“Need me to come back—?”
Vinn ended the call, cutting off Killian’s drawl.
Then I finally summoned the courage to lift my head.
Vinn stared at the phone like it was a diseased organ. His lips whitened. He slipped my cell into his pants, slamming his fist into the partition.
The car lurched forward.
Oh my God.
My pulse raced. “Vinn, it’s not what you think.”
“Shut up, Liana.”
I white-knuckled the armrest.
Vinn clenched his jaw the whole way home, no doubt imagining ridiculous scenarios with Killian. Once we reached his building, Vinn yanked me out of the car, guiding me by the wrist like an errant child. We left the elevator, and he shoved me inside the apartment.
“You think Anthony’s been on a fifteen-month vacation?” he screamed as he slammed the door. “They’ll do the same with you. They’ll auction you, sell you into slavery, and force you to fuck disgusting men. Is that what you want? Tell me. I’ll tie you up and show you what you’re in for.”
A dark thrill rippled through me.
“Vinn, calm down. You don’t even know why I was there.”
“Because I refused brunch with you,” he snarled.
“My God, Vinn. As if I’d be that petty.”
Words failed me as he flung my cell on the marble. The screen smashed. He stomped on the case until it resembled a hunk of shattered glass. Then he fished out the SIM card and crushed that, too.
“Hey!”
He stabbed the air with a finger. “From now on, I vet everyone in your life. I can’t trust you. You’re a liability.”
“I was just trying to help you!”
“Give me a break. You went behind my back and met with Killian.” He kicked aside the trashed phone and headed for his walk-in closet. He palmed a false wall, yanking a gun from the hiding space.
A sliver of panic darted through my heart.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
He packed a box of shells in his jacket, suiting up like he was invading Poland.
“Don’t do this.” I clutched his shirt, my eyes hot. “Don’t risk your life over a stupid misunderstanding.”
“That piece of shit knows exactly what he’s doing.”
He shoved a knife into his ankle strap and stormed at the door.
I stared at Vinn’s retreating back, my body consumed with fire. It was all I could do not to fall apart. I caught up to him and seized his arm.
“Vinn, stay.”
“He’s taking you from me.”
The force of his words crumbled a wall inside me.
“I belong to you, not him.”
A flicker of heat flashed through his ice.
I flew into his chest and grabbed his neck, the pressure on my lungs excruciating. I threaded my fingers through his hair. I buried my burning face in his shoulder and kissed him. I yanked at his dress shirt, desperate to prove my feelings. I’d have to give him a reason not to go—a piece of my pride to soothe his. I tugged until he yielded an inch. I pressed my mouth against his, sucking his lower lip.
His breathing quickened, but he didn’t reciprocate. Usually, Vinn didn’t hesitate to take control of me. He’d crush me in his embrace and rip off my clothes if I let him, but suddenly he refused to yield.
“Vinn, I only went there to help you. I’ve had a crush on you since I was four.”
“That’s touching.”
“It’s the truth!”
A dark smile carved into his cheek as he straightened, his imperial frame towering over mine. “You are such a liar.”
My spark of hope vanished.
“I’m not lying.”
“I caught you trying to leave.”
His palm lifted to my face and stroked me. He was like marble pressing into me, the coolness sinking into my chin. Normally, his touch warmed me like the sun, but cold shivered down my spine instead of excitement. I was wet for him because his attention was on me, but my desire was toxic.
Ill-fated.
I clenched my jaw to kill the shaking. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“Shut the hell up.”
“Why would I lie?”
He lowered, hissing into my ear. “Because you’re in love with another man.”
Shit.
It was my fault he believed that in the first place. I’d only provoked him out of a selfish need for vengeance. My stupid lie had gone way too far.
He cupped my face and leaned in, brushing his lips across mine. His whisper breezed my mouth.
“Stay. Here.”
“Vinny—”
His fingers tightened, catching my breath before it escaped. “Don’t call me that ever again.”
