Gianna’s POV
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, warm and bright against my closed eyelids. I stirred, every muscle in my body protesting the movement.
God, I was sore.
Not just sore, aching, deliciously exhausted in ways I’d never experienced before. My thighs trembled as I stretched, and heat flooded my cheeks as the memories of last night rushed back.
Dante’s mouth on me, his fingers inside me, twirling at the perfect spot, his voice commanding me to come, to surrender, to give him everything.
And I had.
I blinked my eyes open slowly, expecting to see the dark walls of the punishment room. Instead, I found myself surrounded by rich mahogany furniture and elegant décor.
Dante’s bedroom.
He’d brought me here while I slept.
I raised a hand to rub the sleep from my eyes, and something caught the morning light. A brilliant flash of green and white made me freeze.
My hand.
There was a ring on my finger.
An engagement ring.
I bolted upright in complete disbelief. I wiped my eyes frantically and looked again, certain I was still dreaming or hallucinating or…
But no, the stunning piece of jewelry still sat there on my left hand. An enormous emerald surrounded by a halo of glittering diamonds, set in sleek platinum.
Under other circumstances, it would’ve been my perfect ring, elegant without being ostentatious, unique without being loud.
But no. No, no, no.
This couldn’t be right. This had to be some kind of mistake or…
“Good morning, fiancée.”
Dante’s voice cut through my racing thoughts, deep, smooth, and entirely too satisfied.
My head snapped toward the sound, and my eyes locked with his.
He sat in an armchair across from the bed, perfectly composed in dark slacks and, for the first time since I’d met him, a white shirt. The top buttons were undone, revealing a glimpse of his tanned chest. Breakfast was laid out
1/4
Chapter 84 Fiancée?
+25 Bonus
on a small table beside him… coffee, pastries, and fruit. He held a cup in one hand, looking completely at ease.
Like he hadn’t just done something absolutely insane.
A slow, knowing smirk curved his mouth as he watched my reaction, clearly savoring every second of it.
I looked back at the ring, then at him, then at the ring again.
“Fiancée?” The word came out strangled. “That must be a joke.”
I thrust my hand toward him, the ring catching the morning light, scattering tiny prisms across the room.
“This is an even sicker joke! You… you can’t just…‘
“Can’t just what?” He took a slow sip of his coffee, one eyebrow raised in cool amusement. “Put a ring on my woman’s finger? I assure you, I can. And I did.”
My woman. Like I was a possession he’d acquired.
“You didn’t even ask!” The words burst out of me as I scrambled out of bed, completely forgetting I was naked until the cool air hit my skin.
Heat flooded my face as I glanced down, then snatched the sheet, wrapping it hastily around myself, suddenly acutely aware of his gaze on my bare skin.
“You don’t just put an engagement ring on someone while they’re sleeping! That’s not how proposals work!”
“Ask?” He set his cup down while wearing a cocky grin, his gaze following my every frantic movement. “Why would I need to ask, Gianna?”
“Because that’s what normal people do! Because you can’t just marry someone against their will!”
“I own you.” He rose from the chair, his tall frame unfolding with that same terrifying grace that always made the air feel thinner. “So I didn’t need to.”
The casual way he said it, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, made me see red.
“You’re sadistic!” I spat, glaring at him. “Delusional! This is… I’m ending this right now.”
I grabbed at the ring, tugging furiously, my fingers trembling with rage.
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
The command in his voice froze my movements mid–motion. Then he was moving, crossing the space between us in three long strides, his hand closing around my wrist.
“The ring stays on. Always.” His dark eyes bored into mine, intense as he slid the ring back into place. “You’re going to be my bride, Gianna. Soon, everyone will call you Gianna De, Luca.”
De Luca. His last name replacing mine.
Rage exploded through me like wildfire. My hands trembled, not from fear, but from pure, unfiltered fury. How dare he? How fucking dare he decide my future without even the pretense of asking what I wanted? The audacity of this man, thinking he could just claim me, brand me with his name, parade me around as his prize.
2/4
Chapter 94 Fiancée?
