Pretty Hostage

by Julia Sykes

  Luckily for their sakes, no one was eyeing her with hunger.

  No one except me, and I was fucking ravenous for her.

  Mercifully, Professor Lassiter announced an end to the warm-up exercises. Just in time, because my jeans were getting uncomfortably tight around my cock.

  “Sofia,” he addressed her, beckoning her into the center of the semicircle. “Let’s start with you today, since your friend is here.”

  For the first time since class had started, she made eye contact with me. Her features illuminated with a radiant smile that was so bright it made something burn in the center of my chest.

  She gave me a little wave, even though I was only a few yards away from her. I nodded back at her, the muscles in my face stretching weirdly. It took me a second to realize that I was grinning like a fool.

  I tried to school my features to something more serious and intimidating. There might not be any immediate threats lurking around this room, but I’d accompanied Sofia to campus in order to protect her.

  No silly smiles for me.

  “What are you going to sing for us?” Professor Lassiter asked her.

  I was only peripherally aware of his presence by Sofia’s side. Her stunning emerald eyes captured and held my full attention.

  “Ave Maria,” she replied to her professor. She didn’t take her gaze off me.

  “Okay, let’s hear you go through it once, and then, we’ll address how you can improve your technique on the second time around.”

  She nodded to acknowledge his instructions, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Her smile softened, her features taking on a peaceful, beatific glow.

  Then, her lush lips parted, and the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard issued from her delicate body.

  I forgot how to breathe, stunned by the pure, powerful notes that reverberated through the room. They sank beneath my skin and reached a dark place deep inside me. Heavy, honeyed warmth settled in my chest, filling me up and soothing tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying.

  The sound was too ethereal to be real. I couldn’t understand the language of the lyrics, but the profound sense of peace that blanketed my being couldn’t have been attained through any words I knew.

  The notes that had started with exquisite power flowed into a pitch so achingly delicate that I wasn’t certain if it was even audible sound or simply the sensation of floating.

  I filled my lungs, as though I could breathe in the resonance of Sofia’s soul along with oxygen. She felt just as essential, just as life-sustaining.

  Something burned behind my eyes as a lifetime of volatile emotions were soothed by her angelic voice.

  The sound softened, becoming quieter and trailing away. I leaned toward her as it receded, attempting to follow the warm peace she provided. I wanted to hold it close and wrap myself up in it, so I would never lose it.

  Her perfect lips closed, but I could still feel her song in the room, gently rolling back to her like a tide flowing out to sea.

  Her lashes fluttered, and her lovely eyes opened to peek up at me. The uncertainty that tightened her features for a fleeting moment melted back into the radiant smile that was bright enough to blind me.

  My jaw was hanging open, but I didn’t feel any shame at the unadulterated awe I displayed. I craved to close the distance between us and run my hands all over her divine form to remind myself that she was real. To remind myself that she was mine.

  The possessiveness that had gripped my heart before I’d heard her sing now consumed me. Sofia belonged to me, my captive angel.

  “That was great, Sofia,” Professor Lassiter said.

  She broke her attention away from me to focus on her teacher, absorbing his praise.

  Somehow, I forced my body to lean back into the chair, restraining myself from going to her.

  I couldn’t punch her professor’s teeth out and carry her off like my personal prize, my most jealously-guarded treasure.

  This is important to her, I told myself. Don’t fuck it up.

  Sofia wouldn’t thank me if I ruined her academic reputation by brutalizing a faculty member.

  “Let’s go through it again,” Professor Lassiter prompted. “This time, I’m going to call your attention to what we’ve been practicing with the Alexander Technique. You’ll notice a remarkable improvement.”

  Improvement? How the fuck did the fool think she could improve upon absolute perfection? The notion that his idiotic posture exercises would somehow affect her astounding capabilities was absurd and offensive in its arrogance.

  Sofia didn’t seem offended, though. She appeared focused, determined.

