I parted my legs farther, welcoming him to claim me more deeply. A snarl vibrated against my lips, and his teeth nipped at me. His palm rested on my throat, thick fingers encircling my neck. For a moment, fear speared my lust, but he didn’t squeeze; he simply held me in an act of savage dominance. Some animal part of my psyche responded, and I went supple in his grip, yielding to his superior strength.

He increased the speed of his thrusts, lighting me up with bliss until my body was flooded with it. Sweat slicked my skin, and my muscles drew taut with the strain of containing it.

“Come for me, Elenora,” he said, the words a rough command.

I unleashed myself, and ecstasy detonated inside me, bursting from my core all the way to my fingertips and toes. I writhed beneath him, mindlessly riding out my pleasure as my ragged cry rang through the bedroom.

“Mine,” he growled, a beast claiming me. “All mine.”

He drove deep one last time and released a primal roar. I felt his cock pulse inside me, and I knew he was losing himself in me too. The knowledge of his undoing heightened my pleasure, sensation and emotion overwhelming me completely.

I trembled one last time as aftershocks crackled through my core. Then he withdrew from me, and my entire body went limp. I felt heavy but oddly light at the same time, floating but pressed down deep into the mattress. I couldn’t move my limbs if I tried, and I didn’t want to. I just wanted to remain cocooned in this haze of residual bliss, where there were no worries or fears.

Luca reached above me, and a clicking sound accompanied the metal cuffs falling away. He grasped my hands and lifted them, pressing tender kisses to the pink marks on my skin. The gesture was shockingly gentle and almost reverent. I simply stared up at him, awed at his beauty and power.

This beast of a man was my husband. He’d claimed me in a way no other man ever would, and now he was handling me like I’d given him a precious gift.

He quickly disposed of the condom and settled down beside me, hooking his corded arm around my waist so he could nestle my body against his. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and within seconds, his breathing turned deep and even.

Despite the horrors I’d endured today—despite the terrifying, ecstatic encounter we’d just shared—exhaustion rolled over me, and I followed him into sleep.

Chapter 5

Nora

Iawoke with a start, instantly sensing that something was wrong. The masculine scent that saturated my senses didn’t belong in my bedroom. This wasn’t my bed. The sheets were a softer texture, and the duvet was heavier than mine.

I sat bolt upright, and cool air kissed my chest. I was naked. I never slept naked.

Oh, god. I was in Luca’s room. In his bed.

No. Our bed. I was married to Luca Vitale, and he’d sealed our union when he’d taken my virginity so ruthlessly last night.