Page 72 of When She Unravels
He reaches around me to take a chicken thigh off the tray and starts to cut into it.
I try to get off him. “I don’t want to sit on you.”
“Stop squirming,” he says with a grunt.
I appreciate Martina trying to stick up for me, but I kind of wish she’d just gotten up and fed me the chicken herself, because this is far worse than staying hungry.
“I don’t need you to feed me,” I hiss at Damiano, but my will to argue leaves me when I smell the chicken up close.
I part my lips, and he puts the fork inside my mouth.
Damn, that’s good. I make a hum of appreciation and try to chew in as dignified manner as my current position allows. He’s still staring at me when I swallow, so I open my mouth again to let him know I’m ready for more.
Damiano’s lips give a hint of a smile. “So it can be trained,” he murmurs before feeding me another forkful.
I clamp down on the utensil with my lips and make sure to get everything. Who knows when he’s going to feed me next? I might as well get as much as I can while the opportunity has presented itself. That way I’ll have enough energy to make a run for it.
He drops his dark gaze to my lips again, and my pulse speeds up. Why is it that one look from him is still enough to get me riled up? Whatever was starting between us is definitely over now, even if he had his fingers inside of me what feels like just moments ago.
I swear he sees that thought reflected in my eyes, and in response, those same fingers tighten around the fork. His nostrils flare with an inhale. His length hardens against the backs of my thighs and sends a burst of warmth through my core.
I’m about to grind against him when I remember where we are.
Jesus. He is mycaptor. I can’t indulge in the inexplicable physical attraction I feel for him.
A chair squeaks across the floor and breaks the spell. “I’m done, so I’m going back up to my room,” Mari says.
Damiano takes the fork out of my mouth and puts it on his plate with a soft clank. “Take a look at some programs tonight and send me anything you like, all right?”
He went from predator to good older brother in the span of a second, and it’s disorienting as hell.
“I will. Good night.” She gives me an uncertain smile. “Good night, Valentina.”
“Night,” I say.
She leaves, and then it’s just the three of us.
“What now?” I ask. “Are you going to serve me dessert?”
Damiano’s palms wrap around my waist. “Not unless you’re offering yourself up as one.”
My cheeks redden at his hoarse voice. This man has no shame.
Ras stands, his expression bemused. “I’ll wait for you in your office,” he says to Damiano.
“Fine.” His gaze never leaves my face. The air between us crackles with electricity.
For my own sanity, I need to put an end to this.
“I want off,” I say as fiercely as I can manage. “This—” I tilt my chin down toward my body, “—is off-limits to you. Forever.”
He lifts me off him with a quiet chuckle. “Toys exist to be played with.”
“I’m not your toy,” I snap as he puts me back down on my chair. I try to push farther away from him with my feet, but all I accomplish is tipping over my chair. Just when I think I’m about to crack my head on the hardwood floor, Damiano steadies me.
“Time to put you away for the night,” he says, lifting me over his shoulder.
I’m about to beg him not to lock me in the basement again when I notice he’s taking me upstairs.
