《The Mafia Boss Who Captivated Me》


 1

    "Piece of junk," I mumble, mming the door of my beat-up Ford Focus with my foot. Juggling a bag of groceries in one hand and cleaning supplies in the other, I make my way across the frontwn and toward the front door which is slightly ajar.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I swallow a gulp of air. I definitely locked it this morning. I triple check it before I leave. As I scan the street behind me, I notice a beautiful ck Porsche SUV with the tinted windows. My hands trembling, I ce my bags on the ground, straining to hear any noise from inside the house. cing my hand on the door, I edge it open a little further. If my asshole older brother has dragged his sorry ass back here looking for money, then I swear to God I will kick him straight in the nuts.


    But at least if it''s him, I know what to expect. I know how to handle him. I''ve been doing it since I was fifteen and our mom died. There''s no way he''d be here in that fancy car though, so who the hell does it belong to? Somebody looking for him, perhaps? Yet another person he''s screwed over.


    My heart beats wildly as I stand on the porch. I knew I shouldn''t have offered him a ce to stay, but when he''d turned up at my doorstep four weeks earlier, standing in the pouring rain with no coat, what the hell else was I supposed to do? He had nowhere else to go and he''s my brother after all. So I offered him my sofa, and for a few weeks, it was actually nice having him around. I wasn''t surprised at all two mornings ago to wake up to find him gone with nothing but a note that said he''d be in touch when he''s back on his feet. I was even less surprised to find all the money in my purse and my emergency fund gone too. Asshole!


    If they''re looking for Leo, then they''vee to the wrong ce.


    Suddenly, I wish I''d taken my cousin''s advice of carrying my gun in my purse. I push open the door and step into the house, leaving it open behind me in case I need to run. The sound of voices carries down the hallway from the kitchen. Men''s voices and they don''t sound happy. Passing the stairs, I reach for the baseball bat I keep tucked behind the coat stand and grip it tightly as I make my way to the back of the house.


    Two menrge and bulky - are sitting at my kitchen table. Dressed in ck tailored suits that probably cost more than my entire year''s rent and ck shirts open at the cor. Both have dark hair and beards. Are they brothers? They sure look simr.


    Dark ink covers their hands and their necks. When they look up at me, my heart almost gives out. They don''t move, but their presence is suffocating. It''s visceral. These men... they don''t listen to reason or logic.


    "You must be Katerina?" one of them says, and his voice makes every hair on my body stand on end. It''s deep and smooth like chocte but dark and menacing. I bet he likes to talk to people while he kills them. Confuses their brain with his velvety rich voice while he pulls out their fingernails.


    They stare at me while I remain frozen on the spot. I''ve experienced this before. Paralyzed into inaction by my own fear, and it led to...


    No, I can''t go there now. I need to think.


    I react on instinct,unching the baseball bat I''m holding in their direction and distracting them while I make a run for it. My heart pounds as I race down the narrow hallway to my bedroom. The sound of the bat and my wooden chairs ttering to the floor behind me makes me pump my arms faster. Instead of escaping out of the open front door, I head for my room, where there''s a bolt on the door and a handgun beneath my pillow.


    My bedroom is my sanctuary. The only ce I ever feel safe. If either of them steps foot in there, I will blow their goddamn heads off. I stumble inside, scrambling to get to safety, but footsteps thunder after me. My nails scratch the wood as I fumble to close the door, but I''m not fast enough, and it flies open, sending me hurtling across the room where Ind on the edge of my bed.


    When I look up, one of the bearded men is advancing on me, not the one with the velvet voice, but his colleague. His eyes are dark as he res at me for daring to run.


    "Get the hell out of my house," I shriek as I scoot back along the bed. Reaching beneath my pillow, my hand curls around the handle of my Glock.


    I point it at him as he gets closer and... his lips twitch.


    Rude, arrogant asshole actually smiles at me. "You sure you got the guts to use that thing?" he drawls and his voice is just as terrifying as the other guys. Do they teach that in bad guy school? How to distract your enemies, or in this case, your prey, with your voice alone?


    "One step closer and you''ll find out." My heart is racing faster than a Chevy at Daytona, and my hand is trembling as I aim the gun at his chest, but he''s mistaken if he thinks I''m afraid to use this weapon.


    He steps closer anyway, and I close my eyes as I squeeze. No gunshot sounds. Just a soft click of the trigger.


    "Oh yeah, we found that," he snorts as if this is funny, enraging me further.


    I pull the trigger again and nothing, so I throw the gun at his head, but he ducks. Still, it gives me long enough to spring from the bed and dart past him - and straight into the arms of his colleague. "You are a feisty little kitten," he sneers.


    Ish out, scratching his face as I try to escape his grip, but he catches my wrist in his giant hand and squeezes until pain shoots up my forearm. Then he twists me around so that my back is pressed against his chest and he has both of my arms pinned behind me. He rests his mouth close to my ear and his warm breath dusts over my neck, making me shiver involuntarily.


    "I kind of like it when you struggle, kitten," he whispers.


    "Then you''ll love this." I throw my head back, but he dodges me.


    "You really shouldn''t warn people when you''re about to headbutt them," he hisses as he pushes me toward the kitchen with my hands still pinned behind my back and his arm around my waist so I''m caged against his body. "She actually tried to fucking shoot me," the other one says incredulously as he follows us. "And she threw the fucking gun at my head."


    "Well, at least she''s got a terrible aim," the one holding onto me replies. "Take a seat," he snaps, pushing me forward.


    I stumble as he releases me from his grip and nt my hands on the table to stop myself from falling t on my face. He picks up one of the chairs from the floor and stands it upright.


    "Sit!" he barks.


    In this moment, I realize they know way more about me than I''d like them to. They found my gun and they know my name. And with them blocking my exit, I have no chance of escaping. So I reluctantly take a seat. "Who the hell are you?"


    "I think we''ll be asking the questions," the one who just had his hands on me says. Something about his demeanor and the way he talks tells me he''s in charge. I mean, they''re both terrifying, but this one has that air of arrogant authority about him too. You know what I mean? Like the top jock in high school who dated the head cheerleader and could walk around the halls like he goddamn owned them.


    "Where is Leo?" the other one asks me.


    I snort and shake my head. I knew this was about him.


    "Was that a fucking answer, D?" he says to Velvet Voice when I don''t reply.


    "Didn''t sound like one to me, Max," D says as he rights the other chair, taking a seat and watching me intently.


    "Where. Is. Leo," the one I now know is Max asks again.


    "And if you want to keep those pretty blue eyes of yours, I''d suggest you answer."


    "I don''t know where he is."


    "You know, that''s what they all say at first." Heughs, then continues, "Until I start applying a little more pressure. You know what I mean?"


    "Pretty sure a monkey could understand the threat you just made, asshole," I snarl, "but that doesn''t change the fact that I have no idea where my brother is. In fact, when you find him, could you let me know? He hauled ass two days ago, taking all of my savings with him."


    Max looks at D, who has an arrogant smirk on his face as he watches the exchange between us. "Did she just call me an asshole?" he asks with a frown.


    D nods, and his colleague turns back to me. Max steps closer, before crouching down on his heels. That brings us eye to eye because he is a goddamn giant.


    "You think this is some kind of joke we''re ying here, sweetheart?" he hisses, and my blood turns to ice. "Your brother owes my boss money, and we will not be leaving this house until we have taken some kind of payment." "I-I don''t have any money."


    "So, tell us where he is."


    "I don''t know. I swear. He just disappears and then turns up when he''s in trouble again."


    "You know you''re covering for a lowlife piece of shit, right?" he continues.


    I scowl at him. Leo is a top-notch jackass who has brought me more trouble than anyone should endure in two lifetimes, but he''s still my big brother, and this asshole doesn''t get to talk about him like that.


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    "Says the man who breaks into people''s homes and threatens women?" I snap.


    "Fuck''s sake!" he mutters. Closing his eyes, he sucks in a deep breath as though he''s trying to keep a lid on his temper.


    "Max, let me handle this," the one named D says. His voice is soft, calm and controlled, yetced with so much menace it makes me shudder.


    "She''s all yours, boss," Max replies, then he throws me a sympathetic look. "You should have let me handle it, sweetheart."


    I swallow as his boss stands and takes two steps until he''s towering over me. He''s about an inch taller than Max but not quite as broad. He fills out his suit like it was painted on his body, and he wears it like he was born in one. "Katerina," he says as he pulls up the other chair and ces it directly in front of me. He takes a seat and we are so close that his knees are almost touching mine. "My name is Dante Moretti."


    Holy fuckballs, Leo. What have you done? Dante Moretti is Mafia. He is THE Mafia.


    "Your brother owes my family a lot of money and I want it back."


    "I told you I don''t know where he is," I whisper.


    He narrows his eyes at me. "Then I''ll have to take something else of value to him."


    "He doesn''t have anything. This house is a rental, and it''s mine. He doesn''t even have car."


    "Hmm." Dante runs a hand over his jaw as he stares at me, and I can''t help but think I''m missing something here.


    "I''m sorry, I can''t help you," I say.


    For some reason, that makes Maxugh and I swear I want to kick that crazy asshole in the balls.


    "I think you''re overlooking his most important asset, Katerina," Dante says with the hint of a smile.


    Leo has no assets. Zero. Whenever he makes even a little money, he gambles it away. He''s never been able to hold on to anything he makes. "And what''s that?" "You," Dante says deadpan.


    "Me?"


    "That''s what I said."


    "B-but I... I don''t have anything. I mean, we could set up a payment n, I guess, but I can only spare a few bucks a week."


    Suddenly, Max howls withughter.


    "Katerina," Dante says quietly. "Your brother owes me over a quarter of a million dors."


    I open my mouth and close it again. That''s not possible.


    Leo couldn''t owe that kind of money. It''s insane.


    He shifts closer, edging his chair closer to mine so that our knees touch. "And when I say I''m taking payment, I do not mean a payment n. I''m talking about you." My head spins because I don''t know what he''s saying and what the hell he means.


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    "Like, take me? You can''t do that." I shake my head.


    "I''m a person."


    Dante sighs softly. "If I found your brother and he couldn''t pay, you know what I would do?"


    I could take a pretty good guess, but I''m not going to verbalize it and give him any ideas, so I shake my head.


    "I would kill him," he says, so matter-of-fact, like it''s an everyday activity for him. No doubt it is. "And I would do it very slowly, so that he would feel every single cent that he stole from me."


    My heart is thundering in my ears, and I can''t breathe.


    The head of the Mafia is sitting in my kitchen, talking about torturing my brother as calmly as he would talk about what to buy for dinner. And somehow, I''m involved in this payment?


    "But I haven''t found your brother," he goes on. "Instead, I found you."


    "S-so you''re going to kill m-me instead?" I stammer as my eyes scan the kitchen, looking for a weapon or a way out.


    But what chance do I have anyway? If their physical presence wasn''t enough, their names are. If this is Dante Moretti, that means Max is Maximo DiMarco - ruthless enforcer and unhinged psychopath. Dante ughtered his fianc¨¦e and her entire family on the eve of his wedding. The things these men do to people make those twisted shock-value, horror movies that Leo used to make me watch seem like high school pranks.


    Dante leans back in his chair as his eyes scan over my body. "I might be willing toe to another kind of arrangement."? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I pull my coat tighter around myself, as though it might shield me from him. At least it covers my huge boobs straining at the one size too small uniform. Pity my cheap-ass boss won''t buy me a different one. Focus, Kat!


    I stare at the devil sitting in front of me. "What kind of arrangement?"


    "D?" Maximo says with a frown, earning him a stern look before Dante trains his eyes back on me.


    "I think I''ll just take you instead. I''m sure I''ll find a use for you at my house. You can work off your brother''s debt for him."


    Take me? His house? "You can''t do that. You can''t just take a person like they''re a goddamn car or something. You can''t just walk in here and expect me to -" He stands and looks at Maximo. "Start throwing some of her things into a bag." I jump up from my chair. "I am not going anywhere with you," I shout, but Maximo is already walking out of the room.


    "Do not touch my things," I yell, about to run after him, but Dante holds out his arm and stops me.


    "Behave, little kitten," he warns, his eyes dark and unreadable. "You won''t like me when I''m upset."


    I screech in his face, "I hate you. You fucking monster!


    You can''t do this. You can''t..." I beat my fists against his chest, but he doesn''t budge. I may as well be punching a steel wall. After a few seconds, he takes hold of my wrists and I''m left staring up into his face with tears running down my cheeks.


    "If I let you go so you can help Maximo pack your things, do you promise not to throw anything else at his head?"


    No. I''ll throw my goddamn TV at his head if I get the chance. "Yes," I sniff instead.


    He releases my wrists and steps aside to allow me out of the room, before he follows me down the hallway.


    "You can''t do this. People will miss me, you know?


    They''ll wonder where I am."


    "No, they won''t," he replies in that calm, confident tone that also drips with arrogance and entitlement.


    I die a little more inside as I realize he''s right.

 2

    Dante


    Katerina''s arms and legs are crossed as she hugs her body and tries to make herself as small as possible, nestled against the corner of the car so she is as far from me as she can physically be. I had to apany her in the back in case she tried to pull any shit to escape. She threw a baseball bat and a gun at Maximo''s head, tried to shoot him, and then punched me in the chest all in the space of fifteen minutes, so I''m pretty sure we got ourselves a live wire.


    I can sense Maximo''s eyes on me in the rearview mirror every few minutes, probably wondering what the hell I''m even thinking of bringing her to my house instead of making an example of her.


    I have no answer to that question though. No reasonable exnation as to why I''m taking her as a payment for her brother''s debt instead of doing whatever necessary to make sure she doesn''t have any information that might lead me to the slippery little fuck. There''s something about her that intrigues me. I looked into her when we were trying to find Leo. She trained to be a nurse, and she worked as one in Northwestern Memorial for three years. She was good at it too. I read all of her performance reviews. Incredible with patients and respected by her colleagues.


    Then two years ago, she quit, and nobody from the hospital ever heard from her again. She left her nice apartment block and moved to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. She took a night shift, cleaning empty office blocks. Besides that, she rarely leaves the house.


    She''s a mystery. A puzzle I want to solve. I''ve always been good at reading people. Usually, within a few minutes, I can figure out their story, but not her. That''s what intrigues me. It has nothing to do with her bright blue eyes and the fire in them when she stood up to Maximo and me.


    Nothing to do with her perky tits straining against that cleaning uniform she has on beneath her coat, or her full pink lips and how good they would look if I was fucking her smart mouth. And absolutely nothing to do with the way her tant defiance and disregard for who I am made me harder than I''ve ever been in my life.


    No. Not that at all.


    WHEN WE PULL up at my house, Katerina cranes her neck to get a full view of the ce. It''s huge, with two wings, one for me, and one for my brother and his wife. But he''s not living here right now. No doubt, she''s looking for ways to escape though. She won''t find any.


    Once Maximo has stopped the car, I climb out and walk around to her side. When I pull the door open, she scowls at me.


    "You can walk into the house, or I will carry you in. And you can kick and scream for help and not one single person here will stop me ore to your rescue."


    She res at me as she weighs her options, and a few secondster, she steps out of the car, her jaw set in defiance even as she follows me the few steps to the house, while Maximo grabs the small suitcase of personal belongings she gathered from her ce. She didn''t bring much, just a few clothes and toiletries and a photo album.


    Maximo called ahead once we knew we were going to have a new houseguest. My housekeeper, Sophia, opens the door.


    "Mr. Moretti," she says with a polite nod.


    "Sophia, this is Katerina. Can you show her to her room?"


    "Of course, sir," she replies, opening the door and ushering Katerina inside.


    Katerina turns to me, her eyes wide and full of anxiety. I like the way she looks at me. I am the man with all the answers, and that makes her dependent on me. And I definitely like that.


    "I''ll bring your bag up in a moment," I tell her, and she nods, although her face is still clouded in confusion and uncertainty, which I guess is understandable.


    She follows Sophia along the hallway and up the stairs.


    A few secondster, Maximo joins me..


    "You sure you know what you''re doing, D?" he asks, giving me a look that suggests he knows my motives aren''t entirely motivated by my need to recoup the money that Leo Evanson stole from us.


    "Nope."


    "What exactly is she gonna be doing while she''s here?"


    he asks with a grin.


    "I''ll think of something."


    "I''m sure you will."


    I ignore his innuendo. "She was a nurse, right?" I remind him. "Surely, she has skills that will be useful to us?"


    "Sure," he says, but he''s still looking at me like he knows I''m thinking about another set of skills she might have. "You haven''t forgotten your pop ising for dinnerter, have you?" "Fuck!"


    "You did forget?"


    "I do my best to forget any things rted to him."


    "Good thing one of us is on the ball though, eh?" He nudges me, and I roll my eyes at him.


    Anyone else tried to ride my ass like he does and I''d put a bullet in them. But Maximo is like a brother to me. He''s a year older than I am and we grew up together. Our fathers were best friends until his was murdered when he was fourteen. He lived with us after that. There was no official adoption - it just was. I would die for him and he''d do the same for me in a heartbeat. Loyalty like that is hard toe by.


    "Why do you think I keep you around here?" I say as I take Katerina''s bag from him and head to the stairs.


    "Because you couldn''t fucking function without me." He whistles, heading off to my study, while I prepare to wee our guest.


    SOPHIA IS LEAVING the room when I reach it, and when I walk inside, Katerina is staring out of the window, looking at the courtyard below. She''s taken off her coat at least, so I figure she''s epted she won''t be leaving any time soon. "Kind of a nice room for a prison cell," she says, full of snark.


    Goddamn it, I want to throw her on the bed and fuck that attitude out of her. Perhaps,ter.


    "It has a lock too," I tell her. "Not that you''ll need it."


    "Won''t I?"


    "Well, nobody lives here, except me. And Sophia of course, but she lives downstairs."


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    She arches an eyebrow at me and how much I would love to fuck that look off her face.


    "It would take more than a lock to keep me out if I wanted in here, kitten."


    She hugs her arms to her chest, shivering as she rubs her bare arms as though she''s cold despite the warm room.


    Is that from fear or something else? "What exactly do you want with me? You nning on just keeping me here forever, or am I only supposed to stay here until I pay off this debt?"


    "Yes."


    "Yes what? You''re keeping me here forever or until I work off Leo''s debt?"


    How about both? "You''ll work off your brother''s substantial debt and then you can leave," I say instead.


    "And just how do I do that? And how long will it take?


    What about my actual job? My house?" she fires off the questions, arms still crossed over her chest.


    "Your employer will be informed of your new circumstances. Your house will be maintained until you''re ready to return to it. And as for how long that will take, that all depends on how good you are," I say, crossing the room until I''m standing so close to her I can smell her scent. It''s not a perfume. It''s sweet like chocte. The cocoa butter lotion she uses on her skin. I saw her throwing it into the bag earlier.


    "Good at what?" she whispers, and her lip trembles slightly.


    I don''t know what makes me harder - feisty Katerina or trembling-with-fear Katerina. I''m going to have plenty of fun with both of them. But not today. Not yet.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I could pin her down on this bed and fuck her senseless and there wouldn''t be a single thing she could do about it.


    No matter how hard she fought me or how loud she screamed, nobody woulde to her aid.


    "Whatever it is I tell you to do."


    She rolls her eyes at me and I step closer until I''m invading every inch of her personal space. Her breath hitches, making those goddamn tits strain against the snappers on her uniform even more. One flick of my wrist and that damn tunic would be open and her chest would bepletely exposed. I ram my hands into my pockets to stop myself from touching her. I can tell that she wants to step back and give herself a little space, but she''s too stubborn to back down. "I am not having sex with you," she snarls.


    "I don''t force women into having sex with me. I certainly don''t have to pay them for the privilege."


    Relief shines in her eyes momentarily. "My men, on the other hand... well, they are a different matter."


    "I-I''m not having sex with anyone," she stammers, and tears well in her eyes as she steps away from me, pressing her back against the window. "I''d rather you kill me than keep me here like some paid whore to entertain your men."


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    There is a terror in her eyes that wasn''t there a moment ago. She''s hiding a secret and it''s shimmering just beneath the surface now. I can almost feel it, but she keeps it well hidden. And I find myself doing somethingpletely out of character. "You were a nurse, right? So I''m sure you have other talents that wille in useful instead, Katerina," I assure her.


    I walk out of the room before I give her any further indication that I am anything but the monster she believes I am.


    "My name is Kat. I hate Katerina," she calls after me.


    Is this what d¨¦j¨¤ vu feels like? Because I''ve heard those words before. I turn around. And suddenly it''s six years ago and I''m looking at someone else''s face as we stand in this room. We stood here just like this and she said almost those exact same words. Except Nicole preferred Ni, and she was never my prisoner. She was here through choice. Until she wasn''t.


    My chest tightens as six years of anger and the weight of all the secrecy and lies surges up from my gut, threatening to spill out until I push it all back down where it belongs.


    "Are you okay?" Kat''s voice snaps me from the past reminding me that that time in my life has long gone. "You look like you''ve just seen a ghost."


    "Maybe," I mumble, and she blinks at me in confusion.


    "Anyway, make yourself at home until I figure out what to do with you."


    Something unreadable flickers in Kat''s expression.


    "Except for my study, you''re free to explore the house.


    But you try and escape and I will hand you over to my men to do with as they please. You understand me?"


    "Yes."


    "Sophia makes dinner around eight. You can eat wherever you like, but my father ising this evening, so I''d prefer you eat in your room."


    "I''d rather eat in here anyway," she snipes.


    "Of course you would. Not much of a people person, are you?"


    "Well, you tell me since you seem to know a hell of a lot about me, Mr. Moretti," she snaps.


    Whatever glimpse of vulnerability she allowed me to see a moment ago has vanished, and her armor is firmly back in ce. Which is a good thing because she''ll need that while she''s living here. "I make it my business to know everything there is to know about my enemies, Ms.


    Evanson."


    I walk out of the door and close it behind me. I need to do something to take my mind off the fiery wildcat because walking around here with a semi-permanent hard-on isn''t my idea of a good time.


    Maybe I should just fuck her and get it over with. Get her out of my head so I can focus. Except that I don''t want to simply take Kat; I want to own every single part of her.


    And the worst of it is, I have absolutely no idea why.

 3

    Dante


    He''ste as usual. It''s one of his many ws that I despise. His tardiness is yet another one of his mind games.


    "Would you like me to wait to serve dinner, sir?" Sophia asks.


    I nce across the table at Maximo, who is chewing on a cocktail stick and drumming his fingers on the table. He''s not a patient man, especially when ites to food, and I feel the annoyance in him crackling through the room. "We''ll give him a few more minutes," I say with a sigh.


    "As you wish," she says with a polite nod.


    "Has our guest eaten yet?"


    "I took her up some food at eight as you requested. She hasn''t left her room since."


    "Okay, good." I dismiss her with a wave as my thoughts drift to Kat.


    I wonder what she''s wearing and if she''s finally changed out of her cleaning uniform that''s too small for her curves.


    When she was packing her things at her house, I tried not to look at her underwear as she stuffed it into the bag, but there was definitely a pair of panties with tiny pink hearts all over them. She doesn''t seem like a hearts-on-her-panties kind of woman, but then she doesn''t seem like a woman who would quit her dream job to clean office blocks for twenty bucks an hour either.


    Sophiaes hurrying back inside. "Your father is here, sir. Shall I put the steaks on now?"


    "For the love of God, yes, please," Maximo groans, but Sophia ignores him and keeps her eyes trained on me. "Yes, please," I tell her.


    She hurries out again, surprisingly nimble for a sixty-seven-year-old woman with an arthritic hip. She should really retire, but whenever I suggest that, she looks at me like I''ve broken her heart and tells me she has nowhere else to go. We had two housekeepers when my brother and his wife lived here too, but that seems so long ago now.


    Regret gnaws at the pit of my stomach, or perhaps it''s just hunger.


    My father''s incredibly loud voice reverberates around the hallway outside, signaling his arrival. With an inward groan, I brace myself for an evening in hispany. He insists on us meeting for dinner once a month, framing his visits as an opportunity to see his favorite son, but we both know neither of those things are true.


    When he walks into the room, he opens his arms as he approaches me. "mio figlio." He smiles widely.


    I fake one too and ept his embrace. He pats me on the back. "You lost a little weight, son?" he asks as he steps back a little, his eyes full of mock concern.


    He has done this all my life. Preys on what he thinks are my insecurities. I was a scrawny kid until I hit fifteen and he reminded me of it every goddamn day of my life. But I''m not that kid anymore. I''m six-foot-four and two hundred and forty pounds. I train in my gym almost every day. I can bench press one and a half times my own body weight, and I spar with a former heavyweight champion. My suits are custom-made and they still fit me exactly the way they always have, but I''ve lost weight. Right?


    "Pretty sure my weight''s the same as thest time you were here, Pop," I reply.


    "Hmm." He arches a brow as though he doesn''t believe me. "And, Maximo. I might have known you''d be here," he says it with a smile on his face, but his tone drips with disdain.


    "Well, I never could resist a good steak, Sal," Maximo replies with a well-practiced smile.


    My father''s eye twitches as Maximo uses his name informally. He prefers his full title - Salvatore or Mr.


    Moretti, especially from the orphan he brought into his home, and who he believes owes him a debt. But even my father knows better than to challenge the loose cannon that is my right hand.


    "Shall we?" I pull out a chair for him and we all sit at the table.


    Maximo pours us all a ss of Chianti.


    "So, how is business?" my father finally asks - his usual opener.


    "Good." My standard reply.


    "You dealt with the business at the warehousest week?"


    "Yes." There''s always business at the warehouse.


    "And what about Leo Evanson? You got that money he stole from me?"


    My insides twist into a knot. Here we go. Leo Evanson really fucked me over when he decided to enter the most lucrative poker game in Chicago. Not only because he cheated and walked away with a quarter of a million dors that he didn''t earn, but also because one of the men sitting at that table was my father''s old buddy, Constantine.


    Now, Constantine Bti has been a gambling man for as long as I''ve known him. He''s one of the best poker yers there is, however, his penchant for women half his age with expensive tastes in shoes, handbags, and cocaine means he spends it faster than he can win it. So, when the big games happen once a month at one of our clubs, my father bankrolls Bti and takes half of his winnings. So the money that he stole, really belongs to my father - and therein lies my problem.


    My father doesn''t need the money. It''s pocket change to him, but he doesn''t need his old friend thinking that he''s incapable of getting their money back from a street punk like Leo Evanson. Their whole arrangement was under the table of course.


    Nobody knew about it and Bti''s ego and my father''s paranoia ensured it stayed that way, until now. Now every fucker knows that Leo stole from the Morettis and he is running for his life. "Leo took off. No one knows where he is."


    "What about the sister? You looked into her, right?"


    I sense Maximo''s eyes on me.


    "Yeah. He was staying with her, but he bailed. Took her savings too."


    "So, does she know where he is? Have any leads to chase?"


    I shake my head and sip my wine. "She didn''t know anything."


    My father frowns at me. "She must have known something."


    "No," I say firmly, trying to keep the annoyance from my tone.


    "How hard did you push her to talk?" He looks at Maximo now because that''s his particr area of expertise.


    "Enough," I reply on his behalf.


    "She dead?" he asks nonchntly as he drinks his wine.


    "No."


    "You get any money from her at least?" he asks with a sigh.


    "She doesn''t have any."


    That seems to be the final straw, and he turns to face me. "So, you got nothing? That fuck steals a quarter of a million dors from me and you got nothing? Are you losing your touch, ragazzo?" My knuckles turn white as I clench my hands.


    Maximo catches my eye across the table and gives a subtle shake of his head. My rtionship with my father isplex and bound up in so much guilt and regret and anger thatmunicating with him in any way feels too damn difficult. So


    I keep it all locked away and deal with him as little as humanly possible, because if I were to ever lift that lid and let some of this rage out of me, I might just fucking kill him where he stands. And despite who I am, killing my own father - the great Salvatore Moretti - is not high on my list of priorities. I force my muscles to rx, curling my fingers around the delicate stem of my winess before I take a sip.


    "Not nothing. I have his sister," I say calmly.


    He blinks at me, amused. "You have her?"


    "Yes."


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    "Where? Are you using her as bait?"


    "I don''t think he''d take that bait. He doesn''t give a fuck about her," I say, annoyance prickling beneath my skin again. But this time, it''s directed at Kat''s brother.


    "So, what then? You taking your pound of flesh?" he asks with a sly grin, and my stomach churns as I think about the things this man has done. Nothing would make him happier than me telling him I had Kat chained in the basement downstairs where I could torture her or use her for whatever pleasure I wanted to take. That is the kind of man he''d be proud of.


    "No. She''s working for me," I grit out as I await the inevitable disdain that''s about to spew from his mouth.


    "Working for you?" he snorts. "As what? Your personal whore? You''re Dante Moretti, you don''t pay women for that, mio figlio. It''s beneath men like us."


    "No, we just fuck them anyway, right? Regardless of who they are and whether they want it?"


    "She''s a nurse," Maximo interrupts our heated exchange, and my father''s gaze shifts to him instead.


    "A what?"


    "A nurse. She can remove bullets. Stitch wounds. Help a man live after he''s been tortured for days. Stop him bleeding out too soon," Maximo says with a shrug. "So, she''s your little pet?" my father asks with a scowl.


    "Maybe I''ll train her to be my assistant?" Maximoughs darkly, and that seems to appease my father a little.


    "And what about my money? What about that piece of shit who stole it?"


    "We''ll find him," I assure him.


    "Just make sure you do," he hisses. "Because it makes you look weak when you bring home strays instead of putting them down."


    "Weak?" I snarl at him. "Who are you to call anyone weak? The man who let his wife die alone in agony because he was too busy fucking his whore?"


    "Watch your goddamn mouth. I should have known you wouldn''t be able to handle this responsibility. I should have let Lorenzo..." He shakes his head, and a whisper of regret flickers over his face.


    I think that must be the only thing in his whole life he feels any regret over. He made me head of the Cosa Nostra to punish my older brother and to drive a wedge between us that could never be healed. Lorenzo and I were unbreakable when we stood together, and he hated that.


    He thought the threat of losing his legacy would be enough to bring my older brother back to his side.


    But his n backfired in every possible way and Lorenzo has barely spoken to him ever since. While I never wanted this legacy, it''s mine now. For the first few years after he retired, I was so desperate to prove myself that I killed and tortured anyone who even dared to look at me the wrong way. Maximo and I tore through Chicago, leaving a trail of bodies in our wake that would rival the bubonic gue.


    And that was the side of me that my father admired. A part of me craved his approval until I realized I no longer needed it. And now time and experience have taught me there''s a better way to do business than the one he showed me. "Whatever you wish you''d done, Pap¨¢, it''s toote now.


    You made me the head of this family, so you will hold your tongue before you ever dare to call me weak again."


    He narrows his eyes at me, and his face softens a little.


    "You are so much like your mother. She was a good woman.


    But you can''t be both - a good man and the head of this family. Those two things are mutually exclusive. You cannot be one if you are the other."


    He has drilled this into me from the moment he handed over his mantel to me. "I am not trying to be a good man, Pap¨¢."


    "No, but it''s inside you anyway. You have to suppress that part of yourself to be the man you are. For Lorenzo, ites easily to him. He got none of your mother''spassion."


    I shake my head and sigh. "How can you be our father and yet know so little about either of us?"


    He frowns like he has no idea what I''m talking about.


    And before the conversation can continue, Sophia walks into the room with dinner.


    THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINED awkward and we made limited, stilted conversation throughout dinner. My father eventually left and now I feel like I can breathe again as Maximo and I nurse a ss of Scotch in my study. "You need to stop letting him get to you, D," he says as he takes a sip of his whisky. "He rattles your cage like no one else can."


    I scowl at him. "Is that really surprising, Max?"


    "No. But unless you''re ever going to confront him about everything you know, you need to find a way to not want to rip his head off every time you see him. It''s been six years."


    "I can''t confront him. You know I can''t," I snap at him.


    "Yeah," he adds with a nod of his head.


    "Anyway, it''s more than just that. It''s everything else," I say with a heavy sigh. "He''s... a lot."


    "I get it, D. He''s the great Salvatore Moretti." He smirks at me, and it breaks the tension.


    My shoulders rx, and I sink back into my chair, letting my head fall back to ease the dull ache between my shoulder des.


    "You seen your guest since this afternoon?" he asks.


    "No. I don''t think she''s left that room all day."


    "Maybe she''s plotting your demise?" He chuckles darkly.


    "Maybe," Iugh too, thankful for the change of subject.


    Kat Evanson is a much less frustrating subject to talk about. She makes my blood pressure spike for an entirely different reason.


    "Any thoughts on what she''s gonna do around here?"


    "Not yet. I''m working on it."


    "Well, I''d work fast because if she has too much time on her hands, she''ll be able to think of really cool ways to kill you. You might wake up one morning, step out of bed and" - he signals his hand slicing across his throat - "straight into a booby trap that slices your head clean off."


    "You been watching Indiana Jones again?"


    "It''s a ssic," he says with a shrug before he downs his whisky. "Anyway, I gotta go. I want to stop by and see Fred and make sure they''re not running into any more trouble."


    Alfredo Farina has worked for me for six years, and he runs the warehouses for me. We own enough legitimate businesses to justify the lifestyles we live and to keep the IRS off our backs. However, if anything illegales into this city, then it goes through me and I take a percentage.


    In addition, we take a cut from the casinos and the strip clubs in return for our protection. It''s a lucrative business, but one that people always want a piece of.


    "They had more trouble?" I ask with a frown.


    "Nothing serious." Maximo shakes his head. "They dealt with it, but Fred thinks there''s something going on. The Russians have been a little too quiet like maybe they''re moving operations elsewhere to keep us out of the loop." I scrub a hand through my beard. I don''t trust my Russian counterpart. Never have. But he had an alliance with my father, so we have an uneasy truce.


    "While things are quiet, I don''t want to start a war for no reason, Max. Tell Fred to keep his eyes open and keep us informed."


    "Will do, D," he says before disappearing out of the door and leaving me alone to go over the events of the day.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    My father''s reaction wasn''t entirely unexpected, even if it did seem a little over the top. Mostly I think about Kat and the fact that she is lying alone in one of my beds upstairs. I brought her here to work off her brother''s debt, right? So why can''t I get the image of me crawling over her and spreading her thighs wide open until I can sink inside her out of my head?

 4

    Kat


    This is all so surreal; I''m beginning to wonder if it''s a dream. Surely, I''m going to wake up in my own bed, in my tiny bedroom at my ce any minute now. I screw my eyes shut and then open them again.


    Nope. Still here. Lying on a king-size bed in a beautiful bedroom that''s almost bigger than my entire house, with huge sash windows and shelves stacked with old leather-bound books, not to mention a TV on the wall that is twice the size of my one at home. If I wasn''t being held prisoner by a psychopath, it could almost be fun.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    I settle back against the pillows and stare at the ceiling.


    I could try to pretend that I''m staying in some fancy hotel for the night. Maybe then I could get some sleep. This ce is way nicer than any hotel I''ve ever stayed at, but at least I could get up and walk out of there whenever the hell I wanted. Not here though. I have visions of sniper rifles trained on my head as soon as I step out of the door.


    I haven''t seen Dante since this afternoon. Sophia brought me dinner, and I ate it because it was freaking delicious and also I was starving. I was about four bites into the most delicious fillet steak when I realized the food might have been drugged. But I figured the damage was already done so I cleared the te.


    Am I still awake? Yes. Am I still breathing? Also yes. So I guess it was okay after all. Besides, I''m pretty sure Dante has other, more unpleasant ways of disposing of people than poisoning them.


    Sophia was kind to me. She showed me where the towels were in the bathroom and where I could find fresh linen if needed, as well as how to operate the fancy looking TV remote which has more buttons than a space station. So, yeah, she seems nice, apart from working for the devil that is. I wonder if he kidnapped her too. Is his entire mansion staffed by people he''s kidnapped and refuses to let leave.


    My heart pounds, and I force myself to take some deep breaths and slow my thoughts. I have a tendency to ramble in my head when I''m anxious or nervous. I have every right to be nervous though, don''t I? I locked that door as soon as Sophia took my dinner tray, but at any moment, Dante Moretti coulde bursting through it, all rippling muscles and tattoos and do whatever the hell he wants with me.


    I shudder at the thought. But he knows I was a nurse.


    Hopefully, that''s what he wants me for, although I have no idea why. He''s clearly in excellent physical health. I mean, he''s tall and muscr, and he has perfect teeth. Stop it, Kat!


    Nursing had always been my dream job. My mom was a nurse too, and it was all I ever wanted to do. I always wanted to work in pediatrics because I love kids, but when my mom was killed in a car wreck when I was fifteen, I decided I wanted to work in the ER instead. Maybe I was looking to help save people just like my mom so that their kids wouldn''t have to open the front door one night to a police officer, who struggled to hold it together when they told them their mom was gone.


    And I did it too. I worked at Northwestern Memorial for three years and they were some of the happiest of my life.


    But that was before.


    A tear races down my cheek. I swat it away and pick up theplicated TV remote. I need something to distract me so I switch it on and flick through the channels until I find some old reruns of Friends. My mom loved this show, and we used to watch it with her all the time. It''s like chicken soup TV and despite my circumstances, I smile as Chandler and Joey ride into Monica and Rachel''s apartment on that hideous white dog.


    I WAKE up with the TV still on and my face glued to the pillow with drool.


    I didn''t close the curtains because just being able to see the outside world made me feel like less of a prisoner.


    Sunlight dapples the wooden floor, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. I must have slept all night even though I rarely sleep for more than five or six hours. I guess being kidnapped by the Mafia takes it out of a girl. And this bed is so damnfy, it''s like sleeping on a cloud.


    After I take a quick shower and freshen up, I dress in my jeans and a sweater and unlock the door. The hallway is quiet. I wonder what time Mafia dons get out of bed in the morning. Or do they mostly sleep all day and work at night like vampires? Dante did say I could go anywhere in the house and my growling stomach is telling me I need to find the kitchen in this huge-ass ce. I tiptoe out of the room, careful not to wake anyone just in case nobody is awake yet and I might have a chance to escape.


    Walking down the hallway and making my way to the stairs, I groan inwardly as I spot the armed guards by the front door. There goes my escape attempt.


    I head downstairs anyway in search of a kitchen. I bet Mafia man has a whole team of servants to cater for his every need, but I would prefer to make my own breakfast. I pad along the marble floors, which are surprisingly warm, until I hear the faint sound of a radio and detect the smell of fresh coffee.


    Smiling, I walk into the huge, bright kitchen. It''s so homely, and unlike the marble and sleek decor of the hallways, this is rustic and charming. Vases of sunflowers are perched on the windowsills and copper pans hang from a rack on the ceiling. A wooden table with long benches either side dominates the center of the room. It''s so warm and inviting, I guess this must be the servants'' quarters or something. I doubt the psychopath prince everes in here. "Good morning, Kat," Sophia says with a smile. "Sit. I''ll fix you some breakfast. What do you want? Bacon? Eggs?


    Pancakes? Cereal?"


    "I can fix something, thank you," I tell her.


    She eyes me skeptically. "Not when I am in my kitchen."


    "Okay." I hold my hands up in surrender as I sit on one of the wooden benches. "I would love some eggs if it''s not too much trouble."


    She smiles widely before she starts preparing my breakfast. She hums along to the radio and seems so at peace here it makes me feel a little less uneasy. I mean, Dante can''t be aplete monster if he treats his staff well, can he? Unless she''s not like this when he''s around?


    Maybe he''s a raging tyrant who barks orders at her all day and makes her cower in fear. And this time of the morning, before he gets out of bed, is the only time she feels any happiness.


    "Morning." Dante''s deep, gravelly voice fills the room, and I swallow as I realize I''m about to learn which of my theories are true.


    I don''t dare turn my head and look at him. Sophia is cheery when she turns to face him. "Good morning, sir. You want your usual?"


    He clears his throat. "Please, and some coffee."


    "Of course," she says with a polite nod. I mean she doesn''t look afraid of him, but what do I know? Maybe she''s a good actress. And what''s he even doing in here?


    "Did you sleep well?" he asks as he walks toward the table and stands next to me.


    I brace myself to turn and look at him and... holy mother of God, he''s wearing only ck sweatpants, and Ie face to face with his golden, tattooed abs. A bead of sweat trickles down his abdomen, and for the tiniest fleeting moment, I wonder what it would be like to lick it off.


    I cast my eyes up and over the rest of his body, which is as perfectly chiseled as his stomach until my eyes rest on his face. His eyes are so dark they''re almost ck. His hair is wet too, sweaty, like he just worked out.


    "Yes. The room was perfectly adequate for a prison cell," I say, and my voice sounds surprisingly calm given how much my insides are quivering.


    "I''m d to hear it," he replies, ignoring my barb as he sits at the table opposite me.


    He rests his tattooed arms on the table, and when he clenches his fists, the thick muscles in his forearms flex, and I have to drag my eyes away from them. But the rest of him is no easier to look at. His chest and biceps are covered in tattoos too. He is literally ink and muscle. All of him. Not an ounce of fat anywhere.


    "I don''t usually have guests for breakfast," he says, and I realize I''m staring at him.


    Heat flushes across my cheeks. "I-I, uh, you''re just kind of sweaty is all," I stammer. "I mean, it''s not very hygienic to sit at the dining table like that."


    "This isn''t the dining table though. This is the breakfast table. My breakfast table. I always eat straight after my workout. If you''d like to eat at the dining table, then it''s two doors down."


    I summon the courage to look into his eyes and immediately regret it because he''s ring at me, but I don''t see anger there. His pupils are blown wide and I suddenly feel like if I don''t stop looking at his chiseled muscles, then I might end up being his breakfast.


    "Here is fine," I reply, keeping my eyes fixed on his. I like being in here with Sophia humming along to the radio because it feels like a little slice of normalcy in this fucked up version of reality I am in.


    "Fine," he says with an arrogant smirk.


    I cannot believe he just caught me staring at his muscles.


    "Now that you''re here anyway -" I clear my throat because my voice is suddenly way more high-pitched and croaky than it normally is. "Can we discuss exactly what happens now?"


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    He frowns at me. "What happens?"


    "Yes. What happens. What the hell am I supposed to be doing here? When can I leave? What are the rules of the game?"


    "This is no game, Kat."


    "You think I don''t know that?" I hiss, ring at him. "It''s just a phrase. This is my life, asshole! You just picked me up out of it and dropped me here. I have no way of contacting the outside world. No money." I never had a cell phone, preferring to use myndline to call my cousin, Mia, once a week. But other than that, I chose to stay off grid.


    How ironic that I''m now so off grid, nobody will ever find me even if they bothered to look.


    "You won''t need either of those things."


    "Can I leave? To go to the store or take a walk?"


    "No."


    "But what if I need to go buy tampons or pads or something?"


    He doesn''t bat an eye at the reference to my period. My ex-boyfriend used to shudder at the mere mention of the word tampon. "Put them on the grocery list," he says coolly.


    Sophia ces two mugs of fresh coffee on the table in front of us and then goes back to fixing breakfast.


    "I need to speak with my cousin. She''ll wonder where I am if I don''t check in."


    "Mia?" he asks.


    I blink at him. "You know Mia?"


    "I know she''s your only other living rtive and she lives in Boston."


    "Wow! You really did do your homework."


    "I told you, I learn all there is to know about my enemies, Kat."


    "She''s not your enemy. I''m not your enemy," I snap.


    "No?"


    My brain catches up with my feelings to find the right response. "Well, I guess you''re mine now after you kidnapped me."


    "I guess." He shrugs before he takes a sip of his coffee.


    "You''re an asshole, you know that?"


    He eyes me over the rim of his coffee mug. "I''ve been called worse."


    "I hate you."


    Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you''re on ?e5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "I''d expect nothing less."


    I realize this is pointless. He doesn''t care how I feel about him. "So, Mia..." I say.


    "What about her?"


    "Can I call her?"


    "If you behave yourself, you can call her once a week in my office."


    "If I behave?" I snap.


    "Yes."


    "And what would that look like? Me behaving?"


    "Doing as you''re told," he says as though it''s the most obvious thing in the world.


    "But what is it I''m going to be told to do, Dante?" I hear the desperation in my voice even as I try to keep calm and rational.


    He puts his mug on the table and sighs. "I don''t know yet."


    "You must have some idea. Not knowing what you want from me is torture. Is that the idea though? Is this all part of the n?"


    He narrows his eyes as he stares at me and it makes me feel too vulnerable with him. "Tell me what it is you''re worried I will ask you to do."


    I swallow hard as my eyes fill with tears. "I can''t..." "Kat?" he says, and the deep,manding tone of his voice makes my body prickle with nervous energy.


    I don''t want to be raped or assaulted! That''s what I want to scream at him, but they are words I still struggle to say out loud. "I don''t want to be used for anyone''s entertainment, or their pleasure," I whisper instead. "You won''t be."


    My eyes snap up to his again to find he''s still staring at me. "Promise?" I ask.


    He licks his lower lip, his eyes not leaving mine. "Yes."


    "Thank you," I reply instinctively before I remember that this man kidnapped me. I shouldn''t be thanking him for agreeing not to let his men rape me, but I''m still grateful anyway.


    "I meant what I said yesterday. You have free rein of the west wing of the house except my study. Most of the east wing is locked because those rooms belong to my brother and his wife."


    I don''t miss the subtle change in his tone when he mentions his brother. I''ve heard the rumors about their epic falling out years earlier, when Dante stole his brother''s birthright. Lorenzo Moretti is the eldest son and was supposed to take over


    the family business. I suspect nobody outside of their family knows the truth of why he didn''t. There was adequate rumor and gossip and conjecture about it. Kind of like an urban legend. Much the same as the rumors about Dante murdering his fianc¨¦e and her family the night before their wedding.


    That reminder of the man he truly is makes me shudder.


    "I''ll send for you when I find you something useful to do," he goes on, and I nod, wondering just what the hell that might be.

 5

    Kat


    It''s been five whole days since I was kidnapped by Dante Moretti, and during that time, I''ve not been asked to do anything at all. In fact, I just sit around this house all day, watching TV, reading, and eating delicious food. The den is my favorite spot. It has huge armchairs and sofas that are sofortable I''ve fallen asleep on them more than once. It''s a good thing nobody elsees in here.


    I barely see my captor, except at breakfast when he insists on eating shirtless and covered in sweat. But otherwise, it''s like I''m on vacation in a beautiful hotel or spa that I''m not allowed to leave. Believe me, I''ve triple-checked all exits and entrances. The ce is locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I am not leaving unless he allows it.


    There''s even a swimming pool and a sauna, but I don''t have a swimsuit, so I haven''t been able to make use of those facilities.


    I have a few hundred dors savings in the bank though.


    Maybe I could ask him about ordering one online? Or would that bepletely crazy?


    "Kat?" Dante''s voice snaps me from my daydream, and I look up to see him at the door of the den.


    "Yeah?"


    "I need your help."


    I stare at him, open-mouthed.


    "Now," he barks, and I jump to my feet.


    I follow him along the hallway and down a corridor of the east wing which I haven''t explored much because he told me that this side of the house belongs to his brother.


    "Is something wrong?" I ask as I stare at the back of his head.


    "One of my men has been stabbed, and I could do without taking him to the ER," he says nonchntly.


    "Oh God. Is he okay?"


    "Well, that all depends on you now, kitten, doesn''t it?"


    Oh, no! His man is going to die, and he''ll me me. "I''m not a surgeon, Dante," I insist.


    "Rx. I just need you to stitch him up." Heughs darkly. "But he gets kind of antsy about the sight of blood, especially his own."


    "Oh, right."


    He stops outside a door before turning to me. "At least it wasn''t a bullet," he says with a wink before pushing open the door and stepping inside.


    I follow him into the brightly lit room. It looks like a mix of a doctor''s office and an operating theater. I scan the room and note the equipment, the locked ss medicine cab, which makes me smirk at the irony. Pretty sure anyone in this house could get their hands on whatever is in that cab and more.


    But my attention is quickly drawn to the man on the bed in the center of the room, who''s bleeding profusely and howling in pain.


    "I''m bleeding to death," he wails.


    "You''re not, Lenny. It''s just a fucking scratch, man," Maximo insists as he holds him down. "Now stop fucking wriggling."


    "The doc is here to fix you up now," Dante says as he reaches the bed. "Stop your fucking hollering."


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    "I''m not a doctor," I remind him in a whisper.


    He shakes his head at me and frowns so I keep quiet. I can stitch a wound, no problem. If Lenny feels better thinking I''m a doctor, then I suppose that''s fine. "D-Dante," Lenny whimpers. "How bad is it?"


    "It''s a fucking scratch like Max said. Now quit your whining and let Kat fix you up."This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Lenny looks up at me, his eyes wet with tears and blood seeping from the gash in his chest. "Please, doc," he says, his lip trembling.


    "You should find everything you need in here," Dante says with a roll of his eyes.


    "Great." I eye the needle and medical thread on the tray beside the bed. "Can you grab me some morphine from the cab too? You have some, right?"


    "He doesn''t need any morphine. Just stitch him up," Dante snaps.


    "I do, doc." Lenny grabs onto my tank top, staining it with his blood. "Please."


    I look at the deep gash on his chest as I start preparing to clean the wound and stem the blood flow. "I''m going to sew his skin, and this is a deep cut. Surely you can spare him some drugs to help with the pain," I snap at Dante. "Fine," he sighs before he walks over to the cab, and a secondter, I hear the smashing of ss.


    I turn and re at him. "Why did you do that?"


    "Only the doc has the key," he says with a shrug.


    I shake my head and turn back to Lenny. He winces and shouts in pain as I examine his wound, so I tell him exactly what I''m doing and everything I''m about to do. Assuring him that he is safe and he''s going to be just fine. He nods his understanding, whimpering softly as I tend to him.


    When I give him the shot of morphine, he rxes, and a few minutester, he rambles how pretty I am as I''m stitching up his wound.


    "Enough, Lenny," Dante snarls.


    "It''s just the drugs talking," I assure him. "I gave him a lot."


    "Pussy," Maximo mutters under his breath, earning him a scowl from me.


    But then I tune both him and his boss out while I sew careful stitches to try and leave as neat a scar as possible.


    There''s something quite cathartic about helping to heal others, at least for me. A smile stretches my lips as Lenny stares at me with a goofy grin on his face.


    "You doing okay there, champ?" I ask him.


    "Sure, doc," he replies. "Never been better."


    AFTER I FIXED LENNY UP, I went to my room to shower and change out of my bloodstained clothes. It''ste anyway so I pull on my oversized t-shirt that I wear as pajamas sometimes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I feel a sense of something I haven''t experienced in a long time. Usefulness, perhaps? The sense of purpose that I always used to feel when I was nursing.


    My stomach growls loudly, reminding me I''m also hungry. Ravenous, in fact. I was so engrossed in my book downstairs earlier that I didn''t have dinner. Pushing myself up, I look for some sweats or jeans to throw on with my t-shirt, but they''re all in theundry hamper now beneath my bloody clothes. If I''m going to be here for a while, I definitely need to get myself more things to wear.


    My t-shirt resembles a short dress. Hopefully, nobody would catch me at this hour if I make a quick dash for the kitchen. Right?

 6

    Dante Maximo is waiting to drive Lenny home as soon as I can find the little fuck. He wandered off in his morphine-induced haze while I was debriefing what happened tonight with Maximo. A routine pickup doesn''t usually end up in my second-in-mand getting involved in a knife fight. With Lenny around, I suppose anything can happen. The guy finds trouble wherever he goes. Last month he made a move on someone''s wife and almost ended up thrown out of the window of a hotel room. From the twelfth floor. If he wasn''t my second cousin, I would have cut him loose a long time ago.


    I can''t get that look on Kat''s face when she was fixing him up out of my head. She was smiling the whole time. He is a whiny little bitch when he''s hurt, but she calmed him right down. The way she spoke to him, it was like her voicepletely changed. I''ve never seen anyone have that effect on someone before. She could have told him she was about to saw his cock off and I''m sure he''d have just nodded and smiled at her.


    She must have been an incredible nurse, and it obviously still makes her happy. So, why the hell hasn''t she done it for two years?


    The sound of hushed voices drifts out of the open kitchen doorway as I approach, and when I step inside, I see Kat standing beside the counter with her back to me.


    She''s wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt, which leaves far too much of her beautiful pale skin on disy for my liking, especially when Lenny is standing right next to her. He leans down and whispers something in her ear, and the rage that burns through my veins at the sight of them together is unexpected and vicious.


    She leans back, trying to create a little distance, and that simple act fills me with relief. But Lenny is a charmer who''s used to getting almost any woman he wants. He ces his hand on her back, sliding it down toward her ass, and she flinches like she''s been burned by a hot poker.


    "Lenny!" I bark as I stride across the kitchen.


    He spins on his heel and looks at me, a goofy smirk on his face. "Yes, Boss?"


    "Keep your fucking hands off her."


    He blinks at me, full of confusion and still buzzed from the whiskey he had in my study and the morphine Kat gave him when she stitched him up earlier. "Boss?"


    I''m standing directly in front of him now. Instinctively, my hand reaches for his throat, and I squeeze until he gasps for air. "I said, keep your fucking hands off her."


    His face pales as he stares at me, his pupils wide with fear as he realizes he has crossed a line. Because he knows I will make him pay.


    I push him away from me. "Go wait outside with Maximo."


    He rubs at his raw throat and hurries out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with Kat. She looks up at me, traces of fear lingering in her deep blue eyes. "Thank you," she whispers.


    "I didn''t do that for you," I lie because I''m not her fucking knight-in-shining-armor here. "My men are too busy to be distracted, and you, kitten, are a distraction."


    "I-I..." she stammers, her pretty pink lips open and begging to be wrapped around my cock.


    "And if you wander around here half-naked, is it any wonder my men see you as an easy target?"Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Fire shes in her eyes. There she is. The wildcat. I don''t know why but pushing her buttons makes me hard as fucking iron. "I''m not half-naked!" she insists.


    I arch an eyebrow at her, and we both assess her shirt.


    "No?"


    "Well... but that doesn''t mean... I was about to go to bed.


    I needed something to eat. I didn''t realize anyone would be here."


    Her cheeks turn pink as she babbles at me, but my eyes are drawn down the length of her body. That t-shirt. It''s too big to belong to her. "Whose shirt is that?" "Mine," she whispers.


    I take a deep breath, my nostrils ring with suppressed rage. "Whose was it then?"


    Her forehead creases into a frown. "An ex-boyfriend''s. I like it because it''s soft. Nothing to do with him."


    "So, you''re walking around my house wearing another man''s clothes?" I''m aware that I sound crazy. I mean, she should be able to wear what she wants, right? So why does it make my blood boil to think of her wearing her ex-boyfriend''s clothes? Not just wearing them though, sleeping in them. Having it the only thing on her soft skin.


    The only thing between me and her right now as I edge closer.


    "What? It''s just a t-shirt," she protests.


    "Take it off!" Imand.


    She tilts her head up, jaw set in rebellious defiance that makes my aching cock even more desperate to be inside her.


    "No."


    I clench my hands into fists at my sides, about five seconds away from tearing the goddamn thing off her myself. "Take it off, or I will do it for you."


    "And walk back to my roompletely naked?" she says with a scowl.


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    "I''ll carry you back to your room naked if you don''t stop with the smart mouth," I growl as I start unbuttoning my own shirt. "Now take it the fuck off, Kat. I won''t tell you again."


    "Can you at least turn around, then?" she asks, her tone dripping with snark that I would love to fuck out of her.


    "No," I say with a shake of my head.


    "You''re a goddamn asshole, Dante," she mutters as she peels the t-shirt off over her head and holds it in front of her body.


    I try not to make it obvious that I''m looking at her, but I''m only a man, not a fucking saint, and her incredible tits and pebbled nipples are kind of hard not to stare at. She''s wearing a pair of ck cotton panties with a tiny white daisy print. It''s an effort not to think about the sweet distraction that lies beneath them.


    I take off my shirt and hand it to her, taking the one she was just wearing and tossing it into the trashcan nearby.


    She shrugs it on, the white cotton gliding over her arms and then her breasts as she begins to fasten it. Her hard nipples protrude through the fabric, and all I can think about is sucking one into my mouth. She is going to be the fucking ruin of


    me.


    "There. Happy now?" she snaps as she fastens thest button, leaving just a small glimpse of her soft skin at the base of her neck visible.


    "Not entirely. Now go back to bed before you get yourself into some more trouble, kitten."


    She rolls her eyes at me and then stalks off out of the kitchen wearing my shirt and looking far too fuckable for her own good.


    AFTER KAT LEAVES, I take the pair of secateurs from the cupboard and slip them into my pocket before heading out onto the driveway where I find Maximo standing watch over Lenny, who is sucking on a vape like his life depends on it and pacing up and down. Upon seeing me heading toward him, Lenny pockets his vape and holds his hands out wide.


    "I didn''t know she meant anything to you, Boss. If I had..." he says.


    "Did you have my permission to touch her?"


    "N-no," he stammers. "But I thought she was..." I narrow my eyes as I approach him. "She was what?"


    "Fair game, you know?" he says with a shrug.


    Maximo is at my side a secondter. He arches an eyebrow at me. "He touched Katerina?"


    "He did."


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    "Ouch," heughs darkly, shaking his head in disbelief.


    "Hold his arm for me," I say, nodding toward Lenny before I take the secateurs from my pocket.


    "B-boss," Lenny babbles as he starts to take a few steps backward. "I''m your cousin."


    "No, you''re my father''s cousin, Lenny. This man is my brother." I nod toward Maximo. "And even he wouldn''t touch what belongs to me."


    Lenny stands frozen to the spot now, eyeing Maximo and me like a frightened deer in the path of two wolves.


    "Don''t make me fucking chase you down, Lenny," Maximo snarls.


    Lenny''s eyes continue darting between the two of us as his face turns a strange shade of pale. He''s aware that if he runs, Maximo will take great joy in taking him down, and then any punishment I''m about to mete out will be doubled for Maximo''s efforts. He holds out his trembling arm and Maximo grabs it in hisrge hand, squeezing his forearm until he''s restricting his blood flow back through his arm and causing his fingers to turn a deep red.


    I open the secateurs and press the des against the base of his pointer finger. "Why the fuck did you think you could touch what belongs to me?"


    He stares at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "I-I didn''t think she was with you, Boss."


    "She is in my fucking house, stronzo, that means she belongs to me."


    He stares into my eyes, his pupils blown wide with fear and his lip trembling. I snap the shears closed, chopping off his finger, and his face contorts in twisted agony, and a strangled cry escapes his mouth.


    "Hold him still," I order Maximo, and he tightens his grip on Lenny''s arm who looks about to pass out from the pain whilst looking at his missing digit sitting on the floor next to his feet.


    I grip the base of his middle finger with the des.


    "Touch her again and I will bury you, Lenny. You ever even speak to her again without my permission and I will cut out your fucking tongue. You understand me?"


    "Y-yes, Boss," he snivels as tears run down his face.


    I clip off his middle finger too, and he howls as he stares at his second finger bouncing onto the ground between us.


    I close the secateurs, and Maximo takes it as his cue to release his grip on Lenny''s arm. As soon as he''s free from the iron-d grasp, a shaking, crying Lenny pulls his injured hand toward his body. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wraps it around his bleeding stumps before bending down as his body tries to deal with the pain.


    "Get him the fuck out of here," I say to Maximo before turning and walking back into the warmth of my house, while my best friend and most trusted soldier takes care of the aftermath of the message I''ve just delivered. Kat is mine.

 7

    Kat


    If someone had told me this morning that I''d be ending the day wearing Dante Moretti''s shirt, I''d have told them they were high. If they''d told me I would have chosen to keep the damn thing on after he forced me to wear it, then I''d have told them they were batshit crazy.


    Staring at the ceiling, I press my cheek against the soft cor and remember slipping it on a short while earlier, and how easily the expensive material glided over my skin.


    A shiver runs along my spine as I recall the cotton still infused with his body heat and how the warmth and the scent of him nketing my bare skin sent unexpected shivers offort and pleasure rippling through my body.


    It smells of him still, of fresh air and cool mint and his cologne. I can''t believe he took my favorite t-shirt and tossed it into the trash. Forced me to take it off in front of him too. It should have been embarrassing, so why did it feel empowering? I saw the way his eyes drifted over my body and the steely look on his face when he''s trying to control his emotions.


    But why the hell am I still wearing his clothes? True, I didn''t bring much with me from my house and that t-shirt was one of the few things I have to sleep in. My pajamas are dirty and in theundry hamper, but I could find something else. Except that his shirt feels so nice.


    Obviously because it''s so incredibly expensive and not because it still smells and feels like him.


    And I''m too tired andfortable right now to leave this bed and change. Tomorrow, I will do theundry and give the devil his super luxurious andfortable shirt back.


    But tonight, I will sleep in the warmth of it and try not to think about how the smell of him and the thought of wearing his clothes is anything but abhorrent to me.


    TO MY RELIEF, I barely saw Dante today. I know he was in the house because I saw a fleeting glimpse of him in the hallway when he was heading to his gym this morning, and I heard him talking to Maximo as I passed the kitchen, but I didn''t have to spend any time in hispany at all. Having spent the night in his shirt and after he saw my boobs, I''m not sure I could have looked him in the eye without blushing.


    Last night, none of what happened seemed so bad, but in the daylight, it feels like what it was. Dante Moretti saw me almost naked. I need a few hours for my brain to process this information and find a way to be around him without melting into puddle of shame.


    In an attempt to avoid him for the rest of the evening too, I make myself some noodles for dinner and head to my room. As soon as I''m inside, I notice the small pile of neatly folded white material on the end of the bed. Assuming Sophia has left some new linen or towels, I ce my noodles onto the dresser and walk to the bed to put whatever it is away. It''s only as I get closer that I see they are white t-shirts, with a folded piece of paper sitting on top. Frowning in confusion, I pick it up and open it.


    As you''re so fond of wandering around the house in men''s t-shirts, you might be needing these.


    I drop the note and pick up the shirt. It''s a in white cotton tee with tags still on - tags that tell me this is the most expensive piece of clothing I''ve ever owned. They must be from Dante. He bought me t-shirts to wear for bed?


    I don''t know if I''m pissed at him or grateful. But neither of those things ount for the butterflies currently swirling in my stomach.


    Looking down, I count another four in the pile.


    He bought me t-shirts to wander around the house in?


    To sleep in?


    I shake my head in frustration. One small act of kindness does not erase the fact that he is a devil.


    He kidnapped me, for God''s sake!


    I need to stop thinking he is anything other than the ruthless criminal he is.


    IT''S BEEN two hours since I ate my noodles and I''m beginning to regret not eating any of the delicious dinner that Sophia was preparing because I''m still hungry. I guess, I could go to the kitchen and grab a snack. I nce at the clock. Dante won''t be in there at this time. He''ll be in his study with Maximo or out cutting off heads or something.


    I nce at the new white t-shirt I put on earlier and frown. Maybe taking his gift was a mistake. But they are new and sofortable.


    Jumping up off the bed, I look down at my attire. I''m covered up to my mid thigh. I''m not wearing a bra but the material is thick enough that nothing is visible. This is perfectly eptable clothing to walk around the house in, even if I bump into a guard or God forbid, lecherous Lenny. Not that I think he would try anything after the look Dante gave him when he found us in the kitchen together yesterday.


    I make my way to the kitchen, relieved to see it empty when I pop my head inside. The light is on though. It always is. For some reason, that soothes me. My mom always told me that the kitchen is the heart of any home.


    I sigh as I step inside. When did my life be so small and dark and meaningless that I takefort in the most trivial things? I open the refrigerator and peer inside, hoping for some leftovers.


    "I see you got my gift?" His voice sends a shudder up my spine.


    Closing the refrigerator door, I turn to face him. He''s dressed in ck suit pants and a crisp white shirt. It''s open at the cor, and his shirt sleeves are rolled up, disying a few dark tattoos on his skin.


    "Well, seeing as you threw away my other t-shirt, it seems like more of a recement than a gift," I say, refusing to thank him or show any gratitude at all. Because he doesn''t deserve it.


    Heughs softly as he makes his way across the room in a few long strides. And before I can think about getting out of his way, he''s towering over me.


    "You''re a difficult woman to please, Katerina," he says, his voice so deep and smooth it washes over me and settles in my bones.


    "Not really." I force a smile. "All I want is to go home.


    Then I would be the happiest woman in the world." Liar!


    He narrows his eyes at me and scrubs a hand through his thick beard. "Hmm?"


    "Hmm what?" I snap.


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    "I don''t think you were happy in that little house of yours. I don''t think you were anything close to happy."


    "And you think I am here?" I scoff even as my skin bristles with energy at being so close to him.


    "I don''t think you''re miserable here, even though you''re trying your best to be."


    "I hate it here."


    "Maybe sometimes. Butst night when you were fixing Lenny''s wound, I saw..." He narrows his eyes again, searching mine as though he wants to see the truths I hide deep inside me. "Saw what?" I ask with a scowl.


    "The light in you. You were happy doing that."


    I was happy. I love nursing. Loved nursing. But I can never go back to it. "I like helping people," I whisper.


    He licks his lower lip, and my insides contract as unbidden thoughts of the things I''d like him to do with that mouth force a fleeting path through my consciousness. My otherwise rational, logical brain is being corrupted by my entire groin


    area.


    He inches closer. We''re not touching, but I still feel him all over me. My body tingles with electric anticipation. He is fire, and my skin burns with the heat. "So you don''t hate it here at all?"


    My breathing is ragged, and my heart is racing, making my blood pound in my ears. I squeeze my thighs together to stem the throbbing that is building between them, but it does nothing. It has been so long since anyone has elicited this kind of reaction from my body, and the sensations are overwhelming. I have to take some control back before I lose it all.


    I stare into Dante''s eyes. "No, but I do hate you."


    I don''t know why I expected those words to have any impact on him at all, but I thought they might make him back off a little. Not Dante Moretti. Instead, he smirks and edges a little closer until there is only a sliver of light between us. Then he bends his head, his mouth so close to my ear that his warm breath skates over my skin and makes me shiver.


    "You might hate me, Kat, but I bet if I slide my hand into your panties, you''d be wet for me," he growls, and the sound resonates through my body and heads straight to my needy pussy.


    Well, damn! "I would not."


    "Really?" His lips dust the shell of my ear now, and the briefest contact between us makes my breath catch in my throat.


    "You''ll never know," I say, a smile of triumph on my face as he lifts his head and stares into my eyes.


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    But my triumph is short-lived.


    Without any warning, he slides his huge hand into my panties until I''m pressed back against the refrigerator. I should try to run or scratch his face, but his fingers slip between my thighs, rubbing over the sensitive flesh and making me feel things that I don''t want to stop feeling.


    "What the hell are you doing?" I moan the words even though I meant to yell them.


    "Fuck, you''re not just wet, kitten, you''re soaking," he says in a deep, husky groan as he goes on staring into my eyes. "Is this all for me?"


    He rubs the pads of his fingers over my clit, and shockwaves of pleasure pulse through my core. "F-fuck you," I stammer.


    "Soon, kitten," heughs darkly, his eyes zing with fire as they hold mine captive.


    Meanwhile, all I can do is press my back and my palms t against the fridge door as I try to keep myself from crumpling into a heap on the floor.


    Dante stares at me while he massages his fingers between my folds. Even though I''m thinking about telling him to stop, I can''t bring myself to find the words. I thought a man would never make me feel like this again.


    "You might hate me, Kat," he growls, "but your sweet cunt?" He pushes one thick finger inside me, and I whimper desperately. "You hear how she weeps for me?"Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Of course I do, because the sound of my arousal coating him as he drives slowly in and out of me is so loud it''s inescapable. More wetness rushes between my thighs as he pushes a little deeper.


    Then just as quickly as he started, he pulls his hand from my panties and I''m left needy and wanting and gasping for breath as I stare up at him. He has a wicked grin on his face. Bastard!


    cing his pointer and middle fingers into his mouth, he sucks them clean while maintaining a level of eye contact that feels too intimate for whatever this is between us.


    When he releases them with a wet pop, I almost pass out.


    "Such a sweet little kitten," he says with a wink before he turns around and walks out of the kitchen.


    I remain with my back pressed against the cool refrigerator door. Panting for breath. My head spinning and my pussy aching for some more of what he just offered while my brain is screaming at me for being such a slut for tattoos and muscles.


    Dante Moretti is an asshole. I mean I knew that already, but now I am one hundred percent sure that man has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I''m hornier than a mountain goat and still hungry too. My stomach growls. My poor neglected pussy throbs.


    Which one do I satisfy first? Getting myself off would require me to walk back through the house and to my bedroom, and if Dante saw me, he would know exactly what I was going to do. Arrogant asshole would love that. And I wouldn''t even be thinking about him while I do either. I''d picture Henry Cavill or Chris Hemsworth. I would most definitely not picture Dante''s hard chest or chiseled abs, all covered in that beautiful dark ink as he holds himself over me and fucks me. Definitely not think of those thick forearms as he finishes what he started a few minutes earlier.


    Nope. No way.


    My stomach growls loudly and I turn back to the refrigerator with a heavy sigh.

 8

    Ishouldn''t have touched her. I shouldn''t have slid my fingers into her tight wet cunt when she was pressed up against the fridge. But I definitely shouldn''t have tasted her. Because now my cock is hard as iron and I have her scent in my nose and her sweet taste on my tongue and nothing to do but fuck my own hand. It''s not like it would be the first time I''ve jerked off thinking about her these past few weeks, but it would be the first time when I know how fucking good the real thing would feel.


    And I could have fucked her in my kitchen just now. She didn''t tell me to stop. Her nipples were hard. Her pupils were blown wide. Her breathing kicked up several notches while her skin flushed. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. But I won''t take her until she''s desperate for me. I want her juices running down my fingers before I sink my cock into her silky wet heat. I want Katerina Evanson to beg me to fuck her.


    IT HAS BEEN twenty-four torturous hours since I had Kat pinned against the fridge in my kitchen. A single minute hasn''t gone by where I haven''t thought about how good she tastes. She''s avoided me all day, and I know that because she didn''te for dinner even though Sophia made her favoritesagna.


    So, when I wander into the kitchen at ten again, I''m surprised to see her making tea. She''s wearing one of the t-shirts I bought for her, which shows off her long legs and that little rose tattoo she has on her left ankle.


    She turns her head when I walk in, a half-smile ying on her lips before she nurses her tea again. She knew I''de in here. She wanted me to.


    Even through the t-shirt, I can see the curve of her ass and the faint love heart pattern on her panties. Seems like the time for ying is over. If she wants to tease me, then she will learn the consequences.


    I Kat feel the heat and the energy from Dante even before he speaks. My body is hyper aware of his, and whenever he is in the same room, there is a crackling of energy between us. I have thought about him all day. When I woke up needy and wet this morning, it was because I''d been dreaming about his hands on me.


    But I won''t give in to him. It''s fun to tease him, but that''s all this can be. I refuse to be used and tossed aside by him. So when he nts his hands on the counter either side of me a few secondster, I absolutely do not buckle.


    "You want some tea?" I ask, my voice a mere whisper because I''m struggling to hold it together. "No."


    "So what can I do for you, Mr. Moretti?"


    He dips his head low until his lips are brushing the shell of my ear. "I want to stop ying games, Kat," he whispers, making me shiver.


    "W-what do you mean?"


    He presses his body closer, until my back is touching his chest. I am caged in by him. He''s everywhere, his scent, his touch, but I don''t feel trapped at all. It''s all I can do to stop myself from moaning his name and begging him to take me right here on the kitchen counter.


    "You have any idea how hard I''ve been since I slid my fingers inside youst night? How I can''t get the taste of your wet cunt out of my head."


    Sweet mother of God! I press my ass back against him and feel his huge, hard cock against my lower back.


    "I want you, Kat. I want to fuck you so bad it hurts. I want to finish what I started and finger fuck your cunt until you scream my goddamn name. I want you to ride my face until youe all over my tongue." "But I hate you," I pant the words, and I''m pretty sure neither of us believes that anymore.


    "It''s okay to want someone you don''t like, Kat," he growls, and the deep cadence of his voice rolls into my core. "It''s just a physical reaction. You don''t have to like me, but I know you want me. You know how good we would be together." He pulls my hair back, his fingertips brushing over the soft skin of my neck and making goosebumps prickle out all over my body and wet heat sear between my thighs.


    He runs his nose over my throat, inhaling deeply. "You smell so fucking good." Then he clears his throat, as though he got distracted and lost his train of thought. "I would fuck you better than you''ve ever been fucked before in your life, kitten. We know it''s only a matter of time."


    "Dante," I say his name in a stuttered breath. This is too much. He is too much. If I let him, he would consume me.


    Just like fire feeds on oxygen, he would take everything I have left and leave me a broken shell. Regardless, I am drawn to him anyway. I feel him in every part of me, reaching for my very soul.


    Then he is gone again. The loss of his warmth and the solid feel of his body pressed against mine leaves me feelingcking and bereft.


    I sigh with relief and frustration once he''s left the room.


    No more games, Kat! This is thest time I go wandering around the house at night, hoping to bump into the devil, because the next time it happens, I might just let him drag me into hell. My fingers twitch and my skin itches as I pull the covers up over my shoulders and focus on the TV.


    It''s a little after ten, but I am not going downstairs to the kitchen. I am not ying into Dante''s hands. So what if he told me he wants to fuck me. It would probably be incredible given how skilled those fingers of his are, but unlike him, I''m not driven by my baser desires. I''ve gone over two years without sex. I don''t need it. I certainly don''t need it with a man I can barely stand. My kidnapper at that.


    So why am I still thinking about whether he is downstairs wondering if I''m going to show? I groan out loud and pick up the TV remote before flicking through the channels until I find a romanticedy. I settle back against the pillows and smile. This is the only kind of romance I need in my life, right?


    THE MOVIE IS ALMOST over when there is a loud knocking at my bedroom door. My heart rate kicks up a few gears, and I instinctively pull the covers up to my neck. But it''s not Dante.


    "Kat?" Maximo shouts. "Are you awake? We need your help. Someone has been shot."


    Throwing the covers back, I jump out of bed. "I''ll be right there," I say as I rummage through my dresser drawer and pull out a pair of sweatpants. Tugging them on as fast as I can, I run to the door and open it to see Maximo waiting for me. "Is it Dante? Is he okay?" I ask.


    "Dante''s fine. He''s on his way back now," he says as he starts to head down the hallway with me on his heels. "But Mitch took a bullet to the shoulder. Doesn''t look like it hit anything important, but the bullet didn''t pass right through. I''d dig it out myself, but you''d do a better job."


    "You''ve done that before?" I ask with a grimace, imagining Maximo literally digging around in someone''s bullet hole cavity with his giant hands.


    "Plenty," he says with a shrug. "The doc''s not always avable and we have to act quickly. And now that he''s dead, we have you instead."


    "The doctor whose things are in the room downstairs?


    He''s dead?" I gasp.


    "Rx, it was a heart attack. And it''s not really his stuff.


    Dante bought it for him, so that we wouldn''t have to take our guys to the hospital, but yeah, it was supposed to be his room. I guess it''s yours now," he says, turning his head and smiling at me.


    "I guess it is."


    In the room, Mitch is sitting up on the hospital bed, clutching his shoulder. Blood oozes through his fingers and trickles down his bare chest. I notice his shirt hanging from his arm because someone has already cut it from him. He''s grimacing at the pain, but he is stoic and he doesn''t make a sound when Maximo and I enter the room.


    "Hey, Mitch, how are you doing?" I ask as I pull on a pair oftex gloves and remove his fingers from his wound so I can examine him.


    "Like I got run over by a truck, doc," he grits out the words.


    "I''m a nurse, not a doctor," I tell him. "But I can take care of this for you, I promise."


    "I gave him some whiskey for the pain, doc," a voice says from behind me. I notice there''s another man with a bloodstained shirt in the corner of the room. "Sorry, nurse," he quickly corrects himself.


    "Here you go, doc," Maximo says with a grin as he hands me a pair of metal forceps.


    I open my mouth to remind him that I''m not a doctor, but he says, "Nurse just doesn''t have the same ring to it.


    It''s like a term of affection rather than a title."


    "Or we could call you Nurse Ratched." Mitchughs and then groans with the pain of his effort, his face turning purple. "How about you just stay still and let me find this bullet, huh?" I say to him.


    "Whatever you say, doc."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Can you get me some morphine for the pain, Maximo?"


    I ask my new assistant.


    "No. Don''t want none," Mitch insists. "Just get it out and stitch me up."


    "But it would be easier for you if I just give you a quick shot."


    "I fucking hate needles."


    I roll my eyes. "Let me know if you change your mind, okay?"


    "Okay," he grunts.


    "Are you hurt?" I look at the guy in the corner with the crimson stains all over his shirt.


    "No, doc. It''s all Mitch''s blood."


    "And I want it all back too, Bud. Everyst drop," Mitch hisses as I slide the forceps into the hole in his shoulder.


    "You''re a mean old bastard." Budughs loudly, and even Maximo chuckles beside me. Then both of them go on teasing Mitch good-naturedly while I remove the bullet from his shoulder. Working keeps me focused, so that I''m almost too busy to worry about where Dante is and why one of his men was shot tonight.


    I''M JUST FINISHING PATCHING Mitch up while he''s drinking a ss of whiskey by the time Dante returns. He walks into the room wearing just his suit pants and one of his crisp white shirts, except that it''s no longer white but a deep crimson color. He also has a small cut above his eye.


    "Are you hurt?" I ask, my voice a little higher than normal as my heart starts to race a little faster.


    "I''m fine, kitten," he says with a smug smile. "None of it belongs to me. I do need something for this though," he says, pointing to his eye as he blinks away a trickle of blood.


    "There''s some alcohol in the cab and some ster strips. I can take a look at it if you give me a few minutes."


    "I can take care of it," he says dismissively as he goes to the cab.


    He dabs his eye with some alcohol-soaked cotton wool without as much as a flicker of difort. Then he disappears out of the room again without another word. By the time he returns, Maximo and Bud are helping a fully sewn up and pretty wasted Mitch out of the room.


    "I''ll take these guys home," Maximo says to Dante, who nods his appreciation.


    And then there is just the two of us in the room. Dante has stripped off his blood soaked clothes and stands a few feet away from me in just his tight ck boxer shorts. My eyes are drawn like a ma to the outline of his cock. "You enjoying yourself, kitten?" he asks with a dark chuckle, making my cheeks me with heat.


    I avert my gaze a little too quickly, making it even more obvious that I was just staring at him.


    "You don''t need to be embarrassed. If you were standing here in only your underwear, I''d be staring at you too."


    "I wasn''t... I''m sorry," I say with a shake of my head. I need out of here.


    He crosses the room and stands right in front of me. A solid wall of muscle, ink, and sex. It''s as though he has some kind of maic field around him. His presence is inescapable. Once I''m in his orbit, I can''t seem to think straight. I act like somebody I don''t even recognize. My pussy develops a mind of her own. He is so full of potent, raw sexuality and masculinity. Everything about him screams run away, but my body is drawn to him anyway.


    "Who am I kidding," he says, his voice low and deep, as he bends his head and brings his mouth closer to my ear. "I stare at you no matter what you''re wearing."


    Oh, dear God! "Stop," I whisper.


    We can''t do this. I cannot let this man get a hold on me, because I know he was rightst night. We would be so good together. For whatever reason, we have insane chemistry, and I can''t let him take this any further. I can''t allow myself to have any feelings for him. The moment he tires of me, he''ll toss me away like trash. I am dispensable.


    And the sooner I let him fuck me, the sooner I''ll be useless to him.


    "I can''t stop, Kat," he says, his voice dropping another octave. He ces a hand on my hip, and my skin blooms with heat. "Believe me, I''ve tried. I need to fuck you more than I have ever needed anything in my life."


    "We can''t," I protest, but my voice is so quiet it''s barely audible.


    "We can." His other hand is on my other hip now, and he pulls me closer to him until our bodies are almost touching.


    "Look at me," hemands.


    And I do it. Just like that, because he told me to.


    Because my body obeys him and I don''t even know when that started to happen.


    I blink as I stare up at him. His pupils are so wide, they make his brown eyes appear ck. They are full of longing and fire and need. "It wouldn''t work. It would be a huge mistake," I offer feebly.


    He shakes his head. "No, it wouldn''t, and you know it.


    Let me take you to my bed and I''ll show you exactly how much of a mistake it wouldn''t be."


    I open my mouth but no wordse out. All I can focus on are his strong fingers flexing on my hips. How good they felt two nights ago when he touched me. How much I wanted him to carry on before he stopped. My core contracts, flooding my pussy with heat and making me suck in a stuttered breath.


    Dante narrows his eyes at me. "Okay, kitten. I''ll make you a deal."


    "What deal?" I breathe out the words.


    "Look at the clock on the wall behind me, and if I can''t make youe in two minutes, then you can go to your own bed and I''ll go to mine. But if I do make youe, then you spend the night with me. What do you say?"


    I lick my lips, staring at him. I''m already wet. But under two minutes? There''s no way he could pull that off. I''ve never had anyone make mee that easily. Not even guys I was really into. And I don''t even like Dante, so I can hold out, right? Besides, every cell in my body is vibrating with sexual energy. I want his hands on me. I want his fingers inside me. Just this once. Just to relieve this constant aching need in my pussy. Just once.


    "Okay, but when you don''t get the job done in two minutes, you don''t get to leave me hanging," I say with a tilt of my head.


    He smirks, full of confidence and arrogance. "I''ll make youe no matter how long it takes. I promise."


    "Okay," I whisper.


    What the hell are you doing, Kat?


    "Eyes on the clock, kitten," he orders. "I trust you''ll be honest about the time."


    "Of course," I insist, my eyes now trained on the clock behind him, watching the second hand tick around.


    "Then start timing me," he growls.


    It takes him exactly two seconds to get his hand inside my panties. I ce my hands on the counter on either side of me to keep myself steady as he slides his fingers through my folds.


    "So wet already," he says with a wicked grin.


    "You have one minute and fifty seconds," I tell him as the clock goes on ticking.


    "Plenty of time," he growls as he starts to rub the pads of his middle and pointer fingers over and around my swollen clit with the perfect amount of pressure.


    Pleasure skitters around my body.


    He presses his lips against my ear. "Oh, you like that, don''t you, kitten?"


    "Yes," I breathe, my knuckles turning white as my grip on the counter gets firmer. He''s still not going to do this in under two minutes though.


    But then he starts kissing my neck. Trailing his lips and teeth over my sensitive skin as he dips his hand further into my panties, pulling them down as he works his entire hand between my thighs and forces me to spread my legs wider apart. One minute, thirty-two seconds left.


    "You like this more though, right?" he whispers as he slides a finger inside me.


    Fuck yes, I do!


    He eases it in and out of me, and I bite my lip to stop from screaming his name and begging him for more. I''m not giving him any pointers.


    One minute, nine seconds.


    Clearly though, he doesn''t need any help. A few secondster, he adds a second finger and my pussy coats him with slick heat as she practically purrs his name.


    "Fuck, Kat, you''re so tight," he growls. "How long has it been?"


    "A long time," I whimper.


    "Yeah?" he growls as he drives deeper until he hits my G-spot and starts to massage it with his skilled fingers.


    Holy mother of fucking God. Fifty-two seconds.


    "Yes," I moan as I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to him while he finger fucks me like he has the cheat codes to my pussy. Like he just unlocked expert level andpletely bypassed all the others.


    His lips dust over the shell of my ear. "Your cunt loves my fingers. Wait until she feels my cock."


    "Dante," I groan as the familiar wave of an impending orgasm start rolling through my core. My thighs are trembling.


    "Keep your eyes on the clock," he pants as I bury my face against him.


    "Yeah, clock," I gasp as my head goes on spinning and my body starts to vibrate with its impending release. I look over his shoulder.


    Thirty-one seconds. He''s not going to do it.


    He drives his fingers harder and deeper while he starts grinding the heel of his palm against my sensitive clit.


    Twenty-two seconds.


    "So wet. You hear that?" he growls.


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    And I do. I hear the sound of my arousal dripping over his fingers as he works them in and out of me.


    Damn, he''s going to do it. Fifteen seconds.


    "You''re going toe like my good little kitten so I can bury my cock inside you, too, aren''t you?"


    "Dante," I cry out his name as my orgasm crashes into my body. He wraps one strong arm around my waist, holding me tight while he continues gently massaging my pussy as my body bucks and shudders.


    My eyes roll in my head as I struggle to focus on his face. He''s staring at me. His eyes ze with fire. But then he lets me go and walks to the other side of the room. The loss of heat makes me shiver in the cool room as Ie down from the most intense orgasm I think I''ve ever had in my life. He opens a cupboard and pulls out something before walking back to me. It''s only when he''s standing right in front of me again that I see what he''s holding. A condom.


    "Take off your pants," he orders in his signature low growl before he tears into the packet with his teeth.


    "I thought we were going upstairs?" I whisper, surprised by how much the thought of him taking me to bed and continuing what he''s just started makes my entire body buzz with an excitement that I haven''t experienced in years.


    He''s looking down, rolling the condom onto his cock. I mean, I knew it was big because I''ve seen it beneath his clothes. I''ve felt it pressed against me. However, up close and quite literally in the flesh, I''m not sure how he''s going to fit inside me. He looks up at me again to answer my question, his dark eyes locking on mine. "Oh, we are, kitten, but I need to fuck you right now, so take off the goddamn pants."


    I swallow a thick knot of anxiety that feels lodged in my throat, but I start to slide my sweatpants and panties down my thighs. What if somebodyes in here?


    "Nobody wille in without knocking," he says, because he seems to be able to read my freaking mind.


    Before I can take my clothes all the way off, he crouches and does it for me, tossing my sweats and panties onto the floor behind him.


    "Turn around," he orders as he stands again.


    My blood turns to ice in my veins.


    "Now," hemands, but I can''t move.


    "Why?" I whisper.


    He frowns at me. "Because it will be a better angle to fuck you at down here. Now turn around."


    "I don''t l-like it from b-behind," I stammer, and damn, now the whole moment is ruined.


    He''s going to ask why, or he''s just going to assume that I''m a prude or some kind of inhibited freak. But instead, he wraps me in his giant, tattooed arms and lifts me onto the counter.


    "Then this will work just fine," he groans as he positions himself between my thighs.


    He mumbles something in Italian as he presses his huge cock against my opening. My thighs are trembling. My pussy is quivering. Because of our height difference, we are eye to eye for a change. He seems different like this. Looking straight at him rather than up.


    "How long has it been, Kat? Really?"


    "T-two years," I mumble, feeling like an idiot. Why does he even need to know that? Does that make me less attractive to him somehow? Or more?


    "I''ll take this first one easy, okay?" he whispers, and the softness in his voice makes me almost burst into tears.


    He doesn''t wait for an answer before he edges the tip of his length inside me, stretching me wide. It burns, but it feels so damn good too.


    I wrap my arms and legs around him, burying my face against his neck as he eases in deeper.


    "You''re so fucking tight," he hisses through clenched teeth. Then he takes hold of my legs and unwraps them from around his waist. "I need you to let me in, kitten," he groans, full of frustration and impatience. He hooks his forearms under my knees, pulling my hips toward him and spreading my thighs wide open. I suppose all that Ptes paid off after all.


    My heart starts beating wildly as he looks at me. So exposed and open and vulnerable. "Your cunt looks so good being stretched by my cock," he groans, and I reward him with a moan as my pussy squeezes around him.


    "Just keep holding on to me," he growls as he slides a little deeper, and wet heat floods my pussy.


    I cling to his neck, dragging my lips over his skin as his muscles vibrate with the effort of holding himself back. I can feel the raw power in every muscle of his body, and the fact that he''s trying to be gentle makes my heart ache. This is torture. The slow burning stretch of being filled by him is turning my brain to liquid, not to mention every other organ in my body.


    It hurts, but it''s not enough. I need all of him. Suddenly, I''m ovee by a desperate need to be filled by him. A burning desire to have him deep inside me, until there is no space left between us. My pussy throbs with a deep, carnal longing for his cock.


    Dusting my lips over the skin of his neck, I smile as it elicits a deep growl in his throat. "I want more," I whisper.


    "More?"


    "For the love of God, Dante. Just fuck me," I plead, surprised at my own words because I have never, ever, begged to be fucked before. And certainly not by a man as dangerous and hateful as this one.


    He curses in Italian as he drives all the way inside me. I press my mouth against his skin, muffling my cries of pleasure tinged with pain as he fills me. I try to squeeze my thighs, but he holds me open as he slides out before driving back inside. Warmth floods my hot channel. Each time he pulls out and thrusts back in, my pussy rewards him with more slick heat.


    "Oh fuck," I whimper in his ear as he groans in mine.


    "You feel so fucking good. This cunt... I knew it would..." He thrusts harder, and I almost pass out as the crown of his cock rubs against something inside me that makes me scream in pleasure whilst also wanting to dere my undying devotion to him. How can a devil like him fuck like a God?


    As thest tremors of my second orgasm pulse through me, Dante whispers in Italian as he grinds out his own release. When he pulls out of me a few secondster, the wet sound that echoes around the small room makes my cheeks burn with heat. He was wearing a condom, so that was all me.


    He pulls the condom off and tosses it into the trashcan. I lean against the counter with my legs wobbling like Jell-O and wondering what happens now. This is an unfamiliar territory for me.


    But then he grabs hold of my hand and pulls me with him as he starts walking out of the door.


    "Where are we going?" I whisper.


    "Bed, kitten," he says with a wink. "I am nowhere near done with you."


    DESPITE WHAT WE just did downstairs, I feel nervous and kind of awkward as I stand in Dante''s bedroom, next to his king-sized bed with pristine white cotton sheets.


    He stalks toward me, and it makes a shiver run the length of my spine. I am so out of my depth here I just might drown.

 9

    He runs his fingertips over my cheek. "Why are you so nervous, Kat?" he asks in a deep,manding tone that makes goosebumps prickle out all over my body.


    "This isn''t... I don''t usually do this kind of thing," I say, my voice little more than a whisper.


    "Have sex?" he asks with a flicker of amusement.


    "With strangers who I don''t even like, yes," I snap. If he''s trying to intimidate me, then he can go to hell.


    "There''s my feisty little kitten." He slides his hands over my hips and onto my ass, pulling me close to him so that I can feel his hard cock pressing against my stomach. "But you have nothing to be nervous about. You already know how hard you make me and how much I want to fuck you."


    He reaches for the edge of my t-shirt and starts to peel it off me, and I lift my arms to help him. And now I''m standing in front of himpletely naked. His hands coast over my back, running over every inch of skin, including the hideous scar just above my ass. I shudder when his fingers brush it, and he doesn''t touch it again.


    "You''re beautiful, Kat," he murmurs as he trails soft kisses over my neck. "I want to see every part of you. I want to taste you."


    He pushes me back against the bed until I''m lying on it.


    His strong hands slide up my thighs as he spreads them wide open until I''mpletely exposed to him. The look in his eyes makes my thighs tremble, and before I can stop him, his head is between my thighs and his mouth is on my clit. "You don''t have to do that," I whisper, tugging at his hair.


    He looks up at me with a look of bewilderment on his face.


    "I''m ready, is all I meant," I say with a swallow. God, I''m such an idiot.


    "Yeah, I can see that, but I''m not eating your cunt to make you ready, kitten."


    "Then why?"


    His brow furrows into a frown. "Hasn''t a guy ever eaten your pussy just for the sheer fucking enjoyment?"


    "Well, yeah, I suppose. And I have enjoyed it."


    "I meant his own, Kat. Although yours is important, obviously, but fuck."


    "I''m sorry. I feel like I keep ruining these moments.


    Maybe I should just go back to my own room?"


    He pushes himself up to his forearms. "My face is inches from your pussy. You smell fucking delicious, and I swear if I don''t eat you right now, I might implode. So unless you have any legitimate objections, I''m just going to go back to doing what I was doing."


    I smile at him in spite of the weirdness of this situation.


    "I have no objections."


    "Thank fuck," he growls before he dips his head, pressing the t of his tongue against me. He licks the length of my wet slit and damn near makes my eyes roll back in my head.


    "Fucking heaven," he murmurs before he sucks my clit into his hot mouth and swirls his tongue over the sensitive bud of flesh.


    "Holy fuck," I hiss as my toes curl and my thighs tremble.


    He is so good at that. How much practice has he had?


    Suddenly, I don''t care. Heat and pleasure builds in my core and rolls through my thighs while he feasts on my pussy with more skill than any man should have all to himself.


    When he slips two fingers into me and starts to fuck me while he eats, I enter a whole new realm of pleasure. In fact, I think I might just have drifted onto another ne of existence. And when I look at his face, he catches my eye and winks, and I almost pass out. He didn''t lie about enjoying this, he''s getting as much out of it as I am.


    I press my head back against the pillow, silencing my constant internal chatter and focusing on his magical fingers and tongue and the pleasure they are currently wringing from my body. And when Ie with a breathy cry of his name, he doesn''t stop. Not even when I pull his hair and tell him I''ve had enough.


    "I haven''t," he growls, wrapping his arms around the backs of my thighs to hold me close to his face as I squirm.


    "Give me one more and then I can fuck you as hard as I want to."


    A wave of pleasure rolls over me, knocking the breath from my lungs and rendering me speechless. And only when he has wrung another mind-altering orgasm from my body does he stop. Pushing himself up and rolling on a condom, he plows into me, burying his face in my neck as he nails me to his mattress. And all I can do is cling on, with my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he fucks me better than I had ever even dreamed was possible. DANTE and I lie in bed, facing each other, which feels strangely personal even after what we''ve just done.


    "Why don''t you like it from behind? Does it hurt?" he asks.


    Yes, but not in the way you think. "It''s not that." I try to swallow but my throat is dry. "It''s... I have some bad memories."


    I wonder if he''s going to say something cruel or unkind.


    "Is it anything do with the scar on your back?"


    Oh God. He saw my ugly, ugly scar. "Yes."


    "It''s a strange scar."


    "I know. It was a word," I say, forcing down the emotion that lodges in my throat.


    His eyes narrow, and I feel under way too much scrutiny. "Somebody carved a word into your skin?"


    "Yes, and then I tried to carve the word out so nobody could ever read it."


    "Is that also to do with the reason you have nightmares?"


    I blink at him as my cheeks turn pink with shame. "You know about my nightmares?"


    "It''s kind of hard not to hear you screaming in your sleep almost every night, Kat."


    "I''m sorry about that," I whisper.


    "Don''t be."


    I take a deep breath. This might be the strangest conversation I''ve ever had in my life. Maybe that''s what makes it easier? Neither of us have any investment in making the other feel better about anything. "Yes, it''s why I have nightmares too," I whisper.


    "But before that. Were you okay with being taken from behind?"


    "Yes. It was my favorite," I admit. "But now. I mean, I haven''t been with anyone since, but the idea of someone behind me, holding me down..." I shudder again.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "So you have two lives, right? One before and one after whatever it was that happened to you," he says, and I''m taken aback by his insightfulness.


    "Yes, exactly like that. There''s before the attack, and after."


    "Hmm," he mumbles absentmindedly as his fingers trace over the skin of my back. He avoids my scar, and I wonder if he''s doing that on purpose, and if so, is it because he''s being kind or because he''s repulsed by it. Not that he seems repulsed by my body at all. In fact his impressive erection suggests the exact opposite.


    "What are you thinking about?" I ask him, a little scared of the answer.


    "I''m not going to lie, Kat. Your ass is a thing of beauty and I want to see it bouncing when I''m nailing you. I spend way too much time thinking about bending you over every piece of furniture I own and fucking you until you scream. So, are you open to working on the issue with me?"


    He wants to work on this? Like we''re a couple or something? Is he for real? The man who kidnapped me wants to help me work through my issues. But despite those thoughts, the words thate out of my mouth are, "I''ll think about it, sure." His response is a half groan, half growl, that makes goosebumps prickle over my forearms. Who am I kidding?


    A few more orgasms like the ones he''s given me tonight and I''m going to let Dante Moretti bend me over whatever the hell he likes.

 10

    Shutting off the shower, I squeeze out some of the excess water from my hair and step out onto the bath mat.


    Damn! I left the clean towels on the bed, and theundry hamper was emptied this morning.


    I walk to the dressing room just as Dante ising through the other door. His eyes roam over my body as I stand, dripping all over his expensive floors.


    "Sorry. I left the towels on the bed," I say as I tiptoe across the room.


    But he doesn''t move out of my way. He goes on staring at me, licking his bottom lip like he''s considering what to do next.


    "Fuck, Kat, I honestly thought there could be no improvement on your naked body," he growls.


    I frown at him. "Huh?"


    "But naked and wet. Fuck!"


    "Oh," I blush as he takes two steps toward me, and suddenly, I''m in his arms and my body is crushed against his, soaking the suit he only put on about a half hour ago. "I''m getting you all wet now too." I giggle as he squeezes one of my ass cheeks in his hand.


    "You want to get wetter, kitten?" he groans before he kisses me, and I''m done for. I don''t care about the towels on the bed because all I can focus on is Dante''s kiss. A devil''s kiss shouldn''t feel this good. He coaxes my lips open, his tongue iming every inch of my mouth as he sucks all the breath from my body.


    I don''t even feel him walking me backward until he breaks our kiss and we''re standing in front of the full-length dress mirror. I can''t see anything because he has his back to it and he''s way too huge to see past.


    He grips my jaw between his thumb and his pointer finger, tilting my head up so he can look into my eyes.


    "Kneel," he orders.


    I drop to my knees and reach for his belt, but he grips my jaw tighter, tilting my head again so I''m looking at his face instead of the bulge in his pants.


    "I''m sure you''re gonna be so good at that, but that''s not what I want right now."


    I lick my lips as he lets go of my jaw and starts unbuttoning his shirt. "Don''t move," hemands as he steps away from the mirror, leaving me staring into it. I avoid my own reflection and watch him instead as he stands behind me and pulls off his damp clothes. He takes a condom from his pocket before tossing his suit pants onto the chair nearby. When he''s naked too, he kneels behind me, putting the condom on the floor beside him.


    My limbs freeze, and my breathing intensifies as my heart rate kicks up a notch when he moves closer.


    "Rx, kitten. Watch what I''m doing in the mirror, okay?"


    "Okay," I mumble as my body starts to tremble.


    But then his hard chest is at my back and he pulls me a little closer to him. There isfort in his body against mine, but I can''t rx. Not with him behind me, able to push me down and fuck me at any given second.


    His lips dust over the shell of my ear, and I shiver for an entirely different reason. And when his hand slides over the curve of my hip and between my thighs, I whimper. My body''s torn between fear and anticipation of the pleasure he can bring


    me.


    "I''m not going to bend you over or hold you down," he whispers as his fingers slide between my folds, and he starts to rub the sensitive bud of flesh. "But I need you to rx, kitten. You''ll be able to see everything I''m doing in the mirror."


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    "Okay," I breathe as I watch his strong fingers dipping between my thighs.


    Then his free hand slides over my breast, and he kneads one in his strong palm, causing wetness to pool in my core.


    His teeth graze over the sensitive skin on my neck and his hot breath on my damp skin makes goosebumps prickle out all over my body. "Spread a little wider for me," hemands.


    I shuffle my knees so that my legs are spread open, and his entire hand slides between my thighs before he dips two fingers inside me. I lean back against him, moaning his name softly as pleasure rolls through my body.


    "So fucking wet already and I''ve hardly touched you yet," he groans. "You''re gonna feel so good like this."


    He sinks his fingers deeper, and I drop my hips, grinding down on him. "That feels incredible," I whimper as he gives me what I need, rubbing against my clit with the heel of his hand.


    "You''re squeezing me so tight. You''re going toe for me and then I''m gonna fuck you like this, right?"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Yes," I pant as the waves of pleasure roll through my core, making my thighs tremble.


    "There''s my good kitten," he soothes as the pads of his fingers press against my G-spot. "Let go for me."


    Let go? I couldn''t hold on if my life depended on it. I cry out his name as my orgasm shreds my body to pieces, tearing into my limbs with a million little explosions of pleasure and relief, like tiny starbursts igniting in every cell of my body. "You look so hot when youe for me," he growls, and when I meet his eyes in the mirror, the fire in his makes my skin burn.


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    He slides his fingers out of me, sucking them clean before he opens the condom and rolls it on. Then he grabs my hip, and with his other still squeezing my breasts and toying with my nipples, he grips me tightly as he nudges the tip of his cock at my entrance.


    "Dante, please," I beg him to take me. Because what he''s already given isn''t enough. He''s merely stoked the embers, but I need the fire. And I know the exquisite relief of being filled by his huge cock is the only thing that will bring it. "I got you, Kat," he whispers against my skin, and then with a roll of his hips, he''s inside me. Filling me sopletely that I gasp for breath. The pain and the pleasure of being stretched so wide by him fighting for control as he drives into me again.


    "Holy mother of fucks..." I moan as he wraps both arms around me, caging me inside them as he hugs me tightly and fucks me hard.


    "I knew you''d be tight like this, but Jesus, fuck, Kat," he grunts.


    I whimper as another orgasm starts to wash over me in slow, undting waves.


    "I can''t wait to bend you over my desk and fuck you. Tell me you''ll let me," he says as he runs his nose over the back of my neck, pushing my hair out of the way with his face. "Yesss."


    "Good little kitten," he growls as he drives harder, crushing me to his chest as I fall apart in his arms.


    Then he sinks his teeth into my neck, sucking hard, as he rocks his hips and finds his own release.

 11

    Maximo frowns as he reads whatever message just came through on his cell.


    "Something wrong?" I ask him.


    "The guy from the other night, the one who shot Mitch?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Died about a half hour ago."


    "Fuck," I sigh, running a hand through my hair. That guy was thest one breathing from the situation three nights ago. We were at a dinner an old friend of ours was hosting for his girlfriend''s birthday, when three guys showed up out of nowhere and started shooting. There were so many families there, no one has any idea who the intended target was and the three men involved were taken down before they could do anysting damage. But our best lead just went and died. To make things worse, my father was there too, and after the Kat situation, thest thing I need is him breathing down my neck to find out who was behind this. I have bigger issues to deal with right now.


    "The kid who died, he was Italian, right?"


    Maximo nods.


    "Then it has to be a power grab. Someone must know something, Max."


    "I have turned this city upside down, D. I even tracked down Carmine Santangelo."


    That name is a st from the past. "Fuck, Max. I didn''t even know he was still breathing."


    "Alive and barely kicking, but yes, he''s still around."


    "And you went to see him, why?"


    "Leave no stone unturned, you said."


    "And you thought maybe he''d hold a grudge and it took him six years to act on it?"


    "Who knows? You did wipe out his son-inw and his grandchildren." Heughs.


    "Yeah, but he hated them even more than we did."


    Maximo nods his agreement.


    Carmine was the maternal grandfather of my ex-fianc¨¦e, Nicole. He despised his son-inw even before he discovered what sick, twisted shit the evil fuck was into, and what he''d dragged his kids into. After I tortured Jimmy Santangelo and put a bullet in his son''s head, Carmine shook my hand.


    "If he was our best lead, we should get out there and find some more," I say.


    "Leave it to me," he says, pushing himself to his feet.


    "You got enough on your te."


    "I miss not being tied to this fucking desk, you know?" I sigh, my thoughts drifting to my older brother.


    "You have any idea when Lorenzo mighte back?"


    "Nope. None at all," I admit.


    We''re interrupted by a knock at my office door. Maximo opens it on his way out to reveal Kat standing in the doorway dressed in a white sundress and a blue cardigan that looks like it''s as old as her, but fuck me, she looks good enough to eat. "I''ll keep you updated,pagno," Maximo says before giving Kat a quick greeting and leaving my study.


    "Everything okay?" I ask her as she walks into the room, fidgeting with the sleeve of her cardigan.


    "I was just wondering if I could order some medical supplies for the doctor''s office? I did an inventory and you''re running low on quite a few things and some of the medicine is kind of out of date?"


    "It''s your office now, kitten," I remind her. "And yes, you can order whatever you need."


    "Thank you. I won''t spend a lot. I''ll need to use aputer though."


    "I think I have an oldptop somewhere. I''ll dig it out for you."


    Her eyes light up at the thought of contact with the outside world, but I guess there''s not a lot she can do now that she''s here. Even if she told her cousin about our arrangement, this house is a fortress. And she''s not stupid enough to call the cops.


    "You can use it to email your cousin too," I suggest, and the smile that lights up her face would knock me on my ass if I wasn''t already sitting down.


    "That would be really nice too. Thank you."


    "One of my tech guys will look at it each night though. If you try anything stupid..." "I won''t. I promise."


    "You should order yourself some new clothes too," I suggest as my eyes roam over her outfit.


    "That''s okay. I know this is old, but it was my mom''s, and I love it." She tugs at her cardigan. "And I don''t have money in my ount."


    I frown at her. "I''m not suggesting you spend your own money."


    "I''m already in your debt," she replies, and I don''t miss the sudden coolness to her tone.


    "Then consider it a gift."


    Her throat thickens as she swallows. "I''m fine with what I have."


    I don''t know why her attitude makes me hard, but it''s all I can dotely not to fuck her where she stands every damn time I see her. "Come here."


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    She stares at me for a few seconds before she obeys and walks toward my desk, standing on the opposite side. I push my chair back a little. "No, here," I say, looking down at the small space I just created.


    She''s wrestling with wanting to tell me to go to hell, but she''s also helpless to fight this attraction between us. She''s spent the past three nights in my bed and we have barely slept at all because I cannot keep my goddamn hands off her. She sighs softly, just to keep up the pretense that she hates me, before walking around and standing directly in front of me. She leans back, resting her ass on the desk as she looks at me. Because of our height difference, we''re face to face, and I lick my lips as I stare into the dark blue orbs of her eyes. I roll my chair forward slightly, spreading my thighs so she''s between them.


    "Is there something I can do for you?" she asks with a tilt of her head.


    "So much you can do for me, Kat, but right now..." I grab her hips and bite my bottom lip. I''m trying to take it easy with her. She''s obviously been through some fucked up shit that has left her with scars and nightmares, but it''s bing increasingly difficult to hold myself back.


    "Right now, what?" she whispers.


    "Turn around."


    Her fingers grip the edge of my desk. "I-I''m not sure I can. Not yet."


    "Have I done anything that you''re notfortable with?"


    "No."


    "So, turn around." I try to keep my voice low and calm even as my cock is throbbing to be inside her.


    She hesitates for a second, but I loosen my grip on her hips, and she spins around until she''s facing my desk.


    Reaching beneath her dress, I hook my fingers into the waistband of her panties and slowly peel them down her legs. She shivers as I pull them off over her feet. Sliding my hands up the back of her legs until I reach the edge of her dress, I push it up until it''s bunched around her hips and her bare ass is inches from my face.


    "Put your hands on the desk," I tell her as I slide my knee between her thighs, nudging her so I can spread her a little wider for me.


    She leans forward, her breathing heavy and her body trembling as she nts her palms on my desk. "You''re so fucking delicious, Kat," I growl as I run my hands over her perfect ass. Her scar is just out of sight for now, although I intend on getting her naked very soon.


    "Dante," she breathes my name, and I hear the tremor in her voice.


    "I''m not going to bend you over my desk until you''re ready, kitten. Rx."


    She nods her head, but she''s still shaking and she doesn''t stop until I slide a finger inside her pussy a momentter. She moans softly as I slide slowly in and out of her tight cunt. When her wetness is slick on my fingers and the sound of her is filling my study, I add a second digit and press deeper and harder.


    "Holy fuck," she groans, rocking her hips back against my hand. Reaching my free hand around to her front, I rub her clit as I finger-fuck her to a quick climax that leaves her legs shaking for an entirely different reason. And when I pull my fingers out of her sweet cunt, the thick coating of her cream on them makes my cock almost bust my zipper.


    Standing up, I work quickly to free myself from my pants while she''s stilling down from her high. Then I remove her cardigan before pulling her sundress all the way up and over her head. She lifts her arms to help me get rid of her clothes. With a flick of my wrist, I unfasten her bra, and it falls from her shoulders, allowing her incredible tits to spring free. I palm them in my hands, squeezing, as I press myself against her back. My cock is twitching against the seam of her ass, and I''m almost fucking feral for her.


    I press my mouth against her ear. "I think you''re ready, kitten."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Her throat thickens as she swallows. "I don''t know."


    I take a condom from my desk drawer and tear it open with my teeth. "I''m not going to hold you down, okay?" I assure her as I press my hand between her shoulder des and push her gently over my desk. I roll the condom on quickly, and only when her cheek is pressed against the wood do I grab hold of her hips. "I''m going to keep my hands here the whole time. You''ll be able to stand up again if you need to."


    "Okay."


    "Good girl," I soothe as I edge the crown of my cock inside her wetness and her muscles tense as her pussy squeezes around me. It damn near kills me to hold myself back from driving balls deep into her, because I''ve never wanted to fuck anyone as hard and as much as I want to fuck this woman right here. I rub a hand over her hip and her lower back, tracing my fingers over the scar that she hates so much but that is so much a part of her. "Rx, Kat. Let me inside you, tesoro."


    I lean over her and trail kisses over her shoulder des, careful not to press my body against hers so she feels no weight from me. She lets out a soft moan and her muscles rx enough for me to slide deeper inside her.


    "Oh fuck," she whimpers as I hit that sweet spot deep in her pussy and then her entire body goesx as she sinks against the desk and allows me to fuck her almost as hard as I want to.


    "You look fucking exquisite bent over my desk," I growl as I plow into her. "And your tight pussy looks amazing being stretched by my cock."


    "I need it harder," she pants, and I almoste inside her.


    "You sure?" My fingertips dig into her hips as I prepare to rail into her.


    "Yes, please, Dante," she mewls like my feral little kitten.


    And so, I give her exactly what she needs, driving into her deeper and harder until she''s squirming on my desk, moaning my name and squeezing my cock with her tight cunt until my balls are drawing up into my stomach. "Help me out, kitten," I growl as I try to think of anything but how good she feels before I empty myself into her. "Rub your clit for me."


    Her hand disappears between her and the desk as she touches herself while I''m nailing her from behind. The fact that she trusts me enough to let me do this to her almost steals the breath from my lungs.


    "Oh fuck, Dante," she moans loudly, her pussy rippling around my cock as shees hard, tipping me right over the edge with her.


    I lean over her again, pressing my lips against her ear.


    "You did so fucking good, Kat. So good."


    A tear runs down her cheek,nding on the dark wood. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her up as I slip my cock out of her and sit on my chair with her on myp.


    "Are you okay?" I ask her, brushing her hair back from her face.


    "Yeah," she whispers, wiping another tear from her cheek. "That was just a little intense."


    "It was."


    "Thank you for pushing me," she says with a soft smile that would melt my heart if I had one. "My pleasure, kitten."

 12

    Walking into the bedroom, I smile to see her lying in bed reading, because after the day I''ve had, I need her.


    "Hey," she says with a smile as she puts her book on the nightstand. It''s strange how easily we have fallen into this routine of her being in my bed and me enjoying the fact that she is always in here before me every evening. I sit down beside her and sigh.


    "Rough day?" she asks.


    "Kind of."


    "I have an idea that might rx you," she says with a devious grin.


    "You definitely have a few things that would rx me, kitten, but what did you have in mind?"


    "Lie down," she whispers as she climbs out of the covers.


    I do as she asks, lying on the bed with my arms behind my head as I watch her straddling me. She''s wearing my t-shirt and those cute heart panties again, and I hope whatever she has nned involves my cock being inside her.


    She runs her hands over my chest and down to my belt, tugging on the leather and unbuckling it with deft fingers. I definitely like where this is heading. She works down my zipper and then her slender fingers reach inside my boxers and she wraps them around my stiff cock.


    I arch an eyebrow at her. She''s not usually so forward.


    "I just got my period, so I thought maybe a change?" she says with a shrug. "Although I haven''t done this for a while, so I hope I still know what to do."


    I don''t want to think about any other men she''s wrapped those beautiful lips around, but she''s twenty-nine, and I''m not na?ve enough to think that she didn''t have a life before the attack that seemed to change herpletely.


    "If you''re thinking about sucking my cock, you will get zero objections from me," I tell her, although I''m not sure what her period has to do with that. I''m still fucking her regardless.


    She licks her lip nervously before she shuffles down the bed until her mouth is inches from my groin. Darting out her tongue, she licks the precum from the crown and the soft little moaning sound she makes is so fucking sexy. She holds onto the base of my shaft with one hand. Then she presses the t of her tongue beneath the underside and licks me from root to tip before swirling it over the crown again and making hot rivulets of pleasure sear in my balls. I thread my fingers through her hair as she sucks me deeper into her mouth.


    "You''re so good at that, Kat," I grunt as my balls are already drawing up into my stomach. She cups them with her free hand, squeezing with the exact amount of pressure that makes my eyes roll. "So fucking good." She murmurs around my cock, breathing heavily through her nose as I rock my hips and slide deeper into her throat. Her eyes water, but she doesn''t resist me at all and she doesn''t gag. Fuck, she''s too goddamn perfect. "You''re gonna make mee soon," I growl. "So, this is your chance to stop and finish me off with your hand."


    She looks up at me, her long darkshes fluttering against her hollowing cheeks as she sucks harder. I brush away a tear with the pad of my thumb. She had her opportunity to stop, and now, I''m all in. I palm the back of her head, forcing her to take a little more of me.


    "I''m going toe in your throat and you''re going to swallow it all down. Everyst drop."


    "Mmm," she mumbles, flicking her tongue over my skin and giving my balls a gentle tug. I drag in a breath as my entire body shudders with the force of the orgasm she sucks from me. When she''s swallowed all of my cum, she looks up at me, as sweet as sugar and as wicked as sin. She licks her lips and grins at me.


    "My turn, kitten," I say, flipping her onto her back.


    "Dante," she squeals. "You can''t."


    "I can," I growl as I pull her t-shirt up over her head before she can protest further. Then my mouth is on her neck. Trailing over her corbone until I reach her perfect tits. I squeeze one in my hand while I take the other nipple into my mouth and suck until she''s moaning and grinding her pussy against my thigh.


    "Your mouth should be illegal," she groans.


    I work my way over her entire body, kissing and biting and sucking every inch of her skin that I can reach.


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    Palming her pussy, I let her grind herself against my hand while I take my time tasting the rest of her.


    "Dante," she breathes.


    And when my cock is hard again and I''m desperate to be buried in her cunt, I fist my hands in her panties and pull them down her legs.


    "I''m on my period," she reminds me, like I didn''t hear her earlier and like I give a fuck.


    I curl my finger around the string between her thighs and pull out her tampon, making her gasp loudly.


    I ce the blood-soaked tampon on the nightstand while she goes on staring at me in horror. "I can''t believe you just did that."


    "Do you honestly think a little blood is going to stop me from fucking you, Kat?"


    "I-I," she stammers, still shocked.


    I nudge her thighs with my knee. "You can''t get pregnant on your period, right?"


    "It would be highly unlikely," she whispers, and at least now, she''s not thinking about me fucking her on her period, but the fact I''m about to fuck her with no condom. "But that''s not the only reason to use a condom, Dante." "I''ve never fucked any woman without one before."


    "Never?" She narrows her eyes at me.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Women rarely spend more than one night in my bed.


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    I''ve never felt the need to."


    She frowns at me. "How do you know that I''m clean?"


    "You''re a nurse. Something happened to you a few years ago and I would bet my life you got yourself checked out after."


    Her throat thickens as she swallows.


    "And there''s been no one since, right?"


    "I''m clean," she whispers.


    I hold myself over her, my cock nudging at her entrance and my forearms on either side of her head. "Then let me feel you without anything between us, Kat. Just for tonight?"


    I''m desperate to be inside her, and when she finally says yes, I sink in to the hilt. Balls deep inside her hot, wet pussy as it squeezes around me. She feels so fucking good.


    Her wet heat slicks me and I grit my teeth because she feels even tighter like this, so much better than when I have to use a rubber. The way her walls ripple and clench around my bare cock causes white hot pleasure to burn through me. Her silky smooth juices coat every inch of me as I drive in and out of her.


    "You feel incredible when I''m fucking you bare, kitten," I growl in her ear. "Your cunt is so fucking wet, it''s unreal." I slide out and m into her even harder and she moans loudly. "Tell me it feels better for you too."


    "It does," she gasps. "So much better. But the blood, Dante. It will be all over you."


    I pull out and drive into her again. "I''ll happily paint the two of us and this whole goddamn bed in your blood as long you let me fuck you. I have no idea how I''m ever going to fuck you using a condom again."


    "Dante," she groans as she wraps her arms around me. I seal my lips over hers and her mouth opens up so easily so that I can tongue fuck her while I nail her to my bed. And when I make here loudly a little whileter, I''m pretty sure she doesn''t give a fuck about bleeding on my sheets or my cock.


    "How about we take a shower?" I offer when we''re both done and she''s staring up at me with her beautiful blue eyes.


