Annalissa Hale I had woken up sore this morning. The kind that lingered in muscles I didn’t even know existed. My thighs ached, my wrists still burned from the cuffs, and there was a rawness between my legs that made me wince when I shifted under the sheets.I was wearing Dante’s shirt and it smelled like him. The fabric barely hid the marks scattered over my neck and collarbone, and I was too scared to look in the mirror because I knew what I would find there. His teeth. His hands. His claim.And now as I sit in at the dining table, waiting for him to come out of the kitchen, heat prickles in my cheeks as flashes of last night hit me: the way I begged, the way I screamed his name, the way I let him take me until I couldn’t think. Until I didn’t want to.God, what’s wrong with me?I press my palms into my eyes, but it doesn’t erase the memory of his voice growling in my ear. “You’re mine, principessa”. The worst part? A shiver runs through me even now.Shame pools heavy in my s
Dante RomanoNext morning…Annalissa is still asleep when I wake up.Her face is buried in my pillow and her hair is a golden mess tumbling over her shoulder. Her legs are tangled in the sheets. For a second, I just look at her. Her breath is soft. Her lashes are dark against her cheeks, and the pale skin of her neck and collarbone is littered with bruises and bites, my marks. A trail of them. Evidence of every time I lost control last night. She finally gave in to me. Finally begged. Finally came to terms that she’s fucking wants me. Enough for me to forgive her for pulling that stunt in Venice with Ornella.Fuck.A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth. It wasn’t just good, it was the best sex of my goddamn life. And trust me, I’ve had a lot of sex. But nothing like that. The combination of multiple orgasms led to an unexpected sub drop that had her feeling pretty loopy. I saw the signs immediately, the disorientation, the fatigue, the shaking. She needed some serious afterca
Annalissa Hale“Take it off,” Dante commands, eyes fixed on my dress. “Slow.”I obey, my mouth watering.I find the zip of my dress and pull it down. It slides down my body and I pull it off. Leaving me in only my panties. My breasts are bare in front of him, my nipples stone hard. I watch him undress too, his shirt, his pants and he’s now in only his boxer shorts. Showing his perfectly muscled body. He licks his lower lip and walks to the dresser. Then pulls out something. A cuff.I should be scared, but my whole body trembles in anticipation and I’m already dripping in my underwear. He grabs me, throws me down, climbs over me with a growl and cuffs one of my hands to the headboard.“God, you’re soaking for me already. You’ve always wanted my cock, didn’t you?” he rasps, a smile curling on his lips.My breath hitches, my thighs trembling. “N-no…”He slaps the inside of my thigh. Hard, cutting off my words. I cry out and fuck, it only makes me wetter as I clamp my thighs together
Annalissa HaleThe moment Dante’s hand clamps around mine, my heart slams against my ribcage. By the time he pulls me into his chest, I can barely breathe.He wasn’t supposed to be here. Why did he have to show up? Why does his touch immediately set my whole skin ablaze?My body knows him instantly. The heat of his palm on my back, the steady drag of his fingers against my hip. My knees wobble but I lock them tight. I refuse to crumble here, in front of him.We move slowly, swaying to the heavy rhythm of the orchestra. My pulse pounds louder than the music, louder than the chatter around us. His scent, his presence, drowns out everything else.“Your body’s trembling,” Dante murmurs against my ear. “Missed me that much?”I grit my teeth. “You’re the one who’s been avoiding me for days.”His grip tightens, almost bruising at my waist. His mouth dips close. “And you dare to fucking do the same?”I almost flinch at the venom in his tone. My lungs seize for a moment. He leans in clo
Dante RomanoThe man screams again, muffled against the rag stuffed in his mouth. His wrists are bound tight to the chair his body is already trembling from the blows I’ve landed. I don’t stop. My knuckles crack against his jaw once more, blood splattering across my hand, streaking my chin.“You thought leaking information about my cargo was a good idea?” I growl, my breath ragged. He gags against the cloth, his eyes rolling in pain. “You cost me money. You cost me time.”My fist slams into his gut. He jerks forward, gasping. I hit him again, harder this time, just to hear the sick crunch of bone under my hand.But I know I’m not just punishing him.This isn’t only about his betrayal.It’s also about her. Annalissa.Withdrawal was supposed to put her in her place, remind her who holds the strings. But somewhere along the line, the game flipped. Now she’s ignoring me. Pretending I don’t exist. Pretending my silence doesn’t rip her apart the way hers is tearing into me.I was in co
Annalissa HaleThanks to the preparation for the Maddox Global anniversary, I’m able to keep Dante out of my mind for the days following up to the night of the event. Tonight, I’m going to completely tune out any thoughts of him as usual and enjoy this event Ronan and I put so much effort into planning. Even though Dante’s company sponsored it, he won’t be in attendance. Which is a good thing. I don’t want anything to ruin this night for me. Not even him. I take in my reflection in the mirror one last time. The blue corseted gown stops mid thigh with a small slit by the side, showing off my long legs. But the corseted part is so tight it pushes up my boobs, making them look full and popped up in the dress.My hair is pulled into a slick bun and I only have red hot lip gloss on. I practice a few Clarissa lines for tonight, including the questionnaire Ronan gave me just in case reporters decide to ask me Clarissa related questions.Tonight has to go well. For Ronan’s sake.I take