Page 63 of When She Unravels
A tendril of softness creeps into Damiano’s gaze. Am I getting through to him? Maybe I can convince him to let me go after all.
“Why did you help Martina?” he asks.
“Because I wanted to. I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
He drags his thumb over my cheek. “What’s your name?”
“Ale Romero.”
That softness is gone in a flash.
“You know as well as I do that Ale Romero doesn’t exist,” he bites out, dropping his hands from me. “What’s your name?”
“Why does it matter? I’m not here to cause trouble. I never thought I’d see Martina again. Why won’t you let me go?”
“Because I won’t rest until everyone responsible for what happened to my sister and her friend is turned into fertilizer. Tell me your name and tell me who your husband worked for.”
He wants to get revenge against Papà. He’s already halfway there by unknowingly having the don’s oldest daughter in his hands. If he knows who I am, he’ll kill me, or he’ll trade me away for something more valuable.
“I’m not telling you my name.”
Darkness clouds his features. “I thought you wanted to explain everything.”
“That was before I knew who you really are.”
He processes my words for a long second. “Are you really so loyal to whatever outfit you belong to? You’d rather stay here than implicate them?”
A broken laugh escapes past my lips. He’s got it all completely wrong. I’d tell him the truth if I thought I could get a promise out of him. A promise not to trade me back to Papà, no matter what. But I know he’ll never give that to me in earnest while he’s hungry for revenge. At least if Damiano decides to kill me, I might get a quick death.
“Do what you must.”
He walks around me until I feel his presence against my back. My heart beats loudly over the distant sound of that hypnotic music. What is he going to do to me?
He steps closer, lining up our bodies. Brushing my hair to the side, he brings his lips to my exposed neck. “Tell me your name, or I swear, I’ll make you scream it.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “I’m not afraid of pain,” I say, but it doesn’t sound convincing even to my own ears. In truth, I am afraid of being hurt. After seeing the entire spectrum of pain in Lazaro’s basement, I think anyone who says otherwise is a liar.
If Damiano starts cutting into my flesh, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my mouth shut.
A hand lands on my exposed midriff. I suck in a breath when his fingers start moving in circles over my skin.
His lips touch the shell of my ear. “Was everything you told me a lie?”
“Not everything,” I say.
“You’re a married woman. Why did you lie to me about being inexperienced in bed?”
My throat tightens. “I- I didn’t lie about that.”
His movements halt for a moment. “Your husband didn’t fuck you?”
“He did his marital duty on our wedding night, that’s all. Like I said, it wasn’t a love match.”
“Why did you decide to get involved with me?”
I exhale. “Because I liked you.”
He drags his hand over my shorts until it’s over my pubic bone. Heat swirls through my core. It seems my body hasn’t caught on to our current situation, and it’s still reacting to him in the same needy way. He presses the length of his body against me and lets me feel his hard-on against my lower back. “Did you like it when I made you come?” The words rumble inside his throat.