    "I think that might be a good idea," she replies with a smile.

 13

    It''s been three weeks since Dante and I first had sex together, and we haven''t stopped since. I try to keep myself busy sorting out the office he''s assigned me, but I have very few patients. I hang around this house reading or watching TV and waiting for him to show me some attention. I realize how pathetic that sounds and the me who walked into this house six weeks earlier would have me carted off to a psych ward. But that me wasn''t drunk on orgasms, hot sex, and Dante Moretti''s mouth.


    Yesterday, he stopped me in the hallway, pressed me against the wall with one hand around my throat and the other on my ass, and he just kissed me. For over ten minutes, he just kissed me, and it was the hottest thing I''ve ever experienced in my entire life. I don''t know when he''d have stopped if Maximo hadn''t interrupted us.


    My lips were swollen, and my skin was red and tender from his beard, but I could have let him do that all day.


    Because while he might be a devil who fucks like a god, his kisses are hellfire.


    He summoned me to his office a few minutes earlier, which usually means sex on his desk, or on the sofa in the corner, or against the door. But not today. I''m going to grow a backbone and behave like the girl my momma raised instead of being driven by my hormones.


    Dante is staring at hisptop screen with a frown on his face. Apart from a curt nod of acknowledgment when I walked into the room, he''s ignored me. Asshole.


    He rolls his neck and the thick veins pulse as he grinds his jaw. My heartbeat is thrumming in my ears as I stand just a few inches from him. If I stretch out my hand I could run my fingertips over his thick biceps and onto his hard chest to feel his muscles flexing beneath the soft rich fabric of his shirt.


    Goddammit. Stop it, Kat.


    He lifts his head, training his fiery gaze on me and I''m done for. My determination and resistance wilt like a flower in need of a good water in the heat. What the hell is wrong with me?


    He stands so quickly I gasp, but I have no time to let it out again because his mouth is on mine, his huge arms around my waist, crushing me to him as he kisses me with so much fire that my skin burns from the heat. One of his strong hands coasts up my back, his fingertips grasping at the fabric of my dress until he reaches my head and palms the back of it. Taking a handful of my hair in his fist, he tugs at the root, tilting my head to his desired angle so that he can im my mouth as he pushes me back against his desk.


    "Fuck, Kat," he groans as he breaks our kiss for a moment, running his nose over my cheek and down to my neck. "Why do you always smell so fucking good?"


    I reach for his hair, curling my fingers into his thick dark locks as I sit on the edge of his desk, spreading my thighs to allow him to press himself against me. And he takes full advantage, grinding his hard cock against my pussy and making me whimper with shameless need.


    When the hell did I turn into this person? Desperate for any crumb of affection and contact he will offer me.


    As he crushes his mouth against mine again, the hand he has on my waist slides over my hip and my outer thigh until he''s pushing my dress up even further, giving himself ess to take whatever the hell he wants from me. His touch is warm as his hand slips beneath the fabric and onto my soft skin until he cups one of my ass cheeks, kneading it in his powerful hand and using it as further leverage to press our bodies even closer together.


    "Dante," I whimper into his mouth, trying to pull away and take in some air, but he refuses to let me, and I remain pinned to him.


    There is no escaping him. No fighting him. Not that I want to. I am as desperate for him as he seems to be for me. Slick, wet heat burns between my thighs as I rock my hips against him, chasing the friction thates from his thick cock rubbing against my clit through my panties.


    "Yeah?" he grunts. "Tell me what you want, kitten."


    Kitten. A word that started as an insult has somehowe to make me pliant onmand. I lean into him further, my body melting like warm wax against the solidness of his.


    "I want you," I murmur. He smiles before his tongue slips back inside my mouth, and he deepens our kiss, consuming me like a fire does oxygen. He slides his hand between my thighs, running his fingertips over the damp patch of fabric on the crotch of my panties and eliciting a moan from deep inside my chest. I pull on his hair and slide one hand down his back, my fingernails scraping over his shirt as I fight to get him closer to me. To get him where I want him, where I need him. He growls in response - actually growls. It''s an animalistic sound that starts in his chest and rumbles up through his throat, making me shiver. He tugs my panties aside, dragging the tip of his pointer and middle fingers through my soaking folds.


    I whimper again. Shameless, needy, and desperate for more, I hook one leg around his waist and pull him to me, shifting my hips, hoping his fingers will slip lower and deeper. I want him inside me. My body is screaming for him to touch those ces that only he knows how to reach.


    Knowing exactly what I want from him, he slides two thick fingers inside me and my pussy squeezes around him as pleasure and heat surges through my body. Wrenching my lips from his, I throw my head back and moan his name, loudly enough that anyone passing his study might hear, but I don''t care. His touch turns me into someone I barely recognize.


    "I love to hear my kitten purring," he says with a darkugh that rolls through me as he starts to finger-fuck me with such ease and skill, it''s like he''s known my body forever.


    "You... feel..." Those two words are all I can manage as he thrusts deeper, massaging my inner walls as the heel of his palm rubs against my clit until my orgasm starts building to a crescendo. Waves of rippling pleasure start rolling through my core as he buries his face against my neck, dragging his teeth over my sensitive skin.


    "You hear how wet your cunt is for me?" he asks before he starts to suck on my neck, pulling his fingers all the way out before driving them back in for emphasis. The slick sounds of my pussy are almost drowned out by the blood rushing in my ears as I tug at his shirt. He''s holding back.


    Denying me the rush that is so close but so frustratingly far away.


    "Please, Dante," I beg him, lost to any rational thought now. I scramble to unbuckle his belt and pants.


    "I don''t have any condoms in here," he groans in my ear.


    "It''s okay, just pull out," I rasp as I reach inside his pants and squeeze his thick, hard cock in my palm.


    "Fuck," he hisses. "Are you sure?"


    No. But my wanton whore of a pussy wins out. "Yes.


    Please," I plead instead.


    Then his fingers are gone and he releases his grip on my hair, making my head spin at the loss of his touch. Until he reaches between my thighs and tears my panties down the middle, effectively making them crotchless. I blink at him.


    "They were getting in my fucking way," he snarls before he wraps his arms around me and ms into me.


    "Ohhh," I moan, circling my arms around his neck so that I can have something solid to hold onto because I''m pretty sure my soul is about to leave my body.


    "Fuck, you feel so good like this," he says, his lips brushing over my ear. "So fucking good."


    I wrap my legs around his waist as he pushes me back slightly, adjusting his angle so that he can slide in even deeper.


    When there is a knock at the door a few secondster, I bury my face into the crook of his neck as my cheeks burn with shame.


    He shouts - loudly and angrily - something in Italian, and though I don''t understand the words, I appreciate their meaning.


    "Oh God," I whisper.


    "I am your fucking God, kitten," he growls in my ear as he goes on railing me on his desk.


    The orgasm that has been taunting me for the past ten minutes is so dangerously close now. I hope whoever just knocked on that door has walked away because I''m about to implode.


    "Dante," I cry as my pussy squeezes around him, pulling him deeper and never wanting to let him go.


    "Fuck, Kat," he growls. "I can''t... I need to stop."


    "No," I cry out in frustration, and my brain stops working entirely as my body chases the endorphins that are only a heartbeat away. I cling tighter to him, crossing my ankles behind his back to keep him where I need him.


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    "Don''t stop."


    He doesn''t stop. He drives into me onest time and my climax burns through every cell in my body like a wildfire.


    "Oh fuck."


    When he bites down on my neck and grinds his hips against me, I know that he''s found his own release too.


    We both cling to each other, panting for breath and not daring to look the other in the eye. What the hell did we just do? "You can get a pill for that, right?" he asks.


    I blink in confusion. Then I realize he''s talking about n B.


    "Yeah. I''ll need to go to the pharmacy," I whisper.


    "I''ll go," he replies as he pulls out of me and releases me from his grip.


    Of course he''ll go. Can''t let the prisoner out alone, can he? Before I can say anything else, a knock sounds again.


    We look to where the sound came from and my skin flushes bright pink.


    Oh my God! They must have heard everything!


    "What is it?" Dante shouts as he starts to zip up his pants.


    "I''m sorry to disturb you, Boss, but Joey is here,"es the voice from the other side.


    His brow furrows into a deep frown. "Joey?"


    "Yes, Boss."


    He sighs softly. "I''ll be right out."


    He''s still frowning as he fastens his belt.


    "Who is Joey?" I ask as I slip off the desk and straighten my dress, fixing my torn panties as best I can.


    "You''re about to find out," he says, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.


    I follow him out of his study and along the hallway, anxious to discover who Joey is. From Dante''s reaction and the fact that he was disturbed twice about this man''s arrival, he is obviously someone of some importance or influence. But when we get to the entrance hallway, it''s empty.


    Dante doesn''t seem bothered though, and he heads off in the direction of the kitchen, with me close behind him.


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    Guests are never allowed to roam the house freely, which means Joey is not a guest.


    When we step into the kitchen a few secondster, the first thing I notice is possibly the longest pair of legs I have ever seen in my life. A young woman, probably in her early-twenties although she could pass for younger or older, sits at the kitchen table, her feet resting on the table top as she stares at us.


    "Guiseppina, what are you doing home?" Dante asks with sigh, but there is a hint of a smile on his face.


    He''s happy to see her. Who is this woman with the perfect pouty pink lips and legs that would make a super model jealous?


    "You know I hate that name," she replies with a dramatic eye roll as she flicks her long dark hair over her shoulders. Then she stares at him, her face full of defiance and an air of arrogance in the way she holds herself. She knows exactly how beautiful she is. I bet people have been telling her that every single day of her life.


    "What are you doing here, Joey? I thought you were staying with Lorenzo and Anya?"


    Something about what he just said unsettles her, if only for the briefest second. Pain shes in her eyes before she pushes herself up and strides over to him with a wide smile.


    "I thought you might be missing me, big brother."


    Big brother? He has a sister? I''ve heard plenty about the Moretti brothers in my neighborhood, but never about a sister.


    "Of course I do. But Lorenzo told me you were spending the summer in Italy once you finished school?" Dante replies.


    "Hmm."Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    "Is everything okay?" he asks, a deep frown on his face again, and suddenly I feel like an intruder. It feels like they''re having a conversation that is loaded with meaning, even though they''re barely saying anything.


    "Things were getting a little... difficult," she says before closing her eyes for a second. When she opens them again, they are wet with unshed tears. "And I thought I might as welle home. Trade one prison for another, right? At least this one has decent WIFI."


    A prison?


    If he is bothered at all by what she just said, Dante doesn''t show it. Instead, he wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head. She''s a few inches taller than me, but she''s still dwarfed by his six-foot-four frame.


    She rests her head on his shoulder, and I see a glimpse of vulnerability from this young woman who calls her home a prison. He says something to her in Italian and she nods her head. I don''t know what he said, but I suspect they were some words offort given the tone of his voice and the soft smile that ys on her lips. But the moment passes quickly and she pulls back from him and res at me, her dark eyes narrowed as she looks me up and down. "And you are?" she asks, her tone dripping with disdain.


    I re back at her. It''s not like I chose to be here.


    "This is Kat. She''s staying here for a while," Dante says, but his tone is cold and distant. There is none of the warmth that he had when he was speaking to Joey. None of the fire that was there when we were in his study just a few moments ago. He doesn''t even look at me.


    "Kat?" she says, her nose wrinkled in what I can only describe as disgust. Then she links her arm through her brother''s. "Come on and help me unpack and I''ll tell you about my summer."


    "Sure," he says, but he''s distant, even with her now.


    He''s in this kitchen with us, but his mind is elsewhere. Still, the two of them walk out of the room without giving me a second nce.


    I stand rooted to the spot and watch them leave, with Dante''s cum dripping out of me and feeling more worthless than I ever have in my entire life, well except for... No, don''t go there now, Kat!


    That is thest time I will ever let that man use me. The sooner I can get out of this goddamn house, the better.

 14

    After an incredibly tense and emotional conversation with my older brother about how our little sister managed to fly halfway across the world without him noticing, I call Joey to my study.


    "Is Lorenzo super pissed at me?" she asks, all wide and innocent-looking. But she''s capable of causing more trouble than both of us brothersbined.


    "Yeah, he''s pissed. But I guess he''s kind of distracted right now."


    "I know. Anya is sick again and I don''t think Lorenzo even wants to acknowledge it," Joey says with a shake of her head as we sit facing each other on the opposite sides of my desk.


    "Well, it took him a long time to ept it the first time around," I remind her, remembering my older brother''s violent outburst and epic rages when his wife was diagnosed with cancer four years ago.


    "I know. What if he loses it again?" she asks. "He won''t."


    "Yeah." She chews on her bottom lip. It''s a habit she''s had since she was a little kid. She does it when she''s nervous or worried. She''s only twenty-one and the baby of the family. Lorenzo and I have always looked out for her and protected her from the worst of our father''s rage and cruelty, but she soaked up plenty of it anyway. Kids do, don''t they? Like little sponges. She resents our protection, obviously, and I get that. She feels ustrophobic, a prisoner. But one day, she will see that it''s all for her own good. Everything we have ever done for her has been only out of love and concern.


    "She''ll beat it again, Joey," I tell her.


    "What if she doesn''t, Dante?" she asks, her eyes brimming with tears.


    I shake my head because I don''t have an answer for that. Our mother died of cancer when she was thirty-seven.


    I was thirteen, Lorenzo was seventeen, and Joey was only four.


    "Anyway, tell me about Kat," she says, changing the subject. She has a wicked grin on her face. My sister can be as sweet as sugar when she wants to be. Innocent and vulnerable in a lot of ways, but she also has a cruel streak a mile long. She just gets a kick out of hurting people - even the people she loves.


    "Her brother stole money from Pop. I can''t find him and she doesn''t know where he is. So it was either kill her or bring her here to work for us."


    "So?" she replies with a frown. "Why not just kill her?"


    I re at her. That question brings up so much emotion and I don''t want her to see even a sliver of it. The truth is I''ve killed people for less. Not innocent women though. I''ve certainly never killed a woman with crystal blue eyes that can see into my soul and has an ass that haunts my every waking thought.


    "She has nothing to do with her brother being an asshole, Joey. We don''t just go around killing people for nothing."


    "Not for nothing if he stole from us, though? Family is family," she replies with a shrug, as though taking a life costs nothing. I hope she never has to learn the harsh reality that it costs something that can never be regained. "You just going to keep her here forever?"


    Yes. For fucking ever and then some. "No." I rub a hand over my jaw. I really have no idea what I''m going to do about Kat, especially now that Joey is back. She adds an extra element ofplication. She will make it her mission to push Kat''s buttons at every possible opportunity, and I will wind up being stuck in the middle of the two of them.


    "Just until she can work off her brother''s debt ores up with something that helps me find the piece of shit."


    "Yeah, right," she snorts.


    I scowl at her. "What?"


    "You''re fucking her."


    "Guiseppina!"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Aren''t you?" she asks with a smirk.


    "None of your damn business," I snarl.


    She sits straight in her chair and stares at me, her huge brown eyes wide. "Oh my God, you like her!" she says with disgust and a little sadness too. My little sister is not used topeting for my affections. "She''s working here for a few months and then she''ll leave," I lie, but I say it with such conviction I almost believe it myself.


    "Whatever you say, big brother," she says with a sweet smile. Devious little witch is already up to something.


    IT''S after midnight by the time I head to bed. I haven''t seen Kat since Joey''s arrival. I''d rather keep the two of them apart for as long as possible. Joey is a wildcard but Kat can give as good as she gets. Thest thing I need is petty squabbling while I''m still trying to find out what happened the night one of my men was shot. But I didn''t see her around the house at all. The only privacy she has is in her bedroom, and I have cameras trained on the door and windows so I''m aware when she leaves the room. I know where she is at all times, but not actually seeing her for myself, it makes me feel something that I can''t figure out.


    Not quite sad, but something kind of like it.


    I shake my head as I make my way up the stairs. I stop outside her room. I should go to bed, but fuck if I don''t need her right now.


    My fingers curl around the door handle, and I go to open it, only to find it locked. She''s pissed at me. But she can get over it because I want her in my bed tonight. My cock hardens as I recall fucking her on my desk. Sinking into her hot, wet cunt without a condom felt incredible. I never want to wear them again with her and I make a mental note to get the doctor here to prescribe her some birth control. I press my forehead against the cool wooden door.


    "Kat," I call out loud enough that I know she''ll hear me even if she''s sleeping.


    She doesn''t reply.


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    "Kat. Open the door."


    Nothing but silence.


    "Open this goddam door or I will kick it down," I hiss.


    "And if I do, it won''t be put back."


    Footsteps pad across the room, and a few secondster, the door is opened a crack. "I was sleeping," she snaps.


    I frown at her. "Why did you lock your door?"


    "Because I want to be on my own."


    I narrow my eyes as I search her face. She is pissed. And upset.


    "Joey can be a bit much," I exin.


    She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "I''m really tired.


    Can I go back to bed?"


    "You cane to my bed." I push the door, forcing her to take a step backward.


    "I told you I''m tired."


    So am I, and I can''t fucking sleep without you. "I''ll let you sleep," I whisper.


    She swallows, then turns her head so she doesn''t have to look at my face. "Please, Dante. I just want to sleep alone."


    I cup her jaw in my hand, tilting her head so I can meet her gaze. A tear runs down her cheek, and she swats it away.


    Fuck this. She doesn''t get to be alone. Not after she''s made me so addicted to her.


    "You either sleep in my bed or I''m sleeping in yours.


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    She res at me, her jaw clenched, as she considers her options. Realizing she doesn''t have any, she turns around and stalks back to bed. Stepping inside the room, I close the door behind me and follow her. She slips beneath the covers while I undress. Once I''m naked, I climb in beside her, pressing myself against her back.


    She shuffles forward, but I wrap my arm around her and pull her back to me, burying my face in her hair. "You pissed at me, kitten?"


    "No."


    "Seems like you are."


    "Sometimes, I just need a little reminder who I am to you, and you gave me that today. I''m not mad at all. In fact I should be thanking you."


    "And who exactly are you to me?"


    "Nobody. Nothing. Just yourtest ything, right?"


    I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath before I press my lips against her ear. "Never forget who you''re speaking to, Katerina. I will only indulge you for so long before I remind you of the man I am and the things I''m capable of." She shivers in my arms, and damn if it doesn''t make my cock hard. I press it against her ass. "Does this feel like nothing to you?"


    "I know exactly who you are, Dante Moretti. How could I forget?"


    That sounds loaded with meaning, but I''m too tired to argue with her. I just want to fall asleep next to her. I close my eyes and pull her tighter. "From now on, you only sleep in my bed unless I tell you otherwise. And I''m going to get a doctor toe over soon. I want you on birth control," I tell her.


    "What? Why?"


    "Don''t ask questions you already know the answer to, Kat." I yawn. "Now get some sleep or I''ll reconsider my promise to let you."


    "Injections don''t agree with me," she whispers.


    "Then you can take a pill, right?"


    "They''re best started after a period, so that we can be sure they''re one hundred percent effective."


    "Fine. As soon as you have your next period, then. Now go to fucking sleep."


    Even in the dark and with my eyes closed, I can sense her mouth opening toe back with something else - but she doesn''t.


    I lie with my arm around her and her warm skin pressed against mine, exhausted but unable to sleep. When her breathing evens out, I roll onto my back and stare into the darkness.

 15

    There''s a hand on my neck. Another one on my back, pushing me down. I try to scream, but my throat is raw, and it hurts. Not that anybody ising for me.


    More hands now. wing at me. Pushing me. Viting me.


    "No!" I scream, waking up from the same nightmare I''ve been having for the past two years.


    "Kat," a deep voice speaks against my ear.


    "No, get off me," I shriek, twisting in the covers as I try to get away from the monsters that are still here. But I can''t. I''m being pulled up, wrapped in strong arms and pressed against a solid wall of muscle. "Kat, it''s just me. Just you and me," he says softly, his breath dusting over my ear as he sits up and pulls me onto hisp.


    "Dante," I breathe out, sagging against his chest at the realization that it was just a dream. I''m here in the house of the most powerful man in the city. Except that it''s not just a dream, is it? It''s a living, breathing, all-epassing memory. And I''m pretty sure a part of me is actually still stuck in that hellish basement. A part of myself that I will never get back.


    "I''ve got you. You''re safe," he whispers as he runs a hand over my hair.


    I nod, my cheek brushing against his chest. It''s wet with tears I don''t recall shedding. "I didn''t know you had a sister," I say, wanting to talk about something that doesn''t involve me being a freak. "She''s not talked about like you and your brother are. I mean, everyone knows who you are."


    "Yeah, and we kind of like it that way."


    "Why?"


    "Because Lorenzo and I can take care of ourselves, but Joey... Anyway, I have two sisters."


    "You do?"


    "Well, Toni is my half-sister. We were born within a few days of each other."


    "Oh? That must have been awkward at Christmas." Iugh softly.


    "Exactly," heughs too. "Lorenzo has always hated her for it."


    "Are you close with her?"


    "Kind of. We were when we were kids, but she moved to LA when we were thirteen. She''s an MMA fighter."


    "No way. That is so cool."


    "Hmm. She is kind of cool. She''s back in Chicago right now actually, but she''s training for some big thing so..." He clears his throat as though he''s said too much - shown me too much of his real self. Then he turns to the conversation so expertly back to me. "You don''t have these dreams when you''re in my bed. Is there something about this room that''s a problem for you?"


    Heat flushes over my cheeks. It''s not about the room at all.


    "Kat?" he asks again.


    "It''s not the room," I breathe.


    He''s silent, waiting for me to exin. I feel like such a fool for even admitting this, but... "It''s you."


    "But I''m here with you now?"


    "But you weren''t holding me," I whisper as my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I can''t believe I''ve be so dependent on this man who basically kidnapped me - a man who has made it abundantly clear that I am nothing more than a warm body to him.


    The muscles in his chest tense, and his Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows hard. God, I''m such an idiot.


    He lies back down, wrapping his arms tighter around me as he pulls me with him until I''m lying on top of him.


    "I''m okay now," I mumble, feeling like the world''s biggest fool. I try to push myself up, but he tightens his hold. "Go to sleep, kitten," he says softly.


    epting defeat, Iy my head against his chest again and listen to the steady thrumming of his heartbeat against my ear. He strokes my hair and whispers something in Italian that I don''t understand, but the deep, soothing timbre of his voice makes me feel safe and protected.


    I''m falling for this monster even though I''m trying my damn hardest to keep him at a safe distance. I''ve kept my heart behind a wall for so long, but he makes me realize that wall was only made of ss and he''s shattered it without even trying.


    He''s an enigma. And the contrast between the man he is now, holding me and making me feel safe, to the one who ignores me and makes me feel entirely worthless, is going to break me. I don''t think I can handle being broken for a second time.


    This is why I need to leave.


    Isleptte and Dante was gone when I woke. He''d worked out and eaten breakfast by the time I made it down to the kitchen and I don''t know if I''m relieved or not that he''s not sitting opposite me wearing nothing but a pair of boxing shorts as I eat my scrambled eggs. I am such an idiot for bing so reliant on him, and even more of one for actually telling him thatst night.


    I close my eyes as a wave of embarrassment rolls in my stomach as I recall the things I said to him.


    I''m enjoying thest bite of the delicious eggs Sophia made me when Joey strolls into the kitchen - all tanned long legs, thick dark hair, pouty lips and dripping with entitlement. I roll my eyes as she takes a seat opposite me and proceeds to stare at me like I''m an exhibit in a museum.


    "Can I help you?" I ask.


    "No." She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.


    I pick up my coffee and take a gulp.


    "You want some pancakes, Miss Moretti?" Sophia asks.


    Joey rolls her eyes. "Please don''t call me that, Sophia. You know I hate it."


    Sophia sighs softly. "Joey, would you like some pancakes?"This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Please," Joey replies with a sweet smile, which is so obviously fake it makes me want to hurl up my eggs I just ate. When she turns back to me a few secondster, there is no trace of a smile left.


    "Ack! We are out of flour," Sophia groans. "Let me go check the spare pantry." She walks out of the room, leaving Joey and me alone.


    "So, you surended a sweet deal getting to live here with my brother," she says with an arch of one perfectly manicured eyebrow.


    "A sweet deal?" I snap at her. "Are you kidding me?"


    "Your brother steals from us and you get to live in this beautiful house and sleep in my brother''s bed as punishment?"


    The skin on my neck and chest turns red as heat and shame wash over my skin. I can''t believe he told her that we sleep together. I mean, I don''t know why I''m shocked.


    It''s not like I mean anything to him.


    "You think I''m taking advantage of him?" I snort.


    "Aren''t you?"


    I re at her. She''s as bad as her brother. "No, I am not. I didn''t ask toe here. You might think it''s a beautiful house, but to me, it''s just a prison. I would much rather be in my tiny house in Washington Park, but your brother refuses to let me leave."


    Her dark brown eyes narrow as she stares at me for a few seconds. "I could help you leave," she offers.


    I almost fall off my seat. "Yeah, right," Iugh.


    "I could do it."


    "What''s the point? He''d juste to my house and bring me back."


    Joey rolls her eyes again. "You wouldn''t be able to go back to your house. You''d have to start over somewhere.


    But I could get you some documents. A little cash. You could go anywhere you please and never have to see him ever again."


    What the hell is her deal? "You''ve done nothing but look down on me from the second you came in here, so why on earth do you think I''d believe you wanted to help me?"


    "I''m not doing it to help you," she says with an exaggerated sigh. "I''m doing it because I don''t want you here."


    "Well, at least you''re honest."


    "But mostly I''d be doing to aggravate my brother," she adds with a wicked grin. "I think he''d miss having his little pet around. At least for a while until he moved on to the next one anyway. You know that''s what will happen, right? He''ll dump you at the side of the road if you''re lucky. But it''s more than likely he''ll just kill you. Less messy."


    I ignore the not-so-veiled death threat because I already know the kind of man her brother is and I''m under no illusion that the simple fact he enjoys fucking me offers me any protection in that regard. I mean, he murdered his own fianc¨¦e. "Why would you want to make him so pissed? He''s your brother."


    She leans closer to me. "You think this is your prison, Kat? At least you might get out one day. I''ve been living in a prison since I was born. Dante and Lorenzo watch every move I make. I''m not allowed to go out. Not allowed to date. They even packed me off to some convent school in Italy. I hated every second. I begged them to let mee home to college here, but they refused. So, why does my brother get to do whatever the hell he wants just because he''s a guy?" Yes, she''s an entitled, spoiled princess with a bad attitude, but it seems like she has her own crosses to bear.


    I still don''t trust her for a single second though.


    "So, what do you think? You want me to speak to my guy or what?" she asks, eyes narrowed as she waits for me to answer.


    "I think that you''re crazy if you believe you can rescue me when you can''t even rescue yourself."


    She blinks at me, and I take the opportunity to stand and walk out of the room.


    I BARELY SAW Dante all day, apart from a few fleeting glimpses of him in the hallway. It feels like something big is going on for him right now that is about more than just Joey''s return. I didn''t see Joey either after our chat in the kitchen. I stayed in the library for most of the day, while she watched TV in the den and talked - loudly - with her friends on her cell phone. I heard her announcing her triumphant return when I was passing by after lunch.


    I stare at the ceiling as I lie in Dante''s bed. I did consider going to my old room but I don''t want a repeat ofst night because I''m too exhausted to carry on fighting with him. How can a man make me feel so worthless and yet so important to him at the same time?


    As much as it kills me to admit it, I''ve missed talking to him today. I walked by his study and was going to pop in and say hi, but there was an armed guard outside and that means he''s not to be disturbed. Maybe he won''t evene to bed tonight, or it will be sote that I''ll be asleep. I should use this time to n my escape rather than pining after a man who I clearly mean so little to.


    The door creaking open a few secondster makes me sit up and I see his familiar silhouette walking into the room. I watch as he peels off his clothes, the moonlight casting dark shadows over his skin as he strips naked. A few secondster, he slips under the covers and his warm hand glides onto my stomach.


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    "Hey," I whisper in the darkness.


    "I''m d you''re still awake," he says, propping himself up on one elbow.


    "You are?"


    "Yeah." He tugs my t-shirt up before sliding his fingers into the waistband of my panties. "It''s been a long day and I need you, kitten."


    I swallow the disappointment. Of course that''s all he needs. It''s all he ever needs from me.


    "Are you okay?" he asks when I remain still.


    "Yeah, I''m good. Just a little tired," I lie.


    He bends his head and his warm breath dances over my skin as he kisses my neck so softly it makes me shiver. His lips are against my ear as his hands slides between my thighs, and he starts to toy with my clit. "You want to go to sleep?" "You told Joey about us," I reply, opting for a distraction.


    "No, she guessed. I didn''t know it was a secret though," he growls as his fingers go on teasing me.


    "Well, she kind of blindsided me with it. A heads-up would have been nice," I say, biting on my lip to stop myself from moaning as the familiar waves of pleasure build in my core.


    "Joey will make it her mission to make you as ufortable as possible, Kat. You just have to ignore most of whates out of her mouth."


    "Well, if that was her mission, she achieved it," I snap, mping my thighs together to stop his fingers from driving me to distraction.


    It works because he pulls his hand from my panties and brushes my hair from my face. "What did she say to you?"


    "She... she suggested I was taking advantage of you."


    Heughs darkly, and I re at him. "I''m d you find that funny, but it was horrible, Dante," I say, remembering how small and cheap she made me feel. "She made me feel like..." I choke back the emotion. "Like what?"


    "A whore," I whisper. I hate that word. It''s one that''s used to degrade women, but I don''t know how else to describe how she made me feel.


    "I''ll speak to her."


    "No, please don''t." I sigh. "I can handle her myself."


    "Whatever you want, kitten. You know I don''t see you that way, right?" he asks as he starts to kiss my neck again.


    "Don''t you?"


    "Just because I fuck you every chance I get, doesn''t mean that''s all I want from you."


    "So, what else do you want, Dante?" I ask.


    His hand slides down my body again and back into my panties. "Everything," he growls, and before I can ask him what the hell that means, he silences me with a deep kiss full of fire and longing, while he slides two fingers inside me. Dante Moretti is a monster - the most ruthless and violent man I''ve ever known, but that''s not why he''s so dangerous. He''s dangerous because I''m falling for him a little more every single day.

 16

    I rifle through the cupboards of the medical room as quickly as I can before someone catches me. When I open the cupboard above my head, a roll of bandages falls out, bouncing off my head onto the floor. Dammit. I''m sure I saw some in here. I know I did because I wondered why the hell Dante even had them in his house. Chasing after the errant bandage, I wrack my brain to recall which cupboard they were in. I''ve hardly been in this roomtely. I don''t know if that''s because Dante''s men are no longer getting themselves into any scrapes that need my attention, or whether it has anything to do with Joey''s return almost three weeks ago and her protective older brother doesn''t want his injured men in the house. Whatever it is, I haven''t been using any of my nursing skills and I''m wondering exactly how I''m paying off my brother''s quarter of a million dor debt. I spend my days reading or walking the grounds and mostly avoiding Joey. But I spend every night in Dante''s bed and asional afternoons in his office where he fucks me over and over again, no longer giving me any of the warmth or affection that I was bing used to. Currently that seems to be the only service I provide and whenever that fact starts to make me feel uneasy, I''ve be an expert at pushing such thoughts away.


    But when Dante asked me if I''d called the doctor to prescribe me some birth control, well, now I have some thoughts that I can''t push away no matter how hard I try.


    Opening the small set of drawers beneath the locked medicine cab, I find the little pink boxes I''m looking for.


    I take one out and stuff it into the pocket of my jeans.


    Now I just need to get out of here and reach a bathroom without getting busted.


    I STARE at the small piece of stic in my hands and the two lines that are marked so clearly they may as well be shing neon. I cover them with my hand, half suspecting Dante to be watching me on some hidden cameras.


    I''m going to throw up, or pass out. Up until thirty seconds ago, I''d convinced myself my period was a weekte because of stress and anxiety, or just one of those things. I mean I don''t track my cycles because I haven''t needed to. I haven''t had a boyfriend or even a friend with benefits for over two years. So I didn''t even notice it waste at first, not until Dante reminded me of the conversation we had three weeks ago. I remember it well because it was the same day that Joey came back. And I remember putting off the birth control because I had less than two weeks before my period was due. And that was the same day we had that stupid, frantic sex in his office too. He was supposed to get me the morning-after pill, but then Joey was here, and we had a fight, and we both forgot.


    Stupid, stupid Kat!


    I slip the test into my pocket and put my head in my hands. My heart is beating so fast it sounds like a galloping racehorse in my ears. Dante is going to think I tricked him into this. Or he''s going to kill me, or hand me over to his men now that I''m no longer any use to him. What if he forces me to have an abortion?


    I jump up from the edge of the bath as my lunch decides to make a sudden and violent reappearance. With my head in the toilet, I heave out the entire contents of my stomach.


    When there''s nothing left, I sink to the floor and lean against the cool bath.


    There is only one thing for it. I have to run.


    IT TOOK me half an hour to calm down in the bathroom as I ran through so many scenarios in my head. I thought of every exit in this house and they are permanently manned by armed guards both inside and out. The grounds are patrolled twenty-four hours a day and the walls are way too high to scale. And the main gate is like a fortress. There is only one way out, even though it seems unthinkable, but what choice do I have? I have to make a deal with the demon witch who has done her best to make me feel as ufortable as possible for the past three weeks.


    She''s sitting in the den, flicking through a glossy magazine when I find her. She looks up at me when I walk into the room, then rolls her eyes in annoyance and disgust before going back to reading. "Can I ask you about something?" I say as I take a few steps closer.


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    "What?" she sighs heavily.


    "Your offer? To help me get out of here? Does it still stand?"


    That certainly piques her interest, and when she looks up at me again, her eyes are filled with mischief and delight. I swallow the ball of anxiety in my throat. I know I''m going to regret this. "What changed your mind, kitty-kat?" she asks with a pop of one perfectly manicured eyebrow.


    "I''m just tired of being your brother''s ything," I say with a shrug and all the indifference I can muster.


    "Then yes, it still stands," she says with a grin.


    "So, what do we do?"


    "Leave it with me. I have a guy who can get you some papers."


    "But how do we actually get out of here, Joey? You''re as trapped in here as I am."


    "Not quite, kitty-cat. Not quite," she says with a knowing smile. "It might take me a couple of weeks, but I''ll have you out of here by the end of the month."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "You''re sure?"


    "Yes."


    "And you won''t tell your brother about this?" I ask with a frown.


    "Now, where would be the fun in that? By the time you''re gone, I''ll have no idea where you''re headed, and I''ll enjoy watching my big brother lose his mind for a few weeks, before he finds a new pet to keep him entertained." Sheughs wickedly.


    I can''t imagine taking such glee from someone else''s misfortune, but I suppose I never grew up as a Moretti. I kind of feel sad for her in a way.


    "Okay. So, you''re sure you can do this?"


    "I''m sure. Trust me."

 17

    Trust me!


    I can''t remember a time in my life when those two words were uttered and the oue was positive. But that''s what Joey asked me to do, and with limited alternative options, that''s exactly what I did. And that is why at almost midnight, I am following her to God knows where.


    I''d just dealt with a particrly nasty bout of morning sickness - although why they call it that when itsts all goddamn freaking day, I don''t know - when she knocked on Dante''s bedroom door and told me it was time.


    "How the hell do you expect to get us out of here without anyone noticing, Joey?" I snap, fueled by irritation and fear as she leads me down a hallway I''ve never seen before. This house is like a goddamn maze. "Dante and Maximo are out tonight. Now is the perfect time."


    "But there are guards everywhere," I remind her.


    "Not down here though," she says with a mischievous grin. "I used to sneak out this way all the time when I was in high school. It''s a secret entrance."


    "A secret entrance? Really? What is this ce? Like Hogwarts?"


    Joey stops dead in her tracks and res at me. "Look, Kat, do you want out of here or not? I mean, I was even kind of getting to like you these past few weeks, so if you''d rather stay and be my brother''s little ything for the rest of your days, then be my guest."


    She folds her arms across her chest and waits for my reply. I suppose I''ve kind of gotten to like her a little too.


    Once you get beneath all the snark and sarcasm, she''s actually really smart and funny.


    "I''m sorry," I whisper. "I''m just nervous. If he catches us..." She''ll be fine, she''s his annoying little sister, but he''ll kill me.


    "He won''t," she says with an eye roll, full of that Moretti confidence that she and her brother have by the ton. "My guy is solid. We got this."


    I take a deep breath. I have to get out of this ce. I have to get us away from him. "Okay. Let''s go."


    She smiles and then carries on walking down the hallway until wee to a small store room. Once we go inside, she moves a metal shelving unit out of the way and pushes a brick in the wall, and sure enough, it opens to reveal a hidden passageway. "Wow," I gasp.


    "Told ya," she smiles triumphantly.


    "Doesn''t Dante know about this though?"


    "Nope. Don''t think so. Like I said, I used to sneak out this way all the time." "Where does it lead to?"


    "Like some kind of underground bunker or something. I don''t know what it is, but there''s a door that leads out onto the street. My guy will be waiting with your documents and a car and then you''re out of here," she says as she steps inside the dark passageway and flicks on the torch on her cell phone.


    I''m hit by a flood of emotion that almost knocks me off my feet. I feel something about leaving this ce, about leaving him, that is not pure joy. And I feel so grateful to Joey. Whatever her agenda is, she''s giving me an out and I will always owe her for it.


    I intend to change my name and get new papers as soon as I''m far enough away from this ce, I mean she''s still a Moretti and if Dante wants to find me badly enough then she''d probably tell him. But I figure he might be pissed for a little while that we duped him, but he won''t bothering looking for me. He''ll move onto the next warm body. At least that''s what I hope anyway.


    "Thank you for this, Joey. I don''t know how to repay you."


    "Seeing the look on Dante''s face when he realizes you''re gone is payment enough for me," she says as she heads along the dark tunnel.


    I follow behind her until we reach another door. "Almost there," she whispers. "Here, take this." She passes me her cell as she starts to draw back the huge steel bolt. It creaks loudly like old, rarely used metal does, and I wince at the sound echoing off the stone walls. What if someone in the house hears?


    "There," she pants as she draws it all the way back and pushes open the huge metal door. I''m still holding her cell phone, pointing at the open doorway. It almost slips from my fingers when his facees into view and my racing heart stops beating as time literally freezes around us.


    "Going somewhere,dies?"


    "Maximo! What the hell?" Joey shrieks. "You scared the shit out of us."


    He shakes his head in amusement as he flicks on his torch and shines it in our faces. "And I''m not even the entr¨¦e," he says with a cruelugh. "Wait until you get back to the house and see how pissed Dante is." "N-no," I stammer. "I''m not going back."


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    "Oh, you are," Maximo says.


    "How the hell did you know?" Joey snaps, her body shaking with fury while I''m trembling with fear.


    "You think we didn''t know about you sneaking out of here as a kid? You think I didn''t follow you every single freaking time? And your guy, Joey?" he hisses.


    "He''s Dante''s guy," she says with a sigh.


    "Everybody is Dante''s guy," he says, his tone dark and menacing.


    "I''m going to throw up," I whisper.


    "Don''t give a fuck. You both better start moving. Now!"Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Maximo barks as he walks through the door, his huge frame crowding us backward as he does. Then he closes it with a bang, fixing the steel bolt back in ce, and now, I can''t breathe.


    I gasp for air. Joey grasps my hand and squeezes. "It''s okay," she whispers. "I''ll tell him it was my fault."


    "It doesn''t m-matter," I stammer. "He''s g-going to k-kill me."


    "Move!" Maximo barks again, and Joey squeezes my hand again as we start to head back through the passageway, which somehow seems even smaller and tighter than it did a few minutes earlier. It''s strange how a space can change without really changing. A few moments ago, this dark tunnel was full of hope and possibility. Now it''s full of fear and dread and monsters.


    When we reach the doorway of the store cupboard, Joey opens it first and the small room is flooded with light. And he''s standing right there in the hallway waiting for us. His hands stuffed into the pockets of his suit pants and the fabric of his shirt stretched taut over his huge muscles as he literally vibrates with anger. The three of us step into the hallway, but Dante''s focus is entirely on me. His eyes are zing with heat and fury and every single cell in my body is trembling with fear. "Dante, it -" Joey starts, but he cuts her off.


    "Go and wait in my study. I''ll deal with youter," he snaps, never taking his eyes off me. And I can''t look away from him either. I want to avoid the intensity of his re, but I can''t. So, I stand, blinking and desperately trying not to throw up. "And this one?" Maximo asks.


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    "Take her to the guest room. The one in the east wing," he hisses through clenched teeth, his rage palpable in every single word.


    "I''m s-sorry," I mumble, but he doesn''t acknowledge me.


    "Follow me," Maximo says and begins to walk down the hallway, and I obey him because at least it means I get to escape Dante''s wrath for a while. Maybe he will calm down.


    Maybe he will understand when I tell him why I tried to get away. Maybe pigs will fly over Chicago tonight.


    I FOLLOW Maximo up the stairs and to the east wing of the house. He leads me to a bedroom which looks much like the others, until I notice it''s not.


    "There are bars on the windows," I say with a frown when I step inside.


    "Yeah," Maximo agrees.


    When I scan the room, there''s nothing in here but a bed and a nightstand with amp fixed to the wall. It looks like there''s a small ensuite attached, but the room is sparse and nothing like the luxury of the one I was staying in previously. "But I won''t... There are bars..." I blink at him.


    "Yeah," he says again. "And a lock on the door too." And with that, he disappears out of said door, and I hear the click as he imprisons me inside.


    My heart sinks in my chest and I fight the urge not to cry as I sit on the bed and wait for Dante.


    Why did I listen to Joey? Why didn''t I just ept what was before? It was so much better than this. Except that it wasn''t really. I was still a prisoner, just afortable one.


    The reason I need to escape hasn''t changed.


    I look at the pale, bare walls and wonder if this was Nicole''s room. Is this where Dante kept his fianc¨¦e before he murdered her?


    I wonder if he''lle tonight. If he''lle at all or just leave me to drive myself into a full-blown panic attack while I wait for whatever punishment he has in store for me.


    Lying back against the bed, I ce my hands on my stomach and whisper quiet words of assurance to my tiny little ray of hope.


    And I wait.

 18

    The door to my study almostes off its hinges with the force as I burst inside to confront my devious little sister. She sits on the small sofa in the corner, her hands in herp as she picks at her fingernails. She''s nervous as hell and she should be because I have never been so goddamn pissed at her in my entire life, and she has pulled plenty of shady shit before today.


    "What the fuck, Joey?" I hiss, anger vibrating through every muscle in my body and making me shake with suppressed rage.


    She looks up at me, her long darkshes wet with tears.


    "I''m sorry, Dante -" "Sorry? Fucking sorry?" I shout, banging a fist on my desk and making her jump in fright.


    "I didn''t think you''d care."


    "Don''t fucking lie to me," I snarl. She has never been afraid of me before and she''d never had reason to be, but I haven''t felt a rage like this for such a long time. Not since I found out about Nicole. I swallow a ball of anger and it knots in my chest instead. "Why, Joey? Do you really hate me that much?"


    Her eyes flicker with anger and years of suppressed emotion. I actually see it ripple through her body before she jumps up from the sofa. "I hate this goddam house. I hate that I can''t take a fucking shit without someone watching me, Dante," she screeches. "I hate that you and Lorenzo get to do whatever the fuck you want because you were born with a dick! While I have to be the perfect, pampered princess who doesn''t get to even breathe without permission." Her chest heaves with the effort of her diatribe and tears run down her cheeks.


    "What the hell does that have to do with Kat?"


    "Why do you get to keep your little pet? Why can''t you be miserable just like I am?"


    I step closer to her. "You think I wanted this life, Joey?N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    You think I don''t dream about just walking away?"


    "Running off to Italy like Lorenzo?" she snipes.


    "I never said that."


    She shakes her head and stalks to the other side of the room. "I have no one, Dante," she sniffs.


    "That''s not true."


    "Yes, I wanted to hurt you. I wanted to pay you back for sending me away. And Kat wanted out of here. She is desperate to leave, she had to be if she came to me, right?


    She even pretended to like me." She scoffs. "She would have found another way if it wasn''t with me. She will find a way, big brother. Lucky for her she''s not tied to this family like I am."


    Her words hit me way harder than I expected them to because I know there is a ring of truth to them. How desperate must Kat have been to trust my little sister, who has shown her nothing but contempt. And I knew it all along, didn''t I? I convinced myself that I was the one in control, and she manipted me into thinking that there was something more between us than just physical. Damn, she was good at it too.


    "I hope it was worth it, Joey," I say. "Because whatever happens to her now is on your hands."


    She narrows her eyes at me. "What are you going to do to her?"


    "Why do you care?"


    "I don''t." Liese so easily to her, tripping off her tongue like they cost nothing. I''m not sure there has ever been a woman in my life who hasn''t lied to me as easily as Joey just did. And usually, I can see right through them.


    Like I did with my mom when she used to tell me everything was okay and my father was a good man. Like I saw through my ex-fianc¨¦e, Nicole. But I didn''t see it with Kat. Shey in my bed every night, and I never saw it. I guess I didn''t want


    to.


    "Good to know," I say before I turn and head out of the door.


    "I know what really happened to Nicole, Dante. Lorenzo told me."


    The mention of her name makes me falter for a second.


    My heart seems to stop beating. I knew he was going to tell her the truth, but I didn''t think she''d ever speak of it.


    I don''t reply. I can''t think about anything but Kat and how she''s ripped out my goddamn heart. I can''t take my anger out on my sister, but I will damn well take it all out on her.


    I have no idea how long I''ve been lying on this bed. It could be hours, it could be minutes. Time seems to have taken on a whole new meaning. It does when you have nothing to tell the time by. It''s still dark outside, but I don''t even know if it''s tomorrow yet or still today.


    The sound of the door being unlocked makes me bolt upright. My heart rate kicks up a gear, and I swallow as I wait for someone to walk inside. I don''t know whether to be relieved or terrified when I see Dante walking into the room. He closes the door behind him, and I jump up from the bed, running to him.


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    When did I be so pathetic?


    "Dante, I -" He doesn''t let me utter another word before his huge, powerful hand is wrapped around my throat, and he ms me against the wall.


    He presses his face close to mine. His anger from earlier hasn''t dissipated at all. In fact, it seems even fiercer than before. "Don''t," he hisses, his hot breath dusting over my cheek as he squeezes my throat tighter until I''m struggling to breathe. This isn''t the way he usually grabs me. I''ve never felt my airway restricted like this before. He''s trying to hurt me. To kill me. "Did you honestly think I would be blind enough to let you slip out from under my fucking nose, Kat?" "N-no," I rasp, my throat already raw from the pressure of his grip.


    "You think I''m stupid, then? Is that it?"


    "N -" Tears run down my cheeks, and my head pounds from the pressure on my throat. In a few seconds, I''m going to pass out and then I won''t be able to tell him. I won''t be able to tell him about the only thing that might make him spare me. I use every ounce of breath left in my body to gasp out two words. "I''m pregnant."


    I clutch at my throat as the cool air rushes into my lungs. It''s only then I realize he''s let me go. His hands are on either side of my head now, caging me in as he keeps me upright with the weight of his body against mine. "What?" he growls.


    "I''m p-pregnant," I breathe.


    He shakes his head. "You''re lying to me."


    "I''m not," I insist. "That day in your office. You never got me the pill after..." And I forgot to remind him.


    He narrows his eyes at me..


    "I took a test. I''m five weeks." I sniff.


    "So, not only were you running from me after you swore you''d repay your debt, but you were trying to take my child away too? Is that what you''re telling me?" he growls, and it''s so full of menace and vitriol that it makes me shiver. But he does not get to pretend like he''s the victim here.


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    I wipe my tears away and re at him. "What choice did I have, Dante? It''s not just me now. I did what I had to protect my child."


    "My child," he snarls. "You think it needs protecting from me?"


    "I don''t know," I admit. "But I do know that I would rather die than be forced to give him or her up."


    "You think I would make you do that?"


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know. You made all these decisions about our child without knowing anything. You didn''t think of just telling me you were pregnant instead?"


    "I only know what you told me," I shout in his face, and he inches closer to me.


    "And what is that?"


    "That as soon as I''m no use to you, you''ll hand me over to your men." I swallow hard as the thought of that happening, of being torn from my baby makes me feel like someone just tore my heart out of my chest. "What use will I be to you when I''m nine months pregnant. Or breastfeeding a tiny infant? Or when I''m exhausted and sore?"


    He ms his fists on the wall either side of my head and I can feel the anger in him rising to a crescendo. But he pushes himself back and then walks out of the door, locking it behind him and leaving me alone.


    I MUST HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP SHORTLY after Dante left because it''s bright when the sound of the door unlocking startles me. I rub my eyes and focus on the figure walking into the room. It''s the young new housekeeper who started here a few days ago, and whose name I can''t recall. She''s carrying a tray of food and my stomach growls at the smell of eggs and toast.


    She sets the tray down at the end of my bed, avoiding eye contact the entire time.


    "Thank you," I say as I pull the covers off myself and climb out of bed, but she slips silently back out of the room, leaving me alone again.


    I sit next to the tray anyway, wondering how long it will be before I see Dante again. We have so much to talk about. I expect he''ll be here in a few hours. Shouting at me for leaving and demanding answers that I don''t have. So, why is a part of me look forward to seeing him anyway?


    There are two boiled eggs and two slices of brown buttered toast on the tray as well as a jug of water and a ss of orange juice. And right there, nestled beside the cutlery is a blue and white box containing a pregnancy test - one of those expensive digital ones. So, he wants proof, does he? Fine by me. I will light that baby up like the Fourth of July.


    I sit cross-legged on the bed and start to eat, feeling better with each mouthful and hopeful that if Dante hasn''t killed me yet, then maybe we can figure this out.

 19

    The soft ticking of the clock feels like it''s taunting me as we wait for his arrival. My father found out about Kat and Joey''s little escape attemptst night and has insisted oning to the house today to discuss mypse in security. "Do I really have to be here for this?" Joey says with a sigh and an eye roll.


    "Yes, you fucking do," I snap. "You''re the reason he''sing here."


    "Ugh," she groans as she flops onto the sofa.


    "It will be over soon. Let him have a gripe about your safety and how I need to keep a more watchful eye on you.


    It will make him feel like he''s being a good father, and then I''ll offer him a Scotch and he can leave."


    "Fine," she sighs. She rolls her eyes again at the sound of his voice filling the hallway outside.


    I look over at her. "It will be fine. Be nice to him and we can get him out of our hair as soon as possible."


    She makes another disapproving noise from deep in her throat right before he walks into the room. As soon as he''s inside, she stands and smiles at him. It''s a well-practiced routine.


    "Hi, Pap¨¢." She goes to hug him, but he brushes her off and storms across the room, nting his hands on my desk and ring at me. "How the fuck did you let this happen?


    My daughter and your whore just walk out of here like it''s nothing."


    Pushing my chair back, I stand too, refusing to have him towering over me like I''m still a kid. "She''s not a whore," I defend Kat even though I''m beyond pissed at her. "And they did not walk out of here. Maximo knew exactly what they were up to and he stopped them before they could leave."


    "She needs to be dealt with," he snarls.


    I''m aware that Joey is staring at me with her mouth hanging open, but I remain focused on my father. "She''s twenty-one. What do you want me to do, take her cell phone away?"


    "Not Guiseppina. The whore," he spits.


    "Her name is Kat," I snarl at him. "And she is being handled."


    "It was a mistake bringing her to this house. She has seen too much. You need to deal with her, Dante," he insists, and now I know exactly what he means.


    "I can''t fucking kill her, Pop," I snap.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Because you''re weak," he snorts.


    "No," I shout at him. "Because she''s fucking pregnant."


    He blinks at me, and Joey gasps in shock, her hand flying to her mouth.


    "With your child?" my father asks with a frown.


    "Yes, with my fucking child."


    "Dante, I didn''t know," Joey says. "If I had, I would never..." My father turns to her, his face twisted in anger as he raises his arm and ps her so hard that her head snaps backward.


    "What the fuck are you doing?" I round the desk to get to him as he goes to hit her again. I grab hold of his wrist as Joey staggers backward, her hand pressed to her face as she stares at our father in horror and shock. He hasn''t hit her like that since she was a sullen teenager.


    "She needs disciplining. You''re too soft with her," he bellows as he shrugs his arm free.


    "And you need to calm the fuck down, old man. And if you every a finger on her again, I will cut off every single one."


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    He trains his re on me now. I haven''t seen him this pissed in a long time. He''s always cruel and a constant pain in my ass, but he''s so angry right now he''s practically foaming at the mouth. "I''ve called Lorenzo this morning. Told him to make arrangements toe home. He''ll be back in a few weeks."


    My brow furrows into a scowl. "You didn''t have to do that."


    His lip curls in disgust. "It seems I did."


    "We don''t need him."


    "He''s had more than enough time away. He should be home looking after his family instead of ying the fool in Italy."


    "He''s looking after his sick wife," I remind him.


    "He will be returning. It is done," he says with a dismissive shake of his head.


    I grit my teeth before I say something that I''ll regret.


    "If you''re not going to kill this Katerina," he spits out her name, "then you will marry her."


    "The fuck?" I growl at him, my teeth bared as I advance on him.


    "Your mother would never forgive you if you raise her firstborn grandchild as a bastard," he insists. "Put a bullet in her head or a ring on her finger, mio figlio. Because I will not allow a bastard to inherit my empire." "Get the hell out of my house. Now!"


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    His nostrils re as he stares me down, waiting for me to back down. But that is never going to happen.


    "Set a date or dig a grave, Dante," he snarls before he marches out of my study.


    As soon as he''s gone, I walk over to Joey who''s still holding her hand to her cheek. "Let me see," I say as I gently move her fingers away to reveal the beginnings of a deep red and purple mark bruise.


    "What the hell, Dante?" she winces as I run my fingertips over her cheekbone. "What just happened?"


    "Nothing is broken," I tell her as I inspect her face. "You should see Sophia about getting some ice for it."


    "Dante?"


    I shake my head and sigh. "I have no idea why he reacted like that. I''m sorry he hit you. He will never do it again, I promise you."


    I wrap her in a hug as tears trail down her cheek.


    "Is Kat really pregnant?" she whispers.


    "Yeah."


    "I didn''t know. I swear. I would never have helped her if I had."


    "I know, kid," I say, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head before I let her go.


    "What are you going to do?" she asks. "Are you going to marry her?"


    I blow out a breath as I walk back to my desk. As much as I hate to admit it, my father is right. My mother would want her first grandchild to be born in wedlock. A pure blood Moretti through and through. But how do I marry a woman who hates me and whom I can never trust?

 20

    Hope is a crock of shit!


    I lie on the bed with my hands behind my head, teary-eyed. I can''t seem to stop cryingtely. It''s been four days since I was locked in this room. At least I think it has. I have no way of knowing for sure. No TV. No radio. No cell phone, obviously. I think there have been four sunsets since I first spent the night here and it''s dark again now, so four days and soon-to-be five nights.


    It''s been four days since I saw Dante. Four days since anybody uttered a single word to me. A housekeeper brought me some of my clothes and toiletries the first day.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He wouldn''t let Sophia in here because he knows she would crack and offer me some kind offort. Whoever this new one is brings me three meals a day and two snacks as well as prenatal vitamins too. But she never speaks to me. I speak to her of course. I''ve tried being nice to her. Begging her. I''ve tried bombarding her with questions. Shouting.


    Threats. Crying. Nothing works. She''s imprable. Like a robot.


    So all I have left to do is cry. And throw up. I throw up a lot. I feel sick all the time. I haven''t been able to keep any food down since yesterday morning, so I didn''t even bother trying to eat my lunch, afternoon snack or dinner today. They are all still sitting on the tray, untouched. Congealing.


    Like me. Or maybe I''m stagnating. I don''t know.


    Perhaps I''m just going crazy.


    The door unlocking doesn''t even make me lift my head now. I''m too tired.


    The housekeeper shuffles into the room and ces another tray of food beside my bed.


    "Mr. Moretti says you need to eat," she says quietly.


    So, she has a voice after all.


    "Mr. Moretti can go fuck himself."


    "It''s not good for the baby if you don''t eat."


    "Pretty sure it''s not good for the baby''s mother to be drivenpletely insane either, but no one gives a flying duck fart about that, do they?"


    I keep my head turned away from her and hear her collecting the old trays of food, but she doesn''t speak again.


    I wait at the bottom of the stairs for Maria toe from Kat''s room. She carries a tray full of uneaten food with her.


    "Is she still refusing to eat?" I snap.


    "Yes, sir," she whispers.


    "Fuck!" I shake my head in annoyance. "Did you tell her I said she had to eat?"


    "Yes."


    "And?"


    She looks down at the tray of food rather than answer me.


    "Maria?"


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    "She said you could go fuck yourself, sir," she says, her voice barely even a whisper this time.


    I scrub a hand over my jaw. Starving herself so I''ll pay her some attention is so fucking reckless. Maria fidgets as she stands in front of me, waiting to be dismissed. "Maria?"


    She looks up at me and her eyes are shining with tears.


    "Why are you crying?" I snap at her.


    "She''s so sick, sir," she sniffs. "She keeps throwing up throughout the day. Even when she only drinks a little water, she''s sick. I wait outside her room like you asked and she doesn''t even sing or shout for you anymore." "She''s ying you. You cannot trust her. You hear me?"


    She nods.


    "Go," I tell her, and she scurries off down the hallway. I rest my head against the wooden banister, wondering what the hell I''m going to do about Kat and her hunger strike.


    "You are certainly living up to your reputation as the most ruthless man in Chicagotely, big brother," Joey say as she walks up beside me.


    I''m not in the mood for her games either today. I''m still pissed at her for the stunt she pulled. "Leave it, Joey."


    "What? I''m paying you apliment. I mean, there''s cruel and then there''s Dante level of cruel," she says with a wickedugh.


    "What the hell are you on about?"


    "Kat," she says with a roll of her eyes. "You''ve outdone yourself."


    "She''s breathing, isn''t she?" I snap. "No thanks to you."


    "Yeah, bute on. Depriving someone of any human interaction or any kind of mental stimtion at all is probably one of the cruelest things you can do to a person.


    Well yed, brother." She pats me on the back as she says it, but her voice is dripping with sarcasm.


    "Are you suggesting she should be rewarded for trying to escape? For trying to take my child away from me before I even got a chance to know about it? I should let her walk around here like she used to?"


    "Everything is so ck and white with you. Everything you do is extreme. It doesn''t have to be that way. You can still punish her while making sure she doesn''t have a full-scale mental breakdown in the process," she says before she starts to walk down the hallway.


    "Joey," I call after her.


    She spins around, a smile on her face because she knows she just yed me.


    "She''ll be sleeping soon. Take her some magazines or books or something tomorrow morning."


    "Whatever you say, big brother."

 21

    Hey, Kat," a soft voice says, and I figure I''m dreaming because nobody talks to me anymore.


    Hands are brushing my hair back from my face and there''s a damp cloth wiping over my jaw too. My eyelids flutter open.


    "Joey?"


    "You were sick," she says, her face pulled into a frown.


    "Yeah," I say, my head throbbing as I shuffle into a sitting position. I remember now. It came on so suddenly and violently that I couldn''t even make it to the bathroom. And then I think I passed out.


    "How long have you been sick like this?"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "A few days."


    "Are you keeping anything down?"


    "No," I say. I don''t even have the energy to shake my head.


    "Is this normal in pregnancy?"


    "No. I think it might be... I might have hyperemesis gravidarum. My mom had it with me."


    "What the hell is that?"


    "A fancy way of saying extreme morning sickness." I give a feebleugh.


    I''m pretty sure Joey isn''t really here and I''m hallucinating or something. I wonder why it''s her of all people I''m seeing though. I mean, I thought it would be my mom or my grandma.


    My eyes fixate on her face as my brain wakes up a little more. Dream Joey has a huge purple bruise on her cheek.


    She covers it with her hand when she sees me staring.


    "I''m sorry he did that to you because of me," I whisper, even though she''s not real.


    "It wasn''t Dante," she says as she ces her hand on my forehead. "Kat I''m really worried about you."


    "I think I need to go to hospital, Joey," I croak. My throat is so dry fromck of fluids that it hurts to even talk.


    Dream Joey squeezes my hand. She must be a dream.


    She''s never this nice to me. "I''ll go speak to Dante."


    I''m on the phone when my little sisteres storming into my office like a tornado on steroids.


    "Kat is really sick," she shouts,pletely ignoring the fact I''m busy.


    "I''ll call you back," I say to the asshole I was talking with so I can give her my full attention.


    "You need to get her to the hospital. Now."


    "Like fuck I do. What the hell do you think you''re doinging into my office -" "She needs a doctor," she shouts back at me.


    I cross my arms over my chest and re at her. "So the two of you can n another escape attempt?"


    "You know, I would never have done that if I''d known she was pregnant. Dante, I''m not kidding around. She says she has something her mom had. Hyper gravity or something?"


    "She''s a goddamn nurse. She''s baffling you with medical nonsense so you''ll fall for her bullshit."


    "She''s not eating. That can''t be good for the baby."


    "She''ll eat when she''s hungry," I say, picking up my cell to make another call.


    "Dante, please juste see her for yourself."


    "For fuck''s sake!" I pocket my cell and follow my little sister up to Kat''s new bedroom. At least I can put an end to this nonsense so I can get back to work. When I walk into the room, Kat is propped up in bed with some pillows.


    "I sat her up so she wouldn''t choke if she was sick again," Joey whispers, and I roll my eyes. I''ve never known anyone be able to fool my kid sister so easily. "Kat?" I snap as I draw closer to her.


    She''s pale, but then she would be if she''s refusing to eat. Her lips are cracked and dry. She''s wearing one of my t-shirts and that rattles me more than I care to admit. Part of her n, no doubt, but I can also see she''s lost weight. Nothing so far that can''t be exined away by her refusal to eat though.


    "Kat?" I say again as I sit on the bed beside her.


    Her eyelids flicker, but she doesn''t focus on me.


    "You need to eat and drink something."


    "Okay," she mumbles sleepily, a goofy smile on her face.


    "See," I say to Joey who is staring at Kat with concern.


    I take the bottle of water from the night stand and unscrew the cap. Holding it to her lips, I y along with her little game, if only to prove that I''m right. "I''m gonna give you some water, okay?"


    "Hmm," she mumbles, and I tip the bottle, allowing some water to spill out. She swallows greedily, and I allow her some more before I pull the bottle away.


    I look up at Joey. "I told you it was all..." But before I can finish that sentence, Kat groans loudly and throws up the mouthful of water I just gave her. Her head rolls back against the pillows and her eyes close again. Fuck!


    "No, I told you, asshole!" Joey snaps.


    "Go tell Maximo to get the car. We''re taking her to the ER."


    Joey runs out of the room and I scoop Kat into my arms.


    She murmurs softly, but her body is limp and far lighter than it was just a week ago. I press a soft kiss on her forehead.


    "I''m sorry, kitten. I''ve got you now." The guilt of leaving her to rot in this room almost overwhelms me. If anything happens to her or our baby, I will never forgive myself. I don''t care if Kat hates me right now, or if I can''t trust her. I will never let her go.


    I suppose most people might freak out if they wake up in a hospital bed, but the sound of the machines, the low hum of constant activity, and even the smell is so unmistakably familiar to me that I feel a sense offort being here. My eyelids are only half open as they flicker in the bright overhead light. My throat is dry and scratchy but I don''t feel like I''m going to throw up, so that''s a bonus.


    "Kat?" I hear his deep voice before I feel his warm fingers curling around mine.


    "H-hey," I croak as I open my eyes and see him sitting beside my bed. His face is etched with worry and concern.


    Then I realize why. He is the reason I''m here. He kept me locked in that horrible room with nobody and nothing.


    I wrench my hand from his as both of them instinctively fly to my stomach. My baby.


    "The baby is fine," he assures me. "You were severely dehydrated, but you''re both okay now."


    No thanks to you. I force a smile instead.


    "Do you need a drink?"


    I nod, and he pours me a small ss of water from the jug beside the bed. He lifts it to my lips, and that first sip feels like heaven, instantly soothing my throat. I take the ss from him, and he sits back down in the chair beside my bed while I nce around the room. I''m hooked up to a drip and a heart monitor.


    "How long have I been in here?" I ask.


    "Just a few hours," he replies. "They want to keep you in for a day or two, or at least until you can keep some solids down again."


    I nod.


    "How do you feel?"


    Like I want to cry for a year. "Not sick at least."


    "Good. Joey has packed some of your things and Max is going to bring them by soon."


    "Okay." I take another sip of water and nce at the door.


    "I''ll stay here with you."


    "I''m not going to run away."


    "I know."


    "You know because you won''t let me, or because you believe I won''t try?"


    "Does it matter?"


    "I''m not going to try," I say, leaning back against the pillow and closing my eyes. "As long as you promise my baby will be safe." "Our baby is going to be safe, Kat."


    "What about me? Will I be safe too?" I open my eyes again and see his handsome features pulled into a frown.


    "You won''te to any harm," he says coolly.


    The sound of the door opening breaks the tension, and we both look up to see a doctor walking into the room.


    "Ms. Evanson, you''re awake?" she says with a wide smile.


    "Yes." I smile back, thankful there is another person in here to diffuse this awkward atmosphere.


    "I''m Dr. Wilcox and I''ll be taking care of you and your little one."


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    "Nice to meet you."


    "And how are you feeling?"


    "Much better now, thank you."


    "We''ve given you plenty of fluids, and a whole lot of good stuff for you and your baby. I expect you''re anxious to get home, but I''d like to keep you here for a day or two."


    I see the dark look crossing Dante''s face from the corner of my eye. "Whatever you think is for the best, Doctor."


    She looks at Dante and smiles. "It would be good for Kat to try to eat a little something. Would you mind asking at the desk for them to send her a light snack?"


    His eyes narrow as he considers her request.


    "I''d love some fries. Hot, salty fries," I say, licking my lips and letting out a sigh.


    He nods his agreement, and then a few secondster, he disappears from the room, leaving us alone.


    "You were in quite a state when they brought you in, Kat," she says, her face full of concern. "Did nobody notice how dehydrated you were?"


    "No. I was kind of tired and sleeping a lot."


    "But the baby''s father, Mr. Moretti?" she says his name like she knows exactly who he is. "He didn''t notice something was wrong?"


    This would be my chance to tell her the truth. And then what? Put this lovely doctor at risk for helping me? Live my life on the run? Deprive my child of a chance to know its father. Dante Moretti will never let me go. "He''s been really busy. I haven''t seen a lot of him. But as soon as he saw how ill I was, he brought me straight in."


    She narrows her eyes at me in concern but before she can ask me any further questions, Dante walks back into the room.


    "You have hyperemesis gravidarum. I''ll give you some anti-sickness medication to take home with you, but eating and drinking little and often is the key to not bing dehydrated."


    I nod.


    "And please keep a careful eye on her," she says to Dante. "If she''s unable to keep anything down, then you''ll need to bring her back in immediately."


    "Of course," he says with a nod.


    Doctor Wilcox''s pager beeps and she excuses herself and leaves the room.


    "Did she ask you if I was holding you against your will?"


    Dante asks.


    For some reason, that makes meugh. "Kind of," I admit. "I think she knows who you are."


    "Well, I''m kind of infamous around these parts," he says with a wink that makes my insides flutter. I have no idea how to survive this man.


    "I didn''t tell her that you were. Even though I probably should have."


    "That wouldn''t have ended well, Kat. For anyone concerned."


    I swallow hard. "I know."

 22

    I spent another two days and two nights in the hospital, during which Dante did not leave my side again. But at least I feel much better and have medication to control the sickness if I need it.


    I look up at the beautiful house through the car window.


    Ipletely get now why Joey sees this ce as a prison.


    "Are you sure you can manage?" Dante asks as I take his hand and step out of the car.


    "Yes. I''m fine now. I promise," I remind him.


    He runs a hand over his thick beard.


    I walk beside him toward the front door of the house, and with each step we take, a knot of anxiety builds in my stomach. The thought of going back to that room and being isted makes me feel like bolting for the gates. "Dante?"


    "I''ve moved you to my room," he says, because of course he can read me so well. "That way, I can keep an eye on you." "Okay. Thank you." At least there''s a TV in his room.


    And books. And a clock. And him. And despite my brain''s refusal to ept the new status quo that we have officially lost our marbles, been Stockholmed if you will, and have fallen for the man who kidnapped us, my body is all clued in, and it shivers in anticipation.


    DANTE ESCORTS me to his bedroom and ces my bag onto the bed. He clears his throat. "Your things are all in here now. The closet on the end and the bottom two drawers are all yours."


    "Thanks," I whisper, unsure how to navigate this new dynamic between us. I''m sharing his bedroom, but I''m not his partner or his girlfriend. I don''t know what I am, other than his prisoner. "I''ll leave you to unpack," he says, then he leaves me alone.


    It takes me a few seconds to realize that he''s left the door open. I''m not locked in.


    I look around the room, waiting for the trick. Like maybe a huge rm is about to go off to signal the prisoner has been left unattended. But nothing happens. So I summon the courage to creep toward the door, expecting steel bars toe mming down as soon as I get within a foot of it.


    But, no. Just an open door.


    My heart races as I poke my head outside. Noser from a sniper rifle waiting to take me out if I step into the hallway. No armed guard to tell me to get back into my cell.


    The hallway is empty. I could walk out of the room and nothing would stop me.


    Despite that, I don''t. I go back inside like a good little prisoner and unpack my bag.


    AFTERWARD, I flick on the TV, but I''m too restless to settle.


    That open door is calling to me. Is it some sort of test? Am I supposed to be conditioned to stay in my room now without any need for locks or bars on the windows? Or am I allowed to walk around the rest of the house?


    I turn the TV off and walk toward the door again. I mean, he never told me to stay in here, did he? He just said he''d leave me to unpack. That was an hour ago and nobody has checked on me since. I stick my head out of the door again, waiting for a surprise attack.


    Jesus, Kat! You are a grown-ass woman. Go walk down the stairs and speak to another human being.


    I straighten my shoulders, smooth my dress over my hips, and stride out of the door with my head held high.


    Fake it ''til you make it, right? As I reach the stairway, one of Dante''s armed guards is walking from the opposite end of the hallway.


    Shit! He''s going to call the other guards on his little radio thing he has clipped to his belt and I''m going to be pinned to the ground with a gun at my head. But he simply nods a polite greeting as he passes by.


    With a renewed sense of courage, I walk downstairs.


    Maximo is the first person I run into, almost literally because my head is on a swivel, waiting for Dante to jump out on me any moment. But Maximo catching me if I''m not supposed to be out here is as good as the devil himself, I suppose. "Kat? How are you feeling?" he asks.


    "Um. Much better. Thanks."


    "Good. Joey is in the den. She''s been waiting for you to get home," he says casually before heading off down the hallway in the direction of Dante''s office.


    Home? That would be funny if it wasn''t so tragic. I head to the den and sure enough Joey is in there with her feet on the coffee table reading a magazine. The bruise on her face is almost faded now. I have a vague recollection of talking about how she got it, but it''s a fuzzy memory that I can''t fully recall. At the time, I wondered if I was imagining her, but the bruise is definitely real.


    "Kat?" she says, tossing her magazine onto the sofa when she sees me walk into the room. "You''re back! And you look so much better." "Thanks," I say with a faint smile. That''s all I seem to be doing today, thanking people.


    "Sit." She pats the sofa cushion beside her, and I take a seat.


    "Your eye looks better too," I say.


    She traces her fingertips over it softly. "Dante wouldn''t let mee with you to the hospital because of my ck eye. He said it would look bad and people would ask too many questions." "Well, he''s right. It does look bad," I say with a frown.


    "Did he do that to you because you helped me?"


    "No. I told you that already, but you were kind of out of it."


    "So, who?"


    "It''s nothing," she says with a shake of her head.


    Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you''re on ?e5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "Clearly not. Somebody hit you. Who? Maximo?"


    "Oh my God, no." Sheughs loudly. "Maximo would never. He''s a big teddy bear really. He wanted to kill him, but Dante handled it."


    "Kill who and handled what, Joey?"


    "It was our dad, okay? He found out what I did and he hit me. But Dante stopped him and he''s not allowed back in the house for a while, so..." She shrugs.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "But why? What does me trying to escape have to do with your dad?"


    "Nothing, I guess, maybe he didn''t like that I tried to undermine the chosen one, you know?" She rolls her eyes.


    "Anyway, he was furious with Dante and he''d never hit him, so I think I got it instead."


    "He''s furious with Dante?"


    "Yeah. Like sooo mad." She shudders dramatically.


    "He''s even making Lorenzoe home."


    "Lorenzo? Your older brother?"


    "Yep."


    "Is that a bad thing?"


    "Bad for Lorenzo, yeah," she says. "But Anya, his wife, will being too, so that will be nice." She smiles, and I figure they share a close rtionship. I know how hard it is to lose your mom so young and need some positive female energy in your life.

 23

    I just saw Kat. She looks much better," Maximo says as he takes the seat on the opposite side of my desk. "Yeah," I say with a sigh that shakes my bones.


    Even the mention of her name makes the guilt surge in my chest as though it''s going to crush me.


    "You did what you had to,pagno."


    "The baby could have died, Max. She could have died. I just left her there."


    "You didn''t just leave her. You had Maria taking her food and keeping an eye on her."


    "She tried to tell me Kat was sick, but I wouldn''t listen. I thought it was some ploy to get my attention. If Joey hadn''t..." "But she did and Kat and the baby are both fine. You had your reasons, D. She tried to run out on you with your kid. What if she''d made it?"


    I grind my teeth and my jaw aches in protest. I don''t want to think about what might have happened if she''d managed to get away from me, so I change the subject.


    "We saw the baby, you know? They did an internal ultrasound and we saw it on a screen. I mean, you could hardly see anything but a tiny blob, but its heart was beating strong." "That must have been something."


    "It was," I say, remembering the look on Kat''s face and how she held onto my hand as tears ran down her face. She deserves so much better than I give her. "You know why she tried to leave?" I ask.


    He doesn''t answer me. He leans back in his chair and lets me talk.


    "Because I told her that when I no longer had any use for her, I''d hand her over to my men to do whatever they please. She thought that being pregnant would mean I had no use for her, because I made her believe I was only ever interested in fucking her. I used that because I knew it was her biggest fear. Not death but being used like that. I told her that to keep her in line, Max. What kind of person does that?"


    "The kind of person you have to be every day of your goddamn life," Maximo reminds me. "You didn''t know she was going to end up pregnant with your kid."


    "Stop making excuses for me," I snap at him.


    "Fine," he snaps back. "You want me to tell you that it''s been clear you''ve had a thing for this woman from the moment she threw a baseball bat at our heads? You want me to tell you that you should have been a little more honest with her about everything so she wouldn''t have been terrified to tell you that you''d knocked her up?


    Because I can do that too, but none of it matters, D. All you can control is what you do from here on out."


    "She fucking hates me." I sigh, recalling the way she looked at me when she woke up in that hospital bed. Sure, her fake smile was in ce as soon as she realized where she was and what was going on, but that first few seconds when she woke up and stared at me with nothing but terror in her eyes... I don''t think we can ever recover from that.


    "Have you told her about the wedding yet?"


    "Fuck, no. Now is not the right time."


    "So what happens now? You got to do all that baby stuff?


    Could Kat get sick again?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "She has appointments with an OB GYN in a few weeks.


    She''ll still have the morning sickness, but she has some meds to help with it, and as long as she eats little and often, that seems to stave off the worst of the nausea. She won''t get sick like she did before anyway. But if she can''t keep the fluids down, I have to take her back to the hospital."


    "It will all be fine,pagno. I know she''s pissed at you right now, but it will pass."


    "I fucking hope so, Max."


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    Lying in bed, I stare at the clock on the nightstand. I''m so tired and I want to sleep, but I''m too on edge here in Dante''s bed, wondering if he''s going to join me. And if he does, will he have any expectations that we can just go back to having sex every night just because I''m lying next to him. Will he still sleep naked?


    I pull the cotton t-shirt down so it covers as much of my body as possible. If I fall asleep, I don''t want to be pressing any of my bare flesh against him. But what if I do though?


    What if my body just does that in my sleep, like muscle memory? And I wake up draped all over him?


    The sound of the door opening makes me hold my breath. Shit! Now he''ll know I''m not asleep because I would be breathing if I was. Dammit, Kat!


    I focus on him instead and listen to him as he brushes his teeth in the bathroom. Then the door closes, and I hear him undressing before he climbs into the bed with a sigh. I stay as still as humanly possibly, facing away from him. He always used to always roll onto his side and press his body against my back while sliding an arm around my waist.


    But I don''t feel his touch. I don''t feel him move at all and a part of me misses that closeness we used to share.


    Instead, we both lie on separate sides inplete silence. I have no idea why it makes me feel so sad when it''s exactly what I wanted.


    IT''S BEEN two weeks since my stay at the hospital. Dante checks in on me twice a day after lunch and dinner, to make sure I have eaten and I''m keeping hydrated, which I am, but other than that, I barely see him or speak to him.


    Hees to bed each night when he thinks I''m already asleep and we lie next to each other without touching. But on the nights when I wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare, I feel his arms around me for a few moments as he soothes me back to sleep. Then in the mornings, he''s gone again, making me wonder if thefort of his body was just part of the dream. We are like two ghosts - existing in the same space without any connection.


    I talk to Joey a lot. She is keeping me sane right now, because she is the only person I really get a chance to have a conversation with. I call my cousin, Mia, once a week, under Maximo''s supervision. I haven''t told her about the baby yet. It''s still so early and in a lot of ways, it still doesn''t feel real. I have my scan booked in four weeks'' time and maybe I''ll tell her after that.


    I wonder how much longer I can go on living this half-life. Not knowing where I stand in the order of things. I feel like a shadow, drifting through this house without actually being in it. Because Dante is the soul of this ce, and without him, there is nothing for me here. Maybe when our child is born, I''ll feel like I have some purpose again? But that is still almost seven months away, and I might lose my mind before then. I need to speak to him, if only he would give me a chance to. I wander down the hallway that leads to his study. The guard gives me a polite nod. We have been doing this dance every day for the past two and half weeks.


    "Can I speak with him?" I ask.


    "He''s not to be disturbed."


    "Can you tell him I''d like to talk to him when he has a moment?"


    "Will do, ma''am."


    I chew on my lip and contemte just barging through that door and speaking to him anyway. He has no right keeping me here if he''s not even going to speak to me. But the guard is huge and mean-looking and I doubt he''d let me get through that door even if the study was on fire and I was carrying a firehose.


    "Thanks," I mumble and walk away.


    YAWNING, I make my way along the hallway to head for bed.


    Joey and I just watched seven episodes of Drag Race, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I knew first trimester tiredness was a kicker, but it''s barely nine p. m.


    I hear the sound ofughter before I see them. In fact, it''s notughter. It''s giggling. High-pitched and squeaky.


    Dantees into view, escorting a tall, beautiful brte with boobs so huge she looks like she''s smuggling two bald men into the house beneath her dress.


    He ces his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into therge dining room that he barely uses. When the door opens, a chorus ofughter and shouting breaks free from the room. They''re having a party. He''s taking her to a party. An overwhelming rush of anger blindsides me as if I''ve been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. It''s not just anger though. I''m heartbroken at his cruelty. She runs a hand over his chest and smiles up at him. Then he looks up and catches my eye. This is his chance to walk away from her and run to me, to tell me that this is all some misunderstanding and he''s not about to have sex with that woman tonight. Or one of the other women whoseughter is drifting out of that room. But he doesn''t do that.


    He smirks at me.


    Tears blur my vision as he disappears into that room with his hand on another woman''s ass.


    Dante Moretti can go back to hell, and if he thinks I am ever sharing his bed again, he is sadly mistaken.

 24

    I suppose I shouldn''t have been surprised when I went to bed to find that Kat wasn''t in our room. I guess, I deserved it after she saw me with that woman downstairs. Nothing happened, and it was never going to, but I let her think that it was. I bang on the door of the guestroom where she used to sleep. "Let me in, Kat, or I will break this goddamn door down," I shout.


    "Go to hell," she shouts back.


    Fuck me, this woman is going to put me in an early grave. Using my shoulder, I drive against the door with all my weight and the wood around the lock splinters allowing me to step inside.


    "Dante! What the hell?" she yells, jumping up and ring at me.


    "What the fuck are you doing in here? Did I give you permission to sleep anywhere other than my bed?" I advance on her.


    "Permission?" she hisses as she pushes onto her tiptoes, her entire body vibrating with rage. "You think I need your permission to do anything."


    "No, you need my permission to do everything, kitten.


    Now get your ass to bed or I will carry you there myself."


    "Like hell you will," she retorts, her nostrils ring as she stares me down. I haven''t seen this side of her in weeks, and it makes my cock ache with the memories of all the things I''ve done to her beautiful body. Why her smart mouth gets me so worked up, I don''t know, but I am a whisper away from fucking her where she stands.


    "You think I would share a bed with you after you''ve been downstairs doing God knows what with those women?" she screeches.


    There''s my feral little kitten. And damn, jealousy looks good on her.


    I drop my head so I can lean closer to her. Pressing my lips against her ear and making her shiver in response.


    "Now, Kat. Do not make me ask you again."


    "Or what?" she challenges me. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw titled in defiance.


    I can''t stand the tension any longer. My need for her burns through my veins like it''s my lifeblood. I''ve tried to stay away from her. To give her some space after what I did to her. I could have killed her and our baby and the weight of that will never be easy to carry, but I can''t hold back any longer. I need her like I need air. She gasps when I push her down onto the bed, crawling over her. I wedge my knee between her thighs, spreading them open for me.


    She pummels her fists against my chest so I take her wrists and pin them above her head.


    "Get off me," she hisses. "I hate you."


    "You keep telling me that, kitten, but I don''t buy it." I run my teeth over the soft skin of her neck, and she moans softly, almost inaudibly, but I heard it and it spurs me on. "You''re an animal."


    "I know," Iugh darkly as I pin her wrists with one hand so that I can touch her. My hand glides along the side of her body over her t-shirt, over her ribs and the curve of her hip until I reach the bare skin of her thigh. "Don''t," she whispers, even as she grinds her pussy on my hard cock.


    "Are you already wet for me?"


    Fire shes in her eyes. Anger mixed with a desire that matches my own. Slipping my hand between her thighs, my fingertips brush over panties. Right over the wet patch of fabric.


    "Just like I thought," I growl as I start to unfasten my belt.


    "Dante, don''t," she pants, wriggling beneath me as I work to open my zipper.


    But I''m frantic for her, blinded by a desperate need to be buried deep inside her cunt because it''s been too long since I felt her. Gripping my shaft in my hand, I push her t-shirt up as I nestle between her thighs. She bucks her hips, rubbing herself against me, or is she trying to throw me off?


    "Dante! No!" she cries, and I realize it''s thetter.


    I push myself up onto my forearm and study her face.


    "The baby. It could hurt the baby," she whispers.


    I frown at her. Is she expecting me to buy the fact that she actually believes that? She''s a goddamn nurse, for fuck''s sake. "Us fucking doesn''t hurt the baby, Kat."


    "I know, but if you..." she licks her lip as tears fill her eyes. "If you were with those women downstairs, you could have caught something... an STI. And that could harm the baby."


    I swallow hard. I guess this is my own fault. Because that''s what I wanted her to think, right? I wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me when she tried to leave.


    I slip my hand between her thighs again, tugging her panties to the side and dragging my pointer and middle fingers through her wet folds.


    "No. You don''t get to do that if you were with that woman," she whimpers.


    I release her wrists and hold myself up on my forearm as my fingers circle the entrance of her tight pussy - my heaven on earth. "Since the day I met you, Kat, there has been no one but you."


    She blinks in surprise. "But -" "Those women were here for a party. It was Mitch''s birthday yesterday and I figured they all deserved to blow off some steam after the few weeks they''ve had. So I arranged for them to meet the women here before they went to a club. I showed that woman into the room, had a quick drink with my men, and then they left."


    "You had your hand on her ass," she hisses.


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    "No. I had my hand on her back."


    "It looked like her ass from where I was standing."


    "I assure you, I have no interest in anyone''s ass but yours."


    "S-so, you didn''t?"


    "There is only you, kitten," I tell her, pressing my lips over her neck and inhaling her sweet, intoxicating scent.


    Then I sink two fingers inside her and her walls clench around me.


    "Dante," she says my name on a breathy moan, and it makes me even more desperate for her.


    "It''s been far too long since I made youe."


    "I know," she whispers, rocking her hips, and I drive deeper inside her, rubbing her clit with my thumb.


    "I missed this, Kat," I growl, sealing my lips over hers.


    She opens her mouth, allowing me to slip my tongue inside and taste her as I nudge her thighs wider apart with my knee.


    I kiss her and finger-fuck her until her soft moans turn to desperate whimpers full of need and longing. My cock pulses with need, but I can''t stop yet. She''s on the edge, and I have missed the feeling of hering apart around me. Her slick juices are running down my fingers as I work her into a frenzy. She ws at my skin, desperate for me to give her some release, but I hold back, drawing out her pleasure as long as I can because I need her desperate and wet and moaning my


    name.


    When I break our kiss, she gasps for air.


    "You''re soaking, Kat," I whisper in her ear. "So ready for my cock to fill you, aren''t you?"


    "Yes," she moans.


    "Yeah?"


    "Yes, Dante."


    "Who owns you?"


    Her walls clench around my fingers and her back arches in pleasure as her orgasm rocks her to her core. "You," she cries out as I go on rubbing, massaging her sensitive flesh until thest tremors have rippled through her body.


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    When I pull my fingers out of her, they are slick with her release. I hold them up to her. "You see that? You see how much your cunt loves me?"


    "You''re an asshole," she pants, but there is a wicked grin on her face.


    "You ever tasted yourself, kitten?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Her cheeks sh with heat. "No."


    I bring my fingers to her mouth. "Open," Imand, and she parts her full pink lips, allowing me to push my fingers inside. "Now suck."


    I keep my eyes fixed on hers as she sucks, swirling her tongue over the pads of my fingers. When I pull them out a few secondster, there is a string of spit from her lips to my fingers, and it might be the hottest thing I ever saw. She runs her tongue over her lower lip, cleaning herself up.


    "You see how good you taste? You know now why I''m addicted to your hot little cunt and how fucking difficult it''s been to stay out of you these past weeks?"


    "You seemed to be handling it just fine," she retorts.


    I arch an eyebrow at her. "Still pissed at me? How about I fuck that attitude out of you?"


    "Huh," she snorts. "You could try."


    "Oh, I do enjoy a challenge," I growl as I push myself up to my knees and reach for her panties. Fisting my hands in the soft cotton, I tear them in half so her pussy ispletely exposed to me.


    "Was that really necessary?" She sighs.


    I hover over her, pushing her thighs apart with my own as I line my cock at her entrance. "Yes."


    "Dante," she hisses out on a breath when I m inside her.


    "I''m not even halfway in yet. You sure you want me to try and fuck that bad attitude out of you?"


    She doesn''t answer me. Instead, she stares into my eyes and there is so much defiance in them that it makes my balls draw up into my stomach. "I''m going to enjoy every fucking second of nailing you to this bed." I roll my hips, thrusting all the way inside her.


    "Oh God," she cries out, her arms wrapping around my neck as she clings onto me while I fuck her hard enough that we will both forget all of the tension and the hurt of the past few weeks. At least for now anyway.


    "You''re definitely calling out the wrong name, kitten," I say before dropping my head and sucking one of her hard, pebbled nipples into my mouth through her t-shirt. I bite gently, and she whimpers as her back bows and her pussy ripples around my cock.


    "Of course. I forgot you''re the devil," she purrs.


    I look up at her, my face inches from hers as she narrows her dark blue eyes at me. "Your devil, Kat." Taking hold of her hands, Ice my fingers through hers and pin them above her head. "But if you hold still and wrap those legs around my waist, I''ll take you to see that other guy too."

 25

    When I woke up this morning, Dante was gone. He carried me back to his bed after he fucked me in the guestroom and then he made mee so many times I lost count. But despite everything that we didst night and the way he whispered softly in my ear, he''s gone again, and I feel his absence even more keenly than before.


    I couldn''t understand his Italian murmurings, but I felt the meaning behind them anyway. We were back to a good ce.


    Maybe I''m just fooling myself and clinging on to something that was never really there. Perhaps Dante Moretti is incapable of feeling anything for anyone but himself, because each time I get a little close to him, he seems to drift even further away. But I''m no longer going to stand by and be a spectator in my own life. I want answers from him, and I''m determined to get them.


    I SHOWER and change and head straight to Dante''s study. I can''t keep living in this house as a prisoner, waiting for whatever crumbs of affection he decides to throw me.


    The armed guard is standing at the door as usual.


    "He''s not to be disturbed," he says before I even ask if he''s in there.


    "Well, can you tell him this is an emergency and I need to speak with him urgently?"


    "He''s not to be disturbed," he repeats.


    "Well, I''m not moving until you at least knock on that damn door and tell him I need to speak with him right now." I fold my arms across my chest and re at him.


    He rolls his eyes in annoyance before knocking on the door and poking his head inside the room. "It''s Miss Evanson, boss," he says.


    "I''m busy."


    "She says it''s an emergency."


    There''s a few seconds pause before he speaks again.


    "Show her in," Dante says, and the giant guard steps aside and allows me into the room before closing the door behind me and leaving us in privacy.


    "What is it, Kat?" Dante asks with a sigh, running his hand through his hair.


    I sit on the chair opposite his desk, sping my hands in myp to stop myself from fidgeting. "I need to talk to you."


    "Can''t it wait? I''m kind of in the middle of something."


    "No, it can''t, Dante. I''ve been waiting for two weeks to talk about this and you avoid me constantly."


    "I have a lot going on."


    "I know, but you''ve practically ignored me since we left the hospital."


    He narrows his eyes as they search my face. "So talk."


    I swallow as I try to think of what I need to say and the best way to say it. "What are we doing here, Dante?"


    He frowns, but he doesn''t reply.


    "Do you even really want me here with you? Do you want a baby?"


    "You know I want you here, Kat," he snaps.


    "I know that you don''t want me to leave, but that''s not the same thing, is it?"


    He shakes his head in frustration. "It kind of seems like it is."


    "But it''s not," I insist. "You won''t let me leave, but you ignore me ny percent of the time. When we started, this was just about the sex, but I''m having your baby. I know we didn''t n it that way and I know you wouldn''t have chosen this, but it''s happening and you can''t go on pretending that I don''t exist."


    "When do I ever pretend that you don''t exist?" he snaps.


    "When you sleep beside me every night but never speak to me. When you spend all of your time locked away in your study."


    "I was giving you some space."


    "I don''t want space. I want you," I choke out the words.


    But hearing them aloud feels alien to me. How can I want this man who I so desperately want to hate. The man who turned my entire life upside down?


    "You kiss away my nightmares and you fuck me like our bodies have known each other forever, but you refuse to give me any assurance about my future and what it might hold. You have never even once apologized for taking me from the only life I had and keeping me here like some pet for you to stroke and fuss over whenever the need strikes you. And despite all that, I still want you. I crave your affection, Dante, even though I know I''m a fool for doing it. So, if you don''t want me too, then please just tell me and let me go."


    He blinks at me, his eyes so dark I can barely see his pupils. Then his damn phone rings, snatching his attention.


    "I really need to take this," he says.


    "Of course you do," I say with a heavy sigh before I stand up and walk out of the room. There are tears in my eyes, but I blink them away because I refuse to waste any more over that asshole.


    STEPPING OUT OF THE SHOWER, I dry myself off with a soft towel before slipping into my new cotton pajamas. Joey helped me pick some out online and they were delivered this morning. I didn''t particrly feelfortable spending Dante''s money, but what choice do I have if he insists on keeping me here and I have nothing to wear.


    When I walk into the bedroom, I blink in surprise to see him standing beside the bed, shirtless and with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his suit pants.


    "What are you doing up here so early?" I ask as I cross the room, averting my eyes from his toned body, because it makes me drop at least one hundred IQ points. "You wanted to talk, right?"


    "I think I said everything I had to say earlier," I say coolly as I waft past him, but he grabs my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.


    "So, maybe you can just listen?" he says in that low, growling tone that drips with both menace and sex appeal.


    I shiver at his touch as he yanks me close to him. "If you''re waiting for me to apologize for bringing you here that day, Kat, it is never going to happen."


    I should have known a man like him wouldn''t know the meaning of the word sorry.


    "Because I don''t regret any of it. And I would do it again a million times over."


    "You would?" I whisper as heat blooms beneath my skin.


    His brow furrows as his eyes burn into mine. "Yes. So I am never going to be sorry for taking you."


    "Well, at least I know that now," I say, trying to sound calm and collected while my pulse is racing.


    "But I am sorry for the way I''ve treated you, kitten," he whispers as he brushes a damp strand of hair back from my face. "You deserve better. I will be better."


    I blink at him, floored by his admission and his honesty, but he''s not getting off that easily. "I do," I agree. "So much better."


    "I want to do this with you, Kat. I want you here with me and not because my ego would be dented if you left, but because my life is better with you in it."


    "What about my future though, Dante? What does it look like for me? Forever your mistress, unable to leave this house?"


    The fingers circling my wrist flex as he tightens his grip.


    "Not my mistress. You''ll be my wife."


    "Your wife?" Iugh out loud because this has to be some kind of practical joke.


    "My wife," he repeats, enunciating each word clearly.


    "I''m not marrying you."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "And I''m not having my child born anything but a Moretti in every sense of the word."


    "Jesus Christ." I try to wrench my arm from his grip, but he refuses to let me. "You''re aware we''re no longer in living in the ''50''s, right?" I snap.


    "This is non-negotiable, Kat. My family is built on tradition and legacy and I will not allow there to be any doubts about the first child born of the next generation. You will be my wife by the time our baby is born."


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    I stare at him, open-mouthed. He''s serious. Dante Moretti intends to make me his wife - with or without my consent.


    "You asked me for some answers about your future, so why do you still find a way to resist me?"


    "Because this is being done to me, like I have no choice in the matter, Dante. I have no control at all."


    He sighs and releases my wrist, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. "You''re carrying my child, Kat. When you got pregnant, it changed our lives and there is no escaping that now."


    I know he has a point. Dante isn''t a guy you can have a kid with and expect to have a happy, separate co-parenting deal going on. Family is everything to him and there is no way he would allow his child to live anywhere but in the protection of his mansion. And I know that is the safest ce for the son or daughter of the head of the Cosa Nostra, but it still stings that my fate is sealed.


    "And what about everything else? As your wife, do I remain a prisoner here? Never able to leave?"


    "No, as my wife, you will be the mistress of this house.


    You will be able toe and go as you please -" "I will?" I interrupt him, suddenly ted at the prospect of some freedom.


    "Within reason, Kat," he says, his voice stern andmanding. "I will still need to know where you''re going and you will always have security with you."


    I frown at him and he narrows his eyes before he adds, "For your safety and not because I think you''ll run."


    "How can you be so sure I won''t run?" I whisper, unable to resist the challenge.


    He takes a step forward until his body is pressed against mine. "Because you would never leave our child. And if you ever tried to leave with our kid, you know that I would scorch this earth to ash to bring you both back to me."


    Heat blooms beneath my skin. His possessiveness is a red g for me, at least it should be, so why does it make me feel so powerful and protected? Why does the thought of belonging to this man make me feel safer than I ever have in my life? Not to mention the fire in his eyes when he says things like that makes me want to wrap my legs around his waist. "Is this your idea of a proposal?" I ask instead.


    "Kind of," he says with a wicked grin.


    I suck my bottom lip into my mouth as I stare into his dark eyes.


    He runs one hand down my side until he reaches the hem of my top. "What the hell are these, kitten?"


    I look down at my new nightwear. "Pajamas?"


    He arches an eyebrow. "Where did you get them from?"


    "Um, that boutique you have a line of credit for. Joey helped me. I was going to ask you if I could buy them, but you were busy, and I needed -" "I don''t care that you spent any money, Kat," he growls, caressing my cheek. "You can spend whatever you need.


    I''ve been meaning to tell you to buy some new clothes, but I do care that you bought this monstrosity."


    I look at the inoffensive clothing. They are soft, brushed white cotton with a faint love heart pattern. Hardly a monstrosity.


    "They cover far too much of your beautiful body and I never want to see them again."


    Oh. They do kind of cover everything except my hands, feet and head. "Well, they''re also for sitting in the den, watching TV, or going for breakfast in the mornings," I say with a shrug. "And I kind of like them."


    He fingers the hem as his eyes trail over my body. "I suppose they may have some use then, but they''re not for my bed." He starts to pull the top off over my head.


    "I was going to watch some TV with Joey," I offer a feeble protest even as I lift my arms inpliance.


    "Max and Joey are watching a movie. She won''t mind."


    "I''m so easily receable," I say with an exaggerated sigh.


    He tugs my top off and throws it onto the bed before pressing his lips close to my ear. "Not to me, kitten."


    His warm hands skate down my back until they dip beneath the waistband of my pants. When his fingers brush my bare ass, he lifts his head and arches an eyebrow at me.


    "No panties?"


    "I don''t need them with pajamas," I murmur as heat shes over my cheeks.


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    A low growl rumbles in his throat as he peppers kisses over my neck while he pushes my pants over my hips. "My naughty little kitten."


    When the soft cotton lies in a pool at my feet, Dante lifts me, wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me to the dresser before sitting me on it.


    He slips a hand between my thighs, dragging a finger through my folds and making me moan softly. "Always so wet for me," he hisses through clenched teeth.


    I run my palm over his hard cock as it strains against the zipper of his suit pants. "Always so hard for me."


    "Hmm. Always," he growls, his lips gliding over my skin before he reaches my breasts and sucks a nipple into his hot mouth, flicking the stiff peak with his tongue as he pushes two fingers inside my pussy.


    "Jesus, Dante," I breathe as wet heat surges between my thighs. I fumble with his belt and zipper, opening them until I can reach inside and take hold of his stiff cock.


    Wrapping my fingers around his thick shaft, I squeeze, and he curses, curling his fingers inside me and making my thighs tremble. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tilt my hips until his hard length is pressed against my pussy.


    He grips my hair at the root, tugging my head back until my throat ispletely exposed to him. My back bows as he drags his teeth over my sensitive skin, edging the tip of his thick cock inside me until I''m whimpering with shameless need. With one arm around my waist, he holds me in ce, tantalizingly close to him but still too far away.


    "Dante, please," I groan as I try to shift my hips and make him slip further inside me.


    "Tell me you want to marry me, Kat. Say it and I''ll give you my cock."


    "Stop being an asshole."


    "Tell me." He edges in a little further, and my walls squeeze him before he pulls out again.


    I w at his back. My pussy throbs and my core contracts with the need to be filled by him. "I thought I had no choice in the matter," I remind him.


    "You don''t, kitten, but I want to hear you say it anyway.


    Just a few words and I''ll fill your tight little pussy up."


    "No," I bite out the word. "Just fuck me. Please."


    He skims his nose over my throat, inhaling deeply. "You have no idea how badly I want to sink inside you, Kat, but I won''t do it until you tell me what I want to hear."


    I wrap my legs around him, sinking my heels into the muscles of his ass, but he remains frustratingly steadfast.


    My fingernails scrape the hard muscles of his back. My skin is on fire and the ache between my thighs is so intense that I can barely think straight - and surely that is the only exnation for the words that tumble out of my mouth. "Yes, I want to marry you."


    "Good girl," he growls as he rocks his hips and sinks all the way inside me, filling me to the hilt.


    A rush of air fills my lungs as pleasure and relief sweep over my body.


    "Oh, that feels so good," I moan loudly.


    "You have no idea how much I love the fact that I get to keep you in line using sex, Kat." Heughs darkly.


    "You do not," I whimper.


    "Yeah, I do. Because you''re so fucking hungry for my cock, kitten, you''ll do anything for the promise of me inside you."


    "You''re the devil, and I hate you," I pant as I pull him closer.


    "I know, vita mia."


    I want to ask him what he just said, but he seals his lips over mine and his tongue slides inside my mouth, silencing my question with a kiss so full of longing and fire it almost takes my breath away.

 26

    Joey''s painting her toenails when I walk into the den. "Hey."


    "Hey," I reply as I sit on the sofa beside her, picking up the bottle of nail polish she''s using and inspect thebel. Cherry Bomb. I smile. She''s definitely a cherry bomb kind of girl, while I''m more of a pale pink or soft caramel kind. Although I''d love to be the cherry bomb type myself sometimes.


    "You want me to do yours? You know it won''t be long before you can''t reach your toes?"


    I rub a hand over my expanding stomach. "I think I''m going to get real fat." I giggle. "Especially as I''m craving pancakes and waffles every morning."


    "Pancakes and waffles?" she asks, turning to me with a look of feigned horror on her face. "Girl, you''ll be as big as a house." Sheughs harder as she goes back to painting her nails. "I''m sure my brother will still look at you with that dopey-ass loved up look on his face," she says before making a fake gagging noise.


    "He does not have that look," I insist, because I have never seen it. She focuses on her toes so I carry on talking.


    "Well, he''s kind of stuck with me now, anyway, even if I do get to be the size of a house."


    "Hmm."


    I take a deep breath, hardly able to believe the words that are about toe out of my mouth. "Because we''re getting married."


    "Oh, he''s finally told you about that," she says.


    "What do you mean? Don''t you mean he asked me?"


    "Told. Asked. Same thing."


    "Except that they''re not," I insist. "How long have you known?"


    "Um. A few weeks maybe. Since he told our father you were pregnant. Once he found out..." She trails off.


    "Once he found out, what?" Why do I always seem to be thest person to be clued up on anything.


    "He told Dante he had to marry you or kill you," she says it so casually as if it''s apletely ordinary thing to say and do.


    "He what?"


    She sighs softly before turning and looking at me. "Our dad is kind of a giant asshole. Don''t worry about it. Dante chose wisely, right?"


    "So all this time, he''s been weighing up those two options?" I snap, shaking my head in disbelief.


    She scoffs. "He was always going to marry you because he would never do the other thing."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I fold my arms over my chest and frown at her. "Oh well, aren''t I the lucky one?"


    "Kat, my family is not normal. This kind of shit is just how they roll. Women like us are second-ss citizens. We don''t get a say in our own lives."


    My frown deepens. I don''t want that for me, or for Joey.


    I certainly don''t want it for my child.


    "The sooner you get used to that, the easier everything will be for you."


    She goes back to her toenails, and I scowl, feeling like the rug has been pulled from under me again. This morning, I wanted to marry Dante. Even though he admitted that I had no choice, I could see a way to build some kind of life with him. But not anymore.


    I STALK down the hallway to Dante''s office, barging past the armed guard and opening the door before he can react. I guess he was waiting for our usual polite exchange before he tells me the great Mr. Moretti can''t be disturbed. Not today, Satan!


    Dante''s head snaps up when I storm into his office.


    "I''m sorry, Boss, she just..." the guard fumbles.


    Dante res at me, his eyes never leaving mine as he tells his guard to get out and close the door. "I just told Joey about our engagement," I snarl at him, ready to crawl over his desk and p his arrogant, self-entitled face. "And?"


    I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart because I feel like I''m about to implode with unsuppressed rage. "And she told me all about your father''s ultimatum."


    He sighs and closes his eyes.


    "So it''s true then? You had to marry me or kill me, is that it?" I shout as I take another step toward his desk, unable to keep a lid on my emotions any longer.


    "It''s not that simple," he says, his voice strained and low.


    "I suppose you think I should be grateful you chose the former, right?"


    He stands, pushing his chair back, but I continue.


    "You gave me that whole speech about marrying me and securing my future, when you only made that choice because your father forced you to. I guess if I wasn''t pregnant with your first-born, it would have been a much easier decision for you? Just kill me and move on to the next one?"


    His dark eyes narrow as he res at me.


    "And that''s kind of your MO, right? When they be too problematic, then just toss them aside like trash? Is that what happened to yourst fianc¨¦e?"


    His jaw ticks in annoyance. "Enough," he says, his voice low but dripping with menace but I''m not scared of him anymore. I won''t be quiet like the good little hostage he''s trained me to be.


    "Did your father give you the same ultimatum with Nicole? Kill her or marry her?"


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    The veins in his neck bulge as he clenches his fists by his sides.


    "Did you decide to marry her first and then realize the other option was a better fit for you the night before the wedding, Dante? Is that why you murdered that poor woman?"


    "I said enough, Kat," he warns me but I''m too swept up in my anger and the deep feeling of betrayal.


    "Was she pregnant too?" I hiss.


    He ms his fists onto the table with such force that the entire room seems to rattle and the papers on his desk scatter onto the floor. "Enough!"


    I flinch, taking a step back as I wait for him toe for me. But instead, he sits back on his chair. "Don''t you ever get tired of this?" he says with a sigh.


    I frown at him. "Of what? I''m tired of a lot of things, so you''re going to have to be a little more specific."


    "Of fighting with me on everything. Of finding something new every single day to be pissed at me about?"


    I open my mouth and blink at him in shock. "Don''t you and your family get tired of finding ways to piss me off?" I retort. "You only asked me to marry you so that your father wouldn''t force you to kill me and our child instead, and I''m not supposed to be pissed about that? I''m supposed to roll over and be thankful for the fact that you are not as cruel and awful a man as you might be? Is that right?"


    "My father hasn''t forced me to do anything for a long time, Kat."


    "I don''t believe you, Dante. I don''t believe any words thate out of your mouth, because every single time I find a way to make some peace with whatever the hell this thing is between us, you throw me a massive curveball." He stares at me, unflinching.


    "But this time it feels even worse, because this time I believed you." I wipe my eyes as they fill with tears.


    His tongue darts out as he licks his lower lip.


    "And now I find out that we''re not in this at all. I''m not in any of it. It''s just you and your family and whatever is best for the Moretti empire. So, congrattions, Dante, you have finally won. I give up. I''m defeated. You do whatever the hell you want and I will stand by and nod and smile like the perfect little wife. If that''s what it takes to keep myself around here so that I can see my child grow up, then so be it."


    His eyes darken as though what I said just pained him in some way. Before he can feed me another line, I walk out of his office. The fact that he doesn''t even try to stop me only proves my point further.

 27

    The door closes behind her, and I sit in stunned silence.


    She says I''ve won, so why do I feel like I just lost?


    Because I don''t want to win with her, and definitely not like this. Seeing her so broken feels like a shard of ice slicing through my heart.


    I could throttle my sister for telling Kat about my father''s ridiculous ultimatum. Joey causes way too much drama around here. I need to find her something to do to keep her upied before she drives my wife-to-be, and by default me,pletely crazy.


    JOEY IS in the den when I find her a few minutester.


    "Hey," she says with a grin when I walk into the room,pletely oblivious to the carnage she has caused in my life today.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I take a seat on the armchair. "Why are you so cruel to her, Joey?"


    She blinks at me. "Cruel to who?"


    "Mother fucking Teresa," I snap. "Kat, obviously. Who the hell do you think I mean?"


    "I''m not cruel to her. I''m a goddamn ray of sunshine," she snaps back at me.


    "So why the hell did you tell her about Pop? About what he said about marrying her?"


    "Oh," she winces as she screws the lid onto her nail polish bottle. "I didn''t do that on purpose actually. It just kind of slipped out."


    "Well, she''s fucking furious with me about it, and she''s..." I sigh.


    "She''s what?"


    I swallow as emotion balls in my throat. "She''s really upset. I really fucked up this time."


    "You fuck up all the time where she''s concerned. You two fight and make up. It''s kind of your thing."


    I run a hand through my hair and lean back against the soft armchair. "I don''t think I can fix this one so easily, Joey."


    "Why? What did she say?"


    "She thinks I''m only marrying her because I have no choice. She mentioned Nicole. She asked me if Pop had given me the same ultimatum when I agreed to marry her." "Ouch."


    "Then she asked if Nicole was pregnant too."


    Joey winces. "Double ouch."


    "Exactly." I run my hands through my hair and sigh.


    "So, did you tell her the truth?" she asks, as though it would be that simple.


    "You know I can''t. Not yet."


    "You don''t trust her?"


    When my sister isn''t being a bitch, she''s kind of good to talk to. "I don''t know. She''s not from our world, Joey. If she knew everything..." "I get it. But the alternative is she hates you for what she thinks you did." "Better than her hating me for what I actually did."


    "Maybe. But I figure if she doesn''t hate you already, there''s nothing much could change that."


    "But she does hate me, Joey."


    "Oh, don''t be so dramatic. Of course she doesn''t. But there is an easy fix to your current problem."


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    "There is?"


    "Yes," she says with a roll of her eyes.


    "Then enlighten me, little sister."


    "Forget about the Nicole situation for now. Kat thinks what she thinks and she loves you anyway. So this is about her thinking that you don''t really want to marry her. So prove that you do, Dante." "How? She said she doesn''t believe a word thates out of my mouth anymore."


    "So don''t speak, jackass."


    I groan and drop my head in my hands. "Stop talking in riddles, Joey."


    "You still have great Grandma''s old ring, right?"


    "Yes."


    "You know that thing is magical?"


    "Apparently so," I say, feeling a flicker of hope, despite never believing such fairy stories.


    "I happen to know what Kat''s favorite food is. It''s salted caramel cheesecake from Mona''s Bakery."


    I look at my watch and sigh. "They''ll be closing in an hour and I have to deal with something."


    As if on cue, Maximo walks into the room to remind me that I need to leave.


    "Then I''ll go," Joey says excitedly. "Seeing as I''m partly responsible for this mess, let me help fix it?"


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    "I can''t spare enough men to take you and guard the house right now."


    "Max can take me," she says, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. "You can do your thing without him, right?"


    I look at Maximo who is staring at me in bewilderment.


    "This is for Kat, Dante," Joey reminds me.


    "You think you could even get there in time?" I ask her.


    "If we leave now," she says, jumping up from the sofa.


    "Where the hell are we going?" Maximo interrupts us.


    "A bakery," Joey replies. "But it closes in less than an hour."


    "We''d have to take the bike," Maximo adds, and Joey''s eyes light up like a Christmas tree.


    I look at the man I trust more than anyone else in the world. "You''ll take care of her?"


    "I always do, D," he says with a frown.


    "Fine. Go get me a cheesecake and I''ll ask Sophia to make the bestsagna of her life."


    "Is something big happening?" Maximo asks with a frown.


    "Dante is going to propose to Kat with Grandma''s ring," Joey says with a flutter of her eyshes. Maximo grins. "About time,pagno."

 28

    Hey, Kat," Joey says breezily as she wanders into the library where I''ve been sitting for most of the afternoon, trying my best to read but getting so distracted I think I''ve read the same chapter half a dozen times and I still can''t remember why the female character is so pissed at her boss. I bet it''s not because he''s being forced to marry her instead of killing her though.


    "Hey," I say with a faint smile.


    "Dante asked if you could meet him in the dining room."


    "I''m not hungry and I''m in the middle of a really good book."


    She gives me a sympathetic smile. "I was pissed earlier.


    I''m so bored around here and I let my anger at my own situation cloud yours. The truth is my father might treat women like second ss citizens, but my brothers don''t.


    They''re maybe a shade too overprotective." She holds her pointer finger and her thumb an inch apart to emphasize her point. "And I know Dante can be a jackass, but he asked me toe get you. So?" she says with a shrug. "And if I don''t obey his everymand?"


    "He''ll no doubt walk in here and carry you to the dining room himself."


    I ignore her and go back to my reading.


    She sits beside me on the huge sofa, sping her hands together in front of her. "Please, Kat? For me, if not for Dante. I promise it''s something nice."


    "Nice and your brother do not belong in the same sentence, Joey."


    "Come on," sheughs softly, holding out her hand to me.


    "Fine," I say with a sigh as I put my book down.


    I follow Joey along the hallway. There is a nervous energy about her. What the hell is going on?


    She stops outside the door to the dining room and turns to me. "I know he has a really fucked up way of showing it, but Dante would do anything for you, Kat." Then she leans forward and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before she opens the door. "Have a wonderful time."


    She walks away, and I step into the room. Dante is at the dining table, dressed in a ck shirt and ck suit pants.


    His shirt sleeves are rolled up, exposing his huge, tattooed forearms. I''m so focused on him that it takes me a moment to see the white rose petals scattered over the table and the candles that are strategically ced around the entire room. He stands when he sees me and suddenly, I feel very underdressed in my maternity leggings and tank top, not to mention the old cardigan that once belonged to my mom.


    Yes, that is how old some of my clothes are.


    "What is all this?" I ask him with a frown.


    "I believe it''s called dinner," he says as he pulls out a chair opposite his and indicates me to sit.


    I sit on the proffered chair and it''s only then that I see the delicious peace offering sitting in the center of the table. I lean over and look closely at the cheesecake of my dreams.


    "Is that from Mona''s?"


    "It is."


    "How did you know about my salted caramel cheesecake fetish?"


    "Joey told me," he replies as he takes a seat.


    "Of course. I told her about it a while back. I didn''t realize she''d sell me out to you though."


    A flicker of annoyance shes across his face, but when he sees my grin, it disappears. "She didn''t sell you out. She actually told me what an asshole I''ve been."


    My eyes narrow as I stare at him. "For real?"


    "For real."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I always did like her."


    "Liar," he says with a wink and my heart rate kicks up a notch. Why does he have to act like such an arrogant tool most of the time, when he can be like this? "So, can I have a slice?" I ask, reaching for the knife in the center of the table.


    "How about we eat dinner first? Sophia is making your favorite."


    "Her amazingsagna?" I groan as my stomach growls loudly. "Yes."


    "Then I can wait." I rest my hands on the table in front of me.


    "You look beautiful," he says, his eyes narrowed as he watches me intently.


    I pull at the tattered edge of my old cardigan. I feel anything but beautiful right now, but the heat in his gaze tells me he''s not lying. It makes me squirm in my seat. Dammit, I''m so easy for him.


    As though he''s reading my mind, heughs softly.


    "What?" I squeeze my thighs together beneath the table.


    "I love the way you blush whenever Ipliment you, kitten."


    I look down at the table as my blush deepens further.


    "It''s embarrassing."


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    "It''s adorable."


    I swallow as I allow my gaze to drift back to his. The way he''s still looking at me is doing nothing to lessen the heat in my cheeks or between my thighs. Thankfully, Sophia walks into the dining room carrying a huge dish ofsagna and breaks the spell he has me under.


    PLACING my hands on my stomach, I groan softly. "I think I ate too much."


    "You barely ate any of the cheesecake," Dante replies as he watches me from across the table.


    "Because it''s bigger than my head. You should have had a slice."


    "I don''t eat sweet things," he replies with a wicked grin.


    "Well, apart from you, kitten."


    I blush at his words. We''ve managed to have a very polite, bordering on pleasant, dinner, without any talk of sex or the other massive elephant in the room - our uing wedding. "You just had to go there, didn''t you?" I whisper, cing my cool hand on my flushed cheek.


    "I can''t help going there with you," he says, his tone low and serious now. It makes goosebumps prickle over my forearms and my insides turn to liquid. I''m such a ve to my hormones around him, especially now that I''m pregnant. It''s as though my body is hardwired to his in some way.


    I fidget with a stray thread on the sleeve of my cardigan because suddenly the air is thick with tension again, supercharged with electricity and sex. He pushes back his chair and walks to my side of the table. I expect him to pick me up and throw me onto the dining table, because that is how our encounters like this seem to end. But instead, he drops to his knees.


    When he produces a beautiful emerald ring, I almost pass out. He holds it between his thumb and forefinger and the deep green gemstone sparkles in the candlelight.


    "Will you marry me, Kat?"


    Instead of answering, I sit here like an idiot blinking at him.


    "Maybe I should have done this before," he says with a sigh.


    "It wouldn''t change the reason why you''re asking me though," I remind him, my voice barely a whisper.


    He rubs a hand over my gently rounded stomach before taking hold of my hand in his,cing his fingers through mine. "We are in this together, Kat. Me and you. My father can go to hell for all I care. The Moretti name is an empire built on a century-strong foundation of blood and tradition.


    It''s my legacy. Everything I have and everything I am is saturated in the misery of others and the perpetuation of outdated traditions. This house, and everything in it, was built and bought with blood-soaked money," he says, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my knuckles as he stares into my eyes.


    "Everything in my life has been given to me because of who I am. Everything except you, kitten. You are the only thing in my life that I have ever truly chosen for myself. So yes, I want to marry you because I want to honor my family and my mother''s memory, but I also want you to stand by my side until the end of days."


    I swallow the swell of emotion that surges all the way from the pit of my stomach to my chest. This is the first time I have ever seen even a hint of anything resembling vulnerability in him. He''s trying, right? Fighting against his true nature to give me something of what I need from him.


    And shouldn''t that count for something? Because the truth is, I feel more cherished in his darkness than I have ever have in anyone else''s light. "Yes, I''ll marry you."