  I gritted my teeth and stayed seated. Sofia obviously valued her academic achievements. Even if I knew her professor was full of shit, she still wanted to excel in her program.

  She took a breath and began to sing, the ethereal sound filling the room once again.

  Before I could relax and fall back under her spell, Professor Lassiter placed his hand between her shoulder blades.

  “Let your torso soften and widen.” He spouted his nonsense over her perfect song. “Let the air come all the way down to the base of the lungs.”

  The fucker bracketed her waist with his hands, feeling her breaths as she created divine sound.

  I tasted blood in my mouth, but I was too concerned with clinging to my tenuous control to register that I’d bitten the inside of my cheek.

  “Loosen your spine,” he instructed. “Don’t occlude your voice box. Let your neck move freely.”

  His hands left her waist, only to move farther up her body. One wrapped around her nape, the other cradling her jaw to gently tilt her head back.

  “That’s good, Sofia,” he praised warmly as she continued to sing. “Good girl.”

  Something snapped inside me. My world washed red, obliterating all rational thoughts.

  My body swelled with possessive rage, and the space disappeared between us in five long strides.

  Fortunately for Professor Lassiter, he clocked my sudden movement as soon as I started stalking toward him. He took several steps back from Sofia, holding up his hands in an instinctive show of surrender.

  Her song ended abruptly, and her small hand touched my heaving chest. The gentle warmth instantly redirected my full focus to her.

  Sofia’s stunning eyes were clouded with confusion, her brow furrowed.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, the barest tremor of fear making her words catch.

  For half a heartbeat, I worried that she was afraid of me. But her fingers curved into my shirt, looking to me for reassurance.

  She thought I knew about some danger she couldn’t see.

  I was the only dangerous thing in the vicinity, and it was safest for everyone if I took Sofia away with me right fucking now.

  “We’re leaving,” I announced, my voice booming through the room in warning to everyone, even though I didn’t take my eyes off Sofia’s lovely face.

  “Why?” she asked, questioning me out of worry rather than contradiction.

  “It’s an emergency,” I told her roughly, my statement ringing with truth.

  Professor Lassiter was in imminent danger if I took my eyes off Sofia for even a second. I knew it wasn’t rational, but all the volatility within me that had been soothed by her song surged once again in its absence.

  I hadn’t properly established my claim over Sofia yet, and I couldn’t leave her around other men for a minute longer without rectifying that. I knew she belonged to me, but I’d been allowing her time to come around and accept that fact on her own.

  What little patience I’d possessed before was in tatters. I was taking her home with me, and we were going to settle this once and for all.

  It was past time for Sofia to promise that she was mine and mine alone.

  Chapter 14

  Sofia

  Mateo’s huge arm encircled my body, tucking me close to his side. The rush of relief at being sheltered in his protective ho
ld was tainted by fear. I’d ached for his reassuring touch all day, but he offered it now because there was a threat lurking somewhere that I couldn’t see.

  I allowed him to hustle me out of the classroom, taking two quick strides for each of his.

  “What’s going on?” I asked once we exited the lecture hall and stepped outside.

  “I’m taking you home,” he announced, the grim note in his voice making me tremble.

  He must have felt the fine tremor against his body, because his arm curved around me more tightly. The feel of his massive muscles surrounding me eased some of my fear. Mateo was solid and stronger than I could fathom. I knew he wouldn’t let anyone get to me.

  “You’re safe with me, Sofia,” he swore, his tone softening only slightly.

  He was still on high alert, his body swelling with unspent aggression.

  We crossed campus quickly, reaching his shiny red Porsche in less than half the time it had taken us to walk to class.

  “Please,” I entreated when we were both in the car. “Tell me what’s happening.”

  His muscles bulged and flexed, and his obsidian eyes remained laser focused on the road as he started the drive back to his house.

  “We’ll talk about it once I get you home,” he promised tightly. “We need privacy. And we’re not doing this in a fucking car.” He muttered the last, and I wasn’t certain if it was meant for me to hear.

