All Chapters of Velvet Chains: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Sera rested against the side of the enormous bed, looking at the velvet cuffs dangling from the headboard.Her wrists still burned from where Valerio had bound them to his tie in the elevator.Her thighs still ached from the rejection he'd teased her with sadistically.And here she was.His captive.Again.Shrouded in silk sheets, choking on the scent of him.She hated him.She hated herself more for how much her body hurt for him anyway.---The door creaked open with a resounding *thud.*Valerio stepped in, shedding his black suit jacket, rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt.The tattoos on his forearms rippled with every movement, wicked and dark.Sera winced involuntarily.He saw it.Of course he did.And he smiled — that slow, ruinous smile that made her thighs clench against her will."Relaxed, *angel?*"he asked, voice heavy with sarcasm.She said nothing.Just glared.Valerio chuckled, low and menacing."You'll learn, little dancer.""You'll learn to answer when I s

Sera woke up wrapped in cool silk sheets, the scent of leather and spice on her skin — *him*.Her body ached so beautifully.Between her legs.In her wrists and ankles where the ropes had been.In every trembling inch of her that he had used, touched, spoiled.She moved a bit, wincing at the pain.And she remembered.The blindfold.The ice.The way he had drawn pleasure from her until she was weeping and begging shamelessly.Heat surged up her neck.God, what was wrong with her?She had barely time to think before she heard him — *Valerio's* slow, deliberate step coming across the floor.---She stiffened, attempting instinctively to pull the sheet up to cover herself, but before she could, he was there.Leaning over her.A dangerous, predatory shadow."Don’t hide from me," he said, voice low and rough.His hand ripped the sheet away.Sera gasped as her nakedness was bared again.But it wasn't just the exposure that made her tremble.It was the *look* in his eyes.Like he was a starvi

The tension between them buzzed like a live wire.Sera was limp in Valerio's arms, wrists loose, body shattered from the constant teasing.Still shaking, still wet, still starving for something he alone could give.Valerio's eyes seared hers.No teasing grin now.No holdback.Just hunger.Raw.Brutal.Possessive.He took her to the bed, cradled in his chest as if she didn't weigh anything.Laid her out with respect that made her heart stumble.And then finally—*finally*—pulled off the remaining shreds of his own clothes.---Sera's gasp arrested.She had seen him previously — half-dressed, bare chested, virile — but this?This was something different.Uncontrolled.Merciless.Each inch of his was chiseled from stern muscle and malice.Ink stretched his arms and ribs, black and cruel on olive skin.But it was the heavy, angry cock jutting between his legs that made her whimper.He was huge.Thick.Veined.Throbbing.And aimed directly at her, like a weapon he intended to use to destroy

The restaurant was too beautiful.Too elegant.Icy white tablecloths, glittering chandeliers, muted hum of people conversing around them.Sera felt like she didn't belong.She sat stiffly in the plush chair, heart pounding, every nerve laid bare and screaming.Opposite her, Valerio leaned back, looking completely comfortable.Dark suit.Open collar.A monster hiding behind a human's skin.---Everyone was staring at them.She could feel it.The men who couldn't help but stare at Valerio's deadly beauty.The women who threw her curious, assessing glances — trying to figure out who the girl with the collar was.Because yes.She still wore it.The black leather around her neck, a glinting silver ring reflecting the restaurant's warm lights.A brand.A leash.And she hadn't even tried to take it off.---"You're tight, *angel,*" Valerio said lazily, drumming at his wineglass with one hard-fingered hand."Why?"Sera flushed."I. I'm not accustomed to settings like this."He smiled, slow an

Sera stood hard against the suite's back wall, arms crossed in defense over her naked body.Her body still trembled from the brutal orgasm he had coaxed out of her, but now—now fear ran through her veins.She couldn't go on like this.Couldn't go on *allowing* him to break her down.She wasn't one of his little obedient pets.She wasn't one of his breakables.The thud of his heavy footsteps on the floor cut through her whirling thoughts.Slow. Measured. Deadly.He approached her like an animal who already knew he had caught his prey.Because he had.And they both knew it.---"I can see it in your eyes," Valerio stated, voice low and merciless. "You're going to run."Sera lifted her chin in defiance she didn't feel."I'm not yours."Her voice shook, betraying her."I'm not some. *toy* you can control."---For a very long moment, he didn't speak.Just stood there.Watching.Letting the silence grow taut between them until it hummed like a live wire.Then—"You're right," he said final