Read Online A Scandal in the Headlines by Caitlin Crews - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Caitlin Crews
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already betrayed your fiancé. What does it matter now how many times you do it?”
She was shocked by how easily he could hurt her, when he should never have had that kind of power in the first place. She should have been pleased that he hated her so openly, that he disdained her so completely. She’d gone out of her way to make sure he did. Instead, it hurt.
It hurt
.
But she couldn’t show him that. She could only show him what he wanted to see—what he already saw. A cold, hard woman. Brazen and base.
“I don’t like to repeat myself,” she said, holding his gaze. “It’s boring.”
She expected the lash of his temper, but Alessandro laughed. It made the green in his eyes brighten, and worse, made everything inside of her seem to squeeze tight. Breath, belly, core. Even her traitorous heart.
“But you’re the one in control, are you not?” he asked, too arrogant, too confident, to believe what he was saying. “Your wish is my command. If you’re bored, you need only demand that I relieve it and I will.” His smile took on that wolfish edge. “I’m very inventive.”
She had a sinking sensation then, as if she’d somehow strayed into quicksand and was moments away from being sucked under.
Think
, she ordered herself in a panic.
Turn this around!
“And that’s all it takes?” She arched her brows high in disbelief. “I need only click my fingers and you’ll serve my every whim?”
“Of course.” The amusement on his ruthless face did nothing to ease the fierceness of it. And the lie on his lips was laced with laughter. “I am powerless in the face of your machinations, Elena.”
Her pulse was wild in her veins, and she felt like prey—like he was stalking her when he hadn’t moved. He only stood there, his hands thrust deep in his pockets, and she felt as if she was running hard and scared with his hot breath
right there
on the back of her neck—
“Somehow,” she managed to say, her voice cool and dry rather than panicked, though it cost her, “I have trouble seeing you as
quite
that submissive.”
“But this is what you want,” he replied in that soft, taunting way, his dark eyes alight. “Isn’t that why we’re here at all? You demanded it. I obeyed.”
Elena had to leave. Now. She had to shut this down before she betrayed herself, before she gave in to the need blazing through her. She would lock herself inside her room, ignore the emptiness and yearning inside of her, and pretend she was locking him out rather than keeping herself in. All she had to do was walk away from him.
She stood in a rush, aware she gave herself away with the speed of it, the total lack of grace. His hard mouth moved into that devastating curve that seemed to curl into the very core of her, making her soften. Ache. She couldn’t trust herself to stay, to try to act her way through this. She wanted to run for the door, but she made herself walk instead. As if she was making a simple choice to leave. As if she didn’t already feel pursued when he still hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I’m not going to chase you through the house, Elena.” His voice slid over her, dark and insinuating. Finding its way into her deepest, blackest, most secret corners, far away from any light. Deep into the places she pretended weren’t there. “Unless you ask nicely.Is that what you need? Permission to scream
no
at the top of your lungs and know I’ll take you, anyway? No responsibility, no regrets?”
The shudder that worked through her then was fierce and deep, involuntary, and she couldn’t pretend it had anything to do with revulsion. She felt weak. Weak and desperate. She had to stop walking, had to reach out and hold on to the wall near the wide, arching doorway. She had to fight to keep from revealing how tempted she was, how twisted that made her. She had to keep from confirming what he already seemed to know.
“I don’t—” she began desperately, but he sighed impatiently, cutting her off.
“No more
She was shocked by how easily he could hurt her, when he should never have had that kind of power in the first place. She should have been pleased that he hated her so openly, that he disdained her so completely. She’d gone out of her way to make sure he did. Instead, it hurt.
It hurt
.
But she couldn’t show him that. She could only show him what he wanted to see—what he already saw. A cold, hard woman. Brazen and base.
“I don’t like to repeat myself,” she said, holding his gaze. “It’s boring.”
She expected the lash of his temper, but Alessandro laughed. It made the green in his eyes brighten, and worse, made everything inside of her seem to squeeze tight. Breath, belly, core. Even her traitorous heart.
“But you’re the one in control, are you not?” he asked, too arrogant, too confident, to believe what he was saying. “Your wish is my command. If you’re bored, you need only demand that I relieve it and I will.” His smile took on that wolfish edge. “I’m very inventive.”
She had a sinking sensation then, as if she’d somehow strayed into quicksand and was moments away from being sucked under.
Think
, she ordered herself in a panic.
Turn this around!
“And that’s all it takes?” She arched her brows high in disbelief. “I need only click my fingers and you’ll serve my every whim?”
“Of course.” The amusement on his ruthless face did nothing to ease the fierceness of it. And the lie on his lips was laced with laughter. “I am powerless in the face of your machinations, Elena.”
Her pulse was wild in her veins, and she felt like prey—like he was stalking her when he hadn’t moved. He only stood there, his hands thrust deep in his pockets, and she felt as if she was running hard and scared with his hot breath
right there
on the back of her neck—
“Somehow,” she managed to say, her voice cool and dry rather than panicked, though it cost her, “I have trouble seeing you as
quite
that submissive.”
“But this is what you want,” he replied in that soft, taunting way, his dark eyes alight. “Isn’t that why we’re here at all? You demanded it. I obeyed.”
Elena had to leave. Now. She had to shut this down before she betrayed herself, before she gave in to the need blazing through her. She would lock herself inside her room, ignore the emptiness and yearning inside of her, and pretend she was locking him out rather than keeping herself in. All she had to do was walk away from him.
She stood in a rush, aware she gave herself away with the speed of it, the total lack of grace. His hard mouth moved into that devastating curve that seemed to curl into the very core of her, making her soften. Ache. She couldn’t trust herself to stay, to try to act her way through this. She wanted to run for the door, but she made herself walk instead. As if she was making a simple choice to leave. As if she didn’t already feel pursued when he still hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I’m not going to chase you through the house, Elena.” His voice slid over her, dark and insinuating. Finding its way into her deepest, blackest, most secret corners, far away from any light. Deep into the places she pretended weren’t there. “Unless you ask nicely.Is that what you need? Permission to scream
no
at the top of your lungs and know I’ll take you, anyway? No responsibility, no regrets?”
The shudder that worked through her then was fierce and deep, involuntary, and she couldn’t pretend it had anything to do with revulsion. She felt weak. Weak and desperate. She had to stop walking, had to reach out and hold on to the wall near the wide, arching doorway. She had to fight to keep from revealing how tempted she was, how twisted that made her. She had to keep from confirming what he already seemed to know.
“I don’t—” she began desperately, but he sighed impatiently, cutting her off.
“No more
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