For Angelo (Full-Length Standalone Italian Billionaire Romance) (23 page)

While the women made their advances, Angelo’s mocking gaze would occasionally find Lane’s through the camera—

Never take your eyes off me.

And slowly, it became clear to Lane, this pain that made her heart hurt in a terribly exquisite way—
 

Her body reacted to the knowledge, her breasts swelling under the wired cups of her dress and aching for his touch.

Oh, how so clear it was, and this time she welcomed the pain.

Pain that had wetness gushing out of her like she would never stop wanting him until he came.

Pain so tortuously sweet because now Lane knew this was what being a masochist was all about.

She looked at Angelo, and it was like seeing him in a brand new light, and she wanted to laugh and cry at the twisted beauty of it.

He never had a plan to take any of the women up on their offers.

Never.

Not any of them.

All of this was Angelo’s sadistic way of giving her pleasure.
 

To taunt her, to hurt her, to make her want to cry, but most of all, because he knew she was what she was—

A masochist.

He did it to make her wet.

He did it to make her want him.

He did it to make her
happy
.

She reached for her phone.

When he answered, he said with a sigh, “It took you long enough to figure things out,
tesoro
.”

She quickly covered her mouth to keep her laughter from escaping.

“I’ve been bored out of my mind flirting with all those women.”

Oh.

 
“Say something,” he suddenly gritted out, and Lane realized too late that he had misinterpreted her silence. “You’re calling me because you
understand
, si?” His voice hardened. “Because if you are calling me to say you’re leaving, we must talk and—”

“No.”

She saw Angelo whiten on the screen.

She swallowed. “I’m calling to ask how long before you can make good on your promise—”

“Hold that thought.” Angelo cut the call.

Right.

Lane put the phone back on the table and swiveled her seat to face the door, heart thumping hard against her chest. She took deep breaths, but it didn’t help at all. She placed her hands on her thighs, which were still trembling and aching. She was so, so wet. And she wanted him—

Lane heard the door clicking as someone unlocked it from the other side.

Oh.

My.
 

Gosh.

And then he was there, her fallen angel, Angelo.

The doorway framing him like he was a sculpture made real, Angelo stood still, the corner of his lips turning up at the way she stared dazedly at him.

Did I just blow you away,
his smirk seemed to ask, and of course all she could do was mentally nod.
Yes, you totally did.

“Hello, tesoro.”
 

“H-he-yo.” She couldn’t quite make up her mind if she wanted to say hey or hello, and Lane felt her cheeks heating up when the words ended up jumbled. The corner of Angelo’s lips turned up, and Lane turned even redder.

She watched Angelo quietly close the door behind him, and her heart thumped harder. Having him so close turned her into an aching, bumbling mess, and as she nervously wiped her clammy hands on her thighs, she heard him say in an amused voice, “You can close your legs now, my Lane.”
 

Oh my gosh, she had totally forgotten about her position!

She quickly drew her legs closed, drowning in embarrassment. God, how she must have looked, with her legs still wide open like she was just—

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh—

And then suddenly, he was there, pulling her up. She instinctively tried to resist, but it was futile, his strength overpowering her.

And we both know you like it that way,
a sly voice whispered in her head.

When she was on her feet, Angelo bent down, whispering to her ear, “You went beyond my expectations.”

Aaah.
Her toes curled hard at the approval in her voice, and she had the silliest urge to rub her head against his chest like a puppy wanting its master’s affection.

His hand drifted down her back, and she stiffened. It was the softest touch, but oh, how it excited her, and she could barely keep her whimper to herself as his hand settled on the small of her back. Slowly, carefully, like she was as fragile as porcelain, he pulled her close to him, closer and closer until her breasts were pressed against his chest—

Oh.

Her nipples pebbled against her dress, and she heard Angelo draw his breath at the contact.

“Just one question,
tesoro,
” he whispered, “before I take you to my bedroom to fuck.”

Eeeeeeh. She squeezed her eyes shut. Did he seriously expect her mind to function when he kept saying the sexiest things? “What kind of question?” she asked nervously. “Because I’m not that good at science and math—”

His chuckle tickled her ear. “Nothing that complicated. I do want to fuck you, you know.”

Her toes curled harder.

“It’s simple, really.”

Thank God.

“Who is Ray?”

Chapter Fourteen

Anyone could have heard the penny dropping at the strangely tense silence that followed Angelo’s question. Disappointment seared Angelo at the time it took Lane to answer, and his hand slowly dropped from her back.
 

He stepped away from her, and a muscle started ticking in his jaw when he saw her stunned expression. If she was going to pretend she didn’t know any Ray, he might just kill her. That or fuck the memory out of her, and then fuck her some more to make her forget any other man existed.