    The thick vein pulses in his neck before he looks up at me again with dark eyes full of fire.


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    He slides the wless stone onto my finger. "It''s beautiful," I tell him.


    "It was my great grandmother''s."


    "Really?" Suddenly, this moment feels even more intense than before. "She believed it had magic powers," he says with a wry smile. "Good magic, right?"


    "The best," he replies before giving me a soft kiss on the lips.


    It doesn''t take long for the kiss to turn into something more, as it always does with him. And as he slides his tongue inside my mouth, he wraps me in his arms. He stands and then pulls me up from my chair before lifting me onto the table. And without breaking our kiss, he sits in my now vacant chair.


    His hands slide over my skin, pushing off my cardigan before cing it on the chair beside him and that simple act makes my heart swell. He usually tosses my discarded clothes with no consideration for where they end up, but I told him once that was my mother''s cardigan and how much it means to me.


    "Time for my dessert," he growls as he breaks our kiss and starts to pull off my leggings and panties.


    "You''re so unoriginal," I giggle as I wriggle my ass to help him.


    "You won''t be saying that when I''ve got my tongue in your sweet cunt, kitten." He pulls my clothes off over my feet and tosses them unceremoniously over his shoulder.


    "Maybe." I thread my fingers through his hair as he bends his head and begins to trail soft, featherlight kisses from my knees up my thighs. His hot breath dusts over my skin, making me shiver.


    "You smell so good, Kat," he murmurs against my skin as he pushes my thighs wider apart until I''m spread open for him. "So fucking wet for me too." He drags one finger through my folds, and I suck in a quick breath.


    Then he clears the tes off from behind me with one sweep of his arm before pushing me back on the table. He lifts my legs by my ankles, nting my feet on his shoulders as he pushes my thighs wide. "Such a sweet fica," he breathes against my skin, his voice so low and husky that it vibrates through my body.


    His tongue dances over my skin, working his way to the top of my thighs before he flicks it lightly over my pussy, making my back bow in pleasure.


    "Dante," I groan, tugging his hair harder, trying to direct him to where I want him to concentrate his efforts.


    "So impatient for my mouth, kitten."


    "Because you''re teasing me," I protest.


    "I''m not," heughs softly. "But we''re not in any hurry.


    Let me take my time with you because after I eat you right here, I''m taking you to bed to fuck you all night."


    "You''re a devil," I whimper as hezily runs his tongue along my wet center before swirling it over my sensitive clit. My hands fall from his hair as the warm waves of pleasure roll over me, and I rock my hips until stars flicker behind my eyelids. If he promises to do this for the rest of our days, then maybe marrying this devil won''t be such a bad thing after all.

 29

    I shuffle from one foot to the other, chewing on my fingernail as we walk down the hallway. Today is the day Lorenzo Moretti finally returns home, along with his wife, Anya. Since his proposal a week ago, Dante has been attentive and caring and we are in a better ce than we''ve ever been. But I''m a little apprehensive about the impact his older brother''s return will have on our rtionship.


    "Stop," Dante orders, removing my hand from my mouth and entwining my fingers in his to stop my fidgeting.


    "Sorry, I don''t understand why I''m so nervous," I admit in a whisper.


    "Hmm." He releases my hand and stuffs his into his trouser pockets instead.


    The stories about Lorenzo Moretti and his love of violence have been around for as long as I can remember.


    Dante, however, isn''t the slightest bit nervous. Distracted maybe, but not nervous. I know he''s the head of the family, but it''s no secret that Lorenzo was supposed to be.


    However, for some reason, Dante took over their father''s mantle instead. Rumor has it that Lorenzo was furious at the time and has never forgiven his father and brother for the slight.


    Wee to a stop in the hallway, a few feet from the huge oak doors that lead into the main house. I nce sideways at Dante but he''s staring intently at the doorway, as though he''s worried he might miss his brother''s return. Joeyes out of the den and stands beside us, rocking on the balls of her toes as she stares at the door too.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The door swings open, and Joey squeals, "Anya," running forward and enveloping the tiny blonde woman who just walked through the door in a hug.


    "Guiseppina," the giant bear of a man beside her, who I assume is Lorenzo, says gruffly.


    "Oh, quit it," Joey snaps at him as she releases his wife from her arms.


    Lorenzo''s dark eyes drift to his brother and then to me and his face is so unreadable that it makes me feel a little queasy. He looks a lot like Dante with his thick dark hair and his beard, but he''s bigger than his younger brother and his jaw a little squarer. There is something about his eyes that makes me shiver. He is the meanest looking man I have ever seen in my life. I have no idea what to expect from his arrival, but I do know that I feel his presence in this house already. "Dante," he says, his tone low.


    "Wee home, brother," Dante replies as he takes hold of my hand again and squeezes gently. "Anya, it''s a pleasure to see you."


    "You too, Dante," Anya replies with a faint smile. She keeps her head up but her eyes down as she replies to him and something about that feels off. She is so tiny she reminds me of a little bird. Lorenzo has his hand on the small of her back, but his whole aura is possessive and controlling. She doesn''t meet his eyes either and it''s unnerving.


    "This is Kat," Dante says.


    "It''s lovely to meet you both," I say with as warm a smile as I can manage with my stomach twisted up in knots.


    Lorenzo gives me a faint nod and then whispers something in his wife''s ear. That''s when her eyes finally meet mine, and she smiles at me, her face transformingpletely. She is stunningly beautiful and absolutely captivating. "Shall we leave thedies to be acquainted?"


    Lorenzo says, addressing Dante now.


    "Yes," Joey says excitedly, grabbing hold of Anya''s hand.


    "We have so much to catch up on."


    Dante gives me a soft kiss on the forehead. "I''ll see you before dinner, kitten."


    Then he releases my hand from his, and he and his older, incredibly mean and moody looking brother, disappear along the hallway to his study, leaving usdies alone.


    As soon as Lorenzo is out of sight, Anya walks toward me. "Kat?" she says with only a trace of a Russian ent.


    "It''s so wonderful to meet you." Then she pulls me into a hug, and I wrap my arms around her slender frame. She smells like candy floss.


    "Let''s go. Sophia has made us some cocktails in honor of your return." Joey giggles like a carefree twenty-one year old for once. "Alcohol-free for you two obviously," she adds.


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    "Then what are we waiting for?" Anya says, sping one of our hands in each of hers as we head off to the kitchen.


    "Do you not drink, Anya?" I ask.


    "It doesn''t agree with my medication," she replies with a sweet smile.


    "Oh," I reply, not wanting to ask what medication that is because it feels too much like prying.


    "So I hear we have a wedding and a baby to prepare for?" Anya asks excitedly, changing the subject.


    "Kat still won''t set a date," Joey groans, making Anya chuckle. "And she won''t let me choose any bridesmaids dresses or buy anything for the baby."


    "I''ll set a date soon, but I don''t want a fancy event. And as for the baby, it''s too soon to be buying anything yet. I''m only ten weeks."


    "Ugh," Joey says with a dramatic roll of her eyes.


    "Patience, my dear Guiseppina," Anya says softly, and the sweet smile Joey gives her in return makes my heart swell in my chest. They have a beautiful rtionship and it gives me hope for my own future in this family. Although I''m not sure I like Lorenzo, I think his wife is going to be one of my favorite people.

 30

    Lorenzo''s heavy footfall echoes around the empty hallway as we head to the study. My study. It could have been his. It should have been.


    "Is he here? In Chicago" he barks, breaking the silence.


    "No, he''s gone to the Keys for a week with his new side piece," I reply, aware he''s referring to our father. "No fatted calf for the prodigal son today."


    Lorenzo snorts.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I open the door and step aside to allow him in first. As soon as it''s closed behind us, he turns to me, and in here where there is just the two of us, he lets the mask slip.


    There is so much sadness in his eyes that it makes me feel like the air is being sucked from the room.


    "Is it back?" I ask him.


    "More aggressive this time."


    "I''m so sorry, brother."


    He nods, defeated.


    "I''m sorry you had toe back." After Anya''s cancer went into remission, Lorenzo decided to take a couple of years off and has been living in Lake Como with his wife for the past two years.


    "It was inevitable. We couldn''t stay out there in paradise forever. Besides, the best specialists are here," he says with a shrug. "And learning of your uing wedding and the fact she''s about to be an aunt has given my Anya a huge boost. So, thank you."


    I could tell him that his wife and the woman for whom he believes the sun sets and rises is going to be okay. That she''ll beat it again like she did before, but we both know that may not be true and that''s not what we do for each other. He wouldn''t appreciate false hope. Lorenzo is a realist. So instead I tell him the only other truth that matters right now.


    "I''ve fucking missed you, Loz."


    "Missed you too, D," he says, throwing his arms around me.


    We hug each other fiercely, and I choke up as the years we''ve spent apart fall away and I remember how good life is when this man is at my side. Despite my father''s best efforts, he could never drive a wedge between us. I would die for him in a heartbeat and he would do the same for me. There has always been the three of us - him, Maximo and me. There is no ego between us. None of us care who the outside world believes us to be. We are equals in each other''s eyes and we always will be.


    "I''m sorry I was away for so long, brother," he says as he steps back.


    "You don''t have to apologize. You did what you had to do. Maybe one day, I''ll run off to paradise for a few years and leave you to run things."


    "You only have to say the word," he replies with a smirk, but I know that he means it.


    "So, what do you think of Kat?"


    "Any woman that can handle you must be something special. Do you want to marry her? Truly?"


    My answeres without hesitation. "Yes."


    "Then I''m happy for you both."


    "YOU THINK THIS WILL BE OKAY?" Kat asks as she smooths down the fabric of the blue wrap dress over the slight curve of her stomach. "It''s not too tight?" "It''s only dinner in the kitchen like we have every night, kitten," I remind her.


    "No, it''s not just dinner. It''s dinner with your brother, who terrifies me."


    I slide my arms around her waist and press her close to me. "You have no need to be terrified of him, and even if you did, I''ll protect you."


    "I think he doesn''t like me," she whispers.


    "He doesn''t like most people, but I promise he likes you.


    Did you enjoy talking to Anya?"


    "Yes, I did."


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    That doesn''t surprise me. Most people light up like that when they talk about my sister-inw. She''s one of those people who can put anyone at ease. "But she was..." She chews on her bottom lip as she stares into my eyes.


    "She was what?"


    "Different around him? Like not herself?"


    "Oh," I say with a nod of understanding. "I probably should have told you something about their dynamic."


    "Their dynamic?" she blinks at me.


    "Did you see the diamond ne she wears?"


    "Yes. It was stunning."


    "It''s not a ne, kitten, it''s a cor."


    She frowns. "A cor? Like for a pet?"


    "No, a cor for a submissive. Lorenzo is a dominant and Anya is his submissive as well as his wife."


    "I-I mean I''ve read about them in books, but how does that work? Does he control everything she does?"


    "I don''t know, Kat. It''s their personal business, but I do know they''re both very much devoted to each other and very happy."


    "Okay," she says with a frown.


    "What?"


    Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you''re on ?e5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "She just seemed a little afraid of him when they were together in the hall."


    Iugh out loud at that because the thought of Anya being scared of Lorenzo is one of the funniest things I''ve ever heard. I mean it shouldn''t be - he makes grown men shit their pants - but Anya has him wrapped around her little finger. "Trust me she isn''t the slightest bit afraid of him. They have a power exchange, yes, and he controls a lot of aspects of her life, but it''s a consensual one, which they navigate together as a couple. Sometimes, they will appear like any other couple, and other times, like today, he takes control. He often does when they''re in a new or unfamiliar situation, like meeting you today. You should talk to her about it."


    "So are they into BDSM?" she whispers.


    "No idea. It''s none of our business what they do in private." Iugh at her curiosity because it is so nice to have these open conversations with her after months of frustration and mimunication. She wraps her arms around my neck. "So, you and Lorenzo are good then?"


    "He''s my brother, Kat. Of course we''re good."


    "Well, we both know that simply being rted by blood does not guarantee a happy and respectful rtionship," she says, and I don''t miss the tears pricking her eyes as she blinks them away.


    I brush her hair back from her face. "Whenever I see your brother again, I will thank him for bringing you to me."


    That makes her blush, and that makes my cock twitch.


    "There are rumors about you and Lorenzo though, did you know that?"


    "That I stole his crown and we hate each other?" I ask, aware of such idle gossip.


    "Yes."


    "You should never believe everything you hear, kitten." I press a kiss on the tip of her nose, and she sighs contentedly.


    "Are there any other rumors that aren''t true that I should know about?" she whispers.


    "Sophia will have dinner waiting," I tell her, avoiding the question and taking her hand. "And if you think Lorenzo was terrifying earlier, then wait until you see him when he''s hungry."


    Sheughs and the sound is so carefree and sweet that it makes my heart sink. One day, she''s going to find out the truth about the other rumors, and I wonder if she''ll forgive me for keeping it from her.

 31

    Dante


    I roll my neck until it cracks. The sound makes Lorenzo nce at me. He''s been back home for over two months, and I love having him here, but he''s not as involved in our family business as he was. Anya has medical appointments that he needs to attend with her.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I expect he can feel the tension in me too, even from a few feet away, but I can''t fucking help it. This whole situation with Kat and the baby, and how unreasonably pissed it''s made our father, who calls me about setting a wedding date at least four times a week, has me on edge.


    Not to mention that we still haven''t figured out who was behind the shootout at the restaurant a few months earlier.


    I need to do something to work off this rage that is burning through me. If she wasn''t five months pregnant, I would work it all out with Kat. Lock us in my bedroom and fuck her seven ways to Sunday until I feel better. "...so, I told him to go fuck himself," Tony says, directing my attention back to the two men sitting opposite. My father sent them here because he thought we might need extra manpower.


    I don''t particrly like either of the men sitting in front of us, but they are remnants from my father''s glory days, and I keep them around because he asked me to. Despite the fact that they are annoying assholes whose egos are way too big for their position in life, they get the job done when necessary.


    This isn''t a private meeting and the door to my study is open. I stare out into the hallway, waiting for an excuse to show these two assholes out of my house. I almost smile when she appears, standing in the open door, wearing the pale blue overalls that Joey bought for her, and despite my protests that they were hideous, they actually look cute on her.


    After the four-month scan, we chose a room for the nursery and she''s been decorating it for the past few days.


    She has a streak of white paint on her nose, and fuck me if she doesn''t look goddamn adorable.


    Her eyes lock on mine, and the corners of her lips curl up slightly, as though she''s about to offer me one of her beautiful, genuine smiles.


    "And then I told him to go fuck her too," Tony adds, and both he and Elmough loudly. Elmo has the most annoyingugh I''ve ever heard in my life - like someone is strangling a fucking hyena. The noise offends my ears, but Kat''s expression changes in an instant.


    Her face turns so pale the smudge on her nose no longer stands out on her tanned skin. Her lip trembles as she stands there, one hand on the door and the other frozen in mid-wave. If that wasn''t enough to raise my hackles, the wet patch spreading across the crotch of her overalls, turning the pale fabric dark blue, makes my heart start to hammer in my chest. What the hell?


    My hands ball into fists as they rest on the arms of the chair. I''m about to go to her, but suddenly as though she''s found the strength to move again, she turns and sprints silently from the room.


    I look to Lorenzo. Did he see that too?


    His face is unreadable, but he gives me a subtle nod.


    Yes, he did see. So I''m not crazy. Something in this room has just terrified my strong, stubborn wildcat.


    Elmo and Tony are still too preupied withughing at their own wit to notice that the atmosphere in the room has changed dramatically in thest five seconds.


    I push myself up from my chair, and the sudden movement draws their attention.


    "Everything okay?" Tony asks.


    I re at him, my nostrils ring as I draw in a breath through my nose. "I just need to take care of something real quick. I''ll be right back," I grind out the words before I walk out of the room.


    Kat disappears up the staircase, and I make my way after her. I call her name, but that makes her run faster.


    She heads straight for our bedroom, closing the door as though a simple piece of wood might keep me from her.


    When I walk into the room after her, she spins around, her face wet with tears.


    "N-no," she stammers, taking a few steps backward. "D-Dante, don''t. P-please. I p-promise I-I won''t r-run away."


    She''s sobbing now as she continues walking backward until she bumps into the huge wooden dresser.


    I cross the floor to her in two strides. Her entire body is trembling, and the thought that I am somehow the cause of this fear is abhorrent to me.


    "Kat, why did you run away? What happened downstairs?"


    "Dante, please, I''ll be good. I''ll do whatever you say. I''m sorry," she pleads, her eyes wide as she babbles at me.


    cing my hand on her arms, I grip her firmly, narrowing my eyes as I search her face for some sign of the usually strong and rational woman I know. "What the hell is going on, Kat?"


    "Don''t l-let them take me. I promise not to r-run."


    "Who? The men in my office?"


    She nods.


    My heart is fucking breaking right now. I''ve never seen her like this despite all the shitty and dangerous situations I''ve put her in. Adrenaline thunders through my body. I drop my voice until it''s barely a whisper. "What did they do to you, kitten? Tell me."


    She shakes her head. "No, Dante," she gasps, her chest heaving with the effort of her words. "I can''t."


    I cup her chin in my hand, my thumb pressing on the curve of her jaw until she stares at me. Her blue eyes swim with unshed tears. "You have to tell me, Kat. Tell me so I can repay them for any hurt they caused you." She blinks at me. "Y-you don''t know?"


    "Nothing those men have ever done to you has been in my family''s name. I swear to you on my mother''s grave."


    She still doesn''t speak.


    "Kat?" I ask, my tone firmer now.


    "My scar," she whispers, and a wave of indescribable rage washes over me, almost knocking me from my feet. "They were the ones who carved a word into your skin?"


    I hiss.


    She looks at the floor, and I tilt her head up so I can look in her eyes. "Tell me."


    "Yes," she says as she res back at me now, some of that fire I admire in her flickering amidst the shame and fear. "It was whore."


    "What else did they do to you?" My teeth are bared because I can barely contain the anger that is burning through my veins like it''s my lifeblood. This is about way more than what she''s already told me.


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    "They took me," she says, her voice trembling. "I was leaving the hospital after a double shift. We''d had three RTAs. I didn''t notice their van. They kept me ch-chained in a basement for two days. I think they would have killed me, but I escaped." I suck in a lungful of air and force myself to keep staring at her. I want to look away because I can''t stand to see how much this is hurting her, but I owe her more than that. If I''m asking her to bare her soul to me, I at least owe her the courtesy of looking her in the eye while I do it.


    "What did they do to you?" I ask again.


    "Dante, I can''t..." She closes her eyes.


    I brush her tears away with the pad of my thumb.


    Sliding my hand to the back of her neck, I press my forehead against hers, as though somehow it might allow her to read my thoughts and let her know that she can trust me with this. "Whatever it was, it stays in here. Just me and you," I say quietly.


    The deep breath she takes ripples through her entire body. "They raped me," she whispers. "They held me down.


    Over and over. Not just..." She chokes on a sob. "But e-everywhere. One of them carved that word into my back while he was inside me and the other oneughed while he did it."


    My blood burns white hot. I have to force myself not to run from this room and crush their skulls with my hands right now.


    "Then they..." Her breath stutters, and her eyes fill with so much emotion that it''s killing me to keep looking at her.


    "Breathe. It''s just you and me," I say through clenched teeth, trying to keep my voice calm and soothing while my insides rattle with rage.


    "They peed on me," she mumbles, her pale cheeks ming with heat. "But theyughed. The whole time, theyughed at me. Like what they were doing was just a big joke." "They won''t beughing as soon as we go back down there," I snarl.


    Her eyes widen in horror as she tries to wrench herself free from my grip. "No." Her lip trembles as she says the word. "I can''t go down there."


    "Yes, Kat. You can. Get yourself cleaned up and then we go back to my office."


    "I can''t, Dante. Please," she pleads. "I promise never to run again..." She sobs now as she struggles in my grasp until I loosen it slightly. She thinks this is a punishment? "Please don''t make me face them," she begs me as she stares into my eyes, tears flowing freely down her cheeks again.

 32

    It would be all too easy to wrap her in my arms and promise her that she''s safe. A part of me would like to tell her that she never has to see those two sick fucks ever again. But life isn''t that easy. Strength is never that easy. "You have to."


    She shakes her head.


    I tuck her hair back from her face. "These are the men who haunt your dreams, Kat. You have made them into monsters - powerful monsters. But they are not. They are simply men - weak, pathetic men."


    She blinks at me, her eyes deep pools of fear and uncertainty.


    "I will hold your hand every second if you need me to.


    Come with me and let me show you how powerful you truly are."


    She wipes the tears from her cheeks. "I''m not powerful.


    I just literally peed my goddamn pants. You are the one they''ll be scared of, not me. Can''t I just stay up here?"


    I cup her face in both of my hands now. "You have no idea how strong you are, kitten. You will go in there and make those men tremble with fear, and not because I''m by your side but because you are equally powerful standing alone." She blinks at me, her long darkshes fluttering against her cheeks. "I am?"


    I press my forehead against hers again, pulling her closer until she wraps her arms around my waist. "You are the only woman who has the power to bring me to my knees."


    "Dante," she whispers my name, and the way she does it makes my heart ache. Her arms tighten around me and then she''s silent, letting the enormity of what I just said hang ufortably between us for a moment, before she breaks the tension again. "But I peed my pants."


    "I know."


    "I feel so embarrassed."


    I kiss her forehead. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You need me to help you get cleaned up?"


    "No. I can do it myself."


    My eyes narrow as I search her beautiful face. "I''ll wait right here. Okay?"


    She swallows and then gives me the faintest nod.


    "Okay."


    I HAVE a view of the study from here although I can''t see inside because the blinds are partially drawn and the sunlight bounces off the windowpane, obscuring the ss.


    But I know they are in there. Lorenzo won''t let them leave no matter how long he has to wait for my return.


    The shower stops, and a few secondster, Kat emerges in a white towel. Her hair is piled on top of her head and her tanned skin glistens in the sunlighting through the windows. She used to be so pale because she worked nights and rarely left the house, but she''s been spending so much time in the gardens these past few months. And fuck me, she is beautiful.


    I nod to the bed where I haveid out one of the new dresses Joey and Anya helped her choose.


    "Thank you," she says quietly while I turn back to the window and allow her to dress without my eyes on her.


    When I turn around a minuteter, she''s fully dressed and smoothing the fabric of her dress over her hips in that way she does when she''s nervous. Crossing the room, I take her hand in mine. "You ready?"


    "No," she says with a faint smile.


    I brush her cheek with my knuckles. I could pretend that this isn''t going to be difficult for her. I could wrap my arms around her and whisper promises in her ear that this will be a walk in the park, but that is not who I am. And that''s not what she needs right now. "They will never hurt you again. No one will ever hurt you in this house, Kat.


    Understand?" I tell her, my tone harsh and clipped.


    "Yes."


    "Then let''s go." I stride out of the door, my fingersced through hers as she follows me. Her hand trembles in mine, and I squeeze it tighter.


    The sound of Elmo''s annoyingugh echoes down the hallway as we get nearer the study, and she falters. "Dante, I c-can''t," she stammers.


    I push her against the wall, one hand on the back of her neck and the other still holding onto hers. "Breathe," Imand.


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    She sucks in a breath and stares into my eyes.


    "Which one of them carved that word into your skin?" I growl.


    "Not him," she whispers. "Not the one with the crazy-assugh."


    "But he hurt you too?"


    She bites her lip and nods.


    "Come." I pull her with me and walk quickly down the hallway because if I don''t get my hands on those scum-sucking little cunts, I will fucking explode.


    As we reach the door and she hears both of their voices, she squeezes my fingers but then she tugs her hand free from mine.


    She''s going to run. And I can''t say I me her after what these animals did to her.


    But she doesn''t run. She strides into the room all on her own. My fucking tiger. I walk behind her, closing the door.


    "Ah, you''re back," Lorenzo says, his eyes narrowed as he tries to read the situation.


    "Yes. I went to find Kat to introduce her to our colleagues. Have you met my fianc¨¦e and the mother of my child?" Elmo and Tony turn in their seats, smiling, as they look at me and then her.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Pleasure to meet you, ma''am," Elmo says.


    Evil fucks don''t even recognize her.


    "Actually, I think we''ve met before," Kat says. Her voice trembles slightly, but I have never been so fucking proud of her.


    Now... they recognize her. Tony''s mouth drops open, and Elmo''s eyes widen to the size of dinner tes.


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    I slip my arm around her waist and pull her to me.


    Letting them know that she is mine. Letting them know they will never see the light of another day.


    "Is that so?" Lorenzo asks, leaning forward in his seat, his hands steepled beneath his chin.


    "Yes," Kat replies as she res at the two useless sacks of shit sitting across from her. Now they are the ones trembling with fear. "It was kind of a memorable few days for me. I''m surprised you don''t recall." "W-we..." Elmo stammers.


    "You know my new sister-inw?" Lorenzo asks with a scowl.


    "It was b-before-" "We had no idea who she was... who she''d be," Tony interrupts Elmo''s babbling as his eyes dart around the room, looking for a weapon or something to defend himself with.


    He won''t find either of those things. He could be holding a semi-automatic in his hands and he still wouldn''t have a hope in hell. Nothing will protect him from the vengeance I''m about to take.


    "You didn''t know who I''d be?" she yells as she steps toward the desk, cing her palms t on the solid mahogany. Her legs tremble and her voice falters, but she goes on. "It shouldn''t matter that I''m about to be Dante Moretti''s wife. It shouldn''t matter whether I mean nothing to him, or everything. You have no right to do that to anyone. Every woman is someone''s daughter, someone''s future partner or wife, someone''s mother or sister or best friend. Who do you think you are that you can just take someone and do...?" The breath catches in her throat as she forces out thosest words.


    "What the fuck did you two do?" Lorenzo barks.


    "It was just a bit of fun," Tony says, his eyes wide and pleading as he turns to Kat, trying to appeal to her sweet nature as ast-ditch attempt to save his skin. "Right?"


    I''m filled with pride as she reaches across the desk and ps him across the face so hard that his head snaps backward. "Fun! You kidnapped me. You raped me. You tortured me for two days. You think a single second of that was anything but a living hell for me?" she shrieks.


    "Breathe, my little wildcat," I whisper in her ear, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her back. She shudders against me. "I''ll take care of them for you now."


    "Theyughed at me," she says. "Theyughed when I fought back."


    "Rest assured, they will never know a moment''s joy for the rest of their very short and very miserable lives, Katerina," Lorenzo snarls as he res at the men in our office with such ferocity that I''m surprised they don''t wither under his gaze alone.

 33

    Dante


    After I took Kat to the den to be with Joey and Anya, I called Maximo and told him the n for dealing with Tony and Elmo. Then Lorenzo and I escorted the two sick fucks to the room in the basement. It''s concrete and soundproof and perfect


    for such asions. The room is bare but we won''t need anything except the drugs, the knife and therge ss bottle of water that Maximo just brought in with him.


    Tony and Elmo kneel on the cold floor, trembling with fear but knowing better than to beg for their lives. All they can hope for is a quick and rtively painless death, which isn''t going to happen.


    "You sure you don''t want me to handle this, D? You can go be with Kat," Maximo says.


    I shake my head. "I need to hear them suffer the way that she did."


    "Okay,pagno," he replies as he takes off his suit jacket and hangs it on the hook on the back of the door.


    Elmo and Tony shuffle back on their knees at the sight.


    Maximo''s reputation as an unhinged psychopath who enjoys gouging out eyeballs and ying people while they''re still alive is well known and entirely deserved. But he''s not about to touch them. Not yet anyway. They''re going to do most of the damage themselves.


    He takes a packet of blue pills from his pocket. "Four each?" he asks me.


    I nod while Tony and Elmo cower as Maximo approaches them.


    "Open your mouth," he snarls to Elmo who mps his lips together and shakes his head.


    "We didn''t know, Dante. He gave her to us, man. He owed us and he gave us her as payment. He''s the guy you should be going after. We were just doing our job," Tony pleads.


    I hold up my hand, stopping Max momentarily.


    "Who gave her to you?"


    "Leo. Her brother," he says as though I should know this piece of information.


    "And since when do you two take women as payment instead of cash?" I snarl, aware of the irony because I did exactly the same thing when I took her too.


    "Your father knew. He was fine with it as long as we cleaned up any mess we left behind."


    "Pop knew about Kat?"


    "No, he just knew we took the girls and had fun with them."


    "He would never let you leave a loose end like that," I snarl.


    Tony shakes his head as snot runs down his face. "We were supposed to kill her."


    "So why didn''t you?"


    "I thought we had. She was almost gone. I thought someone had found her and dumped her for us."


    I roll my neck until it cracks, trying to calm down before I lose my shit. Leo Evanson just made it back to the top of my list of people to kill. But I''m not surprised by my father turning a blind eye to what Elmo and Tony used to do to women. Not given what I know about him.


    I nod to Maximo, and he continues with our original n, grabbing Elmo''s jaw and squeezing so tightly his mouth is forced open before he tosses four pills inside.


    He sputters and coughs as Maximo holds his mouth wide.


    "Can one of you pass me the water," Maximo asks.


    Lorenzo picks up the bottle from the floor and takes it over. If I get too close to either of those sick cunts right now, I might rip out their throats and that would be far too easy a death. Unscrewing the cap, Lorenzo pours water into Elmo''s open mouth before Maximo mps it shut again. Then using two fingers, he massages Elmo''s throat until he swallows the drugs down. "Now you," Maximo says to Tony, "open wide."


    Realizing he has no choice, Tony allows Maximo to toss the pills inside before Lorenzo pours in some water. Once he'' swallowed, Maximo forces his mouth open anyway, stuffing his fingers inside to make sure that he swallowed them all. "What the hell did you just give us?" Elmo asks.


    "Viagra," I reply.


    "W-what? Why?" Elmo snivels.


    "Strip, assholes," Lorenzo barks at them.


    "Why?" Tony starts sniveling now too. "What are you gonna do to us?"


    "Strip or I will remove your clothes for you," Maximo snarls.


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    The two of them start taking off their clothes under the fierce re of my older brother and my best friend, and once they are naked, Lorenzo forces them to kneel again.


    "What are you gonna do?" Elmo cries as he looks at me, as though I might be the one to show him a little mercy.


    "What we''re going to do is more merciful than what you did to Kat," I tell him. "You see, there were two of you when you raped her and you vited her while she cried and begged you to stop, but there''s only one of each of you." They blink at me in confusion.


    "You''re going to do to each other exactly what you did to her," I tell them. Elmo retches, but nothinges out, while Tony pisses himself. "One of you will hold the other one down and you will fuck his ass until he''s bleeding and crying. And when he begs you to stop, you''re going to carve the words SICK FUCK into his back. It''s up to you two who gets to give and who gets to take."


    "N-no, please." Elmo shakes his head as saliva drips from his chin. He''s smaller than Tony and is no doubt aware he''s the one about to be raped. "You can''t make us do that."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You just swallowed four viagra, fuck-face. Lorenzo so much as taps his foot on your cock and you''re gonna be as hard as iron. But you know, if those tablets don''t work..." Lorenzo passes me the bottle of water and I smash the neck of it against the wall, leaving a jagged edge protruding. "Or if I think one of you is taking it easy on the other, I''ll just do the job myself with this." I hold up the bottle.


    "Those tablets should start kicking in soon. So while we wait, you two can decide which one of you is going to fuck the other in the ass," I tell them as I lean back against the wall with my arms folded over my chest. A few secondster, Lorenzo and Maximo join me.


    For the first few minutes, neither Tony or Elmo does anything, but soon, they start getting twitchy as self-preservation kicks in. I guess they start feeling the affects of the pills because they jump to their feet and begin to circle each other. "Who do you think is gonna be lying face down in that dirt getting fucked in the next few minutes, D?" Maximo asks me.


    "My money is on Elmo."


    "I dunno, you know. He''s a wily little fucker. He might just get the better of the big guy," Maximo says.


    Elmo and Tony can hear us talking, but they remain focused on each other, circling like a pair of dogs primed to fight. It''s Elmo who strikes first, dropping his shoulder and running into Tony and almost knocking him on his ass. But Tony grabs him and takes him down. Then the two of them slug it out for a few minutes, each of them trying to top the other until eventually Tony has Elmo pinned to the ground.


    "Told you," I say to Maximo who shrugs his response.


    "Tony,e on, I''m your kid''s godfather, man," Elmo wails as Tony keeps him pinned to the floor.


    Tony looks at me, tears in his eyes even as the stimtion and the drugs have his cock hard. I hold up the broken bottle again. "It''s your choice."


    "I''m sorry, buddy," he growls as he rams his cock into Elmo whose screams for mercy echo around the small concrete room.


    "Did Kat scream like that?" I take the knife from Maximo and walk over to the two men on the floor and pass it to Tony. "Carve those fucking words into his back and make it fucking hurt, because if he''s not crying and bleeding all over this floor in agony, I will make both of you feel pain like you have never even imagined."


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    He takes the knife from me and starts to carve the words into Elmo''s skin. Elmo screams and struggles, but almost all of the fight is gone in him - for now.


    I stand back against the wall with Maximo and Lorenzo and listen to the screams of agony mingled with the pleas for help and mercy. I wonder how hard my beautiful fianc¨¦e fought and cried when these sick pieces of shit vited her. When Tony is spent and has to take a breather, Elmo crawls away to the corner of the room, shivering and crying.


    "Hey, Elmo, how would you like to make this a fairer fight?" Maximo asks as he pulls a syringe from his jacket pocket hanging on the door.


    "What is it?" Elmo wipes his bloodstained face.


    "Pure adrenaline, buddy. A shot of this and you''ll feel like you can bench press a tank."


    Elmo nods frantically while Tony starts sputtering. "No.


    You said. You said if I..." he shouts, his eyes darting between me and the man on the floor he just brutally raped.


    Maximo sticks the needle into Elmo''s arm and stands back as we wait for the effects to take hold. It doesn''t take long before he''s powering across the floor where he dives on top of Tony and exacts his revenge in exactly the same way. IT''S four hourster when we leave that basement. Four hours where we watched two men humiliate and torture each other in a desperate attempt at self-preservation.


    Hope is a powerful thing. Give someone a glimmer of it and they''ll do almost anything to keep it alive. They suffered in ways I''ve never made anyone suffer before, and the kicker was they did it all themselves. Elmo killed Tony in the end. Jumping on his skull until his brains were all over the floor.


    And when he was lying spent and bleeding and broken on the floor, Maximo put him out of his misery by slitting his throat. But it still wasn''t enough for the pain they caused her.


    "I''ll take care of that mess," Maximo says as we walk along the hallway.


    "Thanks,pagno. And finding Leo Evanson just became our primary focus. You got that?"


    "I''ll get on it."


    "How you feeling, brother?" Lorenzo asks as he puts an arm around my shoulder.


    "Like it wasn''t enough," I say with a sigh.


    "It was. They will never hurt her again and you will help her heal whatever they broke. Now go wash their stench off you and take care of your woman."

 34

    Dante brought me to the den to sit with Joey and Anya after I left his study earlier. He never told them anything but they could tell by the state I was in that something was wrong. So I ended up telling them about my ordeal two years ago. I''ve never told anyone before today.


    Not even my doctor when I went for tests after. Not even my old boss, who I used to have Margarita Tuesdays with every single week since we left college. Not my cousin, Mia. Not Leo. I kept it all to myself. Convinced that the shame was mine to carry.


    Those men ruined my life. I left my job. Stopped seeing all of my friends. I moved out of my beautiful apartment because I couldn''t afford it any longer. Cut myself off from every single person who had ever meant something to me. When I had to take a job to pay the bills, I chose one that would bring me into as little contact with other people as possible. I rarely left the house. I was a ghost. A shell.


    Until Dante.


    Talking to Anya and Joey felt surprisingly cathartic. They didn''t pity me or make me feel ashamed. They listened and held my hand and now I wish that maybe I''d had the strength to tell them sooner.


    I came up to bed a few minutes ago. I haven''t seen Dante, Lorenzo, or even Maximo since this afternoon, and I know it''s because they will be torturing and killing those two men. But I don''t care. I have nopassion for them at all. I''M STILL awake when Dantees to bed a few hourster.


    He climbs in beside me, smelling of fresh shampoo and soap.


    "You still awake, kitten?" he asks softly.


    "Yes," I whisper and then I''m wrapped in his arms as he strokes my hair and whispers things half in Italian, half in English that I don''t fully understand.


    I weave my fingers through his hair and pull his face close to mine as I wrap one leg around his waist, rubbing my pussy against his hard cock.


    His handsome face furrows in a frown. "I have something to tell you."


    "What is it?"


    "The reason those men took you..." His eyes narrow as he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. "It was your brother."


    Somehow I suspected Leo was involved all along but when such thoughts entered my head I always dismissed them too quickly before they could ever take root. Because the thought that what happened to me had anything to do with my own brother is too unthinkable. "Leo? But why?"


    "He owed them some money."


    "And?" I mean he owed a lot of people money.


    "When he couldn''t pay, he offered them an alternative."


    Tears sting my eyes. "Me?" I whisper.


    "I''m sorry, Kat. I have no reason to believe they were lying to me."


    I shake my head as tears run down my cheeks. "I guess you were right about me being his most valuable asset after all, right? Just something for men like you and my brother to trade like poker chips," I snap as anger and injustice and betrayal burn through my veins.


    I see the pain in his eyes and I know he doesn''t deserve to bear the brunt of my rage right now, but Leo''s betrayal hurts me more than I can bear and I can''t direct these feelings at the man who deserves them.


    "You are the most precious thing in the world to me, Kat. I would die before I ever let anyone harm you."


    I look into his dark eyes and despite where we started, I believe him right now.


    "I want to forget about it all. I don''t want to go to sleep with these thoughts in my head, Dante."


    Knowing what I need, like he always does, his hand slides beneath my t-shirt where he traces his fingertips over my scar. "Those men will never hurt you again, Kat."


    "I know."


    He presses his lips over my throat as he rocks his hips so lightly against me, causing his cock to rub softly against my pussy.


    "Please don''t be gentle with me, Dante. I can''t stand it."


    "Why?"


    I choke down a sob thates at me from nowhere.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I''m hormonal and emotional. Right now, I can''t tell the difference between ownership and affection, or desperation and love."


    "Maybe there is no difference. The world isn''t always ck and white, kitten."


    "I know, but I''m afraid," I whisper.


    "Of what?"


    "Of falling."


    "If you fall, I promise to catch you."


    My heart blooms in my chest at his words even if he only means that for right now. But then his face changes, and he stares at me with eyes full of concern. "You want to exorcise some demons with me instead, kitten?" I don''t know what he has in mind, but I am all for doing that. "Yes."


    He pushes himself up onto his knees, taking my hand and pulling me with him. "Get on your knees and face the headboard," hemands in a soothing voice that makes my insides melt like butter.


    I do as he tells me, maneuvering into the position until I''m kneeling on the bed, facing away from him. He moves behind me until his chest is pressed against my back. He slips my t-shirt off over my head before wrapping one hand around my throat and yanking my head back so that it''s resting on his shoulder. Then he slides his other hand over the curve of my hip, pulling me close.


    His hot breath dances over my skin as he peppers soft kisses over my neck. "Do you trust me?"


    "Yes." Despite everything he is, he showed me today that I can count on him.


    "Good girl," he soothes, and suddenly the hand on my throat slides to the back of my head until he''s gripping my hair at the roots. He tugs lightly as his free hand dips between my thighs and his fingertips brush over my clit.


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    "Dante," I whimper as waves of pleasure roll through my body, even as I know what''sing next - the demons he wants to exorcise.


    "I''ve got you, kitten," he says against my ear right before he pushes my head down, bending me over until my cheek is resting on the pillow. My heart rate almost doubles.


    Dante rubs a soothing hand over my back while he keeps me pinned down with his other one. "It''s okay," he whispers as he goes on rubbing my back, from my shoulder des down to my ugly scar and back again, until my muscles rx. When my breathing evens out, he releases his grip a little, but it''s only to slide his hand from my head to the back of my neck, and I tense again.


    "There''s only me and you here, Kat," he assures me as that hand from my back slides down to my ass and he squeezes my ass cheek before sliding his fingers through my wet folds. I force myself to breathe deeply even as my brain fogs with confusion, trying to drag up those old memories of thest time I was held down like this. And I can''t stop them now. I can''t focus on Dante''s hands just the memories and the terror.


    My entire body starts to tremble as I shiver with unforgotten fear, until he''s leaning over me, his warmth settling into my bones and his hot mouth at my ear. "I''m not going to hurt you, kitten," he growls. "And the next time you have a memory of being bent over and held down, it will be me you think of." He presses soft kisses over my shoulder des as he edges his cock inside me and my muscles rx around him.


    "All you''ll remember is how good it feels when I fuck you. How much your pussy loves toe on my cock," he goes on talking to me while he fucks me, and I whimper as the memories dissolve like salt in hot soup, until all I can see, hear and feel is Dante.


    His voice affects me in ways I can''t even describe, as though he has a direct line to the essence of my being. He makes me believe everything he says is true. And my body molds to his instinctively, like we are perfectly tuned to the same frequency. "There''s no before me and you. There''s only us. And I will never hurt you. I will never let anyone touch you ever again. You understand me?"


    "Yes," I gasp as he drives into me harder and a stream of wet heat rushes between my thighs.


    "That''s my good girl. Now I''m going to hold you down and fuck you, kitten, and the only thing you''ll scream is my name when I make youe."


    He pushes himself up, one hand still on the back of my neck pressing my face into the pillow and the other one holding onto my hip as he rails into me.


    "I can get inside you so fucking deep like this, Kat. I''m gonna be bending you over every piece of furniture we own."


    I groan as pleasure rolls through me in a long, undting wave and my body goesx, melting into the soft mattress as I give himplete control. Until he ups the ante again.


    He runs a finger along the seam of my ass before circling my tight hole, and my entire body tenses once more. "Let''s face all those demons," he rasps in a husky voice that is filled with emotion and longing and self-control.


    "I can''t," I whimper as I try to pull away, but I''m impaled on his cock and held down by his powerful hand, and there is nowhere for me to go.


    "You can, kitten," he growls as he slides the same finger down to my folds, coating it in my arousal before he starts toying with my asshole again.


    My heart is racing. Blood is rushing in my ears as my body teeters between the pleasure that he''s still bringing me and the terror of what he''s about to do.


    "I''ll never give you more than you can take," he assures me as he edges the tip of his finger inside me until I feel the sting of him breaching me. "But you have to rx a little."


    I will my muscles to release and let him inside because I know that''s all it will take for him to make even this feel good. But I can''t let go of that final part of myself. Because then, he will have everything, and I will have given my soul to the devil himself.


    He leans over me again, peppering kisses between my shoulder des, trailing lower until his lips dust over my scar, and I shudder.


    "Every single part of you is perfect, vita mia," he says between kisses. "Every single part of you already belongs to me. So you can let go my little wildcat, because I''ve already got you."


    Holy fuck! Dante Moretti''s dirty talk might be some next level filth, but when he speaks like this, from his heart, it''s like he reaches inside my soul and speaks directly to that part of me that nobody else has ever been able to reach. I press my face into the pillow, letting out a long, slow breath as my body loosens again, and I push my hips back a little, taking the little control he will allow, until his finger slides in a little deeper. "Good girl," he soothes as he rocks his hips into me, pressing the tip of his cock against my G-spot, making me moan with pleasure and allowing him to slide his finger a little deeper.


    He carries on taking it slowly, edging his finger in and out as my body adjusts to the overwhelming feeling of him taking both my ass and pussy at the same time. There is no pain now, only hot, fierce pleasure that makes me needy for more of him.


    "I can take more," I whimper.


    "More?" he growls and then adds a second finger.


    "Holy shit," I gasp as he stretches me wider, but the feelings that are powering through my body are nothing short of euphoric.


    Dante goes on fucking me, his hips and his fingers setting an exquisite pace that keeps me dangling on the edge of oblivion. "You going toe for me, kitten? Come on my cock while I''m fucking your tight little ass with my fingers?" "Yes," I wheeze.


    My orgasmes slowly at first, ripples of tingling electric pleasure pooling through my core. Dante fucks me through it until the pressure bes too much, like a river that has been held back by a dam for too long. I scream his name as I experience the most intense climax I''ve ever had in my entire life. It gushes out of me, soaking the two of us and the bedsheets.


    "Oh fuck," he groans, finally letting go of the back of my neck so he can grab hold of both of my hips as he nails me to the mattress. I''m so boneless and spent that the only thing holding me up is him. Pleasure still skitters around my body as I listen to the wet sound of his skin pping against mine as he takes what he needs. Hees with a roar of my name, holding on to me tightly as he grinds out his release.


    When he''s finished, I lower myself to the bed, lying on my side as I gasp for breath. I''m wet and sore and spent and overwhelmed with so many emotions I don''t know how to process them all at once. Closing my eyes, I fight to hold it all together.


    "I''ll be right back," Dante says, but he sounds so far away, like he''s in another room or on another ne of existence. Because there is only me here. Just me in this darkness when my eyes are closed. I''m alone.


    Alone? For the first time in two years, I am alone here in that space between sleeping and waking. No monsters. No demons. No shbacks of memories that I want to bury. It''s just quiet and still. Then a wonderful fluttering in my lower abdomen reminds me that I will never be alone again.


    "I''m going to clean you up, Kat." I open my eyes as he begins to wipe between my thighs with a warm washcloth.


    "We made a mess," I whisper as I snap back to the real world.


    "We sure did, kitten."


    "The sheets," I groan. They are soaked. They''ll need changing but I''m too tired to move.


    "We''ll just sleep on the other side of the bed."


    Then he dries me with a fluffy warm towel. "I can do that," I offer, feeling a little too vulnerable suddenly.


    "I know," he says as he continues drying me. Then he tosses the towel onto the floor before climbing over me and lying on the other side of the bed. "Come here." Taking my hand, he pulls me to him, away from the wet patch on the sheets until I''m resting my head on his chest.


    He wraps his arms around me, stroking my hair and running his fingertips softly over my side and my growing belly.


    Years of anger and rage and frustration and sorrow pour out of me as I soak his chest with my tears. And he just lets me. He doesn''t tell me everything is okay, or try to make me feel better. He doesn''t talk or shush me. He just lets me be.


    He might never say those words that I am so desperate to hear from him. But even if he never tells me that he loves me, I feel it. Since the day we met, I have always felt more protected and cared for by him than any man who has ever actually professed to loving me. And that is enough.


    So right here, in the arms of the devil himself, I find a peace that even the heavens couldn''t rival.

 35

    I wake up early and she''s still wrapped in my arms, her head nestled into the crook of my shoulder and her leg draped over mine. She cried for almost an hourst night before she finally fell asleep exhausted. I was worried I might have pushed her too far, but she clung to me so tightly I figured she just needed the release. Looking down at her, I smile at her beautiful face. Her pink lips are settled into a subtle smile. My kitten turned into a wildcat. I''m so fucking proud of her. She faced down all of her demons yesterday and conquered them all.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ncing at the clock, I groan inwardly as I remember I have a call with my father. He''s riding my ass constantly about setting a date for the wedding, and I have been avoiding his calls for over a week, until he finally pinned me down to a specific time he could video call me. I should squeeze in a quick workout before I speak to him. Burning off some energy before I have to deal with him is always a good idea. But I can''t bring myself to get out of this bed and leave Kat''s warm body. I kiss her head, and she stirs, her eyes fluttering open.


    "Morning," she says and stretches.


    "Good morning, kitten."


    She looks up and smiles at me and now I am only interested in one kind of workout. I roll on top of her, holding myself up so I don''t crush her swollen belly and our unborn child. "Are you okay?" I ask, a question so loaded with meaning that those words don''t feel enough.


    "Yes. In every way," she breathes, snaking her arms around my neck and pulling my face close to her.


    I press my mouth over hers, licking the plump bow of her lips until she opens them and allows me inside. I kiss her like a man starved for oxygen and she is my only hope for breath while she threads her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer for more.


    When I sink inside her a few momentster, it feels likeing home. She moans, and I swallow the sound as I refuse to let her up for air. There is something otherworldly about fucking this woman. I will never tire of the feeling of her pussy being stretched by my cock. The sweet relief of being inside her and knowing that no man will ever make her feel like this again. No one will ever make her moan his name the way she does mine. I have never cared about that before. The moment I touched Kat, I knew I would never allow another man to do so ever again.


    She''s mine. I thrust deeper, iming her over and over again until she falls apart around me.


    MY HEAD IS bent over the ounts from one of the casinos when there is a soft knock at the door. A secondter, my guard opens it and allows Kat inside.


    I can''t help smiling at her.


    "I''m sorry. You''re busy. I did tell him it wasn''t urgent, but he knocked anyway," she says, her cheeks flushing pink as she looks back at the door closing behind her.


    "I can always make time for you, kitten," I tell her, holding out my hand for her toe straight to me instead of taking a seat.


    She walks over to me, and I pull her to sit on myp, wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing my face into her hair. "You smell good," I whisper.


    "You always say that." Sheughs softly. "But I just smell like a regr person."


    I shake my head. "You smell like... chocte..." I nip her shoulder de through her dress. "And sin."


    "Well, I can''t say I''ve ever smelled sin." She giggles and squirms as I trail kisses over her neck. "But the chocte will be my cocoa body butter." "Hmm," I murmur as I go on kissing her throat.


    "I wanted to talk to you about something." "What is it?"


    "The wedding," she whispers, and that certainly grabs my attention. Her crystal blue eyes are locked on mine and for once, I can''t get a read on her. "What about the wedding?"


    "I-I was thinking maybe I''d like to wear a beautiful dress? And have a bouquet? And maybe a small party here at the house?" she asks with a pleading smile, as if I would refuse her anything. "Whatever you want," I say, brushing her hair back from her face.


    "I know I said I didn''t care about any of that stuff, but actually... if this is going to be the only time I ever get married -" "It will be," I interrupt her, unable to hide my annoyance at that particr statement.


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    She just smiles at me and carries on talking. "Then I want it to be memorable. I want to have a first dance and listen to you make a toast. I want chocte wedding cake with vani frosting. I want to feel beautiful and special for one day..." "You are both of those things every minute of every damn day, Kat."


    "So can we set a date and start nning, then?"


    "You set a date within the next two months and let me know when it is. Take my credit card and buy whatever you need. I will be there in my tux with my toast ready."


    "You don''t want to help n any of it?"


    "As long as you''re there, I don''t care what we do. But please let Joey and Anya help you because they have been driving me crazy with questions."


    "Of course. I would love their help. They''re better with color schemes and stuff than I am anyway."


    I kiss her forehead and she sighs contentedly.


    "And Dante?" she adds softly.


    "Yeah?"


    "I might have to leave the house to get a dress and maybe look at some flowers."


    My heart sinks in my chest. Is this what this is really about? Is she going to try to run?


    "You cane too, except for the dress part obviously because you''re not allowed to see the bride before the wedding because it''s bad luck. But Joey and Anya will want toe, I''m sure, and Maximo coulde along, too, if that would make you feel better? Or Lorenzo, but I don''t really think it''s his thing," she rambles on.


    "Why are you so nervous, kitten?"


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    "Because I know you don''t want me to leave the house.


    Or least I know you''ll be worried that I''m trying to run away or something, but I''m not. I swear to you, I just want a nice dress to disguise this huge belly." She pats her round bump for emphasis.


    "You can go dress shopping. But I need to know in advance where you''re going and when you''ll be back. You, Joey, and Anya will have armed escorts wherever you go, regardless."


    "Thank you." She throws her arms around my neck and kisses me. Then she bites on her lower lip, and I know something else ising. "Can we go baby shopping too? I know we can buy stuff online, but I just want to go into the store and see all the cute baby clothes," she pleads.


    "You want to take the girls baby shopping as well? Will this be the same day?"


    "I suppose we could, but actually, I meant us. But I know you''re busy. I can go with Joey and Anya."


    I hadn''t even considered taking her for any of that stuff and suddenly I feel thoughtless. "I''ll clear an afternoon this week and we can go then. How does that sound?"


    "Perfect," she squeals excitedly and I can''t help smiling at her.


    She seems different somehow. Lighter?


    "Oh, and one more thing," she whispers.


    "Yes?" I ask, wondering what the hell she''s going to push for now.


    "Just so you know, I do want to marry you. And not because I have to, but because I-I... care for you a lot, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."


    She didn''t say she loved me even though it seemed like she was going to. I''m an impatient man, but I can wait for that. "I''m d to hear that, kitten."

 36

    Dante


    "If I''d known this was all it took to get you to smile like that, then I''d have brought you here way sooner," I tell Kat as I slide an arm around her waist.


    "I always smile," she replies, giving me a soft nudge in the ribs.


    I trail my fingertips over her cheekbone. That is true, but she''s practically glowing today. "Yeah, but not like this."


    "Maybe baby shopping with you has just be my new favorite thing in the entire world," she says with a contended sigh. "I mean, everything is just so damn cute."


    She picks up a tiny white romper with a baby elephant on the butt and holds it up to me. "I mean look at that. How adorable is our baby going to look in this?"


    "They certainly will," I agree with a nod as my damn cell phone rings. I scowl at the interruption. I cleared my afternoon to do this with her and told everyone I''m not to be disturbed.


    "It''s okay. You can take it," she says softly. "I know you''re busy."


    "I''m sorry. It will just take a minute."


    "I''ll give you a little privacy. I''m just going to look at the nkets," she says as I take the cell from my pocket.


    She goes to walk away, but I grab her wrist and shake my head. "Don''t need any privacy from you," I tell her. "You don''t leave my side."


    She rolls her eyes but she''s still smiling at me like I''ve just hung the moon for her. I''ve rented this entire store for the afternoon and there is only me, her, and the store manager here, but I''m still not taking any chances with her safety. It''s Lorenzo''s name shing on my cell and I answer the call as Kat leads me over to the nkets section.


    "Everything okay?" I ask him.


    "Hey, I know you''re busy with Kat, but I just need to run something by you real quick."


    "Shoot."


    "That night at Little Cesar''s when Mitch was shot?"


    "Yeah?" We still don''t know why those three kids burst in and tried to shoot up the ce.


    "He was there, right? Sal?"


    He refuses to call our father by that title any longer.


    "Yeah?"


    "Did he have a woman with him?"


    "No, he was on his own that night. Why?"


    "I was looking into those punks and the only thing that stood out was that one of their sisters went missing a week before, so I did a little digging."


    "And what does that have to do with Pop?"


    "She was eighteen. Brte. An orphan. You know his kryptonite?"


    "So she was his type, Loz. Anyone with a pulse is his type," I remind him, hoping that his hatred of our father is clouding his judgment.


    "Yeah, but she''d just started working at that coffee shop he goes to every afternoon. I spoke to one of the other baristas and after a little persuasion, he said that Sal took something of an interest in the kid. He used to roll up in his Bentley every day and she was ttered and would flutter her eyshes at him. One day, she just didn''t show up for work and they assumed she''d left. But a few dayster, the cops showed up and started asking questions about a missing girl." "Fuck," I snarl.


    "Yeah. I know it''s thin, but..." "Our father is a piece of shit."


    "It wouldn''t be the first time he''s got rid of a problem like that, would it? Maybe she said no? Maybe she changed her mind? Maybe he just got a little... rough?" "Fuck, Lorenzo."


    "I know."


    "And you think her brother and these other kids either found out or at least suspected that he had something to do with her disappearance?"


    "They all grew up in the same foster home together.


    They know going to the cops would have been pointless.


    What other choice did they have?"


    I swallow the bile that burns the back of my throat and then Kat looks at me and smiles and I''m reminded that I have so many other things going on in my life right now. Things that demand and deserve so much more of my attention than I currently give.


    "So, what do you want to do?" Lorenzo asks.


    "She got any other family?"


    "No. Just her and her brother. Foster parents died in a house fire shortly after she turned eighteen."


    I take a deep breath, screwing my eyes shut. "So there are no loose ends?"


    "None that I can find."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You''re a fucking bloodhound. You know that? I fucking missed you."


    "I''m sorry I was away so long."


    "Don''t be."


    "We leave this then? You have the wedding and the babying. No good cane from opening up this can of worms with him."


    "I know, Loz. But why does it feel so fucking wrong?"


    "Because he''s an evil son of a bitch, D. We know that better than anyone. We confront him and what? Finally put him down after all these years? Because as much as I despise the man..." "I know," I agree. The thought of killing our own father is equally abhorrent to us. Despite everything he''s done, it''s as though we''re conditioned to respect him. It was ingrained into us from such an early age.


    "So, it''s done?" Lorenzo says.


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    Kat holds up a nket with baby elephants for me to look at and I nod my approval.


    "I''ll let you get back to your afternoon with Kat and we''ll talkter."


    "Lorenzo?" I say before he ends the call.


    "Yeah?"


    "What was her name?" We at least owe her that.


    "Megan." He ends the call, and I slip my cell phone back into my pocket.


    "Everything okay?" Kat asks.


    I wrap my arms around her and kiss her forehead. "Yes."


    "Can we buy all the baby elephant stuff?" she asks, resting her cheek on my shoulder. "It''s all white so it''s gender neutral and it''s just too cute for words."


    "We can buy all the baby elephant stuff. I''ll even get you an actual baby elephant to go with it if that makes you happy?"


    She shakes her head and wrinkles her nose. "I hear they poop a lot and I think we''ll have our hands full with this little one." She rubs her hands over her stomach and I slide mine next to hers.


    A secondter, something nudges my hand. "Did you feel that too?" Sheughs as she looks down at her belly.


    "Was that the baby?"


    "Yes," she breathes, cing her hands over mine and pressing lightly until I feel another nudge against my palm.


    "That''s your daddy, little jelly bean," she says sweetly, and I get the sense she talks to our kid all the time, but I don''t think I''ve ever heard her before.


    Daddy. It makes me feel so many emotions that I didn''t expect - fear and worry as well as a sense of hope and peace that I have never experienced before in my life.


    Standing here with her in the middle of the empty store, feeling our baby kicking, I wonder how the hell my life has managed to change beyond recognition in just over a few months. And it''s all down to this woman right here.

 37

    For thest six weeks, I have thrown myself into wedding ns. Dresses. Flowers. Cake. The church.


    The guest list, even though nobody I know is on it. It consists entirely of Dante''s family and friends, which is fine with me. I don''t have any friends. The only family I did invite was Mia, but she''d couldn''te all the way from Boston because her husband, Brad, is kind of a dick who never lets her go anywhere.


    The irony of that is not lost on me - I mean my husband to be is kind of an asshole who kidnapped me, and who doesn''t let me go anywhere either. But it feels different with Brad. He''s so mean to her, cruel even. I have never even seen him so much as hold her hand affectionately. Mia is a warm ball of sunshine and I have no idea how a grumpy dick like Brad ever managed to snag her. I guess he must have been charming once. "Are you ready?" Joey''s voice startles me, and I realize I''m staring into space.


    I look down at my beautiful white gown and smile. "Yes."


    "You look amazing. I know I told you that a million times already, but you do," she says with a grin as she links her arm through mine.


    "So do you. That green really suits your coloring. I have a feeling Max is not going to be able to take his eyes off you." I give her a nudge in the ribs.


    "Kat!" she shrieks withughter. "You know you would get both Max and me killed if Dante or Lorenzo heard you say that."


    "Well, they''re not here," I say with a shrug. "They''re on their way to the church. And I''ve seen the way you look at him."


    "Yeah, so he''s hot." She rolls her eyes, and we head for the door. "But he''s my brothers'' best friend and you know how crazy close they all are. He would never breach their trust like that." "I suppose," I admit.


    "Anyway, this is your day. Let''s get you hitched." Sheughs as we go outside to the sleek ck limousine that''s waiting for us to take us to the church. Anya is my bridesmaid too, but she''s been feeling a little unwell and so she went ahead with Lorenzo. So it''s just Joey and me and our security.


    I LEAN BACK against the seat, one hand resting on my bump and one under my chin as I stare out of the window. It''s rare I get to leave the house and whilst I understand why, it''s nice to be out and I will enjoy every single moment of it. But I have memorized the route to the church and this isn''t it.


    "Hey, we''re going the wrong way," I turn to Joey and frown.


    "No, we''re not," she says with a dismissive shake of her head.


    "We are. He should have turned left back there."


    "It''s fine, Kat," she says with a sigh, but suddenly something feels off.


    I look at one of the guards. "Can you ask the driver why he''s not going directly to the church, please?" I ask him.


    "We''re going the right way, ma''am," he replies coolly.


    My heart rate kicks up a gear, and I swallow hard as I look back to Joey who now seems to be acting a little shady.


    "Joey, they''re going the wrong way."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Rx, Kat," is all she says, paying more attention to her manicure than to me.


    Has she just been pretending to like me all this time, while secretly plotting my demise? And super viin that she is, she''s chosen my wedding day to do it.


    "I''ll rx when we get to the church. Everyone is waiting for us."


    "I know. We''ll be there soon." She looks out of the window.


    "Joey, please? Tell me what''s going on."


    It must be the tone of my voice that makes her take pity on me. "Dante has a little surprise for you. Rx." She ces her hand over mine reassuringly.


    But my brain is already in overdrive. What kind of surprise? Is this what happened to hisst fianc¨¦e? Was she all happy thinking that she was about to spend the rest of her life with him before he killed her? Am I being driven out to the middle of nowhere? Will he do it himself or ask one of his minions to do it for him?


    Holy shit! Breathe, Kat. Dante would never do that. He wouldn''t kill his own fianc¨¦e right before their wedding.


    Except that he would. I ce my hands over my stomach protectively. I wonder if Nicole was pregnant too?


    "It''s just here on the left." Joey sits forward in her seat and I realize she''s speaking into the inte. A few secondster, the car swings into the forecourt of a hotel.


    I look out of the window and my racing heart almost bursts out of my chest. "Mia?" I shout as I see her waiting patiently. Dressed in a stunning yellow dress that makes her look like the Hollywood movie star that she was born to be. One of the guards opens the door and she peers inside cautiously until she sees my smiling face and almost dives into the car to get to me.


    "Kat!" she shrieks as she sits beside me and wraps me in a warm hug.


    "What the hell are you doing here?" I sniff as tears well in my eyes. "Don''t you cry and ruin that make-up, youngdy," Joey chides.


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    I wipe my eyes and hug Mia again before introducing her to Joey, and it appears the two of them have spoken numerous times while keeping their little surprise a secret from me.


    "So how did you get here?" I ask her.


    "Dante flew me out here on his jet. Inded about two hours ago. He wanted it to be a surprise so I stayed at the hotel instead ofing to you."


    I can''t believe he did that. I didn''t even know he had her number. But of course he did. He researched me well before he kidnapped me. "I''m so d you''re here," I tell her, squeezing her hand in mine.


    "I couldn''t miss my favorite cousin''s wedding now, could I?" she says with a wink.


    "Was Brad okay with youing?"


    "I can handle Brad," she replies as she settles back in her seat. "Is Leo still not around?"


    "No. I haven''t heard from him for almost a year now," I say, and a wave of sadness washes over me. Leo might be a pain in my ass, but he''s still my brother.


    "That''s such a shame he''s going to miss your big day."


    she say, shing me a look of sympathy.


    I don''t tell her that Leo would be about as wee at our wedding as a dose of gonorrhea.

 38

    I take Kat''s hand and lead her to the dance-floor, a sea of faces watching us as we prepare to have our first dance. Suddenly, I''m regretting allowing her to n every aspect of this wedding with no input, because if she makes me dance to One Direction or a country music bad, I might never forgive her.


    I slip my arms around her waist and pull her as close as I can, but our child growing inside her is making it increasingly difficult to get her body as pressed up against mine as I''d usually like. I have had to be way more creative when I''m fucking her too, because I can''t stop doing that every single chance I get.


    She loops her arms around my neck and the opening bars of "At Last" by Etta James begin to y.


    I smile at her as I move her around the floor to a chorus of pping, sighing and cheering. "I love this song."


    "I know. Joey told me. I love it too. She said you used to listen to it with your mom."


    "Hmm." I kiss her forehead. "I was worried you were going to make me dance to Harry Styles or Taylor Swift." "Hey, Taylor is an icon."


    She rests her head on my shoulder. I press my lips against her ear. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?"


    "Only half a dozen times, so not nearly enough." Sheughs softly.


    "I am the most envied man in this room, kitten."


    "I don''t doubt that for a second, Mr. Moretti," she purrs.


    "Only because I have you, Mrs. Moretti," I tell her, and she shivers in my arms.


    "Well, I''m pretty sure half of the women in this room would trade ces with me in a heartbeat because you are looking pretty hot yourself in that tuxedo."


    "Half of the women in this room are rted to me," I remind her.


    "Yeah, so I''m talking about the other half, obviously," she says with a wicked grin.


    "Wife or not, I will still fuck that attitude out of you," I whisper in her ear.


    "I''m counting on it, now stop talking and listen to the song."


    I slide one hand to the back of her neck, gripping her possessively as Etta James sings thatst line. It''s perfect for us.


    As soon as the song is over, the floor is filled with our guests who join us for the next one. It''s then that I feel his hand on my shoulder, and I bristle.


    "How about a dance with your father-inw?" my father says to Kat. And because she is a nice person, who has no idea what a piece of work my old man really is, she goes to take the hand he is offering her while giving him one of her killer smiles.


    I yank her back before he can touch her. "You every a finger on her and I will crush your skull, old man."


    His face twists in confusion and anger, and I pull Kat behind me as she stares at me, bewildered.


    "Who do you think you''re talking to, ragazzo?" he snaps.


    "Just stay the fuck away from my wife."


    I turn around to face Kat and wrap my arms around her again.


    "What was that about?" she whispers.


    "Nothing for you to be concerned about, kitten."


    She doesn''t believe me, but she doesn''t push me any further. Instead, we dance to a slow song, and I bury my face in her hair as I try to forget about my former fiancee the reason I hate my father so much. Kat


    My cheeks are hurting from smiling so much. Despite this not being in any way the wedding that I''d imagined for myself, it''s been an incredible day.


    Dante has been charming and attentive. I finally met his half sister, Toni, and if I thought that Joey was a whole ball of trouble it was only because I hadn''t met Toni. She is funny as hell and she teases Dante like no-one else I have ever met. Dante''s friends and extended family have been so weing. Aside from him threatening to crush his father''s skull for asking to dance with me, which was weird, there has been no drama at all.


    We cut the cake. We had our first dance where he held me close and looked into my eyes like I was the most important person in the world. And even if I''m not, even if he''ll never love me the way that I want him to, in that moment I felt it. I will remember this day with nothing but a smile for the rest of my life.


    The only sad part was when Mia had to leave early. She made up some excuse about not being able to stay over because of work, but I know it was probably more to do with Brad.


    "Your dress is beautiful, Katerina," a cousin of Dante''s says as she walks toward me.


    "Thank you," I say with a genuine smile. I was worried about getting a dress that would hide my increasing belly, but the stylist persuaded me to make the most of my pregnancy figure, so we went with something that entuated my bump instead.


    I feel his presence before he even touches me. It''s like my body is hardwired to his. Then his hands are on my waist and his mouth is against my ear.


    "Have I ever told you how beautiful that smile is?" Dante whispers in my ear.


    "No," I say, my cheeks turning pink as his cousin stares at us.


    Heughs softly before lifting his head. "Say goodnight, Beth," he says to his cousin. "I think it''s time we called it a night, amore mio."


    "You can''t go yet. It''s not even ten," Beth whines.


    "You guys can party as long as you want to, but my wife is seven months pregnant and she needs her rest," he says, his tone clipped. She rolls her eyes and stalks off across the dance-floor.


    I turn around to face him, and he wraps his arms around me. "I''m not even a bit tired yet. Can''t we stay a little longer?" "Don''t worry, kitten. Now, we''re headed to the real party," he says with a wicked grin.


    "That is not a party," I say, trying to fake a scowl, but still, I can''t stop smiling. "Um, it is if you do it right. But that''s not what I was talking about." "Then?"


    He takes my hand in his and gives me a soft kiss on the lips. "Come find out."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Then he leads me out of the room, along the hallway and toward the main house. The guard stationed outside the door that leads to the living quarters opens it as we reach it, giving us a quiet word of congrattions as we pass. "Thank you," I whisper before Dante leads me to the kitchen. I hear muffled voices andughter as we approach.


    But when we walk inside a few secondster, we are showered with rice and congrattory cheers. Lorenzo, Anya, Joey, Maximo and Toni p for us. Lorenzo even has a faint smile on his face.


    Dante has his arm around my waist, and I stand on my tiptoe so I can whisper to him. "Is Lorenzo smiling?"


    "Yup," he says with a grin. "You should take a picture.


    It''s a rare thing."


    "We have drinks," Toni shouts as she walks to the table and picks up a bottle of incredibly expensive Scotch.


    "And iced tea for the bride," Anya adds as Dante frowns at his half-sister.


    "Because this definitely calls for a toast," Maximo says as he heads to the table too and helps Toni pour everyone a drink.


    Maximo holds out a ss of Scotch in one hand and a tall ss of iced tea in the other, and with his hand on the small of my back, Dante guides us both to the wooden table. I take the drink and then have a seat on the bench, but my husband remains standing behind me with a reassuring hand on my shoulder.


    "Toast!" Joey deres, drumming her fists on the table.


    "We did the toasts already," I remind them. Dante and Maximo each made one. They were beautiful too. Simple but beautiful.


    Anya ces her warm hand over mine and smiles.


    "These are the real toasts, Kat."


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    "Oh?" I look around at their grinning faces. "Is this another tradition I don''t know about?"


    "We did this after Lorenzo and Anya''s wedding," Dante tells me.


    "And we''ll do it after Toni''s, and mine and Maximo''s," Joey says with a wicked grin. Did I hear that right? I nce at Maximo and his jaw ticks as he stares at her.


    "You''re never getting married, Guiseppina," Lorenzo says with a scowl.


    "And I''m definitely not," Toni snorts.


    "I guess it''s all on you then, buddy," Dante says to Maximo before he takes a sip of his Scotch, "or the tradition ends here."


    Maximo clears his throat. "To the end of tradition then," heughs and then downs his whisky in one before pouring himself another.


    "I''ll start," Joey says with a sigh and a roll of her eyes.


    "To my favorite big brother and my second favorite sister-inw," she giggles as she holds up her ss.


    "How much has she been drinking?" Dante asks, directing his question to Maximo.


    "It''s your wedding. She''s twenty-one," Maximo replies with a shrug.


    "Not like I can ever get into any trouble with my constant bodyguard," Joey adds. "Anyway, I was ying.


    That wasn''t my toast."


    "Get on with it." Lorenzo sighs.


    "Fine," Joey snaps. Then she raises her ss again. "I never thought that any woman would capture my brother''s heart, Kat. I know I was kind of a bitch to you when we met -" "Kind of?" Dante says with an arch of an eyebrow. "Yes, but that was before I knew how much you meant to him, and also before I knew how much you woulde to mean to me," she adds as her eyes shine with tears. She shakes her head, as though annoyed with herself for getting so emotional. "I cannot wait to be an aunt and corrupt your little angel, and I''m so d that you''re here to dilute some of the testosterone and toxic masculinity in this house," she adds triumphantly. "To Dante and Kat." "Dante and Kat," the others echo before they all down their Scotch and Maximo pours more.


    "Anya," Lorenzo says quietly, and she obediently raises her ss.


    "You two are made for each other, like the moon and the stars. You fit together so beautifully. I''m so d you found a great love, Dante. And Kat, you are the only woman I have ever met who is strong enough to stand by his side. To Dante and Kat." Everyone toasts again and downs their shot while I slug my iced tea.


    "Me next," Toni insists. "Kat, I don''t know you very well yet, but I do know Dante. When he told me he was getting married, I almost fell off my damn chair. I thought Sal had finally convinced him to do the unthinkable. That was the only exnation that made sense to me. But then I met you and I saw the way he looked at you, and it all fell into ce.


    The only exnation is you. You two are so meant to be, it''s kind of sickening. And I hope you know what you''re letting yourself into, honey. To Kat and Dante," she adds with a wink and the shot/ toast process is repeated. "Ah, I guess I''m up next," Maximo says with a sigh.


    "You sure are," Dante replies.


    Maximo turns in his seat and looks at us both. "Kat. You stole my best friend," he says with a shake of his head, and everyoneughs. "But you made him a better man for loving you. He''s way less grumpy these days..." Iugh now too. "And he no longer works one hundred hours a week, which means that I don''t either. I''m not gonna lie, I really wanted to not like you, Kat, but you make it kind of impossible. And now you''re Dante and Kat and I don''t know when that happened but you''re just a part of him now, and I can''t imagine you not being a part of my life too."


    "Aw," Joey says, staring up at him with a huge dopey grin on her face.


    "To Kante," Maximo finishes.


    "Kante? Fuck no," Dante says with a scowl.


    "Dat?" Anya chuckles.


    "True dat," Joey giggles, and I almost snort the liquid out of my nose.


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    "Dante and Kat is fine." Dante sighs.


    "Dante and Kat then," Maximo says with a wink before he stands and gives his best buddy a bear hug.


    "It''s all on you now, big guy," Joey says to her oldest brother with a wiggle of her eyebrows.


    I swallow as I look at Lorenzo. He didn''t do a toast at the wedding. Dante told me it''s because he doesn''t like speaking in public, but I figure he doesn''t like speaking much in private either. Because he barely does. He observes. Maximo refills everyone''s sses again and Lorenzo raises his. "Katerina, you''re one of us now. I don''t mean just a Moretti, it''s more than bearing our name. I would die for every single person in this room. You''ll be one of us until your dying breath. It can be a blessing or a curse, but only you get to decide which. Choose wisely."


    "Fuck, Lorenzo," Dante says with a shake of his head and a darkugh.


    "Jeez, dude," Joey giggles while Toni and Maximough too.


    "No, I get it," I say as Lorenzo''s dark eyes burn into mine from across the table. I understand what he''s telling me about the family I''ve be part of. Being the object of Dante''s affection could well be considered a curse, but not to me. "There''s no choice though. It can''t be anything but a blessing to me. I''ve never felt part of a real family since my mom died. Not one who looks out for and protects each other like you all do. My whole adult life, I''ve never really felt like I belonged anywhere. And now I do. So thank you all," and now I''ve given my own toast and everybody except me drinks a shot of whiskey.


    Thank God there is only Dante left or they would all need to be carried out of this room.


    Lorenzo nods his head and gives me a faint smile. Wow, two of those in one day.


    "I guess it''s my turn," Dante says as he takes a seat beside me. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer so that I shuffle a few inches along the bench until I''m almost sitting on his knee.


    "I guess it is," I smile at him, almost breathless with anticipation at what he''s about to say.


    "The only people I truly care about in this entire world are here in this room, but until a few months ago, I thought this circle would never get any bigger than this. Because let''s face it, I''m not going to like anyone that either of my sisters marry, and the chances of Maximo finding a woman to handle his crazy are slim to none." He turns and winks at his best friend. "But then I met this incredible woman, and she changed my life in so many ways that I would never have imagined. So, this final toast is just for her." He raises his ss and the rest of them do the same while I press my face against his shoulder. I''m so unused to being the center of attention. "To Kat, my best friend. My wife. The woman who made me a father. Vita mia. Sei cosa pi¨´ be che mi sia mai capitata."


    I don''t know what it means, but it makes Anya sigh softly and Joey sniff loudly. "To Kat," they all say as Dante hugs me tighter.


    He kisses the top of my head and I find the courage to look up and see them all drinking and smiling, except for Lorenzo who has already used up his lifetime quota of smiles today.


    "But now it really is gettingte and I can''t have any more to drink because it''s my wedding night," Dante says.


    "Of course. You have duties to take care of," Lorenzo replies, and it''s met with moreughter.


    "If it''s a duty, then you''re doing it wrong, brother," Dante retorts.


    Lorenzo snorts and his shoulders start shaking, and for a second, I worry that he''s about to have a stroke, but he''s not. He''sughing. Lorenzo Moretti isughing.


    "Ah, it''s the whiskey," Anya says to me as I stare at her husband, open mouthed.


    Dante stands and takes my hand, pulling me up with him before he scoops me into his arms to a chorus of whistles and cheers that does nothing for my embarrassment levels. "I can walk," I whisper.


    "I know," he replies, kissing the tip of my nose before he carries me out of the kitchen and leaves the rest of our family to go on drinking and talking into the night.


    I loop my arms around his neck as he carries me up the stairs. He''s not even breathing any heavier with the effort, which is a feat in itself considering how huge I''ve gotten. "Hey, I forgot something," I tell him.


    "What''s that, kitten?"


    "I thanked everyone in there, but I didn''t thank you. Not by name. And not enough," I admit as I stare at him.


    "You don''t have to thank me for anything."


    "Yeah, I do. I wouldn''t have any of this without you."


    His brow furrows in a frown, but he doesn''t say anything else until he''s carried me into our bedroom and closed the door behind him. He puts me on my feet and cups my face in his hands. "I need you to know something, Kat," his eyes


    narrowed as he stares into mine. "I never thought today would happen for me. I never wanted a wife. Never wanted to be tied to anyone and have to make decisions based on somebody else''s wants and needs..." "But the baby changed that," I whisper.

 39

    He shakes his head. "You changed that. Baby or not, I knew the minute you walked into this house, I could never let you leave. I wanted you. I needed you. And I figured that was enough for me to keep you here forever. But then you went and spent every damn minute of every damn day making me fall in love with you too."


    A sob wells in my throat and I swallow it down. He loves me.


    "You never have to thank me, Kat, because you have given me everything. Or maybe I just took it and you didn''t really give it at all, but it''s mine now. You''re mine and I will never let you go. I meant it when I said I would die to protect you and I would scorch this world before I ever let anyone hurt you or our child."


    "You didn''t just take it from me," I whisper as a tear rolls down my cheek, and he wipes it away with his thumb.


    "I gave it all willingly. I''m yours, Dante. Only ever yours."


    "Vita mia," he says softly, his warm breath dancing over my skin and sending a shiver down my spine. "What does that mean?"


    "My life."


    "Vita mia." I repeat, smiling as I''m filled with a happiness that I thought I''d never feel again. How is it that the devil called Dante Moretti, a man with so much darkness in him, could be the light in my previously bleak existence? "And that other thing you said in your toast?"


    "Sei cosa pi¨´ be che mi sia mai capitata?"


    "Yes."


    "You are the best thing that''s ever happened to me."


    Wow! "I am?"


    "Hmm," he murmurs as his hands glide down my body, over my huge belly and over the curve of my hips until he''s squeezing my ass in his palms. "Enough talking. I believe I have some duties to take care of."


    "If it''s a duty, you''re not doing it right," I purr, parroting what he told his brother a few minutes earlier.


    "Well, maybe I''ll make youe a few times and then you can tell me if I''m doing it right," he growls as his fingers easily find the concealed zipper of my dress.


    "Oh, you always do it right," I breathe as he slides the zipper down slowly while he trails soft kisses over my neck.


    A few secondster, my beautiful wedding gown lies in a pool of fabric at my feet. He looks at my creamce panties and growls his appreciation as he slips his hand inside.


    "These are sexy as fuck on you. I''m going to buy you a pair in every color."


    "Hmm, I''d like that," I giggle as he starts to rub his fingers over my clit. I run my hands over his chest, fingering the buttons of his white shirt but he catches my wrist with his free hand.


    "Not yet, kitten. Let me take care of you first."


    I smile at him. "I guess I can live with that."


    "I hope so, because I''m going to be taking care of you a whole lot."


    He pushes me to lie on the bed before kneeling on the floor between my thighs. I shiver in anticipation as he slowly pulls my panties off, squirming as his fingers brush softly over my skin. "Please," I murmur as my body burns with heat and desire.


    "I''ve been waiting to taste my wife''s beautiful pussy all day." He starts to trail kisses up my thighs. "You''re already so wet, Kat. I wish you could see your cunt glistening with your juices." "What do you expect? I''ve been staring at you in that tux all day."


    "I might just wear it more often."


    His tongue swirls over my skin at the top of my thighs, so close to where I want him but tantalizingly far away. But when he slips two fingers deep into me, I forget about his mouth for a second as my back arches in pleasure and I moan his


    name.


    "That what you wanted, kitten? You need me inside you?"


    "Yes," I whimper.


    "Soon," he whispers as he slides his fingers out of me again and my pussy quivers at the loss of him.


    "Can you lift your hips for me a little?" he asks before he seals his mouth over my clit and flicks it with his expert tongue.


    I groan in pleasure as I lift my hips like he asked, and he takes the opportunity to slide his two fingers into my ass.


    "Fuck, Dante," I hiss at the delicious feeling of him stretching me wide as he eats my pussy. He slides his fingers gently in and out of my ass as he sucks and nibbles and licks the length of my folds. Circling my clit before moving to my hot entrance and back again. When I start grinding myself on his face and his fingers, desperate for some release, he fucks my ass harder while he feasts on my pussy like he''s been desperate to taste me forever and might never get the chance again.


    My orgasm builds in a slow, rolling wave that makes my entire body hum with pleasure and heat. Every nerve ending is tingling with electric pleasure.


    "Oh, God, Dante," I whimper as he keeps me on the edge.


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    "Come on my tongue, kitten," he murmurs against my skin as he presses his fingers in an upward motion and I''m sure he just hit my G-spot from inside my ass because stars flicker in my horizon as my climax bursts through me and I almost pass out under a nket of warm ecstasy.


    I lie back, panting for breath and trying to stop my head from spinning, only vaguely aware of him standing up and disappearing into the bathroom. The sound of running water quickly follows before it shuts off again and he''s stalking back toward the bed like a lion after its prey, pulling his clothes off with every step he takes until he''spletely naked.


    "My turn to take care of you," I say, licking my lips as I stare at his beautiful thick cock.


    "Tomorrow morning, you can wake me up with the best head of my life," he says as he crawls over me, pulling me up the bed with him until my head is resting on the pillows.


    "But tonight is all about you, Mrs. Moretti. Let me fucking worship you."


    "Well, in that case, you can worship me as much as you like," I breathe as I wrap my arms around his neck.


    "I worship at the altar of your ass every single day already," he says with a wink.


    I bite on my lip. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"


    A frown crosses his handsome face. "No, you haven''t."


    "I do. I love you more than you will ever know. That day you took me, you saved me, Dante Moretti."


    "You saved me first, kitten," he says and then he seals his mouth over mine as he slides his cock deep inside me. I wrap my legs around his waist as he ims me for his own.


    And I am his. In every single way.


    IT''S ALMOST four a. m. by the time my machine of a husband finally deres that he''s tired and can''t go one more round. Which is fine by me because I think I''m already drunk on orgasms. I fear another one might see me leave this mortal ne pretty sure I barely survived thest one.


    "Today was perfect." I sigh contentedly as I lie in his arms.


    "It was," he mumbles sleepily.


    "After my mini anxiety attack in the car anyway." Iugh as I nestle my cheek against his chest.


    His muscles tense. "What anxiety attack?" he asks, suddenly alert now.


    "Oh, it was nothing. I was being silly," I say dismissively hoping he won''t press me further.


    "You having an anxiety attack on our wedding day isn''t nothing, Kat."


    "It wasn''t exactly a full-blown anxiety attack. I just freaked out for a minute."


    "Freaked out about what?" he asks as the muscles in his body grow tenser.


    How the hell do I tell him that I was worried he was going to kill me and our unborn baby before we got to the church?


    "Kat?" he asks again, his voice dropping an octave and sending a shiver through my bones.


    "When the car detoured, I panicked a little. Then I saw Mia and I almost burst out crying with happy tears instead.


    It was a wonderful surprise, and so thoughtful. Thank you."


    Hepletely ignores thetter part of what I just said.


    "Instead of what?"


    "Huh?"


    "You almost cried happy tears instead of what? Why did you have an anxiety attack, Kat?"


    I shudder at his tone. It''s that don''t make me ask you again one he has that makes grown men weep and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "I just thought... just for a moment... Joey was acting strangely and wouldn''t tell me where we were going...and those guards of yours might as well be mute..." "Kat!"


    "I thought of your ex-fianc¨¦e and I wondered -" "If I was going to murder you and our child?" he interrupts me, his tone clipped and dripping with anger.


    That sounds so awful when he says it aloud, but I''m not going to apologize for feeling that way. The truth is he did murder Nicole Santangelo right before their wedding.


    "I still know so little about what happened between you and her, Dante. I panicked. This morning I didn''t know for certain whether you really wanted this with me, or you felt obligated because I got pregnant."


    "We got pregnant," he snaps.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Then tonight, you said that it wouldn''t have mattered and we''d be together anyway and I believe you. But this morning... I was emotional and I just wanted to get to the church to see you. It was just a moment of panic, that''s all." He squeezes me tighter, sliding one hand to the back of my neck and holding me against him.


    "Get some sleep, kitten," he says softly.

 40

    AGE 25


    The sound of my younger sister, Joey, squealing withughter as she passes the dining room makes me smile. I have no idea what she''sughing about, but the sound has been so raretely that I almost forgot that she knew how tough. Certainly since our father allowed her toe live here with Lorenzo and me, she has been much happier.


    A secondter, Maximo''s head pops around the open doorway. "They''re here," he deres.


    "Then show them in," I say with a heavy sigh.


    He nods before slipping back out of the door. This is my fifth date with Nicole Santangelo. Each time we have met at a restaurant and she has been apanied by a chaperone, who has sat a discreet enough distance away for us to talk in private, but who has kept a watchful eye on his charge the entire time. Her father does not want his innocent young daughter sullied before she bes a bride. Not that I particrly mind that. I have no desire to sully her in any way. She''s not my type. Sure, she''s pretty.


    She ys her part well. Impable manners. A small politeugh when the asion calls for it. She''s a perfectly programmed robot.


    Except that I have been reading people''s bodynguage for as long as I could talk. And Nicole Santangelo has a secret. So tonight, I have insisted she have dinner at my home and she won''t be leaving here until I find out what it is.


    A few secondster, she and her bodyguard, Vito, are shown into the room. She smiles politely.


    As soon as she is seated, I turn to Vito. "Leave us."


    She gasps and he blinks at me. "I can''t, Mr. Moretti."


    "It''s not a request, Vito. Leave of your own free will or be carried out of here. It''s your choice."


    He looks at Nicole and frowns. From what I understand, the old guy has been her bodyguard since she was a child.


    He''s worried I''ll take advantage of her.


    "Her virtue is safe with me. I can assure you of that," I tell him.


    "It''s okay, Vito," she says softly.


    "You can wait in the kitchen," I add.


    He looks between Nicole and I, weighing up his options and realizing he only has one. "Just holler if you need me, Nicole," he says before he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.


    She looks down at the table setting rather than at me.


    "Wine?" I ask.


    "Please. Just a small one," she replies with her practiced, polite smile.


    I pour us each a ss and then I watch her. I spend a lot of these dates watching her - studying her. Adding up all of the small things that make up the bigger picture. The asional wince when she sits or moves too quickly. Her differing appearance. Today she wears make-up. It''s thick and heavy and it hides her wless skin. I know her skin is wless because on our second and fourth dates she wore none at all. She wears a high-necked blouse today that would look more fitting on sixty-year old college professor than a neen year old woman. It''s a little too big, which tells me it''s not hers.


    She is hiding something.


    "Take off the clothes, Nicole," I order.


    "W-what?" she stammers.


    "I said, take off the clothes."


    Her cheeks turn pink. Her mouth opens and closes before she regains herposure. "No."


    I push myself up from my chair, and she flinches as I tower over her. "Take off the fucking clothes before I take them off for you. And you can holler all you want for old Vito toe rescue you, but I can assure you nobody will walk through that door."


    "B-but you said... you don''t even like me," she stammers, confused and fearful.


    "I''m not going to fuck you," I assure her. "S-so, why?"


    "Just do it. I won''t ask you again."


    Tears fill her eyes. She pushes herself back from the table and stands. With trembling hands, she pulls the blouse from her jeans and starts to tug it off over her head.


    As I expected, her torso is covered in bruises. Some fresh purple ones on her right side and some faint yellow ones on her left. There''s arge bite on her left breast, peeking out from her bra. She keeps her eyes downcast as she unbuttons her jeans and pushes them over her hips.


    "Just to your knees is fine," I tell her.


    She nods almost imperceptibly as she follows my instruction. The tops of her thighs are covered with fingertip bruises and simr bite marks to the one on her breast.


    Her chest heaves with the effort and the humiliation as she stands there allowing me to inspect her abused body.


    "Thank you. You can get dressed again now," I tell her, walking to the window to allow her to do that in private at least.


    I take my seat opposite her after she''s done. "Who did that to you?" I ask, although I suspect I already know.


    She''s silent. Years of conditioning have taught her to lie.


    To cover up the secrets and the shame.


    "Your brothers?" I ask.


    She nods.


    "Does your father know?"


    She looks up at me then, her eyes wet with tears. "Does he know?" she snorts. "Who do you think taught them to be the animals that they are, Dante?" she spits out my name, directing her anger at the only person avable right now. Fuck! I suspected her brothers, but her own father too?


    I knew those dogs were trouble.


    "How long has this been happening?"


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    "I was about eleven the first time," she says with a shrug.


    "And how did they think I wouldn''t find out? On our wedding night, was I not supposed to notice you''re not a virgin?"


    "There''s an operation you can have to have your hymen reced," she says. "You were never supposed to see me until our wedding. And once we were engaged, my father said they would all stop so that you would never find out." "They think I''m that stupid?" She flinches at my tone.


    "I know we can''t be engaged now," she sniffs. "But can you please not tell them that you know. They''ll suspect, but if they can''t prove it, maybe I can convince them. Vito will tell them that you sent him out though. They''ll think that you tried something and saw and then..." She shakes her head and starts to cry.


    Then what? They''ll hurt her even more than they already have.


    "We''ll get engaged. Today," I tell her.


    She lifts her head and blinks at me.


    "As my fianc¨¦e, you will live here in my house. You can stay in one of our guest rooms until we''re married. Your virtue will be safe here. Nobody will touch you while you live in this house."


    She shakes her head. "They won''t let me leave."


    "They won''t have a choice, Nicole."


    "Why would you do this for me?" she whispers.


    I run a hand over my jaw. "If I tell my father we''re engaged to be married, he might let me breathe a little," I lie. But the truth is, her father and brothers have been top of my shit list for months now. "Go say goodbye to Vito, and my housekeeper will show you to your room. I''ll go speak to your father and bring back some of your things."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    She sucks in a shaky breath, her eyes narrowed as she stares at me, wondering what my angle is. It''s a fucking sin that the men who were supposed to protect her vited her instead.


    "You''ll be safe here, Nicole," I assure her.


    "My name is Ni," she whispers. "I hate Nicole." "Ni."


    I STAND OUTSIDE the guest room and take a deep breath.


    Jimmy Santangelo did not take the news kindly that his daughter was moving in with me. Of course I didn''t tell him that I knew about the vile things he and his twisted, fucked up sons had done to her.


    When he spouted off about her virtue, it took every single ounce of willpower in my body not to cut off his cock with a rusty spoon. He could barely contain his anger at me taking his ything away from him. Sick piece of shit! But he epted it. He can''t go against me.


    The faint noise from the TV tells me Ni is still awake and I knock on the door.


    "Come in," she calls.


    I step inside and she''s sitting on the bed, her face scrubbed of make-up, revealing a purple bruise around her eye, and her hair pulled into a high pony tail. She''s wearing a pair of Joey''s pink, unicorn pajamas.


    She looks so young and innocent. Like a neen-year-old instead of the Stepford housewife she was trying to be to secure our engagement. I sit on the bed beside her, and up close, I see the faint fingertip bruises on her neck too. My chest tightens, and I suck in a deep breath. "I spoke to your father. I told him we''re engaged and that you''ll be living with me from here on out."


    "Was he okay with that?"


    "He epted it."


    "Okay," she whispers, and I notice the fear creeping into her voice. She shrinks back from me a little, and I take it as my cue to move a little further away from her.


    "I have no intention of marrying you, Ni, but until I figure a way out of this, everyone must believe that we are engaged. Do you understand me?" "Yes."


    "That includes Sabine."


    She blinks at the mention of her friend''s name. She told me about her on our second date, and then again on our third and fourth.


    "S-Sabine? What does she have to do with anything?"


    "I don''t want you speaking to her for a while."


    "B-but she''s just my friend, Dante. I... she won''t..." Fuck! The naivety of this girl is gonna get us all in trouble. "Ni!" I snap. "This has to look real. I am the head of the fucking Cosa Nostra. Do you think I would allow my fianc¨¦e to consort with her lover?"


    Her cheeks turn bright pink. "She''s n-not..." "Do not fucking lie to me. I am not your fucking white knight, Ni. I will keep you safe here. I don''t care who you fucked, who you love, who you want, but you do not get to fucking lie to my face." "H-how did you know?" she whispers, tears running down her cheeks. "Nobody knew."


    "She was the only person you ever mentioned other than your brothers and father. The only time there was ever any light in your eyes was when you spoke about her."


    She blinks at me.


    "And on our second date when you were sleeping over at her house, you had a manicure. You trimmed your nails extra short and smooth."


    She gasps, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of pink. "You''re like some sort of a... wizard."


    "That''s definitely something I''ve never been called before," I say with a frown.


    "It''s true. I mean, my nails? Who even notices that stuff?"


    "I do," I say as I walk out of the room. "I notice everything, Ni," I warn her. "And I mean it about the lying. You have no reason to lie to me. If I find out you have..." "You''ll what?" she asks, her eyes narrowed. "If you put my family at risk, I will kill you. And I won''t lose a wink of sleep over it."


    She nods her head in understanding. She might be young and na?ve, but she knows the world we live in. She knows my reputation.

 41

    I have my feet up on the sofa, one hand resting on my growing bump as I hold my Kindle in the other. There''s a mug of hot peppermint tea on the small table beside me, and I have nothing to do for the entire day but read. Heaven.


    I''m engrossed in my book when a few momentster, a pair of warm, strong hands rest on my shoulders, squeezing gently before he presses a soft kiss on the top of my head.


    "Dante," I say with a smile. "I thought you were busy today."


    "I am," he says, his lips brushing over my hair. "With you. We''re taking a little trip."


    "A trip? Where? I thought we agreed...? Do I need to pack?" We spent the entire day after our wedding in bed and that was about the extent of our honeymoon. I''d love to have flown somewhere hot and sunny for a few days, but obviously my heavily pregnant status makes that impossible, and Dante is so busy with work that we both agreed to dy it until the baby is able to be left for a few days with Anya, Joey, and Lorenzo.


    "It''s just a day trip, kitten. It will be a few hours'' drive though. Sophia has packed some snacks for you in case of any extreme pregnancy sugar cravings."


    I turn off my Kindle and put it on the coffee table.


    "Where are we going?"


    He holds out his hand to me. "It''s a surprise. Come on."


    Excitement flutters in my stomach as I take his hand and his strong fingers circle mine. He makes me feel so safe and secure when he looks at me like that, which is kind of ironic given how we met. "But if we''re on the road for a few hours, I''m gonna need to pee first." I rub a hand over my belly. "This baby likes to sleep on my dder."


    He pulls me toward him and gives me a soft kiss on the lips. "Fine. I''ll wait in the car."


    WE''VE BEEN DRIVING for a little over two hours and despite asking Dante a million questions about what we''re doing and where we''re headed, he has given me no clue whatsoever. However, as we turn off the freeway and head toward Jackson, I sense the change in his mood. He seems nervous, which is unusual for him.


    I put my hand on the back of his neck and he turns his head and gives me a faint smile. "Almost there, kitten. You okay?"


    "I could do with peeing soon," I say, regretting the bottle of iced tea I drank about half an hour earlier.


    He takes my hand from his neck and dusts his lips over my knuckles. "We should be there in ten minutes. Is that okay or do I need to pull over and let you pee on the side of the road?"


    "Ten minutes is fine," I giggle.


    "Good. Because I would hate to have to shoot someone just because they got a glimpse of your ass."


    I give him a yful nudge on the shoulder. "You would not do that."


    "Oh, I would," he says with a wink.


    "You sure you can''t tell me where we''re going to?"


    He frowns a little, and I sense a change in him again. "I don''t want any secrets from you, Kat," he says, his tone serious now.


    "Good. I don''t either."


    He nods his head and now I''m even more intrigued about where we''re going.


    MY CURIOSITY IS PIQUED FURTHER when Dante stops the car outside a beautiful house less than ten minutester. It''s the kind of house you see in the movies. It has a porch swing, a tree in the yard with a tire hanging from the branch, secured by a thick blue rope. There is a pickup in the yard and two bikes on thewn.


    "Who lives here?"


    "Come see," he says, climbing out of the car beforeing around to open my door. He takes my hand to help me out and thences his fingers through mine as we walk up the path.


    Before we get to the porch, the front door of the house swings open and a woman steps out. She''s a little younger than me, maybe, but she has a small child perched on her hip. A little girl who looks to be about two. Both have the same dark curls and dark eyes.


    "Dante?" the woman says. She''s smiling, but there''s a note of something else in her voice. Fear perhaps?


    My heart starts beating a little faster. Oh, God. Is this child his? Does he have this whole other life that I don''t know about?


    "Is this your secret?" I ask him quietly.


    "Yeah," he says, but his eyes are on the woman and the little girl and he''s smiling. Not many people are worthy of a Dante Moretti smile. "I''m sorry I didn''t call. It was kind of ast-minute thing," he says to the woman with an apologetic shrug as he squeezes my hand tighter.


    My mouth is so dry I can''t swallow.


    "You''re always wee. But has something happened?


    Is something wrong?"


    "Momma," another child, a little boy with thick brown curls, aged about five or six, rushes out of the door now.


    "You said we could have ice-cream."


    Instinctively, without even looking at him, she reaches for him, curling her fingers in his thick hair as she pulls him to her hip. "We will, D. Just give me a minute." Then she ushers him back inside the house.


    D? As in Dante? Dante Junior? A bead of sweat trickles down my brow. I try to pull my hand from his, but he holds it tightly. "Nothing''s wrong. But I got married." He holds up our joined hands and his wedding ring glints in the sun. Her face breaks into a huge grin. "You? No way," sheughs as she starts to walk down the steps of the porch.


    Then she looks at me. "How the hell did you manage to tame this one, girl?"


    I rub a hand over my bump and look down. "Um. With this," I say with a shrug.


    "I wanted her to meet you. I want her to know everything," Dante says. "No secrets."


    She looks at me again, her brow furrowed into a frown.


    "This is my wife, Kat. You can trust her. I promise," he says, and her face softens. "Tell her who you are."


    She lets out a long breath. "Hey, Kat. I''m Ni.


    Although I guess most people back home would know me as Nicole."


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    It takes me a few seconds to register what she just said.


    "Nicole Santangelo?"


    "The one and only."


    I look between her and Dante. "But you... you let me believe..." "That he killed me?" Niughs. "Yeah. That was kind of the secret."


    My head is spinning with so many questions I don''t know which one to ask first. Except I do. "Are the children...?" I look to Dante, unable to finish the question, but he knows anyway. "No," he says with a chuckle.


    "Hell no," Ni adds. Then she turns and heads back toward the house. "Are you two going toe in for some ice cream then?" she asks as she reaches her front door.


    Then she shouts, "Hey, Sabine. You''ll never guess who''s here and who got married."


    TWO HOURS LATER, we''ve eaten plenty of dinner and ice cream. Now, Ni and I are sitting on the porch swing with a ss of iced tea while Dante and Sabine tidy up the dinner dishes. Ni''s wife is amazing. She''s awyer who specializes in working with women who are fleeing abusive situations. She''s smart and funny and has the most beautiful auburn hair I have ever seen. Their kids are adorable too. Deacon, not Dante, is five and Aurora is two.


    "I guess you have a million questions?" Ni asks with a softugh as we sip our iced tea. Hers is a Long Ind variety.


    "Yes, way too many," I agree with a sigh. With the kids around, we didn''t get a chance to talk about anything too deep and meaningful.


    "He saved my life," she says, her voice suddenly full of emotion. "He didn''t have to. I mean I was nobody to him, but he saved me. People think he''s heartless and cruel, but actually, underneath all of that armor, he''s probably the best man I''ve ever known."


    "I see that side of him too."


    She smiles at me. "Well, of course you do. Because he is so in love with you." She ces her warm hand over mine.


    "A love like that will burn for eternity."


    That makes tears spring to my eyes. "Are your father and brothers still alive too?" I ask.


    "God, no."


    "Oh."


    "They weren''t good men. They were the worst kind," she says, and the tone of her voice makes my heart break. She says that as though she has had first-hand experience of their worst. "You don''t have to tell me anything," I offer.


    "Sabine always tells me it''s good to talk," she says with a roll of her eyes. "They abused me. Beat me. Raped me. I was their servant. Their verbal punching bag too. My father''s and my brothers''." I squeeze her hand in mine.


    "It was all I''d ever known. When I was eighteen, they promised me to Lorenzo Moretti, but he married Anya, so they proposed a marriage to Dante instead. My father was desperate for an alliance with the Morettis, so much so that he would even give me up. Not that he cared about what they might do to me, but that he and my brothers would lose their toy."


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    I sit in silence as I listen to her story.


    "My father''s big mistake was trying to pass me off as some innocent virgin. He even had one of those operations where they stitch a woman''s hymen back in mind for me.


    Can you believe that?" She snorts. "Like that was all he had to do to have me in tact again. Like that would undo all of the sick, twisted shit those fuckers did to me." She takes a long swig of her drink before she goes on.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Anyway, Dante knew there was something not right. He has that kind of sixth sense about stuff, you know?"


    "Yep, I sure do."


    "And when he found out, he took me in. He told everyone we were engaged and I never went home again.


    His father was happy that he was getting married, and mine was satisfied that his alliance with the Moretti''s was about to be a reality. We nned the wedding and everything. Dante said it had to look real. He never told me his ns but he just kept telling me everything would work out and that I''d be safe. Then the night before our wedding, he told me I was leaving. He gave me a new identity. A new name, social security number. He even called Sabine and told her I was leaving if she wanted toe with me, and thankfully, she did. My father and brothers disappeared that night, no doubt by Dante and Maximo''s hands, not that he''s ever told me and I would never ask. Then Lorenzo and Anya drove us to this house and we''ve been safe here ever since."


    "Lorenzo and Anya?" I ask.


    "Yeah. He''s a good guy too. Don''t let that gruff exterior fool you." Sheughs. "Even Maximo."


    "Maximo the psycho is a good guy?" I shake my head,ughing as I feign my disbelief.


    "Yeah."


    "Is this the first time you''ve seen Dante since then?"


    "No. He calls in from time to time. He sends the kids presents for their birthday."


    "No way!" I cannot believe he sends anyone birthday presents.


    "Yeah."


    "Thank you for sharing your story with me, Ni. I know it''s not easy to talk about pain," I say softly.


    She narrows her eyes as she stares back at me. "Yeah, you do know."


    She squeezes my hand and we sit back against the swing and watch the sunset. "He said he wasn''t my white knight," Ni adds. "But he so was."


    "No way. He said that to me too." I roll my eyes, and we bothugh.


    "And?"


    And what? Is Dante Moretti my white knight? Not even close. "He''s not my white knight. Pretty sure he''s my soulmate though."


    "Even better," Ni says, clinking her ss against mine.


    "Yeah, way better."

 42

    It''s growing dark as we head back to Chicago. Kat yawns in the seat beside me.


    "You okay, kitten? You want to stop at a motel for the night?"


    "No," she says with a sleepy smile. "I want to go home."


    I lift her hand and kiss her fingertips.


    "Why do you let everyone believe that you murdered your ex-fianc¨¦e the night before your wedding?"


    "I cannot believe it''s taken you a whole twenty minutes to ask me that question."


    "So, stop avoiding it, then," she says with a sigh.


    "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"


    "Maybe, but you''re still avoiding my question."


    "People believe what they want to believe, Kat. Besides, I don''t care what other people think about me. The Santangelos crossed so many lines, they had to be dealt with. It doesn''t matter to me whether people think that Nicole was taken care of too. In fact, it''s good for business."


    "Of course. It kind of feeds into the image you''ve created for yourself too, right? Cold-hearted Mafia boss who would murder his own fianc¨¦e if she crossed him."


    I don''t answer. My jaw is clenched tight, and a thick vein pulses in my throat. Legitimate reasons, sure, but neither of them are the real reason I keep Ni''s secret.


    KAT IS asleep by the time we get home. I lift her out of the car and cradle her to my chest.


    "I can walk," she murmurs.


    "I know, but I can carry you just as easily," I tell her with a kiss on her forehead.


    By the time I''ve carried her to our room, she''s awake again, and I set her on her feet.


    "Does Joey know about Ni?" she asks me.


    "Lorenzo told her this summer."


    "Oh," she says as she starts to undress.


    "She said she had an idea anyway, but we didn''t tell her at the time. She was only sixteen."


    "I''m d she knows you would never do that."


    "What?" I scowl at her. "You think Joey cares if I killed Ni? I could have slit her throat in front of Joey, and it wouldn''t change a damn thing about the fact I am her brother." She frowns at me. "I didn''t mean... I just meant... I''m d I know that you would never do that."


    I wrap my hand around her throat before she can utter another word. "But I would do it, Kat," I remind her. "In a heartbeat if I had to." "D-Dante." She blinks, confused.


    "I am not a good man, Kat. I never have been and I never will be. You need to stop trying to convince yourself that I am."


    Tears well in her eyes, and I release my grip and stalk to the other side of the room, pulling off my shirt and tossing it into the hamper.


    "So why did you take me there today." She follows me across the room. "Why did you do that if you don''t want me to see the good in you?"


    I spin around to face her. She sees too much of me.


    Expects too much of me. "I promised you no secrets. That was a secret."


    She shakes her head. "I don''t believe you. You wanted to show me what kind of a man you really are."


    "I wanted you to know the truth."


    "And I do, but what I don''t get is why you''re so goddamn afraid of it," she shouts at me, standing on her tiptoes and pushing her face close to mine. "Don''t, Kat," I snarl at her.


    "Don''t what? We both know why you keep Ni''s secret, Dante."


    "And why is that?" My heart is hammering against my rib cage as though it''s trying to break free from my chest.


    It wants to make a run for it before this woman tears it wide open.


    "Because her family has so many enemies it makes her a target. You keep her secret to protect her."


    "No. I am not that man, Kat."


    "Yes, you are," she insists, pushing my buttons the way only she can.


    "Don''t," I growl.


    "Or what? You couldn''t hurt a woman that you didn''t even love," she says softly, and I snap. My hand is on her throat again and she''s pressed against the wall before she can take another breath. I don''t squeeze; I just hold her there. "Do not mistake my love for my family for weakness, Katerina. I would protect you all until my dying breath, but that doesn''t make me anyone other than who I am."


    "But she''s not your family," she says, tears running down her face.


    I shouldn''t have taken her to see Ni and given her only half the truth. I should have known it would only bring more questions.


    I press my forehead against hers and sigh.


    "Please tell me what''s going on? I feel like I''m drowning here," she pleads with me, and my heart aches with the weight of it all. My love for her and our baby. My fear that I''m not good enough for her. My need to protect my family from harm. I never wanted to be the one in control.


    "I''ll tell you the truth, but you have to stop trying to believe I''m anything other than what I am, Kat. Can you do that?"


    "Yes," she whispers.


    "I took you to meet Ni because I knew there was a chance you might not believe me if I just told you what happened. I don''t care what other people think of me, kitten, but I do care when ites to you. It''s not that I''m not capable of what people believe I did. I am. But you are my family now, and the next time I have a surprise for you, I don''t want you to worry that I''m going to have you buried in some ditch." "Oh."


    "That''s why I took you to meet her."


    "And why do you keep her secret? You said, you protect your family. Is it because you think of Ni as family?"


    "No. She''s not my family," I admit with a heavy sigh.


    "Then who?" She blinks at me and then the penny drops.


    Deacon is five. Ni left six years ago - pregnant with a tiny Moretti. "No... you said..." She starts to cry again.


    "God, I can''t believe I''m so stupid. He even looks like you.


    But you said..." "He''s not my son, Kat," I assure her.


    She sucks in a breath that makes her perfect tits shudder in her dress. "Then whose? Not Lorenzo?"


    "God, no. Deacon is our little brother."


    "Your brother?" she gasps, shocked.


    "Yes. My father raped my fianc¨¦e four weeks before our wedding." The weight of that statement hits me in the chest with full-force. "He told her he''d kill her if she ever told anyone. She probably never would have if he hadn''t knocked her up. He assumed she and I were fucking. So if she did get pregnant, then it wouldn''t matter if the kid looked like him."


    "But you''re his son. How could he...? How would he have lived with that?"


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    "Oh, he would have got a kick out of it. Trust me.


    Maximo had to stop Lorenzo and me from murdering him when we found out. It wouldn''t have been easy to cover up Salvatore Moretti''s disappearance. We would have had to dere war to find his killer. Besides, Ni begged me not to do anything. I think she didn''t want any attention thrown her way."


    "So you''re telling me Maximo was the voice of reason in this scenario?"


    "Yeah."


    "Now, that''s all kinds of fucked up," she says with a soft chuckle that makes me smile.


    "I know."


    "Is that why you wouldn''t let him dance with me at our wedding?" she whispers.


    "Yes. He will never, every a finger on you. If he ever hurt you, kitten, there is no one who could stop me from ending his miserable life. But nobody can ever know what he did. Little Deacon can never find out that he was conceived like that and my father can never know that Ni''s alive and bore him another son."


    "I know," she says, burying her head against my chest.


    "Poor Ni."


    "She''s happy now. And they''re all safe. Her and Sabine have built themselves a good life."


    "I love you so much," she whispers, snuggling against my chest.


    I stroke her hair and kiss the top of her head. "You still tired?"


    "After all that fighting? No way," she purrs, pressing her beautiful body closer to mine.


    "You want to make-up fuck?"


    "God, yes."


    I pick her up and carry her to the bed. I crawl over her, pulling up her dress and peppering kisses over her stomach before I get to her breasts, annoyingly encased in her bra.


    "I''m gonna need you naked for this next part."


    "Then hurry up and get me naked, demon."


    "Sit up," I growl, and she does so without hesitation, hands over her head so I can lift off her dress. As soon as that''s done, I unhook her bra and bite on my lip at the sight of her tits spilling free. They''re even bigger now that she''s pregnant. I push her back down, taking one of her nipples into my mouth at the same time and sucking hard. Her back arches off the bed as she moans softly.


    "What are you going to do when they''re off-limits?" She giggles.


    "I''ll have to get my fill before they are then, won''t I?" I trail kisses across to her other nipple before sucking on that one too.


    "You''re so good at that," she whimpers.


    I slide my hand into her panties and rub her already swollen clit.


    "And that too," she groans.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "You''re a feral little kitten." I chuckle as I move southward because I want my mouth where my fingers are too.


    I don''t even have to take off her panties to know that she''s already soaking for me. I can smell her arousal, and it makes my cock ache to be inside her. When I pull off her panties and get my mouth on her a few secondster, she rocks her hips against my face as she threads her fingers in my hair.


    "And even better at that," she mewls.


    "It''s not hard to be good at eating such a beautiful pussy, vita mia."


    AFTER I FUCKED her so hard that we both forgot what day it was, let alone why we were fighting earlier, Kat lies with her head on my chest, her body nestled against mine as I run my hands over the soft skin of her back.


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    "Dante?" she whispers.


    "Hmm?"


    "Why do you get so angry when I want to believe you''re a good man?"


    "We''ve had this conversation, Kat," I say with a sigh.


    "No, we had a fight about it, and I don''t want another one with you. I''m just asking a question."


    "I don''t know how many times I can tell you the same thing. I am not a good man."


    "But if I think you are, then isn''t that up to me? Can''t you be a good man who does bad things sometimes?"


    I kiss the top of her forehead. "One day, I''ll disappoint you, kitten. You will see the kinds of things I am capable of, because it''s who I am and I can''t hide that part of my life from you forever. And while I can handle you mad and disappointed, I don''t want you to be afraid of me. I need for you to know the kind of man I really am so that you don''t run when I do something so bad you''re going to hate for me it."


    "Would you ever hurt me?"


    I frown at her. That''s aplex question.


    "I mean, physically or intentionally."


    "No."


    "Would you hurt our child?"


    "Of course not."


    "Will you ever cheat on me?" she whispers.


    "Never."


    "Then I could never hate you," she breathes. "And I''m going to keep believing you''re a good man no matter what you say."


    I shake my head in frustration. "You are the most stubborn person I have ever met."


    "Well, I kind of have to be being married to you. If I didn''t have my stubborn streak, you would walk all over me, Dante Moretti," she retorts.


    "I do love my feisty little kitten."


    "I love you too."


    "If you''re insistent on this good man thing, how about apromise?"


    "Okay?" She looks up at me, her eyes full of trust and love that I don''t deserve, and it only makes me want to fuck her again.


    "I''ll do my best to be a good husband and a good father, because if I can be those things, then I don''t care about anything else. But don''t ask me to always be a good man. Okay?"


    "And a good brother?" she adds.


    "You always have to push it, don''t you?"


    "But you''re already a good brother."


    "Fine, and a good brother. So, do we have a deal?"


    "We have a deal, demon." She yawns softly, nestling her cheek into the crook of my shoulder.

 43

    The sound of my cell phone vibrating on the night stand rouses me from sleep, and I groan inwardly as I untangle myself from Kat''s warmth to answer the damn thing. I swear if it''s not an emergency, then whoever is on the other end of that line is going to lose a hand.


    Kat murmurs sleepily as I roll away from her and sit on the edge of the bed. When I see Maximo''s name shing on the screen, my heart sinks, because he wouldn''t call and disturb my lie in for nothing.


    "Hey," I answer the call.


    "I''ve found him."


    "Where?"


    "LA."


    "LA? For real?"


    "I''ve got eyes on him right now. You want me to bring him back to Chicago?"


    I nce behind me at my sleeping wife. "No. I''lle to you. Don''t let him out of your sight until I get there."


    "Sure. I''ll be his shadow."


    "Don''t let him see you. I don''t want him spooked before I get there."


    "Dante?" he snaps, and I squeeze my eyes closed. I''m tired and I''m not thinking straight, because if I was, I would never have said that to him. He''s my right hand, and I would be lost without him. I never need to tell him what to do, he does it without thinking. He''s my brother every bit as much as Lorenzo.


    "I know. Look, I''ll be there as soon as I can."


    I hang up and ce my cell back on the nightstand before slipping under the covers. Kat smiles as I press my chest against her back and slide my hand over her swollen belly. I kiss her neck softly, and she purrs. I hate that I have to leave her. "I have to go away on some business, kitten," I whisper.


    "Where?" she asks with a yawn.


    "LA."


    "LA?" She rolls onto her back. "How long will you be gone for?"


    "I''ll be back tomorrow. I promise." I don''t intend on dragging out this whole thing for longer than is necessary.


    "Can Ie with you?"


    I shake my head, and her brow creases with worry. "Lorenzo will be here though, and Toni is still around.


    They''ll look after you while I''m gone."


    "Who will take care of you, though?" she whispers.


    "I can take care of myself," I remind her.


    "Dante?" she breathes. "Can''t you send someone else?


    Can''t Maximo or Lorenzo go? What if the babyes early and you''re not here?"


    "Kat, you know I have to take care of things sometimes.


    The baby won''te early, but if it does, I''m only a ne ride away. Lorenzo needs to stay with Anya, and Maximo will be with me. Besides, this is something I need to do."


    "Is it dangerous?"


    "Kat, don''t do this. I''ll be back tomorrow."


    She rolls her lips together as she stares into my eyes, and the worry in them makes me want to wrap her in my arms and take us both far away from here. But that''s not the reality of the life we lead. The life I''ve tied her to. "Okay. I''ll see you tomorrow," she whispers.


    I roll on top of her, holding myself up on my forearms so I don''t crush our baby, and that makes my girl smile. "Will you be good while I''m gone?" "When am I ever naughty?" she purrs.


    "All the damn time, kitten," I remind her as I run my nose along her jawline. God, she always smells too fucking good. I could fucking eat her. I want to eat her. Bury my head and then my cock in her warm pussy and not leave this bed for the rest of the day. I hate this fucking life sometimes. "So eat properly and take your vitamins."


    "I always do."


    "Good girl," I say before giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. "Now go back to sleep." I push myself off her, and she rolls onto her side, pulling the duvet up to her chin.


    I walk to the ensuite to take a quick shower before I head to LA to kill her brother.


    ONCE I LANDED IN LA, we watched Leo Evanson for eight hours before we grabbed him. He spent most of the day and night in a casino, which was full of patrons and witnesses. In Chicago, I would take him off the street in broad daylight and not give a damn. But LA is not my territory, and I need this taken care of as cleanly as possible. Thest thing I need is any interference from the cops. But now I have him exactly where I want. In an abandoned office block on the outskirts of the city with nobody around to hear him scream.


