My brows drew together as my face tensed. What was happening to me? I didn't want to respond to his touch, not when he treated me like his possession; when he never gave me a choice in this. Alessandro's gaze flashed with realization, and he leaned closer to whisper in my ear.
“Don't worry. It will get easier, piccola,” he murmured softly, as he propelled me to the brink of insanity. “You will get used to it.”
A wave of pleasure rushed through my entire system and despite my attempts to suppress it, the overwhelming sensation crescendoed and I cried out. The moan that erupted from my throat wasn’t a sound of displeasure, but quite the opposite. Heavy tears of shame spilled from my eyes as I shuddered against Alessandro, and he quickened the pace to find his own release. A smug smile graced his lips, and it was clear he could tell I had just had an orgasm. What was worse, he looked incredibly pleased and complacent about it. When it was over, he stilled on top of me and caressed my tear-stained face—his dark eyes glistening with an undecipherable emotion as they bored into mine.
“Is it so bad to be loved by me, Olivia?” he asked softly.
I looked at him through a blur of tears. “This isn't love.”
“What is it, then, if not love?” he asked in wonder, like he wanted me to help him understand.
I parted my lips and released a constricted breath. “Torture.”
He sneered with apparent irony. “Same fucking thing, piccola. In my world love and torture go hand in hand.”
“In your world...but not in mine,” I said in a small, broken voice.
“This is your world, tesoro,” he whispered, kissing the bridge of my nose. “Now and forever. You can never leave once you enter.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Present
You can never leave once you enter...those were Alessandro's last words before he left my bed and disappeared into his own room that night. Reemerging from a distant past, I opened my eyes with a start and met Alessandro's piercing black gaze. He was watching me sleep. His fingers reached for a strand of my hair, and his eyes were frozen on my face.
“Good morning, cara,” he whispered softly. “Did you sleep well?”
I nodded, too distracted by his closeness to speak.
His dark eyes narrowed on mine. “You were moaning in your sleep and you seemed distressed. Did you have a nightmare?”
I swallowed. “No. Not that I can remember. I should go get ready for breakfast.” I started getting up when Alessandro leaned his hand on my shoulder.
“No need to rush. It's already taken care of.”
I looked at him with a raised brow, and he smiled.
“Room service.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Alessandro invited the person in. Henry Wyatt entered the room with a breakfast tray. As he neared, he shot me a knowing glance and I reddened to the roots of my hair. I could feel Alessandro's eyes staring at me, and it only intensified my discomfort. Henry placed the tray on the bed, and my stomach turned at the sight of all that food.
“Will you be needing anything else, Sir?” he asked.
“No, thank you, Henry.”
The butler nodded and headed toward the door when Alessandro called after him. “What about my wife?” he demanded in a rich drawl.
Henry spun around, blinking rapidly.
“Aren't you going to ask her if she wants something else?”
Both Henry and I paled a little because this was so unlike Alessandro. The butler uttered a string of ums and ahs before composing himself and forcing a smile. “Of course. Forgive me, Mrs. Damiani,” he mumbled the words like they would poison him. “Will you be needing anything else?”
“No, thank you,” I said, staring in complete wonder as Henry nodded and excused himself.
Alessandro took hold of a boiled egg and looked at me. “Can you help me?”
“Sure,” I whispered, and peeled the egg for him.
“Aren't you going to eat?” He nodded to the mini banquet on his lap when I handed him the egg and made no move to get anything for myself.
“I'm not hungry yet.”
“You didn't have any dinner yesterday. You have to take better care of yourself.”
He gazed at me with expectation. Don't play with fire, Olivia. Don't make him suspicious.
“You're right, Alessandro,” I said softly. “I'll eat.”
I grabbed one small piece of toast and spread some butter on it. Bile rose in my throat at the first bite, but I forced myself to eat it.