Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 240(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 240(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
And for those several days, I’d wandered the halls, explored the property—with guards trailing closely behind—and hadn’t seen Matteo at all.
Although, I knew he watched me all the time. He had security cameras set up all over the place, not to mention I knew his goons would report back any time I took a breath.
I sat in the gardens and picked at my sandwich. I was utterly alone in this place despite being surrounded by more people than I felt comfortable with.
Asking when I was leaving had fallen on deaf ears. Could I have tried sneaking off, escaping when I had the first available chance? I could have, but no matter how stubborn and strong I claimed to be, seeing a man’s brains blown out in front of me told me to not be a fool.
But I knew, without a doubt, without fail, that Matteo wouldn’t hurt me. I knew that with a certainty that was so cemented in fact and truth, it was enough to make me bet my life.
I picked a piece of my crust off and tossed it in front of me. A few birds flew down from the treetops, pecking at the ground, eating up the crumbs. I threw a few more pieces, feeling a smile tilt my lips before they flew off.
I watched them fly higher before landing on the treetops once more.
Of course, I thought about leaving and escaping. But the truth of the matter was, where would I go? Back to the only rundown place that never felt like a home? Who even knew if it was still vacant? A squatter had probably already claimed it as theirs.
But… that didn’t even bother me.
I thought about Matteo admitting he killed my father and brother. I felt nothing. No remorse or sadness. Certainly no empathy. Shouldn’t I have felt a twinge of despair over the fact my last remaining family was gone?
I closed my eyes and exhaled, trying to pull at the pieces of those emotions but coming up with a blank slate. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to remember all the times they hurt me. Not just with their words but with their hands, too.
I had been nothing but someone they could use. Nothing but someone they could squeeze the life out of because it benefited them.
So, although this was an absolutely beautiful prison, with every day that passed, I felt less like it was. I felt like I was here of my own free will.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
I felt a tingling on the back of my neck and lifted my fingers to touch my nape. I looked around, seeing various employees working on the landscaping. Someone mowed off in the distance. Two others picked weeds to my left.
I spotted two staff in the solarium speaking. The man pointed above, and whatever they saw had them both laughing.
Although no one employed by Matteo truly spoke with me, I wasn’t met with hesitant glances anymore. I got slight smiles and head tilts in passing.
I rested back on the wrought-iron bench and let my shoulders sag. The sun was warm, a cool breeze from the upcoming change of season brushing over me. My mind wandered.
A tingling started between my thighs as I thought about the same dream I had been having every night for the past week. I felt myself flush, my body heating at the remembrance of something that had never happened.
I let my eyes slide shut once more and thought about that dream, about how Matteo would come into my room and stroke my cheek. He’d push the hair away from my face far more gently than I imagined he could ever be.
He would drag his fingers over my lips, down my throat, and over my collarbones. And then he would kiss me, murmuring deep words. I couldn’t understand what he said, but I knew they were possessive.
They were laced with intent and desire and…promise.
And I always woke up hot, wet between my thighs and my nipples hard. There would be this heaviness settled all around me, and it took my breath away.
I continued to rub the back of my neck as the feeling of being watched intensified. I didn’t have to make a show of looking around wondering who it was.
I knew. Was Matteo watching me from a window? Was he standing in front of his video monitors on the other side of the estate stalking me?
Why did that thought make me clench my thighs together?
I made a frustrated sound, tossing the remaining bread on the ground. The birds swooped down right away, and I glanced at them before I turned and made my way back into the house. I passed a few staff members carrying cleaning supplies. I glanced over my shoulder to see two guards trailing closely behind me, their stoic expressions trained on me and not deviating from their task for one moment.