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I wake up feeling incredibly warm and comfortable. A blanket is pulled cozily around me, and I snuggle deeper into the pillow—except I realize I’m not snuggled against a pillow, I’m snuggled up against Leon.

I slept in his bed with him last night. For a moment, tension runs through me, but the comfort and warmth of the bed interrupts it and I brush my hand over his chest, feeling the curve of his toned body. His shirt is unbuttoned; he must have done that to sleep more comfortably.

He is still fast asleep and breathing peacefully.

I run my hand over his stomach muscles, never having felt such sculpted abs before. He is gorgeous. My body tingles with excitement, knowing I am pushing the boundaries, touching him while he is sleeping. But when else would I have a chance to do this?

I wrap my arm around his side and press my face against his skin, breathing in the scent of him. He smells incredible.

My hands continue to roam, and I wrap my leg over his, feeling the heat growing between my thighs.

Then I freeze in horror when my hand brushes over his cock and I find that it’s rock hard.

A low chuckle vibrates through him.

He was awake the whole time. I’ve been touching and rubbing against him, and he’s been awake the entire time. He didn’t even try and stop me.

For some reason, the horror quickly heats the lust in me even more. He wanted me to touch him; otherwise, he would have stopped me.

I’ve been fighting this attraction since the day I arrived here, and now I can see that he wants this as much as I do.

He grabs the hand that was tracing across his chest and rolls over me, pinning it above my head. His body is pressed against mine, massive, bulky and gorgeous. He grins down at me and then his lips press against my mouth. `He slips his tongue inside.

The kiss is so heated I forget everything. I wrap my legs around his waist and thrust myself up against his massive, hard cock. My dress is riding up over my hips, and I can feel everything through my thin lace panties.

His kisses trail down my neck and across my collarbone and I moan softly.

His grabs my dress and pulls it higher, then trails his tongue over my stomach, lower, along my inner thigh. Then he dips his fingers beneath the lace of my underwear and pulls it aside, his hot tongue licking my clit, running over my pussy and dipping inside me.

I gasp loudly and thrust my hips up towards his face.

He grabs my ass in his hands and lifts me, licking harder, thrusting his tongue deeper as he fucks me with his mouth.

My head is spinning with pleasure as I knot my fingers in his hair.

He knows exactly what he is doing. It feels so incredible.

He slows down and speeds up and moves his tongue in circles over me. Then he dips his fingers inside me while he sucks my clit, and I can barely hold on to my own sanity.

I hear him chuckle as my legs start to shake. I am so close to orgasm.

He stops and lifts his body over mine, pulling his pants open and freeing his cock. Staring into my eyes, he grabs his cock in his hand and rubs it over my pussy.

My body is screaming yes, but as I look up at him, I freeze in horror.

This isn’t just some random guy. This is the man who kidnapped me. This is my enemy who has threatened to torture me and hurt me.

I'm frozen with panic, and he sees the expression on my face as his brows knit in confusion.

His cock is pressed right against my pussy, and any moment now, he will thrust inside me.

I want it. I want it so badly, but I can’t.

I push myself away, further up the bed, panicking even more about what I was about to do.

He lifts himself off me, letting me move away.

“I …um…I—"

He rolls away from me, not saying a word. I jump off the bed and run to the bathroom, dying from embarrassment. I can't tell if he was upset. It’s weird, because he seemed disappointed, but not angry with me.

I hide in the bathroom for a long time, showering, drying my hair, not wanting to come out until I’m sure he isn’t in the room anymore.

I can’t face him after what happened this morning.

My body is still begging to finish what we started, but luckily my head is stronger. I don’t want to be with a man like that. Someone who tortures people, kidnaps them and causes them pain.

***

When I feel the coast is clear, I peek my head out of the bathroom and breathe a sigh of relief to find that no one else is here. I get even bolder and head down to the kitchen, but I continue to peek around corners and keep my ears open in case I hear him. Honestly, right now, I would literally bolt away and hide in the room again if I heard him.

In the kitchen, Penny is busy cleaning his breakfast dishes, and I head over to the coffee machine to make some coffee.

“Morning,” I say as cheerfully as I can.

“Good morning. Can I make you some breakfast?”

“Oh, no thanks. I’m just going to have a coffee for now.”

Pulling the mug out of the cupboard, I ask, “Do you know where Leon is?”

“He left about thirty minutes ago. I’m not sure where he went.”

“Thanks.”

That means I can relax. Thank goodness. I don’t have to tiptoe around all day.

At some point, I am going to have to talk to him—probably at dinner tonight—but for now I can just try and clear my head and get over what happened.

I carry my coffee out to the patio. It’s a little chilly today, and the clouds are grey and heavy in the sky above me. It’s quite beautiful, so I curl up on the daybed outside and watch them.

“Good morning, sunshine,” a voice comes from behind me.

Just as I am about to take a sip of my coffee, I jump with fright, almost spilling it all over myself. I spin around and breathe a sigh of relief, my hand on my heart to try and steady it.

Chiara chuckles. “Did I catch you deep in thought or something?”

“Yes, kind of.” I laugh.

“Hang on, I am going to grab some coffee, then I’ll come out and sit with you.”

Right on cue, Penny arrives and says, “Don’t be silly, I’ll get your coffee. It’s one sugar and a dash of milk, isn’t it?”

“Yes, thanks so much,” Chiara says, smiling and taking a seat next to me. She pulls her feet under her body just like I have.

“This really is the kind of weather you just want to get cozy in, isn’t it?” She pulls her chunky grey cardigan tighter around her body.

“I love this weather. I hope it rains.”

