His Dark Desire Page 3

  “Carlo!”

  I looked over to see an older man had climbed the stairs. Where Carlo seemed like a petulant man in his early twenties, this newcomer seemed more around Angelo’s age. Carlo seemed to wilt under the displeasure in that one word and backed away from us. The man had a distinguished look about him as he cast a fierce frown at the younger man.

  “Hey, cousin, I—”

  “Go downstairs. Now.” The command was even more effective by the softness of his voice. Carlo glared at us before stomping down the steps. The man turned toward us and I could feel the tension filling the space between us, but neither the newcomer nor Angelo made any move to bridge the gap. I felt caught in a war of wills that I didn’t understand, and my restraining grip on Angelo’s arm turned into a steadying connection for the both of us.

  “Angelo,” the man said.

  “Vincenzo.”

  “I didn’t realize you were here tonight.” When Angelo said nothing, Vincenzo continued. “We’ve come to celebrate my little sister’s birthday. She has a fondness for your tiramisu.”

  “Then she’ll have some with my compliments,” Angelo stated in an icy tone that belied his feelings. “I hope you’ll understand my agitation, Vincenzo. Carlo crossed a line tonight when he insulted my woman.”

  “You have my apologies. You know I respect your stance here at DeSilvo’s, and I don’t wish to break the treaty.”

  “Understood. And Vince? Take care of Carlo…or I will,” Angelo warned.

  Vincenzo jerked his head in a curt nod then turned around and left. So many questions fluttered through my mind, but before I could ask anything Angelo whirled around, rubbing his large hands over my chilled arms in a soothing motion. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, cara mia.”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine. Who were they?”

  “Carlo is a punk who drinks too much. And Vincenzo Fernelli… he used to be a friend. It’s a long story, cara. But listen, you can’t mention this to anyone inside at the party. Do you understand?”

  I didn’t, but I found myself nodding anyway. That left me with even more questions, but Angelo pressed a finger lightly to my lips, stopping me from asking them.

  “It’s better if you don’t ask.”

  And that, of course, gave me no comfort at all.

  Chapter Four

  Angelo and I rejoined the party, and to my surprise, I saw that Jonathan had found himself a friend in my absence – a very attractive, very flamboyant male friend. And if what I saw was any indication, it seemed like he wouldn’t be going home alone either. I was instantly relieved from the guilt I’d been feeling for leaving him alone.

  “Come on,” I said to Angelo as we headed toward the bar where they stood. “I want you to meet my friends.”

  “It will be my pleasure,” he responded then lifted my hand to kiss my knuckles. As corny as I found the gesture, it still warmed my insides. When we walked over to Jonathan and his new friend, they straightened from where they had been whispering to each other.

  “Well, hey, doll. Karen, you remember Rocco, right? He works with Amanda.”

  “Yes, of course! You’re working on putting a fall collection to go with Amanda’s if I’m not mistaken.”

  Rocco smiled warmly at me. “Exactly. She’s doing the women’s line while I do the men’s line, but it will all be part of the same collection using a similar theme.”

  “I can’t wait to see it,” I said, and I meant it. I thought their stuff was gorgeous. “Angelo, I’d like to introduce one of my best friends, Jonathan, and— ”

  “Rocco is another cousin of mine, cara mia,” he said with a smirk. “But, Jonathan, it’s nice to meet you. I hear you and Karen are very close.”

  He shook hands with Jonathan as my friend grinned. “Funny, I heard the same thing about you,” he said. I choked on the sip of champagne I just swallowed and glared at Jonathan as the men laughed.

  “I can tell you and I are going to be good friends,” Angelo said to Jonathan. We had to stop to do another round of introductions when Amanda and her fiancé came over to join us. I was pleased that Angelo seemed to get along so well with my two closest friends. I had to admit, he knew how to work a room. It didn’t take long for him to charm them, and Amanda pulled me aside to say how happy she was that we were dating men in the same family.