  We drove in tense silence, and Mateo handled the Porsche with far less finesse than he had this morning. It growled and rumbled beneath us as he accelerated more quickly with each gear shift. He didn’t smash the speed limit so blatantly that we attracted the attention of the cops, but it was an angry, aggressive ride.

  When we pulled up to the house, he’d barely switched off the ignition before he rushed around the car to open my door. I fumbled at the seatbelt, my hands shaking. I knew Mateo would keep me safe, but whatever perceived threat that had set him off clearly hadn’t abated.

  He didn’t allow me to waste any extra time struggling to free myself from the belt. He simply reached over my body and unbuckled it himself with no compunction about physical contact.

  There was no respectful hesitation or caution in the way he handled me. He simply hooked his corded arms beneath my body and jerked me to his chest, carrying me into the house with brisk urgency.

  “Are we in some sort of danger?” I dared to ask, thoroughly intimidated by his demeanor.

  He shifted his hold on me, and my feet touched the ground. In the same sudden movement, he pushed the front door closed by pressing my back against the wood. His muscular form pinned me in place, and I could feel his racing heart thrumming where his torso pushed into my chest.

  “No, florecita,” he assured me, his voice rough and deep.

  He trailed his fingers along the line of my jaw, his feather-light touch in shocking contrast to his overpowering weight against me.

  “You’re not in any danger.” His dark eyes flashed, his mouth twisting in a scowl. “But everyone else is.”

  My stomach did a funny flip, unease stirring. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean…” He said the words slowly, his free hand sliding behind my neck to grip my nape. The fingers that had touched my face so tenderly shifted lower. His big palm cradled my jaw, tipping my head back and exposing my throat.

  “No one touches you but me,” he finished, the furious tension easing from his muscles.

  “Wait, are you upset about what happened in class?” I asked breathlessly, completely thrown by this sudden change in Mateo’s behavior. “That was just part of learning the proper posture. Professor Lassiter didn’t—”

  His palm settled at the front of my throat, both of his massive hands encircling my neck. He didn’t apply any pressure, but the assertion of dominance was clear.

  “You’re my good girl,” he growled, his onyx eyes glinting. “Mine.”

  Despite his aggressive behavior, my heart leapt. “You still want me?” I asked, my voice small, hopeful.

  “Of course I want you,” he snarled, white teeth flashing. He pressed his hips more tightly against me, making sure I could feel his thick erection pressing into my belly.

  “But I thought…” I took a breath and tried to raise my voice above a whisper. “You wouldn’t touch me this morning. I thought you’d changed your mind.”

  He bit out a curse, grinding his hard cock against me. “That was a stupid fucking mistake, and I won’t repeat it ever again. I should know better by now.”

  His bulk moved away from me for a split second, just long enough for him to grasp my waist and lift me over his shoulder.

  “What are you doing?” I gasped, even as my body pulsed with excitement. My nipples pebbled to needy buds, and liquid heat gathered between my legs. I now recognized the scent of my own arousal, but I wasn’t embarrassed at the prospect that he would be able to tell that I was turned on by his possessive actions.

  “I’m going to show you just how fucking much I want you,” he ground out, his hand cupping my ass and kneading my flesh, as though he had every right to handle my body however he pleased.

  I shivered and sighed, relaxing into his hold as warmth flooded my being. Most of the heat was a sign of my arousal, but some of the glowing energy filling my chest was the result of sweet relief that he wasn’t disgusted by me.

  He carried me down the hall, passing the guest room where I’d been staying ever since he took me hostage. Instead, we entered what I assumed was his room. The stark black tones of the décor against white walls were harshly masculine, the style minimalist and devoid of any whimsical embellishments.

  The world blurred around me, and my back was suddenly cushioned by his mattress. I scarcely had time to draw breath before he was on me, his huge body covering mine. My arms lifted, eager to embrace him and hold him close.

