Chapter 96: Do you want me to go back to being rough?
Dante’s POV
Gianna stood there, still holding her ground, exactly as I expected. This was her way of telling me she was rebelling, that she wouldn’t be controlled, that I couldn’t just dictate her every move.
“You really can’t help yourself, can you?” she asked, defiant. “Always giving orders, always trying to prove you’re in control.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’re the one who keeps testing it.”
She folded her arms tighter, the sheet slipping enticingly low on her shoulder. “Then maybe stop trying to control me.”
She wanted a fight. She always did. And she didn’t realize that part of me craved it too, the fire in her, the way she refused to bend even when she knew I could break her in an instant.
I let out a ragged breath and strode toward her with purpose.
Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t back down. She never did.
Before she could react or protest, I gripped the sheet and stripped it away in one smooth motion, leaving her completely naked and exposed.
For once, she didn’t move. Didn’t fight. Maybe because she knew she wouldn’t win this time.
“Dante!” Her voice was breathless, shocked.
I didn’t answer. I scooped her up effortlessly, her warm, soft body pressed against my chest. Her skin was like silk under my hands, and I felt every curve molding against me.
I strode to the tub with her in my arms, feeling her heart racing against mine, and carefully lowered her into the
water.
The moment it touched her skin, she hissed painfully, her body going rigid.
Concerned, my hands immediately reached for her in the water, steadying her shoulders. “Are you alright?”
She nodded, her voice smaller than usual. “Just slightly sore, and the water’s a bit hotter than I expected.”
“The temperature is good to help with the soreness,” I explained, my hands still on her shoulders, my thumbs tracing small circles on her wet skin. “Trust me.”
She tilted her head, that defiant spark returning to her eyes as her mouth curved into a taunting smile. “And you would know this how?”
I shook my head. That mouth of hers, always running, always tempting,
She didn’t stop. “Oh right, you torture people for a living.”
“I prefer extract information,” I replied, smirking slightly, “and the aftercare is important. Can’t have your sources dying before you get what you need.”
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Chapter 96 Do you want me to go back to being rough?
+25 Bonus
She plastered that fake smile I’d come to love and hate at the same time.
“How comforting.”
“Isn’t it?” I knelt beside the tub, rolling up my sleeves slowly. “But to answer your question properly, no. It’s not all my captives I torture and then give baths to afterward.”
“Just the special ones?” she mocked.
I leaned closer, my lips nearly brushing her ear. “Just you, pretty doll. Only you get this kind of special treatment
from me.”
“Lucky me,” she breathed, her tone teasing, but there was a tremor she couldn’t hide.
Her eyes drifted down to my white dress shirt, already getting splattered with water droplets. A small smirk played on her lips. “You know, that’s the first time I’ve seen you wearing white.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You’re going to get your shirt completely wet and ruined,” she continued, her tone teasing. “And that looks expensive.”
I followed her eyes to the damp patches already spreading across my chest. “I don’t care if it gets ruined,” I said, voice low, “but I could take it off…”
I paused deliberately. “Is that what you want, Gianna?”
Her eyes widened slightly, and I watched her throat work as she swallowed. Her gaze dropped to my chest, lingering there before she quickly looked away.
“I… no. I’m just concerned about the fabric.”
“The fabric,” I repeated, my smirk deepening. “How thoughtful of you. Such a sweet fiancée, already worrying about my clothes.”
Her lips parted slightly as I reached for the buttons of my shirt. I undid them slowly, one by one, watching her try not to look. Her eyes betrayed her though, following every movement, every shift of muscle as I pulled the shirt open and slipped it off, revealing more skin.
“Like what you see?” I asked, my voice rough with amusement.
She caught herself staring and immediately turned her face away, her cheeks flushing pink. “Never,” she blurted out, trying to sound exasperated and failing miserably.
I pulled the shirt off completely, tossing it aside, and knelt beside the tub again, now shirtless, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from my body.
I leaned in closer, bare chest inches from her face. “Your eyes,” I said softly, my breath brushing her skin, “they tell a different story.”
She turned her head away. “They don’t.”
“Oh, they do,” I whispered, leaning closer until my mouth was at her ear. “And your body… it tells me something completely different.”
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Chapter 96 Do you want me to go back to being rough?
+25 Bonus
Her breathing changed, faster and uneven, but she kept up the act, pretending to be unbothered. “You’re imagining things.”
I knew she wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to seem. She felt this pull between us just as strongly as I did. She was thirsty for me, for this, but she’d never admit it.
Not yet.
I smirked, my eyes raking over her face. “Keep lying to yourself, Gianna. We both know the truth.”
I reached for her hair, gathering the damp strands gently. My fingers worked through the length, twisting it carefully into a bun at the crown of her head. “There. Now I can see you,” I murmured, my knuckles brushing against the sensitive skin of her nape. She shivered.
“Cold?” I asked, though we both knew that wasn’t it.
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.”
Next, I reached for the soft washcloth and expensive lavender soap, squirting a generous amount onto the cloth. The scent filled the air between us, intimate and heady.
I dipped the cloth into the water, lathered it until it was thick with foam, then wrung it out slowly. Warm droplets streamed down her neck and she let out a choked breath as it trailed between her breasts in a path I ached to follow with my tongue.
I guided the washcloth down her neck, over the delicate slope of her collarbone, before letting it glide between the soft curves of her breasts. My other hand steadied her, fingers splayed across her collarbone, feeling her pulse beat wildly beneath my palm.
“You have soft hands for a killer,” she breathed.
“I’m gentle when I want to be.”
“Or maybe it’s just the guilt eating at you?” she shot back.
Guilt? She had no idea. She thought this was about remorse, about washing away what I’d done to her. She was wrong. I wasn’t doing this out of guilt… not entirely. Part of me wanted to believe I was making amends, but the truth was darker, needier. I was doing this because I couldn’t stop myself. Because every time I touched her, I lost a little more control.
“Do you want me to go back to being rough? To show you what that really feels like?” I challenged, as I moved the cloth down to her shoulders.
“Maybe,” she said with a small shrug, the corner of her mouth twitching. “At least that’s predictable… but this
>>
She stopped, her gaze darting up to mine.
“What?” I pressed, my voice low, needing to know where she was heading with that.
Her eyes searched my face for a moment, like she was trying to read inside my head.
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Chapter 96 Do you want me to go back to being rough?
+25 Bonus
Then she let out a faint, uneasy laugh, shaking her head. “You’re… unsettling, Dante,” she whispered. “One moment, you’re a monster… the next, you’re this.” Her voice trailed off as she glanced down at the washcloth still gliding over her skin.
I swallowed hard, unsure whether she meant it as an accusation or a confession. She amazed me, disarmed me without even trying. I never knew what to expect with her, every word, every look felt like a challenge I couldn’t resist.
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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.
