REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 31

As Bianca and I splashed through the shallows and reached the water's edge a good distance away from Dario and a now-fuming Nysa, I hesitated. I reached for the hem of my t-shirt to pull it off, but froze as memory hit me. Dario had left an ungodly amount of hickeys all over my chest just an hour ago. If I stripped down to my bikini in front of Bianca, she’d see every single mark, so would Nysa and the others.

"I'll be right back, just need to take my shorts off," I muttered to Bianca, keeping my oversized tee glued to my skin. I waded back out to the dry sand just out of immediate earshot, shed my denim shorts, and left the long t-shirt on as a makeshift dress.

When I ran back into the surf, Bianca grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me under. We spent the next hour tossing water at each other, swimming out past the breakers until the sun finally dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of violet and navy.

By the time we waded back ashore, the beach had cleared out. Bianca and Ella sprinted ahead toward the house, leaving me behind with the twilight.

I walked up to the spot where I had dropped my denim shorts, but they were gone.

I frowned, scanning the sand, until I looked up. Dario was sitting casually on a driftwood log a few feet away, holding my shorts in his hand, lazily turning them over.

"Give it back Valteri," I demanded, crossing my arms.

A slow, wicked smirk spread across his face. "Come and get it, kitten."

I marched right over to him, narrowing my eyes. I reached out to yank them from his grip and he stood up. He was too tall, casually lifting his hand just out of my reach. Frustrated, I pressed forward against his chest, standing on my tiptoes to grab them.

The second my body hit his, his arms shot out, wrapping securely around my waist and locking me against him. I froze, my breath catching.

He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Why didn't you take the shirt off, kitten?" he murmured, his voice low and knowing.

My heart hammered against my ribs, but I forced myself to pull back, looking straight into his dark eyes with total seriousness. "Why are you doing this, Dario?" I asked, my voice dropping the playful edge. "What do you actually want from me?"

He didn't answer with words. Instead, his grip tightened, and with a swift, controlled movement, he flipped us backward, taking me down onto the cool sand. He hovered right over me, his broad frame blocking out the night sky, his dark eyes locked onto mine with a terrifying, consuming intensity.

His hand slid slowly up my bare thighs beneath the hem of my shirt. The sudden friction of his palms against my skin sent an involuntary shiver straight through me, and a soft, helpless moan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

His gaze darkened even further. He leaned down, his mouth hovering just an inch from mine.

"This is why," he growled softly against my skin. "Because you're the only one who sees me as a man, not an ATM, not a billionaire, and not a murderous, ruthless mafia king."

Before I could answer, his lips crashed down onto mine, and every rational thought in my head instantly dissolved into ash.

I shoved my hands hard against his chest, breaking the kiss, and scrambled backward onto the cool sand. My breathing was ragged and my lips were burning, but I forced myself to look him dead in the eye.

"Stop it, Dario," I whispered, shaking my head. "You can't just... this isn't a game."

He didn't look angry or defensive; he just let out a low, slow breath, watching me with those heavy, intense eyes. He didn't try to pull me back down. He just let me go, knowing he didn't have to force anything because the pull between us was already too strong to break.

I didn't wait around for him to answer. I grabbed my shorts and pulled it on then marched off the beach, heading back up to the house alone.

By the time midnight rolled around, the heavy glass bottles at our feet had added up. I had nearly three beers in me, the cool, crisp buzz loosening the tight coil that usually sat in my chest.

Ella, Bianca, and I were huddled around the dying embers of the fire pit, laughing over some ridiculous story Bianca was telling. The parents had retreated inside hours ago, and even Nysa had finally given up trying to force Dario to pay attention to her and gone inside.

The conversation shifted naturally, landing on the messy territory of dating. When Bianca pressed me with a curious look, I just shrugged, taking another easy sip of my drink.

"I've actually never been in a relationship," I confessed, my voice light. "Honestly, it just feels like too much work. Always having to think about someone else's feelings before you do anything, factoring a whole extra person into your life. It sounds exhausting."

Ella tilted her head, studying me over the rim of her glass. "So you don't even want a relationship? Ever?"

"No," I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Not a chance."

Suddenly, a heavy shadow fell over the glow of the fire. I tilted my head backward, my eyes tracking up. Dario was standing right behind my chair, his broad frame blocking out the chill of the night air. He didn't even glance down at his sisters, his dark gaze locked entirely on me before he shifted his attention to Bianca and Ella.

"The two of you have had enough. Bed. Now," he commanded, his voice dropping into that effortless, absolute authority that meant zero argument.

Bianca and Ella didn't even hesitate. They stood up instantly, flashing me warm goodnight smiles before practically sprinting toward the back doors, clearing the patio in seconds.

I didn't move an inch. I just stayed slouched in my chair, taking another slow swallow of my beer and meeting his heavy gaze. He walked around the rim of the fire pit and dropped into the chair Bianca had just vacated, pulling close enough that his knee nearly brushed mine. Without breaking eye contact, he reached into the ice cooler beside him, popped the cap off a fresh bottle, and took a slow drink.