Library
Search
Home / Mafia / THE CHARADE / CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Share

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Author: Wren Gray
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-14 19:39:15

The door clicked shut behind me, and I slumped against it, the solid wood the only thing holding me up. The hurt was a sharp, physical pain, right beneath my ribs. It was stupid, it was irrational, but it was there. He had pushed me away, warned me off, and it felt like a door slamming in my face just as I’d gotten a glimpse of the warmth inside.

But the worst part was the other feeling, the one coiled tight beneath the hurt—a desperate, clawing need. It was so terrible, so powerful. I wanted him. I wanted to walk right back into his study and tell him everything. To feel his hands on my skin, not in anger, but in the way they used to be. He loved Ava. He loved me.The thought was a madness. Would he really hurt me if I told him the truth? Or would he…?

I cut the thought off, pushing away from the door with a frustrated groan. This was how I would get myself killed. By a longing so deep it felt like homesickness.

To quiet the noise in my head, I picked up a book from the nightstand, a
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

    A part of me was so grateful Dante came in, but I was also not ready for the commotion I knew was brewing up with his appearance."I said take those hands off now!" he commanded his eyes burning with anger I could tell what he was thinking of doing, he probably wanted to torture Nick right here and now. Oh god, this was just going to get worse, if Nick got a whiff of suspicion of how Dante was acting suspicious, he would dig deeper into it and if he knew I was involved with Dante years ago, he would tell my father and my father would try to use it against him. Hell no, I wasn’t going to let this happen.Nick's hand slowly retracted from my hand, I could tell he was afraid. Nick, the cold right hand man, was scared of Dante, it was expected after all he was the Mafia king, messing with him was like playing with your life."Now fuck off" he mouthed and immediately Nick shot me a glare and walked off, I was so excited at how Dante shattered his ego, but right now I was more worried on h

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY SIX

    AVA'S POVA sharp knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. It was Kyle, his voice brisk through the wood. “Sophia? Party tonight. The big annual thing. Dante’s orders—you’re to attend.”I opened the door, frowning. “A party?”“The usual ballroom spectacle. All the major players.” He handed me a large, black garment bag. “He had this sent for you. Said to get ready. He’s handling some business but will meet us there.” Kyle gave me a once-over. “Look, it’s important. We’re the inner circle. We have to look the part. So look… well, bangin’.” He winked before striding off.I laid the bag on my bed, the zipper sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet room. I pulled out the dress, and a soft gasp escaped me.It was red. A deep, bloody crimson. The fabric was heavy and luxurious, slipping through my fingers like water. It was sleeveless, with a high neckline that promised modesty in the front. But the back… the back was the masterpiece. A long, dramatic slit started at the nape of my neck

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

    DANTE'S POVFor two days, she’d been hiding, trying to coat her existence. Meals were taken in her room. If I entered the office, she’d find a reason to leave moments later, a file clutched to her chest like a shield. I’d see her vanish around a corner, the whisper of her movement the only proof she’d been there at all. She was running. And God, it was the most exciting game I’d ever played. She was ignoring me, after what happened the other night, she was running like always and I was chasing, and even heaven knows I loved a good chase.I found her in the library, pretending to be absorbed in a ledger. The afternoon light streamed through the window, catching in the strands of her blonde wig. My Ava is in there. Hiding from me.I didn’t announce myself. I just walked in, my footsteps silent on the rich rug. I came to a stop behind her, so close I could feel the warmth from her body. She stiffened, her pen freezing on the page.“Sophia,” I said, my voice calm, conversational.She flin

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

    The water was as hot as I could stand it, pounding down on my skin, but it wasn’t enough to wash away the feeling of him. My lips were still swollen, tingling from the brutal, perfect pressure of his kiss. I could still taste him—a faint hint of whiskey and something that was just Dante.What was I thinking?I leaned my forehead against the cool, wet tiles, letting the steam wrap around me. My heart was frantically beating against the cage of my ribs. My mind had been screaming stop! but my body… my heart… my desires… they had roared to life and taken over. And he…God, the way he kissed me back.It wasn’t gentle or questioning. It was the kiss of a man starved. Ravenous. Hungry. Absolutely famished. His arms had locked around me like iron, pulling me so close I could feel every hard line of his body. The low sound that rumbled in his chest was pure, undiluted need. It made my head spin. How many fantasies had he had? How many secret, lonely nights had he spent thinking about……about

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

    DANTE'S POVI sat there in the dark hall for a long time, just breathing. But every breath I took was filled with her. The ghost of her lips on mine, the feel of her hands in my hair, the tiny, broken sound she made in the back of her throat.It was driving me nuts.And it was all so… familiar. She tasted just like Ava. The way she yielded, the way she moaned, the way her body fit against mine—it was like stepping back in time. How could two different people feel so exactly the same? It was impossible. It didn’t make any sense.My mind kept circling back to the raw fear in her eyes right before she ran. Why was she so scared? Was she okay? The need to see her, to just be near her, was a physical pull, an ache deep in my chest. Maybe if I could just smell her scent, hear her voice, I could finally find some peace. I could sleep.Before I even fully decided to move, my feet were carrying me up the stairs. The house was dead silent. I stopped in front of her door, my heart pounding for a

  • THE CHARADE   CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

    The words hung in the air between us, a challenge and a plea all at once. “Tell me what you want."For a long, heart-stopping second, she just stared at me, her eyes wide and dark, filled with a storm of conflict. I could feel the fine tremor in her body where my hands still held her hips, could see the rapid flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat. The air was so thick with want I could barely breathe.Then, she broke.It wasn't a slow, hesitant thing. It was a sudden, desperate surge. Her hands came up, framing my face, and she crushed her lips against mine.A jolt, white-hot and absolute, shot straight through me. Every thought, every reason, every memory of why this was a bad idea evaporated in that single, explosive point of contact. My body responded before my mind could catch up. A low, rough sound tore from my throat as my arms locked around her, pulling her tighter against me, erasing any last bit of space between us.This wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a collision.Her l

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status