  “…And who knows?” Amanda said with a giggle. “We really could end up related.” And despite all the toughness I claimed to possess, the thought of that sent me into a whirlwind.

  After a few minutes, Angelo excused us. With his hand securely on the curve of my hip, he walked me around the room, introducing me to various members of his family. I knew that he was a wealthy man and a commanding presence, but the deference with which his family members treated him surprised me. Even the older men and women paid him obvious respect.

  As we walked, Angelo told me a few more details about his family – and I do mean few. He told me his father and mother had died when he was twenty, but that was all he’d say about it. Still, even with them gone, he had a lot of other family that seemed to adore him. The only moment that gave me pause was when he introduced me to his uncle, Giovanni Luciano. The older man was gracious and very nice as we spoke, but there was an aura of danger around him that made me extremely uncomfortable.

  “Ah, so this is the woman you have been seeing.”

  “Si, zio Giovanni. This is Karen Blackwell.”

  Giovanni’s eyes seemed to study me as if determining my worth. On edge, I straightened to my full height and met his gaze dead on. I didn’t care who this man was, I wasn’t going to let him try to intimidate me. I didn’t need his approval anyway – and if Angelo thought any different, then he was about to discover how very wrong he was.

  As if knowing what I was thinking, the older man smiled. “Well done, Angelo, my boy. She is a beauty indeed, and she seems to have spirit. And she looks like she could even be part Italian.” I smirked, not taking any great pleasure in passing this test, but I thanked him graciously.

  “Was that supposed to be a compliment?” I whispered after we’d turned away from Giovanni.

  “It was,” replied Angelo. “And from him, it was the highest of praise.”

  I made a noncommittal sound as we all moved to the other side of the room to take our seats for dinner. I wasn’t surprised to find us seated at a table with Jonathan, Rocco, Amanda and Tony, but what did catch me off guard was when Angelo’s little sister Maria took the seat next to me. “Hi! I’m Maria,” she chirped. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

  That caught me off guard. Had Angelo told her about me? “It’s nice to meet you, too,” I replied, in an even tone. As I looked at the woman now, I could see her resemblance to Angelo. When I first saw her, my jealously had clouded my vision, but now I saw she was definitely a feminine version of him – the same dark eyes, the same thick hair.

  First impressions aside, Maria DeSilvo was sweet and sassy, and I enjoyed her company. I found out she was the same age as me, and that she was the manager of DeSilvo’s. Angelo had raised her after their parents died, and they were very close. So close, in fact, that they both took great delight in teasing the other every chance they got. With her on my one side and Angelo on my other, I was plenty entertained throughout the meal.

  The dinner was fabulous, and Tony’s father stood up during the dessert to say a few words. After that, it was Giovanni’s turn. Surprisingly, his speech made me like him more than our first meeting might have suggested. He warmly welcomed Amanda to their family, and even I could see his sincerity – although, still, there was something very frightening about him.

  I could see how well Amanda got along with Tony’s two older brothers and sister. It seemed like she had been worried for nothing. But most of all, I loved seeing the way Tony looked at her with such love.

  Just as I was contemplating love and romance, Angelo leaned over and whispered in my ear. “That look on your face makes my dick hard.”


  My eyebrows shot up. “Behave, you beast,” I scolded him. “You can’t talk like that with your whole family around.” I hissed the words out softly, feeling my cheeks heat with a blush.

  “They can’t hear me.” His hand slid under the table to stroke the inside of my thigh and I slapped at his hand. “What are you thinking about, Karen?”

  “I’m just happy that Tony loves Amanda so much.”

  His dark eyes grew serious. “Love is a powerful thing.”

  His words made my heart beat faster, and I had to turn away from him and take a sip of water. I didn’t know what to say to him. Luckily, Maria turned to me at that moment and started chatting. “So, Karen. What do you say about having coffee with me tomorrow? We can share some girl gossip, and I can tell you all the horrible things Angelo did when we were kids.”

  That made me laugh. “I’d love to.”

