Hitman's Captive: A Bad Boy Romance by Lara Swann Page A

didn’t have
to be such a bastard about it - it had been worth a shot.
    “So what are you going to
do then? You can’t just keep me here forever—” Can he? “My—my father
will find me—”
    “Mm, your father.” His
hand tucked a lock of hair back behind my ear, finger lightly brushing my
temple and distracting me as I watched his lips produce that intoxicating drawl
in his voice. I wanted to be repulsed - to flinch away from the touch - but it
was all I could do not to lean into it. His voice brought me back again.
“Unfortunately he’s not at the top of my concerns right now, princess—”
    “Stop calling me that! My
name is Alessa. ” I snapped, his attitude provoking me too far.
    “But that’s what you are,
isn’t it? An Italian Mafia princess. And since you don’t seem able to go more
than a few minutes without mentioning your daddy, it’s only polite to
let you know that I haven’t forgotten, hmm?”
    I glared at him, body
tensing as I wished I could reach out and try striking him again. It didn’t
matter that I’d dropped the desk leg in the initial scuffle or that I’d get
nowhere against his strength - it would still be immensely satisfying. He gave
me a cocky smile and I hated him even more for how good that made his handsome
features look. Bastard.
    Then the smile died as he
considered me seriously for a moment.
    “I’m not going to lie,
girl - my job went to shit. You weren’t supposed to be there. I wasn’t even
trying to kill Viktor. So, yes, I can’t keep you here forever - but until I
find out who set me up and can give them to the Kovalski’s to beat on,
you’re stuck here with me. And since I’m under a helluva lot of stress right
now, I suggest this is the last stunt you try to pull.”
    Our gazes locked for a
moment, and the way my body reacted to that intensity disturbed me more than I
wanted to admit. His warning was almost lost in that surge of confusing
emotions, and I tried to pull away from the heat of his body against mine,
wanting to focus on his intentions - and what that meant for me.
    “And…and if you don’t
find…whoever it is?” I regretted jumping to the worst case scenario almost
immediately, but my mind wouldn’t stop going there. I had to know.
    His eyes darkened
briefly, and his voice matched that gaze as my breath caught. “I’m very good at
what I do, Alessa - but if things go wrong…well, I suggest you keep hoping that
your daddy finds you.”
    A shudder ran through me
and his expression eased as he noticed, but he didn’t say anything to offer
comfort - not that I would have taken it from the murderer-slash-kidnapper who
was threatening me anyway. Instead, his gaze lingered on my face, and the slow
heat that was building underneath the tension and fear became a distraction in
itself. He paused there with his eyes on my mouth in a way that made my blood
tick up, anticipating the moment when he leaned forward and—
    Stop it!
    I flushed red as my pulse
beat hard in my neck and made it hard to think about anything other than his
hot gaze on my skin.
    He’s just taken you because
you’re a witness. That’s what he said. Nothing else. No need to fear…anything
you’ve been thinking about.
    “So you’re not…you’re not
going to…” I bit down on my tongue hard to stop myself from finishing
that sentence, cursing at the way my brain-to-mouth filter had abandoned me
tonight. I couldn’t help it though - everything about him was screaming how
much more he intended to do to me, and not knowing whether to be terrified
or…something else…was driving me crazy.
    “To what?” His brow
furrowed slightly, a blank expression slipping over the heat of a moment
before.
    You’re really going to
make me say it?
    My gaze slipped past his
for a moment, hovering on a spot on the opposite wall before darting back to
him, trying to look defiant and angry.
    “I’ve seen the way you
look at me.”
    He blinked, and I saw the
open surprise across his