    Everything about Leo says slimeball weasel. From the way his beady little eyes scan the room as Maximo and I advance on him, his back pressed against the wall as he looks for an escape, to the bacon grease stains on his faded old Navy t- shirt.


    "How funny running into you here in LA, Leo," I say with a grin as I get closer. He goes to run, but Maximo catches him, mming the piece of shit against the wall.


    "I-I''ll get your money. I just need a few more weeks," he stammers.


    "It''s been twelve fucking months, Leo. I don''t think a few more weeks is gonna cut it."


    "I''ve got something going on. It could be big," he says, his eyes wide and pleading.


    "You see I''ve kind of already collected on your debt, Leo.


    I took your sister as payment instead. She''s mine now, and I gotta say, she was worth every cent of that two hundred and fifty grand you stole."


    "What?" He scowls at me, and for some reason, that makes me a little less inclined to tear his head off. If he fights for her, then maybe I won''t torture him for too long before I kill him. However, he fucks it all up as soon as he opens his mouth again. "So you took her? My debt is paid, then?"


    "Are you fucking serious?"


    "You''re a piece of shit," Maximo snorts.


    I grip his throat, squeezing my fingers tightly and pressing my palm against his Adam''s apple until he''s struggling to breathe. "You think that me taking your sister lets you off the hook? Your debt is settled, but you still stole from me, coglione."


    He opens his mouth, but all thates out is a strangled groan.


    I lean in and whisper, "I took her and I made her mine. I fucked her every single day and night, Leo, until she screamed."


    He struggles, trying to escape my grip, but he''s not angry because of what I just told him. He''s struggling because he wants to survive.


    I let him go, and he drops to his knees, clutching at his throat. "I can get you money too," he wheezes. "Just tell me what you need."


    "What I need, you greasy fuck, is for you to pay for having me chase you around the fucking country."


    "Look, I can get you some cash, just let me tell you about this game I have lined up..." he pleads as he pushes himself to his feet.


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    "And your sister? What do I do with her? Because I''m not gonna lie, I''ve be kind of attached to my little pet."


    He rubs a hand over his jaw and stares at me. "Look, like I said, if you want her, then I ain''t got no problem with that." He shrugs, as though her life means nothing to him.


    I grab him by the shirt and throw him back against the wall. "Well, it wouldn''t be the first time you''ve used her to pay off a debt, would it, Leo?" I snap. "Few years ago, you owed some gambling debts and you told the two guys who came collecting exactly where they could find your sister, right?"


    Hisplexion was already pale, but now he''s turned an unnatural shade of gray. "They were gonna kill me," he says as though that is a perfectly valid exnation for handing my girl over to those two animals.


    "They almost killed her," I spit. "You know what else they did to her, you sick fuck?"


    "They just had a little fun. She was okay," he insists.


    Fuck, he is a piece of shit.


    I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart before I tear his out with my hands. He''s looking up at me like he actually believes in the bullshit that he''s spewing. My eyes narrow as I search his face for even the slightest bit ofpassion for her. No wonder Kat is under the illusion that I might be a good guy when this is what she had topare me to. "You really think she was okay after that?


    She left her job. She hardly ever left the house. But you think she was okay?"


    He frowns. "She was, man. They didn''t really hurt her.


    How do you know all this anyway?"


    "Oh, I tortured your little friends to death and they told me about your gambling debt, but the rest, I got from your sister. But how much did you owe?"


    "What?" He blinks at me.


    "How much did you owe them?"


    "Five grand. Why?"


    Fuck, I''m going to fucking implode in about ten seconds.


    "Five grand. You gave them your sister for five grand?"


    "I didn''t -" Before he can finish his sentence, I shove my fingers into his mouth, holding his tongue still as I press my thumb under his chin. "You want to know why I spend so much time fucking your sister, Leo?"


    He makes a garbled sound as he stares at me with fearful eyes.


    "Because she''s my wife now, you dumb fuck."


    "N-nuh." He tries to shake his head, but I keep a firm grip on his jaw.


    "Yes. My wife. Mother of my unborn child. She is my fucking everything. And she was your sister. You should have protected her. I gave you the chance to redeem yourself a little, but once again, you handed her over to a monster to save your own skin."


    Tears trail down his cheeks as he mumbles incoherently, but I get the gist - he''s begging for his life. I wonder how much she begged those animals he handed her over to.


    "If I told you how she still screams in the middle of the night, haunted by what those sick fucks did to her, and how I have to hold her until she falls back to sleep because the sound of her crying splits my goddamn heart in two, would that give you any idea of the ways in which I''m about to make you suffer? Because I want you to know, Leo. I want you to be fully aware that I am about to inflict the kind of pain on you that will make even Maximo struggle to hold back his lunch." He''s gagging harder now, choking on his own spit and snot as he cries. "Seems like your sister got the looks and the balls, huh?" I snarl at him before I let him go, pushing him to the floor before I take off my jacket.


    "But your pop..." He sniffs, wiping the saliva from his chin. "I offered him the money back, but he didn''t take it.


    He said she would be enough."


    I look at Maximo whose frown mirrors my own. What the fuck did he just say? I grab a handful of Leo''s hair and yank his head back so I can look him in the eye. "What did you just say about my father?"


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    "He caught me cheating, man. He gave me a kicking and I gave him his money back, but he wanted more than that, so I told him about Kat and what had happened before. I thought maybe he might be into the same kind of thing. Then he told me we were square. If I gave her to him, he would give me back the money and then we''d call it quits."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    My free hand is clenched into a fist, and I have to hold myself back from smashing it into his face. "Why are you telling me this now and not as soon as I walked in here?"


    "I knew he''de for me one day. I was supposed to meet him the next morning at Kat''s house because she worked nights at that government building. He said he''d hand over the money if I handed her over. But I''m not stupid, man. He could have just taken her anyway. He wanted me there so he could kill me. So I took off. I thought you knew this already?"


    I re at the piece of shit on the floor as I try to make sense of this information. "You didn''t even try to warn her?"


    "I was terrified. I left her a note, but I had no time to get to her. She doesn''t even have a cell phone."


    "But why did my father want your sister? And if she was so important to him, why did he send me for her?"


    Leo trembles. "If I tell you what I know, will you let me go?"


    "Not a fucking chance in hell. But I could make your death less painful and right now I can assure you that you''re going to want me to do that. Now tell me why the fuck was my father so interested in Kat?"


    "He wasn''t. Not at first anyway. Not until I told him about Elmo and Tony and how they''d taken her as payment for a debt before. Then he started asking me all kinds of questions like when it happened. I mean, he wanted specific dates and everything. It was like he remembered something, but all of a sudden, he was more interested in her than me."


    "So he just let you go? Just like that? Because you told him about Kat''s attack? You expect me to believe that?"


    "He let me leave because the club next door was closing and it was getting kind of busy. But he had no intention of letting me go."


    "So you bailed on your sister and left her for Salvatore Moretti?"


    He res at me. "It''s not like I thought he was going to kill her. He seemed really eager to meet her. At worst, I thought it would be a simr deal tost time."


    "When she was raped and tortured for days?" My head feels like it''s about to explode with holding it together instead of kicking this sick fuck to death.


    "Kat is strong. Way stronger than me. I knew she''d be okay."


    "Well, you got one thing right," I say as I start rolling up my sleeves.


    "Dante, please," he snivels. "She''ll never forgive you if you kill me. I''m her brother, man. Kat''s not like us."


    "Oh, I know that, asshole. But I would rather that than allow you to live and risk the prospect of you ever being in her life again."


    "I won''t. I''ll stay away." He wipes his nose, his hands sped as he begs for mercy. If Kat were here, she would take pity on him. She''d ask me to let him go because he''s right - she is better than us and she would try to convince me to show a little mercy. But I am not that man. Not even close.


    "No, you wouldn''t, Leo, because people like you are a disease - an insidious cancer that never stops destroying everything it touches. The moment you''re in trouble again, and let''s face it, that''s gonna happen as sure as the sun is gonna rise, you''d be back. Asking your baby sister to protect you now that she''s the most powerful woman in Chicago. If you think I would ever allow that to happen, then you''re the dumbest fuck I''ve ever met."


    "D-Dante, please?" He''s still wailing as my fist connects with his nose for the first time, bursting it open like a ripe peach.


    I don''t stop punching him. Not until all that''s left of his face is a bloody mess of skin and brains and bone. Not until my hands and shirt and face are soaked in his blood and Maximo has to drag me off his lifeless corpse. Not until I have poured out most of the rage that is burning through my veins like it''s the only thing keeping me alive.


    "Dante, you''re gonna hurt your hands if you keep doing that. There''s nothing left, buddy," Maximo says in my ear, wrapping his biceps around me. "We got to get you cleaned up and out of here."


    I rock back on my heels, staring at the battered body of Leo Evanson. He was dead by the third or fourth blow. He was a lucky son of a bitch. If I wasn''t eager to get back to Chicago to confront my father and crawl into bed with my wife, if I didn''t have to look her in the eye every single day for the rest of my life, I would have tortured this sack of shit for days. At least I can tell her it was quick.


    I shower and change in the small unused office block that Maximo and I brought Leo to earlier. The building belongs to the corporation of the man who owns LA - Alejandro Montoya. And while he and I aren''t exactly friends, we have a mutual respect for one another. I trust that his team will clean up any mess here without any issue. He owes me after thest time I did the same for him back in Chicago.


    As soon as Maximo and I are done, we drive back to the airport and spend the entire time wracking our brains to think of any possible connection between Kat and my father.


    Have I been yed for aplete fool?


    If so, by whom?

 44

    I sip a neat Scotch as I lean back in the seat and stare at the clouds through the window. My entire world just flipped on its axis and my need to get to the bottom of this is consuming me. It''s nine in the morning, and we just left LA. My body has no idea what time it is because I haven''t slept a wink. I''m too worked up to do anything but think.


    "This is all so fucked up, D," Maximo says quietly as he sips a vodka.


    "I know."


    "I can see the cogs turning in your brain. Anything you want to share?"


    There was always the three of us - him, me, and Lorenzo. But Maximo has always been my sounding board, listening while I think out loud.


    "I don''t think Kat knows my father had any interest in her," I start. The thought that she''s somehow mixed up in something with him and has been ying me all along has crossed my mind, and it almost ate me up, but I don''t believe it. Or maybe I just can''t.


    "I agree. Kat is an open book, D."


    "Leo said my father asked for details including dates, right?"


    "Yeah."


    "So something about when Kat was taken is important.


    Something about Elmo and Tony taking her is important.


    But why didn''t he already know what Leo told him? Elmo and Tony worked for him. Why didn''t he ask them what happened?"


    "And why did he send them to your house that day, knowing Kat would be there and would probably identify them?"


    "He wanted me to kill them? He knew that I would."


    "Hmm." Maximo runs a hand over his beard. "Why not just do it himself though?"


    "And why not kill Kat? Why send me to do it?" I add with a frown.


    "Maybe so that his hands stay clean?" Maximo offers.


    I roll my eyes. As much as my father likes to remind everyone he was once the most powerful man in all of Chicago, he never did have the stomach for killing. He had other people to do that for him, and as soon as Lorenzo, Maximo, and I were old enough, it became our job. "But he risked us finding out something he obviously wants kept hidden?"


    "I doubt he thought you''d let Kat live," Maximo says.


    "It''s not exactly been in your nature to show mercy."


    "I don''t go around killing innocent women though, Max," I say with a scowl.


    "That''s not what he thinks."


    I run a hand through my hair in exasperation. It feels like the answer is staring me in the face, but I can''t quite reach it. "At least now I know why he was so pissed when I brought her to the house."


    "And why he suggested you kill her when she got pregnant."


    "Kill her or marry her," I remind him.


    "Kind of two ends of the spectrum." Maximoughs darkly as he takes a swig of his bourbon.


    "Kill her or make her one of us? She knows something, Maximo."


    "I thought you said she had no idea what was going on?"


    "I don''t think she knows what she knows though. Or she saw something and she doesn''t understand that it means something?"


    "What could it be that would make him go to these lengths though? Why not just tell you what the fuck was going on?"


    "Because whatever it is, must be something I wouldn''t let slide. And as much as I despise the man, when ites to business, I can only think of one thing we have ever disagreed on so strongly that he would go to these lengths to hide it from me," I snarl as more pieces start slotting into ce.


    "The Santangelos?" Maximo says with a deep sigh. "I thought all that fucked up shit was dealt with a long time ago."


    "Maybe it was?" I say, wanting to believe that even after everything he''s ever done, my father is not involved in what I think he is.


    "You want me toe with you?" he asks. As soon as wend in Chicago, visiting my father is my priority.


    "No. I need to handle this myself."


    "Lorenzo?"


    "He doesn''t need to know. Not until it''s done."


    "Whatever you say, D."


    IT''S evening by the time I arrive at my father''s house. I waited until after seven when I know his housekeeper will have left for the day before I let myself in using a spare key he gave me when he first bought the ce. He has two armed guards. I don''t know them. That will certainly make it easier to shoot both of them in the head before I leave.


    They smile at me when they see me walking down the hallway. I rarely visit him here, but I''m Sal''s son. I mean him no harm, surely. One of them is about to take a bite out of a meatball sub, but they both stop and make small talk about the weather and the Bulls.


    "Where is my pop?" I ask.


    "In the den. Watching TV," the one with the sub replies.


    "He alone?"


    "Yup."


    "Thanks," I say before heading off toward the den.


    He''s sitting with his feet up on the sofa and a ss of cognac in his hand when I walk into the room.


    "Hey, Pop," I say with a forced smile.


    "Dante?" He turns off the TV with the remote. "What are you doing here?"


    "I finally found Leo Evanson," I say calmly as I sit on the armchair beside the sofa.


    I don''t miss the subtle twitch of his eye and the tick in his jaw before he says, "Good. You get my money back?"


    "Naw. That''s long gone."


    "You kill the son of a bitch, then?"


    "Sure did."


    "Good. So, it''s dealt with?"


    I ignore his question. "Would you believe he tried to offer up his own sister to pay his debt?" I ask. "Seems it''s a thing with him. Piece of shit."


    "Waste of oxygen. People like that never change, mio figlio. You did your wife a favor getting rid of him."


    "Yeah. You met him then, Pop?"


    He frowns at me. "No."


    "Oh, just seemed like you knew him is all."


    "Never met him in my life."


    "I thought you were at the poker game that night?"


    "No. Bti was there. Not me."


    "So you never met him?"


    "I already told you I don''t know the guy." He gets impatient now, that infamous Moretti anger shing in his eyes.


    "Not even when you asked him about what Elmo and Tony did to his sister?"


    His eyes narrow. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "No? Why did you send Elmo and Tony to see me and Lorenzo that day?"


    "They''re good, loyal soldiers."


    I shake my head. "You see, at the time, I didn''t give it much thought because I was too busy torturing the sick fucks to death, but you had no reason to send them to me and Lorenzo. We didn''t have a job for them. You sent them because you knew what they''d done to Kat."


    He bangs his fists on the sofa cushions beside him. "I had no idea they''d taken her. You think I would have sent them to you if I''d known they had raped your wife, mio figlio? I would have dealt with them myself."


    "I never told you they raped her."


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    "What?" He blinks at me.


    "I never told you that."


    "I assumed."


    "You knew. You just said it. They raped her." I stand and then take a seat on the coffee table directly in front of him.


    "How did you know, old man? Why did you send them to my house when you knew what they''d done to my wife?


    And why the fuck did you send me after Kat in the first ce when Leo had already given you back your money?"


    He opens and closes his mouth and his eyes dart around the room as he scrambles for a reasonable exnation - another lie he can feed me. "Vic, Emilio," he shouts to his guards outside, his voice filled with panic and terror.


    A few secondster, the two of theme running into the room, but I''ve already drawn my gun from the waistband of my suit pants, and I shoot them before they can take more than a few steps into the room.


    My father looks at me again, his face ashen as I train my re on him. "Why?"


    "Dante," he pleads, his arms held out in surrender.


    I shoot him in the kneecap, and he howls in pain, clutching onto his injured knee as he curses at me.


    "You know how many bones there are in the human body, Pop? I will shatter every single one if you don''t start giving me some answers. And you know I will do it because you''ve watched me do it before."


    Saliva dribbles from his mouth as he stares at me while bleeding onto his expensive carpet.


    "Why did you send me after Kat?"


    "Because I thought you''d kill her," he spits. "Trust you to grow a fucking conscience at the worst possible time."


    I force down the rage that bubble in my chest. I need answers to so many things before I end his miserable life.


    "But why did you want her dead?"


    He licks his lips, looking at his injured leg and wincing.


    "She saw something she shouldn''t have. At least I think she did, but now... I don''t know."


    "When Elmo and Tony took her?"


    "Yes. Stupid fucking idiots were supposed to kill any girls they took back there. They swore to me they had. But they were so hopped up on meth half the time I don''t think they knew what the fuck they were doing. When I found out she was still alive..." "Took back where? What did she see?"


    He mps his lips together, his jaw clenched in anger.


    "What did she see?" I bark as I point my gun at his other kneecap.


    "Cages," he blurts out the word. "People in cages."


    My stomach churns. I fucking knew it. I didn''t want to believe it, but a part of me knew all along. "People?" I spit.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Or children?"


    "Both. Women and children."


    Bile burns the back of my throat as I''m confronted with the true nature of the evil that spawned me. "So six years ago, when Maximo and I wiped out the Santangelos and thought we''d put a stop to this vile, disgusting stain on our family''s name, all we did was cut off the tail of the snake?


    You were the head. I knew there was someone bigger backing Jimmy and his boys, but it was you?"


    "I was supposed to bring you and Lorenzo in on it when you were old enough, but after the way you reacted when you found out about Jimmy and his boys being mixed up in it..." He shakes his head, as though he is bitterly disappointed in


    me.


    "I wish you had tried, because I would have killed you six years ago too."


    "I''m your father," he yells. "You would be nothing without me. Everything you have is down to me."


    "Everything I have is in spite of you. I would rather bepletely broke than take any money from what you''ve been doing. Is that why you wanted me to marry Kat if I wouldn''t kill her? So that if she ever did remember seeing anything, then she''d already be my wife and you could silence her? The way you silenced Nicole?"


    "I was protecting our interests."


    "But it was all for nothing. Kat didn''t see a thing. You want to know why I know that? Because she relives what your depraved animal buddies did to her over and over again and she remembers everything in perfect detail. If she had seen any women and children trapped in cages, it would have torn her apart until she freed everyst one of them."


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    "I had no way of knowing she hadn''t seen anything. I couldn''t be sure so I had to take precautions."


    "You were willing to have me kill her just in case?" I spit at him. "Just in case she might have seen something that would expose your disgusting secret?"


    "No. Because she would have exposed a multi-million-dor operation. That is all that matters, Dante. It''s just business."


    Business? I stand and walk away from him before I pound his face to mincemeat the way I did Leo''s not so long ago.


    Pacing the floor, I run a hand through my hair. "How did I not notice? Women and kids are being moved like dogs through my city and I didn''t fucking notice?"


    "We moved operations outside of the city."


    "We?"


    His nostrils re as he res at me. "Dominik Pushkin."


    "For fuck''s sake. You''re working with the Russians?"


    "I didn''t have much choice when you killed Jimmy and his entire family," he retorts.


    "You''ve still not forgiven me for that, Pop? And now I know why. I could never fathom why you were so pissed at us for wiping out a family of scum who made their money trafficking innocent women and kids. Kidnapping them to order for the highest bidder." I spit the words out like they leave a bad taste in my mouth. "Is that what happened to Megan?"


    He blinks in confusion again. Sick fuck doesn''t even remember her name.


    "The girl from the coffee shop? Lorenzo and I thought you killed her, but you took her, didn''t you? Was she just another order to fulfil?"


    His scowl confirms I''m right. "You think what you do is any better? We are purveyors of misery, Dante. That is our calling. Our legacy. There is no escaping it. Do not look down your nose at me for choosing to make money in a different way, because we are exactly the same."


    I punch him square in the jaw, and his head snaps back before he spits blood from his mouth and goes on ring at me.


    "I am nothing like you, you sick, twisted fuck. I have never killed a man who didn''t deserve it. And I would never hurt a woman or a kid."


    "What about Nicole?" He sneers.


    "Nicole?"


    "Yes. Your fianc¨¦e. The one you had ughtered along with her brothers."


    "Did you know what Jimmy and those boys used to do to her?"


    He shrugs. "What men do in the privacy of their own home is their business, not mine."


    "And what you did in the privacy of my home. Whose business is that, Pop?"


    He blinks at me.


    "You don''t think I know you raped Ni too? You don''t think she told me about that?"


    He smirks at me. He fucking smirks. I shoot his other kneecap, and he wails in agony before he starts cursing me again.


    "Did you know you knocked her up too?"


    That gets his attention. He spits more blood from his mouth. "So you killed her baby too. Your own sibling?" he hisses. "You are just like me, ragazzo." "Nope. You see, I never killed her. Ni and your son are alive and well."


    "My son?"


    "Yeah. He''s a cute kid. Looks a lot like Joey actually. But he will never know a goddamn thing about the monster who spawned him. Ni and I will make sure of that."


    "You been keeping secrets from me too." Heughs maniacally.


    The pain''s making him delirious. He never could handle it. Not the way he taught Lorenzo and me too.


    "Plenty, Pop. So from now on, I''m going to bepletely honest. I''m going to kill you. You like to tell me that I''m weak, but protecting people who can''t stand up for themselves isn''t weak. As long as I''m still willing to kill a man who is a danger to the only people I love, I don''t care who thinks I''m weak or merciful. And that''s what I''m going to do, Pop. I''m going to look you in the eyes when I shoot you in the head. Then I''m going make it look like someone forced their way in here and I''m going to pin your murder on Dominik. Once the heads of the Bratva families find out what trade he''s been plying these past years, they''ll be happy to hang him out to dry.


    I press the barrel of my gun against his forehead.


    "You don''t have the b-" he starts, but I pull the trigger, sttering his brain matter on the back of his cream leather sofa.

 45

    "So, what do you say?" I ask Dmitri as we both sit in the huge leather chairs in the sitting room of his house. He nurses a ss of vodka while I sip a Scotch. "Never look a gift horse in the mouth, Dante."


    "You''ll have my full support."


    "I appreciate that, friend," he says, taking a sip of his vodka. "I''m pretty sure I might not need it once people learn the truth about our glorious leader though. "I think you''re right."


    "I''ll wait and see how this unfolds then, and thank you foring to me with this. You could have handled matters yourself. You''d have every right. I appreciate it."


    "Well, having someone sane and trustworthy as the head of the Bratva is good for my business too," I remind him.


    Then I down my Scotch and excuse myself. Eager to get back to my wife, even if I''m not so keen on telling her what I''ve done.


    IT''S ALMOST midnight by the time I get back home. My guards patrol the gardens, but the house is quiet. I''m about to head upstairs to bed when the approach of footsteps interrupts me. Turning around, I see Sophia. "Mrs. Moretti is in the den, sir," she says quietly. "She insisted on waiting up for you."


    "Thank you, Sophia," I say as I move to find Kat. My heart is heavy with the weight of what I''ve done these past twenty-four hours. Not that I regret any of it, but I anticipate the pain it will cause her. Maybe I should tell her tomorrow? Or the day after? Or after the baby is born? Or after he or she goes to college? Because then, she will still look at me like she once did.


    Pushing open the door, I see her sleeping form on the sofa. She''s curled up into a ball with an open book on the floor beside her. Walking over, I pick it up and ce it on the table. By the half-naked man on the cover, I guess it''s one of those romance books she''s so into... the kind where the good guy always gets the girl.


    I crouch and run my fingertips over her cheek. She''s too damn beautiful and kind for my dark world, but she''s too much a part of my life now for me to ever let her go. So, instead, I will protect her and our child with everyst breath in my body.


    "Kat?"


    She stirs. Her eyelids flicker open, and when she sees my face, she smiles. And now the air is full of untold truths, and it makes my chest tighten to even think about keeping what I just did from her. If she''s going to insist on looking at me like that, then I owe her the truth. And if it costs me never seeing that smile again, it''s a price I''ll have to pay.


    "What are you doing down here, amore mio?"


    "I wanted to wait up for you," she says as she sits up on the sofa.


    I cup her chin in my hand. "You missed me, huh?"


    "Yes," she breathes as the skin on her neck flushes pink.


    "You have any nightmares while I was gone?" She hasn''t been having as many since we dealt with the monsters that haunt her, but she''s more likely to have them when I''m not here. "Nope," she grins at me. "But I did miss waking up next to you."


    Standing, I pull her up and into my arms. Running my nose over her hair, I breathe in her sweet scent. Cleansing and soothing me. If only it could cleanse my soul.


    "Did you do what you needed to?" she asks.


    Fuck, if only she knew the meaning behind that question and how what I''ve done these past two days weighs heavy on me. "Yes."


    "Good." She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her cheek on my chest. "Can we go to bed now, then?" she purrs like my feral little kitten.


    Bed? I should take her to bed and fuck her until we both fall asleep. "I need to tell you something, Kat," I say instead.


    "What?" Huge blue eyes find mine, full of love and trust that I am about to shatter into a million pieces. So, why am I doing it? Why not let her live in blissful ignorance? Because I love her too much to let her go on wondering what happened to her brother and where he is.


    "We found him. We found Leo."


    She blinks at me, and so many emotions flitter across her face I can''t tell what she''s thinking or feeling. "Where?"


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    "LA."


    She swallows. "So, you went to see him? That''s where you''ve been?"


    "Yes."


    "Why are you looking at me like that, Dante?" She takes a step back, and I let my arms fall from around her waist.


    "What did you do?"


    I narrow my eyes as I search her face for clues as to what''s going on in her head. "Don''t ask questions you already know the answer to, Kat."


    Her hand flies to her mouth, and her face twists in disgust as she res at me. "He''s my brother."


    "He was your brother," I correct her.


    Anger res in her eyes. "You killed my brother! My own brother? And for what?" She opens her arms wide and gestures around the room. "Because he owed you money?


    Like you don''t have more money than you could spend in twenty lifetimes?"


    "No, Kat, I don''t give a fuck about the money. I would have let that go. Even though it would have made me look weak, I would have done that for you."


    She res at me, her body vibrating with anger.


    "I killed him because of what he did to you. You and our baby would never be safe because you''d always be his trump card, Kat."


    "Don''t use me to justify what you did," she hisses. "You do not get to put this on me."


    She pushes me in the chest as tears roll down her cheeks, and I catch her wrists in my hands and pull her closer. "This is not on you. But I gave him a chance, Kat. I gave him a chance to fight for you, and once again, he sacrificed you to save his own skin."


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    "No." She shakes her head.


    "Yes. I wanted him to stand up for you, Kat. I wanted him to fight for you, but he didn''t. He doesn''t deserve a single tear from you."


    She pulls away from me again, and I let her go. Once her hands are free, she wipes the tears from her cheeks. "You looked at him and saw what he''d be, but only I know what he was," she whispers. "Before our mom died, he wasn''t like that. He used to make me chocte chip pancakes and take me to the movies. He was my brother and you took him from me."? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "No. His addictions took him from you, Kat. That boy you''re remembering now is long gone. The only person who remained was the piece of shit who let two men kidnap and rape and torture you to pay off his debts."


    She flinches at my words.


    "And when I told him that I had taken you as payment, all he was interested in was his debt being wiped. He didn''t even ask me if you were okay."


    She shakes her head, living in denial that someone she cares so much for could treat her like she was nothing.


    "You can refuse to believe me if that makes you feel better about what he did. And you can hate me for as long as you need to, but I am not going to apologize or have a moment''s regret for what I did. I would do it again one thousand times over."


    "What people say about you is true," she spits. "You''re a cruel, cold-hearted -" I step closer, and her breath hitches, cutting off what she was about to say. "Yes, I am. I am everything they say I am and more. I warned you about this, but you refused to believe me about that too."


    "Well, looks like I was wrong then. Congrattions."


    She gives me a slow hand p and I have to stop myself from throwing her down onto the sofa and fucking the attitude out of her. "You''ve finally seeded in convincing me that you''re not a good man. Not even close." Okay... That stings more than I thought it would.


    "You should go to bed and get some sleep before one of us does something we regret."


    "Fuck you!" she snaps and then she storms out of the room, all five feet six of her shaking with rage.


    "You sleep anywhere but our bed, Kat, and I''lle drag you out of it," I shout after her. No matter how pissed she is at me, she''s still my wife.

 46

    My heart hurts so much it feels like it''s actually breaking. I know people say that all the time, but it''s a physical ache. Leo is gone. And my husband killed him. Despite knowing how much it would hurt me. Then he told me about it. What did he expect me to do? Thank him?


    I walk on auto-pilot to our bedroom. I mean, I should go sleep elsewhere, but Dante would juste find me and carry me to his bed anyway, and I''m too exhausted to fight.


    Will our lives always be like this? One long battle after another?


    I climb into bed with images of my brother swirling in my head. I try to focus on all the good memories, before he became an entirely different person, but they are too mixed up with all of the horrible ones. He took losing our mom so hard, but then so did I, and I didn''t turn into the world''s biggest asshole. Maybe it was harder for him because he had to look after me, although from what I recall, it was me who did the looking after. I did the grocery shopping and bnced the check books. I cooked and cleaned, while he was always out hustling, trying to make easy money.


    Memories assault me of the times I needed him and he was never there. The time he showed up at the hospital where I worked and called me a greedy, evil bitch in front of all my colleagues because I wouldn''t loan him some money. How he gave me away like a used toy to pay off his debts. They''re all dancing around my head when I drift off to sleep.


    HANDS ARE ON ME. On the back of my neck. In my hair.


    Holding me down. My face is pressed into the dirt floor, and I choke as I breathe it in.


    They''reughing now. "Just hurry up, fuck her again already. It''s my turn. You''ve been at her for an hour."


    "No," I plead as I cough on the dirt stuck in my throat.


    "Please..." Theyugh harder as pain sears through my entire body as he takes me again.


    "No!" I scream louder.


    So loud.


    My scream reverberates around the room as I jolt in bed, my hair and my clothes stuck to my body. "No," I scream again because I don''t know where I am.


    Then I''m wrapped in warmth, and a familiar smellforts me. I''m nketed in soft skin and hard muscles as he pulls me tight, pressing me against his chest.


    "It''s okay, vita mia," a soft, soothing voice whispers in my ear. Is this a dream? "I''ve got you. You''re safe."


    "Where am I?" I whimper into the darkness as my mind remains clouded with sleep and monsters.


    "You''re home. In our house. In our bed."


    "Dante," I whisper as I suck in a deep breath of air that floods my lungs. I''m not choking. So that means I''m here, not there.


    "Shhh, kitten. It''s just you and me. No one will hurt you," he whispers as he lies down, pulling me with him until I''m curled up next to him and his giant arms are wrapped around me.


    He strokes my hair, whispering something in Italian that makes warmth settle into my bones. But despite that, I shiver in his arms. I''m so cold.


    He presses a soft kiss on my forehead. "I''ll be right back, okay?"


    "Okay," I murmur, still foggy with sleep.


    He climbs out of bed. The light from the bathroom gives the wall I''m now staring at a soft glow. A few secondster, it disappears. Dante ces something on the bed and then switches on themp on the nightstand before he sits beside me. "Come here, kitten," he says softly, peeling back the duvet and taking my hand.


    I allow him to pull me up into a sitting position. He brushes my damp hair back from my forehead, pulling it into a ponytail and securing it with a hair tie.


    Then he reaches for the edge of my t-shirt. "Lift up your arms."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I blink at him. I''m fully awake now, but I''m not sure it''s the right time for this.


    "Your clothes are wet, Kat," he points out, and I take in my soaked t-shirt. "You can''t get warm in wet clothes."


    "Oh," I reply, still feeling dazed as the whisper of my nightmare dances around the edge of my consciousness.


    That was one of the worst ones I''ve ever had. It was so vivid. It was so real. Because it''s not just a dream, but a living, breathing memory.


    I raise my arms above my head, and Dante pulls off my t-shirt. It sticks to my damp skin in resistance, but as soon as it''s over my head, he tosses it toward theundry hamper, before he picks up whatever it was he ced on the bed a minute earlier. He opens out a huge gray towel and wraps it around me. It''s fluffy and warm, making it feel so nice that I rest my cheek against the soft cotton and smile.


    Dante moves onto his knees and reaches beneath the towel without opening it. He finds the waistband of my panties and peels them down my legs before throwing them in the same direction as my t-shirt. And when he''s done, he leans down, opening my towel just a little but enough to reveal a glimpse of my swollen belly. Then he kisses the exposed skin softly before he whispers something that I don''t understand, although I do catch the word mama, and it makes me smile. When he''s finished, he lies down, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me close, before he pulls the duvet over us. My cheek is pressed against his chest and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat thumps against my ear. The shadows of my nightmare drift away, and I work an arm free from my towel and wrap it around his waist.


    I am safe. Here with him, I''m always safe. When I think back on thest year of my life, one fact remains - he has protected me since the day we met. I''m mourning the family I once had, but this is my family now, right here.


    Leo was my brother. The boy with the floppy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes will always be my brother. But the man he became, the one who offered me up like a piece of meat to pay off his debts to the men who ruined my life, he was not my brother. I wouldn''t do something like that to my worst enemy, let alone someone I was supposed to love and care about.


    Dante was right. He didn''t kill Leo. He killed the shadow that my brother had be. And he did it to protect me and our baby, because Leo woulde back as soon as he was in some trouble again. It was the one thing I could rely on him for.


    A single tear rolls down my cheek, and Dante brushes it away with the pad of his thumb.


    "I''m sorry about what I said before," I whisper.


    "Don''t be, kitten. It''s the truth. I''m not a good man, but I''m okay with that."


    I don''t agree, but I''m not going to argue because I know what he means now when he says that. "I''m okay with it too," I say instead.


    "I''m d."


    "You are a good husband. And I know you''re going to be an incredible father."


    He kisses the top of my head. "Get some sleep, kitten.


    No more nightmares, okay?"


    "No more nightmares."


    "Ti amo."


    "I love you too."

 47

    The rising sun casts a long shadow over my desk as Lorenzo sits in silence, asionally nodding his head to let me know he is listening. Maximo is beside him as I tell my older brother about Leo Evanson and everything I''ve learned in the past two days. I stop short of telling him that I shot our own father in the head.


    He knows.


    "So, when will they find his body?" he asks quietly.


    "In a few hours probably. As soon as his housekeeper arrives and realizes he hasn''t got up for his nine a. m. cigar and coffee."


    Lorenzo rubs a hand over his beard. "And we will start a war, brother? To avenge our father''s death?" He snickers, but there is no humor in it - only menace.


    "We''ll avenge his death, of course."


    "By taking out the Russians?"


    "By taking out Dominik Pushkin for the murder of our beloved father and supporting Dmitri Varkov to be Dominik''s sessor," I say, leaning forward in my chair.


    "Dmitri has been priming his small army for a takeover for the past year. The Russians are about to have a civil war anyway. We''re simply helping them along. And we''ll have Dmitri''s loyalty when he''s the new head of the Bratva." "But we are going to war?" Lorenzo asks.


    "I take it you''re on board, then?"


    "When have I ever not been by your side, brother?"


    "Oh, I''ve missed you two hellraisers," Maximo says with a grin as he leans back in his seat and looks between my eldest brother and me. "It''s been far too quiet around heretely."


    Lorenzo gives Maximo a sideways eye roll before turning his attention back to me. "It shouldn''t be a shock that he was involved in it, but it still is."


    "I know."


    "Not a shock to me," Maximo says with a shake of his head.


    "Really?" I ask with a frown.


    "The way he treated you both and tried to turn you against each other. After what he did to Ni. He was nning to marry off his own daughter to a sick fuck just to appease the men who were making him a fuckload of money, even though he knew the depraved, twisted shit they were into. His own little girl?" Maximo snarls. His hatred for my father is profound, but I''ve never seen him talk so openly or with such vitriol.


    Joey is a sore point for him. For all of us. I suppose she''s like a little sister to him too. It was my father''s ns to marry her off to Dominik Pushkin''s eldest son, which forced Lorenzo and I to send her away to school in Italy - a crime for which I think she''ll never forgive us.


    "Well, he''s gone. No more arranged marriages for anyone," Lorenzo says gruffly.


    "What? Really? I can''t imagine anyone actually wanting to put up with Joey for more than a few days, so it looks like we''re all stuck with her forever then."


    Maximo scowls at me, but Lorenzo snorts.


    "If that''s all, I''m going back to bed to do unspeakable things to my wife before the shit hits the fan," Lorenzo says as he stands.


    "Sounds like a good n," I agree. I''ve barely slept in thest two days and the thought of spending the next few hours curled up next to the softest, most beautiful body I have ever known feels like heaven. I''ll tell her the truth about my father too once it''s safe for her to know everything.


    "I guess I''ll just go chat to Sophia then," Maximo says with a sigh. "See if she''s willing to knock me up some pancakes while we wait for the bomb to drop."


    Lorenzo pats him on the back. "We can arrange a marriage for you if you want, Max?"


    "Fuck you, Loz!" he snaps. "I have no intention of ever getting married and ending up pussy-whipped like you pair of disappointments."


    "Says the man who''s about to go eat pancakes while we''ll be eating some of that pussy we''re supposedly whipped by," I say with a grin.


    "Fuck both of you." With that, he storms out of the room.


    Lorenzoughs again and turns to look at me as I stand from the worn leather wingback chair. He looks at the chair and then at me with a sadness on his face that looks like regret.


    "It''s yours if you want it, Lorenzo. It always has been."


    "No." He shakes his head. "It''s yours, little brother.


    That''s always the way it was meant to be. I''m honored to stand by your side."


    I walk around the desk and wrap my arm around his shoulder. "By my side. Not beneath or above. Now that truly is the way it was meant to be."


    "There are hard timesing," he says quietly.


    "I know," I agree, aware that he isn''t just talking about the fact that our father is about to be found murdered in his bed and we''re going to pin it on the Russians, but also because of his own Russian princess and the fact that the cancer has returned. "But we''re in this together, right?"


    "Always."


    WHEN I CRAWL BACK into bed a few minutester, Kat''s eyelids flutter open. "You were up early."


    "I had to talk to Lorenzo," I say as I slide my hand over her hip and onto her ass, pulling her toward me.


    "About Leo?" she whispers.


    "Yeah, and some other stuff."


    "What stuff?"


    I kiss her forehead. "Nothing for you to be concerned about right now, kitten. Go back to sleep."


    "I don''t want to go back to sleep," she purrs, trailing her fingertips over my chest and down to the waistband of my boxers. "Unless you''re too tired?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I''m fucking exhausted, but I am never too tired for what she''s offering. "Not tired at all."


    "I thought maybe we couldy that onest demon to rest?" she says softly.


    I run my nose along the column of her throat. "Kat, are you asking me to fuck your ass?"


    "Will you be gentle?"


    "As gentle as I can be, but it''s probably going to hurt a little at first. We can wait."


    "I don''t want to wait. I want you to be the only one I ever think of," she says, her voice thick with emotion.


    "Is this about your nightmare?"


    "I guess. I was thinking about what Leo did and how he could hurt someone he was supposed to love. It was on my mind before I fell asleep." She trails her fingertips over my cheek. "I know you would never hurt me, Dante. Make me some new memories I can dream about."


    My cock is already hard just thinking about taking her tight little ass. I press my lips against her ear and slide my hand between her thighs. "I''ll have to make you nice and wet and rxed first."


    "Oh yes, please."


    I MADE HER COME TWICE - once with my mouth and once with my fingers and now she''s on her knees, head pressed against the pillow and her cum dripping from her pussy as I coat my cock with lube.


    She shivers when I run a hand over her ass, but it''s in anticipation and not terror. The fact that I get this with her, particrly given where our story began, is a fucking honor. I have never been so proud of anyone in my entire life as I am of her. "You still okay there, kitten?" I hold my cock in one hand and grab her hip with the other.


    "Yes," she pants breathlessly, still high from her orgasms.


    I press my cock against the seam of her ass, and she sighs, rxing her muscles as I push the tip inside her.


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    "Good girl," I soothe as I rub a hand over her skin. "You''re taking me so well."


    "You feel so big," she groans.


    "If you''re trying to massage my ego so I''ll take it easy on you, it won''t work," I tell her, and sheughs softly. "You can take me. I promise."


    I ease a little further inside and the soft mewl that escapes her mouth while the muscles of her ass squeeze and ripple around my cock, almost tips me over the edge.


    "Oh fuck, Dante," she moans, pushing back so that I slip a little deeper inside.


    "If it''s any constion, I''m not going tost long in your tight little ass," I grunt as I work my cock in deeper.


    When I slip my hand between her thighs and drive two fingers into her pussy, her back bows, and she lets out a scream that''s muffled by the pillow. As I finger-fuck her pussy, her muscles rx, allowing me to push almost all the way inside her.


    I''ll have to work her up to taking my entire cock because I''m stretching her so wide I''m worried I''d tear her in half. And I need her to love me fucking her ass, because I want to do all the goddamn time.


    "I feel so full," she moans, pushing back, grinding herself on me, demanding more.


    "You are full of me, kitten. My cock in your ass, my fingers in your pussy, and my baby in your belly. And you''ve never looked more fucking beautiful."


    "Holy fuck," she gasps as her pussy coats me in a rush of her heat, and I know she''s so close to the edge, which is a good thing because I''m seconds away from emptying my balls inside her.


    "Come for me, Kat," I grunt as I thrust inside her while I finger fuck her, and like my good little kitten, she does exactly that, whimpering my name as her climax makes her shudder. I grind my own release into her as I cling onto her hips and pump everyst drop into her juicy ass.


    "Fuck!" I gasp when we''re done, pulling out of her and copsing onto the bed. Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her close. "You okay?"


    "Yes, that was..." She bites on her lip.


    "Incredible?" I offer.


    "I was going to say epic, but incredible works too."


    "I''m d you enjoyed it because I want to do it again." I nuzzle her neck. "And maybe next time I can get all the way inside you?"


    "That wasn''t all the way? Goddamn." She giggles softly.


    I kiss her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as she snuggles closer to me.


    "I love you," she whispers.


    "I love you too, kitten."


    6 monthster tanding in the doorway of the nursery, I smile as I watch Dante cradling our five-month-old daughter, Gabrie, against his chest. She''s fallen asleep in his arms as she so often does. He''s looking at her with so much love and devotion on his face that it feels like my heart might burst.


    He kisses her cheek before cing her down in her crib, whispering sweet nothings to her the entire time. When he looks up to see me, he shakes his head and smiles before walking quietly out of her room and closing the door.


    He slips his arms around my waist and crushes me to him. "Watching me again, kitten?" he asks, running his nose over the sensitive skin of my throat.


    "I can''t help it. You look so hot when you''re in dad mode."


    "Dad mode?"


    "Yep," I whisper. "Super hot."


    He brushes my hair back, resting his hand possessively on the back of my neck and making my stomach flutter.


    "Well, I''m d you think that, kitten, because I want to fill this entire house with our babies."


    "The entire house?" I ask, feigning my indignation.


    "Then I''d be pregnant forever."


    "Fine by me," he says with a shrug before hoisting me over his shoulder and making me shriek withughter and surprise. I quickly cover my mouth so I don''t wake Gabrie.


    He ps my ass. "How about we get started right now?"


    "We can''t. I''m still breastfeeding. Nature''s own contraception," I remind him as he carries me into our bedroom. Kicking the door closed behind him, Dante walks to the bed and tosses me onto it, making meugh harder. "Maybe," he starts, pulling off his shirt, "if I fuck you enough, we can cheat nature?"


    "Well, there''s every possibility that could work. I mean, breastfeeding isn''t one hundred percent effective."


    "Hmm?" He kicks off his shoes and starts removing his suit pants too.


    I scoot back on the bed as he eyes me like a recentlypsed vegan eyeing a prime ribeye. "We could wait until Gabrie is a little older though?" I suggest.


    "Naw." He nts his hands on the bed and crawls toward me. "I want you knocked up, Mrs. Moretti."


    "We still haven''t had our honeymoon," I remind him.


    "Pick your favorite ce and we''ll go next weekend," he says with a shrug, advancing closer.


    "Just like that?"


    "Joey is perfectly capable of looking after Gabrie for a few days and you can express enough for a weekend."


    Then, he kisses my ankle.


    "That won''t work," I insist as his kisses trail higher.


    "No?" He looks up and grins at me as his hand slides up my other leg and beneath my sundress until his fingers brush over my panties. "How about this?"


    "No." I shake my head and mp my lips together.


    He tugs the cotton aside and rubs the pad of his pointer finger over my clit. "This?" he asks with a wicked grin.


    "No," I say on a moan as he slips his finger inside me.


    I''m so damn weak when ites to him.


    He hovers over me, holding himself up on one forearm while he gently finger-fucks me. "How about we definitely go on that honeymoon next weekend, and you can just let me know when you''re ready for me to fuck another baby into you?" "You have such a way with words," I purr as I wrap my arms around his neck and smile. Despite how we started, he makes me feel like his equal now. We''ve been through so much together, but all of it has only made us even stronger. Learning the truth about what happened with his father wasn''t even enough to shake my belief in this man.


    He does what he does best to protect me, and I love him for it. "But that sounds like a perfect n."


    "Just know I''m still gonna try and beat those odds every damn day though, Kat."


    "Well, I''d be very disappointed if you didn''t."


    "I fucking love you, kitten," he growls, then he buries his face in the crook of my neck and sucks and nibbles on my skin, all the while fucking my pussy with his fingers.


    I rake my nails over his back, feeling his powerful muscles flex beneath my fingertips, and marveling at how the two of us ended up here. Whatever life throws our way in future, we''ll be able to handle it together.


    "I love you too, vita mia."


    Continue reading for book 2 and don''t forget to read my other books too. I love you all.

 48

    -AGE 20


    "She''s fucking dead, D." I stare at my best friend Dante in horror as the bottle of brandy I drankst night threatens to make a sudden and violent reappearance. His older brother, Lorenzo, stands behind him, his fingertips on the girl''s neck, checking for a pulse we all know he won''t find. Her lips are blue, for fuck''s sake.


    "Calm down, Max," Dante says in that cool, calm tone I''vee to know so well. On any other asion it might actually work on me, but not today.


    I look past him, my eyes searching Lorenzo''s face for a sign that she isn''t dead. Maybe she passed out from too much vodka and cocaine, maybe- His eyes leave her face and lock on mine. "We''ll take care of it," is all he says.


    "No!" I shake my head and rake my hands through my hair. "We can''t fix this. I fucking killed her, Loz," I shout.


    "Keep your voice down," Lorenzo whispers angrily. "I said we will take care of it."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I look down at her face again. Her ash-blond hair fans over the pillow, and the covers are pulled up over her naked body, protecting her modesty. Apart from the blue tinge to her lips, she looks like she''s sleeping. But the dark purple bruising on her neck-that I don''t even remember putting there-is unmistakable.


    Bile burns the back of my throat. I''m a fucking monster. I don''t even remember taking her to bed, let alone fucking her and wrapping my hands around her goddamn neck. But that''s my thing, right? Choke them until they almost pass out? It makes the orgasm more intense. I''ve been into it since I first discovered the pleasure that can be found between a woman''s thighs. I''ve never attempted it while drunk off my ass before though. I never let it go too far. Until now.


    I stare at her. Neen years old. A life full of promise snuffed out by one careless act. My head spins so hard, I sway on my feet.


    "Max! I asked you if anyone saw youing in here together?" Dante asks, and I realize I must not have heard him the first time. How long has he been speaking to me?


    I shake my head. "I don''t know. I was out of it. I don''t even remember bringing her in here. I don''t remember..." The words stick in my throat, and I almost choke on them. I''ve killed plenty of people before, and I''ve taken great pleasure in causing people pain. But this is something so much worse. Ipletely lost control, and I am a man who thrives on control.


    Dante ces his hands on my face, turning my head so I''ll focus on him instead of the dead girl in my bed. "It was an ident,pagno."


    Compagno? How the fuck can he still call me his friend after what I''ve done? "I killed her, D."


    Lorenzo checks his watch. "It''s not even ten yet. We can take her to the funeral home and incinerate the body before anyone even notices she''s missing."


    I blink at him. "This is Fiona Delgado we''re talking about. You don''t think her father is going to lose his fucking shit when he finds out his only daughter has disappeared? Everyone knows she was herest night."


    Lorenzo scowls at me. "And I am Lorenzo fucking Moretti, and if I want her to disappear then she will. Bruce Delgado will believe whatever the fuck I want him to."


    I swallow the knot of emotion that seems lodged in my throat. "I can''t ask you to do that for me. If anyone finds out..." It''s one thing to take out our enemies or to kill in the interest of business, but to strangle a girl to death during sex is on a whole other fucking level.


    "They won''t," Dante assures me.


    "You''re our brother," Lorenzo adds. "And this was an ident." He says thest words with such conviction that I almost believe him.

 49

    -AGE 20 Prologue


    "She''s fucking dead, D." I stare at my best friend Dante in horror as the bottle of brandy I drankst night threatens to make a sudden and violent reappearance. His older brother, Lorenzo, stands behind him, his fingertips on the girl''s neck, checking for a pulse we all know he won''t find. Her lips are blue, for fuck''s sake.


    "Calm down, Max," Dante says in that cool, calm tone I''vee to know so well. On any other asion it might actually work on me, but not today.


    I look past him, my eyes searching Lorenzo''s face for a sign that she isn''t dead. Maybe she passed out from too much vodka and cocaine, maybe-


    His eyes leave her face and lock on mine. "We''ll take care of it," is all he says.


    "No!" I shake my head and rake my hands through my hair. "We can''t fix this. I fucking killed her, Loz," I shout.


    "Keep your voice down," Lorenzo whispers angrily. "I said we will take care of it."


    I look down at her face again. Her ash-blond hair fans over the pillow, and the covers are pulled up over her naked body, protecting her modesty. Apart from the blue tinge to her lips, she looks like she''s sleeping. But the dark purple bruising on her neck-that I don''t even remember putting there-is unmistakable.


    Bile burns the back of my throat. I''m a fucking monster. I don''t even remember taking her to bed, let alone fucking her and wrapping my hands around her goddamn neck. But that''s my thing, right? Choke them until they almost pass out? It makes the orgasm more intense. I''ve been into it since I first discovered the pleasure that can be found between a woman''s thighs. I''ve never attempted it while drunk off my ass before though. I never let it go too far. Until now.


    I stare at her. Neen years old. A life full of promise snuffed out by one careless act. My head spins so hard, I sway on my feet.


    "Max! I asked you if anyone saw youing in here together?" Dante asks, and I realize I must not have heard him the first time. How long has he been speaking to me?


    I shake my head. "I don''t know. I was out of it. I don''t even remember bringing her in here. I don''t remember..." The words stick in my throat, and I almost choke on them. I''ve killed plenty of people before, and I''ve taken great pleasure in causing people pain. But this is something so much worse. Ipletely lost control, and I am a man who thrives on control.


    Dante ces his hands on my face, turning my head so I''ll focus on him instead of the dead girl in my bed. "It was an ident,pagno."


    Compagno? How the fuck can he still call me his friend after what I''ve done? "I killed her, D."


    Lorenzo checks his watch. "It''s not even ten yet. We can take her to the funeral home and incinerate the body before anyone even notices she''s missing."


    I blink at him. "This is Fiona Delgado we''re talking about. You don''t think her father is going to lose his fucking shit when he finds out his only daughter has disappeared? Everyone knows she was herest night."


    Lorenzo scowls at me. "And I am Lorenzo fucking Moretti, and if I want her to disappear then she will. Bruce Delgado will believe whatever the fuck I want him to."


    I swallow the knot of emotion that seems lodged in my throat. "I can''t ask you to do that for me. If anyone finds out..." It''s one thing to take out our enemies or to kill in the interest of business, but to strangle a girl to death during sex is on a whole other fucking level.


    "They won''t," Dante assures me.


    "You''re our brother," Lorenzo adds. "And this was an ident." He says thest words with such conviction that I almost believe him. TWELVE YEARS LATER


    JOEY


    "Good girl," Max says with a smirk as my right foot connects with the pad. I''m grateful that my cheeks are already flushed from the workout because those wordsing from his perfect mouth have me about to melt into a puddle. I, Joey Moretti-a one hundred percent card-carrying feminist-would dly drop to my knees and crawl to this man if he told me to.


    "You''re not done yet." He nudges me with the pad, waiting for me to kick him again. Because our workout isn''t even half over. He works almost as hard as I do in these training sessions-pushing me to my limits and making me faster and stronger every time.


    I hit him with another roundhouse, and his grunt of approval causes warmth to pool in my center. I doubt I''d work even half as hard for any other trainer, but Maximo DiMarco isn''t just any trainer. He is the reason I get out of bed every morning. He''s one of the most feared men in the city, but to me, he is sweet and funny and kind. And the fact he has a body that looks like it was chiseled by the gods themselves, not to mention the most incredible dark brown eyes I''ve ever seen in my entire life, doesn''t hurt either. But he''s also my older brothers'' best friend, the right hand of the Cosa Nostra, and as off-limits to me as any man can be.


    "You tired already?" He chuckles, tapping the side of my head.


    "No," I lie. My desire to make him proud overrides any pain or fatigue that I feel during his grueling workouts.


    My brothers arranged for him to teach me some self-defense, and in return I get a little more freedom. I also get to drool over a shirtless, sweaty Max every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and those mornings are the highlight of my week. "Harder, Joey. I know you got more than that," he says, bouncing on his toes as he moves effortlessly around the ring-like he''s not the size of a mountain.


    I lean back like he taught me, swivel my hip, and strike the pad with as much strength as I have left in me.


    "That''s my girl," he says, and my breath catches in my throat. Sometimes I wonder if he does this on purpose. I mean he must know I have a huge crush on him. It''s kind of a running joke with my two sisters-inw. And my overprotective brothers tolerate it because they know without a doubt that Max would never cross that line. Which is a damn shame if you ask me.


    "Okay, kid. You got two minutes to take a quick water break, and then we do a little conditioning."


    I groan. Conditioning is code for torture. Burpees and mountain climbers and all kinds of other insane exercises that Max makes me do at the end of my workout.


    "You should enjoy this while you can. Your new trainer won''t take it so easy on you," Max says with augh and hands me a bottle of water.


    I blink at him. "New trainer?"


    "Yeah. Didn''t Dante tell you?"


    Dante is my older brother. The chosen one. Head of the Cosa Nostra and, along with our oldest brother, Lorenzo, a giant pain in my ass.


    I frown. "No. I don''t need a new trainer."


    "Trust me. This one is way better than me."


    "Nobody is better than you," I blurt, and my face flushes with heat at my admission.


    "Joey." He narrows his eyes before taking a gulp of his water. "You sure you can''t think of anyone who''d be better at teaching you self-defense than me?" He''s teasing me now, but I''m not in the mood for his games. All I can focus on is the fact that I''m losing him.


    "No."


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    "Your half sister is an MMA fighter," he reminds me with a satisfied smile, as though that makes losing him easier somehow. "After her fight this weekend, she''s taking a little break. So she''s gonna train you instead. Dante said he was going to tell you."


    "He and Kat were a little busyst night." My nose wrinkles at the memory. "They were practically dry humping in the kitchen after they came home from their date."


    Max rolls his eyes.


    "Did he guilt trip Toni into doing this? ''Cause I know this house isn''t her favorite ce to be." I don''t know my half sister that well. She was born around the same time as Dante, to my father''s mistress at the time. She never lived with us, but she used to spend holidays here and she was nice to me. In fact, she used to braid my hair ande up with fun stories for me. But she moved to LA with her mom when I was four and she was thirteen, and I never saw much of her after that. Dante is the only one she''s really close to. She and Lorenzo never got along. It''s as though he finds her existence an insult to our mother''s memory, but it''s not Toni''s fault she was born.


    "No, he didn''t guilt trip her. She offered her time. Now that your father''s no longer around, she''s much happier about being here. I think she''s been feeling kind of lonely since she left LA. Even her and Lorenzo are getting along a little better." "Hmm," I mumble, looking down at the floor.


    Max nudges my arm. "You''re gonna be trained by an MMA champ, Joey. You''ll be able to knock me on my ass by the time Toni is through with you."


    I sigh. "I guess."


    "You don''t sound very happy about it."


    I look up at him, annoyed at the tears pricking at my eyes. I hate being vulnerable. But Max won''t judge me. He never does. "I''ll just miss you training me is all."


    "I''ll still be here all the damn time," he says, bumping his arm against mine and making my insides melt like butter on hot toast.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah."


    "Now drink up because you got thirty seconds left before we start again. We leave everything in the gym, right?"


    "We leave everything in the gym." I repeat his favorite mantra as my heart breaks a little at the realization that soon he''ll be leaving me in the gym too.

 50

    "You staying for dinner?" she asks, her eyes wide and shining. I spend a lot of time looking into Joey Moretti''s deep-brown eyes. The way they sparkle with flecks of amber when she''s happy or mad fascinates me. Her eyes are a safe zone. Because if I were to let my gaze drift lower, I might let it linger on those insanely perky tits of hers, or the way the perspiration on her back runs down the channel of her spine, slipping beneath the band of her yoga pants and down to her juicy ass.


    And then I would have to stand here with a raging boner. I swear, these workouts test my willpower like nothing in my life ever has before. I could say I have no idea why I agreed to them, because they''re pure fucking torture-but I''ve always been a sucker for punishment. Spending time with her is the most exquisite kind of torture there is. She''s the one woman I can''t have and the one woman I want more than any other. "Max?" she says with a frown.


    "Huh?"


    She ces one hand on her hip and rolls her eyes like a spoiled little brat. What I wouldn''t give to discipline that sass out of her. "Dinner?"


    No, I can''t stay for dinner. I need to get home and take a shower. During which I will jerk off to the image of your ass in those pants.


    "You can shower here," she offers, and for a horrifying minute, I wonder if I said that out loud. "You know, ''cause you''re kind of sweaty." She wrinkles her nose, a mischievous smile ying on her lips.


    A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth. "Well, working you out is a tough job, Joey."


    Her eyes darken with heat. This would all be so much easier if she didn''t look at me that way. Because I know for certain she likes me too. She''s had a crush on me for years, and her brothers tolerate it because they trust me to never act on it. But that gets harder and harder to do with each passing day. I spend so much time thinking about slipping my hand into her panties and finding out how wet I make her that it''s be a huge distraction. I know that I get to her. I just don''t know how much.


    "I can''t. I have somewhere I need to be," I tell her, and the hurt on her face makes me wish that I hadn''t. She masks it well though, and if I didn''t pay such close attention to her, I probably wouldn''t have noticed it. But I pay far too much attention to her. I practically stalk the girl, and I do it under the guise of looking out for her on behalf of her brothers.


    "A date?"


    "No."


    She grabs her towel off the floor and turns on her heel, swaying the finest ass I''ve ever seen as she sashays toward the door. "Well, whatever it is, have a great time."


    I watch her leave, drinking in every detail of her before she disappears from view. Maybe I should go on a date and get her out of my head. Except it never works. I''ve fucked countless women this past year, and there wasn''t a single time I didn''t imagine it was Joey I was fucking instead.


    I check my watch. Shit! I really do have somewhere to be.


    ***


    Thoughts of Joey and her perfect ass continue to invade my thoughts when I pull into the parking garage at my apartment building an hourter. I take my private elevator to the penthouse apartment, and when the doors open, she stands there waiting for me, chewing on her fingernails and bouncing on her tiptoes. Anxiety radiates from her like heat from an open fire. She hates being left alone, and while I don''t keep guards at my home because I prefer absolute privacy, this ce is still safer than Fort Knox.


    "You said you''d be back at five," she says, using eyes searching my face.


    I check my watch and sigh. "It''s like ten past."


    "You know how much I worry, Max," she whines. "You''re all we have." She rubs both hands over her rounded stomach, and a wave of guilt washes over me. She''s right.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I take two steps forward and wrap my arms around her. "I''m sorry, okay? I would have called to say I''d be a littlete, but I was on the bike."


    "Those things are dangerous, you know." She sniffles, pressing her head against my chest.


    That makes meugh. "Pretty sure everything I do is dangerous, Kristin," I remind her. That makes herugh too, a soft chuckle that vibrates through her entire body.


    I drop my arms to my sides and she looks up at me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. She''s far too young and innocent to be here with me. "If anything ever happened to you ..." she whispers. "It won''t."


    "I''m making dinner," she says, changing the subject before things get too tense.


    I arch an eyebrow at her. "But you can''t cook."


    "I''m learning." She swats my chest. "I''m following a recipe. It''s called chicken parm for dummies. It will be amazing. I swear."


    "Hmm," I murmur, unconvinced. "Didn''t you follow a recipe the night beforest and almost burn down the kitchen?"


    Her cheeks turn bright red, and she looks down at the floor. "I didn''t realize you had to take the stic thing off the chicken. I''ve learned my lesson. This time it''s all fresh stuff. No stic packaging involved." "Well, in that case, I''m looking forward to it. Let me grab a shower and then I can help out."


    "That would be great." The huge smile on her face makes her look so desperate for my affection and makes me feel guilty for leaving her alone all day. I''m about to apologize for that a second time when she grabs my hand. "The baby''s kicking!" she squeals, cing my hand on the side of her stomach and pressing gently. "You feel it?"


    There''s a soft tap against my palm. Then another. Wow! "Yeah, I feel it."


    Just a heads up: NovelDrama.Org is the only ce to read theplete version of this book for free. Don''t miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! "How cool is that? He''s gonna be so strong, you know? Just like you are." She blinks up at me, fluttering her long dark eyshes.


    "Naw, just like his mom," I tell her with a wink. She throws her arms around my waist and buries her face against my chest again. I drop a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Thank you, Max," she whispers.


    ***


    I chew on another mouthful of the worst chicken parm I''ve ever eaten in my life, then wash it down with a gulp of soda.


    "It''s bad, isn''t it?" Kristin eyes me from across the table.


    The truth would hurt her feelings, so I lie. "It''s fine." I rarely eat at my ce as a rule, preferring to spend my time at the Moretti mansion. But since Kristin walked into my life, that''s not always an option. "Besides, you don''t have to cook. We can get takeout."


    "I''m trying to be healthy though. For this little guy." She rubs a hand over her stomach and smiles.


    "You still haven''t heard from your father?"


    Her smile fades in an instant. "Nothing." She looks down at her half-eaten te of food.


    I drop my silverware and scrub a hand over my beard. "And there''s nothing else you can think of? Something he might have said? A clue as to where he might have gone?"


    She shakes her head. "I wish there was, but I''ve gone over ourst conversation so many times in my head. All he told me was that he had to take care of something because if he didn''t, we would never be safe. He said if he wasn''t back in two days-" She swipes her cheek, whisking away her tears, and takes a deep breath. "He told me the only person I could trust in the whole world was you, and he told me to give you that message. That was it."


    I''ve never had any cause not to trust Dante or Lorenzo Moretti, and while their father was a cruel man who never once let me forget how much he did for me by taking me in when I was fourteen, his sons are nothing like him. They are like


    brothers to me. Still, my brow furrows. My dad says you can''t trust the Morettis. They turned you against your real family. That''s the message she''s referring to. The one her father asked her to pass along if she ever had cause toe to me and ask for help. Six nights ago, she turned up on my doorstep and did exactly that.

 51

    JOEY


    "This house is so cool," my best friend Monique says as she wanders down the hallway. "Like everything is so tasteful and"-she runs a hand over the gold handrail of the huge marble staircase-"expensive." She acts as though this is her first time seeing my house, but she''s been here at least a hundred times.


    "Hmm." I shrug. I barely notice any more. The house is massive, and it has everything a person might need, I guess. Huge gardens, a pool, state-of-the-art gym with a boxing ring, a home theater, game room, library. You name it. But what my best friend sees as luxury, I see as my overprotective brothers'' way of making sure I have as few reasons as possible to leave the house.


    "Your house is amazing," I remind her. I''m actually jealous of it. She lives in a beautiful four-bedroom house with a pool. But best of all, she lives with her mom, who''s hardly ever there, whereas I''m constantly surrounded by my family. Living with my two brothers and their wives makes it hard to get any privacy.


    We make our way upstairs to my room, and Monique brushes her fingertips over the furniture and expensive artwork along the way, an expression of awe on her face. "Is this one new?" She stops in front of a painting of a ballerina, a Degas, in the hallway. It cost my brother a small fortune.


    "Yeah. Lorenzo bought it for Anya." I swallow the ball of sadness that lodges in my throat.


    "I bet it cost a fortune. She''s so lucky."


    I don''t tell her that my wonderful, funny, kind sister-inw isn''t lucky at all. She has terminal cancer, and we all have to watch her grow sicker and weaker by the day. "You''re all so lucky, Jo," she says with a wistful sigh. "I can only imagine what it''s like to be a Mafia princess."


    A Mafia princess. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I can never tell if that''s an insult or a term of endearment from her lips. She''s called me that for as long as I''ve known her. We''ve been best friends since we started high school, but even after all these years I can never quite figure out if she''s being nice or bitchy. That was probably what drew us to each other. I was just like her back then. We walked around Mercury High like we owned the goddamn school.


    "You''re not exactly a peasant, Mo," I say with a sigh. "Your dad left you and your mom with a fortune."


    "It''s not an endless pot of money though." For a second, there''s a glimmer of something in her eyes that looks a lot like sadness. But she tosses her long blond hair over her shoulder and it''s gone.


    Her mom does travel a lot. She''s always at some five-star resort in the Caribbean or somewhere exotic, and I suppose that eats into a fortune pretty quickly. Still, Monique has no idea how good she has it. She has so much freedom and independence, and I would trade this gilded cage for a little more of that any day of the week.


    Monique lies on my bed, feet up against the wall as she twirls a tube of lip gloss between her fingers.


    "Lex said she''ll meet us at ten. She''s bringing that douchebag, Nyx, with her too."


    Rolling my eyes, I continue to apply my makeup. Monique thinks any guy who isn''t into her is a douchebag. "He seems nice to me."


    "Ugh, he has a freaking ponytail."


    "Lex likes guys with long hair though. Besides, I''m pretty sure she''s not interested in him for his ponytail." I grin. Lexi told me her new friend-with-benefits is amazing in bed, not that I''m going to tell Monique. Sheughs. "You think he''s got a huge dick?"


    "Maybe."


    "Nah, he doesn''t," she says, shaking her head.


    I arch an eyebrow in amusement. "How would you know? You seen it?"


    "No, but I know his type."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "And that is?"


    "Nice guys." She shudders. "They''re only nice to girls because they have tiny dicks."


    I gape at her reflection in the mirror, incredulous. "You''re saying guys are only nice if they have small dicks?"


    She gives a casual shrug. "Either that or they don''t know how to use them."


    "Jesus, Mo, your logic is so fucking twisted sometimes," I snap, feeling defensive of our friend. Lexi''s happier than I''ve ever seen her, which is probably why Monique is being such a bitch.


    "Oh, lighten up, Jo." She releases a dramatic sigh. "Since when did you be such a fucking bore?"


    I close my eyes and suck in a calming breath. I guess she isn''t wrong. This is the kind of shit we used to talk about all the time, but that was back in high school. We''re past that now, aren''t we? "Lex seems happy, is all. If she likes the guy, it doesn''t matter how big his dick is, right?" I say, trying to defuse the tension, because Monique and Lex are the only girlfriends I have.


    "Not that you''d know anything about that though." She snorts augh, and I roll my eyes, sorry I ever confided in her that I''m still a virgin. Ever since I did, she''s made it her one-woman mission to get meid.


    I toss my makeup sponge at her, and it bounces off her forehead. "Just because you''ve been dicked down more times than you can remember ..."


    Monique sits up, swinging her legs off the end of the bed, a wicked grin on her face. "Jealous?"


    "Uh, no."


    "We''ll get you some good dick tonight, I can feel it."


    "I''m not looking for that." I sigh and go back to my mascara. "Well, not exclusively."


    That makes herugh out loud. "But if a nice fat dick were to present itself?"


    "Depending on who it was attached to, maybe I''d consider taking it home." Iugh too.


    Monique gasps. "Can you imagine your brothers'' faces if you brought some stray home from the bar?"


    "God, no," I say, shivering at the thought.


    "You can always use my ce. In fact, you could stay over?"


    "I can''t tonight. I watch Gabrie on Saturdays."


    She huffs. "So, have a week off. She''s not your kid, not your responsibility."


    I actually love taking care of my niece on Saturday mornings, and I was the one who suggested the arrangement. She''s five months old and I adore the beautiful little smooch. Plus, it allows Dante and Kat to sleep in and spend some time together, and that always puts my brother in a great mood. Which is a win for me because it makes him so much easier to manipte. "It keeps Dante off my back," I say, if only to avoid any more usations that I''m boring. "And if we''re going to that new club tomorrow night, I need to keep him sweet."


    "Fine," she says with a roll of her eyes. "If we can''t get you some good dick tonight, we''ll definitely get you some tomorrow."


    "You''re obsessed with dick."


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    "No." She gets off the bed and puts an arm around my shoulder, leaning down and checking her reflection in the mirror. "I''m worried about my best friend still being a virgin at the age of twenty-two."


    "It''s not that unusual," I say.


    "It is, Joey, and if you don''t pop that cherry soon, guys are going to think you''re a freak."


    I stare at my own reflection. I''m not a freak, am I? As much as I hate to admit it, Monique is right about one thing. I need to have sex with someone soon, preferably before I spend the family fortune on batteries. I''m pretty sure I could keep Energizer in business all on my own.


    "Which hotties will be apanying us tonight? Is Max tagging along?" she asks, seductively chewing on her lip. I wish I knew how she does that-she can switch from looking sweet and innocent to looking like a goddamn porn star in less than a second.


    "Henry and Ash will be with us. No Max," I say, trying to keep my disappointment out of my voice. I can''t go anywhere without armed guards-it''s one of the conditions my brothers attached when they conceded to allowing me more freedom. "Ash is hot though," she says with a pop of one perfect eyebrow.


    I look at her like she''s lost her mind. "He''s like forty or something."


    "Hmm. Imagine all that experience."


    Ash has worked for my brothers for as long as I can remember. With his icy blue eyes and blond buzzcut, I can see why she''d be attracted to him, but he isn''t my type. I wrinkle my nose and she rolls her eyes. "Of course, he''s not Maximo." She rolls his name on her tongue, dramatically clutching at her chest.


    "Oh, stop." I stand up and smooth my hands over my minidress. "Do I look okay?"


    She tilts her head to one side and appraises me. Monique''s leather body con dress is way more revealing than my long-sleeved one. She looks hot, but then she always does, with her huge boobs, huge lips-both of which I happen to know are gifts from the local stic surgeon rather than anything her momma gave her-and long blond hair. She could roll out of bed in a pair of pajamas with stale morning breath and still pull any guy she wanted.


    She flutters her eyshes. "I think Max would approve."


    I give her a yful shove. "Will you stop going on about Max."


    "But you are so hot for him, girl. You practically drool when you talk to him."


    "I do not," I insist, grabbing my heels and slipping them on. "He''s like a third big brother. It could never happen."


    "Whatever you say." The smirk she gives me makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Max would be just Monique''s type. I mean, who wouldn''t be into him? Tall, dark, stacked. Muscles and tattoos for days and more than a hint of danger-he''s a freaking walking wet dream. And even if he isn''t her type, she''d fuck him just to get one up on me. Note to self-remind the great Max DiMarco that your friends are off-limits.

 52

    MAX


    My phone buzzes in my hand and Dmitri Varkov''s name shes on the screen. I''ve been waiting for his call. I tap the screen to answer, looking at the Chicago skyline through my apartment window. "Tell me where we''re at." "He''s gone underground. Still not prepared to go down quietly," he replies.


    "Well, we never expected him to," I remind him. Dominik Pushkin was the head of the Russian Bratva for over twenty years. I doubt he ever expected his leadership to be challenged, particrly because he has two capable sons, and especially not by Dmitri Varkov.


    "I know that, but I didn''t anticipate him putting up the fight he has. I''ve lost a dozen good men already."


    Rage prickles beneath my skin and my right hand balls into a fist. We also lost two menst week, but that''s the nature of our business. "You''re trying to take over as the new head of the fucking Bratva, Dmitri. What the hell did you expect? That he''d just roll over and hand you the keys to his kingdom?"


    "No!"


    "If you''re getting cold feet and you need us to handle this ourselves-"


    "No. I can handle it," he says.


    "You know that Dante and Lorenzo can''t be seen to let this go. This is their father''s murder we''re talking about."


    "I know, Maximo. There''s no need for any of you to get more involved than you already are. Let me handle this my way."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the tension headache that''s been building for the past few hours. Dmitri is in a tenuous position. Having the backing of the Moretti brothers can be both a blessing and a curse. The Morettis rule Chicago, and their seal of approval basically grants Dmitri permission to challenge the top. But there''s an addedplication that makes this a fine line for him to walk-the new head of the Bratva can''t be perceived as ackey to the Sicilian Mafia. An alliance is good for business, but Dmitri needs to prove that he''s equally powerful standing alone. And Dante and Lorenzo cannot allow Pushkin to evade their wrath much longer, not after they openly used him of murdering their father, Salvatore Moretti.


    He didn''t. Dante killed Sal himself after he discovered the sick, twisted shit his father was involved in for years.


    But that secret will remain locked within the Morettipound. Family business is family business. Besides, the lie is a great excuse to get rid of that piece of shit.


    "I underestimated the support he''d have with the other families. I had to be careful about uncovering the evidence with everything that was involved," he says pointedly.


    He means everyone, not everything. More specifically, one person. Salvatore Moretti. Things would''ve have been easier for Dmitri if he could have exposed his former boss''s full role in the sex trafficking ring much earlier. It would''ve turned most of the other families against him immediately, but because Sal was involved in the whole fucked-up situation, he had to be discreet about it.


    "Both Dante and Lorenzo appreciate your discretion in keeping their father''s name out of any scandal."


    "I gave them my word."


    Dmitri is a man of his word. And he''s a hell of a lot easier to work with than his predecessor. Hell, I actually kinda like the guy. But this is business, and given the stakes involved, I can''t allow any leniency. If he can''t bring Pushkin to us soon, then we will be forced to find him ourselves. And that really won''t look good for him.


    "Do you have any idea where''s he''s hiding?"


    "I''m working on it. Now that I''ve been able to reveal what Pushkin was involved in without implicating Salvatore and they''ve all seen the proof for themselves, things should move more quickly. His sons have gone to ground too. They''re running scared. It won''t be long before we find them and deal with them."


    "Good."


    "I have some leads to follow tomorrow if you''re interested in tagging along?"


    I rub a hand over my jaw. "I can''t. I have some shit to deal with."


    "I''ll keep you informed then."


    "Before you go, I wondered if you could look into something else for me." I don''t have a lot for him to go on, but I need answers fast, and he''s well connected. "Sure. What is it?"


    I recall everything Kristin told me about the father of her baby. "I''m looking for a guy. I only have a first name, but I think he''s probably Bratva." "Is he local?"


    "No. New Jersey. At least he was there around six months ago. I don''t think he was from there, but he definitely operated around those parts." "His name?"


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    "Jakob."


    "Anything else?"


    "Tall. Shaved head. Twenty-four. Russian." I don''t tell Dmitri about his dreamy eyes, killer smile, or abs for days-which were the only other details Kristin gave me. "Why do you think he was Bratva?"


    "Just a feeling." Everything about the way she described him, his tattoos, his paranoia, the way he disappeared at a moment''s notice, his money, it all screamed Bratva.


    "I''ll ask around, but it''s not a lot to go on. Unless he''s someone high up, then maybe I can trace him."


    "If you could get me a name and a location, I''d appreciate it."


    "Anything I should be concerned about?"


    "No. Just helping out a friend."


    "I''ll see what I can do. And I''ll keep you updated on Pushkin."


    I end the call and stare out the window. Kristin''s situation is a problem I could do without right now. With everything going on for Lorenzo and Dante, I need to pick up the ck, but instead I''m distracted looking for Kristin''s father. And then of course there''s my other distraction. My constant, makes my cock twitch just looking at her, sarcastic, spoiled brat, ray of utter fucking sunshine of a distraction. I open the app on my phone and stare at the small blue dot on the screen.


    That''s her. Joey Moretti. My girl. At some bar with her friends. I didn''t stick around after her workout today to see what she chose to wear to go to said bar, but I can guarantee it was short and tight. The best outfit she could find to show off her perfect long legs. The amount of time I spend tracking her movements is borderline obsessive. But what else can I do? Knowing that she''s out there without my protection. Knowing that some jackass is probably salivating over her right now, thinking he might have a shot with her. Thinking about touching her. Actually touching her.


    Rage bubbles up in my chest and sears through my skin at the thought of another man putting their hands on her. I stare at the dot on the screen. She has two armed escorts with her. They''re some of her brother''s best men. She''s safe. She''s also in a bar with dozens of guys who would love to fuck her.


    Grabbing my cell, I stuff it into my pocket and walk into the den to grab the keys to my bike.


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    "Are you going out?" Kristin asks. She''s curled on the sofa, watching a movie on herptop even though I have a huge TV.


    "Yeah." I swallow the knot of guilt. She''s perfectly safe here, and I can''t babysit her all the time. I still have a life to live while I''m helping her out. "I have somewhere I need to be."


    She frowns at me. "You have a date?"


    "Not that it''s any of your business, but no."


    "When will you be back?"


    I nce at my watch. It''s a little after ten, and Joey usually heads home around midnight on Friday nights so she can be awake and ready for Gabrie on Saturday morning. "Two hours. Maybe three. Don''t wait up."


    "You know I will anyway," she says with a sigh.


    "You shouldn''t though, Kristin. I''m more than capable of looking after myself and you are safer here than anywhere else in the world. I promise you."


    "I know. I just..." Her throat contracts as she swallows.


    She''s just a pregnant and terrified eighteen-year-old who just lost the only person in the world she''s been able to depend on. And while Uncle Vito might be a piece of shit for having an affair with his brother''s wife-my mom-and running off with her, he''s still Kristin''s father. I may have only known about my baby sister for a week, but she deserves a better big brother than the one she got.


    I close my eyes and sigh. Joey is fine. She''s safe. Me going to that bar and watching her for the next few hours will only end the same way it always does-me frustrated, with a raging boner and only my hand to fuck.


    Tossing my keys back onto the sideboard, I walk to the sofa and flop down beside Kristin. "What are we watching?"


    "Bridesmaids," she says with a smile.


    "Then can we at least watch it on the TV instead of this tiny ass screen?"


    She picks up the TV remote from the table beside her and hands it to me. "Sure."

 53

    JOEY


    "Oh fuck me, it''s MoJo," a familiar voice shouts.


    "Toby Fiore!" Mo shrieks, arms thrown wide, almost knocking me out of the way as she lunges for the guy standing behind me. Toby was our friend in high school. Actually, he was more like our obedient puppy dog the way he used to follow us around. Mo never really had much time for him, so I figure her reaction has more to do with the six cocktails she''s knocked back in the past hour than happiness at seeing our old friend.


    However, when I spin around to say hi too, I realize why Mo''s so happy to see him. It seems our buddy Toby grew up while he was away at college. Gone is the skinny boy with the shy smile and braces, and in his ce is a fine ass man with muscles and stubble and twinkling hazel eyes.


    Mo''s literally hanging off him with her arms around his neck. He rolls his eyes at me. "Hey, Joey," he mouths over the loud music.


    "Hey."


    When Mo finally lets him go, I give him a quick hug. "It''s good to see you," he says with a smile, revealing perfect white teeth. I guess those braces really paid off.


    "You too. I haven''t heard MoJo for a long time." Iugh, recalling our high school nickname. I kind of hated it, but Mo loved it. The moniker stuck with us right through to our senior year.


    Heughs too, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes.


    "Toby,e buy me a drink." Mo tugs on his arm and pulls him toward the bar.


    "You want one?" he asks, looking down at my almost-empty ss.


    "Sure. I''ll take a rum and coke."


    "Rum and coke," he repeats, his eyes fixed on mine. Wow. Toby has really grown up. He went away to Berkeley, and rumor had it he was going to stay in California because he got a job with an ounting firm. I wonder if he''s only here to visit his family. It will be nice to catch up with him if he''s in town long enough. He and I had a lot inmon when we were younger. He was a good friend.


    Lexi sidles up to me, nudging my arm while I watch Toby and Mo disappear into the crowd. "Wow. Toby got hot."


    "He was always cute," I remind her.


    "Yeah, but now he is h-o-t, hot." She waggles her eyebrows at me. "You think he''s back for good?"


    "I dunno."


    "He used to have it so bad for you. You remember?" She giggles.


    "No. We were just good friends," I insist, although I do remember the way he used to look at me with those puppy dog eyes of his. But I was always more interested in assholes back then. "He lurves you," Lexi says, sniggering.


    Nyxes over and wraps an arm around her waist. "Come dance with me, babe."


    Lexi bites on her lip and stares at me, her huge brown eyes wide and pleading.


    "Go dance," I tell her. "I''ll wait here for Toby and Mo."


    * *


    It''s midnight, and it''s time to go if I''m going to have enough energy to look after Gabrie tomorrow. Mo and Toby appear deep in conversation when I approach to let them know I''m about to leave. Toby checks his watch. "Actually, I need to head out too. You need a ride?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Nah. I got my armed escorts." I gesture toward Henry and Ash who are standing about twenty feet away from me, where they''ve been all night. I''m so used to them now, I usually forget they''re there. "Of course you do," he says with a smile. "You mind if I grab a ride with you then? I won''t need to bother my dad''s driver."


    "Sure. But what about you, Mo?" Lexi and Nyx left a half hour ago, and I don''t want to leave her here alone.


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    She links her arm through Toby''s. "I''lle too. You can drop me at home, right?" she asks me.


    "Of course." I take her other arm and we walk out of the club with Henry and Ash.


    When Henry pulls the car to the curb outside Mo''s house, I tell her good night and lean over Toby, giving her a quick kiss.


    "Night," she says, but then she focuses all her attention on Toby, and I smile to myself. The poor guy has no chance. "You wannae in? I have beer and nachos."


    "I really have to get home. I have an early thing tomorrow." He shrugs, a sad expression on his face, like he really would rather stay here with her.


    Mo''s face falls. She''s not used to being turned down. "Fine," she huffs. "Maybe next time?"


    He nods agreeably. "Maybe."


    Mo climbs out of the car, and we watch to make sure she''s safely inside before Henry drives off.


    Toby doesn''t make any attempt to scoot into Mo''s now-empty seat. Ash nces back at the two of us. "Your ce, Toby?"


    Toby looks at me and arches an eyebrow. "Um."


    I offer a casual shrug. "I only have waffles."


    "Now waffles I can get with." Heughs.


    "Home then?" Ash asks me with a grin.


    "Yes please." I settle back in my seat and turn my attention back to Toby. "So, tell me, are you home for good?"


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    ***


    Toby and I sit opposite each other at the huge wooden table in my kitchen, fresh waffles covered in syrup in front of us. "This reminds me of back in high school. We always had waffles after we snuck home from a party," he says, looking around the room. "This ce has barely changed."


    "Hmm." I wrinkle my nose. "It''s the same andpletely different."


    "I was sorry to hear about your dad."


    I feign a well-practiced smile. My father was a monster and my life is way better without him in it. But I don''t tell Toby that. "Thanks," I say instead.


    "You sure your brothers are going to be okay with me being here?" He nces at the door as though he half expects them to burst in here any second and break his arms and legs.


    "Rx, Toby, we''re just eating waffles."


    "I know." He grins.


    "It''s so good to have you back. I missed you," I say honestly. He was such a good friend to me back in the day. And now that he''s back in Chicago for good, it will be nice to spend time with him.


    "I missed you too, Joey. Now, I''ve bored you with every single detail about my time at Berkeley, so you have to tell me what it was like going to school in Italy."


    I roll my eyes. "You make it sound way more exciting than it was."


    "I bet it was cool." He stuffs a piece of waffle into his mouth and syrup runs down his chin. He licks it off, staring at me like I''m the most fascinating person in the world as he waits for me to talk.


    "Well, there was this one girl I really liked, Cherry. She was from Ennd, but her parents sent her to St. Agatha''s because she was such a handful. Some of the stuff she used to get us into ..." I snicker, remembering the time she caused a riot in the cafeteria just so we could sneak out and go to the beach.


    Toby leans forward, arms resting on the table. "So, tell me."

 54

    JOEY


    "I forgot to mention Toby Fiore was back home. Did you and he have a chance to catch up?" Dante arches an eyebrow as he spears a strip of beef filet with a fork while bncing his daughter on hisp.


    I resist rolling my eyes. "You know we did." I''m well aware that Ash and Henry inform my older brothers of almost every move I make. I''ve tried to stop letting it get to me and ept that it''s an inescapable consequence of being a Moretti. A slight frown furrows his brow. "Yes, I know he came herest night. I was just making conversation, Joey. I don''t want details."


    I wrinkle my nose. "There are no details to give. He''s my friend, D."


    "I wasn''t suggesting..." He sighs and shakes his head. "Where is this club you''re going to tonight?"


    "Downtown. It''s new. They offered to put me and the girls on the guest list. We get a VIP booth and everything."


    "Hmm." He narrows his eyes.


    "What?" I set my silverware down, ready to argue my case if he starts pulling any of his sexist, overprotective bullshit.


    "I don''t like people using you for free publicity is all."


    "Free publicity?" I frown.


    "Yes."


    "How am I free publicity?"


    "You''re Joey Moretti," he says, scowling. "Everyone in this city knows who you are. You think they gave you a free booth out of the goodness of their hearts?"


    I shrug, unbothered. "Whatever the reason, it sounds like it''ll be fun."


    He closes his eyes and sucks in a breath that makes me wonder what he''s thinking. I know he''d rather I stay home where he can keep a closer eye on me, but that''s not the life I want to lead. "Henry and Ash will go with you." "Of course."


    "Is this going to be your life now? Partying and going out with your friends every night?"


    "I go out two or three nights a week, Dante," I say with a sigh. "I''m twenty-two, it''s what young people do."


    "I know..." Gabrie starts to fuss, and he bounces her on his knee. "But you could do so much more."


    I lean forward in my chair. "Such as?"


    "What do you want to do?"


    Narrowing my eyes, I stare at him with suspicion. Is this a trick question? "I want to work in the family business."


    I expect him tough at me, but he regards me with curiosity. "You do?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay." He takes another bite of his steak.


    "What?" I blink at him. I must have slipped into an alternate universe.


    "I said okay. Let me speak to Lorenzo and see where he thinks would be a good ce for you to start. Unless you have an idea of what you''d like to do?"


    "Are you serious?"


    "Yes."


    "Fuck me," I mutter.


    "Don''t curse in front of my daughter," he says with a slight frown.


    "Sorry, but this is pretty epic, D. I mean, you''ve never once given me any indication that I could work with you and Lorenzo."


    Dante shrugs. "Well, things are different now."


    They sure as hell are! "I don''t know where I''d like to start yet, but I''ll think about it. And I''ll consider your and Lorenzo''s suggestions about it too." As much as they drive me crazy, my brothers are the family business, and they know it inside and out.


    "Okay."


    I lean on my elbow, watching him as he eats and smiles at his daughter. "Thank you, D."


    He waves his hand dismissively, unustomed to my gratitude. "It''s about time you did something to pay your way around here."


    "Did Kat do something freaky to you before she left or something?"


    "Joey!"


    "I''m sorry, but you''re in an exceptionally good mood." Iugh, and Gabrie giggles too, like she understands what I''m saying.


    "I''m always in a good mood, aren''t I, sunshine?" he says to his daughter, who squeals in response.


    "D?" Max''s voice drifts through the open doorway, and I smile to myself. Any day I get to see Max''s fine ass is a good day.


    "In here," Dante shouts, and a few secondster, Max walks through the door, dressed in jeans and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves, looking way finer than any man ought to look. He eyes Dante''s steak.


    "You want some lunch?" my brother asks, nodding down at his te.


    "No. I already ate. I spoke to Dmitrist night, just wanted to give you an update."


    I know Dmitri Varkov is in the middle of a takeover and that the man he''s trying to oust is the same man my brothers pinned our father''s murder on, but I''m not sure what Dante and Lorenzo have to do with it. I lean forward in my seat, curious to know more.


    Dante''s brow furrows into a frown. "Give me fifteen minutes to put Gabrie down for her nap and then I''ll meet you in my study."


    I guess he isn''t quite ready to involve me in all the family business just yet.


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    Dante leaves the room with my niece, leaving Max and I alone. He sits beside me and steals a slice of tomato from my te. "How was your night out?" "Fun."


    He arches an eyebrow at me. "Fun?"


    "Yes. You know what that is, right? Something people do when they have a life."


    His eyes darken. I''d like to im I have no idea why I enjoy pushing his buttons so much, but that would be a lie. I love to get a rise out of him. Seeing that thick vein bulge in his neck and his eyes turn so dark they smolder like coal makes butterflies swirl in my stomach.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Who did you go out with?" His tone remains cool even as his eyes burn into my skin.


    "Monique and Lexi. And Lexi''s guy friend, Nyx."


    He narrows his eyes.


    I let out an exasperated sigh. "What?"


    "Monique DeLuca is trouble, Joey."


    "Yeah, you''ve been telling me that since I was fourteen, but guess what, Max? You don''t get to tell me who I can be friends with."


    He grunts in response.


    "Most guys love Mo." Does he? He''s never had much time for her, but does he avoid her because he secretly likes her?


    He scoffs. "Most guys see her as an easyy."


    "Max!" I snap. "That''spletely sexist."


    "How is it sexist if it''s the truth? She goes home with a different guy every single time you go out."


    "How do you know? You been keeping an eye on her? Wishing it was you she''d go home with instead?" How the hell does he know who Mo goes home with? And why does he care? "Don''t be ridiculous. Mo?" He snorts.


    "You don''t like her?"


    He stares into my eyes when he answers. "Not even a little."


    "You know she''d fuck you just to mess with me though?"


    "Yes."


    "Because you and I are friends," I add quickly, my cheeks flushing pink.


    "Of course." The corners of his eyes crinkle as he fights back a smile. Asshole. "And doesn''t that tell you all you need to know about the kind of friend she is?"


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    I want to roll my eyes so bad right now. I hate when he''s right. "Anyway, Mo didn''t go home with a guyst night."


    "Well, there''s a first time for everything."


    "I did though."


    His expression darkens, and I feel the heat from his gaze in the very pit of my stomach. Wow!


    "You didn''t. Henry and Ash wouldn''t have let you go home with some guy," he says with a snarl.


    How do you know that, Max? Why are you so interested in me going home with a guy? "Well, no. He came here instead." I shrug casually.


    "Who?" "Toby Fiore."


    "Michael''s son?"


    "Yeah. I haven''t seen him since high school, so he came back here and ..." I don''t finish the sentence because I''m having way too much fun watching the vein pulse in his neck. What I wouldn''t give to run my tongue along it and taste his skin. "And what?" he demands. The deep,manding timbre of his voice rumbles through my bones and goes straight between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together to give myself relief from the throbbing ache building in my pussy. "We ate waffles and talked about our time away at college."


    "You ate waffles and talked?"


    "Yes. You think he''d try anything else?" Iugh. "He probably thought there were cameras watching his every move."


    His dark eyes narrow, his intense stare making me feel like I''m seconds away from melting into a puddle in this chair. "Did you want him to try something?"


    I probably shouldn''t answer that, but beneath all the weird ass tension between us, Max is kind of my best friend. "Notst night, no. But that doesn''t mean never. He is kind of cute," I say truthfully.


    Max doesn''t reply. He goes on staring at me, his jaw ticking. And now I don''t want him thinking about me and Toby. It feels too weird. "Anyway, I''m not sure he even likes me." That''s a lie, but maybe he''ll buy it. "I invited him to that new club opening downtown tonight, but he said he''s busy."


    "Well, maybe he is. He just started working for his dad."


    Toby''s dad is Michael Fiore and he''s been our family''s ountant forever. "What ountant works on a Saturday night?"


    "Your brothers'' ountant works when he''s told to, Joey," he says with a smile.


    "I guess."


    "So, this club?"


    "Killers." I wiggle my eyebrows at him.


    "Ah yeah. It used to be called Mika''s back when Dante and I went there. But I know the new owners."


    I roll my eyes. "Of course you do."


    He leans forward, and I catch the scent of him, cologne and fresh air and sex. Damn, he is the finest man to ever walk this earth. "One of these days, you''re going to regret rolling those eyes at me, Joey," he says with a dark chuckle. Then he takes another slice of tomato from my te, pops it into his mouth, and strolls out of the room.

 55

    MAX


    Anger bubbles beneath my skin and the ache in my forearms reminds me to unclench my fists. I have no fucking right at all to be pissed about who Joey spends time with, but I want to cut that little fucker Toby''s throat with a rusty hacksaw. "Hey." Dante walks up beside me. "Everything okay?"


    "Hmm," I mumble as we head to his study together.


    When we''re both seated in his office, he eyes me with concern. "So, Dmitri?"


    "He still hasn''t found Pushkin, and although he assures me he''s doing all he can-"


    "It''s not enough," Dante says, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "He knows that. I told him as muchst night."


    "We need him found, Max, before..." he shakes his head in annoyance.


    "He''s kept your father''s name out of it. He alerted the other families to what Pushkin was doing without implicating Sal in any way. Nobody''s going to find out, D."


    Dante nods, but worry etches his brow.


    "We''ll take care of it," I assure him. "And if Dmitri hasn''t found Pushkin by the end of the month, then I''ll just fucking find him myself."


    "No. I need you here. Lorenzo needs us."


    "I know." I nod in agreement. Lorenzo is spending as much time as he can with his sick wife right now.


    Dante sits straighter in his chair, running a hand over his beard. "Besides, this is a Bratva problem. That was the whole fucking point of pinning my father''s murder on Pushkin and backing Dmitri, so he could sort this mess out for us." "Maybe he just needs a timely reminder of who he''s dealing with?" I suggest, and not only because I believe that''s true, but also because I need to do something with all this pent-up rage bubbling inside me. I could happily tear someone''s head off their shoulders right about now.


    Dante stands and grabs his suit jacket. "You''re right. I think we should pay our friend a visit."


    ***


    "You know Toby Fiore was at your housest night? With Joey?"


    Dante''s driving, but he takes his eyes off the road for a second to give me a wry look. "Of course I do."


    "And you''re okay with that?"


    "They were eating waffles in the kitchen, Max. What do you expect me not to be okay with?"


    "It starts with waffles in the kitchen." I say with a frown. The image of her sitting with himughing, flirting, smiling-burns an imprint in my brain. Did he touch her? Kiss her? She said he didn''t, but would she tell me? "And it goes where?" Heughs. "As she reminds us almost every damn day, she''s an adult. She''s going to date, Max, and Toby is..."


    "He''s what?" I scowl at him. Toby Fiore is an asshole. And he''s nowhere near good enough for Joey Moretti.


    "Hees from a good, loyal family. He''s the same age as her. He''s got brains. He''s respectful. From what Ash said, he didn''t make any moves. They''re friends."


    "So, you''d be happy with your sister dating him?"


    He frowns at me. "He''s not the worst guy she could date, Max. Actually, I think he could be good for her."


    I grind my teeth together and keep my mouth shut. If I disagree with him, he might see right through me.


    Dmitri''s surprised to see us when we pull up at the gates of his house, but he wees us inside. A few momentster, we''re seated opposite him and his younger brother, Kyzen, in the study.


    "I wasn''t expecting you, Dante," Dmitri says with a frown. "Is something wrong?"


    "Just want to know where things are at with your former boss," Dante replies.


    Dmitri nces at me before he looks back to Dante. "As I told Maximost night, it is proving more difficult than I''d hoped to find Pushkin. He has a lot of friends."


    "Even after everything they''ve found out about what he was involved in?"


    "The tide is turning against him, slowly. People have epted that I''ve taken over, but Pushkin has many allies. He was their leader for over twenty years," he reminds us in his slight Russian ent. "It''s turning too slowly," Dante says.


    "We are doing everything we can," Kyzen pipes up.


    "Did I fucking ask your opinion?" Dante asks, a deep scowl furrowing his brow.


    "We can only work with what we know," Dmitri interrupts, shooting his brother a warning nce. He''s always been much more levelheaded than his younger sibling. "I promise you that we will deliver him to you soon. Everyone knows he is the man in the frame for killing your father," he says pointedly.


    Dmitri doesn''t know Dante murdered his own father, but I suspect he knows that Pushkin didn''t do it either. The two men were in business together for years. Still, he''s never pushed for more of an exnation than the one Dante gave him months ago. He was already preparing to orchestrate the takeover and having the Morettis'' backing to do so escted and fortified his ns.


    "And this is why I can''t sit back while you chase your fucking tail trying to find him, Dmitri," Dante snaps. "I cannot put my father''s death to rest until we have vengeance on the man who killed him." Dante and Lorenzo have yed the dutiful role of mourning sons perfectly and managed to convince the entire world that Pushkin killed Sal, but there''s only so long his death can appear to go unpunished.


    "I understand," Dmitri says with a solemn nod. "But I swear to you that I am doing all I can."


    "Do more," Dante says calmly, but the threat in his tone is implicit.


    "It would be a hell of a lot easier if we could have blown the whole trafficking ring wide open from the start," Kyzen retorts. "But instead we had to protect your family name."


    Dante turns in his seat, but he doesn''t have time to respond before I''m on my feet. I grab Kyzen by the throat, pull him up, and squeeze until he struggles to breathe.


    Dmitri stands too, but Dante signals him to sit his ass back down and he does.


    "You ever speak to Mr. Moretti like that again, you piece of shit, your brother will be cleaning your tongue off his carpet. You got that?"


    He res at me even as his face turns purple, but he nods his understanding, and I drop him back into his seat.


    "We''ve been friends for a long time, Dmitri," Dante reminds him. "There''s no reason to waste this opportunity to strengthen our alliance, but if you don''t deliver some results soon, I''ll be forced to take matters into my own hands." Dmitri bristles. He knows that could make him look weak after he openly challenged Pushkin for leadership. "I will find him."


    "See that you do." Dante stands, and I follow him out of the study. There''s nothing left to say.


    "You going to stick around when we get back to the house?" he asks me as we reach his car.


    "I wasn''t nning on it." I promised Kristin I''d do more to look for her father today.


    "I haven''t seen much of you this past week."


    "I know. The new casino deal is keeping me busy." That isn''t aplete lie. We''re in the process of buying our own casino, and it''s upied a fair bit of my time, partly because the current owners, Ralf and Micah Strauss, are resistant to selling outright. They want to form a partnership, but that shit isn''t gonna happen.


    "It should settle down soon," he says, opening the car door. "I got a Skype meeting with Ralfter tonight to discuss final terms. Until then, you just keep putting the pressure on where you can."


    "dly." I''m happy to put pressure on anyone at any time if it might help relieve some of the tension that''s gued metely.


    ***


    I press my boot against the neck of the man on the ground until his cries for mercy are cut off by his desperate gasps for breath. I train my eyes on the man in front of me instead-the one who''s currently pissing his pants-and wrap a hand around his throat..


    "Do not make me ask you again, fuckface. When was thest time you saw Vito DiMarco?"


    Tears run down his cheeks. Pathetic asshole. "I-I don''t know any Vito-" I squeeze harder and he wheezes. He''s lying. Kristin gave me his name. Or at least the nickname he goes by-Monty. She told me he was from Chicago but used to asionally visit them in New Jersey. A little digging led me to this guy-awyer named Montgomery Lincoln; he''s married with four kids but has a penchant for men with tattoos and shaved heads. Much like the one writhing beneath my boot.


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    "If you lie to me again, I will snap your friend''s neck and then you''ll have a hell of a job exining his naked corpse to your wife when she gets home. Now tell me when you saw Vito." "I-it w-was over a year ago."


    "Where?"


    "New Jersey. At his house." He nces down at his lover who''s turned a mottled shade of dark purple beneath my boot. Loverboy is running out of time, and Monty knows it. "I don''t have it. I swear. I don''t even know where it is." Now I''m getting somewhere. "Have what?"Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "The recording. Isn''t that what you''re looking for?"


    What fucking recording? "Who does have it?"


    "Vito. He keeps it in a safe in a storage locker somewhere. I don''t even know where. If anything happens to him and he doesn''t check in with the storagepany on the first of every month, they send it to me. That''s the deal." "And then you?"


    "I send it to the press."


    "The press? Not the police?"


    He wheezes, and I decrease the pressure on his throat. "Vito said the police would bury it. The guy on the recording is a big deal."


    "What is on the recording, Monty? And you got about forty-five seconds before his neck snaps under my foot."


    "A murder," he blurts out, ncing at his lover and then back at me. "I don''t know who''s on it though, I swear."


    I lift my boot off the throat of the man on the floor. "Do not fucking move," I warn him.


    He rubs at his raw skin and nods his understanding.


    "So Vito has evidence of a murder. But you don''t know who it involves?"


    "No. I swear to you. He said it was safer if I didn''t know. I just know the guy involved is big. I was just going to be the middleman."


    "You know who the victim is?"


    "No."


    "Was Vito ckmailing this guy? The killer?"


    "No. Well, not for money. To keep his family safe."


    I let go of Monty''s neck and push him back on the bed. "You have any idea at all who''s on that recording?"


    "Given who Vito is and who his brother worked for, my best guess would be a Moretti."


    Who his brother worked for. The reminder of my father feels like a punch to my gut.


    "His brother has been dead for eighteen years. Vito left Chicago before that. How long has he been sitting on this recording?"


    "Ten or eleven years."


    "Why do you think it has something to do with the Morettis?"


    "Because he was in Chicago the night it happened and there was nobody bigger in this city than Salvatore Moretti. And now his sons too." Monty shudders. It''s obvious he has no idea who I am. "Do you work for them? Is that why you''re looking for the recording? Have they found out? Have they taken him?"


    I shake my head. So many questions. I should just shoot Monty and his naked lover right now. Let his wifee home and find the pair of them in each other''s arms. "No. I don''t work for the Morettis. How are you involved in this?"


    "I used to be Vito''swyer. He came to me that night. Rambling about how he was going to show his nephew who the real traitor was."


    "His nephew?"


    Monty nods.


    Me.


    Monty Lincoln just bought himself and his buddy a reprieve.


    "If that recording ever finds its way to you, you contact me and only me. You got that?"


    "I d-don''t have your number," he stammers. "Or your name,"


    "I have yours. I''ll send you a number you can reach me onter. Someone has taken Vito, and right now you''re the only man I know who can help me. But if that recording ends up in the press, Monty"-I take a threatening step forward-"I will make you watch while I murder your wife. Then I will carve out your heart while it''s still beating and feed it to your orphan children for dinner. You understand me?"


    His face turns gray, and he puts a hand over his mouth, gagging. "You ... you won''t tell her about this, will you?" He looks at the guy on the floor.


    "I have no interest in the fact that you''re fucking around behind your wife''s back, but I am very interested in anything to do with Vito DiMarco. That''s all you need to be concerned about right now."


    I walk out, leaving Monty to help his friend off the floor. I have more questions now than I did when I got here, and I''m wound tighter than I was a few hours ago.


    What the fuck is on that video? Why did Uncle Vito tell Monty he wanted to show me who the real traitor was? And how could my uncle possibly think he isn''t the traitor to the DiMarco name when he screwed around with his brother''s wife and then fucked off to New Jersey when shit got hard? Vito was always good at ming other people for his failings. Salvatore Moretti might have been a cruel and twisted piece of shit, but he always had my back when I needed him. Walking to my bike, I dial Kristin.


    She answers on the first ring.


    "Hey, how are you doing?"


    "Good, I guess," she says. "Did you find out anything about my dad yet?"


    "Maybe. Do you know anything about a storage locker he has?"


    "No. Why?"


    "Did he ever mention a video recording of someone?"


    "No, Max. Is that why someone took him? A recording?"


    "I don''t know. I''m still looking into it." I sigh, scrubbing a hand through my hair.


    "When will you be home?"


    I shake my head. I''m too wired and pumped up to go home right now. I need to do something about all the rage burning up inside of me before I explode. And I need to see her. I can''t get her out of my fucking head. "I''ll be a few more hours yet. Don''t wait up for me, okay?"


    She sighs. "Okay."


    "You''re safe there, Kristin," I remind her.


    "I know."


    "I''ll see you in the morning."


    "Bye, Max."

 56

    MAX


    When I get to the new club downtown half an hourter, Henry and Ash are positioned near the entrance, their eyes trained on Joey. I follow their gaze to where she stands with two other girls and a group of older guys. Way older guys. "Who the fuck are they?" I ask as I approach.


    Henry keeps his eyes on Joey while Ash turns to me. "No idea, Boss. Look like city types. They''ve been talking to the girls for about a half hour now. Bought them a few drinks."


    "Have either of you spoken to Joey?" They''re supposed to keep their distance when she''s out with her friends, but I like them to actually check in with her at least once every few hours.


    Henry nods. "I checked in on her about ten minutes ago. She said she was fine and having a good time."


    "Hmm." I chew on my lip and watch her. One of the guys leans close and whispers something in her ear that makes herugh. His hand dusts over her hip and my chest tightens. "You two can finish up."


    "You sure, boss?" Ash asks.


    "Yeah. I can take it from here."


    "You wanna go grab a bite?" Henry asks his buddy.


    Ash agrees and they head out, leaving me to stand alone at the bar and watch my girl. Too busy having fun with her friends and flirting with the guys who are old enough to be her father, she doesn''t look over and notice that her security detail has changed. I re at the one who keeps touching her-brushing her arm, bumping her hip when he talks to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He''s at least twenty years older than her, and he''s going to lose that fucking hand if he puts it on her one more time.


    "You here alone?" a soft voice says, giggling in my ear. I turn my head and find Monique standing beside me.


    "Hey, Mo," I give her a disinterested nod and return my attention to Joey and the piece of shit who''s practically salivating over her. She smiles at him, and he cups her chin in his hand. Does this jackass actually think he gets to kiss her? Monique puts her hand on my arm. "You want a drink?"


    "Nope. I''m working."


    "Are you Joey''s bodyguard for this evening then?" she whispers, her lips close to my ear.


    I shrug her off. "What do you want, Monique? Shouldn''t you be over there with Joey having fun?"


    "Nah. Those douchebags she and the girls are talking to are assholes."


    Well, at least we can agree on that. "Who''s that other girl? I''ve never seen her before."


    "That''s Amy," Monique says with a dramatic sigh. "Lexi invited her out. They went to college together. You want a mint?" She takes a small tin out of her purse.


    "Is that your pickup line?" I ask her with a smirk, keeping one eye on Joey and the douchebags.


    Sheughs, then holds the breath mints in front of my face. The design catches my attention, and I take the tin from her, studying it. Elena''s Erotic Arena is printed on the top of the lid in neon pink. "What the hell have you been doing at a sex club in Racine?"


    She opens her mouth and then closes it again in an incredibly rare disy of being lost for words. Her cheeks turn bright red. "I w-wasn''t. My boyfriend lives above the ce." She snatches the tin out of my hand and shoves it back in her purse.


    She disappears into the crowd, and I roll my eyes. I don''t give a fuck if she visits a sex club. As long as she doesn''t take Joey with her anyway. Speaking of... I turn my attention back to Joey and almost lose my shit when I see that asshole put his hand on her fucking ass and squeeze it. I barge through the crowd until I''m standing right behind him. Joey sees me first and her eyes widen. All the while, that fucker''s hand stays on her ass. My fucking ass.


    Grabbing him by the hair, I yank his head back and grab his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back until I feel the satisfying pop of his shoulder dislocating. His agonized scream makes me grin menacingly. I shove him and he drops to the floor. "Max!" Joey reprimands while his two friendse at me.


    "You really want some too?" I say with a snarl as they hold their fists up like they have a snowball''s chance in hell ofnding a punch.


    They look at me and then at each other before they crouch down and help their friend instead.


    "What the fuck, dude?" one of them says as the fucker struggles to sit up, his arm dangling at an unnatural angle.


    "Any of you ever touch her again, and I will tear every one of your limbs from your fucking bodies and wrap them around your throats."


    "What the hell are you doing?" Joey shrieks as bar security surrounds us. They all know me-or know of me-so they focus on the asshole and his two buddies rather than me.


    I grab Joey by the arm. "Say goodnight to your friends. You''re leaving."


    She opens her mouth to argue, and I re at her. I guess she recognizes the look in my eyes because she rolls hers and says goodnight to her friends, who stare at me with an equal measure of wariness and amusement. Marching Joey through the crowd and out the back exit, I feel the rage vibrating through her body.


    We step into the cool night air, and as soon as I release my grip on her, she spins on her heel and ps me across the face so hard that I bite my lip. Running my tongue over the inside of my mouth, I taste blood. Brat!


    "What the hell was that?" she shouts.


    "He was old enough to be your father."


    Her beautiful face twists into a scowl. "So? He was just talking to me."


    "He was holding onto your fucking ass like it was his personal property."


    She folds her arms across her chest. "You are unbelievable, you know that? I was just having a little fun. It was harmless."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "It''s not harmless when he wants some sort of payback for the drinks he''s been buying you, because that''s what guys like him are about, Joey. It''s not harmless when he''s trying to get you back to his ce for a quick-" I rake my hands through my hair. She''s too distracting and I''ve said too much already.


    "A quick what, Max? A quick fuck?"


    Her sneer shreds thest sliver of restraint I have. I push her against the wall, making her gasp as I press my body against hers, ttening her next to the cool brick. She stares up at me with those huge brown eyes, rough breaths fluttering against her full pink lips. My cock strains against the zipper of my jeans. I know she can feel me. She rocks her hips, grinding herself on me. Before I can think through the consequences of what I''m doing, I wrap a hand around her throat. "You want to be fucked, Joey? Is that it?"


    Her breath catches. Her beautiful tits shudder against my chest. "You''re too afraid of my brothers to fuck me."


    "You think?" My free hand coasts down her body, over her ribs and the curve of her hip, making her shiver. Her dark eyes burn into mine. "Yeah."


    I grip the edge of her short dress and she lets out the softest and sexiest little moan I''ve ever heard in my entire goddamn life. Yanking it up, I push my hand between her thighs and brush my fingertips over the tiny scrap of fabric covering her pussy. It''s damp. And I am fucking done for. I squeeze her throat a little harder. "Are you wet?"


    "Yes."


    "Why? Because that jackass was touching you?"


    "What do you care?" she snaps, and her smart mouth makes my cock throb.


    Curling the tips of my fingers around the soft material, I tug her panties aside and gently caress her bare pussy. It''s so fucking smooth. Either freshly shaved or waxed-like she really was looking to get fucked tonight. "Or is it because I''m touching you?"


    "Fuck you," she spits.


    Blood thunders in my ears. I shouldn''t do this. Not with her. I should go back inside the bar and do this with someone, anyone, other than Joey Moretti.


    "You want me to, huh?" I taunt, dusting the pads of my fingers over her swollen clit.


    She groans, rocking her hips for more friction. "You wouldn''t dare."


    I press my forehead against hers. One hand still wrapped around her slender neck, I slide two fingers between her folds, biting my lip to stifle the groan that rumbles through my chest. She feels like hot liquid silk. "Oh, fuck," she whimpers.


    "You like that?"


    "Y-yeah."


    Slipping my hand farther into her panties, I circle her entrance and her entire body quivers. When I push a finger inside her, her back bows off the wall and she cries out into the darkness. Her pussy squeezes me, snug and hot. "You''re gonna have to be a little quieter, baby girl, or someone might hear us."


    I know this club. Nobody has ess to this alleyway unless theye through the fire exit we just came out of, and the bouncers wouldn''t daree out here after me. Still, I don''t want to draw any attention to our illicit activities. She sinks her perfect white teeth into the plump bow of her lip and gives me a faint nod.


    "You''re so fucking tight, Joey," I groan as I work my finger a little deeper.


    "Do you always talk this much?" She raises her eyebrows in a challenge, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I knew you didn''t have the balls to fuck me." Spoiled little brat. I squeeze her throat a little tighter as I pull my finger out of her and unfasten my belt and zipper. "So, you just want to be fucked, is that it?" Her eyes sh with heat. "Do you have a condom?"


    "Nope." I shake my head. "Do you?"


    Her throat constricts as she swallows. "In my purse." She nces down at the small square of leather that rests against her hip.


    That pisses me off even though I should be proud of her for being responsible, but nothing I feel about this girl is rational. "I guess you''d better get it then."


    She hesitates, making me frown. "I''m on birth control, Max," she whispers. "And I trust you. If we don''t need one, then that''s okay."


    Holy fucking fuck! I guess if I get to fuck her just this once, I should feel her the way nature intended. "I always wear them, Joey. I''m clean."


    "So am I."


    With my cock in one hand and the other wrapped around her slender throat, I lose all sense of logic and reason. "Wrap your legs around me," Imand.


    Uncharacteristically for Joey Moretti, she does as she''s told, holding onto my shoulders and wrapping her long legs around my waist until the crown of my cock is positioned at her entrance. Her breath hitches as she stares into my eyes. Waiting for me to fuck her. My cock throbs, desperate to feel her around me. I slide in just a little, forced to go slower and gentler than I intended because she''s so fucking tight.


    "Max," she hisses, her eyes fluttering closed as I stretch her open. Her molten, silky heat squeezes me tight, causing all the blood in my body to rush south.


    I pull almost all the way out. The tip of my cock is slick with her arousal, making it a little easier to push back in again, but it''s still a struggle. I''m a big guy and I have six piercings, five along my shaft and one in the crown. It''s a lot to fit inside a tight pussy and this isn''t the ideal ce to fuck. It would be so much easier if I couldy her down somewhere and spread her wide open. Then I would sink inside her to the hilt.


    I brush my lips over her skin, sliding my free hand to her ass and pulling her leg higher to get a better angle. "Let me inside you, baby girl."


    "I''m trying," she whimpers, but she shifts the angle of her hips, which allows me to push deeper.


    "Good girl," I grunt, lips pressed against her ear.


    Her pussy muscles mp around my cock in response, squeezing me tight as she moans my name. So, my spoiled little brat has a praise kink.


    "You''re so fucking wet, Joey. You like my cock in you?" I growl, even though I can barely get halfway inside her tight little cunt.


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    Wet heat slicks over me as she whimpers and mewls.


    I run my nose along her neck. She smells so good, a mix of cotton candy-scented perfume and hot, fresh sweat mingled with the scent of sweet cum dripping from her pussy. My mouth finds hers, and I lick her plump lips. She opens them on a soft moan, allowing me to slip my tongue inside and taste her. I''ll certainly regret thister because she tastes sweeter than anything I''ve ever experienced. Decadent and sinful. I tongue fuck her mouth, iming it for my own as I im her pussy, swallowing every whimper and moan that I wring from her incredible body.


    Sliding my hand between our bodies, I find her swollen clit and rub it firmly as I pick up my pace, driving my hips and managing to sink deeper with each thrust. I''m feral with the need to get as far inside her as possible, but I still can''t get all the way in.


    I rock my hips, setting as punishing a pace as I can. She winces every time I manage to dip a little deeper, but her pussy grows slicker and looser with each thrust. Her legs begin to shake, her breaths growing faster and harder as her walls squeeze me tight. My girl is on the edge. I break our kiss and she pants for air.


    "Oh fuck, Max."


    "That''s it, baby girl. Come hard for me. I want to feel you on my cock."


    Her eyes roll back in her head and her skin flushes with heat and pleasure as she lets go for me. Legs trembling and breathing ragged, she drops her head onto my shoulder while I fuck her through her climax. Her wet pussy flutters, milking my cock, and when she sinks her nails into my shoulder muscles a few secondster, I drive into her onest time, groaning her name as I grind out my own orgasm.


    "Fuck, Max, that was ... intense."


    I hum my agreement, unable to speak because I''m breathing so hard. Sliding out of her, I look down and the sight of my blood-streaked cock knocks the remaining breath from my lungs.


    My hand is still wrapped around her throat, and I tilt her head upward until her dark eyes meet mine. "Joey, please tell me you''re expecting your period."


    Her brow knits into a frown. "What? No, why?"


    I release my grip on her neck and lower her legs to the ground before I look down again, hoping this time my dick won''t be covered with what I think it is. "You''re bleeding." "It''s okay. That happens the first time, right?"


    Holy fuck, I''m going straight to hell. "Please tell me I didn''t just take your virginity behind a dumpster in an alleyway?" I plead.


    "I could tell you that, but I''d be lying." She drags her bottom lip through her teeth and blinks up at me, her face so full of fucking innocence while her body is all sex and sin. "Fuck, Joey," I snap, my tone sharper than intended as I tuck my bloodstained cock back into my jeans.


    "I-I thought you knew," she whispers, hurt shing in her eyes.


    I brush her hair back from her face. "Of course I didn''t know. If I had, I never would have..." I shake my head and sigh, sliding my hand to possessively palm the back of her neck.