“The kids love it when it rains. They demand to put on their gumboots and raincoats and go jump around in the puddles. Of course they come back inside covered in mud, but with big smiles on their faces.” She grins.

“Were you here looking for Leon? He left about half an hour ago, so you just missed him,” I comment.

“Actually, I stopped by to see you. Maxim told me about what happened at the party, and I wanted to come and find out if you were okay. He said you looked really bad…."

Her voice trails off. I can see she isn’t completely sure how to approach this subject.

“Oh.—yes, I’m okay.”

She nods and bites her lower lip. “Listen, Sasha, Maxim said you kind of looked like you were in shock. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’m here, you know, if you need to.”

I take a deep breath. I’ve never really had anyone to talk to about the things in my head. My father was always cold and distant, and when he wasn’t cold and distant, he was nasty. I used to, when I was younger, talk to Marie, but as I got older, I just realized that all I was doing was talking myself in circles, because talking about it didn’t change anything. My father was still an asshole, and I just ended up saying the same things over and over again.

That’s how I learned to just bottle things up.

“I’ve never been much of a talker,” I chuckle, trying to make light of the awkward tension.

“I’m the opposite. I talk too much,” Chiara laughs.

I shake my head. “I just never saw the point in talking about things unless you could actually change them.”

“You can change a lot of things by talking about them. Letting your worries bounce around in someone else's head for a while can give you a new perspective you never had.”

I sigh softly.

Maybe she’s right.

What have I got to lose, anyway?

“What happened at the party—it just triggered a very bad memory for me, that’s why I looked like I was in shock. I kind of froze up.”

“What kind of memory?” she asks cautiously.

“A memory of being locked in a basement without food, warmth or any kind of comfort. Ignored for days on end despite my constant pleas to be let free. Being beaten when I made too much noise. Being abused emotionally and physically.” I bite my lip. It’s not nice to remember it. But it is nice to admit to someone what really happened to me.

She takes a deep breath. “You were tortured.”

Just then, Penny arrives with the coffee, and we both smile tightly while she places it on the table for Chiara, along with some breakfast croissants.

“Thank you, Penny,” I smile.

When Penny is gone, Chiara turns to look me right in eyes.

“Sasha. Has Leon tortured you since you got here?” she asks with full seriousness in her voice.

My heart flips. Leon.

“He—" My brows knit together. Chiara sits quietly, watching me and waiting for my response.

Leon has annoyed the hell out of me. He’s locked me in his mansion like it’s a prison. He’s taken away certain luxuries, he’s given me the silent treatment—but no, he hasn’t once laid a hand on me. He has never hurt me. He hasn’t even emotionally or verbally brought me down in any way. He’s even respected my boundaries in the bedroom, and he has provided me with absolutely everything I needed, all of the essentials and basics.

At the party he was actually protective of me. He didn’t leave my side when he saw I was uncomfortable, and when that idiot, Rico Nunes, attacked me, he was quick to stand up for me and take me home when I needed to leave. Then at home he sat with me. He didn’t have to do that. He could’ve just left me to deal with my emotions myself.

I shake my head and a small smile crosses my lips.

He hasn’t tortured me. He hasn’t done anything bad except for forcing me to stay here.

“No,” I say, finally, shocking myself.

“He hasn’t hurt you at all?”

“No. He’s annoyed me. Been a complete pain in the ass. But he hasn’t hurt me.”

Chiara chuckles. “I think all men can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“Some can be far worse,” I mumble, thinking about my father.

For a while we are both quiet. Chiara takes a little side plate and picks up one of the croissants, eating and watching the grey clouds roll past.

I sit processing what I’ve just realized.

It confuses me.

Leon is a mob boss, a mafia boss, just like my father. Aren’t they all the same? He’s supposed to be cruel, calculated and cold. My father is a manipulative man, using people, hurting people, not giving a shit what kind of pain or scarring he inflicts on people.

Leon hasn’t been any of that. Not towards me.

I feel my brows knit as thoughts spin in my head. I run through our interactions from beginning to end, over and over, but there is nothing in the way that Leon has treated me that reminds me of my father. Absolutely nothing.

In fact, quite the opposite. Leon has been protective and gentle with me.

Why?

Chiara puts her empty plate back down on the table. “That was delicious. You should have one.”

She pulls me out of my thoughts and back into the moment, and oddly I am feeling lighter, happier, more relaxed.

“Penny makes a great breakfast croissant,” I agree, picking one of them up.

“What are you doing later this week? I wanted to go to the mall, maybe Thursday. I can see if I can convince Leon to let you come with me?”

“I’d love that. It would be nice to get out and walk around a bit.”

Chiara and I chat for the rest of the morning, about silly things and nothing at all, really. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a friend. I’ve always had Marie. She was the closest thing I had to a friend and a mother, but I’ve never known what it was like to have a real girlfriend.

“Hi, Chiara,” Leon’s voice comes from behind us. Chiara tilts her head back and waves at him.

“Hello. How’s your day going?” she asks cheerfully.

“It’s going good,” he replies, his eyes on me.

The ice blue gaze has me shifting in my seat and wanting to look away, but I can’t.

Chiara stands up. “I can’t believe the time. We talked so long, I didn’t even realize. I have to get home to the kids.” She leans over and give me a giant hug. “Thanks for breakfast and a great morning,” she says. Then she turns to Leon. “I want to take Sasha shopping later this week.” She raises her brows at him.

“I’ll think about it,” he says dryly.

“Good. Let me know.” She picks up her handbag and waves at both of us, then disappears through the doors.

Leon comes to stand in front of me.

“Shopping?” His cold eyes pierce into me.