Free Claimed by the Sicilian Tycoon by Emma Shortt

you come
running, is that understood?”
    “Of
course.”
    “There
will be no other men. You will be mine and mine alone.”
    “Obviously.”
    “And
in return,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “I will make sure you are
comfortable. I will house you and spoil you, and you will be mine. But, and you
need to be clear on this, you are not my girlfriend, I will not treat you as
such.”
    “I
don’t want you to.”
    Another
glare. “And you will not become my wife. Do not imagine that you will soften
me, that I will fall for you. You will not, there is no chance of that ever
happening. I want to fuck you, constantly, and I will, but that is all there
is, or will be, between us.”
    “I
know.”
    “We
will have fun,” he added. “Do not doubt that.”
    “So
you…” She paused, wondering if there was even a need to ask what she’d been
planning to ask. The answer was obvious wasn’t it?
    “What?”
he demanded. “Finish your sentence.”
    “Had
fun last night?”
    He
stopped his pacing, and laughed, actually laughed. The sound made her stomach
clench, and Lyra sighed a little inside. He was very attractive when he
laughed, when he smiled—hell, he was all round super-hot. There was nothing
about him that she could pick out as a flaw.
    “Lyra,”
he said. “You are quite something.”
    She
grinned, his smile suddenly making her feel a million times lighter. “Why thank
you, Andros. I had a wild time last night.”
    The
smile remained. Lyra preferred it immensely to the scowl, or the glare for that
matter. “So your list has been met?” he asked.
    “Uh
huh. You’re dynamite in the sack. Don’t tell me a gal has never told you that.”
    “Not
in so many words.”
    “Well
I will then. You, Andros Casstellini, know how to fuck.”
      He shook his head, and joined her on the
couch. Close, too close. Lyra’s breath caught in her throat, and her nipples
hardened. How she wanted him.
    “So
blunt,” he whispered, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
    “I
always am, Andros,” she replied slowly. “I can’t help it, never have been able
to. It got me into so much trouble when I was at school. Detention after
detention for speaking my mind.”
    “And
college?” he asked.
    She
shook her head, her school grades—painfully bad grades—flashing through her
mind. There had been no time to study, not when she had Penny and Rachel to
look after, to keep safe. “Not a place I ever went.”
    “So
up until now what is it you have been doing with yourself?”
    “You
want my life story?”
    His
fingers trailed along her cheekbone, to the v-neck of his tee shirt. “Some information
would be appreciated.”
    Lyra
inhaled sharply as his other hand found the hem of the tee shirt. “I’m sure you
can get on your computer and find out everything you need to know in a few
minutes,” she whispered, her thighs shaking as he ran a hand along them. “You
have my full name.”
    “Lyra
Matthews.”
    “Exactly.”
    “And
your middle name?” he asked as he moved the tee shirt up.
    “I
don’t have one, or if I did I don’t know what it is, and in truth, Andros,
Matthews is not my original surname, though it is my legal one.
      His hands stilled. “You have been married?”
    “Didn’t
I say I wasn’t the marrying kind?”
      “Then…”
    She
laughed. “You know I resolved to be completely honest with you. Deception is
not my style, but now I think about it maybe you should just leave me shrouded
in mystery. Let me keep my secrets and leave it at that.”
    He
frowned and took the hem of the tee with both hands. “I can’t do that. In fact,
I have already ordered a full background check on you. I simply need your date
of birth to finish it.”
    “Why?”
    Her
tee came off in one move and he flung it aside so that it disappeared over the
back of the couch. “I am a rich man. You could be planning to extort me or to
kidnap me.”
    His
hands were on her breasts now and Lyra gasped as she