Cruel Surrender by Terri Anne Browning

Bain

I knewI needed to release her hand, but the thought of letting her go was unacceptable to me.

Mine.

She was finally standing before me, more beautiful in the flesh than any of the hundreds of pictures I had of her. The first time I had set eyes on her was a framed photo that had sat on her cousin’s desk. The joy on her face as she’d smiled into the camera stopped me in my tracks, and it took me more than a full minute to force myself to look away and finish what I’d been there to do—plant a bug so I could listen to everything that went on in Ryan Vitucci’s office.

After I’d finished up, I’d taken the picture with me. At the time, I was unsure why I’d given in to the urge, but almost immediately, that one little photo hadn’t been enough. I wanted to see more of Ciana Donati. I needed to have every one of her smiles staring back at me, her frowns, her tears. And then I needed to know what caused them. So I could recreate the smiles over and over again while destroying anything and anyone who caused the tears.

Before I knew what was happening to me, I was obsessed. To the point that I’d even given in when my great-grandmother had come up with this part of her ridiculous plot to hurt Ryan and his family. Sheena was eaten up with rage and the need for vengeance against my distant cousin, and I’d indulged her throughout the years, thinking she would either eventually give up or die before any of her plans came to fruition.

But recently, her need to see the Vitucci family bleed had gotten out of hand. When she’d told me what she wanted me to do, I should have shot her down and put her in her place… Only, she’d said Ciana’s name, and my obsession had gotten the better of me. To finally come face-to-face with the one who haunted my thoughts day and night was too much of a temptation to resist.

That didn’t mean I was going to follow through with Sheena’s stupid scheme. I had my own plan, which had already been set into motion. One that would make the beauty before me mine for eternity.

She made a soft humming noise but didn’t pull her hand free when I continued to hold on. “You mentioned wine?” Her head tilted to the right, causing her long dark-red hair to fall over her shoulder and my gaze to drop to the tops of her creamy flesh.

Feeling like a predator, I ran my tongue over my teeth, wanting to eat her whole. “I told them to just bring me a bottle of whatever red they have. But if you prefer white or a rosé, I’ll order it.”

Her brown eyes warmed, and I brushed my thumb over her knuckles. “I’m fine with whatever you have.”

Reluctantly, I finally released her and stepped back. “Give me a moment.”

In my room, I grabbed the bottle and two wineglasses. I hesitated, debating only taking one, liking the idea of sharing with her, but I quickly vetoed the thought. I needed to seduce Ciana slowly—although I didn’t know how I was going to keep my hands off her for long. From the instant I saw her standing on her balcony with the moonlight kissing her skin, I’d been so hard it was a wonder my cock hadn’t drilled a hole in the stone wall.

Returning to her, I poured her a glass, and she waited to take a sip until I had my own in hand. I took a large swallow then tossed back the rest of the contents when I saw her lick a drop off her lips that had clung to them.

“Mmm,” she murmured appreciatively. “This is delicious.”

I poured myself a little more, mentally telling myself to drink it slower so I could spend more time with her. “What brings you to this little slice of paradise?” I asked to make conversation, wanting nothing more than to hear her voice once again.

She took a bigger drink before setting down the wineglass. “I just needed a break from everything. It was all getting to be a bit too much.”

Though she smiled, she couldn’t keep the exhaustion and sadness from her voice. “What was too much, mo chroí?”

“There you go again, all gruff with an endearment… It was an endearment this time, right?”

Of course I was gruff. I’d lied earlier when I’d told her that I regularly used endearments with everyone. The truth was, this was the first time I’d ever called anyone anything but their given name. I wasn’t the type of person to use cute nicknames. There had never been anything cute or even soft about the way I spoke to anyone in my entire life. Until now.

Until her.

I was unused to it, yet it came all too naturally with Ciana.

“I would never insult you, gorgeous,” I promised and quickly distracted her. “What was too much?”

“Life,” she said with a sigh. “But mostly work.”

I took another drink from my glass. “You don’t enjoy your job?”

“No, no, I love my job. Being a nurse has always been my dream. No one in my family understood my need to help people in such a personal manner, but they didn’t stand in my way when I told them my career choice.” She picked up her glass and finished it, so I filled it. With a smile in thanks, she took another sip before continuing. “It’s just that it can be draining at times. Seeing all those mothers who struggle every day, worrying over their little one before they’re even placed in their arms… Or finding out they will never get to hold their child. Watching it day after day, knowing there is little to nothing I can do, it’s painful.”

“Maybe it’s time for a change, then,” I suggested. “From what I can gather, you work with pregnant women?” She nodded. “Perhaps you should find something different. Maybe working in a different kind of medical office.”

An adorable snort left her. “I wish. But it took a small miracle to talk my parents into working where I currently do. No, I’m happy at New Hope. I just needed a break. Which is why I’m here for the next two weeks. A little time in the sun to recharge my batteries is all I need.”

She tipped her glass back, taking a deep swallow, and I was momentarily entranced by the sight of her throat working. “Wow, this is going down way too easy,” she said with a delicate giggle. “I should probably stop now.”

“Nonsense,” I admonished, filling her glass yet again. “You’re here to relax and enjoy yourself.”

“What brought you to the island?” she asked after a small, comfortable stretch of silence. “And please don’t say work.”