  Angelo leaned over and joined in the conversation. “Not tomorrow, bella. We’ll be sleeping in late.”

  I looked at him and raised a brow. “Will we?”

  “Yes, cara mia. It’s Friday night, and I don’t plan to let you out of my bed until Sunday at the earliest.”

  “Ugh, you’re such a guy.” Maria said as she rolled her eyes. “I so did not need to hear that. Well, Karen, how about Monday then? We can make it lunch instead.”

  I grinned. “Works for me.”

  With the evening coming to a close, Jonathan checked to see if I needed a ride home and simply smirked when I’d told him Angelo would drive me home. I hugged my friend goodbye and noted that he and Rocco left the hall together a minute later.

  Looks like I wasn’t the only one getting lucky tonight.

  Angelo rushed us through the rest of our farewells, and before I knew it I was seated in the back of a town car as his driver took us to his apartment. The entire night had been like foreplay to me. Even with our earlier encounter, it had been way too long since I’d felt him inside me. Sitting next to him I reached out and ran my hand over the thick muscle of his thigh. I looked up at him through veiled lashes when he put his hand over mine and stopped me.

  “Behave, Karen,” he commanded in a soft voice. “I promised you that next time I was inside of you it would be on a bed, and I always keep my promises.”

  Trying to be good, I removed my hand from his thigh, but he kept it in his and simply held it for the rest of the drive. The gesture was sweet and seemed so unlike him, and that made it even more precious to me.

  The mid-rise building we pulled up to was sleek, modern and new. I was sort of surprised, as I saw him as more, how to say it, ‘old-school’ than that. The doorman rushed over and opened the back door of the car for us. Angelo got out first and then held out his hand to assist me.

  We walked through the lobby and the guard at the desk smiled at Angelo. “Good evening, sir.”

  “Hello, Bill.” Angelo stopped at the desk, keeping hold of my hand. “Please make sure that Ms. Karen Blackwell is added to the list of persons that you’re to allow direct access up to my condo.”

  “I’ll add her right now, sir.”

  “Thank you, Bill. Have a good night.”

  Angelo pulled me gently with him to the bank of elevators and I couldn’t help but smile at him. When he looked down at me he shot me a questioning glance. “What?”

  “Putting me on your list? That’s a big step.”

  He snorted. “Karen, I plan to keep you here as much as I can. But the times I do let you leave, I want to make it easy for you to return.”

  Smiling at his cheekiness, I stepped into the elevator with him silently and watched as he hit one of the four top buttons with a “P” on it to indicate it was one of the penthouse suites in the building. During the quick ride up, I tried to study my own feelings. It was time for a reality check. A part of me was thrilled, and another part was terrified at the commitment he was talking about. To actually hear it from a man that I wanted a relationship with was scary and uncharted territory for me.

  When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Angelo let me out into a marble foyer. “There are only four condos on this floor, so it’s quieter,” he said as he opened the door to his apartment.

  He held the door open for me and I walked in. The place was dark, lit with only the lights from the city shining in through the large windows. I could see there was a large balcony outside the richly furnished living room. I wanted to explore his space, to see more of who Angelo was in the privacy of his home, but before I could he whirled me around so my back hit the wall of the hallway, and his mouth slammed down on mine.

  Pleasure exploded inside of me as Angelo drank down my gasp of surprise. His tongue plunged deep, and the taste of him made me want more. His touch was like fire, so hot it burned straight to my core.

  I felt his hard cock as he ground his pelvis against me. We fed off each other, our hunger apparent and growing by the second. When he pulled back, we were both panting. Angelo raised my chin with his finger. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re mine, Karen.”

  “I…” I hesitated. I was scared, somehow. No one had ever treated me like this before – so demanding, but so undeniable. I looked up at him, my lip trembling.

  “Tell me!”

  I felt myself melting into him, allowing his strong, muscular body to hold me up. I saw the hunger burning in his dark eyes, but I also saw the raw need. For me. And I couldn’t deny it, not anymore.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice cracking.

