Page 129 of Madness & Mercy

I feel the sting, the warmth, then something wet trickling down.

Blood.

His tongue follows a second later, dragging up my thigh in a slow, maddening line, stopping just shy of where Ineedhim.

I grit my teeth, fighting the sound that tries to claw its way out of my throat.

“Answer the question,cagniolo.”

“Yes,” I breathe. “I’m scared.”

He lets out a low laugh, like he’s been waiting to hear me say that all along. He leans in, his mouth brushing the shell of my ear. His voice is a sin I want to drown in.

“Well, well.Look who’s finally being honest.”

Then, finally, he kicks the knife aside with a sharp flick of his boot, sending it skidding across the floor. His eyes lock on mine, dark and cold.

“I’m going to strip every lie from your fucking mouth,” he says darkly. “Unravel every secret. Every scream. Every fucking plea.I’ll drag the truth out of you, even if it kills you.” A beat. “And I don’t care how long it takes.”

He turns away and walks toward the door, leaving me wrecked. Raw. Still trembling.

“Nico, wait—”

He stops with hand on the doorframe.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, my throat tight.

He doesn’t look back.

“Good,” he says.“You should be.”

Then he’s gone, leaving me in the dark, already craving the next time he comes back to tear me apart.

CHAPTER 19 – TEMPTATION

JULIAN

How long has it been?

Minutes? Hours? Days?

Time’s a blur when you’re cuffed to a chair, half naked and hard as a fucking rock, mind unraveling by the second. My wrists are numb, my throat’s dry, and my dick is still aching.

This isn’t what I pictured when I imagined Nico finding out.

I thought maybe he’d put a bullet in my gut and leave me to bleed out slowly. Toss my body in the river. What I didn’t expect was… nothing. The silence. The restraint. The suffocatingwait.

Somehow, himnottouching me is worse than if he had.

I glance around the room, but my eyes lock on the blinking red light in the corner. A camera.

Bastard’swatchingme.

I stare straight into it. Intohim.

“Come on, asshole. Don’t leave me like this,” I snarl, my voice hoarse.

Nothing.