

I don’t know who surrenders when her cheek and my hand finally brush, and I caress my fingertip slowly down her skin. Her desire radiates off her, and it takes all my restraint to keep from spinning her around to kiss her.

But I know I can’t. She wants to be in charge. For now. It won’t be until she trusts me fully that she’ll let us have what we both need.

This is all new territory for me. Women in my world are more than willing to offer themselves up on a silver platter to made men like me in exchange for money or in hopes of becomingla moglie di un mafioso—a Mafia wife. I like the challenge with Tallie, but mostly I love knowing that when I have her, it’s proof that she wantsme, not status.

Touching her seems to be putting her in a trance, and she relaxes against my chest. I set my cane to the side and wrap my arm around her, resting my hand just above her pussy.

“Let me take care of you,dolcezza.”My finger drifts down to her jawline, trailing along the edge until the ridge of her birthmark dips underneath my finger—

She swats my hand away and swivels around to turn on me. I quickly grab my cane for balance.

“What’re you doing here, Sev? Don’t you need to go back to your date?”

Her rejection was so swift and abrupt that at first I don’t understand her question. Then it hits me. I let her believe I was with “someone” without going into more detail. I have half a mind to let her sweat. Seeing this serpent spit jealous venom at me is priceless. But her suggesting that I leave makes my stomach lurch.

“I’m with my mother, Tallie.”

The tenseness in her body immediately relaxes. I’ve enjoyed playing games with her, but having her calm and trusting in my arms was infinitely better than pissing her off.

“You’re with your mom? Like you came with her? And no one else?”

“Yes. Just my mother. No one else. Well, unless you count her driver, Alfonso.”

She snorts. “What, no ticket for the help then?”

“It’s not like that with me.”

“Your mother, on the other hand—”

I wince. “She prefers he wait in the parking lot.” My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I fish it out to read the text. “Speaking of my mother…she’s asking where I am.”

“Better go, then,” she murmurs, but I shake my head.

“I don’t want to leave you by yourself. There’s nofuckingsecurity. Anyone could come back here while you’re all alone.”

She snorts. “Yeah, they just let you back here, didn’t they?”

I roll my eyes. “Come on, let me walk you out.”

I take her hand again before she can protest, but she stops in her tracks and tries to tug away.