  “No. Say it. Say the words, Karen.”

  “I’m… yours.”

  His nostrils flared. Always in tune with him, I could sense his satisfaction as his mouth took mine again in a brutal kiss. I felt free admitting it to him, and to myself. Regardless of all the stuff I still had to figure out between us, in this moment I was completely his.

  Still holding me in his arms, Angelo turned and carried me down the hallway. His casual strength make my insides quiver and I wound my legs around his waist as his hands griped the globes of my ass.

  I broke free from his kiss and looked around to see we had entered his bedroom. In the dark I couldn’t make out much, but felt the bed against my back as he laid me down with his large body pressed against me.

  “Wait.”

  “Don’t tell me to stop now, cara mia. You said you were mine and I can’t wait to have you again.”

  I pressed my hand against his chest and felt it rise and fall as he sucked in air. It wasn’t as though I didn’t want him, but I was tired of him always taking control. And right now, there was something I needed to do first.

  I yanked hard on his hair so I could look him in the face. He snarled at the sharp pain of the tug and I used my tongue to trace his lips in apology. “If I’m yours then do you belong to me, too? Are you mine, Angelo?”

  He answered without a moment’s hesitation. “God, yes, cara mia. You have me,” he growled as he lowered his head to kiss me again.

  I heard the truth ringing in his words, but still pushed him back, stilling his movements. He let out a roar of frustration and got off me, stalking over to the nightstand. He switched on the light so I could see him glaring at me. I couldn’t help but appreciate the view as he stood over me, looking like a wild beast in the guise of a elegant man in a suit.

  I ached with the need to touch him, but I held my resolve. It was important for me that I didn’t let him control me tonight. If he did, I would be lost. I needed to prove to him that I was his equal. I needed to prove it to myself.

  Getting onto my knees, I reached around to lower the zipper on the back of my dress. I saw the lust flare in his dark eyes as he realized what I was doing and he began undressing as he watched me. When the zipper was down, I pulled the dress up and over my head and tossed it to the floor. I knelt on the bed, my naked body exposed to his gaze.

  “Fuck. You are so beautiful.”

  Angelo had removed his suit jacket, shirt and shoes. He leaned down and took my mouth in a searing kiss as his hands reach
ed up to cup my breasts. His mouth fused to mine, taking and giving pleasure in equal measure as he pinched my nipples, making them tight buds of pleasure. I reached out and unbuckled his pants, pushing them down his hips so they fell to the floor. He kicked them off and pushed me back slowly.

  I broke away again and shook my head. “Nope, not this time. This time is my turn.”

  Frustration had him growling, “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You always take me over, but this time I want to watch you lose control.”

  His eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at me. “I like to be the one in control, Karen.”

  “So do I,” I challenged back.

  I watched as his jaw clenched then he huffed out a breath and laid back on the center of the bed, resting his hands behind his head. He gave me a challenging look that stirred my competitive streak. Glancing around the room I appreciated the décor of his room. The room was done up in a slate blue color and dark wood furniture. I saw a tie thrown over a chair in the corner of the room. Crawling off the bed, I walked over to the chair and picked up the dark-blue tie, holding it up so he could see it.

  “Since you tied me up last time, I think it is your turn.”

  Anger darkened his eyes to midnight black. “Is this some sort of payback?”

  “Maybe, but I guarantee you, it will be very pleasurable for you.”

  I paused at the foot of the bed and waited for him to jerked his head in a nod as if giving me permission to take over. Crawling back on the bed, I straddled him, sitting down so my wet pussy rubbed over his engorged cock. I reached out and hooked the tie through the slats of the headrest of the bed, pulling his hands up and tying them over his head.

  Taking advantage of my position, he raised his head and his mouth latched onto one of my nipples, sucking hard. I moaned, allowing him to pleasure me for a moment then I pulled back. I looked down at him, and never wanted him more.

  There he was. Mine to take… to pleasure.

  “There, now. I’m just making sure you behave yourself while I play for a little.”