Hitman's Captive: A Bad Boy Romance (22 page)

“Leo…” My voice cried out
in warning as I got closer to the climax tingling just under my skin.

With one smooth movement,
he withdrew and brought me back down into the water with him. I cried out,
breath whooshing out of me as the cool water washed over me. The suddenness and
unexpected sensation jerked me back from that edge, only to have him press me
against the wall, his body covering mine and making me shudder all over again.

His mouth found mine, the
taste of my sweet scent there making me moan as I felt his throbbing hardness
pressing against my core.

Ohh, god…

His hands closed around
my hips and then he was there, pressing into me and letting the wall and the
water take my weight as he thrust hard inside. I was slick and ready from the
pleasure he’d just given me and my legs came up eagerly to wrap around his
waist, pulling him further into me and making my pussy clench and spasm against
him. He groaned and our tongues tangled together as our bodies disintegrated
into a mess of passion. I was touching and tasting every part of him that I
could reach, and he thrust into me with ever increasing urgency, our mutual
need driving him hard.

I had been so close
before, and with his cock stretching me blissfully that fire came back almost
instantly, the heat inside me building in time with his until I was shuddering
and shaking, trying desperately to hold back the explosion and wait for him.

He was having none of it.
“Come for me, Alessa. Fuck it, let me feel you.”

I cried out, the pleasure
drawing up inside me at his words, my limited control slipping so easily - then
his hand raised to cup my firm breast, thumb grazing over my aching tit and
giving me the last push I needed. I screamed, no restraint left in me, and felt
the way my pussy contracted around his hard, throbbing cock. He grunted, the
pure heat in his expression telling me exactly how good it felt, and I squeezed
him harder, wanting to bring him over the edge even as my own pleasure ripped
through me and took almost every thought from my mind.

He tensed under me and
then he was gripping my hips tightly, plunging into me with a pure need that
made me shudder to satisfy. A couple of deep thrusts and then he grunted against
me, pulsing within me with his release. My head came down as my body shook in
the aftermath of my climax, mouth and teeth fixing on the joining between his
shoulder and neck, and I whimpered softly into it.

Every part of my body was
on fire, sore and shaking, and I’d never felt better in my life.

These moments were
perfect, and I’d cling to them for however long they were going to last.

Chapter Sixteen

Alessa

“So it’s four more days?”
I was lying against Leo’s chest, head pillowed there as my whole body relaxed.

“Earliest I could do -
it’ll take a few days for the instructions I left with my accountant to come
through anyway.” Leo shifted against me, running his hands through my hair and
making me smile with the gentle affection there.

I didn’t really want to
think about him leaving - or me returning to my father, or any of it. But I
couldn’t help my curiosity, or my need to know what was going to happen. We
hadn’t returned to our conversation yesterday in the pool, but that didn’t stop
the way it had circled in my mind. Or the way I wondered about his future as
well as mine.

“Do you think you’ll
really be able to leave it all behind?” I asked idly, enjoying the play of my
hand across his chest and letting the ease of being around him relax me.

“I don’t exactly have a
choice, princess.” He responded, his voice rich with wry humor. “But there’s
not much to leave behind, either way - I’ve never seen the point in getting
attached to anything. Or anyone.”

I looked up at him,
stunned. “You mean you don’t have anyone you’ll miss? What about Jay?”

He shrugged. “Jay and I
help each other out, but it’s nothing more than that. In my world, you tend to
either get caught up in mob politics, or work alone. I prefer alone.
Unnecessary attachments just make you weak.”

I stared, finding it hard
to believe a word he said. If nothing else, I could remember the way Jay had
looked at him as he’d left - how he’d helped us despite his obvious better
judgment. There were more than a few favors there, even if Leo couldn’t see it.

And how could anyone live
without family or friends?

“I’m not sure what the
point of being strong is if you’re not happy, Leo.” I muttered softly.

He barked out a laugh and
shook his head, but he wasn’t angry as he shifted to look at me, a hand running
down my bare skin under the covers. “I’ve never wasted much time thinking about
happiness. How about you, Alessa? Are you happy with all your attachments to
your family?”

“Yes.” I answered his
challenge automatically, but the word hung heavy between us and I felt a slight
twinge. It was the truth. I was sure of it. Feeling the odd tension rise, I
broke the heaviness with a small grin. “Or at least I was, until some psycho
kidnapped me…”

He took the hint and
smirked, leaning in for a quick, passionate kiss that left me as breathless as
always. “Oh really? And I thought I was making up for that…”

“Maybe you need to…try
harder…” I pushed him down, climbing on top of him and taking his mouth easily.