The pulsing knot inside me demanded me to argue.
How many times had I visited him in the hospital and rehab? I cared about him. How did he not know that in his marrow?
I had to prove it.
Witnessing him in this state twisted my guts. I’d jabbed a knife between his ribs, and he’d bleed to death if he went outside. If I let him go, there was a good chance he’d do something reckless. He would die like Daniel, who was ruled by his emotions. Daniel did whatever he felt like, and that attitude had gotten him killed.
A horrific image of Vinn in a coffin burned me like acid. Desperation clawed my throat as I dug into his back. I sank my nails into him, determined to stop him.
“Vinn, let’s talk.” I shoved myself in between him and the door. “Vinn, wait.”
“Out of the way.”
“Let me prove it!”
“What?”
I detached from the wall, sliding my arms around his waist. I tried to squeeze ten years’ worth of affection into his stiffening body.
It was a one-sided hug, but Vinn’s smoldering gaze didn’t make me feel unwanted. Something of the boy he was flashed through his ebony pools. I anchored my hands on his shoulders. My lips pressed into his cold cheek.
“You want to convince me?” he said gruffly.
“Yes.”
Vinn considered me, eyes slanting. “Kneel.”
“W-what?”
“Get on the fucking floor and kneel.”
His tone froze me like the ocean in winter.
“Vinny.”
“I’m not your Vinny.”
Eighteen
Liana
I kneeled.
Heat stole into my face as my legs struck the marble. I lowered my gaze, unable to stomach the cruel twist of his mouth. I didn’t want to degrade myself, but the alternative was letting him go.
I’d cried all the tears when my brother called a year ago with the horrible news that Vinn had been shot. I couldn’t swallow my sobbing fast enough to breathe. His shooting had detonated me. If he walked out the door, the same thing might happen.
He couldn’t leave.
His jacket and keys hit the tile. I was the third inanimate object he’d discarded. A dull ache pulsed in my skull as he curled a finger around my chin, the gesture unbearable in its tenderness.
“Good girl,” he praised. “Now beg me to fuck you.”
I looked up from the floor pinching my flesh, his slacks, over the bulge that jolted me with hope.
“W-what?”
“Beg me to fuck you.”
I fingered my throat, the burn from my cheeks spreading like a head-to-toe bath. Fantasizing about sex with Vinn wasn’t the same as committing to the act.
“You want me? Right now?”
He nodded, his expression marked with loathing.
I’d pictured my first time like a sweet montage in a romantic comedy, sparkling conversation over a dinner table and then stumbling to bed, not this intoxicating submission. Spirals of heat stroked my nipples as he clenched his fists. His jaw ticked with a savage tempo as his possessive gaze zeroed on me. He could’ve strangled me just as soon as fucked me.
“Beg me, or I’m gone.”
Panic gnawed at my con
fidence.
Then he stepped away, heading for the door.
“Take me. Fuck me.” I sucked in breath as he stopped, wreathed in darkness. “Do what you want with my body.”
His stare impaled me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Desperation swelled beneath my ribs, but the same sick longing seemed to grasp Vinn. He approached, sweeping his knuckles over my cheek.
“I’m not using a condom.”
A thrill of anticipation touched my nipples. “Vinn, I’m not on birth control.”
“Is that a no?”
“I-I won’t stop you.”
A war raged in his eyes. “You should.”
“You were going to keep me, but never fuck me?”
“I would’ve been nice. I’ve always held back around you.” His fingers knotted my hair. “You drive me crazy, Liana.”
He affected me, too.
My ragged breaths cut the air as he restrained me, so intoxicated by him that I wavered.
“Do anything you want.”
“You shouldn’t say that. You’re handing over power, giving me the tools to manipulate you.”
“You won’t do that.”
“Yes, I will.” Vinn tightened his hold, his chest pulsing. “Killian would eat you alive.”
“He doesn’t have my trust. You do.”
