Chapter 54: More!
He didn’t even flinch.
Not once.
He continued to hold my wrist, his body half-lying on the bed as though I hadn’t just shouted at him. For a moment, I thought—expected—that he would snap back, that he would match my anger with something just as explosive.
But he didn’t.
Nothing more than a faint trace of annoyance flickered across his face before it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by that same infuriating calm.
"You know what I want, Carmen," he said.
His tone was cold.
Detached.
But I was burning hot enough for the both of us.
"You want to kiss me!" I fired back immediately, my voice sharp, heated. "I have never once said no!"
The words came fast, almost defensive, but I didn’t care. I watched him closely, waiting—daring him to deny it.
Instead, he let go of my wrist.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then he pushed himself up into a sitting position, shaking his head once as if I had just proven a point he had already made in his mind.
"I want you on my bed," he said, his voice steady, his gaze locking onto mine, "and beneath me, moaning my name."
The bluntness of it hit harder than I expected.
"As I fuck you."
I flinched.
I couldn’t help it.
It wasn’t just what he said—it was how he said it. Calm. Certain. Like it wasn’t a question, or even a desire.
Like it was something inevitable.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up, instinctively wanting to step back, to put distance between us—but he noticed.
Of course he did.
"Even now," he continued, his voice lowering slightly, "you’d rather step away from me than admit that it might be something you also want."
My jaw tightened.
"If you can’t be honest about your feelings, how can you be honest about—"
"Don’t even," I cut in sharply, not letting him finish. "Don’t you dare pretend this is about my feelings."
My chest rose and fell quickly, anger and something else—something I refused to name—twisting together inside me.
"You just want me to submit to you," I continued, my voice hardening, "when we both know you could simply take it by force."
His expression changed then.
Not dramatically—but enough.
A slight lift of his brow.
A hint of something darker beneath the surface.
"You think I would ever force any woman to sleep with me?" he asked.
There was a smug edge to his tone, one that only irritated me further.
"The terms we made are clear," I snapped, refusing to back down. "Kisses are all you get."
I still had a billion-dollar debt hanging over my head, suffocating and constant and somehow, he had chosen this moment to push, to test boundaries like this was some kind of game.
But I had barely finished speaking before he responded.
His gaze met mine again, this time with a tightness in his jaw that made it clear, he wasn’t pleased.
"If the terms are not satisfactory," he said slowly, each word deliberate, "then we might as well wipe the slate clean."
The implication was clear.
Too clear.
Everything—his help, his protection, the information I needed, none of it was guaranteed. Not if he felt like he wasn’t getting enough in return.
Before I could respond, he lay back again, pulling the blanket over himself as if the conversation had already ended.
Like I didn’t matter.
Like this didn’t matter.
Something in me snapped.
I launched myself forward, grabbing the blanket, intending to rip it right off him again.
But I didn’t get the chance.
The moment my fingers tightened around the fabric, Nico moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
In a split second, he flipped the situation entirely pushing me back onto the bed. My back hit the mattress, the impact knocking the breath out of me as he hovered over me, my legs caught between his, his hands braced on either side of me.
I glared up at him, furious.
He simply stared back.
Calm.
Unbothered.
I didn’t hesitate. I moved immediately, lifting my legs, trying to shift my weight and throw him off.
But he reacted just as quickly.
Faster.
In one smooth motion, he turned me over, pressing me down until my face was pushed into the mattress. His body settled heavily over mine, pinning me in place.
My breath hitched.
I could smell him now soap, something darker beneath it, something entirely him as he leaned closer.
I tried to move.
I couldn’t.
His hand forced mine behind my back, holding them there firmly.
"I wouldn’t move so fast if I were you," he whispered into my ear.
My voice came out muffled against the mattress when I tried to respond.
The next moment, he pulled me up back against his chest.
His grip on my wrists didn’t loosen.
Not even slightly.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped the second my voice was no longer muffled.
But the words faltered as I felt him lean in closer.
Too close.
The heat of his body pressed against mine, his presence overwhelming, suffocating in a way that made my body go rigid.
Then I felt it.
The firm pressure of him against me.
Hard.
Unmistakable.
"Really?" I ground out, my teeth clenching as I tried to think of anything to get out of this, but even I knew it was useless.
He was stronger than me.
And this?
This wasn’t even him trying.
"I keep playing your games, Carmen," he murmured, his voice low, almost rough now, "but I grow weary of them."
His hand slid upward, fingers brushing along my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine as his face dipped toward the crook of my neck.
His lips brushed there.
Light.
Dangerous.
I flinched, instinctively trying to pull away but there was nowhere to go.
"If you wipe off half my debt," I said quickly, the words coming out sharper than I intended, my heart pounding violently in my chest, "then I’ll sleep with you."
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt it, a shift in the air. But instead, He chuckled. Amused.
His lips brushed near my ear, his breath warm as his tongue traced lightly along the edge, making me jerk slightly as I tried to lean away.
He followed.
Of course he did.
"You think I would pay you to sleep with me?" he murmured.
There was something almost mocking in it.
"It’s nice to know you would consider it, at least."
I swallowed, my pulse racing as his hand tightened on my waist, the other still holding me firmly in place as he turned my head slightly so I could look at him.
"If you want more access," he continued, his gaze locking onto mine, intense and unwavering, "if you want me to stop working from the shadows and actually bring you into everything—"
He paused.
Just long enough.
"Then I want something from you."
I held his gaze, bracing myself. Expecting him to say it outright. Expecting him to demand sex. But he didn’t.
"I want more, Carmen," he said instead, his voice low, controlled but heavy with meaning. "And I want you to give it to me."
There was barely any space between us now. If either of us moved even slightly, our lips would meet. Refusing him would be stupid. I knew that. So I spoke.
"I want to know everything, Nico," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "How you intend to find my father’s killer. How you plan to deal with Bianca. The mafia dons. What you have on them."
My heart thumped hard against my ribs, but I didn’t look away.
"I need men. Information. Control over my businesses," I continued. "I want to be able to leave this estate whenever I want. Do whatever I want without you breathing down my neck."
I listed everything I could think of. Everything that mattered. Everything I needed. Silence followed. Heavy. Then...
"Deal." His hands tightened slightly around me as he spoke.
"In exchange," he added, his gaze darkening just enough to make my stomach twist, "I’ll push and you won’t push back."
The meaning was clear. Completely clear.
"Deal," I replied.
Even as a part of me whispered that I might have just sold my soul to the devil and offered him tea while I did it.