  He ensnared my wrists, shackling them with one massive hand and pinning them above my head. His other hand found my throat again, pressing his thumb beneath my jaw to tip my head back.

  He paused to stare down at me, his rugged features rendered harsh by hunger.

  “Do you know how many times I’ve thought about having you like this?” The words were gravelly, his dark eyes burning. “Trapped beneath me, trembling and wet for me. Completely at my mercy.”

  “You think about me?” I asked with wonder. I’d pined for Mateo for five years, but I hadn’t thought he was interested in me. Things had become passionate between us since he’d kidnapped me, but I’d never dared to imagine that he’d longed for me, too.

  “I think about you all the fucking time,” he swore just before his mouth crashed down on mine.

  Mateo’s kiss was ruthless. His lips conquered and claimed, shaping against my own with enough force to leave them swollen and bruised. His iron hold on my wrists and jaw kept me locked in place for his assault.

  I stiffened for a moment, shocked and overwhelmed by his sudden aggression. I’d come to expect an unyielding but tender touch from Mateo.

  Now, he didn’t coax or encourage me to kiss him back. His teeth sank into my lower lip, drawing a gasp from my chest. His tongue surged into my open mouth, blocking my breath.

  I writhed beneath him, struggling for air. But he didn’t relent. He held me firm, keeping me trapped right where he wanted me and demanding my surrender on his terms.

  Heat licked through my veins, pooling low in my belly. My labia pulsed, and my sex contracted, craving to be filled. My writhing shifted to wanton undulations as I rocked my hips against his thigh and rubbed my breasts into his hard chest.

  I opened for him, welcoming him to take more. My head began to spin from lack of oxygen, but I craved his scorching kiss more desperately than I wanted air.

  When I started to go weak beneath him, he pulled back just enough so I could draw breath. The fresh hit of oxygen sent me soaring, and I was weightless in his harsh hold. I stared up into his obsidian eyes, utterly entranced.

  His thumb rubbed my s
wollen lips, making my sensitized nerve endings tingle and dance.

  Unthinking, I rotated my hips against his thigh, seeking to stimulate my aching clit. He let more of his weight press down on me, wedging his leg between mine and forcing me to spread wide.

  A needy whimper eased up my throat, and I continued to try to rub against him, my body squirming helplessly beneath his vastly superior mass.

  His lips twisted in a wicked grin, his eyes glinting with cruel pleasure.

  “You want more, belleza?” he asked, the question dripping with arrogant satisfaction.

  “Please,” I whispered, struggling for more friction against my sex.

  He made a low humming sound that resonated deep in my body, and his head dipped toward mine. I offered my lips for another mind-numbing kiss, but his beard skimmed over my cheek as he leaned in to murmur dark words at my ear.

  “I like when you beg, dulzura.” His teeth nipped at my lobe, tugging before his tongue flicked over the abused area.

  My breath stuttered, a little broken sound catching in my chest.

  “Good girls ask nicely for what they want.” He pressed a soft kiss beneath my ear. “And you’re my good girl, aren’t you, Sofia?”

  “Yes,” I whined.

  “Tell me.” The dark command rolled into my mind, compelling my truthful response.

  “I’m your good girl,” I promised, ragged and desperate.

  “That’s right.” He nuzzled my neck, the tender contact belying his restraining hold on my body. “I think you’ve earned a reward,” he murmured, his deep voice rumbling over my sensitized skin.

  Keeping my wrists pinned with one hand, his other skimmed down my side, tracing the shape of my curves before caressing my thigh. His fingers found the hem of my dress, teasing beneath it.

  My clit pulsed madly in anticipation, but fear tore through my lust.

  “Wait,” I gasped, trying to move away from his touch. He was inches away from touching my scars, from feeling the marks of my shame. I wasn’t ready to lose his affection again. He’d managed to overcome the unsightliness of one scar, but he didn’t know the extent of the damage.