    "You would never have what?" She gives me a defiant re as she fixes her dress, but I don''t miss the tremor in her voice or the slight tremble of her bottom lip.


    I would have taken you to bed and fucked you properly. "I would have made sure it was a little more memorable, baby girl. I wouldn''t have been so rough with you if I''d known you''d never ..." I pinch the bridge of my nose.


    "It was pretty memorable to me," she whispers.


    "How is it even possible, Joey? How can you be a virgin?"


    "Seriously, Max? The girl who can''t breathe without someone watching over her? When exactly would I have found the time to have sex, let alone find someone crazy enough to risk my brother''s wrath?"


    I guess she has a point. "But I thought... maybe in Italy?"


    She lets out a sarcasticugh. "In the convent school? Where Lorenzo had me locked down tighter than a prisoner in a maximum-security facility? Oh yeah, plenty of opportunity to get my rocks off there."


    My cell vibrates in my pocket, interrupting our conversation. I take it out and frown at the screen, and for the first time in my life, I ignore Dante''s call. "I need to get you home."


    She rolls her eyes. "Of course you do."


    We wind through the streets of Chicago, Joey straddling the bike behind me, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. If I had the choice, I''d drive as slowly as possible. In fact, I''d prefer to not take her home at all. But no doubt her brothers have learned that I dismissed Henry and Ash and want to know where she is, especially since I didn''t take Dante''s call. So instead, I drive full throttle, her thighs gripping my hips.

 57

    MAX


    We pull into the driveway of her family''s gated mansion, and Joey climbs off my bike, handing me her helmet. Her face is unreadable. We should talk about what just happened. I should take care of her. I just took her virginity in a dark alleyway next to a dumpster. I should be fucking ashamed of myself-so why aren''t I? Why is my cock hard at the thought of how good she felt? How wet she was for me. How fucking incredible she smells.


    "Night," she says coolly, then spins around on her heel and strides away. Her ass sways seductively as she walks into the house, reminding me that she was never mine to touch and she never will be.


    I look down at the floor and every muscle in my body screams for release. I need to beat the shit out of someone. Or fuck her until neither of us can walk.


    "I thought you were heading home earlier?" Dante asks, snapping me from my thoughts.


    I look up to see him standing in the doorway, watching me intently with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Can he see what I''ve just done? Does he know simply by looking at me? "Youing in for a quick drink?" he asks.


    I take off my helmet and kill the engine. "Sure."


    "Everything okay with Ash and Henry?" he asks as we walk down the hallway to his study.


    "Yeah." I nce around, wondering where Joey went. Straight for a shower so she can wash me off her body?


    "Max?" Dante says and I realize he''s been talking to me.


    "What?" I blink at him.


    He frowns. "I asked why you brought Joey home."


    I shrug. "I called to check in with the guys. Joey was ready to leave so I offered to bring her home."


    "You spoil her," he says with a softugh. He assumes she asked me to bring her home, which has happened before. Joey loves my bike. "You never could say no to her."


    I force out augh. If he only fucking knew.


    Dante sips his Scotch while we discuss our Russian friends and the recent change of Bratva leadership.


    He checks his watch and mutters, "Fuck." With a shrug, he gives me a small smile. "Kat will be wondering where I am."


    "No worries, D. Can''t keep the wife waiting. We''ll talk more tomorrow." I can''t help but grin, amazed at how much he''s changed since he met his wife. I never thought I''d see Dante Moretti bow to the whims and desires of a woman. His world begins and ends with Kat and Gabrie, and I''ve never seen him so happy and fulfilled.


    Dante downs thest of his Scotch and stands up, heading toward the door.


    I get up to follow him but stop. "Hey, you mind if I go check on Joey?"


    He turns and frowns at me over his shoulder. "Why, something happen tonight?"


    "No. Nothing really, something to do with one of her girlfriends, but I kind of snapped at her." I shrug, the lie falling easily from my tongue. How long will it take for him to see through me? Danteughs softly, shaking his head at me. "I''m sure she''ll forgive you."


    "Yeah, you''re probably right. But I''ll check on her anyway."


    We part ways in the hallway, him going toward his bedroom while I go to look for his sister. I don''t find her in the kitchen or den, so she must be in her bedroom. I knock on her door. "What is it? I''m in bed," she shouts.


    "It''s me. Can Ie in?"


    The answering silence is almost too long for me to handle before she finally answers. "Sure."


    Walking inside, I close the door behind me. She''s lying on the bed, still dressed in her clothes from earlier. Still smelling of me.


    "What is it, Max?" she asks, sighing.


    "You don''t think we need to talk about earlier?"


    She crosses her arms over her chest. "I think you said all you had to say."


    "I barely said anything, baby girl." I lie beside her on the bed and can hardly resist the temptation to run my hand over the bare skin of her arm.


    "You said enough about regretting what happened," she says, and I hear a sob catch in her throat.


    How could she think that? Fuck! How could I have let her think that? I prop myself up on my elbow so I can study her beautiful face. "I regret that I didn''t know it was your first time."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Yeah, it was pretty unmemorable, right? You said that too." She swats a tear from her cheek and res at me.


    I clench my hand into a fist, seconds away from flipping her onto her stomach and spanking her ass until she stops being such a brat.


    I huff a sigh. "Joey."


    "Just get out, Max," she says with a sniff. "There''s nothing more to say."


    She gasps when I roll on top of her, her perfect tits shuddering against my chest as I take her wrists and pin them above her head. "Fucking you against a building in that alley was incredible. I will remember your tight virgin cunt squeezing my cock for the rest of my days. But I meant I should have made it more memorable for you, baby girl."


    She blinks at me, her dark brown eyes so full of emotion and longing that it makes me feel like the world''s biggest jackass for ying with her heart like this-for giving her false hope that whatever this is between us can go any further. She pretends to be this tough-as-nails Mafia princess, but I see who she really is beneath the veneer of sarcasm and sass. "It was incredible for me too, Max. I''m d you were my first."


    I want to be your fuckingst too. I run my nose over the soft skin of her throat and inhale her scent. She smells of perfume and fresh air and sex-and me. "Why didn''t you shower when you got home?"


    "I like having you inside me."


    My cock stiffens. "Fuck, Joey. You''re going to get me killed," I murmur against her skin. "I should have taken you home to my bed."


    "I wish you could, Max," she breathes. "Tell me what you''d do to me."


    I drag my teeth over her smooth flesh, making her shiver. I should leave right now. No good cane from me telling her this shit, so why can''t I fucking stop myself from answering? "I would strip you bare and kiss every fucking inch of your skin. Then I''d spread your legs wide ..."


    Her breath catches in her throat, and it makes my cock harder.


    "And I''d eat your pussy. I''d bury my face in your sweet cunt until I made youe so hard your juices would be running over my tongue."


    "Max," she groans, wrapping her legs around my waist and rocking her hips against me.


    "And then the real fun would begin."


    "Yeah?" She continues to work her hips, chasing the friction of my cock against her clit.


    "I''d slip my fingers into you. One at first, because you''re so fucking tight. And when you were whimpering and begging for more, I''d add another, fucking you with them until I could make you ready for my cock. I''d bring you to the edge, baby, over and over again without getting you off."


    "Monster," she hisses as she digs her heels into my ass, pulling me closer until she''s full-on dry humping me.


    "You know I am," I say, trailing my lips over her throat, desperate to sink my teeth into her perfect flesh and mark her as mine. "And only when you were begging me for my cock, desperate for me to fill you up, that''s when I''d sink into you. Not just half like you had earlier, but all the way. Balls deep, baby girl."


    "That was only half before?" she says, panting.


    "Yep." Iugh, releasing her wrists so she can wrap her arms around me.


    "Max, please?" She clings to me, grinding her pussy against me as she chases her orgasm.


    "I can''t. I''m not going to fuck you in your brothers'' house. I''m not going to make youe either, baby. But if you want to keep grinding on my cock until you get yourself off, well I guess there''s not a lot I can do about that, is there?" "Please? Nobody will know."


    "I''ll know," I remind her. Dante and Lorenzo are like brothers to me, and my mouth fills with the bitter taste of guilt. Still, despite the guilt, I can''t bring myself to get up and leave. Not while I have Joey''s thighs wrapped around me and my cock is damn near busting through the zipper of my jeans.


    "Then take me home, Max. Take me anywhere but here." She whimpers, and her eyes squeeze shut as she presses her head against the pillow. She''s almost there.


    Holding still, I let her use me to grind out her release. "I can''t, baby." I ce my hand over her mouth, stifling her soft moans as shees apart in my arms. She shudders through her climax, her body radiating heat. And when she looks up at me through lust-zed, hooded eyes, it takes every single bit of willpower I possess to stop myself from tearing off her panties and burying my cock inside her.


    "Why not?" She blinks at me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. Fuck, she''s far too young and innocent for me. I''ll go straight to hell for even touching her, but I can''t shake off the belief that is burned into my mind-into my soul. Joey Moretti is mine. She has always been mine.


    I dust my knuckles over her cheeks. "My kind of love isn''t the type you''re looking for, Joey. You deserve so much more."


    She narrows her beautiful eyes at me. "Who said anything about love?"


    "You think that we could just be about sex? With a history like ours? I''ve known you your whole life. I''ve loved you for most of it. You think I would stop just because we were fucking?"


    Tears spill over her cheeks and she swats them away. "That''s a whole different kind of love you''re talking about."


    "Is it?"


    She ignores the question, her body tensing under me. "Why do you get to tell me what I deserve? I choose my own life, Max. Don''t you dare try to tell me this is for my own good." Her cheeks are flushed with outrage. She hates being treated like a child, but that''s not what this is. She has no idea what she''s asking for. If I took her to my bed right now, I''d never let her leave.


    "You make your own choices, Joey, but I can''t be one of them. I''m sorry, baby." I kiss a tear that rolls down her cheek before I climb off the bed and walk out of her bedroom.


    I hate that I''m hurting her like this, but better she suffers a little pain right now than a whole fuckload of itter on. Better that she never has to deal with the man I really am.


    Because if I ever hurt her for real, I wouldn''t be able to live with myself.

 58

    JOEY


    Damn Max DiMarco!


    Who the hell does he think he is, fucking me the way he did and then telling me we can''t do it again? Then telling me he loves me! Of course he does, but not the way I want him to. What the actual fuck? Asshole!


    I guess I should''ve told him I was a virgin, but then he probably wouldn''t have touched me at all. It''s one thing to have a quick fuck with your best friends'' kid sister, but to take her virginity ... No way Max would have gone for it if he knew. He''s too damn principled. Gah! Trust me to fall for a man who thinks nothing of cutting out people''s eyeballs on a daily basis but draws the line at dating his buddies'' sister.


    I close my eyes and I''m right back in that alley. With Max''s hands on me. Calling me baby girl. Squeezing my throat. Tugging my panties aside and touching me. I''ve gotten myself off plenty of times before but never has my body responded the way it did to his touch. The climax that man wrung from my body was nothing short of life altering. The fresh memory makes heat sear between my thighs, and I squeeze them together. I feel sore and tender, but not ufortably so. It''s actually kind offorting in a way-a reminder of what we did. A reminder that I''m no longer a virgin and that the man who took it from me is the same guy I fantasized about for the past six years. A man I thought would never ever go there with me.


    A smile spreads across my face. Max lost control earlier. I made him do that. And if I made him do it once...


    ***


    "Hey, sweetheart, Monique is here," Kat says, popping her head around the door to the den.


    "She is?" I wasn''t expecting her today, but of course she''ll be here to find out what happened after Max marched me out of the club.


    Max! The ache between my thighs has been there all day, a constant reminder of what we did. Every time I think about what happenedst night, I feel a slick of arousal between my thighs. Max DiMarco took my virginity, and it was hotter than I had ever imagined it could be. Then he went and ruined it all by being Max.


    "Here let me take Gabrie," Kat offers with a smile.


    I give my niece a soft kiss on her bald head. "Bye smooch."


    A few secondster, Monique sashays into the room in a cloud of Dior perfume and flops onto the sofa beside me. As soon as Kat closes the door behind her, Monique nudges me in the ribs. "So?"


    "So what?"


    "What happenedst night after Max got all psycho on your ass?"


    "He did not get psycho on my ass."


    "Uh, yeah, he did. He hauled you out of there so fast."


    "He was just pissed about something," I say dismissively.


    "About what? Have you been naughty, Joey Moretti?" She giggles like we''re still in high school.


    "No. There was just some family stuff, is all. It was nothing," I insist.


    She stares at me, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I wondered if maybe he was jealous of that guy flirting with you, but then..." She presses her lips together.


    "Then what?"


    She wrinkles her perfect nose. "There''s no way Maximo would ever be into you. You are so not his type."


    I certainly seemed like his type when he was fucking me against a building. Monique might be one of my closest friends, but I don''t trust her with this, so I simply nod my agreement even though it burns me to do it.


    She changes the subject, telling me about what she did with a guy she took home from the club. Barely listening, I allow my thoughts to drift back to Max. Max with his hand around my throat. His other one in my panties. His lips on my skin. His dick in my ...N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Earth to Joey," Monique says with an overly dramatic sigh.


    I blink at her. "Oh, uh. Sorry. What?"


    "I asked you if you think I should go out with him."


    "Do you like him?"


    She rolls her eyes. "You''re so juvenile."


    "And you''re a slut."


    "Better than being a frigid virgin." She pulls a face at me.


    "I thought you were hung up on Mystery Guy anyway." She''s been after some super mysterious dude for months now, but she''s refused to tell me his name. Every few weeks, she goes off grid for a few days because he shows up and decides he wants to spend time with her. Then he disappears again, leaving her swinging in the wind. I''ve never seen her like this over a guy before, so I figure he must be married, super rich, or powerful-or knowing Monique, all three. "Keeping my options open, Jo," she says, shing me a huge smile that doesn''t quite reach her eyes. She turns away but not before I can see the hurt on her face. I guess she still has it bad for Mystery Guy.


    "So are you going out with him then? The guy from the clubst night?"


    "Hmm. Maybe," she says with a shrug. "I could see if he has a friend for you?"


    "I''m good." Well, I would be good if Max wasn''t being all noble and shit. His whole my love isn''t the kind of love you need deal is super annoying. What the hell does that even mean? Pretty sure I could handle a whole lot of his love. "You should double date with us. Give you a chance to practice some skills before you meet a guy you actually like," Monique suggests.


    "Isn''t the idea to practice skills with a guy you like though?"


    Sheughs. "God, Joey, you''re so naive."


    My cheeks flush with embarrassment. I am so regretting that I told her I was a virgin. I guess was is the key word now-not that I''d tell Monique that. But I hate the way she uses myck of sexual experience to make me feel like a child. "You could at least get some blowjob practice in. That way you won''t seem like a total loser when you finally do fuck a guy. You''ll be able to keep him interested with your oral skills even if you don''t know what you''re doing when ites to fucking."


    I stare at her, and for a second I think she must be joking, but she''s serious. "You think guys would honestly be bothered that I''m inexperienced?"


    She snorts. "Guys want a girl who knows what they''re doing, not someone they have to teach the basics to."


    I don''t think Max would make a girl feel bad for being inexperienced. I mean he didn''t even know I was a virgin until I told him, so it couldn''t have been that obvious. "Yeah, I think I''ll just wait, thanks," I tell her with a sharine smile.


    "Your loss."


    I sit back against the sofa and smile because Monique just gave me an amazing idea.

 59

    MAX


    The safe in Dante''s study is a huge old thing that''s been around since the time of his grandfather. It was cutting edge in its day, but now it''s outdated and needs an upgrade. I guess it serves a purpose though-it keeps most people out. I can''t remember thest time I looked inside there. I''m not sure I''ve ever paid much attention to what goes in there. Money? Important papers? I have the codes to get into it. That''s how much he trusts me. If he walked in here and found me with my head in that safe, he wouldn''t think anything of it. And that''s why even the thought of looking inside when he or Lorenzo isn''t here makes my skin crawl. It shouldn''t have even entered my head, but this thing with Kristin and Vito nags at me constantly. What the hell is this video recording Vito has? Do Dante and Lorenzo even know about it? Maybe I should just ask them?


    I made my little sister a promise that I wouldn''t tell them she exists or that she''s in Chicago, but that was before I found out that my long-lost uncle could have a video of the Morettis involved in a murder. Given that I know Dante and Lorenzo so well, I figure it''s probably something to do with their father. But I can''t keep it from them much longer. I don''t care if Kristin''s father told her the Morettis can''t be trusted, they''re the only family I''ve ever had and I''ve never had a single reason to doubt them.


    I don''t look inside the safe. It would be a betrayal of their trust in me. Instead, I put the paperwork regarding the new casino on Dante''s desk and leave the room, closing the door behind me. Stretching my neck, I sigh when it cracks. Fuck, I need to get rid of some of this tension I''m holding onto. It''s been two long days since I fucked Joey Moretti, and I can''t stop thinking about how good she felt and how good it would feel to have her again. Just one more taste.


    Is she here? I usually know her every move, but I''ve backed off since the other night. It''s the least she deserves.


    "Hey, asshole." The sound of her voice stops me in my tracks.


    I spin around, and she''s standing in the doorway of the den, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I stride back down the hallway toward her. "Asshole?"


    She shes me a wicked grin. "Hmm. Kinda."


    "And why is that, Guiseppina?"


    Her features darken. "Don''t call me that, Max." She hates her full name and has insisted on being called Joey from the moment she could say the word.


    "Then don''t call me an asshole."


    "Fine." She sighs. "Anyway, I was hoping you''d stop by. I need your help with something."


    "What is it?"


    She catches her bottom lip between her teeth and draws in a breath that makes her perfect tits rise and fall. I try to keep my eyes on her face, but I nce down, and she sees me do it too. Busted. "Well, I was thinking, since you were my first fu-"


    "Joey," I whisper harshly, cutting her off as I push her back through the open doorway to the den. "What the fuck are you doing?"


    Sheughs. "Rx. Nobody''s home."


    I close the door anyway to give us a little privacy. "There are guards here. Your brothers have ears everywhere."


    "The guards are only ever by the front door or outside now. You know that," she says with a roll of her eyes. It''s true that since Dante''s daughter was born, the guards'' presence has been restricted within the house. Kat insisted on a friendlier atmosphere to raise their children. But they''re still here, and who knows when one might go wandering somewhere they shouldn''t.


    "You''re going to get me fucking killed."


    She puts her hands on my chest. "I would never put you in harm''s way, Max. You know that. I was just ying. I''m sorry," she whispers.


    I narrow my eyes at her. I have no idea if that''s true. Joey Moretti likes to live life on the edge, and I''m flirting with death by even being alone in a room with her. Now that I know how good her lips taste and how tight and hot her pussy is, I''m always partially hard around her and it takes all my effort not to touch her. Fucking her in the alley the other night ys on a loop in my head. I''ve jerked off to the memory way more times than could be considered healthy-even for a red- blooded single man in his early thirties. "Did you actually need my help with something or are you just trying to push my buttons?" I ask, trying to distract myself.


    "Oh, I''d love to push every single one of your buttons." She giggles, her hands brushing down my chest toward my stomach.


    I take hold of her wrists before those hands move any lower. "Joey?"


    "Yes, I do need your help. But you cut me off before I could finish my sentence," she says, pouting.


    What the fuck is she up to?


    "I guess it''s more of a proposition than anything. You know how inexperienced I am when ites to sex, right?"


    Yes. Because I had your tight-as-fuck pussy squeezing my cock and I can''t stop thinking about it. "Hmm."


    "Well, I''m inexperienced in every way. You know what I mean? I only ever kissed a guy before you."


    My cock is throbbing in my pants now and she fucking knows it. "What does that have to do with me?" I grind out the words.


    "Well, you also know I trust you more than anyone."


    Now my head throbs along with my cock. I let go of her hands and pinch the bridge of my nose. "What is it, Joey?"


    "I want to suck your cock."


    What. The. Fuck.


    I blink at her, stupefied. She did not just say that. My brain must be misfiring. Hallucinating from her talking about sex while her hands are on my chest. "What?"


    "I want to suck your cock, Max," she says with a sweet smile.


    Fuck. Me. "Joey, you can''t just ..."


    "Can''t just what? You just fucked me the other night."


    "That was different."


    "How? You took what you wanted. And now I''m asking for what I want."


    I blink at her.


    "It was just sex. I get it," she says, shrugging. "But it was good sex. At least for me. I want to try everything, Max. I want to learn. And you''re the only man apart from my brothers that I trust."


    "You want me to teach you how to suck cock?"


    "Yes."


    "Have you lost your mind, Joey?"


    "Far from it. In fact, I think my reasoning is pretty solid. I need a teacher, and I figure you seem to know what you''re doing. I know you''d never take advantage of me. I''m going to do this, Max. I''d rather my first time was with you than some rando from a bar."


    Oh, fuck no. She isn''t hooking up with some stranger. I stare into her dark brown eyes. "Are you trying to ckmail me?"


    She tosses her hair over her shoulder. Such a fucking brat. Oh, the pleasure I would take in disciplining that out of her. "Not at all. Just making you aware of the reality of the situation."


    I suck on my bottom lip. Am I seriously fucking considering this request? She''s going to kill me. "And where and when exactly would this cocksucking lesson take ce?"


    "Nobody''s home. Everyone''s out for the afternoon. How about right here, right now?"


    "You want to suck my cock here in your brothers'' house?"


    "It''s my house too," she reminds me.


    "You''re out of your fucking mind."


    "Then I guess I''ll just find someone at the bar Friday night," she says with a flippant shrug, and myst shred of restraint and patience snaps.


    She goes to walk away, but I grab hold of her wrist, pulling her back to me. "You are not hooking up with random fucking men in bars, baby girl."


    Her cheeks flush with heat and she flutters her long darkshes at me. "I don''t want to, Max. But I''m almost twenty-two-a grown woman, and there''s so much I want to experience. I''d rather do it with you, but if that''s not an option..." She doesn''t finish that sentence. Instead, she adds, "Please."


    I can''t do this with her. Especially not here. If her brothers walked in here right now, they wouldn''t even question us being alone together, that''s how much they trust me with her. And just like earlier with the safe in their office, even thinking about this feels like a betrayal of that trust. Except my resolve is weakening faster than ice on a hot skillet. How am I supposed to resist those huge brown eyes and those full pink lips when she pleads with me like that? I''m not a fucking saint. Besides, this would be for her protection, right? If I do this, then she doesn''t go trawling bars to find someplete fuck-nugget to do this with instead. If I agree to what she''s asking, it will be for her benefit, not because I want to feel those soft lips wrapped around my cock more than I''ve ever wanted anything else my entire life. And with that, I''ve managed to convince myself that this is the right thing to do.


    "On your knees, baby girl."


    Her eyes sh with lust and she smiles as she sinks to the floor.


    I open my belt and my zipper, stifling a groan at the relief of giving my aching cock a little more room. But I don''t take it out yet. She didn''t see me the other night at the club, and I don''t want to freak her out before I''ve exined what''s going to happen.


    She looks up at me expectantly. She''s a fucking paradox. So naive and innocent but with a body and mind as wicked as sin.


    I rub the pad of my thumb over her cheek. "You sure you want this?"


    She blinks at me, long dark eyshes fluttering over her cheeks. "Yes." She licks the plump bow of her lips.


    I pull her hair back, tucking it behind her ears so I can see her perfect face. "You''ll need to breathe through your nose."


    "Okay."


    "I''m a big guy, you might not be able to take all of me right away, but that''s okay. We''re going to train your pretty little throat until you can take everyst inch of me."


    She draws in a shaky breath.


    "Put your hands on my thighs," Imand.


    She does as she''s told, sying her fingers over my quads. My muscles tighten at her touch. She opens her mouth-expectant and eager. "Patience, Joey," I say with a smirk, and she narrows her eyes at me. Such a beautiful little brat. "I didn''t realize this was a lecture." She res at me in defiance. "I thought we were having a practical demonstration."


    Fuck me, this girl is dangerous. She is going to drive me to the brink of insanity, which is even more reason to establish some ground rules with her. I ignore her snark and thread my fingers through her hair, palming the back of her head. "When I hit the back of your throat, you''ll gag, maybe even feel like you''re choking. Tears are going to run down this pretty little face. And that''s only gonna make me want to fuck you harder, baby girl." She arches an eyebrow at me and fuck me if she doesn''t see that as some sort of challenge. "It is?"


    "Yes. And this is why you need to pay attention to me. Because when your hot little mouth is stuffed full of my cock and you''re struggling to breathe, there''s no way in hell you''re going to be able to talk." She frowns with confusion.


    "If you want me to take it a little easier, you squeeze my thighs, okay?"


    "Okay."


    "Do it."


    "Right now?"


    "Yes, now."


    She rolls her eyes but squeezes my thighs lightly.


    "Harder than that. I''ll need to feel it."


    "Fine," she mutters, and she squeezes tightly, her fingers digging into my taut muscles.


    "Good girl." Her breath hitches and her eyes shine. Such a slut for praise. "But if you need me to stop, you tap me instead, Joey. You got that?"


    She giggles. "Like tapping out?"


    "Exactly like tapping out. So try it."


    "Yeah, I''m not gonna need to do that." She shrugs her shoulders, full of that Moretti confidence that makes me want to prove her wrong.


    "Tap. My. Leg."


    "Okay," she huffs, but she does what she''s told.


    "Good."


    She''s staring up at me, almost salivating, and it''s making me crazy. This is her first time, and her eagerness is such a fucking turn on. How the hell am I going tost more than a few minutes fucking that pretty mouth? "Oh, and Joey? Onest thing." I give her a wicked grin as I finally free my cock from my boxers.


    "What''s that?"


    "Be careful with your teeth."


    She frowns at me, her eyes still fixed on mine. "I won''t bite you, Max."


    "I wasn''t talking about that, baby girl." I nce down at my cock and she looks too, seeing it up close and personal for the first time.


    "Y-you''re pierced?"


    "I am."


    "But you weren''t... I didn''t feel any..."


    "I wasn''t far enough into your pussy for you to feel them properly, and if you didn''t know what to expect..."


    Her tits shudder with a deep breath, and her cheeks flush pink. "How far in were you again?"


    "Not even halfway."


    "Jesus, Max," she hisses as her gaze flickers back to my face.


    The tip of my cock is an inch from her lips, and I''m so close to having her mouth on me, it''s driving me insane. "So, you still want to -"


    "Yes," she insists, cutting me off before I can finish the question.


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    "Then go ahead, baby girl. Take whatever you can handle."


    She edges forward a little, licking her full pink lips. "Use your hand first, Joey. That way you can have a little more control."


    She nods, wrapping her slender fingers around the base of my shaft and squeezing hard. "Like this?"


    My thigh muscles tremble with the effort of holding myself back as heat shudders up my spine. "Yes, exactly like that."


    "Now can I taste you, Max?"


    "Uh-huh," I grunt, anticipation burning through me. How is it that this is her first time and it''s me who feels like I''m about to nut in her face?


    Her tongue darts out and licks the bead of precum off the crown of my cock, flicking over my piercing like she knows exactly what she''s doing.


    A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead. "You sure you''ve never done this before?"


    "No, never," she says sweetly as her tongue dances over my skin.


    I bite on my lip to stop myself from moaning like a horny fucking teenage boy. I''ve had my cock sucked plenty of times, but never have I been more desperate to have anyone''s lips around me than I am right now.


    She hums appreciatively before she guides the tip of my cock inside her soft, wet mouth and begins to suck. I loosen my grip on her hair, letting her go at her own pace for a few minutes despite wanting to fuck her throat more than I''ve ever wanted anything.


    She looks up at me, her dark eyes searching mine as she takes me deeper.


    "You''re doing so good, baby girl," I tell her as my cock pulses inside her.


    Her eyes shine with happiness. She''s such a fucking brat the way she pushes my buttons, but she''s still a slut for my praise. So desperate for my approval it scares me. Tightening my grip on her hair, I push her head forward, forcing her to take more of me, and she takes it like a champ. My girl was born to suck cock. I rock my hips, shoving deeper, and the sound of her choking sears my balls with the need to fill her with my cum. She stares up at me, tears and mascara running down her cheeks as she takes deep breaths through her nose.


    "Good girl. You''re taking me so well," I groan as I pull out a little and drive back in again. She gags harder, but she still doesn''t tap me. I''m torn between seeing how far I can push her and wanting to protect her from the side of me that would get off on watching her struggle to breathe.


    She sucks harder and saliva runs down her chin, whimpering when I tug her hair. "You''re doing so good. So. Fucking. Good." I grit out each word as my abs tighten. I''m so close to filling her throat with my cum. "Mmmf," she mumbles. Her breathing bes harsher, and she stops sucking. I''m literally just fucking her face until she squeezes my thigh and I ease up a bit.


    "Good girl," I say, rewarding her for following my instructions because I know how much that must have killed her. Joey Moretti never backs down from any challenge, and that''s all this is to her. "Remember to breathe, Joey," "Hmm," she murmurs, and the sound vibrates through every nerve ending in my cock, making my balls tighten. Swiping my thumb over her cheek, I wipe some of her tears, smudging her makeup further. She blinks at me before she starts to suck my cock again. Her breathing evens out, and her soft moans are just as hot as her gagging.


    "Fuck, baby, you''re a natural at this. You know that?" I grunt as I rock my hips, chasing the high she''s about to deliver.


    She murmurs contentedly and rxes her grip on my thighs. "You think you can take a little more, baby girl?" "Mmm," she mumbles with a flutter of her eyshes.


    I drive my cock against the back of her throat, and this time she''s ready for me. Her breathing remains steady even as she epts almost every inch of me. I refrain from feeding her my entire cock. This is still her first time, and she isn''t ready for that.


    My fist tightens in her hair. Her sulent pink lips stretched around my shaft as she greedily sucks as much of me as she can is the most exquisite sight I''ve ever seen.


    She will never do this with anyone but me. Never. Joey Moretti is mine. All fucking mine. My balls tighten and my cock spasms, my climax pulsing through me-all searing heat and fire raging through my core.


    And my girl swallows everyst fucking drop, licking me from root to tip even as I pull out of her mouth. Like she''s as fucking desperate for me as I am for her.


    My chest heaves and I pant for breath. Grabbing her jaw, I tilt her head up and watch, mesmerized, as she licks her lips, trying to catch the cum and spit that dripped from the sides. I catch a drop with the tip of my thumb and push it back inside her mouth. She sucks on my thumb appreciatively before she releases it with a wet pop. Fucking siren.


    "How was that?" she asks. She knows it was good. She just sucked my fucking soul from my body.


    "It was fucking perfect, baby girl."


    "It was?"


    I narrow my eyes at her. "Yes. But any man ever tries to fuck your throat like I just did, I''ll cut off his cock with a rusty de."


    She sucks in a deep breath that makes her tits jiggle enticingly. "Max. You can''t say things like that."


    I grip her jaw tighter. She''s mine, but I can''t take her. I wish I could keep her for my own.


    But the stakes are already way too high.

 60

    JOEY


    Max''s dark eyes burn into mine as he keeps a tight hold on my jaw. Licking my lips, I taste his cum again, and my core contracts with heat and need. My pussy is aching and wet. My whole n backfired. This was supposed to be about me gaining back a little control, but I''m even more desperate for him than I''ve ever been. I had no idea that sucking his cock would get me this worked up. I assumed it was all about the guy''s pleasure, so why am I this wet between my thighs? I would do anything for this man. If he ordered me to strip naked and crawl to him on my knees, I''d do it in a heartbeat.


    He pulls me up by my jaw until I''m standing and our bodies are only inches apart, his eyes never leaving mine.


    I pant for breath. His jaw ticks. Time stands still.


    "Max?"


    "Nobody else, Joey. You understand me? No one ever does that to you but me."


    "You can''t expect me to keep that promise. You''re not even my boyfriend."


    His eyes narrow and anger creases his brow. "You know that I can''t be."


    "Why? Because you''re my brothers'' best friend? You know we''re both adults, right?"


    "It''s so much more than that."


    "Fine." I shrug, trying to hide the pain his words cause me. "So you don''t get to tell me what to do."


    His frown deepens. "Just not like that, okay? You never let anyone be that rough with you."


    I swallow hard. I wish I knew what was going on in his head. How can it be that I know him so well in some ways but not at all in others? "And what if I say no?"


    His expression darkens. He slides a hand over my hip and onto my ass, pulling me close until our bodies are flush. Every single nerve ending in my body tingles with nervous excitement as my breathing grows heavier. Then Max undoes the button of my jeans with one quick flex of his fingers. He dips his head, pressing those hot lips against my ear. "Then I''ll never make youe again, baby girl," he says as he shoves his hand into my panties.


    "Holy fuck," I groan as his fingers find my swollen clit.


    He inhales sharply. "So fucking wet from sucking my cock, Joey."


    I press my face against his shirt, breathing him in until he''s everywhere and everything. Max DiMarco owns my goddamn soul. I whimper as his fingers slip a little further, circling my entrance. He dips a fingertip inside me, taunting me as I tremble in his powerful arms.


    Warm waves of electric heat pulse through my core as he works his digit deeper, rubbing against a sensitive spot deep inside that I''ve never been able to reach by myself. My legs shake as my pussy grows wetter until the noise of him driving in and out of me is unmistakable. I cling to him, my fingers grasping at his shirt in an attempt to hold on to some semnce of sanity as he drives me almost frantic with the need for more of him. "Please, Max?"


    He dusts his lips over my hair. "Are you my good girl?" he says, teasing me.


    "No." The word ends on a moan as he drives his finger deeper.


    "Of course. You''re my little slut, right?"


    "Yes," I pant, and his skilled fingers bring me to the brink of a mind-blowing orgasm.


    "I''m gonna teach you how to be a good girl for me, Joey." He chuckles, and then the bastard pulls his finger out of me, leaving me teetering on the edge of ecstasy. "Max?" I gasp in protest, but he just looks at me with a wicked grin on his face.


    "I told you I wouldn''t make youe in your brothers'' house, baby girl, and I meant it." Then he sucks his finger clean, kisses my forehead, and walks out of the room. MAX


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    My jaw clenches and I rock my head side to side, trying to get rid of the tension in my neck while Dante and I sit in Ralf Strauss''s office and listen to him drone on about the benefits of going into partnership with him and his brother. I''m so not in the mood for this prick tonight. I have much more important things I need to be doing-such as search for my missing uncle. Part of me thinks good riddance to that particr waste of oxygen, but Kristin deserves to know what happened to him at least. And despite him being a terrible uncle to me and an even worse brother to my father, he seems to have been an okay dad to her.


    And until I find out where he is, she''s stuck living with me. Not that I don''t like the kid-I do. But I can''t continue lying to everyone about her. I hate it.


    The message her father told her to give me ys on my mind constantly too. He said you can''t trust the Morettis. They turned you against your real family. Why would he ask her to give me that specific message? I guess he actually believes that? But the Morettis are the only family I''ve had for a long time, and I can''t keep secrets from them much longer.


    "You see how this could be good for us all, don''t you, Maximo?" Ralf asks, dragging me back to the conversation at hand. The same one he and I have already had.


    "Like I already told you, Ralf, no."


    "Dante?" he pleads.


    "If Max says no, then it''s no," Dante replies with a frown. "And I''m insulted that you''ve dragged me here tonight when my partner here has already told you his feelings on the matter." "But I thought..." Ralf sighs.


    "You thought I was going to disagree with him? This man who''s basically my brother?" Dante asks with a cock of his eyebrow.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Now I feel even guiltier about the secrets I''m keeping. Because Kristin isn''t the biggest one. No, Joey Moretti ims that title. Joey and her wickedly sinful body and even more sinful mouth. I have no fucking idea how anyone who''s never given head before can get it so spectacrly right on their first time. But who am I kidding? Just being inside any part of her has me fucking desperate to bust my nut like a fourteen-year-old who just discovered Pornhub. The girl is fucking addictive, and she is going to kill me. But what a way to go.


    Dante pushes himself out of his chair and turns his back on Ralf. "Deal with this piece of shit, will you? I need to call Kat."


    "No problem."


    He walks out of the room, leaving Ralf and me alone. "I told you a partnership wasn''t on the table," I remind him, and he eyes me warily.


    When I push my chair back, he flinches and I suppress a smile. Walking around the desk, I grab him by the neck, pressing my palm against his Adam''s apple until he opens his mouth to gasp for air. I shove three fingers inside, pushing them down his throat until he gags and tears run down his face.


    "Mr. Moretti expects the paperwork pertaining to the purchase of his new casino in his inbox tomorrow morning. If it doesn''t arrive by noon, then consider the deal off."


    He tries to wrench free, his body struggling to get oxygen, but I tighten my grip. "You understand me, Ralf?"


    His eyes meet mine, and he nods almost imperceptibly. Ralf and his brother have had a free ride in this city for far too long. They stepped on plenty of people on their way to the top and can''t be trusted. Thest poor fuckers who went into business with them ended up bankrupt because the Strauss brothers ran thepany into the ground, bleeding it for every cent right under their business partners'' noses. But because of who they were and their perceived alliance with Salvatore Moretti, no one would challenge them. There''s no chance we''d ever go into business with him. When Salvatore was alive, the Strauss brothers traded off the fact that they were his enforcers for a few years, after my father died at least. However, their gravy train hase to an end. The casino is about to go under, and we''re going to buy it for a quarter of what it''s worth.


    Ralf and Micah won''t take it lying down, but I don''t give a shit. I''ll add them to the long list of people who''d like to kill me.


    I pull my fingers out of Ralf''s mouth and wipe my saliva-covered fingers on his expensive Italian suit jacket. "By noon."


    He coughs, rubbing at his throat, but when I lift my hand, he recoils and gives me a nod.


    I tap him on the side of his face. "Good boy."


    By the time I walk outside, Dante''s waiting for me in the car.


    "He get the message?" he asks me when I climb inside.


    "Yep. Asshole."


    Heughs. "The look on his face when I asked him why he dragged me over here. He looked like he was about to shit his pants."


    "He almost did after you left."


    "You were right about having a face-to-face with him though. Remind him who he''s dealing with. And it''s nice seeing you work. You''re the most effective negotiator I know." Heughs harder. "I''m so d you''re on my side,pagno." Another pang of guilt twists my stomach. I have to tell him about Kristin soon. And stop fucking around with his sister. Closing my eyes, I lean back against the seat, but all I see are images of Joey sucking my cock earlier today. Yeah, doing the right thing and not fucking around with Joey Moretti is never going to happen.

 61

    JOEY


    "You''re not paying attention, Guiseppina," my half sister says as she taps the side of my head.


    "You''re such a bitch, Antote, you know that?" I snap back, bouncing on the balls of my toes as I raise my guard. She knows I hate my name. Everybody knows-but I don''t hate it nearly as much as Toni hates hers. Sheughs wickedly. "Oh, now you really pissed me off, kid."


    "Good, maybe you''ll actually bring me some heat this time," I goad her as we circle the ring.


    "Such big words for such a little girl. Big brothers aren''t here to protect you now though."


    "You''re such a bitch," I say with a scowl.


    "You already used that one, princess." She jabs her left hook at me, but I duck out of the way. "Maybe you wish Max were here to protect you instead, huh?"


    Iunch forward, aiming my right hand at her jaw but she''s way too fast for me and dodges it easily.


    "Oh, I do love pushing your buttons, kid."


    "Leave Max out of this," I warn her, my eyes narrowed.


    "Hmm." She rolls her lips together. "No." "Toni!"


    She aims a perfect right hook at my chin, but she doesn''t put any power behind it. My half sister is an MMA champion, and she would knock me on my ass if she hit me for real. Still, it grazes my face, making me shuffle back. "Remember what I taught you, Joey?" she says, all business again. "Someonees at you like that, you duck and go for the nuts."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "You don''t have any nuts."


    She smirks at me. "You hit someone in the pussy, it''s gonna hurt like hell too."


    Even the thought makes me wince. "Ouch."


    "Your mind is elsewhere today, Joey. I need you to focus, kid. I''m not giving up my time to have you half-ass it."


    "I know. I''m sorry. I''m all in now. Promise."


    "Good girl," she says, but that only makes me think of Max and the way he says those same words and turns me into a puddle of goo. "Okay, ytime is over. I''m gonna hit you for real now, so if you don''t keep your guard up..."


    "I know." I shake my head, clearing it of all things Max. I actually love training with Toni, and I work just as hard for her as I did for Max. She''s the most badass woman I know, and I can''t believe our asshole father drove her away and deprived me of her influence growing up. Lorenzo wasn''t always her biggest fan. It bothers him that she was born only a few weeks after Dante, and he sees her existence as an insult to our mom. I guess he''s right about that, but it''s not Toni''s fault. At least he finally seems to being around.


    Toni throws me a towel. She works my ass super hard, but I feel so good after our sessions-like I can take on the world.


    She sits on the weight bench while I wipe away the sweat dripping down my face. "So, anything new with you?"


    "Um, actually..." I bite my lip. Should I tell her about Max? I need to tell someone. I almost told Katst night, but it would put her in a difficult position with Dante, so I kept quiet.


    "Oh, Dante told me you were going to start working with him and Lorenzo," she says with a wide smile before I can decide one way or the other. She probably thought that''s what my hesitation was about. She and Dante are super close. Would she feel disloyal to him if I told her about Max and me? "You must be excited. I told him you were too smart to be wasted sitting around this house all day."


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    I frown. "You guys were talking about me?"


    "Not in a bad way, just like in a you''re-our-sister-and-we-care-about-you way." She gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Anyway, he was worried you were getting bored and lonely since you got back from Italy-"


    "And he was worried I was going to get into some trouble if he didn''t give me something to do?" I ask, hand on my hip. "He''s unbelievable."


    "Well, smart people with not much else to do tend to get into trouble," she says with a shrug. "But no, he was genuinely concerned that you needed more going in your life. Then earlier he told me you two had a chat and you''re interested in the casinos. I told him I thought you''d be a good fit."


    "Oh." I can''t be mad at her when she''splimenting me.


    "Yeah. You''re sharp and you understand what makes people tick. You don''t take shit from anyone." She winks. "And you''re hot, and that never hurts when you''re in a ce that''s all about image."


    I blush at her open praise. "Toni!"


    "You are. You got those Moretti genes," she says, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder. Toni looks nothing like me or my brothers. She''s the spitting image of her mom, and she''s one of the most beautiful women I''ve ever seen. "Anyway, tell me... is there anything new with you?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from me. "Have you seen yourwyer friend again? Emerald?"


    "Her name is fucking Sapphire, Guiseppina," she says, admonishing me good-naturedly.


    "I know." I bump my arm against hers. "I''m just ying with you."


    "Well, I haven''t seen her since I spent the night at her ce. I think she''s ghosting me."


    "No?" My mouth drops open in horror. "Not the Toni Moretti being ghosted?" She scowls at me, and Iugh. She''s such a yer-she''s usually the one to do the ghosting.


    "Hey, I liked this one." She frowns, and I feel a little bad forughing.


    I put my arm around her shoulder. "Then I''m sorry. I''m sure she''s just busy or something."


    "Or something," she mutters. "Anyway, what are your ns for today?"


    "I''m hoping to catch up with Dante. He had a meeting about the new casinost night and I was hoping to go along, but Anya wasn''t feeling well and asked me to watch her favorite movie, so..." I shrug. There will be plenty of casino deals and only a finite amount of time with Anya.


    Toni gives my hand a gentle squeeze.


    I change the subject. "I''m going to ask him to fill me in on what happened, then I''m going for lunch with some old high school friends."


    "Including Toby?" She waggles her eyebrows at me.


    "Did Dante tell you about him too?"


    "Maybe," she says with a knowing smile. "So ...?"


    "Nothing, really. We''re friends, that''s all. I think he''d like to be something more but..."


    "But little Joey Moretti''s in love with someone else." She winks.


    I blink at her. "W-what?"


    She stands up, ignoring my question. "I need to take a shower. Catch youter, kid." She walks out of the gym, leaving me to stare after her and wonder what the hell she meant by that.

 62

    MAX


    "You sure everything''s okay? You seem kind of distractedtely." Dante says as we walk down the hallway toward his study.


    Distracted? That''s a fucking understatement and a half. "Me? No. Everything''s good,pagno."


    Everything is not good. I''m lying to his face. I need to speak to him about Vito, but the time never seems quite right. Finding out I have a sister and her showing up and telling me her father went missing, probably over some video recording, is the biggest secret I''ve ever kept from him.


    Until Joey.


    It''s been two long and torturous days since I allowed her to suck my cock right here in his house. I''ve done my best to avoid her ever since, but I miss her like hell.


    He arches an eyebrow. "You met someone?"


    "Fuck, no," I snap. And right at that moment, someone turns down the hallway andes face-to-face with the two of us.


    "Hey, guys," she says with a flutter of her eyshes. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and sweat glistens on her abs. She''s wearing those tight-as-fuck yoga pants that cling to every single inch of her perfect fucking body, but that''s not the most distracting thing about her today. My eyes drop to her t-shirt, which she has tied up in a knot so that her tan, taut stomach is still on disy. The shirt has two words emzoned across the front, stretched across her beautiful tits. Tap Out.


    Girl is going to fucking kill me.


    My jaw ticks as I grind my teeth together and will my cock to stop twitching in my pants.


    "How was your workout?" her older brother asks.


    "Great." She gives him a huge smile. "Toni is such a great trainer. She''s amazing. Really knows how to get the best from me, you know?" Brat!


    "No need toy it on so thick, kid. She isn''t standing behind you," Dante teases her.


    Joey rolls her eyes and avoids my gaze. "Are you going over the new casino deal?" "Yeah."


    How does she know about the new casino deal?


    "Cool. Can I sit in?" she asks.


    "You want to grab a shower first?"


    She wrinkles her nose before looking down and assessing her clothing. I can''t help doing the same. I want to rip them off her and fuck her until she begs me to stop.


    "Nah, I''ll shower after. I''m going out with some friends this afternoon."


    "Toby?" Dante asks.


    Her cheeks flush pink. "He''ll be there, yes. But I''m not going out with him."


    Dante chuckles softly while my muscles tense at the thought of that douchebag being anywhere near her.


    We continue walking down the hallway and Joey falls into step beside us. Once we''re inside Dante''s office, he takes a seat behind his desk, and Joey and I sit opposite. I try to avoid looking at her, but when I nce sideways, she gives me a wicked smile.


    "Tell me how it went with Ralfst night," Joey says as she leans forward in her seat. "Was he open to the buyout, or did he take some convincing?"


    Feeling like I just stepped into an alternate universe, I frown at Dante. I know I should keep my mouth shut, because this is their family business and she''s as much a Moretti as he is, but I can''t. "You told Joey about Ralf?" "Yeah," he replies. "She wants to be more involved in the family business-"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "And you thought the casino deal was a good ce to start?"


    Dante frowns at me, unustomed to me questioning his methods, but those methods have never involved putting Joey in harm''s way before. And he''s never blindsided me like this. Usually, I know everything that''s going on. I guess I''ve been more distracted than I thought.


    "Fuck''s sake," Joey mutters under her breath, but I ignore her. I''ll deal with herter.


    "It''s not like I''m asking her to blow someone''s head off, Max, but..."


    "But what?" I snap.


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    "She''s a fucking Moretti. This is her legacy too. If she wants to be a part of the business..."


    I can''t believe the change in him. The same man who sent her off to school in Italy at the age of eighteen, even though she cried and pleaded with him not to, is telling me that she can be part of the family business. "You really think that''s a wise move? Putting her at risk like that?"


    His hands ball into fists. "Are you seriously questioning my decision-making when ites to my family?"


    "Your family?" I say with a snarl at the suggestion that somehow I''m no longer a part of it.


    He bangs his fist on the desk. "Yes! My fucking family."


    "Jeez, guys, calm down," Joey yells, but I keep my re focused on her older brother.


    "This city. All of this"-he waves his hands in the air-"is as much hers as it is mine and Lorenzo''s."


    "I''m not suggesting otherwise," I bark. "But it''s too fucking dangerous."


    "You''re the one who''s spent thest two months telling me how tough she is," he snaps back.


    "He has?" Joey says. I nce over. Her cheeks are bright pink, but I can''t think about the reason why right now.


    "That''s different," I say, returning my attention to Dante. "Why now, D? When all of those years you were determined to protect her, why are you letting her be a part of this now?"


    "Because the man I needed to protect her from is fucking dead, Max," he shouts. "I fucking killed him, remember?"


    He''s talking about their father. We all protected Joey from the worst of him. But when Dante found out their father was operating a sex trafficking ring with the head of the Bratva and had known about an assault on Kat years before, he went to his house and put a bullet in his head. But Salvatore wasn''t the only threat. There are too many people who''d see Joey Moretti as an easy target. Too many people who might use her to get to her brothers.


    "Are you telling me you don''t think she has what it takes?" he asks, and I swallow harshly.


    Both their eyes are locked on me as they wait for my answer. How do I answer that? Of course she has what it takes. She''s a fucking Moretti through and through. Smart and tough. I have no doubt she could be as ruthless as her brothers if necessary, but there''s more to it than that.


    "Max?" he says.


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    "I''m what?" Joey snaps. "A girl?"


    You''re fucking mine. "She''s too good for this life, D."


    Joey jumps to her feet. "This is my fucking life, Max. It''s all I''ve ever known. If you think I''m going to spend all my days sitting at home painting my damn nails, then you don''t know me at all."


    I growl at her. "I never said that."


    "No? You''re thinking it though, right? Just a spoiled little princess." She leans down, bringing her face close to mine as she res at me. "Well, I am a fucking princess, Max. Chicago royalty. Heir to the goddamn Moretti empire, and don''t you ever fucking forget it."


    Then she storms out of the room, mming the door closed behind her.


    "Fuck," Dante sighs, rubbing a hand over his face as he leans back in his chair. "Why couldn''t I have only had brothers?"


    "It would have been easier." I sure as shit wouldn''t spend almost every hour of every day thinking about being inside his brother.


    "She''s going to be a part of this, Max. How can I refuse her when she has a point? If I stop her because she''s a woman, aren''t I as bad as him?"


    "You''re nothing like your father."


    "I know she''s young and naive in a lot of ways, but with some experience, I think Joey could be an asset to our business. Don''t you?"


    I nod because we both know it''s true. "I can''t help worrying about her though, D. The kind of people we deal with... they see women as easy targets. She could be the easiest way to get to you or Lorenzo."


    "Then we have to make sure she''s not an easy target," he says with a shrug. "Lorenzo is teaching her how to handle a gun. She almost knocked Toni unconscious with her roundhouse yesterday."


    "She''s a fucking firecracker." I smile because there''s no denying that. "But it''s more than being able to handle herself, D. I know she''s smart, but she''s also too fucking naive about so many things, and that makes her vulnerable." And that fucking terrifies me.


    "I know,pagno." He nods in agreement. "But I can''t keep her under lock and key forever. So we make sure that the message is out there that anyone who touches her will die a very slow and agonizing death. Yeah?"


    Now that''s a sentiment I can get behind. "Yeah."

 63

    JOEY


    I swat away my tears and stomp up the stairs to my bedroom. Screw Max DiMarco. I am so over him treating me like a goddamn child. Like he knows what''s best for me? Asshole!


    So he doesn''t think I have what it takes, huh? I stand in front of my mirror and pull out my hair tie, shaking my long hair loose. He thinks I''m just a spoiled little princess, then that''s exactly what he''ll get from now on. He can go to hell with his overprotective bullshit and his "I can''t be one of your choices, baby girl" crap.


    When I''m showered and changed an hourter, I head back downstairs, hoping to go straight out and avoid Maxpletely, but just my luck, he walks down the hallway right as Ie down the stairs.


    "Joey." He nces over my outfit-no doubt thinking that my jeans are too tight or my top is too revealing. Good thing I don''t care what he thinks anymore.


    "I''m going out. I don''t have time," I say as I breeze past him.


    He catches my wrist, pulling me toward him. Goosebumps prickle along my forearm at his touch, and I wrench away before he can notice. "Take your hand off me."


    "I didn''t mean..." He frowns as he goes on staring at me like he wants to say something more but can''t. Or won''t.


    "I don''t give a shit what you meant, Max. I am a part of this family, and I am not a fucking child. Now I''m going out with my friends, people who treat me like an equal and not some pathetic little girl who can''t think for herself, so get the hell out of my way."


    His eyes darken. "Don''t, Joey."


    I step closer until we''re barely an inch apart. His breathing grows heavier and the thick muscles in his neck tense. He might push my limits, but I test his too. Every single one of them.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Or what, Max?" I whisper, running a painted nail over the buttons of his shirt.


    "I am fucking warning you, baby girl," he says with a growl from deep in his throat, and I swear my pussy purrs in response. Traitor.


    "I don''t take warnings from men who have absolutely no power over me." I take a step back and smile sweetly at Lorenzo as he walks toward us. My brother just saved my ass from a pissed-off Max who looks like he''s seconds away from imploding. Serves him right.


    "You out again, kid?" Lorenzo asks, stepping up behind Max.


    Tilting my head to the side, I grin. "Well, this is what us young, fun people do, Loz."


    The vein in Max''s neck grows thicker.


    "Huh," Lorenzo grunts. "Henry and Ash going with you?"


    "Of course. I''ll be back by dinnertime. It''s just a lunch thing."


    "Be good," he says with as much of a smile as my oldest brother ever seems to be able to muster.


    "Me?" I look between him and Max, fluttering my eyshes and feigning innocence.


    "Yes, you, Joey," Lorenzo adds before he turns and disappears down the hallway.


    No way. I mouth the words so he doesn''t hear, but Max sees, and that vein in his neck damn near bursts. He inches forward, his expression mutinous-


    "Youing, Max?" Lorenzo interrupts whatever Max was going to say or do.


    "Buh-bye now," I whisper sweetly, then I turn around and head outside where Ash and Henry are waiting.


    ***


    Mo''s polished off at least a whole bottle of champagne by herself and now sits beside me,ining about how she hasn''t seen Mystery Guy for five weeks.


    "You should forget about him. He sounds like an asshole," I tell her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.


    "No." She shakes her head and gives her empty ss a longing look. Leaning closer, she whispers in my ear, "He''s my ticket out of here, Jo."


    "There are loads of guys who would kill to date you."


    "But I only want him," she whines. "He has it all."


    I frown at her. I''ve never ever seen her this torn up over a guy.


    "He''s so freaking rich," she sniffs.


    Ah, now I get it.


    Toby takes a seat on the other side of me. "You think we should get her home?"


    "Hmm, maybe. She seems pretty wasted," I whisper.


    He looks at my full champagne ss on the table. "You hardly drank anything at all."


    "I prefer hard liquor." I cast an anxious nce at Mo, who''s now draped over me, babbling about men being too difficult to understand.


    "Seems a shame that your afternoon out''s been ruined," he adds, also looking at Mo.


    "No, it hasn''t. I had a good time," I say truthfully. A bunch of us from high school got together today, and it was nice to catch up. I haven''t seen most of them in years, and I much prefer being clearheaded when I''m out with people I don''t know all that well, so not drinking isn''t a big deal.


    He arches one eyebrow. "I think you deserve a better time than the one you''ve had though."


    I figure he''s talking about me having to look after Mo, but I genuinely don''t mind. She''s my best friend. "No, really. I''ve had a great time."


    He runs a hand through his hair and huffs augh. "Jeez, Joey. You''re not making this easy."


    "What?"


    He takes a deep breath. "I''m trying to ask if you want to go somewhere else. With me?"


    I blink at him.


    "Like a date?" he adds.


    "Oh."


    "Only if you''re free. I''m sure you''re busy." His cheeks turn pink. It''s kind of adorable.


    I am free. Free and single. Toby Fiore is a good guy. He treats me like a grown-up-like an equal. I think he''s even a little intimidated by me, which is a nice change from the usual possessive, overbearing alpha-holes I''m surrounded by. "Yeah, I''m free."


    His face breaks into the cutest, biggest smile ever. "Cool. You wanna go for a drink? Or some food? You choose."


    "How about a movie?" I suggest. I rarely get to go to the movie theater, but I love it.


    "Perfect."


    "Let me take Mo home and make sure she''s okay, and then we can go, yeah?"


    He nods. "Yeah."


    "I just have to call my brothers and let them know."


    I don''t miss the fleeting look of pure terror that flickers over Toby''s face, but he recovers quickly and is soon smiling again.


    "They''ll be cool," I assure him. "And Ash and Henry will have to tag along too. Sorry."


    "I know." He understands this life and the rules thate with it. Brushing a stray curl from my forehead, he leans closer. "But I hope that one day your brothers might trust me to look after you myself." Aw, bless. He really is adorable. Like that would ever happen.

 64

    MAX


    "You sure you can''t remember anything else about when Monty used to visit? Your father never went anywhere before or after? Never mentioned a video recording or anything like that?" "No, Max," Kristin groans and rolls her eyes. "If I knew, I would tell you."


    I guess she''s right. I''ve been interrogating the kid, repeating the same questions over and over since I spoke to Monty a few days ago. "The longer your father''s missing, the more likely it is he''ll turn up dead somewhere."


    Her face falls and her eyes fill with tears. I feel like an asshole, but this is her reality. I''ve spent the past week and a half barely sleeping, trying to find out what happened to her father, but I continue to hit dead ends. Vito hid his tracks well. "I''ll do everything I can to find him," I assure her. "Sometimes we forget things though, and it can only take a word or a phrase or something insignificant to trigger a memory."


    "I know. I wish I could remember something."


    "And you''re sure it doesn''t have anything to do with the father of your baby?"


    "Jakob? No way. I guess he might be looking for me since Dad made me leave before I got a chance to say goodbye, but he wouldn''t take my father. Why would he?" She shakes her head. "Jakob has nothing to do with this." "Maybe he mes your dad for taking you away from him?"


    "Even if that were true, he loves me, Max. If he found us, he would havee for me, not my dad."


    I rest my head on the countertop and sigh. I''m grasping for fucking straws here. My phone vibrates, rattling against the kitchen counter. I see Ash''s name on the screen and answer. "Yeah?"


    "I know you asked me to check in on Fred at the warehouse, but I can''t tonight. If it can wait, I''ll do it tomorrow."


    "Why not tonight?"


    "Joey''s going out, so..."


    "Right." I pinch the bridge of my nose. It''s not like her to go out on a Wednesday night. "Where''s she going?" "On a date."


    White-hot anger sears a hole through the middle of my chest. I take a breath and count to five. "On a what now?"


    Ashughs. "Yeah, I know. Guy must have balls of iron, right? Wouldn''t think that to look at him though."


    My knuckles turn white as I grip the phone so tightly, I almost bend it in fucking half. "Who is she going on a date with?" "Toby Fiore."


    Toby. Of fucking course it''s him. "And Dante and Lorenzo are okay with this?"


    "Yup." Heughs again.


    Kristin stares at me with concern, and I realize I''m scowling. Going on a fucking date. I''ll kill him. Rip his fucking arms off his body and beat him to death with them. And I will spank her bratty ass so hard- "Maximo?" Ash interrupts my murderous thoughts. "Tomorrow for the warehouse, yeah?"


    My jaw ticks. "Yeah."


    "Good."


    "If anything happens tonight. Anything weird at all. If she even looks the slightest bit ufortable or upset or-" I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. When I get my hands on Joey Moretti, I will remind her exactly who she belongs to. "You call me. Okay?"


    "Okay, boss, but..."


    "But what?"


    "Well, they''re only going to see a movie and then... well, Dante said that if she''s in the Fiore mansion, she''s okay to be left alone, so me and Henry won''t be in there with her." My right hand balls into a fist. "He said what?"


    "He spoke to Michael Fiore first. Made him aware that Joey would be under his care, you know? That Toby kid would have to have a death wish to try anything stupid."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    I growl. Michael Fiore is a traditional family man, and he''s a loyal employee-who happens to have a healthy fear of his employers. Toby would be a fucking fool to try anything more than a kiss-but don''t all horny twenty-two-year-old fuckwits think with their dicks? Says me, the guy who''s foaming at the mouth just thinking about Joey-a girl I can''t fucking have-going on a date. But what did I expect when I told her there was no future for us? Joey''s not the kind of woman who sits around and waits for life to happen.


    "I''ll call youter, Boss."


    "You better," I snap and end the call. Now all I need is an excuse to go to Michael Fiore''s houseter tonight. JOEY


    "You have the most incredible eyes," Toby says, and that''s when I realize he''s staring into them. Oh, fuck. This is happening. I mean, I wanted it to, right? This is why I went out on a date with him. I know he''s into me. And he''s kinda cute. We got back to his house half an hour ago. His mom and dad hovered around us for a while and reminded Toby we couldn''t go to his bedroom-no doubt a stiption put forth by my brothers. I was surprised they were cool about meing to Toby''s house without Ash and Henry, but I guess they know I''m safe here with the Fiores. They have almost as much security as we do. But now Toby and I are alone in the den with the TV on in the background.


    "Thank you," I whisper, shocked by how embarrassed I feel all of a sudden. I wish I wasn''t so inexperienced when ites to sex. The thought of kissing Toby makes my toes curl in my sneakers, and not in a good way. But it''s just because I''m nervous, right?


    Except I''m never nervous around Max. Well, not like this. I''d climb that man like a tree if he gave me the slightest bit of encouragement.


    "Can I kiss you?" Toby asks, snapping me out of my thoughts about Max DiMarco.


    I smile at him. He is too damn sweet. "Sure," I say with a shrug.


    He closes his eyes and leans in, cing his soft lips over mine. It''s not a bad kiss. He knows what he''s doing, but I don''t feel anything. I close my eyes too, hoping it will help me get into it more. Toby takes that as his cue to push me back against the sofa cushions, and I settle into afortable position as we make out.


    I hear the soft ticking of a clock somewhere nearby and then a dog barking. Does Toby have a dog? Did he put it outside because I''m here? I like dogs. He didn''t need to do that. Are his parents still home? They''ll let the dog inside, right? Or should I ask him about it? Opening my eyes, I see Toby''s are still closed. Shouldn''t I enjoy this? Is there something wrong with me?


    I mumble for him to stop, but the sound is swallowed by Toby''s mouth. I guess he takes it as a sign I want to take things a little further because his hand slides beneath my top. I flinch like I''ve been burned by a hot poker and, without thinking, I shove him away. "Stop!" I pant, my head spinning. I don''t want this.


    "Joey?" He frowns at me. "Are you ... Did I ... I''m sorry... I thought..." he babbles, looking as confused as I feel.


    "I''m sorry, Toby. I just-I can''t right now." I shake my head, feeling like aplete idiot. "Is-is that okay?"


    "Y-yeah." He nods, relief written across his face. I bet his whole life just shed before him, as well as scenes of torture at the hands of my brothers.


    "It wasn''t anything you did," I assure him. "I''m just ... feeling a little queasy, I think," I lie. "I should probably go home."


    "You want me to drive you?" he asks.


    "No. I''ll call Ash and Henry. They won''t be far away."


    ***


    We stand by his front door while I wait for my ride. I shuffle my feet ufortably. "I''m sorry, Toby." After I called Ash, I burst into tears for some reason. I''m such a freaking idiot. Poor Toby must wonder what the hell he''s gotten himself into. No doubt he''s relieved that he''s about to get me out of his house.


    "You don''t have to apologize," he says with a reassuring smile right as the doorbell rings. "I still had a nice time. Maybe we can do it again?"


    God, he''s such a good guy. Why can''t I be into him? "Um, yeah. Sure."


    The doorbell rings again, saving me from having to tell any more lies.


    "We''reing," I shout. Ash isn''t usually this impatient.


    "I''ll call you, yeah?" Toby leans in for an awkward hug.


    I mumble a quick yes against his shoulder before I untangle myself and open the front door. "Why are you being so impa-"


    "Why the fuck have you been crying?" That voice sends a shiver down my spine, and Toby takes a step back.


    I blink. "M-Max? What are you doing here?"


    He res at Toby, his entire body bristling with rage. Oh, shit. This looks really bad. "What the fuck have you done to her?" Max says with a vicious snarl.


    He makes a grab for Toby, but I take hold of his wrist. "Max, stop! He hasn''t done anything."


    Max''s gaze flickers back to me and he narrows his eyes as he searches my face. "So why the fuck were you crying?"


    "Can we just go? Please?"


    "I didn''t do anything, Maximo. I swear," Toby insists, the tremor in his voice all too obvious.


    Max continues to stare at me. "He didn''t," I whisper. "Can we go?"


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    "If I find out you did anything to her..." Max warns, not needing to finish the sentence because the threat is implicit.


    "Bye, Tobe." I turn and give him an apologetic smile. Max wraps a protective arm around my shoulders, and I''m tempted to shrug him off, but I want to get off this doorstep as quickly as possible.


    We walk down the drive of the gated mansion in silence. As soon as we reach Max''s motorcycle, I step away from him.


    "Tell me what''s wrong, baby girl," he says, dusting his fingertips over my cheek. "Why were you crying if it''s nothing to do with Toby?"


    I shake my head. "I''m an idiot, is all."


    A deep sigh rumbles through his body and we stay like that for a few beats until he breaks the silence. "You want toe for a ride with me?"


    No! I want to never see you or go for a ride with you again, Max, because this is too fucking hard. "Yes," I whisper instead.


    He hands me the spare helmet, and I climb onto the back of his motorcycle and wrap my arms around his waist. The familiarity of his body against mine makes me smile and want to cry again at the same time. He taps my knee, letting me know that we''re about to take off and making sure I''m holding on tight. It''s one of the many small ways he takes care of me. We both know I hold on to him too tightly-in every sense of the word.


    And I need to let him go.


    Max drives us out of the city to the woods and stops in a small clearing surrounded by trees. He kills the engine and pulls his helmet off. When he turns, I get lost in his beautiful dark eyes. He gives a jerk of his head, and I take that as my cue to climb off the back of the bike. I pull my helmet off too and he takes it from me, cing it on the ground beside his. Shaking my long hair loose, I wonder why he brought us to this spot near the woods.


    "Tell me what happened with Toby," hemands in a low tone.


    "After you tell me why you turned up at his house instead of Ash."


    "Ash called me." He rubs a hand over his jaw. "He said you sounded upset."


    I frown. "But why did he call you?"


    "Because I asked him to."


    "Why?"


    "I''ve answered your question, Joey. Now tell me what happened."


    "He didn''t do anything wrong. It was me." I go to cross my arms over my chest, not wanting to go into this with him, but he catches my wrists and stops me.


    "Come here," he says, scooting back on the seat of his bike and patting the space in front of him.


    I roll my eyes, but I do what he says. Because despite everything, I yearn to be close to him. To have any part of him touching me sets my soul on fire, and like a desperate fool-and as much as I''d hate myself for it-I''d do anything for him. I straddle the bike, but he''s so huge that I''m practically straddling him too.


    "What happened?" he says again, his voice cutting through me like a hot de.


    I stare into his eyes. I can''t help it. He has some kind of hold over me that I can''t exin. I shouldn''t talk to him, of all people, about this, but he''s my best friend. My real best friend.


    "Things were okay," I mumble. "Then we were on the sofa. We were kissing ..." I swear every single muscle in his body tenses at those words. "He wanted to fool around, I guess..." He narrows his eyes at me. "But you didn''t?"


    "I did. At least I thought I did. But then he put his hand under my top ... and..."


    "And what, Joey?" he snaps. "Did he do something to you?"


    "No, Max. He was a perfect gentleman. I told him to stop, and he did. Straight away."


    "Then why were you so upset?"


    "Because I wanted to enjoy it. Toby is a nice guy. He''s cute. He''s into me. He''s emotionally avable. I wanted to want him, but he ..."


    His hands ball into fists, knuckles turning white. "He what?"


    "He wasn''t you." The words burst out of my mouth, and I can''t call them back, no matter how badly I wish I could. It''s toote.


    His eyes darken as he draws a deep breath through his nose.


    "We kissed for almost ten minutes, and I felt nothing. When I''m with you, I feel-" My throat tightens, and I swallow before I say too much.


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    "What do you feel with me?" he asks, probing even though I don''t want him to. He already has too much of me, I can''t give him more. But the way he looks at me, with such longing and intensity, it breaks through every single defense I have. "Alive," I whisper. "Like my soul is on fire. And when you kiss me-" I suck in a breath that makes me cough and stutter. "T-Toby was sweet and gentle and kind, but I don''t want that, Max. I want to feel the bite of fingertips digging into my flesh, teeth biting at my skin. I want a hand around my throat."


    His tattooed hand moves so fast I barely have time to blink before it''s wrapped around my neck. He squeezes gently. "Nobody puts a hand on your throat, baby girl. Nobody but me. Ever. You got that?" Wet heat pools between my thighs. He dips his head and runs his nose along my jawline as his fingertips flex on my throat. "What happens when I kiss you?" His harsh whisper sends a shiver down the length of my spine.


    "I get this ache," I pant, my heart rate doubling as I gasp for breath.


    His grip loosens. "Breathe, Joey."


    I blink at him, his dark eyes burning into mine as I regte my breathing.


    "Where do you ache, baby girl?"


    "B-between my thighs."


    He arches one eyebrow. "What kind of ache?"


    "Like..." I dart out my tongue and run it over my bottom lip. "It makes me feel wet and needy."


    "Yeah?" His free hand slides up my thigh until his fingers hover over the button of my jeans. "Max," I whimper, rocking my hips.


    He opens my jeans with ease, and then his hand is in my panties and my blood thunders through my veins while wetness surges between my thighs. His fingertip brushes my clit. I tremble. "Fuck, you are wet, baby," he says with a groan. "Who did this to you?"


    I moan. "It''s all you."


    He removes his other hand from my throat and tangles it in the hair at the back of my head. Pulling my head back, he slides his hand deeper into my panties. My back arches into the pleasure, giving his wicked mouth better ess to my neck. He takes full advantage, trailing his teeth over my sensitive skin and making me shiver.


    "So fucking tight, baby girl," he growls as he shoves his entire hand into my underwear. He pushes a thick finger inside me, and my jeans slide farther down my hips. I almoste apart on the spot.


    "M-Max, please?" I whimper as he slowly thrusts in and out of me.


    "Hmm. Needy too." He chuckles wickedly. Tongue and teethsh at a sensitive spot on my neck while he gently finger fucks me in the middle of the woods on his motorcycle.


    I wrap my arms around his neck, curling my fingers in his thick dark hair as I rock against him.


    "That''s it, ride my hand," hemands, rubbing the heel of his palm over my clit. "My needy little slut."


    "Oh. My. God!" My eyes roll back in my head as an intense orgasm crashes into me. If it wasn''t for Max''s arms holding me upright, I''d fall off this bike and crumple to the ground in a heap.


    "You feel better, baby girl?" he asks as he pulls his hand out of my jeans. Heat blooms beneath my skin as I watch him ce his finger in his mouth and suck it clean before releasing it with a wet pop. "Sweetest thing I ever tasted." He grins. "You think you''re so smooth."


    He stares at me, his jaw ticking and his eyes roaming over my face. Like he wants to tell me something but he''s searching for the words. "I should get you home," he finally says.


    "No!" I shout the word, surprising both of us. "Take me to your ce, Max. Please?"


    He sighs heavily. "I can''t, Joey."


    "Why not?"


    "Because you''re Joey. Lorenzo and Dante would never forgive me."


    "You can screw me in an alleyway and finger bang me on the back of your motorcycle, and that''s okay? But spending the night with me is crossing the line?"


    Pain shes across his face for a split second before his brow furrows with annoyance. "Joey," he pleads.


    "Ash will tell Dante and Lorenzo that I''m with you. I can say I''m staying at your ce. They''ll know I''m safe. Just take me to bed. Just once?" I beg him, tears pricking at my eyes.


    He stares at me for what feels like forever before he finally speaks. "You''re going to get me fucking killed, Joey Moretti." Then he reaches down and snatches our helmets off the ground, motioning for me to get on the bike.

 65

    JOEY


    For some reason, Max drives us further away from the city-away from his penthouse apartment and north toward the river. He eventually stops his bike outside a beautiful log cabin in the woods. He cuts the engine and taps my leg, signaling me to climb off.


    "Where are we?"


    He frowns. "I never told you about this ce?"


    "No."


    "Hmm." He rubs a hand over his thick beard. "I like toe here sometimes."


    "Is it yours?" I look at the beautiful cabin that''s currently shrouded in darkness.


    "Of course it is." Heughs softly and takes my hand, leading me to the front door.


    My legs are shaking by the time we get inside. This ce is so secluded, I wonder if anyone even knows it''s here. I doubt anyone knows we''re here. Not that I''m scared of being alone with Max, but the thought of beingpletely isted with him makes me more nervous than I''ve ever felt in my entire life.


    He takes his cell from his pocket and eyes me with concern. "I''ll let your brothers know you''re with me and you''ll be back tomorrow, okay?"


    Is he waiting for me to change my mind? Not gonna happen. "Okay."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    I wander around therge open-n living area while Max types out a text. It''s so cozy. Big sofas with soft cushions. Soft rugs on the floor. A huge firece that I would love to see zing in the winter. "Do you, uh, bring a lot of women here?"


    He tosses his phone onto the sofa and stalks toward me. "No."


    I swallow my nerves. I''m shaking like a freaking leaf.


    "Why are you so nervous, baby girl? I don''t have any power over you, remember?"


    Holy fuck! Why the hell did I say that earlier? I think I''m going to pass out.


    "I d-didn''t-"


    "You need me to remind you exactly what you said?"


    No. I''d like to make you forget it instead. "You know I was just mouthing off," I whisper.


    He arches an eyebrow. "Just being a spoiled brat?"


    "Well, isn''t that all you think I am?"


    Sliding his arms around my waist, he palms my ass cheeks and yanks me toward him. He bends his head low so he can whisper in my ear. "Oh, you''re so much more than that, baby girl."


    Before I cane back with a snappy retort, he lifts me, wraps my legs around his waist, and carries me through the living area. He kicks open a door to a bedroom, walks inside, andys me down on the bed.


    I stare up at him, my heart racing wildly and my blood thundering. I''m hot. I''m wet. And I need him so badly. I would do literally anything he told me to right now. Anything.


    Max brushes my hair back from my face, his fingertips grazing over my neck as he feels for the fastening of my St. Christopher pendant. My brothers gave it to me when I left for Italy, warning me never to take it off. I rarely do-not because they told me not to, but because it belonged to my mom.


    I blink at him. "Why are you taking off my pendant?"


    "I don''t think St. Christopher needs to be a part of any of this," he says with a wicked grin. "And I don''t want to damage it. I''m not going to be gentle."


    Holy mother of fuzzy ducks!


    cing the pendant on the nightstand, he winks at me before he kneels on the floor and wordlessly pulls off my socks and sneakers, then works his way up and unbuttons my jeans, sliding them over my hips and down my legs. I suck in a stuttered breath. Obviously he''s fucked me before, but he told me he didn''t even get halfway inside. And now we''re here and Max is looking at me like a starving animal looks at its prey. He leans over me, running his nose over the damp fabric of my panties. "Fuck, Joey," he groans.


    "I-I''m nervous," I admit on a whisper.


    "I know, baby girl," he says with a wicked smile. He tugs my panties aside and runs the tip of his finger through my dripping folds. "But I''m going to make sure you''re ready before I fuck you."


    "Oh, god," I whimper as tremors ripple through my body.


    "And I''m gonna need you soaking wet for the way I like to fuck." His tone is deep and soothing, and it melts into my bones. Maximo DiMarco is going to ruin me for all other men. He''s barely touched me and I''m on the verge of falling apart. My entire bodyes alive with spine-tingling anticipation.


    "So, how about we get you naked." He peels my panties down my legs and grips them in his hand. Holding them to his face, he inhales, and my cheeks burn at the sight. Max DiMarco is a sinful sex god. And, for tonight at least, he''s mine. "Your smell is fucking addictive. I''m hard as fucking stone, and I haven''t even tasted your sweet pussy yet."


    "Max," I groan. His dirty mouth is so hot.


    He throws my panties onto the floor and pulls me up, taking off my tank top and bra in two swift moves before pushing me back down. Then he just stares at me for the longest time, his eyes raking over my body as a low growl rumbles in his chest. "Max?" I whisper.


    "Just memorizing every single inch of you, Joey. You''re fucking perfect."


    My skin flushes with heat at his praise. I''m such a sucker for him and he knows it. He bends his head and runs his hands up the inside of my thighs, pressing my legs t to the bed as he trails hungry kisses over my skin-all the way from my knees to my center. He rubs his nose over my clit, and my back arches off the bed. "Fuck, Max."


    "Oh, baby girl," he groans. "You''re so fucking desperate for me. Your pussy is dripping onto my sheets."


    "I''m sorry."


    He yfully nips at my thigh. "It wasn''t aint. I''m gonna paint this whole fucking room in your cum tonight."


    Holy fuck!


    He pushes my thighs down further until I''m pinned to the mattress and then licks from my pussy entrance all the way up to my clit, grunting like an animal when he does. His hot, delicious tongue swirls over the hypersensitive bundle of nerves, and my eyes roll in my head. I damn near pass out. Why the hell didn''t anyone tell me sex was this good?


    "Oh, fuck, Joey. You''re so damn sweet, baby. Your cunt is fucking delicious."


    Tangling my hands in his thick hair, I pull his head back. I''m so sensitive and on edge that I squirm beneath him, but he holds fast, licking and nibbling on my clit and causing flickers of starlight to dance behind my eyelids.


    I cry out, but he''s undeterred as he sucks hard and brings me to such an insanely intense orgasm, I feel like I might cry. I pant for breath as heat and pleasure fight for control of my body.


    "Good girl," he soothes as he gives me a brief reprieve, peppering kisses over my thighs. "But we''re gonna go again, okay?"


    "No. I can''t. It''s too much."


    Heughs at my feeble protest. "You can, baby. Your body is just getting used to something new." And to prove his point, his mouth returns to my pussy again,pping at my opening as his tongue and lips move expertly over my flesh. "I could eat you for fucking hours," he whispers, and the vibration against my sensitive flesh makes me shudder. He''s going to kill me with orgasms.


    Then, when I finally get used to the feeling of his mouth on me and the sensitivity gives way to warm waves of pleasure, he slides a thick finger deep inside me and I scream his name so loudly I swear the walls shake.


    "Fuck," he grunts, pushing his finger deeper and curling the tip until he rubs against that spot inside me he seems to find so easily. "Come again for me, baby girl."


    Come for him? I couldn''t note, even if my life depended on it. A second orgasm barrels into me like a freight train, knocking all the breath from my body. Shuddering uncontrobly, I gasp for air. Max is there the whole time, stroking my neck and whispering in my ear. "Breathe, Joey."


    I nod, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.


    "You hold your breath when youe, did you know that?" he says, frowning.


    I shake my head. "Is that bad?"


    "No, but tonight, I say when you get to breathe. You got that?"


    I sink my teeth into my lower lip and nod, stilling down from the epic high he gave me.


    "Good. Now turn over," he orders.


    I arch an eyebrow at him. Is he finally going to fuck me? Please god!


    "Now."


    "You''re so demanding," I say with a sigh, but I flip onto my stomach and wiggle my ass in his face. He responds by pping it hard, and I groan.


    "Oh, my naughty brat likes a spanking, huh?" He smacks me again, and wetness drips from my pussy. I bite down on the pillow to stop another horny moan from escaping.


    Max pushes my thighs apart and kneels between them. Then he grabs my hips and pulls me up until I''m on all fours. "Come here."


    "Are you going to fuck me now?"


    He pushes a finger inside me, and my back bows as white-hot pleasure sears my core. Then he adds a second and I moan at the burn of him stretching me wider. "Not yet, baby girl."


    I drop my head onto the pillow and pout.


    "I haven''t finished eating yet." He trails kisses over my ass cheeks, soothing the sting of where he just spanked me. And then his mouth is on my ass, his tongue flicking over the seam as he moves lower until he''s feasting on my pussy again. This time all the attention is on my entrance as he slides his tongue inside me.


    "M-Max." My bodytches onto the flickering embers of my previous orgasm to ignite another one.


    He murmurs appreciatively and goes on eating, swirling his tongue inside me like he''s making out with my pussy. His fingers brush over my clit, and I sink my teeth into the pillow to stop from screaming the entire house down. He threads his fingers in my hair and pulls my head up. "Stop that, Joey. If I''m making youe, I want to hear every fucking sound you make."


    I groan, and he goes back to eating me and rubbing my clit with the most perfect, delicious amount of friction and pressure until my inner walls pulse and every cell in my body trembles with the need toe. "Please, Max." "Who has all the power now, baby girl?" Heughs darkly, and I''m too fraught and desperate to call him an asshole for it.


    Instead, in my desperation, I whimper. "You do. Always."


    "Now that''s my good fucking girl." He groans against my flesh, slipping his tongue back inside me and causing my orgasm to go off like a nuclear warhead in my core. It tears through me, wrenching a guttural cry from my throat. My shoulders sink to the pillow until I''m lying with my ass up in the air, trembling and gasping for air once more.


    Max pushes two fingers inside me, and a loud groan of appreciation rumbles through him when they slide in easily. "Now you''re ready to be fucked."


    "Yes, please," I breathe, desperate to feel him. My pussy aches to be filled by himpletely.


    I hear the sound of his zipper opening. The crown of his cock presses at my entrance. "You remember the first time I fucked you, Joey?"


    "Uh-huh."


    "How you couldn''t feel my piercings because I couldn''t get far enough inside of you?"


    "Yeah," I whisper, cheeks flushing red. It was also because I had no idea what having an actual dick inside me should feel like.


    "I''m going to fit my whole cock in you tonight, baby girl, and you know how you''re going to know when I''m all the way in?" "How?"


    "Because you''re going to count my piercings."


    "Count?"


    "Yeah, count. There''s six of them, all for you, Joey. This one"-he rubs the piercing in his crown over my clit and makes me whimper with need-"you won''t feel until I''m all the way in and I''m rubbing this bar against your G-spot. But the others you''ll feel while I''m filling your tight little cunt with my cock. Okay?"


    Holy mother of fucks! "Okay."


    "Good girl. You count each one as I enter you, okay?"


    I nod but wonder if Max''s giant monster cock will actually fit inside me. I was barely able to take half of himst time and I felt sore for days, even though it was the delicious kind of pain that makes a girl like me smile.


    Max pushes the tip inside me, stretching me wide. It burns a little, but I''m so wet that he slides in without resistance. I groan, pushing my ass back against him, but he grabs my hips and holds me steady. "Not yet, baby." "Max," I whine, and he ps my ass.


    Then he gives me another inch, and I realize why he''s going so slow. Because no matter how wet I am, he''s still freaking huge. My pussy is stretched further than it''s ever been, and I wince at the sting. But then one of his piercings rubs against my pussy walls, and I release a gush of arousal. "One," I cry.


    "Good girl."


    My toes curl as Max pulls out a little before pushing back in, drawing more wetness from deep inside me as he pushes in farther. "Two."


    "That''s my girl."


    Two? That means we have four more to go. I have no idea how I''m going to take the rest of him.


    He bends over me and presses soft kisses over my back. "You''re doing so well. Such a good girl for me."


    I melt under his praise, practically purring like a kitten, and he takes the opportunity to slide deeper. "Three." And then deeper. "Four," I grit out.


    He rubs one hand over my back while he holds onto my hip with the other. "Almost there."


    "Oh, god," I whimper as he rocks his hips and his piercings rub against my walls, the tiny barbells massaging me in the most delicious way. Jolts of electric ecstasy ricochet through me, and I almoste again.


    "Fuck, Joey. You love my cock."


    "Y-yeah." My eyes roll back as he keeps me bnced on the precipice of ecstasy.


    He pulls out and drives in a little harder, and I feel so much more of him. "F-five!" I scream.


    "Oh, there she is," he grunts, wrapping my hair around his fist and pulling me up until my back is pressed against his bare chest. "My naughty little slut." "Yeah."


    "You ready to feel the sixth one?" "Uh-huh."


    He slides his free arm around my waist, holding me tight as he rolls his hips, driving farther inside me until I feel that final piercing-and I mean I feel it in the very depths of my soul. From the tips of my toes to the end of every single hair on my head. That spot he can reach with his fingers? Well, he can damn well give it a deep tissue massage with the end of his cock. "S-six," I cry out, bucking and shuddering so hard in his arms that he has to hold me still.


    His mouth is on my neck, devouring me. Covering me with feral licks and bites as he holds me tight and thrusts into me. "Fuck, baby girl, you were made for my cock," he growls, driving deep so that every single piercing rubs against a spot inside me that''s already overstimted and sensitive. "Made for me."


    My legs are already shaking as he slips his hand between my thighs and rubs the pads of two fingers over my clit. He rubs softly-his touch taunting and teasing me and so at odds with the way he thrusts into me like a man possessed. I squirm in his arms as the sensations be too overwhelming, but he tugs me closer until I can''t tell where my body begins and his ends. I feel every flex of his hard muscles as he fucks me with brutal strokes. His chest against my back, thighs against mine, teeth and lips grazing my neck, his giant arms encasing me-so huge that they dwarf my smaller frame. He is everything and everywhere. All-consuming andpletely intoxicating.


    Sweat covers our bodies as our breathing grows heavier.


    "You feel so fucking good," he grunts.


    "You fuck me so good."


    Ecstasy settles over me like a heavy nket.


    I hold my breath.


    "Breathe, Joey," hemands.


    I suck in a mouthful of air at the same time he rolls his hips and the pierced tip of his cock hits my G-spot. Bright specks of light flicker behind my eyelids while waves of hot, electric pleasure roll through my body, converging in a spot deep inside my pussy.


    "Holy shit, Max, I''m gonna-gonnae ...


    "You can, baby girl. Let go. I got you."


    again. A-and I don''t know if I can." This feels different from before. Such an intense build-up of pressure. Lightheaded, all I can do is whimper and moan and take what he gives me.


    And then it happens. A tsunami of cum-at least I hope it''s cum-gushes out of me, soaking me and Max and leaving a puddle on the bed.


    "Jesus fucking Christ, Joey." He rails into me, his hips mming against my ass as he gives me everything he has. Driving into me with such force that the bed rattles against the wall. I feel his abs tighten and his thighs tense seconds before his hips go still. "Motherfucking! Fuck!" he roars as he empties himself inside me, grinding against me until I''m filled with everyst drop of his cum.


    Then he falls forward onto the bed, copsing on top of me as we both gasp for breath.


    "Holy shit, Max," I pant.


    "I know, baby." He gasps the words against my ear, his breath damp and hot against my neck.


    I have never felt safer or happier than I do right now. If I died tomorrow, I could say that I lived because of this right here.

 66

    MAX


    Holy motherfucking fuck! My legs are still shaking as I hold Joey in my arms, probably squeezing her tighter than I should because I need her as close to me as humanly fucking possible. This woman was born to be mine. I don''t give a fuck what her brothers say or all the reasons why she shouldn''t be mine, I''m taking her anyway.


    I knew this would happen when she begged me to take her home and fuck her. I knew that saying yes would mean this. That I couldn''t get a taste of her and have the strength to let her go again. And even though I was fully aware of the price we''d both have to pay, how could I say no to her when she looked at me that way? After she questioned whether she was good enough for me when that couldn''t be further from the truth?


    I texted her brothers and told them she was spending the night at my ce because she''d had too much to drink, and then I texted Kristin and told her I wouldn''t be home until tomorrow. There''s one fatal w in my n, but I can''t think about it now. All I can think about is her. Saying yes to taking her to my bed might have seemed like a moment of madness at the time, but now I realize it was a moment of absolute fucking rity. I have never been as sure of anything or anyone as I am of her.


    She breathes hard, her eyes closed and cheeks pink, with a contented smile on her face. Yeah, she''s content, I just made here so fucking hard she drenched us both. I brush her hair from her forehead where it''s stuck to her damp skin. "You okay, baby girl?"


    "I''m..." She sighs deeply. "That was amazing, Max."


    I can''t help the smug smile that spreads across my face. But I pushed her hard and she''s so inexperienced. "Are you sore?"


    "Deliciously so," she whispers, snuggling her face against my chest.


    Shit. I might need to fuck her again in about ten minutes. The way her leg is draped over me has her wet pussy resting against my hip, and I''m already getting hard.


    I brush over her pussy with my fingertips and study her face. She winces a little, but that smile grows wider and a soft moan bubbles out of her throat. Oh, she is so getting fucked again.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I roll on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. She gasps, but I seal my mouth over hers, swallowing the sound as I taste her. Exploring her mouth with my tongue as my hand runs over her body, seeking out every part of her so I will never forget a single second of this time with her. I squeeze one of her perfect tits, and she whimpers into my mouth, rocking her hips up as I maneuver myself between her thighs. Her heart beats fast against mine as she kisses me back with a fervor that makes my cock ache. I nudge the crown at her soaking wet hole, making her arch her back and groan.


    "You took me so fucking well before, baby girl. You think you can do it again?"


    "Yes," she pants, her eyes dark and full of heat. She needs this as much as I do. "I''ll take it easy this time."


    "No. Max. I want all of you."


    I sink my cock a little deeper into her, and her mouth falls open in a perfect O as searing pleasure spikes through my entire body. The way her tight, wet cunt squeezes my cock feels like fucking heaven. Better than heaven. I want to live and die fucking this woman. "You''ll get all of me, but I need to go a little slower because you''re gonna take me over and over again tonight. I''m going to fuck you until sunrise."


    "Fuck, Max," she whimpers.


    "You feel so fucking good." I drive in further. She''s wet and ready, and that makes it easier this time, but she''s still so fucking tight. "Spread a little wider for me, baby girl. I don''t want to hurt you." Yet. "You won''t."


    I wrap a hand around her throat and sink all the way inside. My eyes locked on hers, I watch her face intently as she takes every inch of me until I''m buried balls deep in her pussy. I circle my hips, and her eyes roll back in her head. "You like that?"


    "Y-yeah."


    I squeeze her throat a little tighter as I go on thrusting my hips, rubbing my piercing over her G-spot until she whimpers and ws at my back.


    "Breathe, Joey," I remind her, and she sucks in a breath. "You need to get air while you can, baby, because I''m going to squeeze a little tighter soon and you''re not going to be able to breathe. You understand?" "Yes."


    Fuck, I love how much she trusts me. "I won''t let anything happen to you, but if it gets too much or you get scared, you tap me, okay?"


    "Tap out," she says with a wicked smile.


    "Yeah, you tap out." I seal my mouth over hers, kissing her deeply as I drag my cock in and out of her soaking pussy, and each time I slide back in, I roll my hips and make sure she feels every single inch. And when her pussy walls start to ripple around my cock and her thighs start to tremble, I squeeze the sides of her throat, cutting off her air.


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    I keep kissing her, stealing what little breath she has left as I slide deep into her pussy. And those few seconds right before shees, just before her body starts to fight theck of oxygen, I release my grip and break our kiss, letting her gasp for air as her orgasm rocks through her body.


    The way her body shudders, her cunt''s death grip on my cock, and the way her eyelids flutter as she sucks in deep, bone-shaking breaths send me hurtling over the edge with her. I drive into her onest time and spill my cum deep inside her as I grunt and curse in her ear.


    "Holy shit, Max, that was intense," she pants, her hot breath on my skin as I slide out of her.


    "I know, baby."


    "Is sex always like this? Because I think I may have been missing out." Sheughs softly, but I don''t find what she said the slightest bit amusing.


    I push myself up onto my forearms and re at her. "What do you think, baby girl? You think if you''d have hooked up with some guy in a bar or let Toby fuck you tonight that it would it have been like this?" Her throat constricts as she swallows, her dark eyes full of defiance. "Or you think it''s like this because it''s with me?"


    "I guess I wouldn''t know, seeing as how you''re the only guy I''ve ever been with."


    "And I''m the only one you will ever be with."


    She narrows her eyes. I guess she needs to be reminded who she belongs to. I''m hard again-always fucking hard around her. Without warning, I sink back inside her, making her cry out my name.


    "You think anyone else would make you feel this good?" I ask as I nail her to the bed. I''m not gentle this time. This time I will mold her tight cunt to the shape of my cock forever. She will feel me inside her until the end of her fucking days. "No, Max," she cries, clinging to me. Wrapping her legs around my waist, she pulls me closer. "I meant sex with you."


    "You did, huh?" I pound harder, burying my head in her neck and filling my senses with her smell and her taste.


    "Why do you think I waited so long? I waited for you." Tears drip from her jaw onto my face.


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    I lift my head and brush her hair back, looking at her as I fuck her into oblivion. "Who does this pussy belong to?" I m into her.


    "Y-you."


    "Will anyone else ever fuck you again?" Thrust.


    "No." She throws her head back and I drag my teeth over the soft skin of her neck.


    "Kiss you?" Thrust.


    "No."


    "Taste you?" Thrust.


    "No, Max."


    "Damn right, baby girl, because you''re mine. I warned you that my kind of love wasn''t what you were looking for, but you went after it anyway. And now that you got it, it''s not the kind you can escape."


    She wraps her arms tighter around my neck, tugging at my hair until I lift my head. She stares into my eyes. "It''s the only kind I''ve ever wanted, Max." With a smirk, she arches into me. "So stop being an asshole and just make mee."


    Fuck me. This woman is perfect in every single fucking way. "An asshole?" I circle my hips again, and she moans as her hot juices flood her pussy and soak my cock. "I''m going to make you pay for that."


    "I''m counting on it."

 67

    MAX


    I rest my lips on her hair and stare out the window at the rising sun. Joey''s worn out from being awake most of the night. We ate and talked, and then I fucked her again-and again-until she fell asleep in my arms. I stayed awake because I would never risk hurting her while I slept. She''s the most precious thing in the entire world to me, and I would never recover if I ever harmed her.


    The banging on the door isn''t unexpected, although I didn''t anticipate them getting here this early.


    Joey''s head jerks up, her eyelids fluttering open. "Max?"


    "Get dressed, baby girl."


    She blinks at me. "But who could that be?"


    "Your brothers."


    "My ... What? How? Why?"


    "You have a tracker in your phone, baby. I have one in mine too."


    "So, you knew? You knew they''d find out?" She shakes her head, dislodging the remnants of her peaceful sleep. "Why didn''t you tell me?" She gasps, jumping up from the bed and scrabbling for her clothes. "They''ll kill you, Max. No! We''ll tell them I slept on the sofa. No, no, you did." She pulls on her jeans, her eyes as wild as her fucked-all-night hair. "You''d never make me sleep on the sofa."


    I climb out of bed and grab hold of her, putting a stop to her rambling and forcing her to look up at me. "Joey, stop. I''ll tell them the truth."


    "But..." She stares at me like I''ve lost my mind.


    "I''ll figure something out, I promise."


    "They''ll hate you," she whispers.


    "If they do, it was worth it."


    "Max, no." Her bottom lip trembles.


    I wrap her in my arms and kiss the top of her head. "Last night was perfect, baby girl, and no matter what happens from here on out, I wouldn''t change a single second of it."


    The banging on the door grows louder. If I don''t open it in the next minute, at least one livid Moretti brother will bust inside. I give her a quick kiss on the forehead. After getting dressed, I leave her in the bedroom and head to the front door that rattles in its frame from the force of the banging on the other side.


    I open it to a red-faced Dante, hand suspended in midair as though he was about to hammer on it again. "Where the fuck is she?" he demands.


    "She''s here. She''s safe."


    His older brother climbs out of the ck SUV in the driveway and stalks toward us.


    "Joey," Dante shouts, pushing past me just in time to see her walk out of my bedroom, looking every inch like the woman I thoroughly fucked all night long. He doesn''t waste time asking any more questions. Instead, he punches me straight in the mouth, causing me to stagger back a step.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Dante!" Joey shrieks.


    "You piece of fucking shit. She''s my little sister," he roars, raising his fist toe at me again, but this time I duck and sucker punch him in the stomach. He stumbles back. When he straightens up, he res at me. "You''ve known her for her whole fucking life. I fucking trusted you, you lying fuck."


    "I know, D," is all I can say. I have no defense.


    Heunches himself at me, knocking me back over the sofa. We tumble over the side and fall into a heap on the floor.


    stars.


    "Max. Dante. Stop!" Joey yells, but we ignore her, throwing punches and rolling around the floor as we try to get the better of each other. I punch him in the mouth and split his lip, and hends a blow to the side of my head that makes me see Joey screams and hollers in the background, but neither of us pay any attention. Dante remains focused on ripping my head off and I''m upied by my attempts to prevent that from happening.


    "Dante!" another voice cuts through the air, and that''s when he stops. We both do. Lorenzo stands in the open doorway, and the sun shining from behind him makes him look like a vengeful shadow. "Enough," he barks, then looks over at his sister. "Get in the car."


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    She folds her arms across her chest. "No. I''m not leaving Max."


    Lorenzo closes his eyes and rubs his temples. "I don''t have fucking time for this. Get into the car, Joey. Now."


    "But-"


    "But nothing. Your family needs you. Now get in the fucking car."


    Joey looks to me as Dante and I haul our asses off the floor and straighten ourselves up.


    I jerk my head at the door. "Go with them."


    "No." She shakes her head. Tears prick at her eyes and a sob catches in her throat.


    "You can''t stay with me, Joey. Not right now."


    "But you said!" Pain contorts her beautiful face.


    "I''ll fix this, I promise. Just give me a few days."


    "The fuck you will," Dante says with a snort.


    "The car, Guiseppina. Now!" Lorenzo shouts.


    I nod at her, and with a re, she swats the tears from her cheeks before storming out of the house. I look at Lorenzo, hoping he might see reason because at least he hasn''t punched me in the mouth yet, but all I find is disappointment and anguish. Fuck! His wife is dying and he''s here dealing with this instead of spending time with her.


    "I''m sorry, I..." I swallow the thick knot lodged in my throat.


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    "No you''re not," Lorenzo spits. The venom in his tone hurts me even more than his younger brother''s fists. The three of us have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and the way they''re looking at me right now fucking kills me. "No, I''m not," I admit. "But I should have done things differently."


    "You could have any fucking woman you want," Dante says as he steps over to join his brother-to stand against me. "But you had to pick our kid sister. Why the fuck, Max?"


    "I didn''t n this."


    "How long?" Lorenzo asks.


    "Was the whole date with Toby just a cover?" Dante adds.


    "No. She went on a date with Toby. She was upset. I picked her up."


    "So, you took advantage of her?" Dante uses.


    "No," I protest. "I would never fucking do that."


    "You are a lying piece of shit, Max. Why the fuck would I trust anything thates out of your mouth ever again?"


    "Because you know me," I remind them.


    "Not anymore. You''re fucking dead to me." Dante spins on his heel and strides out of the house.


    "Loz?"


    He just shakes his head and follows his brother out.


    I stand in the doorway and watch them drive away with my girl, wondering if she''s looking back through those tinted windows. I knew this would happen, didn''t I? And I took the risk anyway. But they''re sadly fucking mistaken if they think I won''te for her. As soon as I can sort out the mess with Kristin, I''ll be ready to take my girl back.


    And if her brothers are intent on standing in my way, I guess I''ll have to go through them.

 68

    JOEY-AGE 18


    I stare out of the car window, my head spinning and my stomach churning as Max drives me home. I''ve never felt more humiliated in my life as I did when he turned up at Mo''s party and literally dragged Logan ke off me by the scruff of his neck while we were making out.


    Logan is the hottest guy in this whole goddamn city, and I finally get a shot with him only to have it spectacrly and publicly ruined by my older brothers'' attack dog. But the humiliation is nothingpared to the anxiety at facing my brothers'' wrath when I get home. I was already on myst warning for sneaking out, but what''s a girl to do when the two of them don''t even give me room to breathe? And Max is no better. He watches me like a hawk. They should apud my ingenuity at being able to escape their clutches asionally.


    Not that being rescued by Max usually bothers me so much. He is HOT. Man-hot, not boy-hot like Logan. Max is the whole freaking package. Dark and dangerous, with muscles on top of muscles and a body covered by tattoos. I love the way they peek out of his dress shirts, revealing a glimpse of the hidden secrets beneath.


    Not that anything could ever happen between us. He sees me as his best friends'' annoying kid sister and nothing more. But that doesn''t stop me from staring at him every chance I get and making him feel as ufortable as humanly possible.


    "Did you really have to do that tonight?" I ask with a sigh and an eye roll.


    "Do what?" he says coolly, as though he didn''t just ruin my goddamn life.


    "Grab Logan like that? Drag me out of that party like a naughty teenager?"


    He nces at me sideways, taking his eyes off the road for a split second. "You are a naughty teenager."


    "I''m eighteen!" I snap.


    "You snuck out of the fucking house with no protection-"


    "Actually I have plenty of condoms in my purse," I say with a casual shrug. It''s a lie, but it''s way too much fun to see that thick vein bulge in his neck when he''s pissed.


    His knuckles turn white as his grip tightens on the steering wheel. "That''s not the kind of protection I meant, Joey," he says with a snarl. "What the fuck?"


    "I know." I suppress a snicker. "But why are you so bothered about what guys I might hook up with, Maximo?" I ask seductively, running my fingertips over his arm.


    "Because I fucking care about you," he snaps. "And I don''t want to see you hurt. You keep putting yourself in these stupid fucking situations-"


    "I was at a goddamn party," I yell. "That''s what eighteen-year-olds do."


    "With a purse full of fucking condoms," he says through gritted teeth.


    "Better that than an unwanted pregnancy, huh?" Iugh. "Can you imagine what Dante and Lorenzo would say if that happened?"


    "Can you imagine what your father would say?" His cold tone is a sobering reminder of why I''ve never had sex with anyone. And why most guys wouldn''t even dare try. A shudder runs down my spine. "Can you imagine what we would do to the poor guy who knocked you up, Joey?" he adds, his tone a little softer now.


    "We?" I whisper.


    "I would cut off his cock with a blunt hacksaw before your brothers even got anywhere near him," he tells me matter-of-factly.


    "Well, you don''t need to worry. I''ve never had sex. Never likely to, given that I''m basically a prisoner and now I''m going to be onplete lockdown until college starts."


    Max''s Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows. "You''ve never ...?"


    "Nope," I snap, going back to staring out of the window. "No guy stupid enough to fuck Joey Moretti around here."


    "Joey." My name is a heavy sigh tumbling from his lips.


    "Just take me home, Max. Let me listen to my lecture so I can go to bed and forget this awful night ever happened."


    He opens his mouth, probably about toe up with another bullshit excuse for why he and my brothers are overbearing assholes who treat me like I''m a second-ss citizen, but he closes it without saying anything, and the rest of the drive is spent in awkward silence.


    ***


    Two dayster, I find myself sitting in a car with Max again. Only this time he''s driving me to the airport. My brothers were beyond pissed when I got home the other night, and I guess this is my punishment. My heart is heavy in my chest, and I fight back tears as I stare out of the window. I finger the St. Christopher pendant absent-mindedly. Apparently he''s the patron saint of travelers. It belonged to my mom, and my brothers gave me it for this trip.


    Never take it off, Joey! As if some crusty old saint is going to protect me. But I''ll always wear it because it was my mom''s. And because a part of me believes that there''s something bigger than me in the universe. "They''re doing this to protect you, Joey," Max says softly.


    I ignore him. He''s as big an asshole as the rest of them. They can dress this up any damn way they please but shipping me off to some convent school in Italy will never be what''s best for me. "They just want-"


    "Stop!" I shout. "Just stop it. You''re as bad as they are."


    Max sighs deeply, but at least he stops talking. I continue to stare out the window. My brothers couldn''t even be bothered to take me to the airport themselves. Instead they farmed me out to Max to handle. Dealing with all that female emotion would be too much for the Moretti brothers, right? They think they''re so damn tough, but they can''t handle a few tears. Cowards.


    A tear runs down my cheek, and I swat it away before Max sees. It''s easier to focus on my rage toward my brothers right now. If I lose sight of that, all I''ll have left is the soul-crushing despair of being sent to live on the other side of the world with people I don''t even know.


    When Dante and Lorenzo told me yesterday that I was going to Italy for three years and that I had no say at all in the matter, I thought they were ying a practical joke. No discussion. No consideration of my feelings at all. The decision was made, and it was final. I guess the joke''s on me.


    The two of them barely looked at me once after breaking their news. Not even Anya fought for me, which is so unlike her. She stands up to them on my behalf all the time, but not on this. She sat quietly by and watched while they ruined my whole life.


    And here I am, headed to Italy all alone. Well except for the four armed escorts who will apany me until I reach the convent school and receive my new security detail. No family. No friends. Nobody.


    "Joey," Maximo says softly, and I realize I''m crying.


    "Leave me the hell alone," I sniff. Max moved into our house when I was four. He''s ten years older, and he always looked out for me like a big brother. Although for the past two years, I''ve fantasized about him being way more than that. I flirt with him constantly, and he pretends not to notice. His betrayal hurts just as much as my brothers'' does.


    When we pull up at the airport, I reach for the door handle but Maximo locks it, preventing me from leaving.


    "Joey. Look at me."


    "No." He doesn''t get to give me some speech about this being for my own good to make himself feel better. They''re getting rid of me because I''m a pain in their ass and their lives will be easier without me in it. Nothing he says can convince me otherwise.


    "Joey," he says, his voice low and demanding.


    I turn and re at him.


    "One day you will see that this was for your protection..."


    "The fuck I will!"


    He closes his eyes and draws a deep breath through his nose. When he opens them again, he ces his hand on my chin and a jolt of electricity surges through me. He tilts my head until I''m forced to look at him. "Your brothers only want what''s best for you, and I promise you that one day you''ll see that."


    I let the tears run freely down my cheeks. Screw them all to hell. "You''re a fucking liar, Max. This is my punishment and we both know it."


    Shaking his head, he sighs. "It''s not. But sometimes the right thing to do hurts, Joey."


    "The right thing for who? Dante and Lorenzo? Because this only benefits them as far as I can see. Get Joey out of the way and forget about her, yeah?" I wipe my cheeks with the sleeve of my sweatshirt.


    "I wish I could exin," he says, his brow furrowed in a frown. "But just know that they would do anything to protect you."


    "I''m eighteen years old. I don''t need their goddamn protection."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    He grips my jaw tighter, his eyes burning into mine. "Listen to me, Joey Moretti," hemands. "Like it or not, you will always be a target. There will always be men who will want to hurt you. To make you feel less than simply because you''re a woman who was born into power."


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    He narrows his eyes in warning, and I stop talking.


    "There''ll be people who will try to take that power from you using any means necessary. Do you understand me?"


    "I know our life is dangerous. I know all that already. But I can look after myself. I''m not a child."


    "Then stop fucking acting like one," he says, his tone dripping with anger.


    "I hate all of you. I''m going to run away the first chance I get, and I will never fucking speak to any of you again."


    His jaw ticks and he glowers at me. "You will not fucking run, Joey."


    I narrow my eyes at him. "Watch me."


    "I will be watching, Joey," he says, his tone menacing. "Know that there is nowhere far enough you can run that I won''t find you."


    I swallow hard as his dark eyes burn into mine. That sounds like a threat but feels like something more. "Why would you even care to look?" I sniff as another tear rolls down my cheek. He shakes his head in exasperation.


    "Max?"


    His eyes narrow as they search my face. "You know why."


    I don''t. And this all hurts too much for me to figure it out.


    "If anyone everes for you, Joey, you give them whatever''s necessary to keep yourself safe. You have one job and that''s to keep yourself alive, you got that?"


    I blink at him in confusion. Why is he talking about all this stuff?


    He brushes his knuckles over my cheek. "Know that I will always be looking for you, Joey. And I will always find you."

 69

    JOEY


    My chest aches. It feels like my heart is actually breaking. I stare at the backs of my brothers'' heads as Lorenzo drives us home. How did my life shift from a dreame true to my worst nightmare in the space of half an hour? Never in my life have I seen Dante and Lorenzo so angry with Max. I have no recollection of them even having an argument. And now, because of me, they hate him. You''re dead to me. That''s what Dante said. But nothing hurts more than Max telling me to leave. After everything he saidst night, everything we did, he didn''t fight for us.


    A sob sticks in my throat. I can fix this. I''ll make my brothers see that they''re being massive overbearing assholes. That they''re overreacting. Then I''ll talk to Max and we can figure out what to do next. "Did you choose him just to fucking spite us?" Dante asks, his voice little more than a snarl. It''s the first thing he''s said to me since he got into the car ten minutes ago. "What?"


    "You heard what I said, Joey. Did you fuck around with Max just to cause trouble?"


    I swear he couldn''t have shocked me more if he''d turned around and pped me in the face. The rage in my chest spreads to my arms and legs, making them tingle. "Are you serious right now?" Dante turns in his seat and res at me. "One hundred fucking percent serious. It wouldn''t be the first time you''ve pulled some fucked-up shit just to piss me off."


    I scowl at him. He''s referring to the time I helped Kat with her escape attempt after Dante kidnapped her. That was before I knew how much she meant to him and how much she loved him. Before I knew she was pregnant with my niece. Before she became one of my favorite people in the world. But I can''t fucking believe he thinks I would use Max that way. His low opinion of me hurts more than it should. "Not everything in this world revolves around you, Dante." The wrath inside me spills into my voice. It''s not enough for the two of them to treat me like a child, he has to use me of being aplete bitch too?


    "So, why him, Joey? Why not any other guy?"


    I lean forward, squaring up to him as he goes on giving me that infamous Dante Moretti re. "Like you two have ever let me be around other guys?" I yell. "Wherever I go, whoever I meet, as soon as they hear myst name, guys shrivel up and back off faster than I can blink. You think it''s easy being me, Dante?"


    "What about Toby?"


    I shake my head. "I don''t like Toby that way."


    Lorenzo remains silent, eyes fixed on the road ahead while Dante practically foams at the mouth. "Someone else then!" Dante shouts.


    "I don''t want anyone else. I want Max. I''ve only ever wanted Max, and despite your huge ass ego thinking this is about you, it really isn''t. It is so not about you. It''s about Max and me. Nobody else."


    He grumbles something under his breath and throws himself back into his seat. He''s acting like a petnt child, throwing a fit because I yed with his best friend. And I''m the spoiled brat?


    My phone rings, and I take it out of my purse, groaning inwardly. If I don''t answer it now, Mo will just keep calling.


    "Hey, Mo."


    "Hey, girl. How was your date?"


    "Fine."


    "Fine?" She snorts. "Sounds fun. Did you at least pop your cherry?"


    "No."


    "No?!" she shrieks. "For fuck''s sake, Joey. What the hell are you waiting for?"


    "I can''t really talk right now. I''m in the car with Dante and Lorenzo."


    "Oh, I get it." She snickers. "So you did?"


    "No. It''s not that." I sigh.


    "You''re in the car at 7:45 a. m. with your brothers, and it''s not because they had toe pick you up from a guy''s house?"


    "I''ll call youter, Mo."


    "Make sure you do. I can''t wait to hear all the juicy details."


    Then she hangs up, and I go back to ring at the backs of my brothers'' heads.


    ***


    As soon as we got home, I was marched back into the house like a runaway teen. Ignoring the sympathetic nces from Kat and Anya, I stomped upstairs to my room.


    I''m beyond pissed at my brothers right now. I can''t even think straight. I want nothing to do with them, and that includes their wives too. I''m so over being treated like a second-ss citizen in this house.


    I lie on my bed, unshed tears blurring my vision as I stare at my phone. No word from Max. Not even a text. Nothing. Wasst night a lie? All just a part of his possessive asshole routine? Is he like that with all the women he fucks?


    I scroll through my recent calls, and my finger hovers over his name. I could call him, right? But ugh! Why should I? He told me to leave.


    Someone taps softly at my door.


    "Go away!" I shout.


    "I would, but I can''t. Your niece is demanding to see you," Kat replies.


    Damn! That sneak brought the big guns. "My niece who is five months old and can do nothing but giggle and squeal?"


    "And cry," Kat adds,ughing. "But, yes, that''s her."


    I groan, tossing my phone onto the nightstand and wiping my eyes. "Come in." Kat walks in holding Gabrie, and I sit up and grin as my niece gives me the biggest smile I''ve ever seen. At least one person in this family isn''t constantly disappointed in me.


    "Hey, smooch." I take her from Kat''s arms as soon as she''s within my reach. "You can go now," I say, not bothering to look at my sister-inw.


    Kat ignores me and sits on my bed beside me instead. "How are you?"


    "What did they tell you?" Just how much of my sex life has been discussed by my family over the past few hours? I rest my lips against Gabrie''s head, kissing her baby-soft skin and inhaling her sweet scent.


    "That you spent the night with Max."


    My cheeks turn pink with embarrassment, and I roll my eyes. I have no reason to feel embarrassed-my brothers and their wives can barely keep their hands off each other. I''ve lost count of the number of times I''ve walked in on Kat and Dante groping each other in the kitchen. Anya and Lorenzo are into some freaky shit. He''s her Dom and she wears a cor. Yet none of that is ever talked about. It''s just the way things are around here. So why is my sex life a topic for discussion? "You want to talk about anything?" she asks softly.


    "Like how it was the best night of my life until my brotherspletely ruined it?"


    "Yes, if you want to."


    Tears prick at my eyes again, and I shake my head. It feels too raw and personal to share, even with Kat, no matter how much I adore her.


    "He told me to leave, Kat. He said I should go with them." I swat a tear away and Gabrie reaches for my finger, curling her chubby little hand around it.


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    "Well, given how your brothers reacted, he probably thought it was for the best."


    "He hasn''t even called or texted me."


    "Won''t he be driving back? If he''s on his bike, he won''t be able to make a call."


    "I guess," I admit with a shrug. "But he told me to go. Like what we did meant nothing."


    "Joey." Kat frowns and ces a hand on my cheek, catching a rogue tear and brushing it away. "Do you really think he would risk his friendship with your brothers for nothing?"


    I let that sink in. Max loves my brothers. He isn''t only their friend, he''s a part of our family. Suddenly, an incredibly offensive smell drifts into my nostrils, and I gag.


    "Wow! Smooch." I chuckle, looking down at my niece who''s still holding onto my finger and smiling. "That is nasty."


    She giggles at me as I hold her up to her mom.


    Katughs too. "I guess I''ll go deal with that." She puts my niece on her hip and starts to head out of the room.


    I call out her name, and she pauses, looking over her shoulder.


    "Thanks."


    Giving me a gentle smile, she shakes her head. "I know they act like overprotective jerks sometimes, but your brothers love you, Joey. They just want you to be happy and safe."


    I''m tired of arguing, so I don''t say anything else as she leaves my room, closing the door behind her. Safe? Yes. Happy? I''m not so sure.


    I flop back onto my bed and stare at the ceiling, and like a pathetic loser, I wonder what Max is doing. When my phone rings a few secondster, I almost dislocate my shoulder trying to get to it. And when I see Max''s name on the screen, I damn near burst into tears.


    I answer it quickly. "Hey."


    "Hi, baby girl. You okay?"


    "No," I sniff.


    "You left your pendant."


    I instinctively reach for my neck, and my fingers brush over bare skin. Shit! "Will you take care of it for me? Please don''t let anything happen to it."


    "I''ll wear it until I can give it back to you. Maybe it will protect me the way it protects you."


    "You don''t believe in St. Christopher," I remind him.


    "No, but I believe in you."


    "Max..." I practically sob his name. This is too hard.


    "I''m sorry, Joey," he whispers.


    "What for?"


    "For not doing this right. I shouldn''t have taken you to my cabin."


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    Oh my god, my heart is going to split in two. "Are you saying you regret what we did?"


    "No, baby girl. Not a single fucking second of it. But I do regret causing trouble for you."


    "I can handle Dante and Lorenzo."


    Heughs softly. "Better than anyone I know."


    "I''m sorry for what they said to you. What they did." I choke back another sob as the events of this morning y through my head.


    "You have nothing to be sorry for. I knew what would happen if I took you there."


    "But you took me anyway?"


    "Yeah. I''m a selfish prick."


    "No, Max," I insist. The fact that he knew what would happen and risked it anyway makes my poor aching heart feel like it''s going to burst. "But what do we do now?" There''s a deep sigh followed by a silence that seems tost an eternity. "I have something I need to take care of. It''s going to take me a few days." "What is it?"


    "I''ll tell you all about it, I promise. I just need to focus on this and give your brothers time to cool off."


    "And then?"


    "I told you, you''re mine, baby girl. I''ll find a way to fix this, okay? You just hang tight and let me handle it." "But how long, Max?" I breathe. "I miss you already."


    He groans loudly. "I miss you too, Joey. I can''t stop thinking about how good you feel. How good you taste."


    Holy fuck. My pussy throbs painfully, reminding me of everything we didst night in delicious detail. "Max?" I moan his name.


    "Just a few days, baby. I promise. I can''t live without you any longer than that."


    "Don''t leave me here alone, Max," I plead, feeling lonelier than I have since my brothers shipped me off to Italy four years ago. "You''re not alone, baby girl. You''re fucking mine."


    I swallow my emotions, determined not to cry.


    "Whose are you?" he asks, and the deep timbre of his voice makes goosebumps prickle along my forearms.


    "Yours," I whisper with a smile.


    "Every fucking part of you. I''ll talk to you soon, okay?"