I turned, grazing my lips on his leg. I kissed him through the fabric. My hands smoothed over hard muscle before sweeping up his thigh. My fingers brushed his blazing-hot bulge. I closed my fist over him.
His cock jumped. As I stroked him, he released a low hiss. He anchored behind my head, shoving my face into his groin. He rubbed his stiff cock over my cheek, his body melting me through the cotton.
It should’ve been degrading, but it wasn’t.
“Liana, this is your last fucking chance.” He backed away, still gripping my hair. “Otherwise you will be wrecked, possessed, owned, and fucked.”
I had no other choice.
Even if my panties weren’t soaked, I would’ve let him take me. I’d rather be fucked within an inch of my life than put Vinn in harm’s way, so I signed on the dotted line.
I leaned forward. My lips teased his length, tracing his mushroom-shaped head.
His eyelids flickered, and he smirked. “Get up. Kiss me like you kissed Vincent.”
I shot upright and stumbled toward him. I took his waist, leaning into him. My clumsy kiss landed on his chin before Vinn stooped, allowing me to crush his rigid lips. They parted with a breeze of heat.
“That’s it? No wonder you’re not together.”
I seized his dress shirt and slammed my mouth into his. My tongue slashed into him, his mint taste flashing an image of the beach. I pretended we rolled on the sand while waves lapped our feet. I saw him in the military haircut, wearing the uniform. In my dreams, it wasn’t a scandal to kiss him.
He ravished me. He sucked on my lower lip, stifling my moans with his consuming kisses. I raked his hair, hissing when we bumped into a wall. He marked my neck with tiny stings. He nipped down, stopping just before my breast. His touch sailed up my thigh and grabbed my ass, kneading me. We tore at each other until he kicked open a door.
Vinn dragged me into his bedroom. He pushed me into a chair, his face still glued to mine. He cradled my cheek, which shouldn’t have lit my being on fire. He used to pinch my jaw and smile. It made me feel special, but he kept doing it, and when I got older, the burn spread to naughty places.
“That’s better,” he whispered, kissing me softly. “Much better.”
I licked my mouth. “What will you do to me?”
His breath cut my skin as I stared into a remorseless gaze. “You won’t move. No matter what I do, your legs stay open.”
I nodded, my breathing shallow.
Suddenly, he left the cradle of my arms. His shirt collar revealed the deep red flushing his chest.
I ached to drag him close and explore his body. It took everything I had not to fall into his embrace.
His rough fingers rolled up my sleeves. He leaned on the chair, and then his lips touched mine, soft and gentle. His tongue slid under my pout and sucked. The heat lashed me with bliss. A glow throbbed in my pussy as he played with me, the pull at my navel so strong I cupped his face.
“No touching.”
My hands flew to the chair, and my legs clenched. The darkness in his tone affected me.
“Why am I sitting?”
“I’m asking the questions. They’ll be very personal.” His silky voice carried a challenge. “Refuse to answer or lie, and I’ll whip your ass.”
I nodded.
His smile flickered. “What’s your name?”
“L-Liana.”
“How old are you?”
I gaped at Vinn. “You know that.”
“I will start fucking your mouth unless it’s a response to my question.”
That titillating image blasted my thighs with steam.
He tapped me. “How old?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“Boston,” I said, bewildered.
Vinn disappeared as he stepped around, sweeping the hair from my shoulders. He tickled my neck.
“Where do you go to school?”
I arched into his touch before remembering the order—Don’t move. I stilled, gripping the arms. “B-Bourton University.”
Vinn sank into the chair beside mine, sleeves rolled up his tattooed biceps. “Do you meet a lot of guys at college?”
“Uh—sure.”
“Tell me about your boyfriends.”
I wetted my lips. “Boyfriends?”
“How many have you had?”
My palms slipped. “I—what?”
He nipped the shell of my ear. “How many boyfriends?”
“None.”
His tone darkened. “The truth, Liana. Now.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship.”