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

Lane almost jumped back when she saw the fury that flashed in Angelo’s eyes.
What was wrong?
 

“Well?”

“I’m sorry,” she stammered, his cold tone making her even more nervous, and the worse thing was, she didn’t even know what she had to be nervous about. She asked slowly, “Are you talking a-about my Ray—”

“What did you say?”

This time, Lane did jump back. His dangerously soft tone made such a frightening sound she wished he had shouted instead. Swallowing, she shook her head, unsure of what he wanted to hear—

“Did you say
your Ray?
” Angelo wanted to rip someone’s head off. He had once been dismissive of crimes of passion, thinking that anyone with genuine intellect couldn’t possibly be ruled by their emotions.

But now he knew it could happen…because it was happening to him this very moment.
 

My Ray?
She had called him
my Ray?

Violence threatened to erupt from him, and if that fucking Ray had been in the same room, the other man would have been dead.
 

Lane almost jumped again at the way Angelo’s gaze suddenly pinned her to the spot.

He said grimly, “Tell me who this Ray is.”

She shook her head.
 

“Tell me!”

“Not until you tell me why you’re so mad,” she cried out.

“You dare—” Rage and disbelief had him at a loss for words. “Are you seriously asking me that? Why the hell else would I ask—”

“I don’t know! I just don’t know, and all I know is that you’re acting weird—”

“What did you expect?” he spat. “You called him
your Ray—
”

“Because I wanted to be sure we’re talking about the same man—”

“Of course we’re talking about the same fucking Ray,” Angelo snapped.
 

This time, Lane backed away until she was at the opposite side of the room. His inexplicable fury making her anxious and terrified for Ray, she tried to sound reasonable as she said, “Just tell me what you think he did first.”

“Why? Because you’re worried I’d kill him?”
 

“Yes!”

And so the truth was out
, he thought grimly. She cared that much for Ray.

“W-what did you expect? That I wouldn’t care?”

“Yes.” He laughed humorlessly. “Stupid of me, isn’t it?”

“He’s my stepfather, Angelo. I can’t just—” She trailed off, noticing the way Angelo suddenly stiffened.

“What,” he asked slowly, “did you say?”

Her lips tightened mutinously. Here they go again, another trick question to make her say something incriminating—

“Did you just say he was your stepfather?”

She gazed at him warily. Was that the trick question? Was this just like his situation with
the girl
and he was about to tell her he had
another
skeleton in the closet, and it was a secret relative—

“Answer me.”

“Yes!” She straightened, ready to verbally defend Ray.

“
Dio.
” Angelo looked at her like he wanted to strangle her. “Do you know the entire time I thought he was your lover?”

“What?” she gasped. “Why would you even—”

“Because you keep talking about him, and when I asked you about him, you told me he wasn’t related to you by blood.”

“Well, of course he isn’t, he’s my stepfather, you idi—” She stopped the moment she realized what she had almost said.

But it was too late.

“What did you say?”

The dreaded trick question, but thankfully she knew this time what she should
never
say. Inspiration struck, and she blurted out, “I said, it’s time for you to keep your promise.”

Silence.

She tried not to fidget. Had he changed his mind? Had he lost the mood to take her? Because she hadn’t. In fact, all this fighting had her panting, and now all she could think of was what other things they could do to make her pant.

She noticed Angelo slowly shaking his head and her anxiety rose. “What’s wrong?”

“You.”

Huh?

“You’re what’s wrong.” And he meant every word. Sheer relief mixed with unspent violence was a toxic combination, and it had his blood pumping hard while his adrenaline had shot up to the roof.

Ray was her stepfather.

Her stepfather, not her lover.

Which meant—

She was his.

From the very start, she had been
his
.
 

He looked at her, and it was as if his violent passion had found another outlet of release. He was going to fuck her as hard as he could. His body would not allow anything less.

He offered her his hand. “
Come
.”

That one word vanquished all her worries in an instant, and the air inside the control room was suddenly heavy with sexual tension.
 

Angelo was looking at her in a way that could only be described as ravenous, and Lane couldn’t help gulping as she thought about what he was hungry for. It had her trembling and lightheaded, but still she managed to ask, “W-where are you taking me?”

His eyes bored through hers, but his voice was mockingly polite as he said, “I’ll leave the choice to you. My bed or yours?”

Ooooooh.
His bed or hers. Because he was going to fuck her. She couldn’t stop pressing her thighs together as wetness once again started to gush out of her, and when his eyes narrowed, she couldn’t help whimpering, knowing that Angelo was aware of what was happening to her.

“Have you made a choice?”