Page 63 of Trapped
Kids. Marriage.
He’d lost his ever-loving mind.
I needed to escape, to find some space to breathe, but Santino blocked the exit. “You’re a scheming prick!”
“Let’s not pretend I’m the only manipulator in this room.”
“I won’t take the damned test,” I snarled.
“I’m not moving until you do.”
Asshole.
I ripped open the box, hating him, and slammed the door shut. I leaned against it, breathing hard. I did my business in the bathroom and took the test, my hands shaking so much it was difficult to hold it steady. Then I set it down on the counter and waited, my heart pounding.
Minutes dragged on, each one stretching into an eternity. I stared at the plastic window as a thin line appeared.
Negative.
A strange mix of relief and disappointment washed over me. I wasn’t tied to Santino in the way he wanted, but the threat still loomed behind the door.
I opened it.
Santino’s hopeful gaze locked onto mine. “Well?”
I handed him the test.
He looked down, frowning. “Negative.”
I nodded, biting my lip. “What now?”
“We try again,” he said.
“Santino—”
He closed the distance between us, grabbing my neck. His lips crashed into mine, stealing the breath from my lungs. The kiss was raw, filled with all the pent-up lust from not being able to touch me the past few weeks.
Despite the whirlwind of rage inside me, my body responded. I kissed him back, pouring all my confusion into the moment. His hand anchored me to him as if he feared I might slip away.
The kiss deepened. His lips were demanding, almost punishing, but I welcomed the roughness, how it made everything fade into the background. There was no threat of Dimitri, no looming ultimatum.Just us.
Santino’s grip tightened as he pulled back slightly. His eyes held me captive. “I need you. It’s been too long.”
TWENTY-TWO
DELILAH
Santino kissed me again, his lips exploring mine with a tenderness that made my chest ache.
He guided me backward, his hands steady on my waist, never breaking the seal of our mouths as we moved. My back hit the bedpost, and I gasped into his mouth, the sensation sending a thrill down my spine. It knocked me out of his spell.
I pulled away from him, ducking out of his arms and moving to the other side of the bed. “Why are you doing this?”
His gentle smile made my heart flip. “This is how you stay safe from your enemies.”
“By locking me up? Trapping me with a baby?”
Santino chuckled. “Let’s not be melodramatic, principessa. It’s not trapping when you’re walking into it with your eyes wide open.”