    "Okay. Can I call youter?"


    "Call me before you go to sleep."


    "I will."


    "I love you, Joey." He hangs up before I can say it back.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 70

    MAX The elevator doors open, and I half expect Kristin to be standing in the hallway waiting for me, but the scent of bacon and eggs wafts from the kitchen. Leaning against the door, I take a moment to process the events of the past twelve hours. I feel guilty about leaving her alonest night, but not half as guilty as I do for telling Joey to leave with her brothers. The look on her face almost broke me. But it was the only option. They wouldn''t have given up easily. We would have only ended up nearly killing each other, and I don''t want that either. At the end of the day, those men are my brothers. It would kill me to lose them, but I will if that''s what it takes. Because I would die a thousand painful deaths before I willingly lost Joey Moretti.


    At least I know she''s safe with her brothers. Plus, now that I''m not wee in their house, I can focus all my attention on finding Kristin''s father. I figure I''ll get some answers by following every lead I can get my hands on. Then I can tell Joey everything and stop keeping secrets from her. And hopefully Dante and Lorenzo will have cooled off enough for me to tell them that I''m in love with their sister. It will all work out perfectly, right? So why does it hurt so fucking much to be away from her?


    "Max, is that you?" Kristin calls from the kitchen.


    "Yeah," I shout as I walk down the hallway.


    "You want some?" she asks, her back to me as she works at the stove.


    "Sure."


    I take a seat at the kitchen ind, and she turns to greet me. Her smile fades quickly. "What the hell happened to your face?"


    I brush my fingertips over the cut above my eye. Dante has a mean right hook. "Oh, it was nothing."


    Hands on hips, she approaches me, and she looks so much like our mom that it takes me back over twenty years. I never think about my mom. She walked out on me, and as far as I''m concerned, she doesn''t deserve a second of my time. But having Kristin here has brought back all kinds of memories I''d rather forget. How great Mom was at making pancakes. Herugh. How she would try to scowl when she yelled at me but could never quite manage it. How she always smelled of flowers. Those kinds of memories hurt, so I bury them deep. It''s easier to focus on the fact that she cheated on my father with his own brother and then left her only son when he was thirteen years old because she wanted an easier life. It would be easy to resent my little sister, who only got the best of her. But I suppose she didn''t get much; Mom died when she was six.


    "It doesn''t look like nothing," she says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Was it anything to do with my dad?"


    "No. It was ..." What the hell do I say?


    "Was it about a girl?" Her eyes widen and she grins.


    "I guess."


    "Who is she?"


    "Bacon and eggs, yeah?" I nod at the stove, changing the subject away from my fucked-up love life.


    She grumbles and goes back to cooking.


    I watch her add more bacon to the pan. She was a terrible cook a few days ago, but she seems to be a quick study. Her dad must have done all the cooking at home. I wonder what kind of father he was to her. My own dad did the best he could. It was just the two of us after Mom left, at least for a couple of years. He was never the same after she betrayed him with his own brother. He lost his edge; all the fight went out of him. He was like a shadow-drifting through life, constantly distracted by something he could never fix-so distracted that he didn''t see the knife the guy pulled on him until it was toote.


    "I''m gonna go to Jersey tomorrow morning. See what leads I can follow up there. Maybe I can find that safety deposit box."


    Kristin turns off the stove and tes up the food before carrying it over to the kitchen ind. "You want me toe with you?"


    "No." I shake my head. "You''ll be safer here."


    She wrinkles her nose. "I don''t like being here alone, Max."


    "I know, but you were finest night, right? And it will be one night. Two tops."


    "I..." Her lips tremble.


    I grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. "I get why you''re scared, Kristin. Your dad didn''te back, but I''m not him. I''ll be back soon with some answers. But I''m getting nowhere fast here, and the longer your dad is out there..." "I know." She gives me a firm nod. "I need to put on my big girl pants and handle it."


    "Good." I wink at her and start tucking into my bacon and eggs.


    "Have you had any leads about Jakob?"


    "No. But I have a guy looking into him for me."


    "He''s not a bad guy, Max," she says with a sigh, and I realize I''m scowling. "He didn''t know I was pregnant. As far as he knows, I just disappeared one day. We even used different names when we were in Philly. He knew me as Kristin Campbell." "But he never told you where he lived. You had no way of contacting him? What guy does that unless he''s ying you?"


    "I did have a way of contacting him," she insists, her brow furrowed with annoyance. "I had his number until Dad tossed my phone."


    "Hmm," I mumble, unconvinced of her faith in the guy.


    "Look, all I''m saying is that if you do find him, you don''t have to go all psycho big brother on him. Okay? He might act like an asshole when he finds out about the baby, but we won''t know until I tell him."


    I arch an eyebrow at her. "Psycho big brother?"


    "Yeah." Sheughs softly. "But I kinda like having you as my big brother."


    "I kinda like it too, sis," I admit.


    I have my hand wrapped around some guy''s throat when my phone rings. I came to talk to a few of Uncle Vito''s buddies from back in the day to see if I could get any information on his acquaintances before I leave tomorrow. One of them decided to be a smart-ass and told me to go to hell, and since I was already in the mood for a fight, I punched him in the face and now I''m choking the life out of him.


    I take my phone out of my pocket and smile when I see who''s calling. "My girl just saved your fucking life, asshole," I tell him, shoving him to the ground. "Stay!" I warn him when he starts to scramble away.


    "Hey, baby."


    "Hi."


    "You okay?"


    "I miss you."


    "I miss you too, baby girl."


    The piece of shit on the floor goes to move again, so I stand on his hand, pressing all my weight onto it and crushing his fingers. He starts to howl, and I hold my finger to my lips as a warning. He mps his mouth shut.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "When can I see you?" she asks, and the plea in her voice makes me falter. What if I just went to her house tonight and forced my way in? Made Dante and Lorenzo see how fucking much I adore her and that I''m the only man they should trust to protect her as well as they can?


    Fuck, I can''t. Not yet. I owe it to Kristin to give finding her father a proper shot. "A few days, baby. I told you that."


    "How many is a few?"


    "Two. Maybe three."


    "That''s too long." She lowers her voice and practically purrs, "I need you."


    God, I fucking need her too. "I need you too. As soon as I''ve taken care of this thing, I''ming for you."


    "Will you be safe?"


    "Always, baby girl. Because I will alwayse back to you."


    "I miss you, Max."


    Fuck, hearing those words from her lips makes my heart and my cock ache painfully. "I miss you too, baby. Get some sleep, okay? I''ll call you tomorrow when I get a chance."


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    I end the call and turn my attention back to the dipshit on the floor. Taking my foot off his hand, I stare down at him as he pulls it toward his body and sobs quietly. "Should you hear anything from Vito, or any of his old associates, you tell them Max DiMarco is looking for him. You hear me?"


    Snot runs down the guy''s face as he nods.


    I turn and walk away from him. There''s no use looking for Vito here in Chicago. New Jersey is where I''ll find my answers.


    ***


    "You sure you don''t want me toe to the airport with you?" Kristin asks as I throw my bag over my shoulder.


    "No. Do not leave this apartment under any circumstances until I get back."


    She arches an eyebrow. "Not even if it''s on fire?"


    "As long as you don''t attempt any more awful cooking, it won''t catch fire, will it?"


    She fakes a scowl. "Hey, I made you bacon and eggs yesterday."


    "Yeah, you did."


    "You''ll be two days at the very most?"


    "Yes." I don''t n to spend any longer than necessary in New Jersey, hundreds of miles away from Joey. Being apart from her, even while we''re in the same city, is the most agonizing torture. I make a mental note to call her from the cab. It''s been way too long since I heard her voice.


    I give Kristin a hug. "I''ll check in with you as soon as Ind."


    "And if I don''t hear from you?"


    "You will. As soon as Ind," I promise. "I have to go. My cab will be outside."


    "Be careful, Max. My father was a very cautious man, and they still got to him."


    "I''ll be fine," I assure her.


    The cab is on the street by the time I get downstairs. I''m just about to pull the car door open when a woman with a stroller bumps into me and drops a bag of groceries at my feet. "I''m so sorry," she exims.


    "No problem." I crouch down to help her pick up the items that spilled out, and she ducks down beside me. Smiling sweetly, she takes hold of my hand and something pricks my skin. "Night, night, pretty boy," in a thick Russian ent are thest words I hear.

 71

    JOEY


    I sit on the bench in the garden, swinging my legs and chewing on my thumbnail. I need to find a way to fix this. I cannot be responsible for tearing my family apart and Max never being one of us again. If I''d known this was the price we''d all have to pay, maybe I could have fought my desire for him harder.


    Jumping up from the bench, I head into the house to find Anya and Kat. I need my girls to help me out.


    I find Kat and Anya in my niece''s nursery. Kat is putting Gabrie down for her afternoon nap while Anya watches them from the rocking chair. I love how close they''ve be since Anya and Lorenzo returned home from Italyst year. "Hey, I need your help," I say quietly, careful not to wake the baby, although that kid could sleep through a tornado.


    "With Maximo?" Anya asks with a wicked grin.


    "Of course."


    "What can we do?" Kat says as she ushers the two of us from the room so we can talk a little louder.


    "I need you to distract your husbands tonight so I can sneak out. As long as one of you can open the gate, I could call an Uber or get Max toe pick me up down the street."


    "I''m in," Anya says.


    But Kat chews her lip, a deep frown on her face. "No," she eventually says with a shake of her head.


    I blink at her in shock. Kat Moretti is a freaking hellraiser. Dante is the head of the Cosa Nostra, but she has him eating out of the palm of her goddamn hand. She''s my biggest ally in this house. She always roots for me. I can''t believe she''s not going to help me now when I need her most.


    "Kat?" Anya scolds her.


    "This is not the world I want for my daughter. Sneaking out and having to lie about what she''s doing."


    "But Kat ..." I whine, pouting, unable to fathom this new well-behaved version of my sister-inw.


    "You''re not sneaking out, Joey. You''re going to walk out of that goddamn front door." She grabs both mine and Anya''s hands, and I grin at her. Now that''s the Kat Moretti I know and love.


    Dante and Lorenzo are in their study as usual, and their shared shell-shocked expression when I walk in with their wives makes me giddy. We might just do this.


    "Something wrong, kitten?" Dante asks with a frown, directing his question toward Kat.


    "Yes," she says with a sweet smile.


    Lorenzo frowns. "Passerotta?" he says to Anya.


    "We have something to discuss with you both," Anya says coolly.


    My brothers'' eyesnd on mine next, and they re at me, no doubt aware that my sisters-inw are here to fight in my corner with me. Because it''s not just my corner, it''s theirs too. It''s my niece''s corner, and any other girl who ends up being born into this family.


    "You should probably take a seat," I say.


    My brothers nce at each other, but then they each take their seats behind the huge wooden desk.


    "If this is about Maximo, you can all save your breath," Dante says with a deep sigh. "There is nothing any of you can say that will change what he''s done."


    I cross my arms over my chest and take a few steps forward until I''m right in front of the desk. Kat and Anya stand on either side of me, silent but ready to back me up when I need them. "This isn''t about Max. This is about the women in this family being treated like second-ss citizens."


    They both scoff at that statement.


    "You think this is funny?" I snap, my anger already boiling over.


    "When do I ever treat you like anything less than a queen?" Lorenzo asks Anya. Trust him to go for the easy target. She''s his submissive as well as his wife, and ordinarily, she would never defy him in public, although she does it plenty in private. But he underestimated her today.


    "Yes, you treat me like a queen, my love." She gives him a sharine smile. "I am your little bird in a cage."


    Lorenzo''s face turns beet red. "You think I keep you in a cage?"


    "I do not think it, my love. You keep me in a cage because that is the life I want. The life I asked for when I fell in love with you. But I always thought that if I ever needed a little more freedom, you would give it to me."


    His eyes narrow. "I would give you anything, you know that."


    "So why is it that I''m not allowed any freedom at all then?" I demand, smacking my hands down on the desk.


    "You are allowed toe and go as you please. You have every freedom that Lorenzo and I have," Dante snaps at me.


    "Oh really?" It''s my turn to scoff now. "Is there any way in hell that anyone would tell either of you who you could fall in love with?"


    "This is about Max?" Dante gives a sarcasticugh.


    "No, this is about a ridiculous promise you forced your best friend to make, just because I was born without a dick."


    "This isn''t about you, Joey," Lorenzo says, sighing.


    "No?" I fold my arms again. "If I was a boy, would you have cared who the hell I dated?"


    Dante scowls at me, and I direct my attention to my oldest brother.


    "Lorenzo, would you have ever dared to tell Dante who he could or couldn''t date?"


    He pinches the bridge of his nose. "This is about Max lying to us, Joey. He made us a promise."


    "He only lied to you because of that promise. Why did you make him do that? Why?"


    "Because him fucking our little sister muddies the waters," Lorenzo says, his hands steepled under his chin.


    "Lorenzo," Anya chides him.


    "Tell me why you''re so against us being together. I''m an adult. You were fine with me and Toby, and he''s half the man Max is."


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    They both go on ring at me.


    "If you''re going toe between us, at least tell me why," I demand.


    "Because you deserve better than him," Dante shouts. "He is not the kind of man you need, Joey."


    "Why? Because he does bad things?" I challenge.


    "You have no idea of the kinds of things he''s done, Guiseppina," Lorenzo growls, his tone low and menacing enough that it sends a shudder along my spine.


    "Things he''s done in your name. Our family''s name," I shout as anger and frustration burn through my veins. "Why do you get to decide who or what I deserve? I love Max. I want to be with him."


    "No." Dante shakes his head while Lorenzo scrubs a hand over his face.


    "You know you can''t really stop this, right?" Kat pipes up from beside me, earning her a withering re from her husband.


    "I think you''ll find I can, kitten," he replies.


    "Is this really the kind of life you want for our daughter?"


    "Where she''s protected every day of her life?" he fires back.


    "Where she isn''t given the same opportunities as her brothers?"


    "Brothers? Are you ...?" He frowns at her. Dante''s desperate for more kids, and considering he can barely go five minutes without dragging Kat off to a quiet room, I figure he''s thinking the same thing I am-that she might already be pregnant and she''s chosen this particr moment to announce it.


    "I mean we might have sons one day too," she says, her cheeks turning pink. "But if this is going to be Gabrie''s life, Dante, then I''m not sure I want to fill this house with children."


    Go Kat! She went straight for his weak spot. The anguish that shes across his face almost makes me feel sorry for him. But then his mask is back in ce, and my sympathy dries up at the sight of his scowl. "We''ll see about that, kitten." "How can you walk away from a man who''s been your brother in all but blood just because he fell in love?" Anya asks, and I turn to her, my mouth hanging open as her words wash over me.


    "You think Maximo is in love with Joey?" Lorenzo frowns as he voices the same question that runs through my mind.


    "You think that a man who risked everything to spend just one night with her isn''t?" she asks, softening her tone.


    And right there, I see my first glimmer of hope.


    "I know you can''t forgive him for lying right now, but please, just let me see him," I beg. "You know I''m safe when I''m with him. He would never let anyone hurt me."


    "And who will keep you safe from him, Joey?" Dante asks.


    Kat leaps to his defense. "Max would never hurt her."


    "Not intentionally," Lorenzo adds.


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    "Or unintentionally," I insist. "I know the kind of man he is. He would never ..."


    Dante and Lorenzo re at me. I''m fighting a losing battle. They think they know him better than I do. He''s reckless and unhinged-but not when ites to me. I switch gears. "And what if he does hurt me? I get to choose who hurts me and who doesn''t. Me. Not you. Didn''t Kat hurt you when she tried to leave, Dante? Didn''t Anya hurt you when she refused to have any more treatment?" I feel bad for bringing up their pain, but Kat and Anya stand beside me without flinching, their presence calm and reassuring. "Would you trade any of the pain if it cost you even a second of your time with them?"


    Dante stretches his neck, and Lorenzo grinds his jaw while the air in the room grows thick with tension. But finally, after the world''s longest silence, Dante speaks. "He is never to set foot in this house again." "But I can see him?"


    "You will take a security detail with you," Lorenzo says.


    "What if he picks me up outside the gate? I won''t need a guard then, right?" I mean, Max used to be my armed security, why do I need both?


    Dante rolls his eyes. "Do not fucking push it, Guiseppina. You will have an armed escort at all fucking times. Do I make myself clear?"


    I resist the urge to roll my eyes back. I can see Max. That''s all that matters right now.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "Thank you." I swallow the lump in my throat and refrain fromunching myself across the desk and hugging them both. "I promise it will all work out."


    Lorenzo snorts as he stands up and walks around the desk to Anya. He slips aforting arm around her waist. "You look tired, Passerotta. I think you need to lie down," he says, and the change in his tone is evident to everyone in the room. She''s no longer in charge here. Anya does look tired, but she looks that way all the time now. She grows weaker and sicker by the day, and it breaks my heart to see my vibrant sister-inw like this. I choke down a sob. She''ll be okay. Lorenzo would never let anything bad happen to her.


    "Yes, Sir," she says quietly and follows him out of the office.


    Kat checks her watch. "I''d better go check on Gabrie. She''ll be awake from her nap soon."


    Dante shakes his head. "Joey can do that."


    "I''m going to call Max."


    He res at me. "You can multitask, right?"


    "I can go," Kat assures me.


    "I don''t think so, kitten. I believe we have something to discuss, don''t you?" Dante says coolly, and my sister-inw blushes deep red.


    "Ugh, you two should get a room," I groan.


    "We have one, and you''re in it," Dante fires back without taking his eyes off his wife.


    "Fine. I''ll check on your child while you two do whatever it is you''re about to do." I sigh dramatically, but I catch Kat''s eye and smile before I leave.


    My niece kicks her legs when she sees me. Picking her up, I snuggle her close while I dial Max, but his phone goes straight to voicemail. I leave him a message to call me back as soon as possible. The fact that I can see him again makes me feel like my heart''s about to burst from my chest. And he must want to see me too, right? All those things he said to me when I spent the night with him weren''t a lie. I know he said things wereplicated, but my brothers wille around. As stubborn as they are, they love us both too much not to.


    Gabrie squishes my cheeks together and giggles. God, I love this kid. "Hey there, my little smooch."


    I sit down in the rocking chair and bask in the purity of her love. "Do you know what me, your mom, and your aunt Anya just did, baby?" I ask, and I swear she makes a cute little sound that makes me wonder if she knows exactly what I''m saying to her. "We just smashed the patriarchy, Gabs." I drop a kiss on top of her downy-soft head and inhale her fresh baby scent. "I promise you will never have to deal with all the bullshit that I did growing up." I give her another kiss, and she giggles. "Don''t tell him I said this, but your dad is kind of cool and not aplete asshole like mine was. And I bet you''re going to have a whole lot of brothers and sisters to fight in your corner too. But also, your mom, Anya, and I will fight for us girls every freaking step of the way."


    An unexpected sob wells in my throat at the thought of our future. There''s no escaping how sick Anya is now, and there''s every possibility that my niece will never get to know her wonderful aunt.

 72

    MAX


    The overhead light blinds me as I blink awake. My shoulders are on fire. I roll them and feel the weight of thick metal cuffs biting into my wrists. Where the fuck am I?


    "Ah, he wakes," says a man with a thick Russian ent.


    I squint, attempting to block out the harsh light, and focus on the figure in front of me, but all I can make out is the outline of an average-height man with a wide build and a shaved head. He sneers. "You have nice sleep, pretty boy?"


    Closing my eyes, I tune him out for a few beats while I take an inventory. My ankles are chained to a chair, my arms tied behind my back. Running my tongue around my mouth, I taste blood, but none of my teeth are missing.


    A sharp p across my cheek makes me reopen my eyes. The bald guy pushes his face close to mine, and I grind my teeth and suck in a breath. He''s going to fucking regret that.


    "Boss wants him able to talk when he gets here," another Russian voice grunts to my left, but I keep my focus on the guy in front of me. I don''t recognize him at all, but given the ent, this must have something to do with Pushkin and the Bratva takeover. He appeared to have fled the city with his tail between his legs, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the snake struck back. Although why he''s striking back at us rather than Dmitri, I have no idea.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "He will still be able to talk," the bald guy says with a sneer. Looking behind me, he nods, and the sound of rustling stic has me sucking in a deep breath just before a bag is ced over my head and pulled tight. This is a scare tactic, an effective one I''ve used myself many times. But it won''t work on me. They revealed their hand too soon. They need me alive.


    So I count and I wait. It calms me, at least until my nervous system takes over. I get to ny-nine before my lungs start to burn and my body twists and bucks involuntarily as it fights for oxygen. Thenes the lightheadedness. A blinding spark of euphoria before-


    The bag is ripped from my head, and I suck in deep lungfuls of air.


    "Not so tough now, are you? Vyblyadok!" He snatches the chain around my neck and yanks it off, snapping the delicate gold links and muttering in Russian as he throws it onto the floor at my feet.


    That was my girl''s fucking pendant, you motherfucking fuckwit. Rage burns a hole in my chest. Now that he will definitely pay for. Waiting until he edges closer, I lunge forward with my teeth bared and bite down on his nose. He screeches like an angry goat as I use my teeth to grind through flesh and cartge, making sure to have a good grip before I yank my head back and tear his nose off his face. He staggers backward, blood gushing everywhere, leaking through the hands that cover his deformed mug. I spit the offending lump of flesh onto the floor.


    One of his colleaguesughs darkly as he walks over and tends to him. "I warned you not to get too close to the dog." He calls for help, and a few secondster, the bald guy is escorted from the room, leaving me with only two of my captors- the one behind me with the bag and a giant with a beard and ponytail who stands in front of me.


    "You must be wondering why you''re here," he says.


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    I re at him, wracking my brain to recall any previous encounters. I''ve dealt with a lot of Russians in my time, but this guy doesn''t ring any bells.


    "Strong, silent type, huh?" The one behind me lets out a maniacalugh and slips the bag back over my head. I count out another cycle of ny-nine before I buck on the chair, and he removes it.


    "You know why you''re here?" Ponytail asks, stroking a hand over his beard.


    Remaining silent, I stretch my neck until it cracks.


    With a sigh, Ponytail shakes his head. "I''m sure you''ll talk when the boss gets here."


    Damn right I''ll talk when Pushkin shows up.


    The guy behind me leans close to my ear, his breath hot and sour. "You will wish you talk once he gets hold of you."


    Something isn''t right. Pushkin wouldn''t want me tortured for information-he''d want me tortured to send a message.


    "You took what was his, Maximo. You touched his girl. Tainted her," Ponytail says, confirming my thoughts. Definitely not Pushkin, but who?


    Fuck! Kristin''s all alone without me. Is she safe? "Where is she?" I say with a snarl, amusing them both.


    Ponytail chuckles. "Pushed a button, Maximo?"


    "Where the fuck is she? If you''ve hurt her-" The words get stuck in my throat, rage burning through my veins. These must be the men she and her father are running from. Guilt gnaws at my stomach. I promised to protect her. I should have sent her away. Far away from Chicago and from me. But she showed up at my door, alone and helpless and desperate, and even though a part of me wanted to close the door and continue to block out that part of my life, a bigger part of me wanted to save her. She looked so much like our mom, and it made me think of all the ways I failed her as a son. I shouldn''t have pushed her away so hard. Maybe if I''d tried to ept her and Vito ...


    The bag goes over my head again, and my hands clench into fists, every muscle in my body tense. I don''t count this time. I''m too busy drowning in guilt, anger, and fear. And hope. Hope that my little sister is safe from these monsters. Darkness encroaches, settling over my brain as my lungs scream for air, and another face appears in my mind.


    Joey. This must be what heaven is like-not that I have any chance of a ticket into that ce.


    I begin struggling, fighting against my restraints at the thought of never seeing her again. Never tasting her. That fate is worse than any hell I can imagine.

 73

    JOEY


    Maybe if I re at my phone hard enough, a dozen missed call and text notifications from Max will suddenly pop up. But of course that doesn''t happen. I know the damn thing is working because Mo keeps calling me. She''s desperate to know what happened after I left Toby''s house with Max the other night, and although I''ve told her again and again that he just brought me home, she doesn''t seem to be buying it.


    She can specte all she wants. I''ll never tell her the truth about Max and me. Well, maybe not never. But not yet.


    A groan of frustration rips out of me when I get Max''s voicemail for the thousandth time. I no longer care that I''ll look like a desperate stalker when he switches his phone back on. I''m worried about him. He would never break a promise like that. Not to me.


    "That thing will burst into mes if you keep looking at it like that, kid," Dante says as he walks into the kitchen.


    I''m too distracted to even give a snappy retort. "I''m worried about Max." Rolling his eyes, he sighs.


    "I''m serious, Dante. He said he would call me."


    That gets me an even bigger eye roll, which lights the fuse of my rage. I''m aware that I sound like a lovesick teenager, but that''s not what this is. "Stop with the eye rolling," I snap. "I''m telling you that something''s wrong. I haven''t been able to get through to his cell since yesterday morning. It goes to voicemail every single time. And I haven''t spoken to him since the night beforest."


    He snorts. "If he has any sense, he''ll be staying out of the way. Hanging his head in shame."


    "Can you stop being an asshole for like one minute? This isn''t like him, and you know it."


    He pours himself a mug of coffee, his brow furrowed in a frown. "He''s probably cooling off somewhere, Joey. At his fucking cabin in the woods or something. I''m sure he''ll call you soon." "Can I go to his ce with Ash and Henry?"


    "Don''t make a fool of yourself, Guiseppina," he says, his tone weary. "Can''t you just ept that maybe Max is not the man for you and he''s doing you a favor by staying away?"


    Tears prick at my eyes. My brother is an overbearing, overprotective jerk a lot of the time, but it''s not like him to be cruel.


    I open my mouth to respond, but I''m interrupted by one of the armed guards. "Boss, there''s someone at the gate. A young girl. Says she''s here about Max."


    Every hair on my body stands on end. "A young girl?"


    "Yeah."


    Dante goes to speak, but I cut him off. "How young?"


    His eyes dart from me to Dante, then back to me. "Um. Could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty. I can never tell. She''s pregnant though."


    "P-pregnant?"


    Dante glowers at the guard. "Who the fuck is she, and what does she want?"


    "She ims Max is missing and she thinks someone took him."


    My heart rate kicks up several gears, and I turn to Dante, hands on my hips. "I told you I couldn''t get a hold of him."


    With a frown, Dante tells the guard to show the girl into his study.


    I pace up and down Dante''s study while he sits quietly in his chair. How can he be this calm? Max might be missing!


    The same guard from before escorts the young woman in. His assessment of her age was spot on-I can''t pinpoint it either. But she''s definitely pregnant. Very pregnant.


    Her eyes are bright red, and it''s apparent she''s been crying a lot. She rushes into the room, her hands pping as she fidgets nervously. Something about her is endearing.


    "Take a seat," Dante says, not unkindly, and she sits down. "Who are you?" he asks.


    She blinks at him.


    He sighs. "Your name?"


    "Kristin. Kristin Campbell."


    "You said Max is missing?" I ask her, dispensing with any further pleasantries.


    "Y-yes," she sniffs.


    "Why do you think that?" Dante asks.


    "I know he is." Her eyes fill with tears and she swallows. "He was supposed to go to New Jersey yesterday, but he never got on the flight. He never checked in with me, even though he promised he would." She starts to cry again, fat tears rolling down her face.


    Meanwhile I feel like I''m going to puke. Why was Max checking in with her? Who the hell is she?


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    "Why was he going to Jersey?" Dante asks, and I''m relieved that at least one of us is keeping their head. That''s his superpower-remaining calm when the world is in chaos. Taking a deep breath, I try to channel his energy. Her eyes dart around the room. "He, uh, he was looking for his uncle Vito."


    Dante scowls. "His uncle?"


    "Who? What?" I don''t recall Max having an uncle.


    Ignoring me, Dante shakes his head. "Why the hell would he have any interest in that lying piece of shit?"


    Kristin nches at the venom in Dante''s tone, but she leans forward, chin tipped in defiance. "Because he went missing. Probably kidnapped too. Max was looking into it."


    "How do you know he didn''t get on the ne?" I ask her, my feet now rooted in ce.


    "I called the airline."


    Dante gives her a skeptical look. "Airlines don''t give that kind of information."


    "They do if you get a sympathetic mom of three and you cry and tell her you''re six months pregnant and your boyfriend and father of your baby has disappeared."


    No. That can''t be true. My knees threaten to buckle under my weight.


    Dante shoots me a look of concern, then returns his attention to the young girl. "And is he? Your boyfriend? Your baby''s father?"


    "Yes," she says, her voice firm.


    My whole world stops turning. I''m definitely going to be sick. I mp my lips together because if I don''t, I will wail so loudly that the house will crumble to the ground. If I open my mouth, I will shriek and I will scream. I''ll call her a liar and demand she tells me the truth.


    My legs tremble. I can''t breathe. I can''t think. I can''t even be. Is Kristin the situation he was fixing? Bile fills my mouth. He fucked me and told me he loved me while he was with her. Did they n a life together? Marriage and more babies while he was making me fall in love with him and promising me that I belonged to him?


    Dante quietly says my name and pats the empty chair beside him. His eyes lock on mine and he gives me a subtle nod, letting me know that he has my back. Reminding me that I''m a Moretti, and this is not how we do things. I''m not going to show thisplete stranger that she''s torn out my heart and smashed it into a million tiny pieces.


    Swallowing down the hurt and pain and rage that wants to spill out of me, I suck in a breath. Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them away. Maximo DiMarco is a lying, cheating snake. I hate him. I hope he has been kidnapped. I hope he''s suffering right now.


    Dante watches me until he''s sure I''ve regained control. With a satisfied nod, he shifts his attention back to Kristin. "You think the people who took his uncle also took him?"


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    "Maybe. I-I don''t know. I know he worked for you, so maybe it was something to do with that?"


    "Do you know anything about who he was meeting in New Jersey? Anything about who took his uncle and why Max is trying to find him? You know he hates his uncle, right?"


    "I do know he hates him, but family is family," she sniffs. "I don''t know who he''s meeting or who has his uncle."


    "Fuck!" Dante ms his fists down onto his desk.


    I take a deep breath and try to ignore my racing heart. I am Joey Moretti. I don''t wilt like some goddamn delicate flower just because things don''t go my way. All that matters right now is finding Max. Then, once he''s safe, I will cut off his dick with a blunt spoon and he can fuck off to somewhere far, far away and live unhappily ever after with his little girlfriend. "When was thest time you saw him?" I ask, my calm voice belying the torrent of rage that consumes me. "Y-yesterday morning when he left for the airport."


    Dante takes over the questioning again. "You were in his apartment?"


    Kristin shrugs. "I live there."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    She lives with him? No wonder the no-good, lying bag of shit wouldn''t take me to his ce the other night. God, I''m so fucking stupid.


    Hold it together, Joey.


    "And when did you realize he was missing?" my brother asks.


    "Later that day, when he didn''t call me like he promised. I checked that the flight hadnded. And then I called the airline a dozen times. Latest night, I finally got someone to confirm that he didn''t board the flight. I didn''t know where else to go, but I know that he works for you, Mr. Moretti, so I came here."


    "Max doesn''t just work for me," Dante says. "How the fuck do I know you''re not a part of all this? He never once mentioned a pregnant girlfriend. Certainly not one who lived with him."


    Her cheeks turn bright pink. "You know he''s a very private person. The baby was unexpected." Looking down, she rubs a hand over her bump. "But I do live with him. The code for the elevator is his father''s birthday. You don''t p once to turn the lights on because Max thought it was too boring. You have to do a two p, three p thing. It''s so annoying when you need a pee in the middle of the night." She gives us a faint smile as though we should be sympathetic to her cause, but all I want to do is scratch her eyes out.


    Assaulting my mind is an image of her untangling herself from Max''s strong arms to get up and use the bathroom. I try not to think about the various intimate moments they must have shared, but the images persist like annoying little pop-up ads.


    Dante pushes himself to his feet. "You''ll stay here until we find him. My wife will make up a spare room for you."


    I scowl at him, but I know he''s doing the right thing.


    "Thank you," she says, tears running down her cheeks again. "I''d like to help though. If I can do anything at all. I just want him back."


    I press my lips together to avoid saying any of the hundred things that are running through my head. She just wants him back? Well, Maximo DiMarco is a lying, cheating snake. And after I''m done with him, there probably won''t be much left worth having.

 74

    JOEY


    Kat doesn''t say anything when she walks into the dining room where Dante, Lorenzo, and I are sitting with Kristin. She simply sits beside me, reaches for my hand, and gives it a gentle squeeze, letting me know she''s there. My brothers have been grilling Kristin for over an hour, wanting to know everything she knows about where Max was going and why. Unfortunately, it appears she doesn''t know more than what she already told us.


    I''ve spent that time quietly observing her. She''s young and vulnerable, yes, but there''s a quiet strength about her. She''s not as naive as she looks. Maybe it''s her huge doe eyes that make her look so innocent. Does Max stare into her eyes the way he looks into mine? Has he made her promises and broken them too?


    Every few minutes, I remember what he''s done, and a fresh wave of pain crashes over me. My heart physically hurts-a deep, visceral ache in my chest. And then I look at the girl sitting across the table. She''s eighteen years old, almost neen, and she''s six months pregnant with a boy. How could Max cheat on her too?


    Dante was right, Max DiMarco is not the man I thought I knew.


    "Everything okay, kitten?" Dante asks his wife.


    "I''m just about to put Gabrie down for the night and wanted to let you know that Sophia made dinner. I think it''s important our guest eats something."


    "I-I''m okay," Kristin stammers. "I just want to find Max."


    "And we will," Lorenzo replies. "But Kat''s right. You must eat."


    I squeeze Kat''s hand in mine, steeling myself. "We''ll be eating in here anyway. And we can talk while we have dinner."


    Kristin gives me such a genuine smile in return that it makes my stomach roll. She thinks I''m her ally, but I''m the woman who''s been fucking her baby daddy. No wonder the cheating snake wouldn''t take me to his ce. That anger and pain bubbles inside me once more, but I swallow it down.


    Kat releases my hand and gets up. "I''ll go tell Sophia to serve dinner then."


    "I''lle with you. I need to kiss my daughter goodnight before she goes to bed," Dante says.


    "I''ll go check on Anya." Lorenzo follows Kat and Dante out of the dining room, leaving Kristin and me alone. I want to leave too. I hate her. No, that''s not true. I want to hate her. It would be easier than hating Max because he''s out there somewhere and he might be suffering. Or worse. I can''t think about what I''ll do if I never get to see him again.


    "Do you think we''ll find him?" she sniffs.


    "Yes," I say with total confidence, but I don''t voice the rest of my thoughts-that I hope we find him before it''s toote. People don''t get kidnapped for no reason. There''s been no ransom or any other demands, so his disappearance is likely about revenge. And I know the kind of damage wrought by the people in our world when they want revenge. The mere thought of him suffering such a fate makes me feel like I''m going to pass out.


    I refocus on Kristin. There are so many things I want to ask her. How long have they been together? Where did they meet? Does he take her to his cabin in the woods?


    "Do you love him?" I ask instead.


    "Max?"


    No, Ryan Reynolds, I think, but I bite back the sarcastic response and nod instead.


    She hesitates for a second, and the love-blind idiot in me sees a glimmer of hope, but then she smiles and says, "Yeah. He''s a good guy."


    Let''s see if she still thinks that when Max is back here and she finds out what he''s been up to behind her back. Because even if I don''t tell her, one of my brothers sure as hell will.


    I pick at my food during dinner, barely eating a bite.


    My stomach is a giant ball of worry and fear, and anything I put in there is liable toe back up. Questions constantly buzz around my head. It feels wrong to sit here eating while Max is out there somewhere, probably suffering at the hands of his captors, but Dante and Lorenzo have every avable man looking for him. There''s nothing more to be done right now. Throughout dinner, they take calls and follow new leads between asking Kristin every question they can think of. I''m staring down at my te without seeing it when the sound of my name catches my attention. Looking up, I find Lorenzo frowning at me. "Where''s your pendant?"


    I brush my fingertips over my skin where it usually sits.


    My cheeks turn pink. "I left it in the cabin."


    If me mentioning the cabin means anything to Kristin, she doesn''t show it.


    He sits forward in his seat, his eyes wide. "Is it still there?"


    I roll my eyes. "Is that really important right now while Max is missing?"


    "Yes," both he and Dante say.


    Confused, I shrug. "Then no. Max has it."


    Kristin still doesn''t react. I guess she trusts Max the way that I used to. Pair of fools, the two of us.


    Dante pushes his chair back from the table and Lorenzo follows suit. "Joey," Dante says as they walk out of the room, so I follow them, wondering why my pendant is so important.


    As soon as we''re in the hallway, Dante grabs my arm. "Max has your pendant?"


    "Yes. He said he was going to wear it and look after it for me."


    Lorenzo doesn''t often disy his emotions, but I swear his eyes shine with joy. "You think he''s still wearing it?"


    "Only one way to find out," Dante says over his shoulder as he strides toward their study.


    "Can one of you please tell me what the hell is going on?" I demand as I trail after them.


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    Dante''s the one who answers. "That pendant is a tracker, Joey. Why do you think we gave it to you when you went to Italy?"


    "A tracker? You''ve been tracking me?"


    "We track your phone as well." Lorenzo shrugs nonchntly. "We track each other''s phones too."


    "Yeah, but that''s different." I don''t know how it''s different, but it is. "You told me the pendant belonged to Mom."


    "Would you have worn it otherwise?" Dante retorts.


    "You know you really need to stop lying to me," I snap.


    Dante looks at the ceiling and sighs. "If Max is wearing your St. Christopher, then we can trace the signal and find him. Shouldn''t you be focusing on that right now?" "I guess," I admit with a frown.


    Lorenzo reads off numbers from a file on his phone, and Dante types them into hisputer. When he''s done, he leans back in his chair and steeples his hands over his mouth. "What''s happening?"


    "We wait for the locator to start transmitting," he says, like I understand what that means.


    "Huh?"


    "It doesn''t transmit constantly because it doesn''t have a battery to sustain that kind of activity like a cell phone does. It''s activated remotely and now we wait to pick up its signal." "Wow. That is some fancy shit. Do I have any other tracking devices I need to be aware of?"


    They both shake their heads.


    "You''re sure?"


    Lorenzo puts his hand on my shoulder. "We didn''t lie to you because we wanted to deceive you, Joey. We only ever wanted to protect you."


    "I know, but you''ve got to stop the lying. I''m not a kid anymore."


    "You''re here now, aren''t you?" Dante says. "Not in the dining room with Kristin. We know you''re not a kid, Joey, but you are our little sister, and like it or not, it''s our job to protect you. Just like we protect each other."


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    "It''s active." Lorenzo nods at the map that just popped up on his screen. A shing purple dot has me leaning closer.


    "Where is it?" I peer at the screen, hoping it isn''t at Max''s penthouse or the cabin.


    "Cedar Rapids," Dante says with a frown.


    "What the fuck?" Lorenzo looks at our brother.


    Dante closes theptop. "Let''s go get our boy."


    The two of them immediately slip into tactical mode, like generals of an army, discussing grenades and weapons.


    "I want toe too," I say, interrupting their battle nning.


    "No," they reply in unison.


    I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at the two of them. "You literally just said you''d stop treating me like a child."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Dante grabs my arms. "This is serious, Joey. We don''t know what we''re walking into. This isn''t about protecting you, this is about going into fucking battle with our best soldiers. I love you, kid, but in this situation, you will slow us down." Lorenzo cuts in before I can say anything. "Part of being a grown-up is knowing when to step aside and let someone more capable do the job, Joey. We can''t focus on rescuing Max if we''re worried about protecting you. And not because you''re a girl or because you''re our sister, but because you''re just not ready for something like this yet."


    Yet? That''s a good sign. And he''s right. I would slow them down, and I need all their energy focused on getting Max back here-if only so I can kill him myself. "Fine. I''ll stay here."


    "I know it''s not easy but stay with Kristin." Dante opens his safe and starts pulling out a variety of guns. "She''s hiding something." "You think?" I ask.


    "Yeah." He frowns. "Could just be that she''s scared, but something isn''t quite right about her story. So keep an eye on her, yeah?" "Of course."


    Lorenzo squeezes my shoulder on his way out the door. "We should be back first thing tomorrow. Take care of Anya for me too?" "Always."

 75

    MAX


    "Where the fuck is your boss?" I spit at Ponytail. "Because he''s sure taking his sweet time if he''s so desperate to speak to me about his girl." Ponytail shrugs. "He will be here when he is here."


    "Fucking assholes," I mutter, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. They tried their stic bag trick a few more times and used me as a punching bag, but they haven''t dished out anything I can''t handle. The waiting and not knowing what the fuck''s going on is the worst part. That''s the real torture. Ponytail isn''t very forting with information, no matter how many different ways I try to find out who he''s working for, and the other guy may as well be mute. He seems to only be able tomunicate in grunts.


    Blood trickles into my eye, and I blink it away. Twisting my wrists, I try to work the iron cuffs off, but they''re too tight. My ankles are in simr shackles, attached to chains sunk into the concrete floor. These pricks obviously need me alive for something. If I can get the two of them close enough-


    None of us are prepared for the deafening explosion that rocks the room. My ears ring, and I shake my head to clear it. I need to focus. I have no idea who was behind that explosion, whether it''s an ally or another enemy, but this is my shot. The force of the st causes Ponytail to stagger on his feet. He spins around, staring at the doorway and shouting in Russian, while the mute one draws his gun and trains it on the entrance. I take my shot with Ponytail. They left way too much ck on the chains on my ankles, enough that I can kick Ponytail in the back of the knee. The sickening crunch of bone is sweet music to my ears, and he drops to the floor like a giant sack of shit, cursing and shouting something to the mute one, whoes for me.


    I wrap the chain around Ponytail''s neck, crossing my ankles and pulling it tight until his face turns purple. He scrabbles at my legs, fingernails pulling on the chain, but it has no effect. I squeeze harder as the mute onees behind me and wraps his arm around my neck, trying to choke me so I''ll release his buddy. But my throat is slippery with blood, and I wriggle enough to get my mouth on the meaty part of his thumb. I bite down, through flesh and cartge and blood, shaking my head like a rabid fucking dog and refusing to let go.


    He screams and curses, dropping the gun onto the floor. I guess he''s not mute after all. He hits me on the side of the head, but I only bite down harder. Ponytail gets weaker, his body goingx and his eyes bulging out of his head. Light glints off a de in the mute one''s free hand, and there''s nothing I can do to stop him from plunging it into my abdomen. Burning agony has me seeing stars, but I block it out and focus on gaining my freedom. He probably thought it would make me scream and release his hand, but it only makes me channel all the pain toward crushing his hand with my jaw.


    He screams louder, and the door bursts open. A cloud of smoke fills the room, obscuring the faces of the men who enter. I release Ponytail''s deadweight as the mute motherfucker pulls his hand back to stab me again. Bracing myself for another strike, I flinch when a bullet whizzes by my ear. The weight of his body dropping to the floor jerks his thumb out of my mouth, and I unclench my jaw to spit out blood and chunks of flesh.


    "Nice shot, Loz," says a familiar voice.


    Oh, thank holy fuck. "You two took your goddamn time," I croak.


    "You''re lucky we came at all, asshole," Dante says. I guess they''re still pissed at me about the whole having sex with their baby sister thing.


    They get to work freeing me from the shackles on my ankles and wrists, and the adrenaline leaves my body in a rush, making me lightheaded, but I manage to gesture toward the floor and mumble, "Joey''s pendant. They pulled it off." Dante picks it up and slips it into his pocket.


    My eyes flicker closed. "Hey, I need to ask you both something," I mumble.


    "What''s that?" Lorenzo asks.


    "Can I date your sister?"


    I don''t hear their answer because everything goes ck.


    MAX


    "Hey, there," Kat Moretti''s soft voice prates the fog in my brain as light filters through my flickering eyelids. I look sideways to see her standing beside the bed, and it takes me a few beats to realize I''m in the Moretti mansion. Every single part of my body thrums with a dull ache.


    I nce down at my stomach and note the bandages and the telltale signs I''ve had surgery. "You fix me up all by yourself, doc?"


    Kat is a nurse, but we affectionately call her doc because she patches up our guys as good as any doctor I''ve ever met.


    "Nope. Lucky for you, I got nowhere near you with a scalpel or a needle," she says, rolling her eyes. "We had to get a surgeon in. You had a little internal bleeding so we wanted to make sure ..." "Figures," I groan as I shuffle into a morefortable position.


    I need to call Kristin and make sure she''s safe, but there''s someone else I''m desperate to see first. "Where''s Joey?"


    "Joey?" Kat blinks at me, and the look on her face makes my stomach twist in knots. Or maybe that''s just the drugs they gave me. "Isn''t there someone else you should be concerned about?"


    I frown, confused, but then I hear her voice. "Max?" Kristin says softly from the corner of the room, her face pale and her eyes red from crying. She rests her hands protectively over her bump. "Kristin? Thank fuck you''re safe. But... Wait. What are you doing here?" My head throbs. What the fuck is going on?


    "If it wasn''t for your girlfriend here, we wouldn''t have even known you were missing." Kat''s voice drips with disdain, and my head pounds harder. Why do I feel like I''ve woken up in an alternate universe? Hang on. What the fuck did she just say? "My girlfriend?"


    "I''m sorry, Max. I didn''t know if I could trust them," Kristin says.


    Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suck in a deep breath that burns my lungs. This can''t be happening. "You told everyone you''re my girlfriend?" I ask, ignoring Kat''s fierce re.


    "Y-yeah," my sister answers, her eyes wide and fearful. I guess she couldn''t have known why that would be such a big deal, but the thought that for even one second Joey believed... Fresh bile burns the back of my throat. "Fuck, Kristin!" I push myself up and swing my legs off the edge of the bed.


    Kat rushes over and tries to push me back down. "You should rest!"


    "I need to speak to Joey," I insist, yanking the blood pressure cuff from my arm. Jumping off the bed and onto the floor, I groan at the fiery agony that sears through my abdomen.


    "Max. You just had surgery," Kat says, sighing.


    "Where is she?"


    "I don''t know."


    "I''m sorry, Max," Kristin sniffs.


    "You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart," Kat assures her, but I tune them both out because all I can think about is Joey and what she must think of me right now. How long have I been out of it? How many hours, minutes, seconds has my girl spent thinking that I''m the kind of piece of shit who''d do something like that?


    I run out into the hallway, adrenaline coursing through me, making me stronger and more determined with each step. "Joey?" I shout as I head toward the den. "Joey!"


    I see Dante first as he walks out of his study. "Keep your fucking voice down," he orders.


    "I need to see Joey. Where is she?"


    "She doesn''t want to speak to you right now."


    "I don''t give a fuck. Where is she, Dante?"


    Lorenzo steps up beside him, fastening the buttons of his suit jacket. They stand side by side-against me. I roll my head side to side, back and forth, prepared to go through the two of them to get to her if I must. "She''s not interested, Max."


    Blood thunders in my ears. "Joey," I yell louder. I know she''s here somewhere. She has to be.


    Dante takes a step toward me. "I said keep your fucking voice down. My daughter is asleep," he says with a snarl, teeth bared like he''s spoiling for a fight. I never thought I''d stand on this side of the infamous wall of Moretti rage, but I will take both him and Lorenzo down if they don''t let me see her. And if I can''t get through them, I will fucking die trying.


    We re at one another, none of us prepared to back down even a little. Each of us believing we''re right.


    I sense her even before I hear her soft footsteps, and I''m filled with adrenaline and anguish when I look up to see her drifting down the staircase. Her bloodshot eyes make me wonder how many hours she spent crying. What the fuck have I done?


    "Joey?" Her namees out like a plea.


    "Shouldn''t you be with your girlfriend?" She spits thest word like it''s poison on her tongue.


    "She''s not my girlfriend, I swear to you."


    She reaches the bottom stair and makes her way to stand beside her brothers. All three Moretti siblings re at me like I''m the enemy. But something about her standing by their side looks exactly right. Until now, I never noticed how much she has inmon with her brothers. She''s equally smart, strong, and capable-and although she tries to hide her true feelings behind a veneer of sarcasm and snark, when she''s hurt... well, my girl brings the full Moretti arsenal. "She''s just some poor girl you knocked up then?" she snaps, her eyes brimming with fury.


    I close my eyes as a fiery poker stabs my gut, but it''s nothingpared to the searing agony of Joey''s contempt.


    "Not my kid either," I groan, my hand pressed against my stomach. It feels like my guts are spilling out onto the floor.


    "Fuck, he''s bleeding," Lorenzo says and crosses the hallway, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Let''s get you back to Kat."


    I shrug him off. "I''m not going anywhere until I speak to my fucking girl," I shout, even as my head spins and I sway on my feet.


    Joey steps forward, baring her teeth. "I''m not your girl, you lying, cheating asshole."


    "Yes, you fucking are."


    She stalks toward me, and her scent scrambles my senses. I don''t know whether to drop to my knees at her feet, kiss her, or give into the dizziness and ck out. "Tell that to that girl carrying your baby, Maximo. The one who''s been sobbing by your bedside for the past six hours."


    "It''s not my fucking baby," I protest.


    "You need to get back to Kat so she can take a look at you," Lorenzo insists, wrapping an arm around my waist.


    "I need to speak to my fucking girl." I try to shrug him off again, but I don''t have the strength this time.


    She rolls her eyes. "There is nothing you can say-"


    "Kristin is my little sister, Joey. That kid she''s having is my nephew, not my son."


    "What?" Joey frowns and shakes her head. "You don''t even have a sister."


    "I fucking knew it," Dante says.


    Joey ps her brother on the arm. "If you knew that, why the hell didn''t you tell me? Asshole."


    Dante sighs. "I mean... I didn''t know..." He shakes his head. "It''s a long fucking story."


    "Can we do thister? Max is fucking bleeding all over the marble here," Lorenzo snaps impatiently.


    I look down at the blood-soaked bandage wrapped around my abdomen and close my eyes to fight back the nausea. "I thought your wife was good at stitches, buddy?" Dante''s chuckle is cut off by his wife stomping toward us.


    "She is, but I didn''t stitch you up, and you''re not supposed to be out of bed yet, dumbass!" Kat yells. "Get him back in the bed."


    "You heard the doc," Lorenzo says as he spins me around and practically carries me down the hallway.


    I nce over my shoulder, struggling to remain conscious. "Jo-"


    "I''m right here, Max," she says, but I can''t read her tone. Does she believe me? Does it even matter to her now? Whatever, I''ll make sure it fucking matters to her. She''s still mine.


    Back in the makeshift hospital room, Kat gingerly peels the wet bandage from my stomach. "Should it be bleeding like that?" Joey asks from beside me.


    "He busted his stitches, is all. They weren''t all that secure from what I can see." Kat looks up and scowls at Dante. "I think prohibition was in ce thest time that surgeon you found operated." I try not to flinch at the re she turns my way. "Besides, these things can happen if you go running down hallways right after major abdominal surgery."


    "Major abdominal surgery," Lorenzo snorts. "It was barely a scratch."


    Kat gets to work cleaning my wound with efficiency. I bite back a curse and chuckle. "Yeah, barely."


    "I can give you something more for the pain?" Kat offers.


    "No. No more drugs." I shake my head. "I want my thinking clear."


    "Whatever you say. But this is going to hurt like hell."


    Kat urges me to lie down, then quickly stitches me back up.


    Only when my head stops spinning do I look up, scanning the room until my eyes lock on Joey''s. I hold out my hand for her, and it feels like a goddamn eternity passes before she gently entwines her fingers in mine. "You are the only fucking girl for me, Joey Moretti." I say loudly so that there will be no doubt of that fact in anyone''s mind.


    "Max?" My attention goes to where Kristin still sits in the corner, a horror-stricken expression on her face, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I''m s-sorry. I d-didn''t know."


    I give her a weak smile. "I know. It''s okay. But you can trust everyone in this room. I promise you that. Tell them who you really are."


    Kristin sucks in a deep breath as every pair of eyes in the room, except for Kat''s, trains on her. "I''m Max''s little sister." She looks at my girl. "I''m so sorry, Joey. I can''t imagine what you must have thought of me. I didn''t know you and he- If I had..."


    "But why did you tell us you were his girlfriend?" Joey asks, her beautiful face pulled into a frown. "Why not just tell us the truth?"


    Kristin opens and closes her mouth like a fish out of water, but no wordse out.


    "Because of who your father is?" Dante offers for her.


    Closing her eyes, my sister nods.


    "I don''t understand." Joey looks between Dante, Kristin, and me. "Who is her father? Why didn''t you tell me you had a sister? Why didn''t any of us know about her, Max?"


    I squeeze Joey''s hand. So many questions, and I don''t have all the answers yet. "I didn''t know myself until about two weeks ago when Kristin showed up on my doorstep."


    "So you''ve known for two weeks. Why couldn''t you tell me? Is that why we didn''t go back to your apartment that night?"


    I open my mouth to answer, but Kristin beats me to it. "I asked Max not to tell anyone I was here," she says, standing and walking toward the bed. "My father told me that I couldn''t trust a Moretti, so I made Max promise to keep me a secret." Joey shakes her head. "But why are you here? Why now? Why couldn''t you trust us, but you trusted Max? You know he''s one of us, right?"


    "Because he''s my big brother," Kristin whispers. "My father told me if I was ever in trouble, Max was the only person I could rely on."


    "You knew about Max then?" Lorenzo''s eyes narrow with interest and suspicion. She shakes her head vigorously. "No. Not until two months ago. I had no idea." Dante pinches the bridge of his nose. "But your father is Vito DiMarco, right?" Joey''s frown deepens. "Vito DiMarco?"


    "My uncle," I exin.


    "Your uncle is also your sister''s father?" Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline.


    "Yep."


    Lorenzo ps his hands and gets everyone''s attention. "Can someone start at the beginning and exin what the fuck is going on here?"


    "Kristin? You know the whole story and Nurse Ratched here isn''t exactly being gentle, ya know?" Wincing, I re down at Kat who just stabbed the needle into my flesh with more force than before.


    "I will kick your ass, DiMarco," she says good-naturedly, keeping her head down and remaining focused on the task at hand.


    "A-are you sure?" Kristin asks me.


    I give her a reassuring nod. "These people are my family. There''s nothing you can''t tell them, I swear."


    "Okay." She chews on her lip for a second before she goes on. "A few months ago, my dad started acting strangely. Like he was always pretty paranoid, but he upped the ante, you know? Wouldn''t let me leave the house. Always checking in on me."


    "Seems like he didn''t keep that much of a careful eye on you." Dante tilts his head and stares at her rounded abdomen.


    Kristin flinches and rubs a protective hand over her belly. "Well, that, um. That''s a different story."


    My brotherly instincts re to life. She isn''t here to have her actions judged by a room full of strangers. While I know that wasn''t Dante''s intention-he''s an asshole, but he isn''t that kind of asshole-she doesn''t owe them an exnation. Especially not like this, not right now. We''ll need to talk about that prick soon enough, but she doesn''t need to be here when we discuss how we''re going to find and kill the father of her baby.


    Reaching out with my spare hand, I gently squeeze her wrist. "Maybe we don''t focus on the jackass who knocked you up right now?"


    Kristin nods gratefully and continues. "Dad was extra suspicious, but he said he was just being careful. We moved twice in the space of six months. When I finally had enough and demanded to know what the hell was going on, he was still sketchy, but that''s when he finally told me about Max. How our mom was married to Max''s dad when she fell in love with him. How they risked everything to run off together."


    Lorenzo snorts, and I throw him a warning look. That''s clearly the version of events Vito told his daughter, and it''s the story she believes. None of the choices our mother and her father made back then are on Kristin. She feels alone enough in the world right now without all of us telling her what a piece of work her father really is.


    "Go on," I say, urging her to continue.


    "He said that if anything ever happened to him then I needed to find Max because I''d be safe with him. He drummed two messages into me. The only person I could ever trust was Max and that I should never trust a Moretti." She pauses, letting the information sink in.


    The tension in the room goes up several notches, and I''m relieved that she''s intuitive enough not to share the message my dear old uncle told her to give me. That would almost certainly send Lorenzo and Dante off the deep end. "Then, one night about three weeks ago, he didn''te home. I called and I waited, hoping I''d hear from him, but after two days I knew something bad must have happened. So I took the emergency fund and came to Chicago." "That''s when she showed up at your door?" Dante asks.


    "Well, my apartment building, but yeah. I knew as soon as I saw her..." I trail off, recalling the first time I saw her. How frightened and pale she looked. How much she reminded me of our mom.


    "And she''s been hiding out at your ce in secret ever since?" Joey''s words drip with venom. I can''t me her. She has every right to be pissed at me.


    "We''ve been looking for Vito. I was going to tell you..." Sighing, I shake my head. I''ve never kept anything like this from them before. "And I didn''t want to bring any more drama to your door right now..."


    "And she made you promise not to tell us, right?" Joey snaps and turns her rage on my sister. "Never trust a Moretti, that''s what your father taught you?"


    Kristin looks down at the floor, her cheeks flushing pink.


    "Joey, don''t." I squeeze her hand tighter. "She''s just a kid. She was scared. She only knows what her father told her. That''s not on her."


    My girl scowls at me, but she doesn''t pull her hand away.


    "So when you came here, you told us you were Max''s girlfriend because you didn''t trust us enough to tell us you were really his sister?" There''s no malice or usation in Lorenzo''s tone, but Kristin''s throat constricts as she swallows under the heat of his gaze.


    "Y-yeah."


    I gesture for her toe closer and wrap my arm around her waist. "It''s okay. They just need to know what''s going on."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Dante clears his throat and addresses Kristin. "You can stay here until Max is back to full strength and we find out what''s happened to your father."


    Her eyes widen with surprise. "I can''t stay here now that Max is back."


    "You can and you will," Kat says in a steely tone as she finishes off thest of my stitches. "Your father may have had his reasons for not trusting this family, but you are Max''s sister, and he''s our brother. You have nothing to fear from anyone in this house."

 76

    Kristin gives Kat a faint smile. Dante''s wife, with her confidence and kindness, is impossible not to trust.


    Still, my sister looks at me for reassurance. "You''re safe here, I promise. And I''ll be right here with you. Okay?" "Okay," she says, nodding and blinking back tears.


    "We''ll fix you up in the guest room that''s just down the hall from Joey''s room. And Max, where will you be staying?" Kat arches an eyebrow at me, and the mischievous glint in her eyes has me biting back a grin. I need all the help I can get and having her on my side is more than I could''ve hoped for.


    Dante scoffs, ring at his wife. "He''ll be in the guest room on the other side of the house."


    "Dante," Joey huffs.


    Dante snorts. "He''s not staying in your room,"


    Lorenzo puts a hand on his younger brother''s shoulder and keeps his voice low. "Maybe we should let Joey decide?"


    "Since when are you on her side on this?" Dante asks with a frown.


    "Since I have better things to do with my time than police our adult sister," Lorenzo replies with a sigh. "Joey''s a grown woman now, whether we want to admit that or not. Hasn''t she proven that she''s capable of behaving like an adult?" "Thank you, Lorenzo," Joey says, giving her oldest brother a genuine smile. "It''s nice to have one of you believe in me."


    Dante rolls his eyes and puts his arm around her shoulder. "You know that I know you''re capable, Joey. Of course I believe in you."


    "Then you don''t believe in Max? Is that it?"


    Shaking his head, he releases a heavy sigh. "It''s not that straightforward."


    "Nothing worth having is," she counters.


    Fuck, I wish they would all get the hell out and let me talk to her alone. I have no intentions of sleeping in her room with her, but that doesn''t mean I won''t be spending plenty of time in there with her. The Moretti siblings could go on arguing all night about this. I cough loudly, and they turn their attention back to me. "Can I have a minute with my girl?"


    Lorenzo and Dante look at each other, but Kat ushers everyone out of the room, speaking over their protests with instructions that I need to rest. Shooting me a knowing look over her shoulder, she mouths for me to be careful and closes the door behind her, leaving Joey and me alone.


    My girl props her hip on the edge of the bed beside me, her fingers stillced through mine.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about Kristin, baby girl. I was going to as soon as I figured out what was going on. It just never seemed like the right time."


    "When she told me... and I thought..." A tear runs down her cheek, and she swats it away.


    "I know, baby." Lifting my heavy arms, I wrap them around her, pulling her close and holding on tight. I''ve been desperate to touch her for so long that I''m still not entirely sure this moment isn''t a figment of my imagination, but her familiar scent and the hot tears soaking my chest assure me this is real.


    She nuzzles my chest. "I thought I''d lost you, Max ..."


    "I''m right here."


    "You almost died," she whispers, lifting her head and looking at me with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    "I''d never die on you."


    "You ever even attempt to get yourself kidnapped again and you''ll wish you were dead, DiMarco," she says, faking a scowl.


    "I promise never to even think about it."


    She sits up, her dark eyes locked on my face. "I hate that you weren''t honest with me."


    "I know."


    "If you had been..." She wipes away another tear.


    I cup her face in my hands. The fact that she even thought me capable of something like that burns me from the inside. Doesn''t she, of all people, know me better than that? But I can''t fight with her right now. I can feel nothing but grateful that she''s here with me. "I hate that you thought I''d betray you like that, Joey. The fact you could believe me capable of hurting you that way is worse than a knife to the stomach. I regret every single second that you spent hating me." "I never hated you, Max."


    "No?"


    "No. I can''t."


    "Not even when you thought...?"


    Joey shakes her head. "Not even then."


    I brush my fingertips over her cheek. God, I want to take her to bed and stay there with her for the rest of my goddamn life. "Are we okay?"


    "I guess," she whispers.


    That''s not exactly the emphatic yes I hoped for, but it will have to do for now. "I need to talk to Dante and Lorenzo."


    "Do it tomorrow. Rest today. There''s a room ready for you upstairs."


    "The one on the other side of the house from you?"


    "Well, we did make that one up for you. It was supposed to be for you and Kristin, so I wanted it as far away from me as possible."


    "I''m sorry, baby."


    "I know."


    The fact that she was still willing to have me here, both of us, well, that reminds me how fucking incredible this girl right here is. "You were going to let me stay here? Me and Kristin?"


    "Yes. Although I guess you won''t want to share a room with your kid sister?" Sheughs softly, and the sound makes my heart beat faster.


    I brush my fingertips over her cheek. I''d much rather share one with her, but how do I tell her that I can''t, maybe not ever? How the hell do I trust myself around the one person it would kill me to hurt?


    Her eyes darken as the skin on her neck turns pink. "I guess you could stay in my room," she whispers seductively.


    A ball of emotion lodges in my throat. I want nothing more than to stay in her room with her. Go to sleep next to her soft, warm body and wake up with her in my arms. Fuck her every single night and every single morning for the rest of my goddamn life.


    "I need to talk to your brothers, baby," I say, struggling to sit up.


    She steps back, frowning at me while she chews on her lip. "Kat told you to rest."


    "She stitched me back up. I''m good. Besides, I''m going to shuffle down the hallway and then sit in their office. Nothing heavy. I promise."


    "Please don''t get into anything now, Max," Joey pleads. I take her hand and pull her back to me, brushing my bandaged fingers through her hair. "I only just got you back," she whispers.


    I press my lips close to her ear, and she shivers in my arms. "Baby girl, I promise you I''m not going anywhere, okay? But I need to speak to your brothers. I have to do this right."


    stares into my eyes, and even though I know she wants to fight me on this, her shoulders drop in defeat. "Fine. I''ll wait for you in the den."


    "Good girl." I don''t miss the way her breath catches at those words, and my cock throbs. Thoughts of her kept me sane while I was tied up and tortured, and I''m fucking desperate to feel her again. To taste her. To im every single inch of her as my own. But I need to make things right first.


    When I reach Dante and Lorenzo''s study, there''s a guard outside the door as usual. I wonder if he''s been given orders to keep me out, but he nods a greeting and opens the door for me, which I take to mean that the Moretti brothers didn''t keep me alive just so they could kill me themselves.


    "Max," Dante says with a nod.


    "Take a seat." Lorenzo indicates the chair opposite them, but I remain standing for now.


    "We''ve been thinking about who might have taken you and why-" Dante begins, but I cut him off.


    "Before we get into any of that, I need to ask you both something."


    They stare at me, and I suddenly realize what it must feel like to be on this side of the desk for a change-metaphorically speaking.


    "I want your permission to date your sister," I say, my hands stuffed into the pockets of my bloodstained sweatpants.


    Dante''s eyes narrow. "And if we say no?"


    I shrug. "I guess it doesn''t change the oue. I''m going to date her anyway, but I''d prefer to do it with your blessing."


    "You swore, Max. Joey was off-limits."


    "That was a long time ago. We were kids making stupid promises to each other. I get that I should''ve told you first, but it all kind of happened so fast. I tried to fight it, but I couldn''t. Still, I want to do this right. You two are my family," I say, choking up on thest word.


    "A family you were prepared to walk away from? Because you knew what would happen if you fucked around with Joey." Dante says, his tone cold and detached.


    "I would never ask either of you to choose between me and Anya or Kat. Never. But if you make me choose, I will choose her. Every single fucking time." I step forward and ce my palms t on their desk. "I know you''re worried that I might hurt her-" I stop to swallow the words that get stuck in my throat. "But I never would. I''ll never drink when I''m with her. Never take so much as an aspirin if she''s staying in my bed. I don''t know if-"


    Lorenzo holds up a hand. "You can''t seriously think our problem with you dating our sister has anything to do with the Delgado girl?"


    I blink at him.


    "That was twelve fucking years ago,pagno," Dante adds.


    "I fucking killed her," I remind them. "And I still don''t remember a goddamn thing."


    "You were drunk and on drugs. You weren''t thinking straight," Lorenzo says, his brow furrowed in a scowl.


    "I still did it. If I ever hurt Joey like that-" I drop into one of the chairs in front of their desk and scrub a hand over my face.


    Dante leans forward in his seat. "We don''t want you to date our sister because it''s messy, Max. If you and she ..." He shakes his head. If Joey and I don''t work out, it would put us all in an untenable position. "It has nothing to do with what happened with that girl."


    "But it should! You should want me to stay away from her because you know what I''m capable of. The things I''ve done. I want to stay away from her because of them." I drop my head into my hands. "But I can''t."


    Dante clears his throat. "So, you date our sister, but you never spend the night together? How the fuck does that even work, Max? She''ll never go for it."


    "As long as I don''t fall asleep-"


    "Now you''re going to stop sleeping?" Dante snaps.


    "No," I bark. I don''t know the answers. All I know is that I can''t live without her. And I can''t hurt her. "I''ll figure something out. Maybe I could get some therapy or something?"


    Lorenzo snorts. "Therapy?"


    "Yes. Therapy," I repeat. "To figure out what happened. Because if I could just remember..." I shake my head.


    "You need to stop fucking torturing yourself, Max," Dante says with a sigh. "You were both so wasted, you didn''t know what you were doing. She was into some kinky shit like you, and it went too far because you were both too fucked up to stop it. That''s all."


    I stare at him. I wish it was as easy for me to exin away, but not being able to remember what happened that night haunts my every waking moment. I''ve killed plenty of people-my body count is higher than both Moretti brothers''bined-but I remember them all. I watched the light go out of their eyes every single time.


    Except for her.


    I took her life and don''t even remember doing it. How the hell am I supposed to sleep next to the most precious person in the entire world and not worry that one morning I might wake up and find her lifeless face on the pillow next to me? Lorenzo cuts off my internal argument. "You should tell her."


    "I should what?"


    "Tell her. She deserves to know," Lorenzo replies with a shrug.


    "You didn''t think that earlier," I remind him.


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    "I didn''t realize it still ate you up this much."


    "And if it didn''t eat me up? If I could just forget about the fact that I murdered an innocent girl while we were having sex, that would be okay? I wouldn''t have to tell her then?" I snap.


    "If you''re making decisions about Joey''s life-about the kind of life she''ll have if she chooses you, then she deserves to know before she falls for you any more than she already has." Dante nods solemnly, siding with his brother. "He''s right, Max."


    "What if she hates me?"


    "She won''t," Lorenzo fires back.


    "She deserves the truth,pagno. All of it," Dante says.


    "How else are you going to exin the fact that you''re not sleeping in her room tonight if you don''t?" Lorenzo asks.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    "I''ll tell her I''m tired, or ..."


    Dante shakes his head. "You''ll break her fucking heart. If you''re going to ask to date our sister, Max, then you will tell her the fucking truth."


    I slump in my chair. I know they''re right, but what if it costs me everything? What if it costs me her?


    A soft knock at the door snatches all our attention.


    "Come in," Dante shouts.


    My entire world walks into the room, and the soft smile on her face makes me want to cut my tongue out of my mouth so we don''t have to have this conversation. "It''s getting kind ofte, and Kat says Max should rest. We can talk about everything that happened tomorrow, right?"


    Dante and Lorenzo voice their agreement.


    "Good. You can stay in my room," she says to me, her eyes shining with a happiness that I worried I''d never see again. Fuck, can''t I just have one more day when she still looks at me like that?


    Lorenzo clears his throat. "Shall we give you the room?"


    "No, stay." They know everything anyway. At least if they''re here, I won''t back out when I see the look of horror on her face. I''ll have no choice but to tell her the whole ugly truth.


    "Is something wrong?" Joey asks from where she stands beside me.


    "Take a seat," Dante replies.


    "Why? What is it?" she asks, an angry edge creeping into her voice. "You don''t get to keep Max and me-"


    "It''s not that, Joey," I interrupt before she starts berating her brothers. "Sit down."


    "You''re freaking me out, Max." Her voice wobbles.


    I take hold of her hand, curling my fingers around hers and tugging her down into the chair next to me. "I have to tell you about something I did."


    "What-what did you do?"


    "I killed someone, Joey."


    Falling back in her chair, she starts tough, and I gape at her. "Max. You asshole."


    "This is serious, Joey. Not just anyone. A girl."


    Herugh cuts off abruptly. "A girl? What girl?"


    "Her name was Fiona. She was a ... friend of ours."


    "Fiona?" She frowns.


    "It was twelve years ago, Joey," Lorenzo adds.


    "But why? What did she do?" Joey asks, her fingers still entwined in mine.


    "She didn''t do anything," I say quietly. "I don''t even remember what happened. I woke up and she was dead in bed beside me."


    Her face turns pale, and her nose wrinkles with horror and disgust while my heart threatens to burst through my fucking ribcage. "No." She shakes her head emphatically. "Fiona, right? The girl with those stupid pigtails?" "Yeah. Fiona Delgado."


    "No," she says again, still shaking her head.


    "Joey, I know-"


    "No, Max. You didn''t kill her."


    "I did, Joey. I woke up and she was dead. With my handprints around her neck."


    "No!" she shouts now, pulling her hand from mine as she looks to her brothers. "Those weren''t Max''s handprints." Her hand flies to her mouth and tremors wrack her body.


    I lean forward, cing my hand on her back. "Joey, baby?"


    "Those were his handprints," she whispers, her eyes wide as she looks first at her brothers, then at me. "Sal''s."


    Lorenzo and Dante lean forward. We stare at her.


    "What are you talking about?" Dante asks softly.


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    "He killed that girl. The night of your graduation party. I saw him."


    "N-no," I stammer, shaking my head.


    "He did. I saw him. I saw him and some other guy talking about getting rid of the body."


    "You''re sure it was Fiona? You were only ten, Joey," Dante says.


    "I know what I saw, Dante!" Joey shrieks. "Dad promised me twenty bucks if I stayed out of the way of the party all night, so once you and your buddies were all too drunk to walk, I went to call in my debt. But when I got to his office, he was with some guy, and Fiona was dead on the floor. I recognized her pigtails. I knew it was her because I always hated her and the way she told me to get lost whenever I was talking to Max. But then she was dead..."


    I lean forward, dropping my head into my hands. I feel like I''m about to throw up for at least the third time today. This is fucking unbelievable. For twelve long years, I''ve tortured myself with the memory of that morning. With the image of Fiona Delgado, naked and dead next to me. And I''ve wracked my brain almost every single day since then to piece together what happened because I don''t remember a single second of it. I always put it down to being so wasted on brandy and cocaine that I cked out. And I haven''t touched either of them since. But of course I don''t remember. Because I didn''t fucking touch her.


    "You''re sure about this, Joey?" Lorenzo asks.


    "I just freaking told you I am."


    "What exactly did you hear Pop say?" Dante says.


    "The other guy was asking what they were gonna do with her, and Dad said that he had the perfect n for her. He called her a money-grubbing little whore, and I didn''t know what it meant at the time, but I remember how angry he sounded. It gave me goosebumps all over my skin."


    "Then what?"


    "Then he saw me, and he was all sweet to me-the way he could be sometimes, you know? He said the silly girl in his office tried to hurt our family and that he was going to take care of it. He gave me my twenty bucks and told me to go back to bed."


    "Why didn''t you ever tell us, Joey?" Dante asks.


    "I-I didn''t really know what it meant, and it wasn''t the first dead body I''d seen. He made me promise never to tell anyone and then... well, it wasn''t the worst thing he ever did."


    I dry heave, and Joey rubs my back.


    Barely a day has passed when I haven''t thought about her and tried to remember what I did. Especially since Joey. I''ve smoldered with the desperate need to know what I did to that girl, so I could make sure I never repeated the same mistake again.


    "B-but she was in my bed." I stand up, my head spinning. "She was there with me.''


    "Then he must have put her there because I assure you that she was dead when I walked out of his office."


    "No." Running my hands through my hair, I shake my head. "No. He wouldn''t- He let me think-"


    "He would, Max," Lorenzo says, deadpan.


    "B-but." I blink at him, searching his dark eyes for answers. He looks so much like Sal. I don''t think I ever really noticed that before. "Did you know?"


    He scowls. "No," he insists.


    Of course he didn''t. He hated his father. He would never cover for him like that.


    "I''m sorry, Max. If I''d known that he made you...that he framed you ... I would have told you a long time ago." Joey''s pain-filled voice makes my heart ache for her.


    I squeeze her hand. "It''s not on you, baby." I grind out the words as rage and sheer fucking relief course through my veins.


    "I always knew there was something not right about the whole situation. The way you found her in bed that morning." Lorenzo says, appearing deep in thought.


    I blink at him. "You did?"


    "I''ve told you this many times, Maximo. But you would never listen."


    "I can''t..." I shake my head. Immediately after it happened, and on the handful of asions we''ve discussed it since, he questioned the events that led to Fiona being in my bed, but I thought he was just trying to jog my memory or make me


    feel better.


    Dante stares at me. "This makes sense, Max. Fiona was never your type. She''d been hanging around you for months, and no matter how drunk you got, you never so much as brushed her arm."


    "Yeah, but I was so drunk that night..." My head spins so fast I think I might pass out. Sal gave me thest ss of brandy I remember drinking that night.


    "You didn''t kill her, Max," Joey says. Leaning over in her chair, she wraps her arms around my neck and presses a soft kiss on my shoulder. "I''m sorry he made you believe you did."


    "Then how the fuck did she end up in my bed?"


    Nobody answers-I guess because the answer is so fucking obvious.


    I alternate between hanging my head in my hands and looking at my best friends while Joey holds onto me like I''m in danger of floating away in the middle of this shitstorm. "Why would he do that?" I ask when I find the words to speak. I was never anything but loyal to Salvatore Moretti. He had no reason to doubt me-to frame me for murder, if that''s what happened.


    "Because he was a sick, twisted fuck," Dante spits. "But we already knew that."


    "I''m so sorry, Max," Joey says again. "If I''d just mentioned something. I hate that you carried this around for half your life."


    "You have nothing to apologize for," I assure her.


    Lorenzo pinches the bridge of his nose. "It''ste and I need to check on Anya. We could spend the rest of our lives discussing the piece of shit that was our father, but nothing is going to change what he did now."


    "I agree. I think we should all get some sleep," Dante suggests. He jerks his chin at me. "Is there any information about who took you that can''t wait until morning?"


    "No. It can wait." Sleep sounds like fucking heaven right now. Maybe when I wake up, I won''t have spent thest twelve years driving myself crazy trying to remember something I didn''t do. "But I should check on Kristin before I go to bed."


    "I checked on her before I came in here," Joey says. "She''s sleeping. I don''t think you should disturb her. She hardly slept at all while you were gone."


    "None of us did," Lorenzo adds, throwing his sister a concerned look.


    Fuck, I should stop feeling sorry for myself and take better care of my girl. Should focus on the revtion that I''m not at risk of murdering her in her sleep after all, because as fucked up as this whole thing is, the fact that I can crawl into bed with her tonight-hell, every night-should bepensation enough for anything her father ever put me through.


    "Shall we go to bed?" Even though the way she says the words is entirely innocent, my cock still twitches to life.


    I stare at her. She makes the whole goddamn world make sense. "Yeah." I guess the past doesn''t matter so much when my future is standing right here.

 77

    MAX


    I manage a quick shower in Joey''s bathroom, after which I crawl into her bed and wait for her to take one too. I must be exhausted because the thought of taking one together never crossed my mind.


    I press my head against her soft pillow and her sweet perfume washes over me. Her sheets are soft on my skin, and I think about how these covers must have been wrapped around herst night-touching every part of her. My cock throbs, not giving a single fuck that the rest of my body needs sleep.


    Joey walks out of the bathroom and heads toward me. She pulls back the covers to climb into bed, but there''s something very wrong with this picture. "Um, clothes off, baby girl."


    She looks down at her tiny shorts and tank top that don''t cover a lot of her body, but they still cover way too much. "These are hardly anything, and you need to rest," she says as she looks at me with a devious grin on her face. "I can still rest while you''re naked. Now take off the fucking clothes."


    "You are so bossy." She rolls her eyes, but then my good girl peels her shirt off over her head and throws it onto the floor. She cocks one eyebrow at me. "The shorts too?"


    "Most definitely the shorts too."


    "Fine." She slowly rolls them down her legs, and I enjoy the show she''s giving me.


    Gloriously naked, she slips beneath the covers, and I lift my arm so she can nestle into the crook of my shoulder. Her hard nipples brush over my skin as she presses her warm, soft body against mine, and my cock twitches in response. But my eyes are heavy with sleep, and my abdomen is so fucking sore, I don''t think I could do anything more than talk right now. I run my hand over her back, and she shivers against me.


    "I know it must have been a shock finding out about Fiona. You want to talk about it?" she asks softly.


    I can''t pretend I''m not a little bothered by the fact that Joey knew what her father had really done all along and could have saved me from years of torture. Not that I me her at all-it was one incident in a long line of awful shit her father did. The fact he asked his ten-year-old daughter to keep a secret like that is all kinds of fucked up. Even more fucked up because it wasn''t an unusual enough event for her to feel the need to talk to anyone about it. I should be grateful that it didn''t traumatize her, but that would mean feeling grateful that she experienced such a shitty childhood. "Not especially. Do you?"


    "No. Is that why you changed the subject when I asked you about staying the night with me earlier? You were worried you might hurt me?"


    "Yeah." I run my hand over her back absent-mindedly, lost in thoughts of missed opportunities.


    "Is that why you fucked me all night when I stayed at the cabin with you?" she says, chuckling, and I can''t help but smile.


    "No." I kiss her forehead. "I fucked you all night long because I couldn''t stop myself from fucking you, baby girl. But when you fell asleep for a few hours, I made sure to stay awake."


    "So did you never spend the night with anyone before?" "No."


    "I''m sorry," she whispers.


    I cup her jaw, tilting her head so I can stare into her beautiful dark eyes. "I never really cared that much about spending the night with anyone before you."


    "Never?" she blinks at me.


    I can honestly say that''s true. I mean, I''d have spent the night with women out of convenience more than anything else, but not out of any burning desire to be close to anyone. "Not until you. And if you apologize one more time for what your father did, I''ll put you over my knee and spank your ass."


    Her breath catches in her throat. "You wouldn''t."


    "Try me, baby girl."


    "You''re such a bossy asshole sometimes," she whispers, snuggling closer.


    I sigh in contentment as sleep threatens to overwhelm me.


    "Are you okay? I''m not hurting you, am I?"


    "I''m good," I assure her. "But I''ll be better when you drape that leg over me."


    "Max," she admonishes me. "You need to sleep."


    "I am going to sleep," I say, stifling a yawn. "But I want to feel that sweet pussy on me. When you get wet just from holding onto me, I want to feel it."


    "You think I''m going to get wet just from lying next to you?" she breathes, her warm breath dusting over my bruised skin. "You''re pretty sure of yourself."


    I drop a kiss on the top of her head. "I know you will, baby. If I slipped my fingers inside you right now, I know you''d already be a little wet for me. Isn''t that right?"


    She hums. "Well, you don''t have to be an ass about it."


    I brush her hair back from her face and cup her jaw, tilting her head so she''s looking up at me again. "I''m not being an ass because we both know it''s true. Just know it''s not a one-way thing. I''m gonna be hard all night having you next to me like this."


    "Won''t that be ufortable?" she whispers, and the sound of her voice goes straight to my cock.


    I brush the pad of my thumb over her cheek. "I can deal with ufortable. Besides, I''m gonna be spending a whole lot of my life with your naked body pressed up against me, so I figure I might as well get used to it, right?"


    Her eyshes flutter as she blinks at me.


    "So..." I tap her thigh. "Leg. On me. Now."


    "Yes, Sir," she whispers seductively, like a fucking sex kitten, and I have to close my eyes and take a deep breath before I flip her onto her back and nail her to this goddamn bed. I need a good night''s sleep. Then, in the morning, I will fuck her six ways to Sunday.


    I pull her closer and she drapes her leg over me like I asked, pressing her bare pussy against my hip. Then she rests her cheek on my chest again. "Let''s get some sleep, baby."


    "Hmm," she murmurs.


    I''m drifting off when I feel her hot tears on my skin. I brush her cheeks with my fingertips. "That''s not the kind of wet I wanted to feel, baby girl. What''s wrong?"


    "I called you some horrible names, Max. I even thought-just for a second, I wished..." She chokes on a sob.


    "Please don''t do this to yourself, Joey. It''s human nature. You were hurting."


    "But then when I thought about you out there all alone-that someone had you and was hurting you..." She sobs harder, as though she''s been holding it all together for days and is only now able to let it out. "Joey." I grind out the word because it kills me to see her torture herself like this.


    "When Kristin told us you were missing, I thought my heart would shatter, but then when she said she was your girlfriend and she was having your baby-it hurt so much. I thought I was going to die."


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    I hug her tighter. I hate that I caused her unnecessary pain. It hurts me more than I can stand that she thought for even a little while that I want anyone but her. "I''m sorry, baby."


    "But then when I thought I''d lost you..." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "I swore I would feel that level of pain every day of my life if you could just be okay."


    "I''m here now and I''m not going anywhere. Okay?"


    Her hair brushes my cheek when she nods.


    "Get some sleep, and we''ll talk tomorrow," I mumble, losing the battle against keeping my eyes open.


    "Okay. Night, Max."


    "G''night, baby."


    ***


    Warm pleasure rolls through me, making my eyelids flicker open. The covers are pulled back but she''s not lying next to me. Looking down, I see her beautiful lips wrapped around my cock, and fuck me if it''s not the hottest thing I ever saw. "Good morning, baby girl," I groan, my voice thick with sleep.


    "Morning," she mumbles, the word muffled by my cock in her mouth.


    I thread my fingers through her hair. "Fuck, baby, this is the best wake-up call I''ve ever had."


    She breathes through her nose as she takes me all the way to the back of her throat, swirling her tongue over my shaft as she sucks.


    I wonder how long she''s been working me over because I''m about ready to blow my load. I close my eyes to stave off my climax a little longer, but my horny little slut starts ying with my balls, squeezing gently and causing heat to sear down my spine.


    "Joey," I groan, rocking my hips toward her mouth and pushing her head down until she starts to gag, but she doesn''t stop.


    I nce down at her again. Her eyes glisten with tears. "You remember to tap out or squeeze if it gets too much?"


    She murmurs her agreement, and her cheeks hollow as she sucks harder.


    "You look so fucking good sucking my cock. Your sexy little ass in the air begging to be fucked too."


    She makes a strangled noise, but she keeps going. I grip her hair tighter, pulling at the root. "You know I''m going to fuck that ass, baby girl. I''m going to take your virgin ass the way I took your hot cunt and your pretty little mouth." She moans, and the sound vibrates through the tip of my cock until it trembles through my entire body.


    "Jesus! Fuck!" I groan, holding her in ce as Ie down her throat. She makes sweet little choking sounds, but her hands remain rxed. No squeezing or tapping out. "Such a good girl the way you take my cock." I release my grip on her and she lifts her head, letting my cock slip out of her mouth.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Thank you, Sir," she purrs, and my lips curl into a smile. Goddamn, I fucking love this girl with every single thing I have.


    "Come sit on my face. Time for me to taste you."


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    "Sit on my face. I want to see how wet sucking my cock has made my naughty little slut."


    Her cheeks flush bright pink, and her bare pussy brushes over my chest as she moves higher, leaving a trail of her arousal.


    "Oh, you''re fucking soaking, Joey."


    "I know."


    "Come here," I growl, full of impatience, grabbing her hips and pulling her up until she''s straddling my face. "Let me eat that pussy."


    "You want me to sit? Like all the way down?"


    "All the way. Like my face is your seat." My fingers dig into her hips.


    "But I''ll squash you. What if you can''t breathe?"


    I sigh, and she shivers as my breath dusts over her thighs. "I''ll breathe just fine. Now. Sit. The. Fuck. Down." I yank her hips down until her pussy rests on my face and my senses are flooded with her scent and her taste. Darting out my tongue, I swirl it over her clit.


    "Fuck, Max," she hisses my name.


    "Mmm," I mumble appreciatively as Ip at her delicious juices. She''s intoxicating. Everything I feel, taste, smell, hear, and see is her. Her cum drips onto my chin and makes my cock harden again in an instant. I don''t care how much my stab wound still hurts, she''s getting bent over and fucked as soon as I''m finished eating this sweet pussy.


    I work a finger inside her hot channel while I feast on her, and her soft whimpers ripple through her body. I look up at her beautiful tits bouncing as she rides my face. Her pouty lips open in a perfect O. Seeing her on the edge makes me work her harder, sucking and licking as I finger fuck her tight pussy. I want to shower in her fucking cum. "Max, I''m so close," she breathes.


    I pull my finger out of her and she whines with frustration, unaware that I have something else in mind. Her whole body goes tense when I slide my finger along the seam of her ass until I''m circling her tight little hole. "Max," she whimpers.


    I push the tip of my finger into her. She instinctively shuffles forward, but I hold her in ce, allowing her to get used to the sensation of something in her virgin ass. I graze my teeth over her swollen clit, and she shudders, arching her back and allowing me to push my finger deeper. She''s so soft and warm and my cock throbs at the thought of taking her here.


    "Holy fuck," she groans loudly as she rocks her hips again. I wrap my free hand around her throat and squeeze gently, hoping that will keep her a little quieter because I really don''t want her brothers to hear here. Then I eat her sweet pussy and finger fuck her perfect ass until shees all over my face with a breathy cry of my name.


    As soon she stops trembling, I lift her off my face and pull her down my body until she''s lying on my chest. "Your face is covered in me," she says, giggling.


    "I know. Exactly how I like it." I lick my lips.


    "That was the perfect start to any morning."


    "You say that like we''re done, baby girl." "Aren''t we?"


    I shake my head. "Not even close."

 78

    JOEY


    "Ow," I yelp as Max ps my ass hard, but despite the pain, I push my hips back, desperate for more. I''m on all fours on my bed, waiting for him to fuck me, but he continues to taunt me with his fingers, bringing me to the edge and then back down again. My empty pussy aches for more.


    "Such a needy little slut for me." He grabs a handful of my ass cheek in his palm, squeezing roughly as his other hand coasts over my back.


    "Are you going to fuck me, Max? Or just talk me back to sleep?" I snap, frustrated by his teasing.


    A deep growl rumbles in his chest as he leans over me and presses his lips against my ear. "Oh, baby girl, don''t think that I won''t punish you for being a brat just because we''re in your brothers'' house."


    He slips two fingers inside me, and I arch my back as pleasure rolls through me. "I''m sorry," I whimper. Damn man has me exactly where he wants me. "But I need you, Max."


    "Where do you need me?" He drives his fingers deeper.


    "I-inside me."


    "I am inside you." He presses against my G-spot for emphasis.


    "I need more."


    "Tell me what you need, Joey. Beg me, baby."


    "I need your cock. Please?" I plead with him, desperate and shivering and needy. "I miss the feel of you inside me. I thought I''d never get this again."


    "Oh, fuck, baby, I''m sorry," he says, and then the warmth of his body is gone. His fingers slide out of me, and I drop my head to the pillow in frustration. But then his hands are on my hips and the tip of his cock pushes at my entrance. "I''m sorry I made you wait so long."


    He drives deep inside me, and I scream into the pillow, flooded with relief and pleasure at the sensation of his huge cock filling me. I''m so wet and ready for him, and he''s able to sink all the way inside until his piercing rubs on my G-spot, right where his fingers just were. My legs tremble violently as he brings me to orgasm so fast that my head spins.


    "Oh, fuck, Max," I moan.


    "That''s it," he growls as he fucks me through it. "My naughty little slut."


    He wraps his hands around my waist, driving harder and faster as he chases his own climax. "You make mee so fucking hard, Joey." His fingers bruise my flesh and his hips still. "Holy fuck," he grunts as his cock twitches and pulses inside me, filling me with his cum.


    Max pulls out of me and falls onto the bed with his eyes closed. I cannot believe a man who underwent major abdominal surgery yesterday still has that much stamina. He pants for breath, and I watch him with concern. He opens his eyes and pulls me down to lie next to him, wrapping his giant arms around me.


    "Are you okay?" I whisper.


    "Baby girl, I am way fucking better than okay," he gasps, pressing a kiss on my forehead. "You?"


    "Perfect." I smile as I snuggle against him.


    His chest rises as he sucks in a deep breath. "I have something to tell you, Joey." His tone is even and calm, but his words freak me out.


    I push myself up and lean on my elbow. "What is it?"


    He brushes his fingertips over my cheeks, eyes narrowed as he searches my face. "I wasn''t ying around when I said that you''re mine, Joey. It wasn''t the orgasms or anything else talking."


    A breath catches in my throat. "Yours?"


    "Only ever mine. Every part of your beautiful body. Your heart. Your fucking soul. Every orgasm you''re ever going to have. Every single breath you''ll ever take. Mine."


    "I''ve only ever been yours, Max."


    "My little brat," he says with a wicked grin.


    I chew on my lip, and he palms the back of my head, pressing my face close to his.


    "Stop chewing your lip and kiss me, baby."


    I do as he asks, pressing my lips softly over his and slipping my tongue inside his mouth until heat blooms beneath my skin. He pulls back, leaving me breathless and wanting more-his goddamn superpower. "I love you, Joey."


    I blink away tears. I''ve waited my whole damn life for Max DiMarco to look at me like he is right now and say those words. Monique told me to never tell a guy I love him unless I have his ring on my finger. She says it gives them too much power, but this man right here already has me in a choke hold and he knows it. "I love you too."


    He cups my chin in his hand, tilting my head to a slightly different angle and kissing me again. And this time, he takes full control, iming my mouth the way he''s imed every single part of me-with fire and dominance. MAXExclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tell us who were these fucks who took you, and what the hell did they want?" Lorenzo asks, his face set in a grimace as he stares at me from across the desk.


    His and Dante''s eyes bore into mine while they wait for answers. I sit on the opposite side of their desk, but it''s no longer because we''re not on the same side. And I''m reminded even more of this fact when Joey reaches for my hand and curls her slender fingers around mine.


    I tell them everything I know about Kristin and Uncle Vito. About my nned trip to New Jersey and the tape recording that my uncle supposedly has and Monty''s suspicion that the video has something to do with their father. Finally, I describe the woman with the stroller and tell them to check the security feeds outside my building so we can ID her.


    "I suspect the Russian goons you killed were the ones who actually took me off the street after she stuck me with something, but we should check it out."


    "And those three guys you saw, you recognize them at all?"


    I shake my head. "Nope. Did either of you?"


    "No," Dante says with a frown.


    "What did they want from you?" Lorenzo asks.


    "They were working for someone. They made it clear their boss wanted to speak to me. But I didn''t see their boss, and I don''t know where he was because he didn''t show his face the entire time I was there-which was how long exactly?" "About thirty-six hours as far as we can tell," Dante replies.


    Lorenzo leans forward. "Did they say why their boss wanted to speak to you?"


    "Not really. But when I heard their ents, I assumed it had something to do with the takeover. But then they started talking about how I''d taken what was his and touched his girl, and it all started to make sense."


    "You touched his girl?" Joey says, her brow furrowed in a frown.


    "The father of Kristin''s baby is Russian Bratva, at least I think he is from what she told me. I''ve been looking into him too, but he was less of a priority than Vito. Maybe he''s the key to it all though? Maybe that''s why Vito is missing? Revenge for taking his daughter away?"


    "But did anyone even know that Kristin was with you in Chicago?" Joey asks. "I mean, we didn''t."


    I squeeze her hand at the reminder of her pain over the whole Kristin situation. "I guess if someone was looking for her... they could have seen her going into my apartment building. She went to the deli down the road a few times." I chuckle. "Apparently they make cheesesteaks as good as any you''ll find in Philly."


    "You think this is all to do with your sister? They think you and she were-" Lorenzo doesn''t finish the question, but he doesn''t need to.


    "Well, nobody knew I had a sister except for her and Vito. She only found out herself two months ago, so she couldn''t have told Jakob." "Jakob?" Dante asks.


    "He''s the baby daddy, right?" Joey says.


    "Yeah."


    "Hmm." Dante runs a hand over his beard, a scowl on his face.


    "Your uncle Vito though? He''s your sister''s dad? What''s that about? I don''t even remember you having an uncle," Joey says.


    Lorenzo arches an eyebrow at me, because none of us like my uncle Vito, and I don''t like to even think, never mind talk, about the reason why. But I don''t want any secrets from Joey. Not anymore.


    "He and my mom had an affair. It all came out when I was twelve, but apparently it had been going on for a while before."


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    Joey puts her hand over her mouth. "Oh, Max. That''s awful."


    That''s not even the worst of it. "Yeah. When my pop found out, he wanted to kill Vito. He was his kid brother, they were supposed to look out for each other, but he''d been fucking his wife behind his back for years. My pop had the gun to Vito''s head, but he couldn''t go through with it. Vito always kind of lived in his shadow. My dad was Sal''s best friend and his right hand, and Vito could never quite make it into the inner circle, which made him resent my father. Anyway, my mom. left after that. She and Vito made a new life in Jersey."


    "Did she try to take you with her?"


    "No. Didn''t even ask my opinion. Just told me to be a good boy and slipped out the door while I was eating my Lucky Charms."


    "Oh, god, Max."


    "I wouldn''t have gone anyway." Is that the truth, though? She was my mom, and up until then, she was a good one. But it was a long time ago. I buried those feelings so deep, they''ll never resurface.


    "But to just leave you like that," she goes on. "That must have been hard."


    "It was harder on my pop. He was never the same after she left. He lost his wife and his brother at the same time. He started drinking more. He was always distracted. He lost his edge, and a few yearster he was killed." I run my tongue over my teeth and look away, unable to handle the concern and pity in Joey''s eyes.


    "You know he was murdered while he was on a routine money collection for our father?" Lorenzo takes over the story.


    Joey nods.


    "It was just some punk with a knife, but my dad didn''t see iting," I add.


    "Even though Vito was long gone by then, our father med him for the murder." Lorenzo shakes his head. "And he made sure that he was never able to return to Chicago, even if he wanted to." "And Max came to live with us?"


    "Yeah," Dante agrees.


    She lets out a low whistle. "Well, I can see why he''s nobody''s favorite person. And your mom and Vito never told you about Kristin? Or her about you? That''s so fucked up."


    "Yeah, but it''s all done with now," I say, desperate to change the subject.


    Lorenzo and Dante give me a knowing look, and when Joey goes to ask another question about my fucked-up family dynamics, Dante frowns at her, and she sits back in her chair and stays quiet. "Finding this Jakob guy is the key to finding out who took you then?" Lorenzo asks me.


    "And to finding Uncle Vito," I add.


    "So the threat right now seems to be to Kristin, not to us?" Dante adds.


    I shrug. "It would seem so."


    "Max is one of us," Joey snaps.


    Dante sighs. "I know, kid." Risk assessment and maintaining the safety of his family is a big part of what he does and the way he works. I know he didn''t mean anything by it, but she doesn''t. "If he was taken because of his suspected rtionship with Kristin, it means it isn''t a direct threat to this family. But it doesn''t mean we won''t kill every single fucker involved."


    "Oh, okay." Appeased, she rxes in her chair.


    "Because of my suspicion that Jakob was Russian Bratva, I had Dmitri do a little digging for me." I dig my phone out of my pocket and start tapping out a text. "I''ll see if he''se up with anything yet."


    Dante checks his watch. "He should be here shortly anyway. I thought it was best to get him in on this, considering the whole Russian connection, but if you''d prefer to keep him out of it given what we know now ..." "Nah, let''s see what he has to say." I trust Dmitri, and I have no qualms about him learning my family history.


    Lorenzo leans forward. "Until this situation is dealt with, I think you and Kristin should stay here at the mansion. This ce is a fortress and you''re both safer here."


    "My penthouse is a fortress too."


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    "A fortress you got kidnapped outside of, Max." It''s annoying as fuck, but Dante has a point. "You''re too isted there. At least here we have guards. Armored cars."


    "You''re being defensive because you''re feeling vulnerable. But you''re family, and we look after family."


    "Don''t fucking psychoanalyze me, Loz," I bark. Talking about my parents always puts me on edge, but just because he''s right doesn''t mean I have to like it. "Well, our sister will remain here while there''s an active threat against you," he says pointedly.


    "Please stay here, Max. I feel safer if we''re all together," Joey pleads.


    Well, how the fuck do I refuse that? Besides, it''s the truth. We are safer here with the Moretti army at our disposal.


    "Of course we''ll stay, baby. I''m sorry, I''m just on edge, is all."


    She lifts my hand to her mouth and brushes her lips across my knuckles. "I can help you unwind if you''d like," she whispers.


    "Guiseppina!" Lorenzo snaps.


    "I meant we could watch a movie, Lorenzo." She wrinkles her perfect nose in disgust. "It''s not my fault your mind is permanently in the gutter."


    "Oh, sorry," he mumbles, ncing from me to her with a look of confusion on his face.


    Dante fights a grin because, like me, he knows exactly what my devious little vixen was talking about.


    ***


    "I have the perfect shade for you. Cherry Bomb," Joey says excitedly as she rummages through the box containing her vast nail polish collection.


    "Sounds fun." Kristin wears a genuine smile, looking happier than I think I''ve ever seen her as she puts her bare feet up on the sofa. "It''s a pain in the ass not being able to reach my toes like I used to."


    "Well, we could both use a good distraction and an afternoon of pampering, right? I have some face masks in the fridge, and Sophia is baking some of her amazing macadamia and white chocte cookies. Anya is going to join us as soon as she wakes up from her nap. It''s going to be the perfect rxing girly afternoon."


    "Thank you so much, Joey. Ugh! I have to pee real quick. I''ll be right back." Kristin scurries out of the room, leaving me and Joey alone.


    "Thank you for doing this for her." Cupping her chin, I tilt her head up so I can lean down and give her a soft kiss.


    "Well, we really do need a distraction around here, especially while we''re confined to the house."


    "I haven''t seen her smile like that since I met her."


    She shrugs. "Well, what can I say? I''m a ray of freaking sunshine."


    "You''re the whole fucking sun, baby girl." I kiss her again. "I''m gonna go talk to Dmitri and your brothers. I know you''d rather be in there than in here, so thank you again. I appreciate you taking such good care of my little sister." She smiles sweetly. "Well, I''m sure you''ll make it up to me."


    Damn right I will.


    "I need to get some of my stuff, so I''m going to go over to the penthouse after our meeting." Worry creases her forehead into a frown. "I''ll be back way before dinner, and I''ll be careful. Lorenzo''sing with me. We''re going to check out the security feeds, see if there''s anything useful on there. Plus, Dante suggested we invite Dmitri and his family for dinner tonight, so I need to grab Kristin''s things for her. She has no clothes here, and I want her to feelfortable." Frowning, I pause. "Actually, she doesn''t have much at my ce either. You think you can help her order some stuff online?"


    "Can I online shop? Do you know me at all, Max DiMarco?"


    I grin at her. I love this woman so fucking much. "Thank you."


    "And Kat has some nice maternity stuff she kept hold of. I''m sure we can find her something nice for tonight if she needs it."


    "I love you, Joey."


    "Well, I''ll never tire of hearing that."

 79

    JOEY


    Max''s eyes dance with delight and mischief as he stalks across my bedroom toward me.


    "What are you up to, DiMarco?"


    "I have a gift for you, baby girl."


    I p my hands together and fake squeal, batting my eyshes at him and ying up the spoiled brat persona he seems to enjoy so much. "I love presents. Did you get this while you were out earlier?"


    "I did." He holds out his clenched fist and arches an eyebrow. "And you''re going to love this. Promise."


    "What is it?"


    He turns his hand and opens it, palm side up, revealing the small round metal orb with a jewel on the end. "Max, is that a ..." "It sure is."


    "Why have you brought me a butt plug, and where did you get it from?" I whisper.


    His expression darkens as he wraps an arm around my waist and yanks my body against his. His cock is hard, and he drags me over his length, making me shiver. "I came back here on the bike, and I took a quick detour to a store that sells all manner of things I''m going to enjoy using on you, baby. And I got this for you because tonight I''m going to fuck your virgin ass, and because I love you so fucking much, I''m going to let you wear this all evening to get you ready for my cock." I look down at the plug in his hand. It''s about the size of a fat nail polish bottle, and the thought of it anywhere near my ass makes my cheeks clench, but it''s tinypared to Max. "I don''t think that''s going to help, Max. I mean you''re way bigger than that plug. I have no idea how you''re going to get that thing inside me, so I don''t think you''ll ever fit."


    He presses his lips to my ear and goosebumps prickle along my forearms. "I''ll fit, baby. I''m fucking your ass tonight, and you''re going to scream my goddamn name when I do."


    I swallow the knot of anxiety lodged in my throat. I don''t want him to see how nervous I am. "You want me to wear that all through dinner though?"


    We''re having dinner with my entire family, the new head of the Chicago Bratva and his wife-Dmitri and Ivanka-and his younger brother and second-inmand, Kyzen. I''m not sure I want to spend the entire evening wearing a butt plug. What if it''s ufortable? Or what if it''s hot and I''m a trembling mess at the table?


    "It will make it easierter for you, baby girl. But... if you''re not up to the challenge?" he says with a shrug.


    Dammit! Well yed, DiMarco. "Of course I am."


    His eyes twinkle as he grins wickedly. "Open your mouth."


    I do as he says, and he slips the plug between my lips. "You''re going to want to make that nice and wet, Joey."


    I close my lips around it and suck softly, coating it in as much saliva as I can. When he''s satisfied that I''ve done enough, he tugs the end gently until I release it and pulls it out of my mouth, a string of spit going with it. "Fuck me, you''re hot," he says. His lips curl into a smile.


    I lick my lips clean, suppressing a satisfied smile as I stare into his dark eyes.


    "Turn around and bend over the bed."


    Sucking in a shaky breath, I do as he asks, nting my palms t on the bed. His strong hands brush over my thighs and he pushes my skirt up. I bite my lip to stifle a giggle as I think about what he''s about to find. Sure enough, when his hands skim the bare skin of my ass, a loud growl rumbles through him. "Where the fuck are your panties, Joey?"


    "I didn''t feel like wearing any today."


    "No?" He pushes my skirt up higher and smacks my ass hard. "Such a naughty little slut."


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    Heat sears across my backside, sending pleasure rolling up my spine. "Am not."


    "Hmm," he murmurs, palms spreading the cheeks of my ass. "We may need a little more lube, baby." Then he drops to his knees, and the next thing I feel is his soft wet tongue against my skin. "Max," I gasp as warmth pools in my core.


    He only grunts in response as his tongue slips over and inside my dark hole. His beard tickles my skin as he sucks and licks. Holy fuck! That is definitely not what I expected him to do, but it feels so damn good.


    I push my ass back against him and heughs, giving me a yful nip on my inner thigh. "My needy little slut too."


    I groan at the loss of his mouth.


    He pushes the tip of the plug against my hole, and I inch forward on instinct. "It''s okay, baby girl. We''ll take it nice and slow," he soothes as he edges the metal plug deeper.


    I whimper as it stretches me in a way I''ve never experienced.


    He dusts his lips over my ass cheeks. "Shh. It''s almost in."


    "Fuck!" I groan as he pushes deeper and the widest part of the plug slips inside.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "That''s my good girl," he soothes, and molten heat sears in my core. I''m such a ho for those two words. I crave his approval and he knows it. He rubs a hand over my ass again. "How does it feel?"


    "Kind of strange. Like I want to push it out of me because it doesn''t belong there," I admit, looking behind me, although I can''t see the plug. I feel stretched but not ufortable. I also feel naughty knowing I''ll be walking around the house with a plug in my ass.


    "Keep it in. You''ll get used to it soon, and I need to stretch you a little before tonight. Besides, you look fucking beautiful with that jewel on your ass." Grabbing my waist, he pulls me up until I''m standing, my back pressed against his chest as he fixes my skirt in ce. "You''re gonna look sexy as fucking hell with my cock in you instead."


    "I''m still not sure how the hell you''re going to fit."


    He grabs my jaw, tilting my head back until I''m looking up into his eyes. "I promise you''ll beg me for my cock by the time the night is over."


    "I will, huh?"


    "Hmm." His eyes twinkle, making me frown. He''s up to something.


    It starts slowly at first, the buzzing in my ass-sending shockwaves of pleasure rippling through my body. "Max, what have you done?" I whimper as the vibrations grow more intense, making my legs tremble. "Did you stick my bullet up there with that plug?"


    "No, baby." Heughs darkly, wrapping his arm around my waist to hold me upright. Then he pulls a tiny remote control from his pocket. He presses a button, and the vibrations increase again, so strong now that I feel them deep in my pussy too. "You''re a monster."


    "A monster who would do anything to make you happy, Joey. Never forget that."


    My body tingles with electric anticipation. "Anything?"


    "Anything," he growls, cing soft kisses along the column of my neck as he slips his hand over my hip and between my thighs. He presses the pad of his pointer finger over my clit, rubbing firmly. "I would kill any man who dares to even look at you. I''ll burn this entire world to keep you safe, baby girl. I''d fucking die for you. But for now, how about I just take care of you?"


    "Mmm, yes please."

 80

    MAX


    Whoever thought it would be a good idea to sit Joey next to Kyzen Varkov during dinner obviously wanted to torture me because she talks to him the entire evening and practically ignores me. She''s not quite flirting. She isn''t cruel enough to do that and he isn''t stupid enough to let her, but she does give him her undivided attention, and I don''t like it one bit.


    I know what she''s trying to do. She wants me to turn on her little toy, but as fun as it would be to watch her blush and squirm, I have no intention of alerting anyone at this table to the fact that she''s wearing it-especially not Kyzen. I''m content enough with the knowledge that I could use it any time and that she knows it too.


    "Don''t you think, Max?" she purrs seductively, her eyes fixed on me now.


    "Think about what, baby?"


    "Don''t you think these dinners used to be super stuffy and boring? But they''re much more exciting now, right?"


    I lean forward, my elbows on the table. "Exciting how?"


    "Just more fun, you know?" she says, her eyes darkening with mischief as she holds my gaze from across the table. "I was telling Kyzen that when my father was around, these evenings were all about business, and women weren''t even allowed to speak." "That is true."


    "But now, well us women hold all the true power. Isn''t that right?" She giggles softly and takes a sip of her wine.


    My little vixen has upped the stakes. And she will regret teasing me. Joey Moretti might have me by the balls, but she''s sorely mistaken if she thinks that means she has any control here.


    "If you say so, baby girl."


    Kyzenughs and shakes his head. I figure he''s onto the fact that she''s trying to push my buttons and is seeding.


    Pushing back her chair, she dabs at her mouth with her napkin. "Excuse me while I use thedies'' room," she says politely, like the Mafia princess she was raised to be.


    I push my chair back too, drawing a look from her older brothers. "I need to make a quick call."


    Dante and Lorenzo nod, even though we all know that isn''t why I''m leaving this table. I follow her out of the room. She turns for the stairs, but I grab her wrist and pull her down the hallway, just around the corner and out of sight of anyone who might happen to leave the dining room.


    The amber flecks in her eyes glimmer with amusement. Such a fucking brat, she makes me act like a fucking animal. "Where do you think you''re going?"


    She rolls her lips together. "Um, to the bathroom."


    I shake my head and unfasten my belt, beyond desperate for her. If I don''t get inside her in the next ten seconds, I will fucking implode with pent-up sexual tension. She looks down at my hands, her eyes wide with surprise as I step forward, herding her against the wall.


    "Max, what are you doing?"


    "You think you hold all the power, baby girl?"


    "The true power, yeah," she says with a wicked grin, and fuck me she''s not wrong. She could make a man drop to his knees and beg for just the promise of a taste.


    "You think you can tease me all night and not suffer the consequences?"


    "But we''re in the hallway," she whispers, her eyes darting toward the dining room. "My crazy overprotective brothers are only a few inches of drywall and ster away."


    "Then I guess you''re going to have to be real quiet, Joey." Spinning her around, I press her t against the wall. "Because if you think that being in your brothers'' house offers you any kind of protection from me, then you couldn''t be more wrong."


    "But they''ll wonder where we are if we take too long."


    "Don''t worry." I reach beneath her skirt and grip the edge of her plug with my fingers. "I''m so fucking hard for you, I''ll onlyst a few minutes in your tight ass."


    Her entire body shudders with the force of her gasp. She definitely wasn''t expecting me to do this in the hallway. "M-Max. We can''t. N-not here," she whimpers, but I ignore her, pocketing the plug and yanking up her skirt so I have ess to that perfect peach.


    "Spread your legs wider," I order as I tap at her ankles with my foot.


    "Max." Her voice goes up an octave. "Someone mighte out here."


    "I''ll hear them before they do." If that happens, I''ll have about five seconds to make this look a whole lot more innocent-I figure I can work with that. And tough shit if I can''t. I need inside her right now. She doesn''t get to drive me crazy all night and then m the brakes on now.


    I put my hand over her mouth until her soft lips tten against my palm. "You want to show me how quiet you can be when I''m fucking you, baby?"


    "Mmmf."


    "Hands t on the wall."


    She does as she''s told.


    "You remember to tap out if it gets too much?"


    She nods.


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    "Good girl." I take out the lube I''m d I put in my pocket earlier and squirt a generous amount over my cock, coating my shaft. I intended to make this first time easier on her, but I should have known better. Nothing involving my girl is ever easy-and that''s exactly how I like it. How I love it. Gripping the base of my cock with my free hand, I press the tip against her asshole.


    She inches forward, pressing her body flush against the wall, but my body follows and leaves her nowhere to go.


    I run my nose along the column of her throat. "You smell fucking delicious." I push the tip of my cock inside her, and she sucks in a breath through her nose, moaning against my palm. Sinking a little deeper into her tight ass, my cock pulses with the need to fill her. To own her. "Rx, Joey, or this will hurt more than it needs to. You can take me, I promise, but you need to rx. Need to trust me."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She nods again, and the sound she makes is muffled by my palm. Screwing her eyes shut, she allows her body to go pliant as I inch deeper. I nce at her hands, still t against the wall.


    My breathing bes ragged, my cock pulsing inside her snug ass. I won''tst long with her squeezing me. "You feel so fucking good, baby girl. You''re taking me so well."


    She whimpers and her eyes water, but she keeps her hands still while I feed her more of my cock.


    It takes all my restraint not to bury myself balls deep in her tight ass, but there isn''t a chance in hell I''ll get all the way inside her this first time without hurting her. Sometimes I worry that she''s so goddamn stubborn, she''d let me tear her in half before tapping out.


    She continues to breathe deeply through her nose, her shuddering body sandwiched between me and the wall. Her tongue flicks out to moisten her lips, and it grazes my palm, making me groan. "You enjoying your first ass fucking?" "Mmhmm."


    Running my nose up the back of her neck, I inhale her essence. "Maybe a little too much, huh? This is supposed to be a punishment."


    Her eyes shoot open as I rock my hips and sink deeper with each forward motion. The sound of talking andughter passes through the wall, and I thrust harder. She cries out against my hand, making me chuckle.


    "Better be careful, baby girl. You don''t want a half dozen people walking in on you getting fucked in the ass, do you?"


    For some reason, that seems to spur my girl on. She pushes back, grinding herself on me.


    "Fuck, Joey." Endorphins surge through my veins, and I bite down on her neck to muffle my shout. I''m so fucking close to losing myself.


    I reach my free hand between her thighs and rub her swollen clit. Her legs tremble, her muffled cries growing more insistent. Sinking a finger deep inside her pussy, I smile with victory as she crumples in my arms, her body sagging back against my chest and her knees buckling.


    "You''re soaking," I groan in her ear. "Have you been this wet all through dinner?"


    She nods jerkily.


    "Joey, you''re going to fucking kill me."


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    I shove deeper, and my balls tighten as her ass and pussy pulse around me. Rubbing the heel of my palm over her clit, I push two fingers into her pussy, searching for the spot that makes her mewl. When I find it, I rub it back and forth until her entire body goes taut in my arms. Beads of sweat pepper her forehead, her breathing harsh and ragged. I consider pinching her nose for a few seconds and stealing her breath too, but I don''t think she could take it right now. "Oh, you''re fucking close, baby, aren''t you? So close toing all over me while your ass is stuffed with my cock?"


    She makes a strangled moan that tips me over the edge. Filling her perfect ass with my cum, I slide my hand from between her thighs and leave her teetering on the precipice. Then I remove my hand from her mouth, and she gasps for air. I press a soft kiss on her shoulder. "You did so well, baby girl."


    "But Max..." she whimpers, needy and desperate for the orgasm I almost just gave her.


    "What, Joey?"


    "I-I need you."


    I take the plug from my pocket and skim my hand over her perfect ass. "You just had me."


    "I didn''t finish," she whispers.


    I push the tip of the plug against her asshole, collecting my cum as it starts dripping out of her and using it to make slipping the plug back inside her easier. "You think I don''t know that? You think I don''t know your body well enough to know when you''re about toe?"


    "So why did you stop?" She blinks and a fat tear rolls down her cheek.


    I push the plug all the way back inside her, and she moans loudly at the intrusion. I know she''s sore, but the alternative is that she spends the rest of the evening with my cum leaking from her. And while I have absolutely no qualms about letting that happen, it would embarrass her in front of her family.


    "Shh." I fix her dress back in ce and wipe the tears from her cheeks so she can go back to the dinner table.


    "Max!" ring at me, she tries to muster as much attitude as she can while her wrung-out body strains closer, desperate for any part of me that will bring her some relief.


    I dust my lips over her ear as I fasten up my pants. "You think this was about giving you what you want? Or was this a punishment for teasing me all night?"


    Her body goes rigid, her eyes sparking with indignation.


    "Never forget who controls your body, baby girl. Your ass. Your pussy. Your mouth. Your pleasure. Your pain. All of it belongs to me."


    I smooth the fabric of her dress over her luscious cheeks and give one a hard p, but she doesn''t flinch-she''s far too pissed off to give me a reaction. "Now get your sexy ass back in there before people start wondering where we are." She folds her arms over her chest. "I still need to pee."


    Grinning, I grab her elbow. Like I would let her go to the bathroom and finish off the job I started. I straighten my expression and stare coldly into her dark brown eyes that are filled with more fire and sass than usual. "Hold it."

 81

    JOEY


    Two more hours we sat in that dining room, eating and drinking and chatting. I stered a fake smile on my face the entire time, refusing to let him see that he''d gotten to me. But the whole time, my dder threatened to explode while my ass throbbed with an irritatingbination of pain and pleasure. Who the fuck does he think he is, fucking me in my own hallway and leaving me hanging? Maniptive jackass.


    As soon as I get upstairs to my bedroom, I dash for the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, I sigh loudly with relief. I hear the bedroom door close, and a few secondster, Max kicks open the bathroom door and stands in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest.


    "Do you mind?" I snap.


    He smirks. "Not at all, baby girl."


    I look away, finish peeing, then flush and wash my hands.


    "I never said you couldn''t use the bathroom for the entire night, Joey," he says, biting back augh.


    My head snaps around, and I re at him. "What?"


    "Just while you were on the edge earlier. I didn''t expect you to hold it all night." This time he doesn''t bother trying to stop it. Theugh rolls out of him, filling me with rage.


    "You. Are. An. Asshole!"


    He steps into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and crossing the space between us in one stride. "I had no idea you were actually going to do as you were told." His voice drops an octave as he moves behind me. "It''s very unlike you." He ces his hand on the vanity either side of my hips, caging me in with his arms.


