9

The heat radiating off him was overwhelming, threatening to completely dissolve the tiny bit of resolve she had left.

"Have you ever had an orgasm, Rosa?" he asked suddenly, his voice a low, rough rumble right against her ear.

The bluntness of the question sent a shockwave through her. Her cheeks flushed a violent crimson. Desperate to make him stop, to make him think she wasn't completely affected by his touch, she lied. "Yes," she said quickly, her voice tight as she stared fixedly at the soapy water. "Yes, I have. So you can leave me alone now—"

She was still talking, her lips still moving to finish the sentence, when Giovanni seized the opportunity.

He didn't give her a chance to retreat. In one swift, dominant movement, he gripped her chin, tilting her face up and capturing her mouth with his.

Rosa stiffened, her lips pressing tightly together in a desperate bid to shut him out. But Giovanni was entirely unyielding. Sensing her resistance, he slid his lips down, capturing her full lower lip between his teeth and sucking on it with a slow, agonizing pressure that sent a jolt of pure heat straight to her core.

The sensation was too much. Rosa let out a soft, helpless gasp—and the moment her lips parted, Giovanni took it.

He shoved his tongue inside her mouth, deep and possessive, claiming her sweetness with a fierce, demanding hunger. The kiss was heavy, dark, and utterly intoxicating, completely erasing any lingering thoughts of the dishes, the apartment, or the danger outside. He kissed her like he owned her, his thumbs anchoring her jaw as he drank her in, leaving her entirely breathless beneath him.

The sheer intensity of the kiss was robbing her of the oxygen in her lungs. The room was spinning, and her head felt completely light under his absolute dominance. Needing to breathe, Rosa managed to bring her hands up against his broad chest, gathering the last shred of her strength to push him away.

She broke the seal of their mouths, gasping for air, her lips swollen and flushed.

But Giovanni wasn't done yet. Not even close.

A dangerous, predatory flash flickered in his dark eyes at her resistance. Before she could even take a full breath, his large hands shot forward with lethal speed. He grabbed both of her wrists in a iron-clad grip, completely neutralizing her attempt to fight back.

With a single, effortless flex of his strength, he forced her hands up, pinning them flat against the kitchen wall high above her head. He stepped fully into her space again, his massive body completely eclipsing hers, trapping her securely between the hard plaster of the wall and the solid muscle of his chest.

He leaned in so close his nose brushed against hers, his gaze dropping to her trembling lips before locking onto her wide, frantic eyes. His breath was hot, his jaw locked in a terrifyingly possessive line.

"I didn't say you could stop," Giovanni rasped, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register that vibrated straight through her skin. He tightened his grip on her wrists just enough to remind her exactly who held all the power in this room. "I'm not done with you, Rosa."

Giovanni’s chest rose and fell in a slow, heavy rhythm against her shoulders, his fingers still locked tight around her wrists, anchoring them to the wall. The dominance in his eyes was absolute, tracking the ragged rise and fall of her chest.

"Let's try a little game, cara," he murmured, his deep voice vibrating right against her skin. "Who do you belong to?"

Rosa swallowed the lump of fear and heat in her throat, her jaw setting defiantly despite her racing heart. "No one," she breathed out, staring straight into his dark eyes.

A dangerous, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Giovanni’s mouth. "Wrong answer."

He didn't slacken his grip for a single second. He leaned in closer, his heavy frame pressing her entirely flat against the plaster until she could feel every hard muscle of his body. "I'll ask you one more time, Rosa. Who do you belong to?"

"I told you," she gasped, her voice trembling but stubborn. "No one. I belong to myself."

"Oh, I'll show you who," he growled.

Before the words could fully register in her brain, Giovanni tilted her head back. He didn't just kiss her throat this time—he sunk his sharp teeth straight into the sensitive mark of her neck, biting down with a fierce, possessive pressure.

A sharp, shocked gasp left her lips, and she tore her wrists free, preparing to let out a loud scream that would wake her mother. But Giovanni was ten steps ahead. In a flash, his large, heavy hand shot up and securely clamped over her mouth, muffling her cry into a breathless whimper against his palm.

He held her there for a long, agonizingly hot moment, his teeth marking her skin, claiming her in the dark kitchen. When he finally pulled back, he didn't release his hand from her mouth immediately. He just stared down at her blown-out, shivering pupils, watching the mark he had left on her neck turn a deep, fierce crimson.

"Now you know who you belong to," Giovanni rasped, his eyes dark with an unyielding, territorial hunger. He slowly lowered his hand from her lips, his thumb tracing the swollen line of her mouth one last time. "You're claimed, Rosa. Have a good night."

He stepped away so abruptly the sudden rush of cool kitchen air made her shiver.

Rosa slumped against the wall, her legs shaking so badly she had to grip the edge of the counter just to stay upright. Her fingers flew to her neck, tracing the stinging, burning mark of his teeth. Her heart was beating like a trapped bird.

By the time she managed to gather her senses and walk back into the bedroom, Giovanni had already slept.

He didn't even look toward the bed. Instead, his massive frame was already stretched out across her small, worn couch. He had tossed his suit jacket over the armrest, loosened his cuffs, and closed his eyes, completely shutting her out as if the explosive tension in the kitchen had never happened.

For the first time in years,he had a good and deep sleep.