Making Mina 2: Strings Attached Read Online Free PDF Page A

keep.”
    “Pro-o-mises?” Mina’s voice cracked. What was he talking about?  She didn’t remember any promises.  He talked—oh how he talked!—describing things he wanted to do to her, places he wanted to show her, dizzying possibilities, yes, but not promises.
    “Don’t tell me you don’t remember, Mina  mia ,” Marco said, a playful disappointment coloring his voice before it deepened again, “because I remember every word—every whisper, every plea.”
    His voice was weaving a spell around her and Mina had to break it.  She grabbed her glass and swallowed a huge mouthful of the fruity, tannin-laden wine, barely tasting it.  Her legs were trembling under the table, and she could feel her body betraying her.  Her heart raced and her breath quickened, and she ached with a longing for the pleasure Marco had wrung from her.
    “Tell me you don’t think about that night,” he said, almost as if he could read her mind. His hand rested, dark against the white tablecloth, and Mina’s eyes were drawn to it, watching the patterns he drew on the smooth surface, remembering how those same fingers drew tracer-fire laced patterns on her skin. He lowered his voice, “Tell me that right this minute you aren’t wet from the idea of me bending you over this table right now and taking you.  Don’t try to lie, either,” his lips twisted in a mockery of a smile, “I can practically smell you—your need, and your desire.  It’s as plain as the nose on your beautiful face.”
    Mina whimpered as images of him doing just that raced through her mind, liquid heat pooling between her legs.
    “I told you before, very plainly if I remember correctly, that I regretted letting you go that first night we met.”  A look of polite disinterest covered his face, but his voice gave him away.  “I could have pushed—pried you away from that limpet you called your fiancé—but you would have always blamed yourself and I didn’t want that.”
    Mina nodded absently, his words too true to deny.  He was right; if she’d cheated on Ethan she’d never have been able to live with herself.  It was almost disturbing that Marco understood her so clearly, so quickly.
    “But now,” a smile began to show, “you have no ties, no obligations.  There is no one standing between me and what I want.”  The smile became predatory, white teeth gleaming in the low light.  “I want you, Mina  mia , and I intend to have you.”
    Mina tried to feel offended—his arrogance was astounding—but she couldn’t.  Ivy was right:  she  was the one who took what she wanted and then walked away.  Marco still wanted her, for whatever reason, and it was only her own insecurity standing in their way. 
    “So this exhibit,” she said, forcing moisture into her mouth, “is what? Leverage?  Something to keep me in line?” Mina didn’t want to hear the answer, but she had to ask.
    Marco snorted.  “I somehow doubt that even the Crown Jewels would be enough to keep you in line.”  He shook his head.  “No, the exhibit is yours no matter what happens.  You had a promising future—a real talent—and you made one foolhardy choice that ruined those chances.  When your engagement fell through I decided you should have that chance again.  I couldn’t give you back the time you’d lost, but I could give you an opportunity.  If that opportunity happened to require that you spend time with me…  Well, let’s just say that I’d be a terrible businessman if I didn’t keep an eye on my own interests.”  He tilted his head to one side, watching her.
    At least he’s honest , she thought. 
    “What if I don’t want,” Mina stumbled, “what you want?” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment—she couldn’t even say the words! How could he want someone who was so naïve?  So inexperienced?
    A rumbling laugh caught her by surprise and she looked up quickly.
    “I don’t think you   know what you