His hands came around my
hips and his eyes sparked fire at me as he chuckled. “I’m going to make you
regret saying that, princess.”

My blood heated at his
words - and the look in his eyes told me that was exactly what was going to
happen. I managed to stay on top of him for all of two minutes, then he scooped
me up and threw me against the bed, making me squeal as his weight pinned me
down.

Sexy. Impossible.
Bastard.

Maybe it was just four
days, but I was going to enjoy every moment.

* 
*  *

I walked down one of the
little paved roads that made up this village and turned onto the main avenue
with a delighted smile.

The village we were in
might not be much - with just a few shops down either side of the street - but
the simple act of walking down it without fear was liberating. It was the first
time in what felt like forever that I hadn’t been constrained by
stay within
my sight at all times
and Leo’s infuriating rules.

He was back at the house,
taking a call from his accountant for some last minute advice on wherever he
was going. It had been obvious that he didn’t want me listening in and I’d
managed to seize the opportunity to suggest I buy a few groceries - we were
here for the next few days, after all, and this remote place couldn’t quite satisfy
his instinct for takeaway junk food. Thank goodness.

I hadn’t actually
expected him to agree, but for once he hadn’t argued about it. So now I could
roam the streets of Payton with my captor’s blessing. It might be a little
thing, but it gave me a thrill anyway. To be able to walk down this street, see
people about their daily business and know that there was no one looking over
my shoulder, watching what I’d say or do…it was freeing.

I felt almost giddy with
it. I hadn’t really noticed how oppressive it had been - being bound to Leo,
watching what I said or did in public in case he freaked out - but now there
was a lightness in me that I hadn’t realized was missing. And there was
something else thrumming within me too…

He trusted me.

I had never let myself
dare think of what we enjoyed together as more than simple carnal acts, mutual
pleasure and satisfaction, but after this…I couldn’t deny something must have
changed between us. Sure, I’d promised a week ago that I wasn’t going to run
away anymore, and with the
bratva
targeting me now it didn’t make any
sense for me to try. But even so, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d kept
me constantly under lock and key.

Instead, this proved it -
he really didn’t think I was going to do anything.

Perversely, the first
person I saw on the street, I stopped and stared, overwhelmed with the very
idea that I
could
tell them everything. Unless Leo was even more
talented than I’d seen, there would be no one to rush up and stop me. I could
run to someone, explain the situation, and beg for a phone to call my family.

But…I didn’t want to. And
it was more than just honoring the trust Leo had given me. These last few weeks
had been different from anything I’d known, and even if it made me a terrible
person, I was willing to wait out the next three days until Leo released me.
And I knew he would now - after everything, that much was obvious. There was no
need to put myself at risk to get home a few days earlier.

Plus, you kind of want to
make the most of fucking him.

I blushed at the thought,
but couldn’t deny it. If I was going to go home to my father, and whoever he
wanted me to marry, I was going to enjoy what I’d found with Leo first.

And, with any luck, stop
damn well thinking about what would happen when I went home.

There was only a small
row of shops here but they covered the basic needs - groceries, hardware, and
then coffee and even a local restaurant. And a little further down the road,
off the main turning that led to the interstate, there was a gas station for
fuel that seemed the busiest of them all. The early summer weather had kept up,
and as I considered what we’d need over the next few days, ice cream was at the
top of my list.

I grinned to myself - Leo
had given me a wad of cash without any instructions, and I was going to make
the most of this little trip.

The small grocery shop
offered most of what I was looking for, but not much more. It didn’t take me
long to have seen every shelf and worked out a few basic meals in my head and I
had a feeling that most of the residents here didn’t rely solely on this place
for their food.

By the time I was at the
counter and paying, I was even slightly disappointed with how quick the whole
thing had been.

I came out onto the
street again and paused. I’d promised Leo I would go straight from our house to
this street and back, with no detours - but I was reluctant to return so
quickly. The idle walk around the village that I was itching for was a terrible
idea - I understood why he needed to know exactly where I was. But still…

Biting my lip, I glanced
back up the street, and then at last decided to duck into the hardware store as
well.