+25 Bonus
“That’s not possible.” I yanked my hand back, cradling it against my chest. “You said I was only going to be your mistress! You said, and now you want me as your wife? What kind of game is this?”
“No game.”
“Then what?” I fired back, anger and confusion warring inside me. “What changed, Dante? Why would you want to marry me?”
A dark smile curved his lips.
“You thought you could escape from me.” He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear with a tenderness that didn’t match the dominance in his tone. “This makes that impossible. As your husband, there are certain rights I’ll have over you. Legal rights. Rights that bind you to me in ways even your father can’t undo.
11
The menace in his words sent a chill down my spine.
“I won’t be forced into this union.” I placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back. His chest was hard beneath my palm, solid muscle and heat. For a moment he didn’t budge, immovable as stone, but then he took a single step backward, giving me space.
“Find another bride, Dante. You’re handsome, rich, head of the De Luca family. I’m sure there are women out there who would kill for this ring.”
“Too bad.” He reached for me, his strong hands gripping my waist and pulling me back against him. My soft body collided with the hard planes of his chest, the sheet the only barrier between us.
One hand slid up to cup my cheek, his thumb tracing my cheekbone in a possessive caress.
“You’re the only one I want.”
Those words shouldn’t have affected me, shouldn’t have made my traitorous heart skip or my breath catch.
But they did.
He leaned in closer, his lips barely brushing mine, and I wanted to push him away, wanted to rage and fight and refuse.
But I couldn’t.
My body betrayed me, melting into his touch like it always did, like it was made to respond to him and him alone.
“Think of this as the ultimate claim,” he murmured against my mouth. “Gianna De Luca. You’ll be my bride, and there’s nothing on earth or beyond that could stop this from happening.”
The absolute certainty in his tone, the raw dominance radiating from him, should have terrified me.
Instead, it sent a wave of heat straight through my belly.
I found my voice, barely.
“So you want to marry the daughter of the man you loathe?” My words came out breathier than I intended. “The ultimate revenge, right?”
3/4
Chapter 94 Fiancée?
924
+25 Bonus
His face hardened, darkness flashing in his eyes.
“He stole something precious from me, callously, without remorse.” His thumb traced my lower lip softly. “So now, I’ll do the same.”
The confirmation shouldn’t have stung. I already knew this was about revenge, about using me to hurt my
father.
But hearing him say it out loud made me feel small, disposable, like I was nothing more than a pawn in his
vendetta.
“A marriage of convenience then.” I forced a bitter laugh. “God, why did I even bother asking? Of course that’s all this is to you.”
“This marriage is whatever I decide it is.” His other hand slid to my waist, pressing me firmly against him until I felt every inch of his over–six–foot frame, the hard ridges of his abdomen, the solid expanse of his chest, the powerful muscles of his thighs. Heat radiated from him, seeping through the thin sheet, making my skin tingle with unwanted awareness. “And right now, I’ve decided you’re mine in every way that matters.‘
I opened my mouth to argue, to throw his arrogance back at him, but then his gaze shifted. The darkness in his eyes softened, replaced by concern.
His fingers grazed my collarbone, then trailed lower, brushing over my shoulder.
I followed his gaze and gasped.
Bruises, hickeys, love bites covered my skin in varying shades of red and purple.
When I tried to pull the sheets tighter around myself, he caught the edge and yanked them down, his grip stronger. The sound of fabric tearing filled the room as the sheet slipped from my grasp, exposing my breasts
and torso.
Shame flooded through me, hot and overwhelming. Not just at my nakedness, though that was bad enough, but at the vulnerability of being laid bare like this, marked and claimed, while he stood fully dressed and in control.
His eyes darkened further as they took me in, my breasts flushed and tender, my nipples still swollen and marked from his mouth, faint bite impressions trailing along the curve of my ribs and the insides of my thighs. Every inch of me was a map of what he’d done to me.
Guilt flashed across Dante’s face, and I stared at him in confusion. Why did he look surprised? He was the one
who’d done this.
P
Comments
Support
Share
4/4
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
