Novel-novel oleh Daisy May

After her failed escape plan, three days of sin with Luciano, and the humiliating encounter with Nico, Araceli had hoped today the rest of the day would bring her some semblance of peace but it didn’t. From the moment she left that living room, she felt like she was walking on pins and needles. Her body ached in places she didn’t want to think about, and her mind was still caught in the swirl of pain, guilt, and quiet panic. She tried to distract herself by spending more time than usual with Gianna, who always managed to lift her spirits, but even that felt… hollow. Her laugh came out wrong. Her responses felt stiff. None of her jokes hit.Because she knew that come night time there would be no escape. Luciano would come for her. And he had warned her, clearly, what would happen if she disobeyed.By afternoon, she was floating around the house like a ghost would, distant and silent. She found herself in the kitchen, wiping down already clean counters while Paula and Roberta chatted

Everyone likened him to the devil. But he had to have God-like self-control to restrain himself the way he had.Luciano clenched the steering wheel, jaw tight as the city blurred past the windows. The fact that he hadn’t fucked Araceli in that hotel suite still gnawed at him even as he drove them back to the estate. All three nights she’d been there, vulnerable and broken, and yet he hadn’t done it.It was really godlike restraint. Or something damn close. He had told her to sit in the back seat as if that would help anything. As though distance could cleanse his thoughts. Much to her delight, she’d obeyed.He noticed that she was off. Quieter and more fragile looking than usual. The unconsciousness still haunted him. He told himself it was just her sensitivity and that her body was too delicate for the intensity of what they’d done. He’d have to break her in more before anything real could happen.Still, the memory of her moans, the sight of her trembling body, stirred something viol

A couple hours later, Luciano was already halfway back to the hotel, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the open window frame. The wind dragged through his hair.His phone buzzed on the dash, Donenico was calling him. Releasing a frustrated sigh, he swiped to answer.“Did I not tell you about the dinner with the Hastings?” his father snapped, voice like gravel.Luciano’s smile curled lazily. “And did I not tell you I wasn’t going to attend?”“This is your last warning, Luciano.” There was a pause heavy with threat. “Take me seriously or there will be serious consequences.”Luciano sighed theatrically. “Oh no. I’m shaking already, Father. Please don’t threaten me like that—I’m driving. You could cause a serious accident.”A hissed breath on the other end. Domenico was seething. Luciano could practically see his face turning red, veins bulging, his perfectly round head resembling a flushed tomato.“Don’t forget to breathe, Father,” Luciano murmured with mock concern. “Anger’s n

Luciano stepped out of the shower, toweling his hair dry, the cool air of the suite prickling his skin. He glanced around the room. His jaw tightened when he noticed it was empty.There was a strange twist in his gut when her absence regained. It wasn’t anger or annoyance. Rather it was something sharper that bordered on panic. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.He scanned the space but found nothing disturbed, no broken windows, no open doors. Then his gaze landed on the second bathroom. The door was closed.He crossed the room in three strides, knocking hard once, twice. “Araceli.”There was no answer. He banged the door louder but still no response. He growled under his breath, something dark and unfamiliar crawling up his throat. “Open the door.”The silence mocked him and his patience snapped. With one powerful shove, he threw his weight into it. The door cracked, resisted, then gave in with a violent splinter of wood and hinges. It slammed against the wall with a hollow crash.He s

“Keep touching it,” Luciano said, voice low and strained, eyes burning into her.Araceli stared at it rigid. The thing between his legs stood upright across his abdomen, thick and flushed, like some strange, burning branch growing where no branch should. It reminded her of a large, veiny pepperoni, angry red, heavy-looking, throbbing with life.She swallowed, bile rising in her throat.“I said,” he repeated, dragging her gaze up to his face, “keep touching it.”Her hand hovered uncertainly in the space between them. She flinched as his fingers wrapped around hers, guiding her forward. She touched it lightly, then immediately pulled back with a startled yelp.“It’s hot,” she said, horror flickering in her voice. “I don’t know what to do.”Luciano’s jaw flexed. He looked down at himself, then back at her, groaning in irritation. “Just move your hand on it. It’s not complicated.”But Araceli was shaking her head now, lips trembling. “No. I—I don’t want to.”Silence thickened between them

The Golden Astoria. That was the name etched in gold against obsidian glass, the name talked about with reverence by the elite, the powerful, the untouchable. Celebrities, royals, oil barons, and politicians passed through its hallowed halls. But none more feared than Luciano Salvatore.Araceli had only heard of the hotel through gossip from Paula. But now, she was about to be dragged toward its gates.They would be staying in his private suite. The presidential suite, tailored for someone who ruled more than a country. And the moment he said it, every hair on her body had risen in alarm.Luciano had already stepped out of the car, his door slamming shut with finality, but she stayed frozen in place, her hand trembling on the handle. When she didn’t move, he opened her door himself, reached in, and dragged her out like she weighed nothing.“No,” she whispered, stumbling in her heels. “I’m not going anywhere with you—”He yanked her against him with force. Her front collided with his h