He’d never put a limit on
which shops I could visit, it was
right here
and I might even find something
useful to buy. Though home maintenance was the last thing we were thinking
about, and as soon as I entered, I realized I didn’t have a clue about it
anyway.

I cast my eye over all
the shiny, masculine toys and shook my head, amused. This wasn’t the sort of
place I could come without a clear purpose, but it was interesting anyway. I
wondered idly whether there was something I could buy for Leo, to take to
wherever he was starting his new life.

Yeah, sure, Alessa. A
leaving gift for your kidnapper. That makes sense.

I almost chuckled aloud
at the idea. These last few weeks had seriously messed with my mind.

Then I caught the low
tones of a rough-looking couple of men at the back, and realized the owner was
about to catch my eye - almost certainly about to ask what I was looking for.
That was all it took for me to decide that I was out of place here and really
ought to be heading back. It wasn’t like the idea of eating ice cream by the
pool was so terrible, anyway.

Taking a last,
considering look at the row of hanging hammers in front of me, I smiled briefly
at the guy behind the counter and turned for the door, stepping back out into
the sun and starting a slow walk down the road again.

“Hey!” The voice rang out
behind me a moment later. One of the guys from the shop, now outside and
walking towards me from the sound of it.

A small rush of
adrenaline flooded me as I ignored him, trying to fight the instinctive panic.
I had no idea what he wanted, but dozens of dangerous images crashed over my
mind.

Just pretend he couldn’t
possibly be talking to me, and maybe he wouldn’t
.

I struggled to keep my
pace easy, fighting the urge to run straight back into Leo’s arms. My morning
of freedom suddenly seemed like a terrible idea.

“Hey -
Alessa
! Alessa
Santini.” My blood froze at that and I stopped walking abruptly, unable to
ignore the shout.

I still couldn’t make
myself turn towards him, visions of guns and blood and death right in front of
my eyes.

“Relax, girl - we’re from
the family.” A second voice joined the first, this one lower pitched, as if he
was trying to calm a spooked horse. Maybe he was.

Slowly, I let myself turn
to face the two rough men I’d noticed in the shop, heading towards me now with
shock written on their faces, hands held out. I didn’t recognize either of
them, but that didn’t mean anything - I hadn’t had many dealings with my
father’s associates. That was only for those involved in the
business
side
of what he did.

“What the fuck are you
doing out here?” The first - a large man with a scar down the side of his face
- kept glancing from side to side. I wanted to do the same, feeling the world
slowly closing in on me and condensing into one small point.

I couldn’t answer, unable
to do anything as I tried to process whatever the hell this was. At least no
one had started shooting yet.

The second, taller and
more wiry with a darker complexion, shook his head sharply at the question and
turned back to me. “Well, whatever happened, you’re okay now. We’ll take you
straight back to your father, okay?”

That was enough for my
momentary paralysis to disappear in one quick rush, breath and thoughts
returning as I finally convinced myself that these
were
my father’s men.
That just meant a whole host of other confusing feelings.

I nodded slowly, knowing
that was expected - it was the only sane response. This was the rescue I’d been
waiting for, after all.

You should be feeling
relieved. What the hell is wrong with you?

“Wait a minute, Marco -
we can’t just take her home. What about the killer? Where the fuck is he?” The
larger man’s gaze narrowed as he turned to me. “What are you doing here all
alone anyway?
Are
you alone—”

“Fuck it, Vinny, shut
up.” Marco glared at him, and I felt a twinge of appreciation that he was
sticking up for me - especially since those were all very valid questions.
Questions I wasn’t sure I was prepared to answer. I guessed he was just
respecting whatever trauma I might have, but right now, that was useful.

Are you traumatized,
Alessa? Is that why you feel so detached from this rescue?

I didn’t feel traumatized
at all. In fact, if I thought about it too long, I might find a far more
terrifying reason for my odd reluctance.

“She can at least tell us
where the fucker is. This is the closest anyone’s gotten to him - we’ll be
fucked if we just
leave.
” Vinny insisted.

“I don’t know.” I blurted
it out instinctively, then blinked hard, not quite sure why I was lying.

Except that maybe it was
going to look awfully bad if I was here - free and alone - and I hadn’t done anything
to help myself. The memory of what the
bratva
had thought flashed in my
mind, and I shook my head, scared of making these men suspicious.

They glanced at each
other, but before they could continue, I finally dropped the bag of groceries
in my hand and drew my arms around my body protectively, letting myself shake
with some of the tension and adrenaline.