I grinned at the sour look on her beautiful face. With how often I’d watched her from a distance, memorized her every expression in photo after photo, I knew it was the wine making her an open book. Right then, the thought of anyone working while they were surrounded by paradise annoyed the hell out of her. “No. Like you, work was beginning to wear me down. I needed some time away from everything to recharge as well.”

She shifted her body weight more on to one leg as she placed her elbows on the stone and looked up at me with an empathetic smile. There was no way she could ever possibly know how beautiful she was to me in that moment. With the wine making her cheeks flush and her brown eyes glitter, the moon shone down on her, giving her an ethereal glow, almost as if she weren’t from this realm. Her robe slipped off one shoulder, exposing one side of her bra and the perfection of the globed breast it covered.

I memorized every detail about her, knowing it was going to be one of my favorite memories. I didn’t have a lot of good things to think about. My life was dark, full of death and destruction. I was the boogeyman who crept through the shadows, wreaking carnage on my enemies. It was what was expected—demanded—of me to stay at the top. I had limitless power at my fingertips, yet with Ciana Donati looking up at me, so trusting and understanding, none of that mattered. All I wanted was to be the man she was imagining I was and love her until my last breath.

My phone going off was like a bucket of icy water falling on that fantasy, smoothing out the thin line that separated us from the ruthlessness of reality. Muttering a curse, I pulled my cell from my pocket. Seeing it was Cori, I sent her to voice mail and then did something I’d never done—powered my phone off. She was starting to piss me off with how annoying she’d been all day. Call after call, she’d made demands as if she had the right to ask me for anything, let alone tell me what she expected to happen.

She thought she was going to be my queen, but her position in my life had never been more than casual. Between her and Sheena, they thought Cori was the perfect woman to help me rule, but all my great-grandmother wanted was someone she could bend and twist in an attempt to better control me. The two of them thought I was blind to their schemes, but I’d been on to them from day one. I simply allowed them to think they were winning, while keeping them both close to better watch their every move.

When I glanced at Ciana again, she was standing upright, holding out her empty glass for another refill. “For some reason, I’m oddly proud of you right now.”

I poured her more wine then topped off my own, emptying the bottle. The flirty tilt of Ciana’s head told me she was tipsy, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. I liked even more that she hadn’t attempted to fix her robe and it was still hanging off one shoulder, giving me a continued view of her bra and her flawless skin.

“That’s the first time I’ve shut my phone off since I bought it,” I confided. “With my job, it’s paramount that I keep it on, but I find I don’t like you annoyed with me. If you insist I focus on relaxing, I won’t turn it on for the remainder of my stay.”

Her smile was more brilliant than the moon overhead. “Oh, I definitely insist.”

“What are your plans for tomorrow?” I dared to ask.

“Breakfast in bed followed by spending the entire day down by the beach. I have a cabana, but I’ll probably be soaking up the sun for the most part.” She ran her index finger along the rim of her wineglass. “I would ask you to join me, but I have bodyguards with me, and they will narc on me to my parents. Then you’ll be subjected to a full background check and endless harassment.”

“Will the guards be in the cabana with you?” I tried to keep my voice neutral, but the thought of two men alone in a private little hut with her made that impossible.

She gave a knowing grin. “Torin, are you jealous of my boring old bodyguards?”

I gritted my teeth, wanting her to use my real name instead of the one the world at large knew me by. Torin Kennedy was the billionaire philanthropist that the world knew and trusted. He stayed private, trying to keep his business deals out of the public eye. Everyone just assumed he was reclusive and wanted to stay out of the spotlight, not wanting recognition for his company that donated millions every year to worthy causes all around the globe. Hell, Torin had even been considered for a Nobel Peace Prize for all the good he supposedly did.

But it was all just part of the image of a man who didn’t really exist.

Then there was the real me, Bain O’Farrell. Head of the O’Farrell and O’Brion families. Ruthless, bloodthirsty. The world was familiar with the name, but as far as they knew, they had never seen Bain’s face. All they did know was that they should fear the man who seemed like a ghost. My true identity was a well-kept secret that had let me slide under the radar of international law enforcement agencies and grow the family businesses exponentially.

“It’s better if I don’t answer that question, mo chroí.” Her smile only grew brighter, lighting up the entire night around us. How I kept from reaching across and snatching her up, I wasn’t completely sure. “If I don’t get a chance to see you tomorrow, perhaps you will honor me with the pleasure of your company and share another bottle of wine with me tomorrow night.”

“It’s a date,” she said with a wink before draining the last of her wine and offering me the empty glass.

My fingers brushed over hers, lingering without taking the glass from her long, elegant fingers. Her lashes lifted, her brown gaze locking with mine. A small gasp left her, and the tip of her pink tongue slipped out, caressing the plumpness of her bottom lip.

“I-I should really get to bed,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. As soon as the words left her, her cheeks turned red and she stepped back, forcing me to take the glass. “I mean, it’s been a long day. And I’m tired. Not that I’m insinuating we should go to bed. Together.” With a groan, she pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. “And apparently I’ve turned into an absolute idiot.”

“Ciana.” She dropped her hand and slowly lifted her gaze. Only when her eyes reached mine did I speak again. “Don’t call yourself an idiot again. No one insults you, beautiful. Not even you.”

Surprise filled her face, but before she could speak, I grabbed the empty bottle and my own wineglass. “Goodnight, mo chroí. Sleep well.”