    I frown at him in the mirror. Why did I obey him like that?


    He lifts my dress and rubs a hand over my ass.


    "Stop," I hiss.


    He does, cing his hand back on the vanity as he looks at my reflection. Resting his chin on top of my head, he stares at me until I feel forced to speak just to fill the silence. "My ass is kind of sore." "I know."


    I swallow. Of course he knows.


    Reaching back under my dress, he brushes his fingertips over my lower back. "I''m going to take the plug out, okay?"


    I nod my agreement. I want to tell him to go to hell, but his fingers feel so good as they trail down the seam of my ass. Why am I this pissed at him? It was my choice to go along with his demands earlier, wasn''t it? "Breathe, baby girl," he says soothingly, his fingers gripping the metal base as he slowly slides the plug out of my ass.


    I moan, half in pain and half in pleasure. Max turns and tosses the toy into the wash basin. I feel both empty and filled with relief now that it''s gone.


    "You did so good," he whispers in my ear.


    Why does his praise always make me weak at the knees? Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing me react to his words, I re at his reflection.


    He drops his head low again, pressing his mouth against my ear. "This night can end one of two ways, baby."


    "And how is that?"


    "You can stop acting like a brat and I''ll carry you to bed and fuck you, or you can keep ring at me like that and I''ll bend you over this vanity and spank that ass."


    There''s a part of me, some mysterious part inside my soul, that refuses to back down from a challenge. It''s probably going to get me killed some day. My lips spread into a snarky smile. "Or there''s the third option." He cocks one eyebrow. "And what''s that?"


    "You leave me the hell alone and I go to sleep."


    Taking a minuscule step back, Max pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. Oh shit. How much worse did I just make things for myself? A sick thrill makes my skin tingle as I wonder how he''ll punish me this time. But when he lifts his head, the arrogant asshole is smirking at me in the mirror.


    "What''s so funny?" I snap.


    "Oh, baby girl," he says in a voice so low and menacing, a shiver travels from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. "I am going to enjoy spanking this ass so fucking much."


    I watch him in the mirror as he starts unfastening his belt, and my stomach lurches. Max is huge and strong and he''s going to spank my ass with his belt. What the hell have I done? Did I finally push him too far? "I''m sorry," I whisper, shaking my head and flinching away. "I''ll be good."


    "Toote."


    I try to escape, but he keeps me pinned to the vanity. "M-Max." I suck in a deep breath at the sound of leather sliding against the fabric of his suit pants.


    He fists a hand in my hair, pulling me toward him until my back is flush against his chest. "Breathe," he says softly.


    I suck in another deep breath as my heart hammers in my chest.


    "Do you trust me?"


    "Yes." The word leaves my mouth on instinct.


    "So, rx."


    Rx? When you''re about to bend me over and spank me with a belt? But when Max pushes me down, bending me over the vanity, I offer no resistance. He slides my dress up over my ass, rubbing his huge hands over my warm skin and making me whimper. His hands on my body never fail to make me wet and needy.


    "I love this ass, Joey," he groans. "Fucking it was a goddamn honor."


    Wet heat pools between my thighs.


    He dips a finger into my pussy, and to my annoyance, I moan loudly.


    "And you''re so fucking wet, baby. So. Fucking. Wet." He punctuates each word with a thrust of his finger, and my knees threaten to buckle. He''s still gently finger fucking me when he ps my ass for the first time, and rather than causing me pain, it sends a wave of bone-shaking ecstasy rolling through me.


    "Fuck," I whimper, chewing on my lip because I''m already so close to the edge and I don''t want him to stop.


    He spanks me again, and his palm strikes the meaty part of my ass cheek, leaving a tingling warmth behind. He continues to spank and finger me until my vision blurs and I''m teetering over the edge of ecstasy, ready to fall into oblivion. Then he stops.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    A roar of frustration bursts out of me.


    "I know, baby. Soon," he says, his tone soft and soothing.


    He picks up his belt, but I don''t have the energy to look back and see what he''s doing, so when the sound of leather cracks through the air, there''s no time to brace myself for the burning strike.


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    The unexpectedly intense pleasure makes me scream his name. I never thought pain could feel so good, could make my poor throbbing pussy even hungrier for him. "Yeah?" he grunts as he spanks me again.


    "I need you," I mewl, writhing on the countertop as he spanks me again and again. Each time my ass throbs a little harder and my pussy gets wetter.


    "You need me?" Smack!


    "Yes," I cry out as pleasure and heat burn through my skin. Tears roll down my cheeks as the tension builds inside me until I feel like I might explode. "Please, Max." "Holy shit, I need to fuck you," he gasps, throwing his belt onto the floor.


    I watch him in the mirror as he tears off his clothes. When he walks away, I want to cry. He turns on the hot water and thenes back to me. Picking me up, he carries me to the shower.


    The hot water runs over my body, and with breathless anticipation, I watch him wash his cock clean. As soon as he''s done, he lifts me by my ass cheeks, ms me back against the wall, and enters me before I can take another breath.


    I moan at the sweet relief of finally having him inside me. Wrapping my arms and legs around him, I hold tight, allowing him to give me everything I need.


    "I got you, baby girl," he grunts, driving into me again. His piercing rubs my G-spot, and he rolls his hips, dragging the tip back and forth over it. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, the life-altering orgasm bearing down on me. If he stops me again, I might die.


    "You can let go, Joey. You cane this time."


    And with his permission, the orgasm rips through my body like a ck hole tearing through space. "Fuck!" I scream, dragging my nails down his back. My eyes roll back and Max just goes on fucking me through it, relentless in his apparent mission to fuck me into oblivion.


    "Good girl," he growls in my ear. "Good fucking girl."


    "Max, I can''t take any more," I whimper.


    "You can, baby. Give me one more," he grunts as he thrusts harder and deeper. My skin is on fire. My pussy and ass are throbbing. But another orgasm is already curling deep in my belly-coiling like a tight spring ready to explode like a million tiny starbursts.


    My thighs tremble, and when he rubs that glorious piercing over my G-spot again, I almost pass out from the strength of my climax.


    "Damn, baby, you fucking soaked me."


    My head drops onto his shoulder, and he holds me tight as he drives inside me onest time and pumps me full of his cum.


    I feel dazed as Max dries me off and carries me to the bed,ying me down gently on my front, which is a good thing because my ass feels like it''s on fire.


    "Don''t move," he orders. Then he walks to my dresser and starts rummaging through my things.


    "What are you doing?" I mumble, craning my neck to see him.


    "I saw you had some aloe vera here."


    "Huh?"


    "Got it." He winks at me and walks back toward the bed. Lying down beside me, he strokes a hand over my ass.


    I wince despite his gentleness.


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    What do you think, genius? But I don''t say that because I can''t take any more punishment tonight and I''m too tired to be a brat. So I just nod sleepily.


    "Well, you had your first ass fucking and belt spanking in the same night, baby girl. That''s quite the achievement."


    "And who''s fault is that?" I grumble. There''s only so much snark I can keep to myself.


    He chuckles softly. "You tell me. Who thought she could tease me all through dinner without any consequences?"


    "Me," I huff.


    He leans close, mouth pressed against my ear. "Know this, Joey, there are a lot of things you can push me on, but this hot little body isn''t one of them. You tease me with it, you''re getting fucked. I don''t care where we are or who''s around." His words send a shiver down my entire body. I shouldn''t be turned on by what he just said, so why am I about ready to melt into a puddle as soon as he touches me again?


    "The spanking wasn''t my fault though," I protest.


    He squirts some aloe vera onto his hand. "No?"


    "No." I pout. Dammit. I''m never too tired to brat for this man.


    He glides his hand over my ass again, this time coated in the cooling gel, and I moan loudly enough that I''m sure the entire house hears me. "That feels so good," I whimper. "Who got spanked with my belt for being a brat, Joey?" he asks with a dark chuckle as he goes on soothing my sore ass.


    "Me." I sigh contentedly, smiling as I turn my head to the side and watch him.


    He catches my eye and smiles back.


    "You love your little brat though, right?" I ask, catching my bottom lip between my teeth.


    "More than anything in this fucking world." He leans down and gives me a soft kiss on the lips. When he''s done rubbing gel onto my ass, he nts a sweet kiss on each cheek. "I hope you haven''t scarred my ass, Max. I have Monique''s birthday party next week."


    "And why is your ass going to be on disy for that?" he asks, a dangerous undertone to his voice that makes me shiver. "Because it''s a pool party. I''ll be wearing a bikini."


    He ces the bottle on the nightstand, lies down, and pulls me on top of him. I snuggle into him like he''s my personal body pillow.


    "I didn''t scar your ass, but we''re going to revisit you wearing a tiny bikini around a bunch of horny douchebags without me there."


    "It''s girls only. Although I guess they can be horny douchebags too." I snicker.


    He kisses the top of my head and wraps his arms around me. "I guess."


    "I''m wearing a bikini, Max," I say, yawning and nuzzling my cheek against his hard chest.


    "Hmm. We''ll see, baby girl."

 82

    MAX


    "This is a nice ce," I say, looking around Dmitri Varkov''s new coffee shop on our way through to the back office where we agreed to meet him. Dante gives an impressed nod. "Yeah, I think maybe we need to get in on the coffee shop business. You know the markup in these ces is huge."


    "Are you fucking for real? Haven''t we got enough on our tes without adding coffee shops to the mix?"


    "I was thinking of something Joey could take the lead on. I figured you''d prefer that over her being involved in the casinos."


    He''s got a point. The casino deals can get bloody, and I don''t want my girl in the middle of all that. But I don''t think I have much choice. "If you give your sister a chain of coffee shops to run, she''ll just branch out and buy her own fucking casino, D."


    He rolls his eyes. "She fucking would too."


    "What about Kat? She''s always looking for things to keep her upied, and she''s smart enough to run a business."


    "My wife is going to have her hands a whole lot fuller very shortly," he says, a wicked glint in his eye.


    "You''ve knocked that poor woman up again, haven''t you?"


    "Poor woman?" He snorts. "She has everything she could ever want or need, and she loves being pregnant."


    "Gentlemen?" Kyzen says, interrupting our exchange as he steps out of the back of the shop to greet us. "Dmitri is waiting for you."


    "After you, Daddy," I say with a smirk.


    Dante barks augh and shakes his head. "Don''t call me that, you fucking psycho."


    "I bet you like Kat calling you that," I mumble as we head into the office.


    I''m saved from a punch in the mouth by Kyzen offering each of us a seat. Dante sits, but I remain standing because it''s my duty to have his back. While these men are our friends, we never know if and when something''s gonna go down. "I like your new ce," Dante says.


    "Yeah." Dmitri gives a small smile and shrugs. "They were my wife''s idea. The markup is astronomical."


    "Told you," Dante says to me out of the corner of his mouth, and I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes.


    There''s no way my little spitfire is going be happy managing a chain of coffee shops, so I don''t bother responding. Instead, I ask Dmitri, "Did you find out anything about Vito?"


    "Yes. That''s why I called you here. I didn''t think anything of it at first." He taps the screen of his phone a few times and passes it to Dante.


    I look over his shoulder at the image of a bruised and swollen face. The guy looks half dead, but there''s no mistaking that it''s Uncle Vito.


    "Where is he?" I ask.


    Dmitri takes his phone back. "That''s him? Your uncle?"


    "Yes, that''s him."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I wasn''t sure. Some of my men found him in the Michigan warehouse."


    "The one Pushkin was using for the sex trafficking?" Dante asks.


    "Yes. It was closed down as soon as Pushkin''s operation was uncovered. I have some contacts there, and we had the entire building condemned by the health department so nobody would go snooping and find anything. And as far as we were aware, none of Pushkin''s men went back there either. But with the search for Pushkin drying up, I had some men take a look just in case. They found this guy chained up in a cell." "Dead?" I ask.


    "Almost, but not quite. I didn''t connect the dots at first. We assumed he was some guy who pissed off the wrong person, but when they sent me the photograph, I noticed a resemnce."


    I nod. "There was nothing and no one else there?"


    "No. My men were thorough. He was alone. Left for dead."


    "And where is he now?" Dante asks.


    "He''s with my men. He''s had some basic medical care and some fluids. I told them to wait for my word before they dropped him off at a hospital. You want him brought to you instead?" "Have him brought to the house," Dante says.


    "Of course." Dmitri says something to his brother in Russian, and Kyzen nods and leaves the room.


    I thank Dmitri for his help, but he waves me off. "Anything I can do to assist either of you, you know that."


    "You said the leads on Pushkin are going cold though?" Dante asks.


    A shadow falls across Dmitri''s face. "Yes," he grits out. "He''s a slippery fucker. But I have every resource at my disposal looking for him and his sons. We will find him."


    Standing up, Dante sighs. "He always was a snake. Keep me posted."


    JOEY


    "Hey." Max grabs my wrist and yanks me into the study, closing the door behind us.


    "Hey yourself." I smile. "I thought you were out with Dante."


    "I was," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "Is everything okay?"


    His Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows. "We found Vito."


    "Oh? That''s good right?"


    Max frowns, tension radiating from him in waves.


    "Oh, god. He''s not dead, is he?" Poor Kristin.


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    "No. He''s alive, but from what we know, he''s in rough shape. Dmitri''s men are bringing him here now."


    "Why aren''t they taking him to the hospital?"


    "Dante called the surgeon, and he''s on his way. Kat''s going to assist. We can''t risk Vito going to a hospital until we know who kidnapped him and why."


    "Where did you find him?"


    "In that warehouse in Michigan. He was beaten really bad. Locked in a cage and left for dead."


    My grief over all the poor people who were trafficked through that ce has me blinking back tears. Kat and I looked into the situation, tried to find a trace of what happened to them once they left the warehouse, but no records were ever kept and there were no leads to chase. Shaking my head, I refocus on Max. "Why not just kill him though?"


    "Maybe they wanted more from him? Maybe they thought he was dead? Who knows? Anyway, I''m going to need your help with Kristin. She didn''t grow up in the same world we did. This will probably be the first person she''s ever seen who''s been beaten within an inch of his life."


    "And it''s her dad."


    "Exactly. Can you stay with her? Help me prepare her for what to expect when she first sees him?"


    "Of course. But where will you be?"


    "I''m going to be in with Kat and the doc while they''re checking Vito over, in case he says anything. Dante and I are going to need answers from him. If he was found at that warehouse, maybe there''s a link between him and Pushkin?" "I know he really hurt you in the past," I say softly.


    "I''m not going to fucking kill him, baby." He sighs. "You think I''d go to all this trouble to find him if I was going to do that?"


    Slipping my arms around his waist, I rest my cheek against his chest. Despite his cool, calm exterior, Max''s heart is hammering. "I know you wouldn''t, but I also know how much what he did affects you."


    "I told you it doesn''t. It''s all in the past."


    Lifting my head, I look up into his dark brown eyes. "Don''t lie to me, Max DiMarco. It''s okay to feel pain."


    "Not in my world, baby."


    "Yes, in your world. Our world. In fact, don''t we feel more pain than most?"


    He brushes my hair back from my face. "As long as I have you, nothing can ever hurt me."


    I wish that were true. "What time will Vito be here?"


    "In a couple of hours. You want toe find Kristin with me and I can tell her we found her dad?"


    We find Kristin sitting at the kitchen table with Kat and Gabrie. In the four days since Max''s sister got here, she''s managed to be friends with everyone. She''s sweet and funny, and although she''s only eighteen, it''s clear she isn''t the naive little kid Max thinks she is. I think she''s fully prepared for the fact that her father won''te back in the same condition he left. In fact, I think she''ll be super relieved just to hear that he''s alive.


    "Hey. You''re back?" she says to Max.


    He sits down and angles his chair to face her. "Yeah. I have something to talk to you about."


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    Kat stands and holds her hands out to her daughter. "I''ll leave you all to it. I need to get some things ready forter." Dante must have already filled her in on the Vito situation.


    I smile at my niece. "I can watch Gabster if you''re busy."


    "Thanks, sweetheart. I don''t know what I''d do without you." She waves Gabrie''s chubby little hand at us as they walk out of the kitchen.


    "You have some news about my dad?" Kristin asks. See, not the slightest bit naive.


    "Yes, we found him."


    "What?" Her hand flies to her mouth and tears well in her eyes. "Is he alive?"


    "Yes," Max says with a solemn nod. "But he''s not good, Kristin."


    She frowns. "Not good?"


    "I''ve only seen his face, but he''s badly beaten. Real bad."


    "But he''s alive?"


    "Yes."


    She throws her arms around her brother''s neck. "I knew you''d find him. Where is he? When can I see him?"


    "He''s on his way here. But maybe you should wait to see him until after Kat and the doc fix him up."


    "He''s been missing for over three weeks, Max. I didn''t expect him toe home looking like he''d been on a vacation to the Bahamas. I know they''ll have tortured him." A tear runs down her face.


    Max wipes it away and wraps an arm around her. "I spoke to the men bringing him here. He''s in and out of consciousness, so you can see him for a few minutes when he gets here, but then he''ll have to be seen by the doctor. Maybe even operated on. You might not get a chance to talk with him until tomorrow. But Joey will stay with you while he''s with the doctor."


    Max nces up at me, his face etched with guilt. They''re going to interrogate Vito before they let him talk to his daughter, but it needs to be done. We have no idea who took him or why, and they need to know immediately if there''s any ongoing danger to our family. The safety of the people in this house is our main priority, and it always will be. I can''t forget the things Kristin''s father told her about us either. How we aren''t to be trusted. We''re the enemy. Kristin may be innocent in all this, but I doubt her father is. Giving Max a gentle smile, Imunicate that he''s doing the right thing.


    ***


    I hold onto Kristin''s hand while her father is brought into the house in a wheelchair. His head rests on his shoulder like he''s sleeping, and his face is a mess of dried blood, cuts, and bruises. One of Dmitri''s men must have given him the huge overcoat he''s wearing because it''s clean.


    "Dad!" Kristin lunges forward.


    Vito''s head lolls to the side and his eyes flicker open. "K-K..." he croaks, but he can''t say her name.


    "You''re going to be okay, Dad. Max will take care of you. I promise. You''re safe," she sobs.


    "B-buh," he mumbles, and his eyes shutter closed again.


    Kristin takes hold of his hand and gives it a soft squeeze. "They''ll take care of you, Dad. I''ll be right here when you wake up. Promise."


    "We need to check him over," Kat says as she ushers the men with the wheelchair through to the room at the back of the house where she keeps all of her medical supplies. It also doubles as a makeshift operating theater when the asion calls for it, which happens more frequently than it should.

 83

    MAX


    Kat pulls off her rubber gloves and tosses them into the trash. The surgeon left after half an hour because there was nothing for him to do. Kat Moretti is an excellent nurse and sews the neatest stitches I''ve ever seen. Uncle Vito lies on the bed in the center of the room, propped up by pillows. His eyes are closed, but he looks a damn sight better than he did three hours ago.


    "How is he?" Dante asks her.


    "He''s sleeping but not unconscious. There was nothing life-threatening. All the wounds are superficial and will heal with time. Except for his two toes and his pinky finger, obviously, which are missing. He''s also had a couple of back teeth pulled out. His missing digits were cauterized so there''s no infection, but we''ve given him some antibiotics anyway. He was mostly suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. We''ve given him plenty of fluids and some pain relief. Now he just needs to rest."


    Dante pulls his wife into his arms and gives her a soft kiss. "You are an angel, vita mia."


    "Hmm." She eyes him suspiciously. "You''re not going to let him rest, are you?"


    "Can he talk?" he asks.


    "Yes."


    "Then, no. He can''t rest yet."


    "Can you let Kristin know he''s okay but that she can''t see him yet?" I don''t know what Kat can say that won''t send my little sister into a panic, but I trust her.


    She rolls her eyes. "I''ll make something up."


    "Thank you," Dante says, releasing her from his embrace.


    "Love you," she whispers before she leaves the room. As soon as she''s gone, Lorenzo steps inside and closes the door behind him.


    I wake my uncle up, and he stares at us, scratching his beard, his eyes darting between Lorenzo and Dante. He doesn''t want to be here as much as they don''t want him here.


    "Why did the Russians take you? Was it something to do with the piece of shit who got Kristin pregnant?" I ask, ignoring the thick tension in the room. The sooner I get some answers as to where I fit into all this, the sooner Vito can leave and take his daughter with him. I''ve grown to care for Kristin, but her father is a snake and she''s convinced that he''s some fucking saint. Besides, she''ll be far safer away from here.


    Vito snorts, and from the corner of my eye, I see Lorenzo''s hands ball into fists. "I have much better things to do with my time than try to get information from this piece of shit. If he''s not going to talk, shoot him in the fucking head and let''s get on with our day."


    "Lorenzo," Dante says quietly, trying to defuse the palpable anger rolling off his brother. I can''t me him though. Every minute he spends in this room is another minute he can''t spend with his wife. "Talk, Vito," I snap.


    "You think I''d tell these two anything, Maximo? You know you can''t trust them, right? You know they''re just like their father was? Lowlife scum." Vito spits onto the floor, and Lorenzo surges forward and smacks him across the face with the back of his hand, causing Vito''s head to snap backward. Blood pours from his mouth and he spits again.


    I frown at Lorenzo. "Let me handle this, yeah?"


    He res at me, nostrils ring, but he gives me a subtle nod and steps back to stand beside his brother.


    I crouch down in front of my uncle until we''re eye to eye. "These men are my family, Vito. You ever disrespect them like that again and I will put a bullet in your head. Tell me what the fuck is going on here and I''ll let you walk out of here with your daughter. You''ll never have to see us again."


    Vito narrows his eyes at me like he''s trying to determine whether I''m telling the truth. "They know why Pushkin and his sick band of fucks took me." He nods toward the brothers.


    Dante glowers at him. "The fuck?"


    I hold up my hand and let them know I''ll handle this. "What are you talking about? It was Pushkin who took you?"


    "Yes, and they know why," Vito insists.


    Dante and Lorenzo shrug.


    "They don''t, so you tell me."


    "They had no idea what their father did? They don''t know what I had on that sick fuck? You think I believe that?"


    My head is starting to throb with the weight of unanswered questions. "Stop asking questions and tell me what the fuck is going on, Vito, or I swear to god I will fucking end you right here. I don''t give a fuck if it upsets your daughter." He sucks his lips into his mouth and draws a breath through his nose. "They came for me because Sal was dead. I''d have thought that was pretty obvious."


    My brow furrows. "Why is that obvious? You and Sal hated each other."


    Licking his lips, he flicks another nce at Dante and Lorenzo.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Ignore them and answer my question," I demand.


    "I knew about it all. Everything he and the Russians were into. That was why Sal turned you against me and your mom. Because I threatened to expose him. So as soon as he was gone, those sick Russian fucks came after me." "He didn''t turn me against either of you. You both betrayed my father, and my mother walked out on me when shit got hard," I remind him.


    Dante puts a hand on my forearm and squeezes, reminding me that we have other priorities at the moment. "You knew about the trafficking?"


    "All of it." Vito scoffs. "I tried to tell your father, but he wouldn''t even listen to me. Sal had him brainwashed. Goddamn Moretti empire! Built on the sale of women and children. Sick fucks." "Not on our watch," Lorenzo snaps. "That has never been our business, Vito."


    Vito shakes his head.


    "It''s true," I assure him, but his eyes remain clouded with suspicion and anger. "But why would Sal''s death make theme for you? Why didn''t Sal just kill you himself if you knew?"


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    "Oh, he wanted to. Threatened your mom and Kristin too, but I had something on him, didn''t I?"


    "The trafficking?" I ask.


    "No. I saw him kill that girl. I recorded it on my cell phone too," Vito says with a flicker of a smile.


    "The video recording you have? It was Sal killing someone? A girl?"


    "The Delgado girl. He killed her. I know everyone thought she disappeared with that drug dealer she used to hang out with, but he killed her."


    The name hits me like a fist to the gut. Bile burns my throat, and I rock back on my heels. He knew too?


    "You knew about that?" Dante asks.


    "Yeah, I saw him."


    "But how?" I ask, my head spinning.


    Dante squeezes my shoulder and steps in to take over. "What exactly did you see, Vito?"


    "You expect me to believe you don''t know what happened? What he did to that girl?" Vito says with a sneer. "You two are just the same as he was."


    "No, we don''t fucking know. Now fucking tell me what you saw," Dante says, his tone low and menacing.


    "He was in his office. The Delgado girl -"


    I cut in. "Her name was Fiona." Her name has been burned into my brain for twelve long years.


    "Fiona." Vito nods. "She was in his office. He strangled her."


    Now Lorenzo gets involved. "And you saw this? You saw him kill her?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re sure that''s what you saw?" I ask.


    Vito frowns at me. "Yes. He killed her, Maximo. I saw him. I have it all on video. That girl was dead. He strangled her."


    "And then he put her in my bed. He let me think I killed her."


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    Lorenzo ces his huge hands on my shoulders. "We knew this, Max. And you know he''s capable of way worse than framing someone for murder."


    "That twisted piece of shit killed her. And it looks like your precious Morettis made you believe you did it so you would stay loyal," Vito shouts, his hands balled into fists. "And keep you away from your real family."


    "The fuck?" Dante shouts. "We had no fucking idea what our father had done. We are Max''s family. We are the only fucking family he needs."


    "The same family who made him believe he murdered an innocent girl for over a decade? You might not have been there when it happened, but you expect me to believe his own sons didn''t know what Sal did? You Morettis are all the fucking same."


    Dante lunges forward, grabbing Vito by the throat. Blood thunders in my ears, so I don''t register the heated exchange that ensues between the two men until Lorenzo shouts, "Enough!" so loudly that it cuts through the rest of the noise. Dante releases his grip on Vito''s throat, and we all look at Lorenzo. "Salvatore Moretti might have sired us, but we are nothing like him. Maximo is as much my brother as my own fucking flesh and blood, and if you evere into our house and disrespect my family''s name again, Vito, I will shoot you where you fucking stand. You got me?"


    Vito''s nostrils re as he res at Lorenzo, but after a few seconds, he nods in defeat.


    "What happened? You just watched him kill her?" I ask. "What were you even doing there?"


    "I came to see you, Max. An old buddy of mine was on the gate, and he let me in. There was some kind of party, and I guess security wasx because I walked straight into the house. When I couldn''t find you, I decided to confront Sal. He was in his office. The door was open, and he and the girl were arguing. She was threatening to expose him if he didn''t pay her to keep quiet. So I hung back and recorded the whole thing. She talked about seeing the warehouses. Said she knew what he and the Santangelos were doing. Heughed at her, and then his hands were on her throat-"


    My stomach churns. "And you just stood there recording it? You did nothing to help her while you watched him kill her?"


    "I was unarmed. If I''d tried to stop him, you think he would have spared either of us?"


    What a fucking coward, trying to paint himself as the good guy when he watched a young girl''s murder and did nothing to stop it. "And then what you left? Or did you ckmail him?"


    Vito stretches his neck. "As soon as she stopped struggling, Sal left her there and walked out of his office. I ducked out of sight, but ran to check for a pulse as soon as he was gone and-"


    "Checked to see if she had any other evidence on her that you could use to ckmail him instead?" Dante uses.


    "No," Vito insists. "I did what I did to protect myself and my daughter. I never wanted a penny of his filthy money." "What happened next, Vito?" I ask.


    "I got out of there before he came back. I knew I had something big. Knew I could use it to protect me and Kristin. So, yeah, I ckmailed him. Told him if anything ever happened to me or my daughter that the recording would go to the press. You see, we never felt safe in Jersey. He was always letting us know he was watching us. He med me for your father''s death."


    "I really don''t give a fuck how bad you had it in Jersey, Vito."


    His Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows. "I came back to see you, Max. To tell you about your sister. And I thought if I told you about the warehouses and the trafficking, then you''d see Salvatore for what he really was. Then when I saw him kill that girl... I would have told you about that too, but, well-you chose the Morettis. But I swear I had no idea what he''d done with that girl''s body, Maximo! If I''d known he framed you, I would''ve found a way to tell you. Hell, we were supposed to meet a few days after that, and I was gonna tell you about everything I knew then. But you chose Sal. You always chose Sal, just like your father did."


    I grind my teeth so hard, my jaw aches. Piece of shit trying to make me feel bad for my choices after everything he did. "I chose the Morettis because they''re my family, Vito, and they always will be."

 84

    MAX-AGE


    20


    My jaw aches as I stare out the window, watching Dante squirt Joey with the water hose. She squeals withughter, and the sound should make me smile, but my brain is too full of other things-secrets and lies and broken promises. A solid hand rests on my shoulder, squeezing tightly. "You know you have always been like a son to me, Maximo." "Hmm," I mumble, my eyes narrowed as I continue staring at the scene outside.


    When he doesn''t get the desired response, he goes straight for my weak spot. "I promised your father I would look out for you."


    "And you have, Sal," I assure him. He took me in when I was fourteen, after my father was murdered. He and Sal were the best of friends. My father was his right hand. I practically grew up in this house even before my dad died. It was the one ce other than my own home where I felt safe and wanted. Not that Sal fostered any of thatfort or familiarity. He has a violent temper and a cruel streak a mile long, but when he wants to shine his spotlight on you, he can make you feel like you''re king of the fucking world. No, it was his children and staff who''ve always made me feel like I belong here.


    "You know you don''t have to meet with your uncle."


    I swallow the thick knot in my throat. I haven''t seen Uncle Vito in eight years-not since he ran off with my mom. She died a couple of months back, and I wonder if that''s what prompted his call a few days ago when he asked me to meet with him. I hate him. But he''s the only biological family I have left.


    "I figure I might at least hear what he has to say."


    Sal snorts. "Nothing he has to say will be worth listening to. I guarantee it. He was always a useless sack of shit. He stole your mother, might as well have killed your father himself. Because that is why he died, Maximo, and you can''t forget that. And now hees here looking for-what? Forgiveness? Does he want to be your uncle again now that he has nothing and nobody left?"


    "I don''t know what he wants, Sal."


    He rubs a hand over his beard and frowns. "I can guarantee no good wille from meeting with him. We are your family, Maximo. We have always looked out for you. Protected you when you needed it. We''ve always had your back and we always will."


    He stares at me pointedly and his eye twitches. Does he know what happened? No. He can''t. Neither Dante or Lorenzo would have told him about what happened the other night. But maybe he saw something. This is his house and Salvatore Moretti sees everything.


    "I know that, Sal," I say, trying to keep my tone even and calm even while my insides churn and I feel like I might throw up.


    "If you choose to meet with Vito, just remember that he is my enemy." He pauses for a long beat. "And any friend of my enemy, Maximo..." He doesn''t finish the sentence. Doesn''t need to. The threat is implicit.


    What do I hope to gain from meeting with my uncle after all these years? To hear his fake apologies and excuses? For him to tell me how much my mother suffered so he can share his grief with someone else who loved her?


    I check my watch, feeling torn. If I''m going to make the meeting, I need to leave now.


    "Lorenzo is going to speak to the Russians. They''re causing some problems at the shipyard. I''m sure he could use your help."


    I sigh and nod my agreement. "Sure, Sal."


    MAX


    I stare at the ceiling with my hands behind my head, my brain swimming with unanswered questions. It seems like there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle involving the Russians and my little sister, but I can''t piece them all together. I spoke to Vito against night, just the two of us, but I didn''t get much sense out of him once Kat gave him more drugs. We moved him to a guest room, and I let Kristin stay with him. He''s her dad, and despite what I might think of him, he seems to have been a good father to her. Still, I''ll never forgive the mistakes he made when I was a kid. I might wonder if himing back for me should mean something, but I know better. He was seven years toote. He kept my sister from me for eighteen years, and I don''t think I can ever get past that. The only thing the man has ever done for me is corroborate Joey''s version of events regarding Fiona Delgado and removing everyst shred of doubt that Salvatore Moretti framed me for her murder.


    Joeyes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. My perfect distraction. Sitting up, I watch her walk to her dresser.


    "What are your ns today, baby girl?"


    "You know what my ns are, Max. I''ve been talking about them all week."


    "I know you''ve been talking about a party, but I don''t believe we agreed you could go."


    "Well, luckily for me, I don''t need your permission. Mo is my best friend. It''s not my fault that you don''t like her, and I''m going to her party, Max," Joey huffs as she tosses a ck swimsuit over her shoulder in disgust before continuing to rummage through her dresser drawer for something she deems more appropriate.


    I walk up behind her, grabbing her waist and pressing myself against her perfect ass.


    "I thought I was your best friend?"


    She stands up straight, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes and holding something blue in her hand. Turning in my arms, she gives me a snarky smile. "You are, tough guy. I just meant she''s one of my best girlfriends. Look, I know you don''t like her ..."


    "Nope, not even a little bit," I agree.


    "I''m going to her party, Max. You can evene with me if you''re that bothered about it."


    I take the bikini from her hands and inspect it. At least it''s not one of those stringy ones and it will cover her ass and tits. "I wish I could, baby, because you will look fucking hot in this, but I have to speak to Vito some more. We still don''t know who kidnapped me or why. And that is the only reason I don''t want you going to this party today. Not because I don''t like Monique, and not because you''re going to spend the entire afternoon in this sexy little number."


    "It''s hardly sexy. I mean I can show you a much sexier one if you''d prefer?" She flutters her eyshes at me and sinks her teeth into her plump lower lip, making me want to do the same.


    I grin at her. "Definitelyter."


    "I''ll be safe though, Max. This whole thing with you and Vito and the Russians is something to do with Kristin''s baby daddy, right? Even Dante and Lorenzo agreed I could go."


    "But your brothers no longer get to decide what you do and where you go, baby girl," I remind her as I trail my lips over the sweet-smelling skin of her throat. "I do."


    I don''t miss the shudder that runs through her body. My spoiled little brat loves to be dominated, even though she''ll never admit it. She doesn''t argue, but probably only because she''s afraid I''d make her stay home.


    Instead she tries apletely different and way more effective tactic. "Henry and Ash will be with me. I''ll be gone for a few hours and then I''ll be back here." She runs her hands down my chest and over my abs. "And I will be so grateful to you that I''ll do anything you want."


    I fist my hand in her hair, pulling her head back until she gasps. "You''ll do anything I want, regardless, Joey. Because you''re my needy little slut."


    Her cheeks turn pink. "Please, Max?"


    Why do I feel like this is such a bad idea? Her brothers think it''s safe. She''ll have armed guards. The threat right now is to Kristin.


    "You can''t keep me locked away forever. I''m a grown woman, aren''t I?" she whispers.


    I press my forehead against hers. She''s right about that. My girl has been protected and locked away almost her entire life and I saw the damage it did to her. She deserves much more than that, especially from me. How do I expect her to be all I know she''s capable of being if I don''t let her breathe? If I wanted a submissive,pliant woman who obeyed my every whim, Joey Moretti wouldn''t be the woman for me.


    "Fine. But you stay for four hours, then you get your ass back here. Don''t get drunk because it makes you less alert. And do everything Henry and Ash tell you. Understand me?"


    She throws her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, peppering kisses all over my face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"


    I carry her to the bed andy us down on it. I have at least another hour before Vito''s awake enough for more questions. "You want to show me how grateful you are, baby?"


    She lifts her eyebrows. "What do you have in mind?"


    I pull open her towel and kiss her silky skin, peppering kisses over her breasts and moving down her body, over her stomach, toward her pussy. I can smell her arousal already and it makes me hard. "First of all, you cane all over my face." Kiss. "And then my cock." Kiss. "And then..." I swirl my tongue over her clit.


    "And then?" she whimpers.


    "Then you will suck my cock so you can taste just how delicious your cunt is."


    "Yes, please," she says as she pushes her hips up until she can grind herself on my face.


    "That''s my naughty little slut."


    ***


    "She''ll be fine,pagno," Dante says with a wry smile as I check my watch for the hundredth time this hour.


    "Yeah, well, until she''s back here, I won''t rx."


    Heughs softly. "She''s really done a number on you."


    "I love her, D. I think about her every second of every fucking day. I can''t help it."


    He nods like he knows exactly what I mean. "Did you get anything more from Vitost night?" he says, getting back to the business at hand.


    "No. Once Kat gave him some more drugs, he was making no sense at all. Kristin said he was still sleeping when I checked at lunch. I figured I''d let him sleep it off a little longer and we''ll talk to him when he''s lucid. I asked her to let him know we want to see him as soon as he wakes up."


    He rubs a hand over his beard. "I spoke to Dmitri this morning. He''s following a lead on Pushkin, thinks he might be in Miami." "Miami?"


    Dante nods. "Has some property down there in his dead ex-wife''s name. Managed to keep it low-key until now." "And his sons?"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "No sign of them yet. Rumor has it Viktor and Ivan went back to the mothend to try to drum up support to oppose Dmitri." "Fuck, that''s all we need."


    "Dmitri doesn''t think they''ll have much sess. The Pushkins don''t have many allies left right now and any support they had is waning. Even the New York branch promised Dmitri their support, and they were always going to be the ones that would tip the scales. With d Mikhailov''s backing from the Bratva and our support in Chicago, Dmitri is set."


    "Good. He''s a whole lot easier to work with than his predecessors." I crack my neck and wince at the jolt of pain that shoots through my shoulder.


    "You okay?" Dante asks.


    The knock on the door stops me from answering.


    "Come in," Dante calls, and my uncle shuffles into the room using a cane Kat must have found somewhere.


    "You wanted to see me?" he asks, his eyes darting around the small space. Despite what we all learned yesterday, there''s still a lot of mistrust and suspicion between us.


    "Yes. Have a seat." Dante indicates the empty chair opposite his and Vito takes a seat while I perch on the edge of the desk.


    "We''re just trying to piece together where everything fits, and we need your help," Dante says, and Vito nods his understanding.


    "You''re sure that your kidnapping had nothing to do with Kristin and the father of her baby?" I ask.


    Vito frowns and shakes his head. "No. I told you, it was Pushkin. He''s wanted me dead for years. I knew too much about his trafficking operation, but as long as Sal was alive, I was safe."


    Dante leans forward. "Because of the recording you had of him killing Fiona?"


    "Yes. If anything happened to me, that would go straight to the press. So Sal kept Pushkin off my back, but as soon as he was killed, Pushkin wanted me to pay. He didn''t even need me dead, he just wanted to remind me that he could do it." "Right," I mumble, running a hand over my beard. I feel like we''re still missing something. It doesn''t exin who kidnapped me and why.


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    "Why would it have anything to do with the guy Kristin was dating? He didn''t even know she was pregnant. He couldn''t have. She didn''t know when we left."


    "Why didn''t you help her find him once she did know? She told me he was Russian. Was he-"


    "He was Bratva, yes. She didn''t tell me much about him, but I did a little digging. He''s connected, but I don''t know how much. Couldn''t even get hisst name. He was like a ghost." "Was he the reason you left New Jersey?"


    "No. At least not entirely. We left because I started getting the feeling we were being watched. Call it intuition, but I wasn''t taking any chances. And I couldn''t be sure it wasn''t a coincidence that my daughter''s boyfriend happened to be part of the Russian mob."


    "Why are you so sure that you being taken had nothing to do with her?"


    "Because they never mentioned her once. Pushkin''s men tortured me. They wanted to know what I knew about the sex trafficking ring and whether I had enough to put their boss away for life, I guess. And then when I told them everything I knew, they left me for dead. If it had anything to do with Kristin, they would''ve asked about her."


    Dante voices his agreement, and I wrack my brain to remember every single thing that was said when those Russian assholes had me chained up.


    "Why do you think it would be anything to do with my daughter?" Vito asks, his eyes narrowed.


    "Max?" Dante says.


    "Fuckers kidnapped me too. When I heard the Russian ents, I assumed it was retaliation because we were backing Dmitri for the takeover, but then they started going on about how their boss was going to kill me because I touched his girl." "Kristin?" Vito asks with a frown.


    "I assumed so. I mean nobody knew she was my sister. If anyone was following her and saw her leaving my apartment, they could have jumped to conclusions."


    "If it was her boyfriend and it was about getting her back, why not take her too?" Vito asks.


    "I know. That part didn''t make sense to me either, but at the time I didn''t know if they did have her. After Dante and Lorenzo got me out and I found out she was here, I knew they never could have gotten to her here."


    Vito shifts in his seat, wincing. "Could it have been about the dead girl? Fiona?"


    "That is one long ass time to wait for revenge." Dante shakes his head. "And her father died a few months after she did. Who would take their revenge?"


    A fucking lightbulb explodes in my brain. "The girl. They weren''t talking about Kristin or Fiona ..."


    Dante frowns. "Then who?"


    "Joey, D. They were talking about Joey." My heart starts racing so fast that it feels like it''s going to burst right through my chest at any second. I fish my cell from my pocket and bring up the tracking app. "Joey?"


    "Your father promised her to Viktor."


    Horror dawns on his face. "But that was four years ago, Max. We smoothed it over. He married someone else."


    I re at him, pissed at us both for not realizing it sooner while Vito stares at the two of us in confusion. "And his wife mysteriously disappeared two yearster-because he never fucking wanted her. He wanted his Italian Mafia princess. You think he gives a fuck that it was four years ago?" I snap. "They said I had my hands on his girl. We assumed they were referring to Kristin, but they were talking about Joey. She is the girl."


    He gapes at me in horror. "Fuck! Where is she?"


    I look down at the screen and close my eyes, flooded with relief. "She''s at Monique''s house, where she''s supposed to be."


    "Wait." Dante shakes his head. "Nobody knew about you and Joey. She didn''t even tell her friends."


    "Maybe someone saw us?"


    "Where?"


    I pinch the bridge of my nose. Nowhere. I was extra careful with her. Even the night I screwed her outside the club, I made sure we were in a secluded spot that nobody could get to. "I don''t know. Maybe she told someone?" "She said she didn''t though, and why would she say that now that it''s all out in the open?"


    "I don''t know, D." I continue to watch the blue dot on the tracking app. I need to call her, then I need to bring her home. My gut tells me she''s the one in danger. And I let her go to that fucking party without me. Fuck! "Who''s with her?" Dante asks.


    "Ash is watching her, and Henry''s outside. It''s a small party. Monique and a few of the girls from high school." My mind races, but I can''t process everything quickly enough. "Toby!"


    "I thought it was girls only?"


    "No." I shake my head. "Toby knew about me and her."


    "He did? How?"


    "That night she went on a date with him. I came for her. I was fucking raging when I saw her crying. He must have figured it out."


    "Toby?" Dante repeats.


    "I can''t think of anyone else who even saw us together, D. Not like that. I had my arm around her. Maybe it was obvious...?"


    "Then we go pay the little fuck a visit," Dante says, taking his gun from his desk drawer.


    "I''ll tell Joey toe straight back here." I bring up her number and call her cell. I''m vaguely aware of Vito asking if he can help while I listen to Joey''s phone ring several times before going to voicemail. Not bothering to leave a message, I


    hang up and dial Ash''s number instead. I shove aside the violent swell of rage and panic swirling in my gut and remind myself she''s at a pool party. Her phone''s probably in her purse.


    Ash picks up on the third ring. "Yup?"


    "Do you have eyes on Joey?"


    "Sure do. She''s floating around the pool on a giant pink mingo."


    "And you''re with her? You can actually see her?"


    "Yeah. I''m looking at her right now, Boss. Standing about twenty feet away from her."


    Relief washes over me, and I nod to Dante who''s watching me intently for any sign of distress.


    "Everything okay?" Ash asks.


    "I need you to bring her home, right now."


    "Okay. And, um, what shall I tell her?"


    I rub my temples. He''s one of the scariest men I know, but I guess even he doesn''t relish the thought of dealing with Joey after she''s told to do something she doesn''t want to do. And I don''t want him having to carry her out of there-because then I''d have to break every finger he touched her with. "Put her on for me."


    "Sure, boss."


    I wait for him to pass the phone to her. The sound of her voice puts a huge smile on my face. "You missing me?"


    "Always, baby girl."


    She giggles. "Aw, you''re so sweet." She''s obviously been drinking, which is only going to make this more difficult.


    "I need you to listen to me, baby. You need toe home with Ash. Right now."


    "But Max..." she whines.


    "Now, Joey."


    It must be the tone of my voice that makes her pay attention. "What''s happened? Is it Anya?" she says, sounding afraid.


    "No. Everyone is fine, I promise. But I need you toe back to the house."


    "But we just made a fresh batch of margaritas."


    "Joey, if you don''t get your ass back here now, Ash will have to carry you to the car in your bathing suit. And you know if he does that, I''m going to have to fucking kill him for putting his hands on you. So get your ass dressed and get home." "You''re freaking me out."


    I suck in a breath. "I''ll exinter. Just get dressed and go straight home with Ash, okay?"


    "Why can''t youe and get me? Where are you?" I hear the panic in her voice.


    "Joey, for the love of god, do as you''re fucking told for once," I snap. I don''t have time for her questions right now.


    "Fine." She sighs. "I''ll be home soon."


    "Put Ash back on."


    There''s another dramatic sigh from my girl before Ash is back on the phone. "Get her out of there and back home as fast as you can. And do it quietly. Don''t take your eyes off her for a second."


    "Okay, but-"


    "But what?" I bark.


    "She just got out of the pool. She''s in her bikini, boss."


    Fuck! I don''t want him watching her change. "Stand outside the room while she changes. No pit stops. No margaritas for the road. She gives you any hassle, you pick her up and carry her ass out of there. You understand me?" "Yes, Boss."


    "Good. Call me when she''s home."


    When I look up again, Vito has left the room and Dante is still staring at me. "She bitching about leaving the party?" he asks.


    "She''ll get over it," I say with a shrug. She can spend her whole goddamn life pissed at me if she wants to. I don''t care, as long as she''s safe.

 85

    JOEY


    I hand the phone back to Ash. "Do you know what''s going on?"


    He shakes his head. "Only that I need to get you home, like now."


    "Oh, you''re not leaving, Joey." Monique slips an arm around my shoulder, her lips pulled into a dramatic pout.


    "I''m sorry, I have to," I say with a roll of my eyes, annoyed at being called away from my best friend''s birthday party with no exnation other than Max ordered me to. "Is something wrong?" Monique asks, her eyes wide with curiosity now.


    "I have no idea." I shrug. "But I need to go."


    "Aw, Joeeeey," Monique whines, clinging to my arm. She must have had way more margaritas than I thought because she''s never this clingy.


    "Oh, stop. You have a dozen friends here, you won''t even know I''m gone."


    "We need to move," Ash says, nodding toward the house.


    "I''ll just go get changed. I''ll meet you out front."


    Ash shakes his head. "Not allowed to take my eyes off you for a second."


    I frown. "What?"


    "Except when you''re changing out of your wet bathing suit, obviously." "Maximo is worse than my brothers," I mutter under my breath.


    "I''lle help you," Monique says. "Just let me grab our drinks."


    "I''m fine, Mo. Enjoy the party and I''ll call you tomorrow."


    She opens her mouth, feigning indignation. "If my best friend in the whole world is leaving my birthday party early, the least she could do is let me have onest drink with her." "No margaritas for the road." Ash shakes his head. "We need to go. Now."


    "Oh, we can drink while she changes, Ash. Go on through and I''ll follow you in." She wanders over to the poolside pop-up bar.


    "If we move quickly, we might get out of here before she even has time to fix another drink and find us," Ash says with a grin and hands me a towel from the locker beside him. "Don''t be mean," I say, nudging his arm with my elbow.


    Heughs as we head toward the house. "I know she''s your friend, but you have to admit she''s a bit full on."


    "She''s just vibrant, is all. She lives life to the fullest."


    He arches an eyebrow at me. "Uh-huh. Sure."


    I''m drying my hair with a towel when someone knocks on the door of the small shower room. "Come in."


    Monique walks through the door with a margarita in each hand and a grin on her face. Ash holds the door open, covering his eyes with his other hand. "You got two minutes before Ie and grab you out of there, Joey." I roll my eyes. "I''ll be out in one."


    With a nod, he shuts the door.


    "Onest birthday drink?" Monique says, holding up a salt-rimmed ss.


    "I have to go," I remind her, pulling my dress over my head.


    "It''s my freaking birthday." She stomps her foot on the floor for effect.


    I sigh, taking the margarita from her. "See how much I can drink in thirty seconds."


    "I bet I can down mine way faster than you, Moretti."


    Narrowing my eyes, I scowl. "You really think?"


    "I know."


    "Huh." I lift the ss to my lips, tip my head back, and down the entire cocktail in one gulp. When I look at her, she''s grinning at me, her drink still untouched.


    "You not even going to try and beat me?" I ask, but my words sound like they''reing from underwater. Now Monique sways on her feet. Or is that me?


    "W-wha?" My legs buckle and I drop to the floor. The ss tumbles from my hand. The sound of shattering sses from a distance as my head smacks the marble. "Never could resist a challenge, could you, Joey?"


    My eyes flutter closed, but I manage to reopen them long enough to see her take a gun from a small locker. No! I try to shout for Ash, but my mouth won''t open. Everything goes dark but I can still hear.


    The door opens. "Is everything okay?" Thank God! Ash is here.


    A muffled gunshot is followed by a sickening thud.


    I try to move, screaming at my body to get up and run, but I''m paralyzed. My heart races. Where''s Ash? What the hell is Monique doing?


    Drifting in and out of consciousness, I can''t make sense of the snippets of conversation floating above me.


    "Hey, baby, it''s me... move fast... take her home... don''t know... he''s dead... there''s another one outside ... as soon as you can."


    Then nothing.


    MAX


    Michael Fiore''s face is a mask of shock when he opens the door to me and Dante. Maybe it''s our fierce expressions thatmunicate our willingness to ruin lives to get what we want. Either that or the fact that I just threatened to shoot the guard at the gate if he didn''t let us through.


    "Where''s Toby?" I demand.


    "T-Toby? He''s here. Why?" Michael stammers.


    I pull my gun from the waistband of my suit pants and hold it against Michael''s temple. "I can shoot you right now and go inside and get him. Or you can call him out here." I press the cold metal into that little indent at the side of his forehead, and his lip starts to tremble.


    "D-Dante?"


    "Don''t fucking look to him for help, you piece of shit. You have five seconds to get him out here or your brains are going to decorate this porch."


    "Call him, Michael. You know he''ll do it. If Toby''s here, there''s every chance you''ll both get out of this alive."


    Michael keeps his eyes focused on Dante. A man he''s worked for ten years-a man he trusts.


    "Toby. Ce out here, son," he shouts into the house.


    I remove the gun from his temple and take a step back, bouncing on the balls of my feet while we wait.


    Five seconds pass. "Where the fuck is he?" I snap.


    "He''sing from upstairs. He''ll be here in just a minute," Michael assures me, his face as white as the walls of his house.


    A momentter, Tobyes to the door, all smiles and wet hair. He opens his mouth to speak, but I don''t let him utter a single word. Grabbing his hair, I force him to his knees.


    His father lurches forward, and under different circumstances, I''d admire his instinct to protect his child.


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    "Don''t!" Dante snaps. Michael freezes, rooted to the spot.


    "Dad? Maximo?" Toby pleads. "What is this? W-what?"


    I press the cold steel barrel between his eyes.


    "Dante? Please?" Michael begs.


    "If the kid''s done nothing wrong and he tells us what we need to know, he has nothing to fear." Dante stands, watching me impassively.


    "W-what?" Toby asks again.


    "Who did you tell about me and Joey?"


    "Y-you and Joey?"


    I shove the gun against his forehead, pushing his head back. "Don''t stall on me, you little fuck. Answer the question or I''ll blow a hole in your head. Those are your only options."


    "I don''t know what you mean, Maximo. I haven''t told anyone anything."


    "That night I came here to pick her up, did you tell anyone about that?" "N-no."


    "You sure about that?"


    He squeezes his eyes shut.


    "Toby?" I demand.


    "I''m thinking," he cries. "It''s kind of hard to do with a gun in my face."


    Dante chuckles. "Now, you see I woulda thought that would help matters, wouldn''t you, Max?"


    "Sure would."


    A bead of sweat rolls down Toby''s temple.


    "You either did or you didn''t, Toby. It''s not fucking rocket science. Now, I''ll give you ten more seconds toe up with an answer, or your dad here will be wearing your entrails on his suit."


    The boy nods, his eyes still screwed tight and his mouth mped shut.


    I start counting to ten in my head. When I get to four, he speaks. "Monique," he spits the name, and I drop my arm, ring at him.


    "What did you say to her? Did you tell her Joey and I were together?"


    "No!" He fervently shakes his head. "I didn''t know you were. I told her what happened, that''s all. That you picked her up on your bike."


    Dante clears his throat. "Monique called Joey in the car while we were driving home from the cabin. Said she was on her way to our house, but Joey told her she wasn''t home. She knew Joey left with you and didn''te home." "Monique." The name burns my tongue like battery acid, and I give Dante a look filled with apprehension. "D. Joey''s at her house." Taking a deep breath, he checks his watch. "She should be almost home by now."


    Stepping to the side, I dial her number while Dante helps Toby up and smooths things over. Her phone goes straight to voicemail and my heart rate kicks up a few gears. I dial Ash next and his phone rings out and now my blood is thundering so fast around my body I sway on my feet. I can''t fucking breathe. When Ash''s phone goes to voicemail, I can barely see straight for the pounding in my head and adrenaline thundering around my body.


    "Joey and Ash didn''t answer, D."


    "Call Henry."


    I dial Henry''s number, and it rings and rings until voicemail kicks in. Dante stares at me like I have the answers to the meaning of life. I shake my head, and the pain on his face makes me want to puke my guts up. Holy fucking fuck. We dropped the ball.


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    "Let''s go," he orders, and the two of us race back to his car, leaving Michael and Toby standing on their doorstep.


    Tires spin, spitting gravel as Dante guns the engine and heads toward Monique''s house. "I never should''ve let her got to that fucking party, D."


    "Try their numbers again," he barks.


    I call each of them again and the response is the same. "Drive faster," I snap at him when he slows down for a red light.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You think I''m not as fucking terrified as you are, Max? I''m driving as fast as I fucking can," he shouts at me.


    "She''s my whole fucking world, D. If anything happens to her-if I let something happen to her because I was too focused on Vito and Kristin-" I can''t finish the sentence.


    "We''re going to fucking get her," he insists. "We''ll speak to Monique, and she''s gonna tell us Joey is drunk on cocktails and wouldn''t get out of the pool. It''s going to be okay."


    Despite knowing Henry and Ash would never miss a call from me, I cling to his words, trying to convince myself that my girl is perfectly safe and that I haven''t let her down in the worst possible way.


    "There''s Henry''s car." Dante nods at the ck sedan in Monique''s driveway. "Maybe they''re all inside?"


    But as we draw closer, I see the figure of Henry slumped over the steering wheel and my heart almost bursts through my ribcage. My lungs stop being able to take in air and my stomach twists into such a tight knot that I think I''m going to throw up all my internal organs. My door is open before Dante brings the car to a grinding stop. Scrambling out as quickly as possible, I run toward Henry''s car. The driver''s side window is open, and even before I pull Henry''s head back, I see and smell blood. The blood spatter is consistent with a sliced jugr, which is confirmed when I ce my palm on his forehead and the gaping wound grins back at me.


    Henry Jones was a good man and an experienced soldier. This wasn''t the work of an amateur. Straightening, I take deep breaths. I need to hold it together. I''ll be no good to Joey if I fall apart. "He''s dead, D."


    "Fuck! Henry." Dante nudges me out of the way and leans forward to close Henry''s eyes.


    With a nod, Dante follows me to the front door of the house. Not bothering to knock, I draw my gun and shoot through the lock. Silence greets us. "Joey?" I shout.


    As expected, there''s no answer. Because she''s not fucking here. I would know if she was. We stalk through the house toward the back patio and find the pool empty except for a giant intable chair and a floating pink mingo. My girl sat there only an hour ago. My heart is splitting in two. If I didn''t believe my own eyes, I''d be sure someone had their hands inside my chest and was tearing it apart. This can''t be real. She can''t be gone. Because I cannot fucking breathe without her. There is a deep, visceral ache in my chest that makes me heave for breath. I hold onto the door frame before I fall on my ass and can''t get up again. Half-empty cocktails sit on tables and towels are draped over the sun loungers as though everyone left in a hurry. I look at the intable mingo again and my heart almost stops beating. If I could only travel back to that moment, the moment Ash told me she was safe... before my whole goddamn world fucking fell to pieces. If I could go back, I could keep her safe.


    "Max?" Dante calls me and I spin around. "Here." He disappears, and I hear him mumbling. I find him crouched over Ash''s body. There''s a bullet hole in the center of his chest, and Dante ces two fingers on his throat, checking for a pulse. Eyes wide, he ps his hands down on Ash''s chest. "Call 911!"


    "He''s alive?" The question is rhetorical, so I don''t wait for an answer. Ash might know something that can help us find Joey, which means we need to get him medical attention immediately.


    After I call the ambnce, I take over from Dante, applying pressure on Ash''s wound while he calls Lorenzo and tells him what happened. "Hang in there, buddy. Help''sing."


    Dante finishes his call and crouches beside me, taking back over trying to stem the flow of blood from Ash''s bullet wound. "Lorenzo''s on his way. He''s coordinating reinforcements. All the men we can spare and Dmitri too. While we go to the hospital with Ash, he''s going to tear this ce apart and find something to tell us what happened here."


    I can tear this ce apart while we wait for him. Noticing a scrap of blue fabric on the cab, I stand up and cross the room. It''s Joey''s wet bathing suit. I pick it up and hold it to my nose hoping for her sweet scent, but all I smell is pool water. I keep it in my hand though because it was on her skin not so long ago and that makes me feel closer to her.


    "We''ll find her, Max," Dante assures me.


    "Hmm," I mumble as I pick up the cocktail ss nearby. It''s full. I sniff the contents and confirm it''s a margarita. ncing around the room I see the small dustpan and brush. Inspecting the contents reveals shattered ss. I pick a piece up and hold it to my nose. More margarita.


    "She was drugged," I say.


    "You think?"


    "She told me Monique had made a fresh pitcher. There''s a full one and this ss had margarita too. My guess is Joey drank hers, Monique didn''t, and she dropped the ss onto the floor when she passed out. Then Ash came in and Monique shot him."


    "Likely," Dante agrees, his eyes scanning the room. "Joey''s purse is gone?"


    "Looks like. They probably dumped it somewhere."


    "Her St. Christopher?" he asks.


    "It''s broken, remember? When they took me. It''s on her nightstand."


    "Fuck!" he snaps. "I promise you we will find her."


    "I know,pagno, because I will tear this goddamn country and everyone in it to pieces until we do."

 86

    JOEY


    Ow! There''s a reason I don''t drink a lot. Hangovers are hell. A hell of a lot of fun while you''re getting one, not so much when you actually live through it. My head throbs as I open my eyes. Damn margaritas.


    Except I''m not in my room. Not in my bed. These covers aren''t soft like mine. They''re rough and scratchy against my bare calves.


    Holy shit! Where the hell am I? Where is Max? Where''s Ash?


    Bile burns my throat. My headache has nothing to do with the margaritas. I banged my head. But Ash was there. He told me we had to go home. What the hell happened? Think, Joey!


    I was changing out of my bathing suit. Monique gave me a cocktail.


    Monique! That bitch fucking drugged me. And then she shot Ash. Bile surges up from my gullet.


    I survey my current situation. My dress is dirty, but I''m still in it, my underwear too. My knees are scraped from when I fell. My wrists and ankles are bound together with zip ties. I twist against them, but the stic only tightens, pinching my skin.


    "Hey! Where the hell am I?" I yell, but my voice is little more than a croak, my throat raw and dry. "Hey!" I try again, and this time it''s loud enough to send someone walking through the door. "Morning, princess," Monique says, wearing a sharine smile. Bitch!


    "What the hell, Mo?" I shriek. "Is this some kind of joke?"


    "A joke?" She throws her head back andughs like the psycho she so obviously is. "What exactly do you think is funny, Jo? Although seeing you all trussed up like a turkey is kinda funny." My stomach rolls. She''s unhinged. "What the hell, Mo? You''re supposed to be my best friend!"


    "Your best friend?" She whines thest two words in a mocking tone. "You have any idea how fucking infuriating it is to be your friend, Joey? Watching you get every single fucking thing you want just because you''re Joey Moretti." She rolls her eyes and sticks her index finger down her throat.


    I blink at her. Where the hell is thising from? "But... you and me... we were..."


    "You never liked me. You were only ever my friend to make yourself feel good and we both know it."


    "That''s not true. You''re rewriting our entire lives."


    She stalks toward the bed and leans over me. "You are a spoiled little bitch, Joey. Snapping your fingers and getting whatever you want."


    "You have everything, Mo. Any guy you want. Money." Those are the only things that have ever been important to her. "What more do I have that you don''t?"


    "Money?" She snorts. "I have nothing, Joey. My mom has burned through it all. Everyst cent."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I didn''t know." I frown.


    She sneers. "Of course you didn''t. Because you wander around in your own little perfect Joey world."


    "Are you out of your freaking mind?" I scream. "My world is far from perfect." My mom died when I was three. My father was a maniac. I was sent off to Italy for three long years-for reasons I still can''t fathom-and she knows all of this. She folds her arms across her chest and looks down at me like I''m something she just stepped in.


    "Mo? Please?" I plead with her. Surely she has to see reason. "Why are you doing this?"


    She sighs dreamily. "For Viktor." "Viktor?"


    "Hmm. He''s my ticket out of here."


    I only know one Viktor, but it can''t be him, right? "Tell me Viktor Pushkin isn''t Mystery Guy?"


    Her only response is a smug smile. It makes a sick kind of sense. Her man was always disappearing for weeks on end and more recently seemed to have gonepletely off the radar. "But why? What does Viktor Pushkin want with me?" She runs a finger through one of my curls and I yank my head out of her reach, making herugh. "Poor little naive Joey. Nobody ever tells you what''s going on, do they? Even screwing Max didn''t make him open up to you." My stomach rolls again. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    Before she can answer, the door opens and a heavyset man with tattoos on his face and a shaved head walks into the room.


    "Hey, baby," she squeals when she sees him. This must be Viktor.


    He doesn''t smile. There isn''t even a flicker of affection for her in his eyes. He lifts his arm, and it''s only then that I see the gun in his hand. I close my eyes and shrink back. Dear god, he''s going to kill me.


    A deafening gunshot rings out and I''m sttered with warm stickiness. Opening my eyes, I take a deep breath, and something drips into my mouth. Blood. Is it mine?


    Refocusing on my surroundings, I see Viktor standing directly in front of me. On the floor is Monique, face down with a huge hole in the back of her skull.


    I lurch forward and vomit onto the floor.


    "We meet atst, Guiseppina," Viktor says in a thick Russian ent. He smirks, not in the least bit bothered by the dead body or the puddle of puke at his feet. "You''re a psychopath."


    "Maybe." His smirk transforms into a full smile. "But I am your husband also. At least this time next week I will be."


    MAX


    "I can''t fucking stand this, D," I snap, pacing up and down the corridor. "We need to be out there doing something, not sitting around waiting."


    "Doing what, Max? Lorenzo has a team of men ripping Monique''s house apart. Dmitri has half his army scouring the city. I got all my tech guys searching every traffic camera for Monique''s car. But our best lead is in that fucking room having


    his chest sewn back together." He nods in the direction of the operating room. "This is where we need to be. But if it makes you feel better to be out there busting some heads open, you go do that."


    I re at him, hating him for being right. "It''s been six fucking hours, and nothing." I rake my hands through my hair. My ability to think logically or rationally has fled. I''m consumed with rage and terror. My girl is out there somewhere, and they could be hurting her right now. They could be-


    A woman in scrubs steps into the waiting room. "Mr. Moretti?"


    Please, fuck, let Ash have made it.


    Dante steps forward. "Yes."


    "Your friend is out of surgery and he''s stable. He''s in recovery."


    Thank whatever god or devil is responsible for saving that lucky fucker''s life.


    "When can we talk to him, Doctor?"


    She frowns. "He''s had major surgery. He needs his rest."


    "I understand that, but I need to speak with him. I assume you''ve been informed of our particr circumstances?"


    She winces. "I have."


    The Morettis pay for this hospital''s discretion and cooperation in the form of millions of dors in donations each year. This nurse knows she''s unlikely to work in another hospital in the entire tri-state area if she refuses toply. He lifts his eyebrows. "So when can I speak with him?"


    "You can wait in his room and speak with him when he wakes," she says reluctantly.


    "Which room is he in?" I ask.


    "Follow me."


    Ash is hooked up to a dozen machines, but he looks pretty good for a guy who was shot earlier today and almost died.


    "Please don''t wake him. You won''t get any sense out of him if you do. He should starting around in about half an hour when the anesthesia wears off."


    Dante thanks the nurse and she leaves us alone to stare at Ash, lying motionless in the hospital bed.


    I cough, breaking the long silence. "What now?"


    Dante takes a seat in one of the bedside chairs. "We wait until he wakes up."


    With a deep sigh, I sit next to him and stare at Ash, willing him to wake the fuck up and hand us the key to finding Joey.


    "Why the fuck would Monique drug her?"


    "Money," he answers without hesitation. "You know her mom has all but burned through what her dad left them?"


    "I figured as much."


    "I knew though. I should have seen it, Max. It should have been a huge fucking red g. I know people like her. They will do anything for money."


    "So, she what? Delivered Joey to Viktor Pushkin? Why?"


    "Because Monique is his girlfriend," Ash croaks.


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    I jump out of my seat. I could fucking kiss him. "Ash, you tough-as-nails son of a bitch!"


    Nodding, he winces.


    "What else did you hear?"


    "Not much. I was in and out... wherever he''s been hiding... they''ve taken her there."


    "If she''s his girlfriend, why did she help him take Joey?" Dante asks with a frown.


    "Revenge," Ash answers, coughing.


    "No." I shake my head. "The guys who took me said their boss was furious with me for touching his girl. They very much implied she belonged to him. He took Joey because he wants the Italian Mafia princess he was promised. He wants her to be his wife."


    "Twisted fuck," Dante says with a snarl.


    "This is good news, D. It means that Monique is dispensable, but not Joey."


    "You know my sister though, right? Never backs down from a challenge. Never runs from a fight. She will run her mouth as soon as she finds out what the fuck is going on. He''ll kill her."


    "No, she won''t. She''s smarter than that," I assure him.


    "I fucking hope so."


    I take Ash''s face in my hands and kiss his forehead, making him groan with disgust.


    Everything''s falling into ce like a puzzle that I just found thest, most important piece of. "I fucking love you, but we have to go to Racine."


    "Why are we going to Racine?" Dante asks.


    "Because I know where his ce is."


    "What? Where?"


    "Above a sex club called Elena''s Erotic Arena in Racine."


    "How the fuck do you know that?"


    "I''ll exin in the car. Now, can we please go get my fucking girl?"


    He turns to Ash. "Get some rest, buddy and thank you."


    "My pleasure. Tell her I''m sorry I let her down," he whispers as his eyes close.


    "You didn''t, Ash," I tell him, but I doubt he heard me.


    I call Lorenzo and bring him up to speed while Dante drives as fast as possible to Racine. When I''m done, I tell Dante how aplimentary tin of breath mints is going to lead us to his sister.

 87

    JOEY


    Viktor brushes his fingertips over my face, almost reverently. I force myself not to flinch at his touch.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Your father promised you to me a long time ago, Guiseppina."


    My father what now? "I don''t understand," I say, shrinking back. Making myself appear as small and weak as possible.


    "That is why your brothers sent you away. They thought they could keep you from me."


    "That''s why they sent me to Italy?"


    "Yes."


    I blink at him. I can''t believe those assholes never told me. I can''t believe Max never told me. I am so over them treating me like a goddamn foolish child. "They never told me that."


    "I figured as much. But you were always meant to be mine. I have waited a long time to im you."


    My stomach lurches and I swallow the bile that burns my throat. Just how the hell does he intend to im me? My face must show my fear and disgust because heughs. The sound is cruel, and it raises the hairs on the back of my neck. "Don''t worry. I won''t take you until we are married. I won''t touch you until you are intact again. No longer tainted by that animal, Maximo."


    Every cell in my body screams for me to rage at him, to break out of these restraints and kill him with my bare hands. But logic reminds me that I would get about as far as scratching his face. He''s much stronger than me, so I''ll have to use my intelligence to get out of here.


    "Intact again?"


    "There is an operation." He shrugs. "To rece the hymen. Tomorrow we leave for Russia, and you will have it as soon as we arrive."


    "L-leave for Russia?" I try to appear calm, but my heart beats so hard, I''m sure he can hear it.


    "Hmm. It is too dangerous to stay here."


    "Where is here?" I ask.


    "You don''t have to worry about where you are, only where you are going. Just know that nobody will hear you scream."


    "Why would I scream?" I say with a shrug. "I''m just trading one prison for another, right? My brothers never let me go anywhere. They sent me to Italy, for god''s sake. They''ll be happy to see the back of me and the feeling is mutual." I lie back on the bed, my mind racing with escape scenarios.


    "And Maximo?"


    "He was just a little fun. Nothing serious. Someone to pass the time because I was bored." The words burn me to say them, and they seem to anger Viktor rather than appease him.


    He grabs hold of my face, squeezing my cheeks roughly. "I do not want to marry a slut. Are you a slut?"


    "N-no! Maximo was the only one. It was only a couple of times, I swear. I''m not a slut."


    He snorts and kicks Monique''s lifeless body. "She was a slut. Could not wait to suck my cock and offer all of her dirty used holes to me."


    I tremble at the venom in his voice. There goes my idea of offering to suck his cock and biting it off.


    "She thought that helping me get you, the thing that was rightfully mine anyway..." Heughs maniacally as he paces the floor.


    Thing? I need to get out of this fucking room and away from him.


    "Then I would forget that she was a filthy little cock whore and marry her instead. When it is you, Guiseppina. You are the only one I ever wanted."


    I turn sideways on the bed, my feet hanging off the edge as I prop myself up on my elbows. "I had no idea I belonged to you, Viktor. If I had ..." I let my words trail off and flutter my eyshes. Shaking his head, he snorts like he doesn''t believe me.


    "I''ve never really fit in. I think it might be kind of nice to belong to someone." I keep my tone soft and sweet and pray that he buys it. "Will we live in Russia?"


    "Yes."


    "My sister-inw tells me there are many beautiful ces to see in Russia," I say with a sigh. "Will you take me to Moscow?"


    He edges closer but not quite close enough. "Maybe. If you are good."


    "I''ll be good." I give him the most genuine-looking smile I can muster. "I''ve spent my life learning how to be a good wife to a strong man." I''m lying through my teeth now, and I have no idea if he''s buying any of it. But then he takes another step toward me.


    I smile up at him, pulling my knees up to my stomach as he draws nearer, as though I''m making room for him to get closer to me. He runs a hand over my bare leg, and I swallow back the urge to vomit. Leaning down, he kisses me. He tastes of cigarettes and vodka, and I want to retch into his mouth. When he pushes his tongue inside, it feels so disgustingly big and slimy that tears prick at my eyes. But I must focus. Toni said go for the nuts, right?


    With every ounce of strength in my body, I aim both of my heels at his groin. He wasn''t expecting it. Underestimating me as most men do. He doesn''t just double over, he drops to his knees with a sickening bellow.


    I jump off the bed and bunny hop across the room faster than I''ve ever moved in my life. If I can just find a weapon, I''ll stand a chance. I open the door and jump out into the hallway,pletely shocked to find that I''m in a regr-looking apartment. I grab the door handle, and sweet mother of Jesus, there''s a keypad lock on it. Of course there is. He was keeping me prisoner in there.


    He curses loudly in Russian and mbers around the room. Holy shit. Blood rushes in my ears. My fingers tremble as I scramble to close the door behind me. I hear his fingernails scratch against it a fraction of a second after I yank it closed. I suck in deep, bone-shaking breaths. I''m out. Now I just need to get these damn zip ties off and get out of here. Viktor pounds against the door, making me flinch. "I will break this down, Guiseppina, and I will make you suffer far more than your little slut friend." Viktor is a big guy, and I figure he can get through that piece of wood in a minute-two if I''m lucky. I need to move fast.


    "Fuck you!" I shout, hopping down the hallway, looking for the kitchen and the biggest knife I can find.


    I try two doors before I find the kitchen. The sound of Viktor trying to burst through that bedroom door makes my heart race faster than a Ferrari. I can barely breathe. Adrenaline thunders through my body. Everything feels sharper and clearer even while every part of my body trembles with fear. When he gets through that door... If he takes me to Russia ...


    "Guiseppina. I aming for you," he sing-songs while he continues to m against the door. Psychopath!


    I need to get out of here. Now. Scuttling through the kitchen, I frantically search drawers and cabs until I find the knives. Grabbing a thick ck handle, I almost pass out with relief when I see the long, sharp de. I quickly cut the zip ties off my hands and feet, then I run, knife in hand, straight for the front door of the surprisingly ordinary and spacious apartment.


    I saw other buildings through the window in the kitchen. We must be in a town, which means Viktor lied about no one being able to hear me scream. There are people around. If I can just get outside into the open space-


    "You fucking whore!" he roars, venom dripping from the words. His toxicity seeps through the bedroom door and surrounds me, but it only makes me move faster.


    There are at least half a dozen bolts on the front door, and I struggle to get a grip on the first one, but my sweaty hands slip right off. I quickly dry them on my dress and manage to get it on the second try. My head swims, my heart pounding so hard I can barely hear Viktor''s thuds and curses. Maybe the drugs are still in my system? Maybe I''m going to pass out again? Fuck. No.


    I won''t let him win. Work faster, Joey!


    The crashing sound of Viktor trying to break down the door grows more persistent, louder than the sound of my own heartbeat. Holy fuck! My fingers tremble and slip on the bolts. Then I hear wood splinter from down the hall, and my heart stops beating for a long moment. Shaking my head, I scrabble at the remaining bolts, keeping the knife between my legs, certain Viktor is seconds away from grabbing me.


    Just as I turn thest one, Viktor crashes through the door. Heavy footsteps mor down the hallway. I can''t look behind me. If I see him, I might crumble to pieces. Taking the knife from between my legs, I throw open the door and make a run for it.


    My legs tremble, almost giving way as I bolt down the flight of stairs, but sheer terror lends me strength and hastens my escape. Footsteps thunder right behind me, and I scream and drop the knife, watching helplessly as it tters to the bottom of the stairwell. I scan the floor below, but I''m unable to find it in the dim light. He''s going to get me before I can get out of here. He''s going to take me back to that room. He''s going to- "There''s no way out of here, you fucking whore," he yells, and his voice is so close now, footsteps even closer. I can smell his stale breath, and it makes me heave. Tears stream down my face. No. Please no. I''m almost there.


    I stumble on thest few stairs, falling against the exterior door. There are bolts on this one also. Only two, but still too many. I fumble with the first one, heart racing and blood rushing in my ears.


    His breath is on my neck. Fingers in my hair. I suck in a shaky breath. Tears blur my vision. His body ms into mine, sandwiching me between him and the door and knocking all the air from my lungs. I gasp for breath.


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    "Caught you, little whore," he whispers harshly, his mouth pressed at my ear. Saliva drips from his lips and onto my neck, and my flesh crawls like a million tiny ants scurry beneath my skin.


    "No!" I scream, praying that someone might be passing by. Somebody, anybody, might hear me. Opening my mouth to scream again, I gag when his huge meaty hand covers it, choking on his foul stench. Out of desperation, I m my head back and hit his chin. He mutters curses in Russian and grabs my hair, yanking my head back.


    "You will pay for that, you little bitch," he says with a sneer as he pushes my body t to the door. Pressing his hard cock against my ass, he grinds on me and groans. Bile fills my mouth and burns my throat as I''m forced to swallow it back down. Tears sting my eyes.


    "You know I said I was going to wait until you were pure?" His sour breath washes over my face, and I screw my eyes shut. I need to think. "I have changed my mind. You let that animal, Maximo, defile you. I think I will also fuck all of your filthy, dirty holes. Then I make you pure again."


    I try to block his vitriol, his taunts. I will get out of here. I''m smarter than he is. The knife! It''s here somewhere.


    I mumble against his hand, pushing my ass back and gyrating against his cock. Swallowing another mouthful of vomit, I summon my courage. I can do this. I must do this.


    "Oh, is this what you wanted all along? You like it rough, little whore?" he says with a sneer, licking a path up my neck to my ear. My entire body shudders, and I guess he thinks I''m enjoying myself because he moans loudly. "Mmhmm," I murmur, continuing to grind against him.


    "Well, let''s just see how rough you can handle it, because I like when you whores fight back." Throwing me on the floor, heughs darkly.


    I look up at him, a fake smile on my face as I watch him unfasten his belt while I spread out my hands and search the darkness for my weapon.


    He leers at my open thighs, focused on my panties rather than what my hands are doing. "You really are a dirty little whore, Guiseppina."


    "I never said I wasn''t," I purr as my fingertips creep over the cold tile floor, and a genuine smile spreads over my face at the same time Viktor pulls his dick out of his pants.


    He leers at me. "Oh, you want this?"


    "Yes." I lick my lips and he drops to his knees. Men like him will always have the same weakness-underestimating women like me.


    He leans over me, nudging my legs apart and sliding a hand between my thighs. "I hope you bite and scratch, little whore."


    "Oh, I sure do." With a feral grin, I plunge the knife into his side, right below his left armpit. His face twists with agony. He roars, flopping onto his side and allowing me to scrabble out from under him. I dive for the door while he''s still immobilized.


    My hands are no longer shaking as I pull back the bolts. Who does that sick fuck think he is, thinking he can take me to Russia and make me his fucking bride? I am Joey fucking Moretti.


    Jerking the door open, I fall out into arge parking lot. The bright sunlight shines directly in my eyes, making me shield my face from the re, and I barrel directly into a broad chest.

 88

    MAX


    She runs straight into me like a gift from the fucking heavens.


    I pull her close, wrapping my arms tight around her. "Baby girl, I got you." I breathe out a sigh full of relief, my lips pressed against her hair as she buries her face into my chest. "M-Max," she gasps, her heart hammering against my chest.


    Dante steps toward the open doorway, gun drawn.


    "He''s at the bottom of the stairs," Joey says. "He''s injured and I don''t think he''s armed. But be careful."


    A smile creeps over her brother''s face as he looks through the open doorway and puts his gun back in the waistband of his pants. "You did this, kid?" he asks proudly. "Of course," she sniffs.


    The sunlight illuminates Viktor Pushkin as he pushes himself to his knees, a kitchen knife sticking out of his side. He goes to pull it out, but Dante stops him, dragging him to his feet and pinning his arms behind his back. If Viktor pulls that knife out now, he''ll likely bleed to death on the way home. That would be a death far more merciful than he deserves. Dante pushes him into the parking lot, and Viktor blinks at the bright re of the sun, screaming Russian curses. Joey takes a deep breath and wrenches herself from my arms. Before I can pull her back, sheunches herself at Viktor, raking her nails down his face. "You evil, disgusting piece of shit!"


    Dante holds onto him, keeping his arms firmly behind his back.


    "Let him go so I can kick his ass," she rages. "Let him fucking go."


    Her brother shakes his head. "Calm down, kid."


    She turns her wrath on him. "Don''t fucking tell me to calm down. Let him the fuck go and let me kill him, Dante."


    Dante shoots me a look and I step in, wrapping my arms around her. Fury pulses through her body and she kicks out, still trying to get to him.


    I hug her tighter. "You can kill himter, Joey."


    She snarls, wrestling to free herself from my arms.


    I press my mouth against her ear. "Slowly. Painfully. But right now, we need to get out of here."


    Immediately she stops struggling, appeased by my promise.


    Danteughs as he secures Viktor''s hands. "Yeah, you can kill himter, kid." He shoves a rag soaked with fast-acting sedative into the prisoner''s mouth. Within seconds, Viktor slumps over.


    Only when he passes out do I let her go, allowing her to walk away from me. I want to carry her out of here, take her to some faraway fortress where nobody will even get to look at my Mafia princess ever again. With a sigh, I shake my head. That will never happen. She''s Joey Moretti, the most stubborn woman I''ve ever met.


    Dante and I haul Viktor into the trunk, and we''re about to climb into the car when Joey speaks, hands on her hips. "You know it''s about time you all started treating the women in this family with some fucking respect."


    Dante has his hand on the car door, holding it open, and I see the instant shift in his mood. "Get in the car."


    "If you''d just told me about your little scheme, I could have been prepared. Maybe I would''ve ..."


    "Get in the fucking car, Joey."


    She folds her arms over her chest. "Not until you admit that you treat me like an idiot just because I''m a girl. You know I''m right. If you''d told me about the stupid pact between Pushkin and our father, this all could have been prevented." Tension ripples through the parking lot like the aftershock of an earthquake. Joey keeps ring at Dante with her arms folded. His hand stays on the door handle.


    I glower at him. Just get in the car, D.


    He doesn''t. He shuts the door with a soft, deliberate click and turns to face her. "You were eighteen years old."


    "I deserved to know. You had no right to keep that from me."


    "We did what we had to do," he insists.


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    "No, you did what was easy for you. Anything to avoid dealing with the fact that I might have an opinion about my own fucking life."


    "You were just a kid," he says, the vein in his temple throbbing.


    "I wasn''t a kid! And you had no right to make decisions about my life without consulting me."


    He scoffs. "Like you would have listened to anything Lorenzo or I had to say?"


    "You didn''t give me a fucking choice," she shrieks.


    "We gave you plenty of chances to prove you could be trusted, Joey, and you threw every single one back in our faces."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Bullshit!"


    "You constantly whined and pouted because your mean big brothers wouldn''t let you do whatever the fuck you wanted. But how many times did Max have to haul your ass home after you snuck out to some party? How many fucking times did I have to clean you up after you got wasted on vodka and weed?"


    She balls her hands into fists, clenching them at her sides as she rocks on the balls of her feet. "I had to do those things because the two of you would never let me out of the goddamn house."


    "Because our own fucking father wanted to marry you off to a Russian psychopath, Joey," he screams at her.


    "And you should have fucking told me," she yells louder, and I run a hand over my face. This argument has been a long timeing, but I wish they were having it elsewhere. "You should have consulted me."


    "I couldn''t consult you Joey, you were ..."


    "I was what?"


    His jaw ticks. He shakes his head. "Get in the car."


    "I was what, Dante?" she demands. "At least be man enough to say it to my face."


    Don''t say it, D.


    "You were a spoiled little bitch!" he snaps.


    She steps back as though he pped her in the face. Looking devastated, he scrubs a hand over his face and sighs.


    "That''s why you sent me away? Not to protect me, but to make your life easier?" The pain in her voice makes my chest ache.


    "No, Joey. We sent you away to protect you," he insists.


    "Don''t fucking lie to me. No more lies. I''m sick of them," she screeches.


    All I can do is stand back and let her vent some of the rage she''s bottled up inside for years. She has so much pent-up frustration inside her, and it has toe out sometime. I tried to fuck it all out of her, but I obviously missed some. Dante steps forward. "It''s the truth, Guiseppina."


    "No, it''s bullshit! You sent me away because it was easier for you all. Admit it, Dante. You wanted me out of your hair."


    "Why would I want that, Joey? You''re my kid sister."


    "You just said I was a spoiled little bitch."


    "You were, but that''s not ..."


    My girl doesn''t let him finish what he''s saying. Instead, she pulls back her arm and punches him in the jaw. Gaping at her, he staggers back.


    He rubs a hand over his chin and res at her, and fuck me if she doesn''t gear up to clock him again.


    Looks like it''s time to step in. He''d never hit her, but he might defend himself if she punches him again, and if he touches her-well, then he and I woulde to blows. I grab hold of her, and sheshes out at me too, but this time there''s no getting away from me. I carry her around to the other side of the car, locking my arms around her like a cage when I set her down.


    Her eyes shoot daggers at me. "I hate you all."


    "I know, baby girl. Now get in the damn car."

 89

    MAX


    As soon as we''re all safely in the car, I call Lorenzo.


    "Yeah?" he barks.


    "We got her, Loz. She''s okay. We''re on our way home."


    I hear the deep sigh of relief. "Thank fuck. And she''s okay?"


    "Yes."


    "And Viktor?"


    "He''s in the trunk. Sedated."


    "I''ll make sure to get a room ready for him."


    "Yeah, do that. And Kat might need to stitch him up a little." We don''t want the piece of shit to die before we can kill him.


    "I''ll let her know. Get her home soon."


    He ends the call, and I sit back against my seat, casting nces at Joey every few seconds to make sure she''s okay.


    We''ve been driving for a few minutes when she speaks. I guess the adrenaline seeping out of her body is allowing her some space to think. She sits in the back seat with me, as far away from me as possible. Although I''m burning to touch her, I give her the space she needs.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Is Ash ...?"


    "He''s fine. He''ll be in hospital for a few days, but he''ll be okay."


    "Oh, that''s good," she says with a sigh and sinks back against the seat.


    "Henry didn''t make it though, baby."


    She stares at me, eyes brimming with tears. "Henry? No." She shakes her head.


    "I''m sorry."


    She sobs quietly, and I stare out of the window because her bodynguage screams do not touch me, and I''m not getting into a fight with her right now and definitely not in the back of her brother''s car. "What happened to him?"


    "Viktor slit his throat."


    She wipes the tears from her cheeks and nces back at the trunk where Viktor currently lies, sedated. "Evil fuck," she mutters.


    ***


    Joey barely speaks for the rest of the journey home, and as soon as we arrive at the mansion, she jumps out of the car and runs to Kat and Anya who stand in the driveway with Lorenzo, awaiting our return.


    "Joey!" Kat throws her arms around her, hugging her tight. My girl clings to her, sagging against her sister-inw, finally showing vulnerability. Anya hugs her too, and the three women stand in the driveway embracing. Tears are shed, but no words are needed.


    When they pull apart, Lorenzo tugs his sister away and kisses her head. "Are you okay?"


    "Yeah." She nods.


    "Let me deal with this sack of shit." He nods at Viktor as Dante and I take him from the trunk.


    "No. I want to," Joey insists. "I need to, Lorenzo."


    He nods his understanding. "Of course, but it''ste. Everyone''s tired, and he''s not going anywhere."


    "Kat can stitch up that knife wound. Then we leave him chained in the basement tonight and we can handle him tomorrow," Dante adds.


    Joey opens her mouth to argue but sways on her feet. Kat wraps an arm around her. "Your brothers are right. You need to rest right now, and then tomorrow you can decide what to do."


    Joey looks at her eldest brother. "You won''t do anything without me, will you?"


    "No. I swear."


    She nces at me. She''s barely spoken a word to me since she told me she hates me.


    "Let him wake up alone and cold and wondering when someone ising for him and how he''s going to die," I suggest. "Okay," she finally agrees.


    JOEY


    My heart is racing, and my stomach is a twisted knot of emotion as I walk inside my bedroom. Max follows behind me and closes the door. The click of the lock makes my breath hitch in my throat. I told him that I hate him. I punched Dante. And all they did wase to rescue me.


    The tension in the room is thick enough to taste. My skin bristles, sensing his closeness as he draws near. He steps up behind me, his warm breath tickling my neck, and a shudder runs the length of my entire body.


    "So you hate me, baby girl?" he says, his voice is low and full of danger, and it makes my knees tremble. Max presses his lips against the shell of my ear, and my flesh breaks out with spontaneous goosebumps. "Or do you want to take that back?"


    Of course I don''t hate him. But I''m still beyond fucking angry. Pissed off at everyone. At him and my brothers. Monique. But mostly, my incandescent rage is directed at the Russian sack of elephant shit who thought he could force me to be his wife. His thing.


    Turning around, I look up at Max as he towers over me. "I hate when you don''t trust me enough to tell me the truth. Like I''m some sort of idiot who would fall to pieces if I had to deal with reality."


    His eyes ze into mine and the heat that surrounds me does nothing to stop the tremors rippling through my body. Tucking my hair behind my ear, his fingertips graze my skin and make me shiver. "I''ll never keep the truth from you again." Tears prick at my eyes. That was thest thing I expected him to say. "You promise?"


    "I promise."


    He dips his head low, dusting his lips over my neck. "I love you so fucking much, Joey."


    I close my eyes, trying to savor the moment with him because this is all I dreamed about when I worried that I''d never have it again. But all I can think about is Viktor. His hands on me. His smell. His kiss. His vile little cock. Bile surges up from my empty stomach and I reel backward, but Max puts his hands on my hips, holding me steady.


    "I-I''m filthy. I need to..." I look down at my dirty clothes and my scraped knees.


    "Of course. I''ll run you a bath." Dropping a soft kiss on the top of my head, he turns and disappears into the bathroom.


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, I listen to the water gurgle out of the pipes and think about Mo. How could she betray me for a man she meant nothing to?


    My thoughts shift to him-alone in our basement-and all the ways I''m going to make him pay for taking me. For killing Henry and hurting Ash. For making my family worry. For making Max look at me like I''m broken.


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    "Tub''s ready." Max''s deep voice cuts across the room, snapping me from my thoughts.


    With an absent-minded nod, I stand and peel off my clothes. I leave them in a pile on my bedroom floor. Max steps back from the bathtub and doesn''t even try to touch my naked body. I fight back tears as I step inside the tub. The water is hot and bubbly and soothing, but all I want to do is curl into a ball and bawl. Why do I feel this messed up?


    It''s only when I lie back that I notice Max getting undressed. I watch him strip off his clothes, revealing his toned muscles and beautiful ink, and I relish the sight of his glorious naked form.


    Noticing that I''m watching him, he frowns. "I can take a shower if you''d prefer?"


    "Would you prefer?"


    With narrowed eyes, he wastes no time climbing into the steamy water that sloshes over the sides as he positions himself behind me. Wrapping his huge arms around my waist, he pulls me close. "I let the hating mement go, Joey, but don''t push it," he growls, and the sound rumbles through my back.


    I lean against him and rest my head on his solid chest. "I punched Dante in the mouth."


    "He deserved it."


    That makes meugh, but I still owe my brother an apology.


    Max runs a washcloth over my legs, gently cleaning my scraped knees. "Did he hurt you, baby?"


    "No."


    "Did he touch you?"


    Would it matter if he had? Would that make you see me differently, Max? I don''t voice those thoughts though. "He kissed me."


    His entire body tenses. "Where?"


    "On the mouth."


    Max grips my jaw, tilts my head back, and seals his lips over mine, sliding his tongue into my mouth and kissing me so deeply that wetness pools between my thighs. He pulls back, his dark eyes zing. "Where else did he touch you, baby?" "Nowhere else, Max. You don''t have to worry."


    I swear the thunderous sound he makes is like nothing I''ve ever heard before in my life. He lifts me, spinning me around until I straddle his hips. "You think I''m worried about me?" I avoid his gaze, but he grabs my jaw again and forces me to look at him. "Do you?"


    "I just meant... you''re still the only one."


    "It would break my fucking heart if he hurt you, baby girl. But not because of that. Not for a second because of that."


    Reading the tender look in his dark eyes, I believe him.


    "Did he touch you anywhere else?" he asks again.


    "No. He tried when I was escaping, but before that... He said I wasn''t intact. He was going to make me have an operation to have my hymen reced before he-"


    "Sick fucking fuck," he mutters.


    Wanting to forget about Viktor, I wrap my arms around Max''s neck. "I don''t hate you, Max."


    "You don''t, huh?"


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    "I should turn your ass a pretty shade of red for saying it though."


    "Probably." I chew on my lip. "So why don''t you?"


    "I can find plenty of things to punish you for any time I want, baby girl. Tonight, I just want to take care of you."


    I grin at him. "You want to take care of me?"


    He brushes his lips over my corbone. "Whatever you want. Whatever you need."


    "I want you to touch me like I''m not broken. Max."


    He blinks at me. "You think that I think you''re broken?"


    I swallow the ball of emotion that jumps into my throat. "You''re looking at me differently."


    "Because I almost fucking lost you, Joey. I was too focused on looking elsewhere when I should have been focused on you. You are the only thing that matters. If anything had happened to you, that would''ve been on me. If he''d hurt you ..." "It would be on him."


    "If I''m looking at you differently, it''s because I''m thanking whatever god or devil I prayed to today that brought you back to me. Maybe I''m looking at you differently because I''m scared you''ll realize that I let you down and that I don''t deserve you."


    "You didn''t let me down, Max. You never could."


    "I never will again." He pulls me closer, and my pussy nudges his stiff cock. "But don''t think I''m giving up any control here, Joey. I still know what you need. I still know exactly what''s going on in that head of yours." "And what''s that?" I ask as I rub myself over his cock, trying to distract him.


    "You''re scared because Pushkin got to you. It makes you feel vulnerable and you hate that. You feel betrayed by Monique and naive for trusting her the way you did, even though none of us saw what she was doing. And despite what she did, you''re sad she''s dead, and that confuses the hell out of you. You''re ming yourself for Henry and Ash, even though logically you know it''s not your fault. You''re still full of anger and you feel justified in the things you said to your brother today, but you also feel guilty for saying them."


    "Wow! That''s quite the summary," I snap, irritated that he was able to verbalize what I feel better than I could have.


    "I''m not quite done."


    "No?" I tip my chin up, daring him to go on.


    "You''re still pissed at me too, even though you won''t admit it. But you''re also wondering whether you can use sex to distract yourself from all the things you don''t want to feel."


    I stop grinding against him. Asshole. "You think?"


    He grabs my hips, dragging me over his stiff cock. My core contracts with need. "I know it, baby girl. And you know, I could use a distraction too."


    I bite on my lip as I stare at his handsome face, etched with anger and guilt. Maybe this is exactly what we both need.


    "And I know you''ve had a rough couple of days, but I hope you know that doesn''t mean I''m taking it easy on you. Because you''re mine, Joey. I own you and I always will. Never forget that."


    "Show me."


    His eyes narrow as his fingers dig into the soft flesh of my hips. Then he shifts his hips, lifting me up at the same time. His cock nudges my entrance, and, without any further warning, he pulls me down, mming into me. My toes curl, shockwaves of pleasure surging through my body. This man knows exactly what I need when I need it. But he''s wrong if he thinks I''m incapable of taking control.

 90

    MAX


    Soft fingertips trail along my forearms and I shift in my sleep, stuck in the space between dreaming and waking. The ce where anything is possible.


    The sound of the cuffs snapping around my wrists jolts me back to reality. Opening my eyes, I sigh with relief when I see Joey straddling me, her long dark curls cascading over her shoulders and a wicked grin on her face. "Morning," she purrs seductively.


    I try to pull my arms from above my head, and the cuffs ng against the metal bed frame. Little brat cuffed me to the damn bed. "What are you doing, baby girl?"


    "You think you''re the only one in control here, Max?"


    "Take these cuffs off me and we''ll see who''s in control."


    "Oh, Maximo." She tuts, raking her fingernails down my chest as she rolls her hot, wet pussy over my hard cock. "You can give it, tough guy, but you can''t take it. Is that it?"


    "I can take whatever it is you have to offer."


    "You sure about that?"


    "One hundred percent." My eyes roam over her delectable body. Apart from a few scratches on her knees, there''s no outward sign of yesterday, but the psychological scars will affect her much deeper than any physical wound. That sick fuck kidnapped her and tied her up. He was going to take her to Russia and force her to marry him. She stabbed him and got away, all on her own. I''m beyond fucking proud of her for that. But what if he''d gotten up ande after her again? What if we hadn''t got there when we did-


    I close my eyes and focus on taking deep breaths. Pushkin is in the basement, and I''ll have my time with him soon enough. But first, my girl clearly has some control issues she needs to work out.


    "Do you trust me, Max?" she breathes, probably mistaking my deep breaths and the scowl on my face for unease over her having me in cuffs.


    I open my eyes. "Yes."


    Raking her eyes down my body and licking her lips, she hums with pleasure. Her pussy is already wet as she moves over me, and I fucking love how hot she is for me. Her fingertips graze my abdomen and she scoots back, running the pad of her pointer finger over the crown of my dick and collecting the drops of glistening precum. She ces that same finger into her mouth, her eyes darkening and her eyshes fluttering as she sucks it clean. "You taste so damn good, baby," she says with a softugh.


    "Wrap your lips around me and I''ll taste even better," I groan, rocking my hips upward, rubbing my piercings over her clit and making her moan. "You like that?"


    Her eyes return to mine and she bites her lip. "Not as much as you do," she says. "And I''m going to make you beg for my pussy."


    Holy fuck, this woman is going to be the death of me. "You think?"


    "I know, tough guy." She rocks her hips, coating my shaft with her slick heat and grinding her sensitive pussy on me. I shift my hips, trying to slip inside her, but she pulls back, giggling.


    "Take my cock, baby girl," I order. She drops her hips lower again, until I feel her wet heat on my skin. My cock throbs with the desperate need to be inside her. "Pussy or your mouth, I don''t care as long as I''m inside you."


    Sheughs and scoots back farther, dropping her head and running her soft, wet tongue the length of my shaft, flicking the tip over each of my piercings before focusing on the one in the crown. She licks it softly, coaxing the barbell to the very edge of my skin and sending jolts of hot, searing pleasure through me.


    "Fuck, Joey," I growl, pulling on the cuffs and rattling the bed frame.


    She looks up at me with a wicked smile on her face. "Who owns you, Max?"


    "You do, baby," I groan. "Let me get my cock in you."


    "Not until you beg, tough guy."


    "Please?" I drive my hips upward, trying to get inside her.


    She sits back up, settling her beautiful pussy directly over my length. "That really doesn''t sound like begging to me."


    "Joey," I order. "Sit the fuck on my cock. Right now, baby."


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    "Beg me, Max," she moans, her head tipped back as she rubs herself over me. "Because I can get off just as easily like this."


    Fuck me, she could too. "But how much better would it be with my cock stretching your tight cunt?"


    She bites her lip, her skin flushed. She''s every bit as desperate for me as I am for her, but she continues to hold out on me. "You tell me, Max. How good would it feel to slide that huge cock inside me? Fill me up until my soaking wet pussy is wrapped tight around you?"


    My chest heaves with the effort of keeping my hands off her. I need to be inside her more than I need my next breath. "Please, Joey." Now I beg. "Please ride me, baby girl."


    "You want this?" She maneuvers herself until my cock presses at her entrance.


    "You know I do." I drive my hips up, but she''s ready for me. Pulling away, sheughs wickedly like my spoiled little brat.


    But now I''m frantic for her and I can''t keep this up much longer. "I''m going to tear this fucking bed in half if you don''t sit on my cock, Joey."


    Her narrowed eyes question whether I''m capable of carrying out my threat, but she knows without a doubt that I am. She holds my gaze and slides down, taking every inch of me, every single piercing until I''m balls deep inside her. The relief that washes over me almost makes me pass out. Her pussy squeezes me tight, shooting pleasure through every nerve in my body. My thighs and my balls are on fire, burning with the need toe inside her even as I try to hold off and enjoy this.


    "Holy fuck, Max," she whimpers as her arousal slicks my cock.


    "I know, baby girl. You feel so fucking good."


    She rocks her hips back and forth, using my cock to stimte her G-spot over and over again. We both teeter close to the edge. Her eyelids flutter, her mouth open, jaw ck as she chases her climax. And when shees, she milks my cock with her ravenous cunt, drawing every drop of cum and pleasure from me as I empty myself inside her with a roar of her name.


    While she struggles to catch her breath, she looks down at me, cheeks flushed from her release and her tits shuddering with each heavy breath.


    "Come here," I demand, and in herpliant, post-orgasmic state, she leans forward, thinking I''m going to kiss her. Quickly lifting my head, I suck one nipple into my mouth before she can move away.


    "Oh, Max," she whimpers as I release it with a wet pop and rest my head back on the pillow.


    "You done?" I arch an eyebrow at her.


    "Yeah," she pants, her hands nted on my chest. "Let me find those keys."


    With a grin, I pop the lock on the cuffs with ease.


    Her eyes widen. "W-what? How-?"


    I flip her onto her back before she can finish her question, nestling myself between her thighs. Her tits jiggle against my chest as she sucks in air.


    "You ever need me to give up a little control, all you have to do is ask. Okay?"


    She blinks at me, her eyes wet with tears. "Okay."


    "Because you fucking own me too, Joey. Every single part of me. I am and always will be all yours, baby girl."


    "Fuck, Max," she breathes.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "But"-I re at her-"if you ever cuff me in my sleep again, I will make you regret it in so many ways."


    Not saying anything, she chews on her lip.


    "You think that''s a challenge, baby?" I press my already-hard cock against her pussy.


    "Maybe."


    I sink myself balls deep into her tight, wet cunt until her back arches. Throwing her head back, she gives me ess to her neck, and I drag my teeth up the sweet column of her throat until I reach her ear. "Just try me."

 91

    JOEY


    Max''s hand rests on the small of my back as we walk into Dante''s study, where we find him and Lorenzo deep in conversation.


    "He''s tough as fuck," Lorenzo says with a pleased nod that makes me think they''re talking about Ash.


    "Is Ash okay?" I ask.


    "He''ll be out of action for a few weeks, but yeah, he''s going to be fine," my oldest brother confirms.


    "Nothing a long vacation and some sunshine won''t fix," Dante adds. "But how are you, kid?" He holds his arms wide open, inviting me in for a hug.


    I step into his embrace. "I''m good, thanks."


    He hums his approval.


    "I''m sorry I punched you in the face," I whisper.


    "Don''t be." Stepping back, he runs two fingers over the cut on his lip and winks at me. "I deserved it. And I''m sorry about what I said."


    I shrug. "I guess it was true." I was a bitch back then, but I hope both he and Lorenzo see how much I''ve changed.


    "No," he says with a shake of his head. "You were never a bitch, Joey. Just a survivor."


    Lorenzo wraps an arm around my shoulders and nts a brief peck on my cheek. "D says your right hook is something to be proud of."


    Danteughs. "Those lessons with Toni are paying off."


    "Hey, I taught her how to throw a right hook," Max interjects.


    "He sure did." I smile over at him. "It was lesson number one."


    "Well, you did a damn good job teaching her,pagno," Dante replies, and my face flushes pink with pride.


    "She''s a fucking powerhouse," Max says matter-of-factly, and my cheeks me brighter.


    "Are you going to let me deal with Viktor then?" I ask, deflecting their attention.


    "Not alone," Max says, and my brothers nod their agreement.


    "Maybe you and Max can handle him, if that''s what you want. But you don''t have to. Nobody would think any less of you if you let us deal with this. We all have plenty of blood on our hands already. There''s no need for you to get yours dirty too," Lorenzo adds.


    "I need to do this, Loz. And I''m not scared of a little blood or doing what needs to be done. I''d have killed him in that house given half the chance."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    My oldest brother gives me a subtle nod of approval. "Of course you would''ve, because you''re a Moretti to the core, Joey."


    Having their endorsement makes me feel invincible. As though they finally see me as a woman and a true member of this family rather than a little girl who needs protection.


    ***


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    Standing outside the room where Viktor''s being held, Max asks me if I''m okay.


    I''ve always hated the basement and the way it smells of damp and decay and death. But I guess I''ve changed more than I thought because right now all I can think about is getting inside that room and making Viktor Pushkin pay for everything he did to me. Everything he did to my family, to Henry and Ash-even to Monique.


    I nod and lick my lips, tasting blood in the air like a snake senses its prey. I will never be anyone''s prey ever again. I am Joey Moretti, hear me fucking roar. Adrenaline thunders through me as Max draws back the deadbolt. Reaching in, he flicks on the light before we step inside. A single bulb hangs from the ceiling in the center of the room, illuminating the cold concrete cell that''s empty except for the Russian chained to the floor.


    Viktor pushes himself to his knees, groaning and blinking in the bright light as his eyes adjust after hours and hours of nothing but pitch-ck darkness.


    Upon hearing us enter the room, he begins cursing in Russian, spitting words full of hatred and venom.


    "Now, is that any way to speak in front of ady?" Max says.


    "She is nody," Viktor says with a snarl, spitting at my feet. "Filthy whore."


    I roll my eyes. Yeah, I''m such a filthy whore he wanted me for himself. But Max does not appreciate his outburst and he kicks Viktor full force in the stomach, causing him to double over. He groans loudly, his forehead resting on the cold concrete floor for a few seconds before he grunts and pushes himself back up. He res at Max, his eyes bulging in their sockets and every vein in his neck tightening as he tugs at his restraints.


    "You ever call her that again and I will cut out your fucking tongue. And the only reason I''m not doing it right now is because I want to hear you beg my girl for mercy when she carves you open," Max says with a satisfied smirk. Then he hands me the hunting knife from his pocket. "He''s all yours, baby."


    My hand trembles as I take the knife from him, but his fingertips brush mine and his touch grounds me. He winks. You got this, he mouths.


    My hand closes around the handle of the de, and my heart thumps wildly as I step closer to Viktor. "Hey, asshole."


    He lifts his head, pulling on his chains and foaming at the mouth. "Silly little girl." Heughs loudly, showing his teeth, stained with fresh blood.


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    "Maybe I am, but you''re the one chained up in my basement, fuckface."


    "Chained!" he yells, pulling them taut. "You wouldn''t dare challenge me if I was not in chains. Pathetic." He spits again and a blob of bloody salivands on my shoe. I feel the tension in Max even from here, but he stands back and lets me handle it, and I love him even more for it.


    I circle him slowly, looking for the ces he''s already injured so I can use them to my advantage. "Maybe you''re right about that," I admit. "Although I did beat you yesterday, didn''t I?" His face turns purple with rage. "But I guess I wouldn''t stand a chance against a big guy like you if you weren''t chained to this floor." I already know about the knife wound beneath his left arm that I gave him, and I recognize my sister-inw''s neat stitches. I note therge purple bruises over his kidneys. The deep gash on his shoulder and theceration to his left ear. My brothers really were gentle with him before they tossed him down here and left him for me to deal with.


    Ie full circle until I''m standing in front of him again. "But you are chained to my floor." Smiling, I slice off his left ear and toss it onto the floor at his feet. He doesn''t scream or yell. Instead he mps his lips together, breathing heavily and trying to hold all the pain inside him.


    "And I seem to remember you needing to keep me tied up. Pathetic little girl that I am," I say with a shrug.


    "Bitch," he eventually spits. "You were promised to me."


    Max growls loudly from behind me, but I remain focused on Viktor. "But I was never my father''s to give away," I remind him, slicing through the middle of his left nipple and causing fresh blood to run down his chest.


    He cries out, but the sound doesn''t affect me. I thought it would, but it doesn''t even make me flicker. I think about Monique and how he manipted her. How scared my family and Max must have been when this piece of shit took me. Ash in the hospital. And Henry who will never get to take his own revenge. It all bubbles inside me like a tiny volcano of rage. I force the knife into the freshly stitched wound beneath his armpit, and this time he screams. "That was for Ash, you asshole."


    He lunges for me, but his chains hold him back. Max warned me about this, about how adrenaline and survival instinct kick in and can give someone an unexpected burst of energy. Asshole had thating. Then I picture Henry''s face. Grumpy but sweeter than sugar. Henry who was killed just because he was protecting me.


    "And this"-I plunge the knife into Viktor''s chest-"is for Henry, you twisted sick fuck."


    He roars with anger and pain and defeat, and I take a few steps back, bumping into Max. He wraps his arms around me, and I realize I''m trembling.


    "You''re doing so good, baby," he says against my ear. "But this man has been trained to endure physical pain. I''ve got a much better way to hurt him. You think you''re up for it?"


    I stare at the monster on the floor. "Yes."

 92

    MAX


    "My girl is really something, huh?" I ask Viktor as he lifts his head again, his eyes narrowed. Blood pours from the wounds in his chest and the wound on his head where his ear used to be.


    He spits blood onto the floor. "She was promised to me." I have to admit it, the guy has balls the size of boulders and he can handle pain better than most of the men I''ve tortured. "That makes her mine."


    I grab hold of his hair, tipping his head back. "Yours? You really think so?"


    "Mine!" he snaps, his body shaking as he tries to wrench out of my grip and jerks against the chains that bind him.


    "No, Viktor." Walking over to my girl, I grab her by the hips and yank her toward me. "She is mine. All fucking mine." My cock is already semihard from watching Joey using that knife on Viktor, but at the feel of her body brushing against me, it stiffens like an iron bar. "Every fucking inch of her. Isn''t that right, baby girl?"


    "Yes. All yours, Max," she says sweetly, throwing our captive a wicked grin.


    He curses in Russian while I ce my hand beneath her dress and slide it into her panties, making her eyes darken with heat. "Every." I force my hand further into her underwear. "Fucking." I pinch her clit between my fingers, and she moans loudly. "Bit of her."


    "Oh, fuck, Max," she hisses, grinding herself on my fingers.


    I push her back against the wall and drop to my knees, tugging her dress up and pulling her panties off before I stuff them into my pocket. Satisfied that my back obscures Viktor''s view of her, I spread her thighs wider and brush my lips over her waxed mound. She smells so fucking good. So ready for me. Always ready for me. Viktor curses in Russian again and spits my name as though it''s poison.


    I slip two fingers between her folds, smiling when I find her dripping for me. Using the pads of my thumbs, I part her wet lips, exposing the swollen bud of sensitive flesh. Her scent is thick in the small windowless room, and I wonder if Viktor can smell her. I certainly fucking hope he can. I want him to know exactly what he''s missing before he dies.


    Viktor''s chains rattle as he struggles to free himself, but all my attention is on my girl. "Hey, Viktor, you''re about to get to watch while I eat what''s mine."


    "I need you, Max," Joey groans.


    She threads her fingers through my hair, pulling my face closer until she can get my mouth where she wants me. My naughty little slut.


    "I know, baby." I flick her clit with my tongue and her legs tremble. "Shall we show Viktor how hard my girl cane for me?"


    "Fuck, yeah." She grinds that beautiful pussy on my mouth, but I can''t get enough of her like this. I need to spread her wider. "Hold on to me, baby girl, I''m gonna lift you up, okay?"


    "Uh-huh," she pants.


    I grab her hips and lift her until she''s seated on my shoulders with her back pressed against the wall.


    Much fucking better. I suck on her sweet, swollen flesh and her cum coats my lips and tongue, making my cock throb. "You taste fucking incredible, baby." "You''re so good at that, Max," she moans. "So good."


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    I murmur against her skin, letting her taste and scent flood my senses as I eat her sweet pussy. I could do this every minute of every day and never get enough of her.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Holy fu-oh!" she cries,ing all over my tongue. She pulls at my hair and gyrates on my face, rubbing out thest of her orgasm. But it''s not enough. I''m desperate for her. I lower her to the floor and stand up, pulling my cock out of my sweatpants.


    Viktor shouts obscenities, but I tune him out. This might have been about him a few minutes ago-about showing him what he''ll never have and teaching him a lesson for daring to touch what belongs to me-but now it''s only about her and the burning need to be inside her.


    "Fuck me, Max," she pleads.


    I wrap her legs around my waist and sink inside her, giving her every single inch. Her breath hitches and her eyes flutter closed as she squeezes around me, sucking me deeper.


    "Look at me when I''m fucking you, baby," I growl. Her eyes lock on mine and I smile at her. She''s fucking perfect. "That''s my good fucking girl."


    "Yes, Max," she groans, raking her nails down my back. "I''m your good girl."


    "Tell this thick fuck who you belong to, baby," I grunt as I m into her, nailing her against the wall with each thrust.


    "Yours, Max DiMarco. I''m y-yours," she gasps as I roll my hips, rubbing the tip of my cock and my piercing over her G-spot.


    "Damn fucking right you are," I groan as heat sears through my thighs and gut, coiling in my balls as I drive harder ande inside her-hot, heavy, and all-fucking-consuming, I spill every drop I have into her cunt.


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    "Fuck yes, Max," she rocks her hips, chasing her own orgasm as I grind mine into her. I bury my face in her neck, sinking my teeth into her skin and pushing my cock deeper and allowing her to get herself off. When shees a few secondster, her pussy mps around my cock like she''ll never let me go.


    I keep her legs wrapped around me, my face buried in the crook of her neck and my cock deep in her pussy as I catch my breath. My heart beats wildly against hers and she runs her fingers through my hair. I don''t want to pull out of her. I''d much rather carry her out of here like this and go on fucking her for the rest of the day and night, but Viktor needs to die first. The sound of his constant grumbling and cursing is almost drowned out by the blood pounding in my ears. When I can breathe normally, I pull my dick out of her and the rush of cum thates with it makes her blush. I catch some on my fingers and push it back inside her before bringing my fingers to her lips. "Open."


    She parts those juicy pink lips and I slip my cum-soaked fingers inside her mouth. Her tongue swirls over my skin as she cleans up every drop. And when I pull my fingers free, I rece them with my tongue, tasting us both as I kiss her hard. By the time I pull back, she''s panting and her dark eyes are full of fire. I have to look away and remind myself that we have a job to do. I tuck my cock into my pants and pull her dress down so Viktor won''t see her bare pussy. That''s only for me. I grab the knife from the floor. "Are you done with him, baby? You get all you needed?"


    She nces at him, her nose wrinkled in disgust and one hand on her hip. She looks every inch the Mafia princess she was born to be. No, fuck that princess nonsense. She''s a queen-my fucking queen.


    "Yeah. Take care of him for me, would you, baby? Then we can get out of here."


    "My pleasure." I wink. I could drag this out for a few more hours-days even. The old me would have. But the old me didn''t have something much better to do with my time. I walk over to him, grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back again.


    "Pig!" He spits at me.


    "Goodbye, Viktor." I slice his neck from ear to ear and let his head roll back so he can choke on his blood. Just to make sure my girl has no doubt that this piece of shit will never bother her again, I stick the tip of my knife into the wound in his gullet and pull out his tongue until it protrudes through the gaping hole in his neck like a tie.


    When I look at her, she''s watching him twitch while the life drains from his body, her lips stretched in a satisfied smile. Not even a flicker of unease or difort on her beautiful face. That''s my fucking girl.

 93

    JOEY


    I smile as I look at the faces gathered around the dining table. Kristin and her father are still here, and Vito''s almost fully recovered now. Anya sits close to Lorenzo, and he has a protective arm draped around the back of her chair but not on her shoulder. I think she might buckle under the weight of it now. Dante and Kat sit close, constantly touching each other. They''re so sweet together. And then there''s my Max. He sits beside me with his hand resting possessively on my thigh. While everyone is discussing ns for Gabrie''s christening in a few days, Max leans close to me, his lips pressed at my ear and his warm breath sending goosebumps prickling along my forearms. "I forgot to tell you how fucking beautiful you look tonight, baby girl."


    My cheeks flush pink at his praise. I didn''t realize we were havingpany tonight, so I''m dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a tank top. My hair is piled on top of my head in a messy bun and I don''t have a scrap of make up on, but Max makes me feel beautiful no matter what. "Thank you," I whisper.


    His hand slides down my thigh until it settles on my knee, which is a much safer ce for it to be when we''re in this room, but I pout anyway, which makes himugh softly. "My hands will be exactly where you want themter, baby. Promise," he whispers.


    "I''m gonna hold you to that, DiMarco."


    He gives me a soft kiss on the cheek and rejoins the conversation without missing a beat.


    Dmitri and Kyzen are here tonight too, and while they''re not blood, they''ve been here so often the past few weeks, they''ve practically be part of the furniture. Our two families have formed a solid alliance that my brothers seem confident will be good for us all.


    Once dinner is over, Dante abruptly returns the conversation to business. "Pushkin is dealt with?" he asks Dmitri.


    Dmitri gives a solemn nod. "I know you wanted to deal with him yourself, but he was expecting us. He would have killed Kyzen, and I had to take the shot."


    Dante nods his understanding. He would have done the same if it had been Lorenzo.


    "But we have made it clear that he was killed in revenge for the murder of your father and that we took him out as a sign of respect for you."


    "It''s not ideal. I would have preferred to deal with him myself, but we can work with it," Lorenzo replies.


    Kyzen leans forward. "Also, Ivan was killed in Russiast night. My cousin put a bullet in his head. I''ve seen the pictures. He is dead."


    "Then there''s no further challenge to your leadership?" Max asks.


    Dmitri and Kyzen nod.


    "Good. No more Pushkins." Dante smiles and raises his ss of whiskey in a toast that we all join.


    Shifting the conversation, Lorenzo turns to face Max''s uncle. "What''s the n for you and Kristin now?"


    "We thought we might head back to Jersey. Now that there''s no longer a threat from the Pushkins, I don''t see why we can''t go back to our old lives." He looks over at his daughter who nods excitedly. I figure she''s more than keen to get back to her old life and try to find her baby daddy while she''s at it. "We''ll be leaving the day after tomorrow if you don''t mind putting us up until then?"


    "Of course. Any family of Max''s is wee here," Lorenzo says.


    "Thank you for everything you''ve all done for us." Kristin''s eyes shine with unshed tears. "It means so much. And I know it was awful the way we met, but I''m still d that we did."


    "Me too," I agree, and she smiles at me.


    "Especially you, Max. I had no idea I needed a big brother until I found you."


    Maxughs. "Well, you''re not all bad, sis."