My half-hearted attempts to move on always ended in disaster. I’d never stopped loving him—even my hate was coated in so much love.
His brows flickered as he digested that. He blinked, losing his thread a little. “How many men have you been with?”
He slowly ripped open my blouse. Buttons snapped as they popped off, tickling my stomach. His raking gaze stroked my body as he pulled the shirt off my curves. His finger slid along my bra, making my breath hitch.
“I want their names, Liana.”
“Let-let me think.” I’d fumbled with a few in high school and college, but none had progressed very far. “There-there was Ben. James and Dennis. Then y-you.”
“Three boys and me. That’s it?”
“Yes.” I licked my lips. “Yes, I think so.”
“Do you think or know?” Vinn trailed his grip up my arm.
My heart seized. “I definitely know.”
“Good. Tell me about the first boy.”
“He went to a different school. We met through friends, and he took me to the movies.”
“You fucked him?”
If Michael ever caught him talking like this, he’d slit his best friend’s throat without hesitation.
I flinched. “No, I didn’t. It-it was innocent. We made out in the movie theater.”
“Did he touch your tits?”
I nodded, burning at the memory.
A smile staggered across Vinn’s face. “Did he go under your bra?”
“Sometimes, but I usually—” I stopped as he cupped me through the fabric, his thumbs stroking where my nipples ached. “Oh.”
“You usually what?”
Vinn’s voice softened, but it didn’t disguise his intentions. He drew circles, torturing me through the thick cups. Heat tingled my nipples as they stiffened into points. I bit my lip against the inferno claiming my pussy.
“Liana, if I have to ask again—”
“I’d push him off me. Back then, I didn’t like doing it in a public place.”
&nbs
p; Vinn snorted. Then he eased the bra over my breasts.
I shuddered, releasing a low hiss. Arousal pooled between my thighs as Vinn followed the band, loosening the straps. His stare dipped to my cleavage, and when it swung to my eyes, he twisted the clasp.
The bra tumbled to my belly.
His warm hand swallowed my breast. He rolled my nipple. My blood surged at the teasing intimacy. My teeth ground together as he tweezed me, the gentle friction shooting sparks. My breathing labored as he gave the same attention to my other breast.
God, he was amazing.
But why was he doing this?
Vinn offered me no answers as he kneaded me, his gaze snapping to my face as though to gauge my response. He gathered both nipples. Then he pinched.
I gasped.
“What else did you do with him?” he demanded. “Did his mouth touch your tits?”
I couldn’t say a word. His skillful hands had robbed me of breath.
He squeezed harder.
The unexpected bolt of pleasure made me gasp. “N-no.”
“Never fucked you with his fingers?”
My cheeks heated. “Vinny.”
“I’m not your Vinny.” He leaned forward, his words tickling my skin. “Answer me.”
“No—oh, God.”
His mouth smothered my nipple. He suckled me, tantalizing the buds that’d already swollen to their fullest. Wet heat lashed the hardened point, and a spurt of desire spiraled within me, centering on Vinn’s flicking tongue. My whole being flooded with lust. A moan slipped from my lips, and I buried my hands in his hair.
“Oh, I want more. Vinn.”
He bit me.
I yelped and returned to the chair.
He tore away, leaving me with a red mark and a throbbing ache. “Tell me about the other guys.”
I sucked in harshly and tried not to rub my thighs together.
“I met Dennis in Anthro 101. I—um—I blew him a few times.”
“Did he finish in your mouth?”
I nodded, too mortified to speak.
“Did he get you off?”
“No,” I whispered
“He didn’t even get you off?”
My face boiled at his warm laugh. “I didn’t want a boyfriend. I just wanted—”
“To suck dick without anything in return?”
“It was consensual, and I liked it. He’d text me. I’d meet him on campus. We’d find a spot where I could do it. It only lasted a few weeks, but it was hot as hell. I don’t regret it.”
Faked: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 14