    Vito looks down at the table and Kristin puts an arm around him. "It''s okay, Dad. I understand why you did what you did."


    "It''s water under the bridge now, right?" Max adds.


    Vito looks up at his nephew. "You are a more gracious man than I, Maximo," he says as a tear rolls down his cheek. "Your parents would have been very proud of the man you''ve be."


    Max''s grip on my thigh tightens, but he keeps a faint smile on his face. Before the awkwardness bes unbearable, Dante suggests drinks in his study. I go to stand but Max takes my hand and pulls me back down, indicating I should stay in my seat, so I remain at the table and watch everyone else file out of the room. Dante turns and looks at Max and me before he leaves. The look he shares with Max must appease him because he walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Come here, baby girl," Max says as soon as we''re alone, lifting me onto hisp until I''m straddling him.


    "Someone coulde back in here."


    "They won''t," he assures me. "Besides we''re not doing anything wrong."


    I bite my lip but wrap my arms around his neck. His cock is already getting harder. "Hmm. Not yet."


    His eyes narrow as he stares into mine. "Not now, Joey."


    I swallow the hurt that unexpectedly bubbles up at his rejection, but he brushes his fingertips over my cheek before I can voice my annoyance. "I just wanted to check in with you," he says softly.


    I frown at him. "Check in with me? Why?"


    "Because we killed a man today."


    I roll my eyes. More sexist bullshit! I''m about to shuffle off hisp, but he tightens his arms around my waist, holding me in ce. "Just because I''m a g-"


    "No," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Because I fucking love you, Joey. You don''t think I checked in with your brothers the first time they took a life?" "You did?"


    "Of course I fucking did. Dante threw up all over my shoes the first time he killed someone."


    I blink at him. "He did?"


    "Yeah. Had to throw them away and the fucker still hasn''t reced them sixteen yearster."


    I do that math in my head. Dante was only fifteen when he first killed a man? Sadly, that doesn''t surprise me. The fact that he threw up after certainly does though. He''s like ice when ites to business, but I guess he wasn''t always that way. "I''m sorry, Max. I guess the defensive thing is kind of my default response."


    "Hmm," he murmurs as he presses his forehead against mine. "For the sake of your beautiful ass, I suggest you find another one soon, baby girl, or you''ll be spending a whole lot of your time wincing when you sit down."


    I cannot stop the soft moan that escapes my lips at the mere thought of constant spankings from Max, and it makes himugh. "But you like the sound of that, don''t you?" His deep, velvety tone melts my insides. "Yes," I admit, rocking my hips against him and delighting in the delicious friction caused by the seam of my jeans and his hard cock.


    He runs his nose over my jawline and an animalistic groan rumbles through his chest. "What the fuck am I going to do with you, Joey?"


    I run my fingers though his hair, tugging his head back so I can stare into his dark eyes. "Spank me? Fuck me? Spread me out on this dining table and eat my pussy until I scream? I mean the possibilities are endless." Those dark eyes ze with fire now and I can tell he''s considering all those options right now. But the man has way too much self-control for my liking. "Tell me how you''re doing, baby girl?"


    "I''m okay, Max. I promise," I assure him. I may not have killed a man before, and technically I didn''t today-although that doesn''t make me any less responsible for his death-but I was born and raised a Moretti and this life is in my blood as much as it''s in my brothers''. As much as it''s in Max''s.


    He brushes my hair back from my face. "You sure? Because it''s okay not to be. I''m right here for whatever you need."


    "I know that, but I''m okay. Are you?"


    He frowns at me.


    I arch an eyebrow at him. "I''m allowed to be concerned about you too, aren''t I?"


    "Of course you are." A smile tugs at the corners of his lips.


    "So, are you okay? You need me to do anything to make you feel better?" I whisper.


    "Oh, there are many things, baby," he says with a groan. Standing, he sets me on my feet. "But not right now." Then he gives me a soft kiss on my forehead. "We should join the others before your brotherse in here to check on us." "You''re such a tease." I giggle as we walk out of the room, earning myself a hard smack on my ass. God, I am the happiest girl in the freaking world right now.

 94

    MAX


    "Max? You have a minute?" Dmitri asks me quietly as we head out of Dante and Lorenzo''s study.


    "Sure." I step aside with him while the others disappear down the hallway.


    "I found out who your sister''s boyfriend is."


    "Yeah?"


    "You heard of the Mikhailovs in New York?"


    I nod. d Mikhailov was the second-inmand to Alexie Ivanov. His boss got taken out by the Irish, and despite the rumor that Alexie''s daughter, Jessica, is still alive and should''ve taken over the reins, d stepped up instead. He''s well respected and runs the New York branch of the Bratva much better than his predecessor ever did. His sons are his trusted enforcers, and their reputations as vicious and ruthless men precede them. "Well, Jakob is d''s son."


    "His son?"Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Yes, and apparently he''s been pining for his Italian princess since she left. He''s been trying to find her this whole time, but he didn''t know about Vito''s connection to Chicago, so he hasn''t looked in this direction." "Wow. Seems like our alliance with the Bratva keeps getting stronger, eh?"


    "Seems like," he says with a smile. "And while Jakob''s enemies might describe him as an ..." He rubs his jaw, searching for the right word.


    "Animal?" I offer.


    Chuckling, he nods. "But my sources tell me he''s respected among his peers. Both he and his brothers even managed an alliance with the Irish, and we know that would not be easy."


    "The Irish who took out their father''s former boss and allowed him to step into the role," I remind him.


    "Yeah, but they''re also the same men who married the true Bratva heir, Jessica Ivanov, although she goes by Jessie Ryan now. They do their best to keep her identity a secret and have every reason to cut all ties with the Mikhailovs, but they haven''t."


    "They''re all married to her?"


    He nods. "It''s aplicated setup."


    "Sounds it."


    "If nothing else, a friend of the Ryans is a good ally to have, Maximo. They own half of New York."


    "You''re suggesting I use my sister to make connections in New York?"


    "No." Heughs. "I''m saying that Jakob Mikhailov is a solid guy, despite his reputation, and that there could be much worse families for your sister to be a part of."


    "Noted. And thanks, Dmitri."


    "You''re wee, my friend."


    ***


    Staring at the ceiling, I hold Joey in my arms. Her leg drapes over my stomach, her sweet pussy resting on my hip. This is my favorite position in the whole world. Well, almost-having her bent over while I''m balls deep inside her is probably my all-time favorite. But thises in a pretty close second. Freshly fucked and sleepy, snuggling into me like I''m her personal pillow.


    I grab her chin and angle her head up so I can look at her. "I need to talk to you about something, baby."


    That cute little spot between her eyebrows pinches together with a confused frown. "What is it?"


    "I love being here with you and I know that this is where we needed to be, but now that Kristin is heading back home and things are a lot more settled..." "Yeah?"


    "I have a perfectly safe and functional apartment in the city. I know we have Gabrie''s christening in a few days, but after that, I want to go home."


    She blinks a few times. "Oh, I see," she whispers. "I can stay over though, right?"


    Shaking my head, Iugh softly. "No, baby girl. I''m not leaving here without you."


    Her frown deepens.


    "You think I could bear to spend even a single night away from this beautiful body?" I skim my hand over her perfect ass to emphasize my point. "I want you toe with me."


    She pushes herself up, resting her forearms on my chest. "Like move in with you?"


    "Yes."


    "For real?"


    "Can you think of a better alternative? I can''t be apart from you, but I''m over having to hold back when I fuck you, Joey."


    She arches one eyebrow. "This has been you holding back?"


    I brush her hair back from her face and grin wickedly. "There''s so much I want to do with and to you that I can''t do in your brothers'' house. And it''s not all sex rted, baby. I want to eat breakfast with you-granted, you will be naked, but still. I want to watch TV with you. While you''re naked. Cook dinner with you-"


    "While I''m naked?"


    I wink at her. "You catch on quick, baby girl. But I''m serious about this, I just want to be with you. I want to share every part of my life with you."


    "I want to be with you too, Max. It just seems like such a big step. What if I drive you crazy?"


    "You do drive me crazy," I remind her.


    "True," she says, giggling. "But I will miss Gabs. And Anya and Kat. And even my jackass brothers."


    "I know."


    "Not as much as I''d miss you though."


    Thank fuck for that.


    "Can we visit every day?"


    "Every day," I assure her.


    "But then every night...?" She chews on her bottom lip, fluttering her eyshes and making my cock twitch. "You''re all mine."


    MAX


    "He''s the one who should be nervous, Kristin." My little sister sits in the chair beside me, fidgeting with her clothes.


    "You think?" Sheughs nervously. "What do I say, Max? Oh, hey, I know we haven''t spoken for six months and I just disappeared without a trace, but I''m having your baby."


    I look down at her huge pregnant belly and lift my eyebrows. "I think he''ll figure out thatst part fairly quickly."


    She swats me on the arm. "Stop!"


    "When he gets here, I''ll give you two some privacy, but I''ll be right at the next table if you need me."


    "I won''t need you." She rolls her eyes. "Jakob''s a sweetheart."


    I almost choke on fresh air. That''s definitely not what I''ve heard. But men like him-men like me-can still be good fathers and husbands. I''m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, which is why after Dmitri gave me his name, I contacted him and arranged this meeting.


    Suddenly, Kristin grabs hold of my arm. "It''s him," she whispers. I look up to see a tall, heavyset guy with dark hair and a thick beard walk into the empty restaurant. His two guards hang back by the door, and as soon as his eyes meet hers, I get it. I understand why my sister insisted he would never do anything to hurt her because he looks at her the same way I look at my girl.


    I stand and greet him first. "Jakob?"


    "Maximo?" He holds out his hand and I shake it.


    "I''ll leave you both to talk." I turn to Kristin and give her a soft kiss on the cheek before I whisper, "Say the word and he''s dead."


    "Stop it." Sheughs, pushing me away and looking at Jakob.


    I shake my head and take a seat at a table a few feet away. They stand and look at each other for several seconds.


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    "I''m sorry. My dad... he..." she starts to ramble.


    "I know. They told me," he replies in a thick Russian ent.


    She rubs a hand over her swollen belly.


    "It''s mine?" he asks, and I wince at the hurt on her face. But what else is the guy supposed to say? He hasn''t seen her for six months.


    "Of course he''s yours."


    "He?"


    "It''s a boy, yeah." She looks down at the floor, and I shake my head. Jakob''s blowing this, and I''m going to be forced to p some sense into him if he doesn''t up his game soon.


    He says something in Russian, and the words must mean something to her because she looks up and smiles. And then she''s in his arms and he''s kissing her like there''s no one else in the room.


    Ufortable, I look away, feeling like a voyeur and making a mental note to limit Joey''s and my disys of affection in front of her brothers. Well, I''ll try at least, but it''s too damn hard to keep my hands off her.


    When I look up, they''re still kissing, so I clear my throat to remind them that I''m still here. Fortunately they pull apart and sit down, spending the next hour talking and smiling and staring into each other''s eyes. Even a blind man could see these two are made for each other.


    "Thank you for looking after Kristin and arranging this, Maximo," Jakob says as he gets ready to leave the restaurant.


    "Any time," I assure him.


    He looks back at my little sister. "I''m not leaving here without you both. I''ll be staying in Chicago until you agree toe home with me."


    Kristin blushes to the roots of her hair. "I know. But I have to speak to my father. And you have to meet him. We have lots to organize."


    Jakob nods. "Come to my hotelter. You and your father. We can talk about everything?"


    "Okay. We can do that," she agrees, a huge smile on her face.


    "I''ll be outside in the car." With a nod to them both, I walk away, giving them privacy to say their goodbyes.


    Stepping outside into the sunshine, I smile. I''m d Kristin was right about him. Whatever else he may be, he seems to adore her. That''s all I can ask, not that I have much say in her life given that I''ve only known her for a few weeks. But I guess my rtionship with Joey has taught me that the people we would choose for those we care about aren''t necessarily the people they belong with.


    Kristin climbs into the car a few momentster, a radiant smile lighting up her face.


    Iugh as I start the engine. "That went well then?"


    "Better than well, Max! He wants me and the baby to live with him in New York. He has his own apartment. His brother lives there as well, but the ce is huge and we won''t be in his way, and he''s fine about having a baby there. And Jakob is super excited about the baby too..." She continues to ramble excitedly for the entire ride home, talking about their ns for the future and how happy she is.


    "I''m happy for you, sis."


    "You are?"


    "Of course I am."


    "Did you like him, Max? It means a lot to me that you do."


    It means a lot to me that she cares about my opinion. "I do," I admit. "But I''m going to miss you when you go to New York."


    "I''ll miss you too. But you and Joey wille visit, right? I mean you''ll have toe meet your nephew."


    I grin over at her. "Try and stop us."


    Kristin goes to find her father when we get back to the house, and I shower and change into my suit. It''s Gabrie''s christening day and the house is a flurry of activity. Joey''s busy organizing caterers and balloons for the party afterward, and I head down to the garden to find her.


    "Maximo?" Anya''s soft voice calls as I pass the den.


    "Everything okay?" I ask as I walk toward her. She''s dressed in a soft pink dress with her hair and makeup done, but she still looks so pale and weak that it stops me in my tracks. With everything going on, I haven''t seen much of her these past few weeks, and I regret that. Anya is a woman I deeply admire and respect. Life is too fucking cruel sometimes.


    "I need to ask you a favor," she says with a smile that is still capable of lighting up a room. Slipping into the den, she beckons me to follow.


    "Of course. What is it?"


    I watch her perch on the edge of the sofa, my curiosity well and truly piqued. I''m surprised she''s even here alone. It''s rare that Lorenzo isn''t by her side these days. "Won''t you sit?" she asks.


    Unable to figure out what she could possibly want to talk to me about, I sit across from her. She takes a sip from the ss of water on the table beside her. Reaching under the sofa cushion, she grabs a small white envelope and hands it to me. It has Lorenzo''s name written on the front in her delicate handwriting.


    "What is this?"


    "It''s for Lorenzo."


    "Yeah, I can see that, so why are you giving it to me?"


    "It''s a letter," she says softly, her eyes brimming with tears. "For after I''m gone."


    Jesus, fuck! "Anya. Don''t talk like that-"


    "Maximo!" she admonishes me. "I am dying. We all know it. There is no miracle cure around the corner. In a few months'' time, I won''t be here. That''s the sad truth, but I''vee to ept it." She gives a slight shrug of her shoulders. Even talking about her own death, she''s dignified and resilient.


    "But this..." I hold up the letter.


    "If I give it to him myself, he''ll tear it up." She shakes her head. "Besides, it is not for him to read yet."


    "When should he read it?"


    "That''s for you to decide. I trust you to make that call."


    A heavy weight presses on my chest. "How will I know that, Anya?"


    "It''s not sealed. Read it."


    I open my mouth, but no wordse out.


    "Please, Maximo?"


    "Why not Joey? Or Kat? Or Dante?"


    She shakes her head. "They''re too close to him. They won''t be able to bear his pain and they''ll give in too soon just to make him feel better. It will all be wasted."


    "And you think that I can stand to see him hurting? They should be the ones, Anya. Not me," I argue. Staring at her, I silently plead for her to reconsider. I don''t want this fucking letter. Already it feels like a lead weight around my neck. How the fuck do I know when the right time is? I don''t understand why I''m the one being trusted with something as important as whatever this is.


    "You are the right man, Maximo. You love him like a brother, but you see him for the man he is and the man he can be. Read the letter, and then one day I hope you will know when to give it to him."


    "I-I can''t read your private letter to him. It''s fucking wrong."


    She frowns. "It''s not private if I give you permission."


    "Anya? Please? This feels too important. What if I fuck it up?"


    Her frown shifts into a beautiful smile. "You won''t. I promise you that."


    I stare at her, the white envelope scorching my hand. I don''t want this, but what choice do I have?


    Anya stands and brushes the creases from her dress. "Read it now and we will never speak of it again. You will know when the time is right."


    "Anya?"


    "Promise me you will give it to him when the time is right, Max."


    I stare at her face, etched with anguish and pain-not for herself though, never for her. It''s all for him. He will break when she dies. He will lose himself, and who knows if he''ll ever recover? "I promise."


    "Thank you," she whispers, and then she walks out of the room, leaving me alone.


    My fingers actually tremble when I unfold the top of the envelope. Carefully, I pull out the pale pink pages, unfurling them gently so I don''t damage the precious contents in any way.


    Sitting back on the sofa, I read the words a dying woman wrote to the man she loves more than anything in the world. I am not an emotional man and I never have been, but tears stream down my face as I ept the enormity of what she''s asked me to do.

 95

    JOEY


    I slick on a final coat of lipstick right as Max storms into my bedroom. I figure he''s here to tell me that we need to leave and I''m about to tell him I''m almost done, but I''m distracted by how good he looks in his suit. I mean he looks good in anything, but there''s just something about this man in a finely tailored suit that makes me want him to nail me into next week.


    He strides over and stops directly in front of me. His eyes look a little red and his brow is furrowed in a frown, but like he''s angry at the whole world rather than at me.


    "Everything okay?" I ask.


    "I need to fuck you," he breathes, dropping his head and running his lips over my neck.


    My body shivers in anticipation. "We can''t. The cars will be leaving in fifteen minutes."


    "I need to fuck you, baby girl," he repeats, gliding his hands over my hips and palming my ass.


    I giggle, pping his hands away but he''s undeterred. "There''s no time." He pushes me backward until I''m pressed against the wall.


    "I''m not asking, Joey," he growls, his hot breath sending a shiver of pleasure up my spine.


    He tugs my dress up, and I almost lose my breath and my resolve. "Max, It''s Gabrie''s christening day. We''re her godparents. I can''t stand at the front of the church with your cum dripping out of me," I whisper as I wrap my arms around his neck.


    "Your panties will soak it up."


    I bite my lip as his hands tug at the expensive fabric and he drags his teeth over the sensitive skin of my neck.


    "I''m not wearing any." My cheeks flush with heat.


    That certainly gets his attention. He stops and stares into my eyes. "You intended to go to church with no panties on?"


    "Yeah."


    "Such a naughty little slut." Frenzied, he yanks my dress all the way up until it bunches around my waist. His hand gropes between my thighs, his fingers sliding through my folds and making me groan. "Max. What are you doing?"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "I already told you. I need to fuck you." He unzips his pants and frees his thick cock.


    "And I said there''s not enough time."


    He presses his lips to my ear, his beard tickling my skin. "And I told you"-he lifts my legs and wraps them around his waist-"that I''m not asking." As the final word leaves his mouth, he drives into me, making me gasp for breath. My arousal coats him as he rubs his piercing over my G-spot. I groan loudly, like the needy slut he makes me.


    I feel every single piercing as he slowly pulls out before driving into me again, nailing me against the wall.


    "Max," I whimper, wrapping my legs tightly around him as my pussy sucks him deeper.


    "Fuck. That''s it." He hisses a breath and rests his forehead against mine. "This is all I need, baby girl."


    I ce my hands on his face, trying to focus on his dark brown eyes as he fucks me so hard mine want to roll back in my head. "You couldn''t have waited like two more hours though?" I gasp as he rocks into me.


    "Couldn''t wait two more fucking seconds." He hammers deeper, hitting my G-spot over and over again.


    I bite down on my lip, stifling another moan. "Then you''d better hurry. Dante will be pissed if we keep him waiting, and he''ll take one look at my face and know what we were doing."


    Grabbing my throat with one hand, he squeezes gently as he pins me to the wall with deep, punishing thrusts. His other hand slips between us, his fingertips working my clit. "Then I''m gonna need you toe for me, because we''re not leaving until you do."


    "You don''t have t-" He pinches my clit and squeezes my throat, cutting off my sentence. Shockwaves of pleasure rocket through my core.


    "You''lle on my cock or we don''t leave this room, Joey."


    There''s something in his eyes, something I can''t quite figure out. All I know is that he needs me right now, and I love being what he needs. Giving him whatever he needs, whenever he needs it, just like he does for me.


    I nod as much as I can, and he releases his grip on my throat, allowing me to suck in a deep breath. He presses his forehead against mine. "I love you so fucking much, baby girl. I need you so fucking much." He grinds the words out as though they pain him.


    I whimper as the first waves of my climax start to roll through my core. "I love you too, Max."


    "Youing for me?"


    "Y-yes," I moan.


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    "Good fucking girl." He thrusts into me with each word, sending us both over the edge into sweet oblivion. When he''s done, he lowers my legs to the floor and uses his pocket square to wipe between my thighs.


    I giggle. "You''re such a gentleman."


    He puts the cum-stained fabric back in his pocket, making me blush.


    "I think you''ll still need to wear some panties though or you''ll have a wet patch on the ass of your beautiful dress when you get out of the car," he says, smirking.


    "I''ll grab some." I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close. "Are you sure everything''s okay?"


    "Everything''s perfect, baby girl," he assures me.


    I arch an eyebrow at him. "So what was that?"


    "I hadn''t felt your pussy squeeze my cock for almost twelve hours. I wanted to make sure I hadn''t forgotten what it felt like." He winks at me and takes my breath away. This man has no right to be as goddamn hot as he is. "Don''t lie to me, Maximo."


    He pushes his body against mine, pressing me into the wall again. "I''m not lying, Joey. Sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to fuck you, is all."


    "Oh?" I chew on my lip.


    "Oh." He kisses me hard, stealing all the air from my lungs, and I melt into him, giving him everything I am.

 96

    JOEY-FOUR WEEKS LATER


    "Joey?" Max''s voice echoes through the apartment.


    "In here," I call out as I survey my handiwork.


    A few secondster, he walks into the bedroom.


    "Dammit, baby," he groans.


    "I hope you don''t mind, I bought some new things," I say, looking at the new throw, cushions, and vanity with the huge mirror that I ordered for our bedroom. Everything was delivered about an hour ago, and I''ve spent my time since arranging all my things. Max said I could do whatever I wanted to make the apartment feel more like home, and I missed having a ce to sit and do my makeup in the mornings.


    "I''m not talking about the things, baby girl," he says as he steps up behind me, sliding his cool hands over my hips and bare stomach and making me shiver. "Tell me you didn''t take the delivery wearing these?" He snaps the band of my pink panties, which is all I''m currently wearing.


    I lean against him, enjoying his hard muscles against my back. "Well, of course I was wearing these." I giggle and rub my ass against him, feeling his cock grow hard. A possessive growl rumbles in his throat, making meugh harder. "But obviously I had all my other clothes on then too. I only took them off fifteen minutes ago."


    He dusts his lips over my neck, making me shiver. "Because you knew I was on my way home?"


    "Yes."


    "Good girl, greeting me in your panties." He nips my neck, slipping one hand into them. "Although I believe we agreed that naked is my preferred choice."


    I shrug. "I can''t always give you everything you want. What would be the fun of that?"


    "Hmm. Lucky for you these happen to be my favorite panties of yours.".


    "They are?" I know they are. They''re vibrant pink and have a frill on the butt, which drives Max wild for some reason.


    "Mmhmm. They showcase your incredible little ass to perfection." He circles a finger over my clit and wetness pools in my core. "And everything looks great. I''m d you finally got yourself a vanity too." "Thank you. I''m d you like it."


    "I like that more of your things are here, baby girl. This is your home too."


    "Our home," I whisper as I grind against his hand.


    "My little slut need taking care of?"


    "Yeah." I always need taking care of. The man fucks me at least three times a day, and I still can''t get enough. I crave him constantly. I''m not happy when he''s around unless his hands are on me. The week after I moved in, I got my period and was so annoyed because I thought it would mean we couldn''t have sex for a few days. But Max wasn''t the slightest bit bothered, and I learned that orgasms, especially the ones he gives me with his fingers, are the perfect cure for cramps. Go figure.


    He pushes a finger inside me, and I hiss out a breath as a rush of heat slicks his hand. "How was your day, baby?"


    "G-good. I found the casino a new cleaningpany that ..." My head drops back on his shoulder when he adds a second finger. Holy fuck, he''s a magician with those hands.


    He prompts me to continue. "That?"


    "They pay their employees a fair wage and have health insurance. They''re much better than thepany the previous owners..." My thighs tremble as he rubs the heel of his palm against my clit while thrusting his fingers in and out of me. "Had in ce."


    "You''re a good boss, Joey."


    That makes me smile. Kat cleaned offices for a while after she left her job as a nurse, and I know how hard she worked. Plus, it''s important to me that every single person my family employs has decent pay and benefits. It''s not like we can''t afford it. And treating employees well fosters loyalty and hard work.


    "And afterward I went with Kat to her antenatal checkup, then I watched some TV with Anya and read her a little William ke."


    "You''re a good sister too, baby." He adds a third finger, and my knees buckle but he holds me up. "Your cunt is so fucking tight. I have no idea how you''re able to take my cock the way you do."


    "Oh, god." My orgasm is only a breath away. "How was y-your day?"


    "Good. Pretty uneventful. Although I broke someone''s hand because he gave your brother the finger." "W-which one?"


    "The middle one." He chuckles as he twists his inside me, causing specks of light to cloud my vision.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I m-meant which brother, asshooo-" My orgasm washes over me, stealing my ability to finish the sentence.


    "That was close, baby girl. You almost called me an asshole."


    Panting to catch my breath, I giggle. "No, I was justing."


    "Hmm," he murmurs. "I need you naked."


    Crouching down, he shoves my panties down my legs, and I step out of them. Within seconds, he has me pressed against the window, and I shiver at the sensation of cool ss on my warm skin. My stiff nipples brush against the hard surface, making me moan.


    "You see that?" Max asks, his hot mouth brushing my ear as he unzips his pants. "Look at this city while I fuck you. The city that your family owns. Does that make you feel powerful?"


    I push my ass back against him, feeling his hard length against the seam of my ass. "Not as powerful as knowing how desperate you are to fuck me."


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    A darkugh rumbles through his chest. "Careful, baby girl," he warns.


    Then he sinks into me, and I moan his name, relieved to be full of him. My body aches unless he''s inside me.


    "You like being fucked while the city watches you, Joey?" he asks, even though nobody can see through these windows.


    "I''d let you fuck me anywhere in front of anyone, Max."


    "Fuck, baby." He drives into me, lifting me off my feet with the force of his thrusts. "Such a naughty slut for me, aren''t you?" "Yes."


    "So wet for me too. You hear that pussy slurping on my cock?"


    "Y-yes."


    He ces his palms t against the window. "y with yourself. Let this city watch youe for me."


    Reaching down, I rub my clit while Max sucks and nibbles on my neck and fucks me against the ss. The muscles in his thighs and abs tense as he nears the edge.


    "You gonna show this city how hard you make mee, Max?" I tease him, pressing more firmly on my clit as he picks up his pace.


    "Damn right, baby girl," he says, yanking my hand away so he can take over. The pads of two thick fingers circle my clit while he rolls his hips, dragging that barbell on the crown of his cock over the sweet spot inside me. "Fuck, Max."


    "Your cunt takes my cock so fucking well. Fuck!" He bites down on my neck as he fills me with his cum, bringing me along with him. My climax bursts through me and I squirt all over his cock and his hand, sttering the window too. At one time, I probably would have felt embarrassed, now it''s just part of living with my very own kinky sexual genius.


    He lets out an exaggerated sigh. "I''m gonna have to clean those windows again."


    "You could stop fucking me against them," I suggest.


    "Not a fucking chance, baby."


    We lie in bed facing each other, Max still in his shirt and pants and mepletely naked-just the way he likes me.


    "I spoke to Kristin today too."


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    "You did?" he asks.


    "Yeah. She said she''s gotten so fat that Jakob has to help her put her sneakers on. She can''t wait for the baby to arrive."


    "Well, it shouldn''t be much longer for her," he says with a soft smile.


    "She thinks Jakob is going to propose."


    "He is."


    "How do you know that?"


    "He told me."


    "You think she''ll say yes?"


    "I don''t think Jakob will take no for an answer if she doesn''t."


    "Probably not," I agree.


    He goes quiet, and I wonder what he''s thinking about. Max never wants to get married. He told me that once at Lorenzo''s wedding, although that was a long time ago. But he told me again at Dante''s, when he''d drunk too much whiskey, and that was onlyst year. I guess people can change their minds though, right? Because I told him I''d never get married either. I had no desire to do the whole settling down thing. I wanted to experience freedom and explore my options, but Max gives me an entirely different type of freedom. One that lets me be exactly who I am with no judgment or constraints.


    "Where are you, baby girl?" he asks, dusting his fingers over my cheek.


    Not wanting to ruin the mood of the evening, I decide to lie. "Thinking about dinner."


    "It''s my turn to cook."


    "I know. But I wanted seafood linguine, so I picked up some fresh pasta and made the sauce earlier. I can finish up while you grab a shower."


    "You have had a busy day."


    "Hmm. I''m very skilled and efficient when I need to be."


    "Yes, you are very skilled."


    "I''m also very hungry." I give him a soft kiss on the cheek. "So I''m going to finish dinner."


    Groaning, he rolls out of bed and starts to undress. "I guess I''ll grab a shower and then I''lle help."


    I lie back and watch him get naked, enjoying the show. He''s perfect. Every muscle perfectly toned and tight. Tattoos cover almost every inch of flesh from his neck to his knuckles, all the way down to that perfect V beneath his abs. Each one is a work of art. No matter how long I stare at them, I find something new every time. But his arms are my favorite part about him-aside from his huge pierced dick, obviously-curled up in them is my favorite ce to be in the world.

 97

    MAX Walking into the kitchen after my shower, I find my girl wearing my shirt from earlier, sleeves rolled up while she stirs the pasta sauce. Her wearing my clothes makes me hard as fucking stone for her and she knows it. Something about her being wrapped in my scent and the way it lingers on her skin makes me feel something primal that I''ve never experienced before in my life. I fucking love when she smells of me. But everything about this girl makes me feel like an animal. I thought that us living together might curb my insatiable appetite for her just a little, but it''s ramped up even further. I can barely look at her without wanting to mount her like some oversexed hound dog.


    She turns and gives me a sexy half smile before she goes back to the stove. Fortunately for me, Joey is as insatiable as I am. I don''t know how this girl manages to walk with the amount of time I spend inside her. "You hungry, tough guy?" she asks sweetly as she turns off the burner.


    "Always."


    She giggles softly. "I meant for food."


    I grab the silverware and go to the fridge for a bottle of wine while she tes the food. We move around each other as though we''ve been doing this our whole lives, each of us fitting seamlessly into the other''s space. I don''t know how I survived so long without her in my life this way. But I do know I wouldn''t survive losing her. Not today. Not ever.


    ***


    "That was delicious, baby girl," I tell her as I push my te away.


    "Thank you," she says with a huge smile, her cheeks flushing at my words.


    She''s such slut for praise.


    She takes a sip of her wine, her mind elsewhere.


    "You okay?"


    "Huh?" She blinks at me.


    "You seem distracted."


    "Just thinking about stuff," she says with a shrug.


    "I''ve been thinking too." I slide off my stool and walk around the ind until I''m standing in front of her.


    She grins cheekily. "You thinking? That sounds dangerous."


    "Careful."


    She flutters her eyshes. My brat is looking to get spanked. "What were you thinking about?"


    "I had a whole n for this, baby girl, but-" I drop to one knee and take the box out of my pocket, pulling it open to reveal the tinum ring with a 4-carat pink diamond. "Will you marry me, Joey?"


    "W-what?" She stares, open-mouthed. "But you ... you never wanted to get married. You said..." Her eyes dart from me to the ring.


    The truth is I never had any desire to spend eternity with anyone-but that was before her. That was before I realized there was a person out there who I didn''t want to call my girlfriend, my casual hookup, or my partner, or anything else other than my wife.


    Mine.


    I want a ring on her finger so that every man who looks at her knows that she belongs to someone else-that she belongs to me.


    The silence between us stretches out for an eternity as she goes on blinking like she''s in a daze. Fuck! Maybe it''s too soon.


    "Any chance I could get an answer? You''re killing me here, baby girl."


    She blinks at me, her eyes wet with tears. Then she drops to her knees in front of me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Yes. Yes! So much freaking yes."


    She smothers my face with kisses, and I wrap my arms around her, trying to calm her down long enough to get the ring on her finger, but her lips are way too distracting. I kiss her back and we fall onto the floor into a heap. She giggles, threading her fingers through my hair and guiding my head lower as I nip at her neck and run my hand over her ribs.


    "Can I get this damn ring on you first?" I ask, holding up the box.


    She holds out her left hand. "Please."


    The ring fits perfectly and looks fucking incredible on her finger. "I think from now on this is the only thing you get to wear in this apartment."


    "I love it, Max," she squeals. "It''s beautiful."


    "You make it look fucking beautiful, baby." I start unbuttoning her shirt, trailing kisses over the soft tan skin I expose. Pushing it open and revealing her naked body, I gape at her. She is beyond perfect. Sucking one of her hard nipples into my mouth, I bite down onto the creamy flesh and she moans, arching her back and pressing herself against my mouth.


    I fist my hand in her panties, working them off her as I keep sucking on her tits. She wriggles her legs to help me and the scent of her arousal in the air makes me desperate. I lick a trail from her breasts to her stomach. Her skin smells of me. Her pussy reeks of sex. She makes me feral.


    "Fuck me, Max," she pleads, her breathing fast and shallow.


    I reach for my cock, pulling it out of my sweatpants and giving it a quick tug before I drag the crown over her soaking folds. My piercing grazes her clit, making her whimper and w at my skin.


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    "I need you," she cries, wrapping her legs around my waist and pulling me closer. Needing her just as much, I drive into her pussy, sinking all the way inside her hot, wet heat and feeling like I might fucking pass out from the sheer relief of her hugging my cock the way she does.


    "Jesus. Fucking. Christ, Joey," I growl as I pull out and m back into her. "Always... need you... so fucking much."


    "It''s the same for me, Max." Her pussy squeezes me tighter, like it will never let me go. "I always need more."


    I roll my hips, driving deeper and rubbing my piercing over her G-spot, making her tremble. "That not enough for you?" I grunt as I watch her eyes roll back in her head.


    "You''re an asshole," she groans, pulling me tighter and digging her heels into my ass to keep me deep inside her pussy.


    "Don''t make me spank your ass on our engagement night, baby girl."


    "Holy fuck." Her tight cunt milks my cock, squeezing and releasing as her orgasm edges closer.


    "Or maybe my naughty little slut wants a spanking, huh?"


    "Y-yesss." She arches her back, throwing her head back as shees on my cock. I drive into her even harder, burying myself so deep inside her cunt that she''ll feel me and think about this moment every time she moves tomorrow. I take her to bed after I finish fucking her on the kitchen floor. Dinner dishes can wait until morning because I don''t want to be anywhere except directly next to her naked body. My future wife.


    We lie face-to-face, her leg draped over mine and my arm around her waist with my hand on her ass. I squeeze it and she moans contentedly. I think I''m going to fuck it in about five minutes. "Max?" she whispers.


    "Yeah, baby?"


    "I''d like Anya to be one of my bridesmaids. You think we can make that happen?"


    "We can get married tomorrow if that''s what you want." I would marry her anytime and anywhere.


    "Well, maybe not tomorrow because I want a nice dress and a party, but soon?"


    "We can speak to Father Michael tomorrow and see when he can fit us in."


    Her radiant smile melts me. "For real?"


    "Of course, Joey. The sooner I get to call you my wife, the happier I''ll be."


    She presses her cheek against my chest. "I can''t wait to call you my husband too."


    A knot of emotion balls in my throat. I never thought I''d want this. "And how do you feel about Daddy?"


    She giggles. "I''ll call you Daddy any time you want, tough guy."


    I smack her ass. "My belt is right there, baby girl."


    "Is that supposed to be a threat, Daddy?" she asks, making my cock twitch. "Because you know it only makes me super wet and super needy."


    I cup her chin in my hand and tilt her head so she can look at me and know that I''m serious. "Joey?"


    "One day, yes. Most definitely I want to have lots of beautiful babies with you, but not yet."


    I nod my agreement. I just needed to know if it was on the table, but I get that she''s still young and we have plenty of time. "I''m more than happy to have you all to myself for a few years first."


    She pushes me onto my back and straddles me. "I like the sound of that."Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    She leans forward, her dark curls falling onto my chest as she peppers soft kisses over my skin. "Does my girl want to be in control this round?" I ask, brushing her hair back and allowing me to see her beautiful face. "Sweet Max," she whispers seductively. "I am always in control."


    "Oh, baby girl," I shake my head. "You were doing so well."


    I flip her onto her back, and she squeals as I press her into the mattress, pinning her hands above her head. "And now you''re about to have your ass spanked hard." I nip a trail across her corbone and she mewls as she wriggles beneath me. "And then fucked even harder."


    "Holy fuck. I love you, Max," she breathes out the words.


    "Love you too, baby girl. I''ll need you to remember that in a few minutes when I''m fucking you like I don''t."


    She bites her lip and those amber flecks in her dark brown eyes sparkle with mischief and joy. "I''ll try my best, but I''m sure you can remind me if I forget."


    "I will, baby. Every single fucking day for the rest of my life."

 98

    Epilogue


    JOEY-FIVE MONTHS LATER


    "You need anything, Mrs. DiMarco?" Ace asks as we walk into my office alongside two of his colleagues, Ash and Romeo. I have four armed guards with me wherever I go these days. Unless I''m with Max, of course. "No thanks. I''m good."


    "I''ll be outside then." He gives me a polite nod and walks out of the room to stand guard in the hallway with his buddy, Jenson. Ash and Romeo take their usual seats. They''ve perfected the art of being in the room but not disturbing me, and half the time I forget they''re even here.


    Leaning back in my chair, I look around the space and can''t help but smile with pride. Since Dante and Lorenzo gave me the casino to run four months ago, I''ve doubled our profits, and we''re currently in negotiations to open a new one in Antic City.


    My office. I will never tire of saying those words. It took a lot of convincing for Max and my brothers to allow me to make my base here, but it makes good business sense. I don''t live at the mansion any longer, and Max and I obviously don''t want to conduct business at our penthouse, so I needed a space of my own. The corner office suite at our newest hotel casino was the perfect solution.


    I chose all the furniture and the single piece of art on the wall. It''s an erotic yet tasteful original by a young up-anding local artist. The whole room is all me and I love it.


    I feel Max walk into the room before I look up and see him. My breath catches in my throat. The sight of him will never ever not give me butterflies in my stomach and an ache between my thighs. Especially when he''s wearing one of those finely tailored suits that hugs his body like it was painted on him.


    "Can you give us the room?" he says to Ash and my newest guard, Romeo.


    The two men nod and leave the room, closing the door behind them.


    Oh, shit! I''m in so much trouble. I roll my chair back as he steps toward my desk, his dark eyes burning into mine as that thick vein bulges in his neck.


    "Did you forget something today, baby girl?" he asks, his cool tone disguising the anger bubbling just beneath the surface.


    "I''m sorry. I was busy-"


    "You think being busy is an excuse to make me worry about you? Wondering if you''re okay?"


    The ensuing eye roll is more out of habit more than anything else. Dammit!


    "I know you did not just roll your fucking eyes at me, Joey."


    "Well, I know you always know where I am, Max. I have no doubt you would''ve called Ash when I didn''t check in. He would''ve told you that I''m fine," I insist. There''s no chance in hell that Max didn''t make sure I was okay after I forgot to check in with him after my meeting with the Strauss brothers today.


    He nts his hands on my desk, leaning his face close to mine. Damn, he smells so good I want to jump his bones. "That is not the fucking point. You want to do this, then you follow the fucking rules."


    "Your rules?" I arch an eyebrow at him.


    He stands straight, running a hand over his beard and dragging his tongue over his bottom lip. Without another word, he shrugs out of his jacket.


    "I''m sorry," I say, even as warmth builds in my core.


    "Now that would''ve been the appropriate thing to say when I first walked in here, wouldn''t it?" I bite my lip as I watch him roll up his shirt sleeves. My pussy quivers with anticipation. "Not after the eye roll and the snark?" "Yes," I whisper.


    He goes on ring at me, making heat sear through my core. When he''s finished rolling up his sleeves, he unbuckles his belt and slides it off slowly. My legs tremble while my pussy clenches with need. He''s so skilled at building tension and anticipation. I''m going to be dripping wet for him before he even touches me, and he knows it.


    "What do you think the appropriate punishment for making your husband worry like that should be, baby girl?"


    I press my lips together and look toward the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought. "Three orgasms and a cinnamon roll from the bakery in the lobby?"


    He narrows his dark brown eyes at me. "You really are bringing the spoiled brat out to y today, huh?" He palms the buckle and wraps the belt around his hand. Holy shit. He''s going to spank me hard enough that the guards outside will hear, and he won''t give a single fuck. In fact, he''ll make it his mission to make me scream. Not that I''m overly concerned about that. I actually kinda like when people hear us fuck. I adore this man and I want the entire world to know it.


    "I am really sorry though," I whisper. "Let me make it up to you." I lick my lips and my eyes drop to the outline of his huge cock straining at the seam of his pants.


    "Oh, you''ll be doing thatter when we get home, I promise," he says as he steps toward me. "Now, get your ass off the chair and bend over the desk."


    I swallow a knot of trepidation that bubbles up my throat. "Max?"


    "Now!"


    With no other option, I stand and move myptop and papers out of the way before bending over and resting my face against the cool wood. Max steps up behind me, rubbing his hands over my ass and making me shiver.


    His hands move lower until he reaches the hem of my pencil skirt. When his fingertips brush against the backs of my knees, goosebumps prickle over my forearms and I whimper.


    "You like working here?" he asks.


    "Yes."


    "You want to keep working here in your office or do you want to go back to a desk at your brother''s mansion?"


    "Here."


    "Tell me, why do I have rules, baby girl?" he asks, his voice so deep andmanding, it rolls through my bones and makes me shiver.


    I guess I''m in the mood to push him today because the wordse out before I can consider the consequences. "Because you''re a possessive asshole."


    He ps my ass hard and I squeal. "Don''t fuck with me, Joey, because I will carry you out of here and we can do this at home. And if we do that, you won''t being back. Ever." I suck in a stuttered breath as he yanks my skirt up over my ass and hips. "You want to try that answer again?"


    "Because you love me and you worry about my safety," I pant. He''s so possessive and stubborn, he actually would stop me froming back here. Well, he''d try.


    "Better." His fingers brush over the edge of my panties, and when he tugs them aside, I stifle a moan.


    "Are you wet for me?"


    I pout. "No."


    He slides two fingers between my folds, coating them in my arousal. "Lying to me too, huh? My brat really wants her spanking today." I moan softly as he pushes a thick finger inside me. "Unless this isn''t for me?" Heughs darkly. "It''s only ever for you, Max."


    "Damn right." He slips out of me and then spanks my ass with the t of his palm.


    "Ow," I whimper, wriggling my ass.


    "You know that wasn''t even the warm-up, baby girl, now stop squirming."


    "It hurt," I say, pouting.


    He leans over me, mouth pressed against my ear. "Not even close to how I felt when I thought something had happened to you," he growls, and a shudder runs the length of my spine. "And nowhere near as much as I''m going to make it hurt very soon."


    He stands straight again and peels my panties off, running his hand down the inside of my thigh as he tugs them down my legs and helps me step out of them. I look back to see him holding them to his face, breathing in my scent. "Have I ever told you how fucking good your cum smells, baby? I should wear it like fucking cologne."


    "Yes to both," I say with a satisfied smile as Iy my cheek back on the desk.


    He spanks my ass again, warming me up for his belt. Heat and pleasure coil up my spine.


    "Max," I whimper, rubbing my pussy against the edge of my desk for relief, but he stops me and nudges my legs apart with his knee.


    "Stop trying to get yourself off and spread your legs so I can see my sweet cunt."


    I groan as I shuffle my feet along the floor. Then Max slides two thick fingers inside me and my knees almost buckle. "Oh, fuck."


    "You''re soaking already. So greedy for me," he groans thest part before pulling his fingers out and making me moan from frustration. "Let''s see how much wetter we can make that pussy with my belt though, huh?"


    I don''t get a chance to answer before he brings it cracking down over my backside. It stings like hell, but it also makes my pussy ache for his cock.


    "Holy shit, Max." Before I''ve recovered from the first blow, he spanks me again, and the leathernding on my ass cheeks makes such a loud thwacking sound that I blush. "Everyone will hear," I whimper.


    "Good," he grunts as he spanks me again. "They''ll all know who this ass belongs to, won''t they?"


    "Think they already do," I yelp as he spanks me again.


    "Will you call me when you''re supposed to next time?"


    Smack!


    "Y-yes." I suck in a breath as tears roll down my face and the deep throbbing ache in my pussy ratchets up even further. I need him inside me so bad it makes me want to scream. There''s something so primal and hot about him when he''s like this. I''m desperate for him and the bastard knows it.


    "Please, Max. I''m sorry," I whimper.


    He pushes two fingers inside me again. "Fuck me, baby. I love how wet being punished makes you." When he slides them out, he holds them near my face to show me how they''re covered with my arousal. "You see that?"


    Before I can answer, he ces them in his mouth, sucking them clean before he spanks me again. Over and over. The leather slices through the air before cracking against my flesh.


    By the time he''s done, my ass stings like I''ve been sitting on an open fire, and I''m all but begging for him to fuck me.


    He throws his belt onto the desk beside me and nudges the crown of his cock against my clit, rubbing his piercing over the hypersensitive bundle of nerves.


    "Please, Max?" I whimper again.


    "Tell me what you need, baby girl," he pants, breathing heavily from the effort of spanking me.


    "Your cock inside me. Now," I moan loudly.


    He presses it against my opening, and I push back against him. "You''re so fucking wet, Joey. You make it too easy for me to get my cock in you. You want me all the way in on the first thrust?"


    "Yes!"


    "Yeah?"


    "Please?" I beg now, tears pooling on the desk under my cheek.


    "Fuck, baby," he grunts, grabbing hold of my hips and driving into me. I feel each piercing as he slides in deep, rubbing against my pussy walls as they squeeze around him. "I love your tight cunt."


    He fists his hand in my hair. Pulling my head up, he leans over me and presses his wickedly sinful mouth at my ear. "This pussy belongs to me."


    "I know."


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    "This ass." He rubs his hand over the welts he left there. "Belongs to me."


    "Yes."


    He turns my head. "These lips..." Then he kisses me. It''s brutal and dominating, and it makes my insides melt. "You belong to me, Joey. The next time I tell you to call me after your meeting with a pair of misogynistic douchebags, you call me. Okay?"


    "Okay," I pant.


    "You want toe?"


    Is that a rhetorical question? "Yes, please."


    He rams into me harder. "Thene all over my cock, baby girl. Squeeze me with that hot little cunt until I fill you up."


    "Fuck!" My walls ripple and squeeze around him, and that makes him work harder, fucking me like a man possessed. His animalistic grunts and growls in my ear make my head spin. I''m an addict and he''s my only drug of choice.


    "I can''t ever sate this fucking need to be inside you. Every single time I fuck you feels better than thest. I''m addicted to you. You''re driving me fucking crazy."


    Oh, dear holy mother of all that is divine. "M-Max."


    "That''s it,e for me. My good fucking girl."


    "Yes," I breathe as I fall forward against the desk.


    Max lies on top of me, driving into me one more time. "Motherfucking Christ, Joey," he grunts before he bites down on my shoulder through my shirt. His entire body tenses as his cock pulses inside me, filling me with his hot cum. I can''t help but smile. Spanking me makes hime so hard and I love it. Making him lose control like that makes me feel invincible.


    He ces his hands over mine, pressing them t to the desk as he sucks in deep breaths. His wedding ring clinks against my own, and I choke on a sob. He has the sexiest hands, and I could look at them all day, but that tinum wedding ring makes them look a hundred times hotter.


    "What was that for?" he asks, rubbing his nose over my neck.


    "I saw your ring," I sniff.


    "My ring?"


    "Yeah, whenever I see it, it makes me feel all warm and happy."


    "So, that was a happy cry?"


    "Yeah." I sigh. "I''m sorry I forgot to call you."


    "I know, baby girl."


    "I love you so much."


    "I love you more. You''re fucking everything to me, Joey. Everything. Do you get that?"


    "Yes, Max, because you''re everything to me too."


    "Yeah? So the next time I ask you to check in with me and let me know you''re okay..."


    "I''ll check in. I promise."


    "Good girl." He kisses the top of my head and I push back against him, seeking thefort of his body.


    "Is my punishment over?"


    "No." He nips at my ear, and I giggle. Then he stands up straight again, pulling me with him while his cock is still inside me. "When I get home tonight, I want you naked and on your knees. I want to fuck that pretty little throat." "Hmm. That''s doesn''t sound like much of a punishment. I love sucking your cock."


    "I know you do, my naughty little slut. But when I leave you dripping for me afterward, then we''ll see how much you''re enjoying yourself."


    "Monster," I hiss, even though I''m already melting at the thought of being home alone with himter. Max''s punishments only ever end one way, and that''s with our mutual pleasure. The longest he''s ever been able to deny me an orgasm was twelve hours. Twelve torturous hours, but when he finally made mee, I swear I saw the Pearly Gates.


    He slides out of me and a torrent of our cum drips down my thighs. "I wish I could fuck you some more, but I have to go back to work."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "So do I," I remind him.


    "I know, baby. You''re doing an amazing job. I''m so fucking proud of you." He refastens his suit pants and I turn around to face him.


    "Where are my panties?"


    "In my pocket." He shrugs.


    "Can I have them back?"


    He pulls me into his arms, sealing his mouth over mine and kissing me so hard I almoste again. I rub myself against him like a bitch in heat until he breaks our kiss, looking down at me with a devious glint in his eyes. "Will you be good for the rest of the day?"


    Just a heads up: NovelDrama.Org is the only ce to read theplete version of this book for free. Don''t miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! "Yes. I promise."


    He pulls my panties from the pocket of his suit pants before crouching down on the floor to help me. "You''d better put them on before Ash and the new guye back in here."


    I step into my underwear. "His name is Romeo."


    Max pulls them up my legs, securing them in ce before pressing a soft kiss against my pussy through the fabric. Then he smooths down my skirt and stands. "Romeo, huh?" He arches an eyebrow at me.


    "Yep."


    He rubs his hand over my ass and squeezes. "I should have fucked this too."


    "Maybe tonight. If you''re good," I whisper.


    "I''m always good, aren''t I?"


    Wrapping my arms around his neck, I offer him my sweetest smile. "You, sir, are incredible."


    He drags his bottom lip through his teeth, like he''s contemting throwing me back down on my desk and fucking me again right now.


    "We both have to work," I remind him.


    "I know." He sighs, annoyance shing in his eyes. "I wish I could take you home right now instead of having to wait untilter."


    "I think my butt needs a break from your punishment."


    He smooths his hands over my behind, soothing the raw skin. "No more spanking tonight, baby. And after you''ve sucked my cock, I''ll run you a bath and you can soak this beautiful ass while I make you dinner." "You''re still making me dinner?"


    "It''s my turn," he says with a shrug. Then he gives me a quick kiss on the tip of my nose, puts his belt and jacket back on, and opens the door to my office. Sticking his head out, he tells the guards toe back inside. Ash walks in and sits in


    his usual seat in the corner of the room. Romeo follows, and as he ducks into the room, he looks toward me and smirks. Unfortunately for Romeo, Max sees him too.


    Grabbing him by the neck, Max throws Romeo across the room, and he crashes into the wall. "What the fuck was that?"


    "What?" Romeo asks, feigning ignorance as his face turns an unnatural shade of gray.


    Max stalks toward him. "Don''t y fucking games with me, dipshit. What was the smug grin on your face for when you walked in here?"


    "I-I-"


    "I just fucking saw you, so think very carefully about what I''ll do to you if you lie to me," Max says, the timbre of his voice so low and menacing that it even gives me goosebumps.


    "I just..." Romeo squirms under the heat of Max''s re.


    "You just?"


    Romeo''s Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows. "We heard you," he whispers, and his cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson.


    "You heard me fucking my wife?"


    Romeo nods.


    "You hear me spanking her bratty ass too?" Max asks with a grin.


    And that poor deluded asshole grins right back. "Yeah."


    Max has him by the neck before Romeo can even blink. Pressing his face close to the younger man''s, he snarls. "She is Joey fucking DiMarco, Cosa Nostra royalty, and your fucking boss, you smug little prick. You only get to work, walk, breathe, live, and die at her say so, do you understand me?"


    Romeo''s eyes bug out. He tries to nod, but Max has him pinned to the wall by his throat, his feet dangling an inch off the floor.


    "Don''t you ever mistake my wife''s submission to me as anything but a reflection of my utter fucking devotion to her. I would crawl through fire and broken ss on my hands and fucking knees if she told me to. If you ever disrespect her like that again, I will rip out your fucking tongue and use it to choke you to death. You got that?"


    Romeo nods as best he can, and Max releases him. He slides down the wall, gripping his throat as he gasps for breath and ncing at Ash as if seeking back up. Ash knows Max all too well, and he didn''t once nce up from his cell phone throughout the entire exchange.


    Max turns to me. "What do you want me to do with this stupid fuck, baby?"


    I consider the guy panting for breath on the floor. Despite what just happened, he''s usually respectful. He''s worked here for three weeks now, and he knows how to blend into the background when I need him to. I don''t have the energy to break in another newbie.


    "I think he''s learned his lesson."


    "You sure?" Max scowls.


    "I''m sure."


    "You''re so fucking lucky she''s such a good influence on me," he barks at Romeo, teeth bared like a wolf guarding his mate. Then he turns back to me. "I''ll see you tonight, baby."


    "Can we have those fancy cheeseburgers you make for dinner?"


    "Of course. Anything you want." He winks at me and walks out of my office.


    I lean back in my chair and watch his fine ass disappear down the hallway. I am the luckiest girl in the whole damn world.

 99

    LORENZOContent bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    PROLOGUE


    Rain bounces off the fabric only a few inches above my head. A constant hammering of tiny bullets bears down on the sea of ck umbres currently sheltering the fake mourners from the driving Chicago rain. The priest stands just a few feet


    in front of us, yet his words are drowned out by the storm. Or maybe it''s the sound of blood rushing in my ears that makes me struggle to hear what he says.


    It doesn''t matter that I can''t hear him. I already know the well-practiced speech falling from his lips. What a kind soul she was. How she was a light in this dark fucking world. Both true.


    How God has called her home. Fucking liar. Her home is here. With me.


    I step out from beneath the umbre being held over me and blink up at the gray clouds rolling overhead. I want to feel the rain drip down my face. I want the cold rainwater to soak this goddamn suit-the one that wasid out on the bed for me this morning, as though I''m suddenly incapable of dressing myself. I want to feel anything other than this deep gnawing emptiness that consumes me-eating through my bones and feasting on my soul.


    The shadow of the umbre arches over my head again, and a growl of warning rumbles in my throat.


    There''s a sigh of exasperation. The shadow disappears.


    A snarling order to leave me alonees from my younger brother who stands a few feet behind me. I close my eyes and tilt my head to the sky, tuning out the priest''s voice as he raises it a few octaves to be heard over the hammering rain. Water runs down my face, trickling into my ears and down my neck, soaking the crisp cor of my shirt. What if I could drown in this? Open my mouth and let the rainwater fill my throat and my lungs while everyone stands around crying fake tears and holding handkerchiefs to their faces? Or what if I simply opened her casket and crawled inside with her? Took her in my arms andy with her for eternity, like I was supposed to.


    That was the fucking deal, Anya! Forever! You promised me forever.


    I see her beautiful face-etched with so much pain despite the drugs given to help ease her suffering. Her final words ring in my ears-my dearest love-and they rip a fresh gaping wound in the center of my chest. If I concentrate hard enough and drown out this entire fucking shitshow of a day, I can still feel her warmth when I held her onest time. As she slipped away in my arms. I felt her passing in every cell of my body, like it was my own death I lived through rather than hers. The devil himself dragged me to hell with the visceral tearing of her soul from this world.


    Rage simmers, deep inside my gut, but it''s buried by too much grief and guilt and pain to boil over the surface. How could I, the most powerful fucking man in Chicago, not save her? Despite all my money, my resources, and my family''s name- a name that can move fucking mountains-I couldn''t give her even one more moment. Never have I felt so powerless, so utterly hopeless and alone, as when I watched my wife take herst breath in my arms. Because I allowed it to happen. I didn''t stop it. I couldn''t stop it.


    Tears run down my face, indistinguishable from the freezing rain if not for the sharp contrast of their heat. Maybe I will join her-wait here until they''re all gone and fucking climb in there. Fall asleep and never wake up. My heart shudders violently, reminding me that it''s broken beyond repair. As if I could fucking forget.


    Soft fingers curl around my left hand, slender digits threading through my thick ones. My sister, Joey. And now my right; my sister-inw, Kat. Hands that are slight and nimble against my own, but too strong for me to pull away from, like vines on the trunk of a tree.


    I feel the weight of their concern as they watch me, but I keep my head tilted toward the sky. They squeeze my hands tighter, letting me know they''re still here. Reminding me that their tears are as real as mine. They loved her too. How could they not? Anyone who was given the opportunity to truly know my sweet, beautiful wife couldn''t help but love her. She was the best person I''ve ever known. The best part of me.


    And now she''s gone.


    And I''m left to endure this life without her. Left with no heart and only half a soul and the knowledge that I''ll never love another woman for the rest of my days. I promised her that when she closed her eyes for the final time, and it''s a promise I will keep with my dying breath.


    TWO YEARS LATER


    My husband towers over me, his lips twisted into a cruel sneer as he threads his belt through his the loops of his trousers. I rest my throbbing head against the kitchen cupboard and blink away the trickle of blood dripping into my eye, too afraid to swat it away in case he sees the motion as a pathetic attempt at retaliation. I''ve learned that the best way to handle him when he''s like this is to remain as small and as still as possible. Let him think he''s won.


    "And I want you and this entire goddamn house cleaned by the time I finish my shift tonight," he says, his bared teeth making him look like a diseased weasel. Topare my husband to a dog would be far too kind; dogs are loyal and protective and sweet. He fastens his belt, the metal buckle ttering loudly. "I ain''t fucking you in that state."


    My faint nod is met with an arrogant snort, and he nces over my almost-naked body, surveying his handiwork. With a final curl of his lip, he turns around, grabs his gun, and strides out of the kitchen-transforming into Sergeant Mulcahy, upstanding and decorated officer of the Boston PD.


    As soon as the door closes, I force myself to sit up and run my tongue around the inside of my mouth. The metallic tang of blood seeps into my tastebuds, but at least I didn''t lose any teeth this time. I nce at the broken breakfast dishes littering the ground around me. Coffee and cereal are sttered all over the cabs and the new cream floor tile we picked out together a few weeks ago.


    It will take hours to clean the kitchen to meet Brad''s exacting standards. Getting my feet underneath me, I wince at the throbbing ache in my head, ribs, and thighs. When I feel steady enough to move, I stumble out of the kitchen and into the downstairs bathroom. With the light on, my gaze is drawn straight to the mirror over the sink, but there''s no need to prepare myself for the sight that greets me. How sad is that? I can''t remember thest time I looked in a mirror after one of Brad''s outbursts and felt shocked or surprised by what he''d done to me. Sad and hurt-that still gets me every time-but not surprised.


    I run the water and grab a washcloth, soaking it before cing it over my right eye. Then I repeat the process I''ve done so many times that I don''t even have to think about it anymore. My muscles move of their own volition, like a machine. I always clean my face before getting into the shower to survey the rest of the damage and to clean his cum from between my thighs. Bruises on my body I can hide, but bruises on my face require more care.


    Not that I care as much about that today. Sergeant Mulcahy does whatever he can to keep tabs on me. He tapped my phone to listen in on conversations with my friends, which rarely happens these days, and hebs through my ounts and books to make sure I''m only giving massages to clients he deems appropriate. Brad sees everything-everything except me.


    He''s so focused on controlling my life outside of these walls, he pays little attention to my life within it. So when I asionally have a spot of car grease on my T-shirt or a scratch on my knuckles, he doesn''t even notice. I always have an exnation ready just in case, but I''ve never needed one.


    Done showering, I wrap a towel around myself and look in the mirror. There''s a gash above my right eye and the deep purple bruise spreads over my entire cheekbone. Lifting my chin, I study the fingertip-shaped bruises around my neck and touch the cut on my bottom lip. I give myself a confident smile. This is thest time.


    After my shower, I feel fresh and clearheaded. I thought it would be different. I thought my hands would tremble, that my heart would race, but I feel surprisingly calm. Calm when I walk upstairs and take the small orange floral suitcase from the bottom of the closet. Calm when I fill it with my essential toiletries, several pairs of clean underwear, and a few changes of clothes. I''m still calm when I walk down the stairs, suitcase in hand, and make my way through the kitchen, littered with the remnants of breakfast. I grab my purse, but I leave my cell phone on the counter. It''s little more than a glorified tracker these days.


    Opening the garage door, I smile when I see it. My green goddess. The 1986 Mustang that Brad and his brother, Jake, bought four years ago, shortly after their father died. The one they swore they''d fix up and take on a road trip. Neither of them has touched it since, but I''ve spent thest year fixing it. It''s incredible what you can learn online these days. I mean, you can get yourself a degree using only aputer, right? No reason you can''t learn to fix an engine that way too. Humming "Bright Side of the Road," I can''t stop grinning as I pop the trunk and ce my bag inside. I climb into the car and, with a deep breath, run my hands over the steering wheel. This is it. My ticket to freedom. It''s been a long timeing.


    I get her fired up, and the roar of the engine vibrates through my bones. It''s the sweetest sound I''ve heard in my entire life. Excitement and trepidation coil in my gut. After checking my reflection onest time, I put on my sunsses, hiding the worst of the bruises. Not that it matters where I''m headed, but I don''t want some cop seeing my busted face and pulling me over out of concern while I''m getting there. It''s a fifteen-hour drive, and apart from bathroom breaks and filling up on gas, I have no intention of stopping until I arrive at my destination.


    I''ve got one shot at this, and there isn''t a snowball''s chance in hell I''m going to screw it up.

 100

    LORENZO


    Fury simmers beneath my skin, like a pot of water on the cusp of bubbling. Always there. Every waking second of every single day. And all it takes is a sh of heat to make it boil over. Sometimes I wonder if the rage I carry deep inside me will ever abate. It''s been two long years, yet it grows fiercer every day. It used to be that doing shit like this would give me some release-a few moments relief. But, like an addict who needs more each time to reach that euphoric high, even this has lost its ability to calm the raging demons in my soul.


    "P-please, Lor-" the man on his knees before me sputters. I punch him square in the mouth, cutting off the plea for mercy which would have fallen on deaf ears anyway. I am not a man of mercy. Why the fuck would I care about anyone in this world when I have no fucking heart? He falls to the floor like the useless sack of shit he is, blood flying from his mouth and spattering my pants and shoes.


    He lies motionless. I look down at the droplets of his blood on my ck shoe, and that simmering rage bubbles dangerously close to the surface. They''re made from the finest Italian leather, but I don''t give a fuck about that. I do give a fuck about the fact that my wife bought them for me a few weeks before she ...


    I clench my fists so tightly my forearms feel like they''re about to explode, my knuckles turning white. Grinding my teeth, I stretch my neck to alleviate a little of the tension that seeps into every muscle and sinew of my body. Manfred remains prone at my feet, but that won''t save him. Molten-hot anger, like the heat from an open furnace, zes through me, propelling my foot into his head. Not just once, but over and over again. I keep kicking him until his face is unrecognizable as human and my shoes are covered with blood and skull and brain.


    "Lorenzo? Please?" Manfred''s business partner, Richie, cries from a few feet away, too chickenshit to try to stop me himself. But I can''t stop. Can''t stop unless some of this deep-seated rage abates. I can''t go home to the house where my family lives, where my niece and nephews call me Uncle Loz. Not when I''m this close to the edge. No, I have to leave the worst of it here.


    When there''s little left of Manfred''s head to kick, I move to his body and stamp out as much of the anger as I need to in order to function again. Richie''s pleas for mercy diminish with every second that passes, and the sound of him retching and the acrid smell of vomit fills the small room. Instinct makes him rush for the door, despite his former partner blocking his exit. He must know there''s no escape, but people tend to lose touch with theirmon sense when thepulsion to survive kicks in.


    Without stopping my assault on Manfred''s dead body, I reach out and grab Richard by the throat. He should have left me to it. Maybe then I would have worked out all my anger on his buddy''s corpse.


    "Lorenzo. Please?" he snivels, tears and snot running onto my hand as I train my re on him. "I''ll get you your money."


    "You think this is about the money?" I ask, fascinated by the unadulterated terror on his face. "Your lousy ten grand means nothing to me."


    "P-please."


    "You and Manfred lied to me, Richie. And that''s why you''re both going to die in this tiny fucking room and why even your mama won''t be able to identify your bodies."


    His face pales, which is fitting because he''s already a ghost. I throw him across the room, and he stumbles to the ground, trembling as he stares up at me advancing on him. When I force my thumbs into his eye sockets and gouge his eyeballs from his head, his screams for mercy soothe my ckened soul.


    ***


    I walk down the hallway of my family''s mansion. My home. Lessened by her absence, but still the only ce I feel anyfort or sce.


    "Uncle Loz. Help." The squeals of my three-year-old niece, Gabrie, fill the air as she barrels down the hall toward me in her stockinged feet. Shrieking with high-pitched giggles, she runs right into me, and I scoop her into my arms, holding her to my chest. Okay, so maybe I do still have a heart, but it''s shattered into a thousand fragments. The few slivers capable of any positive emotion belong mostly to this little girl and her two younger brothers.


    "What are you running from, my little E?" She stares up into my face, her dark brown eyes so full of trust and innocence that I sway on my feet.


    "Dinosaur Daddy." She lets out another giggle as Dantees charging down the hallway after her, the pink tiara on his head at odds with his dinosaur-like roar. Gabrie squeals louder, burying her small face against my chest until all that can be seen are her thick curls.


    Dante''s smile falls away when he sees my knuckles, bloodied and bruised. I cleaned up a little before I came home, but there''s only so much gore you can get rid of after you''ve beaten two men to death. His expression darkens, and the irony of the contrast is not lost on me. Me soaked in blood while I hold onto my sweet niece.


    "What the hell, Loz?" he mutters. "I thought you were going to talk?"


    I give him a nonchnt shrug. "I didn''t like what they had to say."


    He reaches for his daughter and plucks her from my arms. She gives a squawk of protest, but he wraps her up and peppers her face with butterfly kisses, making her snuggle into him with another squeal of delight. Something unidentifiable but not unfamiliar settles over me. I shake my head. She''s far safer with her father than she is with me-her monster of an uncle.


    "Hey, why don''t you go find your mom and your brothers while I talk to Uncle Loz?" he says quietly.


    She pouts. "I want Uncle Loz to y princess dinosaurs with me too."


    "He will soon. He and Daddy just need to talk first. Okay?"


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    Gabrie turns to me, her brow pinched into a cute frown as she considers his request. She looks so much like Joey; when she pouts, it''s almost like traveling back in time to when my sister was her age. "I promise I''ll y soon," I assure her. "Good." After a decisive nod, she squishes Dante''s cheeks together and kisses him loudly on the mouth, then wiggles out of his arms and scampers off down the hallway.


    With a sigh, I watch her leave and wait for my younger brother''s lecture. While I''m the oldest, he''s the official head of the family. My father denied me that birthright when I chose Anya Novikov as my bride instead of the Italian woman he picked out for me.


    "What the fuck, Loz?" Dante snaps once his daughter is out of earshot.


    "I told you, I didn''t like what they had to say."


    He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "This shit happens almost every single fucking time you leave the house."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I square up to him. "Why the fuck do you care about those two pieces of shit anyway? I did the world a favor getting rid of Manfred and Richie."


    He cocks his head, visibly working to keep a lid on his temper. "I don''t give a fuck about Manfred and Richie, but I do give a fuck about you leaving a trail of goddamn bodies in your wake every fucking time you walk out the front door." I snarl. "I cleaned up after myself. I always do."


    He gives my clothes a pointed look. "Not well enough."


    ncing down, I wince at the blood, so much of it clearly visible on my dark suit. Pretty sure some of Manfred''s brain matter is spattered on my shoes too. "I''ll take care of it now."


    "But you drove home like that, Loz. What if some asshole cop with a point to prove had stopped you?"


    "The cops don''t stop us," I remind him.


    "It takes one fucking time, Loz." He holds up his pointer finger, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl. "One fucking time."


    I shrug. "I don''t fucking care."


    "I do, Loz," he shouts. "I fucking care!"


    My pulse races, and I suck in a deep breath through my nose. I can''t do this right now. I can''t-


    He grabs my face in his hands, pressing his forehead against mine. "I can''t fucking do this without you, brother."


    "You can." I choke out the words.


    "No I can''t. If you don''t give a fuck about yourself, think about us and how we would ever cope without you. Me and Kat. Joey and Max." His pleas pull at some of those tiny slivers, gathering enough together to make my heart start beating again. It''s faint but there. "Think about Gabrie and the boys and what they would do if they lost you." Those words act as the final nail in my coffin, and I break.


    Tears stream down my face, and he wraps his arms around my head and neck, pulling me into his shoulder. "This has to stop, Loz."


    "I know," I admit.


    But what if I can''t stop?

 101

    LORENZO


    Dante fastens his cufflinks and studies me with concern. "You sure you''ll be okay? We can stay home."


    I roll my eyes and look into the face of his eight-month-old son, Micah, who''s nestled in the crook of my arm and drooling while he chews on a teething ring. "Your daddy thinks I can''t handle some little punks like you and your big brother and sister?" I bounce him and he giggles.


    "Gabrie and Marco are sound asleep," Kat says as she walks into the room. "You sure you don''t want me to try and put him down too?"


    "We''ll be fine. We''re going to watch some wrestling. Aren''t we, kid?" I wipe the puddle of drool from his chin with a sweep of my thumb.


    He goes on happily gnawing on his chew toy like a contented puppy.


    "Thank you, Loz." My brother''s wife rests a gentle hand on my shoulder. I catch the scent of her sweet perfume, and it stirs up long forgotten memories that I force back down. She gives Micah a soft kiss on his head. "Dada," he coos in response.


    "Ma-ma." She corrects him, enunciating the sybles. Kat keeps hoping he''ll repeat that word, but he''s stubborn like the rest of the Morettis.


    "Dada," Micah repeats, and Kat sighs.


    "That''s my boy." Dante grins and kisses his son goodbye.


    "We''ll be back after breakfast." Kat smiles, but I don''t miss the concern in her expression. Dante must have told her about the state I came home in today. He tells her everything. She never judges, but their worry is palpable, and it makes my skin itch. I wish I was an easier person to care about, but this is who I am.


    "Take your time. We''ll be fine. Enjoy the show and the hotel."


    "Oh, we''ll be enjoying the hotel," Dante says, his grin devious.


    "Stop." His wife''s cheeks flush red. He wraps his arm around her, silencing her with a kiss.


    Sometimes seeing them together forces me to remember how good it felt to have a love like that, and just like I always do, I bury those emotions deep in the hopes of never feeling them again. Otherwise I would be crushed under the pain of it all. If there''s one thing I''ve learned since my wife''s death, it''s that those memories bring nothing but grief. Better to concentrate on my anger at not having her than any of the love or happiness that we shared. That''s the only way I can keep putting one foot in front of the other. The only way I go on surviving for the people who need me. Because the thought of my family having to suffer even a fraction of my torment is the only thing that stops me from giving into the darknesspletely.


    A deep voice rouses me from sleep. "Boss."


    "What?" Sitting up, I wince at the sharp pain that jolts through my neck and jaw. My recently acquired habit of sleeping on the sofa rather than facing the loneliness of my bed has been rough on my body. I hoped that recing the bedroom furniture would allow me to sleep in there, but it didn''t.


    "There''s someone at the gate."


    I check my watch. "It''s 2:00 a. m. Tell ''em to fuck off."


    I stretch my neck out and the sharp pain turns to a dull ache.


    "I would, but..."


    My scowl has him flinching back. "But?"


    "She says she''s Mrs. Moretti''s cousin."


    My breath stalls in my lungs. Anya''s cousin is here? She lives in Russia and didn''t evene to her fucking funeral. "Her cousin is here? Now?"


    "Yeah. That''s what she said. She asked for Kat."


    Closing my eyes, I let out the breath I was holding. Of course he''s talking about that Mrs. Moretti. After two years, I still think of my Anya when I hear that name. "Tell her toe back tomorrow."


    "I would, but..." He scrubs at the stubble on his chin. God, who the fuck is this guy? Is he new? He''s really testing my fucking patience.


    "But what?" I snap.


    "I told her Mrs. Moretti wasn''t home, and she said she has nowhere else to go-"


    "So tell her to wait in her fucking car."


    His Adam''s apple bobs as he swallows.


    "You have a fucking problem with that?"


    "It''s just ... she''s kinda beat up, Boss."


    I sit up straighter. Kat only has one living rtive. Mia, I think. I vaguely recall meeting her at Kat and Dante''s wedding. She left early. "What do you mean, beat up?" My short tone matches my patience.


    He frowns. "Like someone hurt her real bad. Her face is a mess."


    I jump to my feet. What the fuck is going on? "Who hurt her?"


    "I-I don''t know. I didn''t ask. She just asked for Kat and said she has nowhere else to go."


    "Fuck," I mutter, slipping on my shoes. "This is all I fucking need."


    "Should I tell ''em to open the gates, Boss?"


    "Yes," I reluctantly grumble.


    He tries to hide his smile by dipping his head and hurrying from the room.


    I stalk through the house, my head pounding and my hands balled into fists. Kat and Dante have one fucking night away in two years, and that''s when her cousin decides to show up. This is just my luck all fucking over.


    By the time I get to the driveway, there''s an old green Mustang pulling to a stop a few feet away. Folding my arms across my chest, I wait for the damsel in distress to get out and run crying to the safety of our mansion. If she thinks she''ll get


    any sympathy from me, she''s sorely mistaken. I''ll show her to the guest room and leave her for Kat to deal with tomorrow. I don''t have the time or the energy for emotional women.


    The car door opens, revealing one long tanned leg, followed by another. She''s wearing a bright yellow dress-the color of sunshine. She turns and spots me, and I frown. Cue the tears, right?


    Wrong. She gives me a smile; a huge ass smile that lights up her entire face. Even from here, I can see the dried blood on her lip and eyebrow and the colorful welt covering most of her cheekbone. Assessing for further damage, I allow my eyes to travel the length of her body. Down her neck and the fingertip-shaped bruises partially hidden by her honey-blond hair. Her corbone. More bruises. My lingering gazees to a halt at her chest, where her tits strain against the taut yellow fabric.


    "You must be Lorenzo?" Her voice, sweet like nectar, cuts through the quiet night. The guard who alerted me to her arrival returned to his station at the gate, and the others are making their rounds, patrolling the perimeter. She and I are alone. My pulse thrums against my neck, and I swallow harshly.


    "It is Lorenzo, right?" she asks again, and I finally manage to tear my eyes from her chest.


    "Yeah." My voicees out an octave higher than usual, and I''m fucked if I know why.


    She walks closer. "I''m so sorry about this, but I literally have nowhere else to go." The breeze ruffles her hair, carrying the scent of jasmine and lemon through the air between us. "You might not remember me, but I met you at Kat and Dante''s wedding. You and your lovely wife. Anya, right?"


    The sound of her name makes me sway on my feet. Nobody says her name. Nobody talks about her for fear that they will unleash the rage that''s lived inside me since I lost her. I''d forgotten the power of her name. Forgotten how it''s like music to my dark soul.


    "I was so sorry to hear about her passing." She continues to approach me, seemingly oblivious to my distress. "She was a beautiful person. We spoke about her illness."


    I frown at her, unconvinced. Anya never talked about her cancer with anyone. "You did?"


    She gives me a sympathetic smile. "I think it''s sometimes easier to talk to strangers, you know? Although I can talk to anyone. I talk too much. I always have. I''m a babbler."


    "Yeah, I got that," I mutter, turning on my heel and walking back into the house.


    Not bothering to wait for an invitation, she follows me inside. "Will Kat be back tomorrow?"


    "Yes. After breakfast. I''ll show you to a guest room and you can see her when she gets home."


    "Oh, I need to grab my bag." She giggles lightly. "I was so excited to get here and finally pee that I forgot to get it out of the trunk." She''s certainly very happy for a woman who looks like she went a round with a heavyweight champ not too long ago.


    "I''ll have one of my men fetch your bag."


    "Thank you. And that bathroom?" Gazing up at me, she chews on her bottom lip.


    I frown. "What?" My brain feels like it''s misfiring. Maybe it''s having my sleep interrupted? Or maybe it''s listening to this strange woman talk about my wife like she knows her.


    Sheughs again. "I need to pee," she reminds me.


    "Oh. Sure. Down the hall. Second room on the left."


    "Thank you so much." Already darting away down the hall, she calls the words over her shoulder, and I watch after her, curious about how she ended up here and why. It''s no leap to assume she got those bruises from a man. A man with big, meaty fists if the size of that ck eye is any indication. If I recall correctly, she''s married. Is she running from her husband?


    Leaning against the wall, I wait outside the bathroom. I can''t exactly leave her wandering the halls now, can I? My niece and nephews are asleep, and for all I know, she could be a serial killer who smells like lemons and jasmine. When she emerges a few minutester, she gives me another wide smile. Her injuries look worse in the bright light of the hallway, her swollen eye giving way to a purple contusion that covers the entire right side of her face. A drop of blood wells from the cut in her lip. She must have wiped it in the bathroom and caused the wound to reopen. Her tongue darts out to lick the blood, and for some reason, I look away.


    "Would it be too much trouble to get a little something to eat? All I''ve eaten today was a bag of Skittles and some beef jerky." She looks at me with wide hazel eyes-or are they green? It''s hard to tell in the re of the light. "I can fix something myself if you show me the way?" she offers.


    Fuck! I shake my head to clear it and motion in front of me. "I''ll show you the kitchen."


    She falls into step beside me. "Thank you so much. I can''t imagine what you must be thinking having me turn up on your doorstep like this."


    "That you''re running from your husband?" I offer with a disinterested shrug. My tone is clipped and harsh, but if she takes any offense, she doesn''t show it.


    "Yup. You read me right," she says with a softugh. "I guess you''re good at reading people in your business."


    I arch an eyebrow at her. "And that is?"


    She shrugs. "Mafia stuff."


    I stop and stare at her. Did she really just say that out loud? "Mafia stuff?"


    "You''re Cosa Nostra, right? Sicilian Mafia?" she says, turning around when she notices I''m no longer walking beside her.


    The corners of my mouth lift into a faint grin. "People don''t usually say it so bluntly. Not to my face."


    She tilts her head, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she stares at me with a look on her face that I can''t quite figure out. Is she fronting or is she really as unaffected by this encounter as she appears to be? "Oh, right. I''m sorry. I thought it was like your job title or something."


    Swallowing an unexpectedugh, I move past her and push open the kitchen door, motioning for her to go ahead. "Do you always say what you''re thinking, or is it a nervous thing?"


    "Oh, almost always," she says, walking past me into the kitchen and leaning up against the massive wooden table. She studies me curiously. "And I''m not nervous.".


    I narrow my eyes at her. Who the hell is this woman? "You''re not? You''re in this house, alone, with a man who does Mafia stuff, and you''re not even a little nervous?" "Not even a little." She grins, and her eyes, appearing brown in the softer light of the kitchen, burn into mine.


    I take a few steps toward her. Goosebumps prickle her forearms, but she keeps her gaze locked on mine. "Maybe you should be nervous, Mia."


    Her face lights up like a Christmas tree. "You remember my name?"


    "I-I, uh-"


    "Anyway, Kat told me you''re a really good guy. Plus, I saw you with your wife. How you acted, you know..." Her eyes fill with tears, and she swats them away.


    I swallow the hard knot of emotion lodged in my throat. I''m going to regret this, but I can''t pass up the opportunity to see our rtionship through someone else''s perspective-it''s like getting back a piece of Anya, a piece I never had while she was here. "How did I act?"


    "The way you looked at her. Like you would hang the moon for her." She sighs softly. "Every woman deserves a man who looks at her like that. Everyone deserves someone who adores them. Someone who would die for them."


    This woman-this stranger could see all that? Fuck, I still adore Anya. I would''ve died for her one hundred times over. Given half a fucking chance, I''d die right now just for one more moment with her. I cough to clear my throat, but it doesn''t help. My voicees out rough. "You got all that from a few hours in ourpany?"


    "Love like that can''t be masked. A few moments in yourpany would have told me the same." Her stomach growls loudly, and her cheeks flush a delicate shade of pink. "Any chance of that food?"


    "What? Yes, of course." I was staring again. What the fuck? "We have some leftover risotto, or there''s meat and fresh bread?" "Risotto would be perfect. Thanks."


    I''ve never seen a woman take as much joy in food as Mia does. She closes her eyes to savor each mouthful and lets out a soft moaning sound every time she takes a bite. Our cook Sophia does make an incredible risotto, but still.


    I watch her intently, fascinated by this woman who seems to have every reason to be terrified and depressed but might just be the happiest person I''ve ever met.


    In stark contrast to the way she scarfed down her risotto, Mia daintily dabs at her mouth with her napkin when she''s done. The bruise on her face has grown darker and her right eye is partially swollen shut. Kat will check her over in the morning, but the sight of her battered features has my ever-present rage bubbling to the surface.


    "Who did that to you?"


    Her eyes flicker to mine. They''re hazel again now. "My husband. Like you said."


    I knew it. That fucking bastard. "Why?"


    "Why?" The bitterugh sounds unnaturaling from her lips. "You think there''s ever a reason to do this to someone you''re supposed to love?"


    I silently curse myself for my careless choice of words. "No, but I meant did something provoke him?"


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    "Umm..." She presses her lips together as though deep in thought. "This morning it was because the cereal was too soggy."


    My brow furrows. "What?"


    "I poured the milk too soon, therefore rendering his cereal inedible," she says with a resigned shrug.


    "So this was amon urrence?"


    "If you call once every other monthmon, then yes."


    "And it was always your fault, right? You made him act that way?"


    "You know the script?" Her smile is sad but genuine.


    I heard it many times with my own parents, but I don''t tell her that.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    She stares at me so intently that I feel hot under her gaze. "And now you''re wondering why I stayed so long."


    "I never said that."


    "I''d ask me that if I were you. Ten long years I stayed with him. Hoping..." She shakes her head. "But hope''s a dangerous thing, right? Sometimes I think it''s the most powerful force in the universe." "You do?" My words drip with derision.


    "Yes," she says, straightening her spine. "We can live without most things, even love. But without hope, well, we have nothing left worth living for." I frown at her, and sheughs softly. "I take it you don''t agree?"


    I shrug. "I think life is full of hopeless situations, but people keep going without it."


    "They keep going because of that little ray of light in the darkness. That''s hope," she insists.


    My skin prickles with annoyance. "No. There isn''t always a ray of light, Mia. Sometimes there''s just darkness and nothing beyond it."


    She leans forward and gentles her tone. "But there''s a ray of light to be found in even the darkest of situations."


    Spoken by a person who hasn''t had their entire world crash down around their ears. The sound that rumbles out of my chest makes it clear I disagree, but she starts talking again before I can argue.


    "It''s true. Sometimes you have to look real hard to find it. But it''s always there, even if it''s just the tiniest speck of light. And when you do find it, well, then it''s your job to nurture it until it grows bigger and the light begins to outshine the darkness. Eventually, light will be all that''s left."


    "That''s your philosophy, is it?" I snap, annoyed by her steadfast positivity. If I''m forced to listen to much more of it, she''s going to see just how little light I have inside me.


    "It''s the only one I have," she says in a softer tone.


    Feeling the need to change the conversation before she can piss me off with more of her hippie bullshit, I ce my palms on the table in front of me and lean forward. "So why did you stay with him?"


    If she''s bothered by me shifting the conversation back to her abusive marriage, she doesn''t show it. "Same reasons everyone stays, I guess. First because I thought he could change. I thought I could change him." She snorts a self-deprecatingugh and shakes her head. "Then I convinced myself it wasn''t so bad. That the good times outweighed the bad. The sex was incredible." She arches an eyebrow.


    I take a sip of my coffee to distract myself from thoughts of her having sex, because for some reason that I can''t identify, the thought of the asshole who gave her those bruises putting his hands on her in any way makes me see red. "You really don''t have a filter, do you?"


    That makes herugh again. "Sorry."


    "Please go on," I say, annoyed at myself for interrupting her.


    "Then when the bad times got more frequent and even the sex became ... well not bad. I just didn''t want it, you know?"


    Every cell in my body vibrates with tension and anger. What I wouldn''t give right now for a few minutes alone with that motherfucker. Who the fuck treats their wife that way? Her voice brings me back from the ledge, and I''m left wondering why her situation is provoking such an intense physical reaction from me.


    "Well, I finally decided I had to get out before he killed me, but I didn''t think I had anywhere to go. About a year ago, I was talking to Kat and she made an offhandment about how I was always wee here, and I realized that I was wrong. I did have somewhere to go. Kat''s my family, and she''s there for me just like I''d be for her. I hate to be a burden to any of you, so I won''t hang around for long, but I knew I was running out of time and that if I didn''t get out of that house of my own free will, I''d be leaving in a box."


    I fight the urge to lean across the table and brush away the tear running down her cheek. I don''t think I''ve ever met anyone else so willing to bare their soul to aplete stranger. Talking with her is the most intimate thing I''ve done with a woman in a long time.


    "So, I fixed up that old Mustang and left this morning. Sixteen hours and two gas and bathroom breaks and I''m here." The smile that lights up her face makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.


    I need to break this connection between us, but I can''t seem to tear my eyes away from her.

 102

    MIA


    I lie back on the soft pillow and stare at the ceiling. This house is incredible. The guest bedroom is like something from a five-star hotel. I can''t believe that my cousin gets to live in this ce. Without warning, a tear drips down my cheek. I wish she was here. Trust me to turn up on the one night she''s away with her husband. Not that Lorenzo wasn''tpletely weing, despite not wanting me here. He''s clearly a good man but seeing the amount of sadness he carries around nearly made me want to cry.


    I wonder if Brad''s filed a missing person''s report yet. Normally, police departments won''t file unless the person has been missing for more than forty-eight hours, but I bet he''ll use his badge to expedite the process. Imagining his face when he walked through the door and saw the house hadn''t been cleaned makes me smile. And then when he saw the Mustang was gone-I almost wish I was there to see it.


    Sighing with contentment, I roll onto my side and snuggle into the pillow. This bed is so damnfy.


    Brad''s in Boston and I''m here, hundreds of miles away from him. Even if he tries to follow me, I''m safe behind these walls. I''m not naive enough to be unaware of the Morettis and what they do. Cop or not, Brad wouldn''t dare take on the Mafia. And while I''m a pacifist at heart, I''m in a desperate situation. What other choice did I have?


    As I start to doze off, images of Lorenzo''s handsome face and intense brown eyes sh through my head. It was odd to sit and speak so openly with aplete stranger, particrly one as dangerous as him, but also weirdly familiar andforting. I feel at ease in his presence. I didn''t even babble as much as I usually do, a fact I bet he''d find hard to believe because I talked nonstop. I''m still thinking about his dark, hypnotic gaze and deep, soothing voice when I drift off to sleep.


    I must have beenpletely wiped out by my drive from Boston to Chicago because the next thing I know, I''m startled awake by a soft knock on my door followed by my name. Her voice makes my heart swell in my chest. "Kat?" I throw off the covers and jump out of bed just as she rushes through the door. We run into each other''s arms, hugging tightly as tears roll down our faces. After we''ve embraced for several seconds, we step back and she scans my appearance, her brow furrowed with concern.


    "We should get that eye looked at by a doctor. Just to be sure there''s no permanent damage."


    I shake my head. "No doctors. It''ll be fine. It''s happened before," I assure her.


    "Oh, Mia," she says on a sob, wrapping her arms around me again. "I''m so sorry, honey."


    I rub a soothing hand over her back. "Don''t be. I hid the worst of it, Kat. Please don''t feel sorry for me."


    She straightens up, wiping the tears from her cheeks. I know she understands the deep-seated desire not to feel pitied. Something happened to her a few years ago, and although she never told me what, it changed her. Shepletely withdrew from life for a time. Then she met Dante, and I''ve never seen her so happy.


    "I''m so d you came. You can stay as long as you like. We have plenty of room. In fact, stay forever." She brushes a fingertip over my bruised cheek, smiling softly. "He''ll never hurt you here. I promise."


    "Thank you." I can''t stay here forever, and I have no intention of doing so, but the fact that she would let me means the world to me. "I''ve missed you so much. And I haven''t seen those beautiful babies of yours nearly enough."


    That makes herugh. "No, you haven''t. Gabrie is three and a half going on thirty. She''ll have dozens of questions to ask you, so be prepared."


    "You know talking is my thing," I remind her.


    She squeezes my hand. "You have no need to be nervous in this house. Dante is really pleased you''re here, and I know Lorenzo seems a bit grumpy ..."


    "He was quite sweet actually."


    She pops a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me. "Lorenzo? Sweet?"


    "I mean, I rocked up in the middle of the night looking like this." I wave a hand over my face. "But the guy barely batted an eyelid. Then I talked his ass off and he didn''t tell me to shut up once." "Hmm." She narrows her eyes at me. "Brad set the bar way too low if you think Lorenzo Moretti is sweet."


    I nudge her in the ribs. "You left him in sole charge of your three little angels, so he can''t be that bad."


    "Oh, he''s a good guy. The kids love him. I love him. Just..." She wrinkles her nose. "Sweet?" Laughing, she shakes her head. "Anyway. Let''s go get some breakfast and you can say hi to Dante and my three little angels." The noise from the kitchen can be heard from the hallway, and theughter and shouting makes me smile. When we get there, Dante''s holding Gabrie upside down and pretending to dip her into a bowl of oatmeal. "No, Daddy!" she squeals with delight, and he pulls her into his arms and tickles her.


    Joey sits on the other side of the table with her husband, Max. I met them both at Kat''s wedding, but they weren''t together then. Joey shouts to Marco that he needs to save his sister from their monster Daddy while Maxughs at them all. Lorenzo is seated at the head of the table, holding baby Micah in his arms and shaking his head in bemusement. He says something to Micah, who smiles up at him in response, but the kitchen is too noisy for me to hear what he said. "Our guest of honor has arrived." Kat cuts through the sea of noise, and everyone stops and stares at us. I self-consciously lift my hand to my cheek, aware of how hideous I look right now, but before I have time to wallow in my embarrassment, Joey jumps from her chair and rushes toward me.


    "Mia. It''s so lovely to see you again," she says, wrapping me in a warm hug.


    I squeeze her back. "You too!"


    When she steps away, Dante''s there waiting for a hug. "I''m d you came here. Kat''s family is our family too," he says, his tone full of genuine affection.


    I blink to clear my unexpected tears. "Thank you. I really appreciate you all having me here."


    Gabrie eyes me warily until Kat picks her up and exins that I''m her auntie Mia and I''ll be staying here for a while. She asks about my face, and I tell her I had an ident, which she doesn''t question because she''s three and a half. I give Marco a squeeze too, but Lorenzo keeps hold of Micah, so I guess I''ll have to get my baby cuddlester.


    Dante scoops Gabrie up from the floor. "Time for your lessons, princess."


    "Aw. I want to stay with Auntie Joey and Auntie Mia." Her lower lip pokes out, making her look utterly adorable.


    "Lessons," he says sternly, even though he''s still smiling at her. The love he has for Kat and their kids is so tangible, I can practically touch it. It radiates out of him.


    "Do what Daddy says, sweetheart," Kat adds.


    "You too, little dude." Dante picks Marco up in his other arm. "I''ll be back in five. Don''t start without me," he says to Kat before giving her a sweet kiss.


    Ady with gray hair who''s been standing quietly by the stove shoos me toward an empty seat. "Sit. What would you like for breakfast? We have everything you can think of."


    "Waffles, please," Joey announces loudly.


    "Sophia makes the best waffles," Kat tells me, giving the older woman a quick squeeze.


    I sit in the chair Sophia indicated. "Fruit''s fine for me, thanks."


    Joey scoffs. "That''s like a snack. Not breakfast."


    "You only say that because you can''t function without coffee and sugar, baby girl." Max teases her good-naturedly, and she flutters her eyshes at him in response.


    "Are you sure I can''t fix you anything more substantial?" Sophia asks.


    I eye the tes of food on the table. It looks like Kat, Dante, and Lorenzo had bacon and eggs, and even the leftovers look amazing. But my ass will get fatter than it is now if I start indulging in waffles or bacon and eggs for breakfast. And I was so hungry when I got herest night, I inhaled a te of risotto right in front of Lorenzo. He must think I''m a glutton already.


    "Fruit is fine." A flush creeps across my cheeks. "Thank you."


    Smiling at me over her shoulder, Sophia goes to the fridge. "Of course."


    I nce around the table, and I''m surprised to find Lorenzo staring at me. He doesn''t attempt to disguise his scrutiny but continues watching me with a curious expression on his face.


    For some reason, the heat from my cheeks travels down my neck and chest, and I shift in my seat. Yep, feeling that heat elsewhere too. What the hell, Mia?


    I take a deep breath and sh him my best smile. His eyes crinkle at the corners and one side of his mouth curls up in amusement before his attention moves to the doorway just as Dante walks back into the room.


    "So, what''s the n?" Max asks as soon as Dante sits down at the table. "I can be there and back in a day. Make it look like an ident? A suicide?"


    Lorenzo scowls. "No. I''ll do it."


    "You sure that''s wise?" Dante asks him.


    "You think I''m not capable of handling this?" Lorenzo barks.


    I watch them with morbid fascination. They''re clearly talking about one of their enemies, but I''m shocked they''d discuss killing someone so openly in front of me. I guess I really am family, huh?


    Dante huffs and rolls his eyes. "Don''t be fucking ridiculous, Loz. But you have been a little ..." He winces.


    "A little what, D?"


    "Psycho?" Max offers.


    "Not helpful," Joey chides her husband.


    "You haven''t been your usual levelheaded self is all," Dante says. "And this needs to be clean. The guy''s a cop."


    "I fucking know that," Lorenzo says with a snarl.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "A c-cop?"


    Everyone turns and looks at me.


    "Who are you talking about?" I ask, even as my heart races. I think I know the answer.


    "Your piece-of-shit husband," Lorenzo replies, as though murdering a police officer is a normal breakfast conversation.


    I push my chair back as bile surges up my throat. "W-what? No! You can''t ;... I never asked you to... You can''t!"


    Kat puts a reassuring hand over mine and shoots her husband a warning look. "I told you she wouldn''t want that."


    "How else do you expect to stay safe from him, Mia?" Dante asks.


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    "I-I ..." The words won''te. "I don''t know. But I don''t want you to kill him."


    Lorenzo''s jaw ticks as he res at me. "Shame you don''t get a vote."


    "Loz," Dante warns.


    "Are we killing this guy or not?" Max asks.


    Lorenzo scowls. "Yes."


    "No," I insist. My heart threatens to burst out of my chest. "That''s not why I came here. That''s not what-I shouldn''t havee."


    I turn to leave, but Kat grabs my hand. "No one will hurt Brad if you don''t want that, Mia. I promise you."


    I look at her husband, the head of the Cosa Nostra, and he nods his agreement. Satisfied, I return to my chair.


    "Do you expect him not to follow you here, Mia?" Dante asks softly, his voice thick and smooth like velvet. "I... I didn''t think. I thought maybe he might, but ..."


    Lorenzo sighs. "But what?"


    "I thought once he saw where I was, he''d just leave and not bother me again."


    Lorenzo snorts. "That''s either incredibly naive or incredibly stupid."


    "Don''t call me stupid." I glower at him.


    He narrows his dark eyes and res right back. "Naive then?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Maybe." I shake my head. I clearly didn''t think my n through well enough, and now I feel like a fool.


    "You''re safe while you''re in this house, Mia. But is that what you want? To stay behind these walls forever?" Dante asks.


    "No. But I thought maybe just for a little while. Until I can figure out my next move. Then I could start somewhere new. With a new name."


    "Just like that, huh?" Lorenzo''s voice drips with sarcasm.


    "Enough," Kat says with a sigh. "There''s nothing that needs to be decided right now, is there? Let Mia think about her next steps, and while she does, she can stay here as long as she needs to." She squeezes my hand again. "Of course." Dante shoots a look at his brother who closes his eyes and shakes his head.


    "You won''t hurt Brad?" I ask.


    Dante stares at me for a few seconds before he replies. "We won''t go looking for him, but if he turns up here and causes any trouble..."


    "We''ll give him a pair of concrete boots and toss him in the river," Lorenzo finishes for him, a malicious grin on his face.


    Reluctantly, I agree. "I guess I can''t argue with that."

 103

    LORENZO


    I pace up and down my study, hands stuffed in my pockets to stop me from punching a hole in anything. We''ve already had the door to this room reced three times in the past two years. I''m astounded by Mia''s naivete. I guess I had her figured all wrong. Last night she seemed strong and determined, yet today she refuses to take any vengeance against the man who spent thest decade beating the shit out of her. I can''tprehend her thought process. Why won''t she let us protect her?


    A soft knock at the door snatches my attention. "What?" I bark.


    Mia''s soft voice carries through the thick oak. "Can Ie in?" Why the hell is she here? "Yes."


    She walks in and closes the door behind her. Her right eye looks even worse today, and she blushes when she catches me staring at her bruised face. "Did Kat check that out for you?"


    She brushes her fingertips over her cheek. "Yeah, but it''s fine. It usually calms down in a day or two."


    The fact that her piece-of-shit husband has done that to her so many times before that she has a usual recovery window makes my blood fucking boil.


    "Did you need something?" I snap at her, my tone harsher than I mean it to be.


    "I just wanted to..." she chews on her lip. "You seemed angry about me not wanting anyone to hurt Brad?" Her voice rises at the end like she''s trying to understand my frustration. Why the fuck does she care what I think?


    She fidgets with a button on her shirt. "I''m sorry. I get why you''d want to do that, I mean, I do, but it''s not..." She swats at a tear running down her cheek. "God, I hate crying."


    I resist the urge to ask why she hates crying. She''s Kat''s cousin, so I will tolerate her presence in this house, but that''s as far as our interactions need to go. I open my mouth, about to tell her that she shouldn''t concern herself with what I think and then ask her to leave my study, but she starts talking again.


    "I''d hate for anyone to get hurt or get into any trouble because of me. Brad''s a cop. He has a lot of friends in high ces. I just don''t think he''s worth anybody''s time or trouble."


    That''s not what she means at all. I see it in every movement of her body. Every shadow on her face. What she actually means is that she doesn''t think that she''s worth the time or the trouble. That motherfucker really did a number on her. "What I don''t get is why you wouldn''t want that sick fuck to feel even a fraction of the pain he forced you to endure."


    "It wasn''t that bad-"


    "Have you looked in the fucking mirror today, Mia?"


    She flinches, making me feel like shit for victimizing her all over again, but she squares her shoulders and steps so close to me that I can smell her perfume. "I am well aware of what I look like, Lorenzo. But how is hurting Brad going to change any of what he did to me? You think if I could take back every single bruise, every single scar, every single time he raped me, every single moment I lived in fear that the next time he might kill me, that I wouldn''t do it in a heartbeat?" Her breathes in pants, teeth bared and body shaking with temper. I was right. She is a feisty one.


    I glower at her. "I would take all of those things back for you. I''d make him pay a hundredfold for every single thing he ever did to you."


    "But why?" She throws her hands in the air. "It would change nothing."


    "It would make you feel better," I insist.


    "It wouldn''t!"


    "Fine. Then it would make me fucking feel better," I shout.


    She blinks at me, her hazel eyes fixed on mine. "Why?" She whispers the word so quietly I almost don''t hear it.


    I have no idea why. No fucking clue why I care one single iota about making her shitbag of a husband pay for all the pain he caused her. So I ignore the question and try a different tactic. "Wouldn''t you sleep easier at night if he was no longer breathing?"


    "Knowing that you, Max, or Dante had a man''s blood on your hands because of me?" She shakes her head emphatically. "No."


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    "I have so much blood on my hands, Mia. Trust me when I tell you that ten more pints of it won''t make the slightest difference."


    She folds her arms across her chest, pushing her ample tits together. "I disagree."


    I snort. "What would you know?"


    "I know that no matter how many lives a man takes, each one leaves their mark, Lorenzo. And if you were to have that on your conscience, on your soul-because of me-that would hurt more than anything he ever did." Fuck me, she really means that. It''s evident in the defiant tilt of her jaw and the way her hazel eyes sparkle green with fury and determination.


    "Well, it seems like you got your wish anyway, because no one isying a finger on him."


    Her face lights up with a smile, like she somehow won.


    "He''lle for you though. You know that, right? He''s not going to just ept you walking out on him without a fight."


    The light falls away from her expression and she nods.


    I sit down and indicate she should do the same. "What would be his first move?"


    "I thought maybe he''d file a missing person''s report, but..." With a shake of her head, she sinks her teeth into her full bottom lip. "I don''t think he''d risk his police buddies finding out who he truly is. He''ll track me down himself." "That won''t take long. He knows Kat''s your cousin, right?"


    She leans back in the chair with a sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Yes. But he doesn''t know where she lives."


    "Hmm." I rub a hand over my beard. "With his connections, it won''t take him long to find this ce once he learns she''s a Moretti. Is that Mustang yours or his?"


    "It''s his," she says quietly, sinking deeper into the chair.


    "If I were him, I''d report it as stolen."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I don''t think he''s as smart as you are." She gives me a faint smile. "But yeah, he probably will."


    "We can''t have cops turning up here looking for a stolen car."


    She gasps. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t think."


    "I''ll have someone drive it back to Boston and dump it near your house."


    Looking down at her hands in herp, she nods. "I''m sorry."


    Seeing this strong, fiery woman so defeated and meek causes something inside me to snap. "That''s the third time you''ve apologized since you walked in here. Stop it." "I''m..." She presses her lips together. "It''s a nervous tic."


    Saying nothing, I stare at her.


    "I appreciate you helping me out with this more than you will ever know. Thank you, Lorenzo."


    "Like Dante said, you''re family." Brushing her off, I grab my phone and make arrangements to have the Mustang picked up and taken back to Boston. She doesn''t look like she''s buying my feigned disinterest; she''s staring at me with an expression full of curiosity and awe-as though I''m some hero who''s going to save her. I''m not. I can''t even save myself.

 104

    MIA


    Scooping baby Micah up from his y mat, I give him a squeeze. I''ve been here for over a week now, and I''ve barely gotten to spend any time with him.


    "Hey, buddy. Your Uncle Lorenzo has been hogging my baby cuddles the whole time I''ve been here."


    "Dada," he squeals, showing off his single tooth with a drooly grin.


    Kat sidles up behind me, enunciating the sybles of my name. "Mee-uh."


    "Dada," he repeats, pping his hands with delight.


    Kat rolls her eyes dramatically. "He''s been saying dada for three weeks now, and he still refuses to say anything else."


    "That''s because his daddy is his favorite person in the world," Dante says, walking straight to his wife and wrapping her in his arms. He gives her a soft kiss on the lips, and she leans into him. The contented look on her face warms my heart. She had a shit time of it before she met him, and she deserves every ounce of happinessing her way.


    Kat looks up at Dante and smirks. "Try telling him that when he''s screaming for a boob."


    He nuzzles her neck and whispers something for her ears only judging by the way her cheeks turn red and she giggles. After a few seconds, she pushes him away. "We have a guest," she scolds. "Mia isn''t a guest. She''s family. Right?" He directs the question to me.


    "Right," I agree. "But that reminds me. I want to be helpful while I''m here. You guys have any jobs that need doing? Anyone got any muscle pain they need fixing?" I ask with a self-deprecating shrug. Dante''s brow furrows and he looks from me to Kat. "Muscle pain?"


    "Mia''s a trained and certified massage therapist," my cousin exins.


    "Really? Huh. Lorenzo''s had a stiff neck for a few weeks. He insists on sleeping on the sofa instead of in a bed."


    Kat turns to face Dante, her features etched with concern. "He''s still doing that?"


    Dante nods, his brow furrowing.


    Why is Lorenzo sleeping on the sofa? I don''t ask that question out loud though because it seems impolite to ask them about Lorenzo''s sleeping arrangements instead of asking him myself. "I''ll see if he''ll let me take a look. But is there anything else I can help with? Babysitting? Office work? Cleaning?"


    "You don''t have to do any of that, Mia. We have an army of staff here." Her cheeks flush. Before she married into the Moretti family, she cleaned office buildings, and she still isn''tfortable with having people pick up after her. Dante and Kat share a look. "Actually, I think there is something you can help with."


    Yes! I knew there must be a way I could earn my keep around here while staying upied. "I''ll do anything."


    "We sold our old family home a few months back and a lot of my mom''s old papers, pictures, and books are still in boxes. Lorenzo and I were going to sort through it all, but we never seem to have the time. Could you take a look and try to find everything a new home in our library? The entire ce is a bit of a mess to be honest, and you''ll probably have to reconfigure the whole room to fit everything in, but there should be enough space."


    "It would be my pleasure. That sounds like exactly the kind of project I''d be good at." Organization, books, and photographs are three of my favorite things. "And I''m so impressed you guys have a library here. I feel like I just dropped into Beast''s castle." Iugh softly.


    "Well, the only beast you''ll find in our library is Lorenzo." Dante chuckles. "He usually works in there instead of in our study."


    Kat gives me a conspiratorial grin. "Here''s a pro tip-if he gets super grumpy, he can be calmed down with a huge slice of caramel cheesecake."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Dante rolls his eyes. "He and Kat have a particr thing for one of the bakeries downtown that I will never understand."


    I nod my agreement and sh him a knowing smirk. Oh, I''m well aware of my cousin''s cheesecake habit.


    "Only because you don''t like sweet things." Kat nudges him in the ribs, and he slides his hand down to her ass.


    "I like some sweet things, kitten."


    She blushes beet-red again and I turn away, talking to Micah and peppering his downy head with kisses because his parents look like they''re about to need the room to themselves. Kat''s voice has me turning my attention back to her. "Anyway, help yourself to the books in there. I added my own special section," she adds with a pop of one eyebrow.


    I waggle my eyebrows back. "Oh?"


    "You enjoy reading porn too, Mia?" Dante asks with a wicked grin.


    I cover Micah''s ear with my hand, mouth wide open as I feign my horror at his father''s denigration of mine and his mom''s reading material.


    "It''s smut," Kat insists.


    "We''ve been reading cliterature since we were fourteen and we first discovered Anne Rice''s Sleeping Beauty series," I say in defense of the finest genre of books to ever be created.


    "Cliterature." He snorts augh and Kat gives him another dig in the ribs.


    We''re saved from the rest of the conversation by Max walking into the room. He greets Kat and me then he looks to Dante. "You ready,pagno?"


    Dante sighs. "I hate the Strauss brothers."


    "I know. But if we send Lorenzo..."


    Dante finishes his sentence. "We''ll be cleaning up bits of brain from the casino carpet for weeks."


    I press my lips together and squeeze Micah a little tighter to my chest. Bits of brain? Surely Lorenzo isn''t that crazy? Right?


    ***


    A familiar piano tune carries down the hallway as I approach the library, growing louder the closer I get. The song is being yed so beautifully and hauntingly that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It''s only when I''m standing outside the room that I realize it isn''t a recording. Someone is actually ying the piano.


    Lorenzo? I press my forehead against the door and listen to the soft melody grow louder and more insistent the longer he ys. Tears stream down my face as the pain in the notes, yed so perfectly, washes over me.


    A sob catches in my throat, and I can''t resist opening the door. Engrossed in the tune, he doesn''t hear mee in. His fingers glide effortlessly over the keys. Such talent. Where did he learn to y so beautifully? I watch him, transfixed, feeling like a voyeur by intruding on this private moment, but I''m unable to turn away. His head is bent low so I can''t see his face, but I feel the anguish in his every keystroke.


    I wipe a tear from my cheek and the movement must alert him to my presence because he stops ying and turns to me.


    I walk over to him, wringing my hands. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to disturb you, but Dante asked me to sort through your mom''s books and things. And then I heard you ying, and it was so beautiful and-"


    "It''s fine," he grunts, waving a dismissive hand and closing the lid of the piano.


    "You y beautifully."


    He doesn''t respond. Instead he res at me so fiercely that I feel like I might burst into mes.


    "It''s really hard to y Tchaikovsky. I''ve tried," I add with a weakugh.


    His eyes narrow. "You know that song?"


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    "Flight of the Swans?'' Of course. It''s from the most famous ballet ever."


    Looking down, he rubs a hand over his beard. "It was Anya''s favorite."


    I pluck up the courage to step closer. "Where did you learn to y like that?"


    "My mom taught me."


    "She must have been a good teacher."


    A faint smile flickers over his lips. "She was."


    "You don''t have to stop on my ount. I cane backter, or you can y while I work. You really do y exceptionally well. It was very"-a sob builds in my throat, and I swallow it down quickly-"moving." He shakes his head. "I don''t y for anyone else."


    "Did you y for her? For Anya?"


    He looks past me, his Adam''s apple bobbing as he swallows hard. Finally, he nods. She was a lucky woman to have the love of a man like him. I''d voice that, but he wouldn''t take kindly to me referring to his dead wife as lucky, so I remain uncharacteristically quiet.


    He stands abruptly. "I''ll leave you to get on with whatever you''re doing."


    I remain frozen to the spot, staring up at him as I feel a tugging on my heartstrings. It''s my fault he stopped ying, and now he''s leaving and I desperately want to ask him to stay. I''m sure that his wife''s favorite song brings him somefort, and now he looks so sad and lonely. But I also want him to stay because I feel something in his presence, something I haven''t felt in such a long time that I don''t even know how to describe it. Safe? Seen?


    With a shake of my head, I clear my throat, aware that I''m staring at him like a moron. "I-I''ll be working in here for the next few weeks I guess, depending on how much there is to sort through and organize. So, if there''s times you like to be alone in here, then I can work around you, or ..." Squeezing my lips shut, I stop babbling.


    His brow furrows in a frown. "Or?"


    I chew on my lip. "Or, um. I kind of likepany when I work, so don''t ever feel like you can''t be in here just because I am." Why did I say that? This is his house. Of course he knows he can be in here whenever he wants. Moron! His frown deepens into a scowl, and I feel even more stupid than I did a few seconds ago. Without another word, he stalks out of the room, leaving me to let out the breath I was holding.


    Well. That was awkward.


    I nce around the room, eyeing the huge pile of boxes in the corner. Slipping off my shoes, I flex my toes on the warm wooden floor beneath my feet. I was so focused on Lorenzo, I failed to notice my incredible surroundings when I walked in here. I know I joked about Beast''s castle, but this library really is like something from a fairytale. Three walls are lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves, most of which are crammed full of books. There''s adder on each wall-the kind that has wheels and is attached to the bookcases. I brush my fingers along the spines as I pass by, noting the rare first editions and leather-bound encyclopedias. It''s marvelous. I could spend six years here and not get bored. Stepping further into the room, I blink at the sunlight filling the space thanks to the massive sash windows.


    Wandering to therge oak desk beneath the window, I run my fingers over the wood and smile to myself, imagining Lorenzo sitting here, head bent low and brow furrowed as he works, while I''m sorting through his mom''s things in the corner. Although given the scowl on his face when he walked out of here a few moments ago, that''s not likely to happen any time soon.

 105

    LORENZO


    The library is filled with the scent of jasmine and lemon and it stops me in my tracks. She sits cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by piles of books. I forgot she was in here sorting through our mom''s stuff. Before I can sneak out, she looks up and catches my eye, giving me a huge smile like seeing me is the best thing that''s ever happened to her.


    "Hey! I hope you don''t mind me getting an early start, but I couldn''t sleep knowing all this stuff needed sorting."


    Clearing my throat, I close the door behind me. So she heard me ying pianost night; it isn''t like I shared anything meaningful with her. Just because she''s in here doesn''t mean I can''t work in here too. She''ll stay on her side of the room, and I''ll stay on mine.


    "Morning," I say, taking a seat behind my desk.


    "Your mom has some incredible first editions in here. Did you know that?"


    I switch on myptop and avoid her gaze. "Yes."


    "I mean, some of these are super rare. Did you know she has-"


    "I''m well aware of what books my mother owned, Mia." My tone might be overly harsh, but I have shit to do.


    "Of course you are." Sheughs softly, seemingly unaffected by me snapping at her. "She was your mom." She goes back to sorting through the books, and I open a file on my screen.


    Less than a minute passes before she speaks again. "How long has it been since your mom died?"


    Twenty-one years and five months. "Too long."


    "My mom died when I was twenty-two. Eleven yearster, and I still miss her every single day," she says with a sigh.


    "Hmm," I murmur, keeping my eyes focused on the screen.


    "But your dad only died a couple years back, right? That''s why you sold your family home?"


    Jesus fucking Christ. "Mia!" I immediately regret looking up when I see that beautiful smile of hers falter. Just for a second. But it''s enough to make me feel like a total dick.


    "I''m sorry. You''re busy. Talking''s my thing. It''s always getting me into trouble." Looking down at the books in herp, she sighs. "I''ll leave you to your work now. Promise." She nces back at me with an apologetic smile, one that I don''t deserve.


    Feeling guilty, I return my attention to my screen and open the police report I received a few minutes ago that details the search of one of our warehousesst night. ording to the report, the cops got an anonymous tip that we move weapons through there. Like we''d be stupid enough to use our legitimate businesses to move guns. That would defeat the entire purpose of having legitimate businesses.


    Why did they act on this particr tip-off? We have an unwritten understanding that as long as we don''t cause mayhem on the streets of Chicago or go around hurting "innocent" civilians, the police department won''t bother us. I stare at the screen, looking for a clue. New cops trying to beef up their reputations? But no, I recognize the names of the officers listed.


    The constant noise from the other side of the room makes it hard to focus, and I nce at Mia. She''s happily sorting books and mumbling a tune to herself-the same song over and over.


    "What the hell are you singing?"


    She gives me a puzzled look. "Bright Side of the Road.""


    I roll my head back and forth on my shoulders, trying to stave off the looming tension migraine. "Don''t you know any others? You''ve been singing that one for the past ten minutes, and it''s annoying."


    She presses her lips together as though she''s trying to suppress a smile. "You have any special requests?"


    I twist my head from side to side. "How about silence?"


    "How about I take a look at your neck for you?" Before I can refuse, she''s already on her feet, brushing the dust from her jeans.


    "I''m fine," I assure her.


    Ignoring me, she draws closer. "It looks like you''re kinda stiff and sore."


    "I said it''s fine. I have work to do," I bark, hoping my tone will scare her away. It''s usually enough to make grown men shit their pants. But not her. No, she keepsing at me, the smile on her face as bright as her yellow tank top. What the fuck?


    "I''m a fully qualified massage therapist. It''ll take me five minutes and you can go on working. I promise not to look at anything I''m not supposed to."


    Her scent of jasmine and lemon scrambles my senses. "What?" What the fuck is she not going to look at? A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead. She doesn''t expect me to remove my clothes for this massage, does she? Laughing, she nods her head at my desk. "I won''t look at anything on yourputer."


    Of course that''s what she fucking meant. For fuck''s sake, Lorenzo. Hold it together!


    She walks up behind me and my entire body goes rigid. "Seems to be worse on your left side from what I''ve noticed?" Her warm, soft fingers brush the back of my neck.


    I flinch at her touch.


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    "Is it sensitive?" Her voice isced with concern.


    "No," I snap, annoyed with myself for reacting the way I am. She''s just a woman-no, a professional massage therapist giving me a neck massage. Nothing to get freaked out about.


    "I see," she says softly. What does she see? That she''s the first woman who''s not rted to me that I''ve allowed to touch my skin in over two years?


    "It''s just a stiff neck."


    "I know. Just give me five minutes, and even if it doesn''t feel better, all you''ve lost is a little time. And you''ll have made me feel useful."


    "Fine," I grunt, leaning forward.


    Nimble fingers knead the back of my neck, surprisingly strong for someone with such small hands. Fuck, in fact, she''s way stronger than she looks. I snarl when she finds the sensitive spot that''s been guing me for weeks. She chuckles. "Don''t be a baby." Her warm breath dusts over my skin and a shiver runs the length of my spine.


    I try to focus on the screen in front of me, but Mia''s touch is too distracting. She presses deep into my muscles, causing waves of pain and relief to roll through my body. It hurts so fucking good... I close my eyes and mp my mouth shut so I don''t groan her fucking name, because fuck me, her hands are magical.


    "So, you''re not a Van Morrison fan then?"


    My eyes snap open. "Huh?"


    "The song? ''Bright Side of the Road?'' You don''t like it?"


    "Not a fan, no."


    "It''s my favorite," she says with a soft sigh.


    Closing my eyes again, I refocus on the sweet relief her hands offer. My neck has been stiff for so long that I''ve forgotten what it felt like before.


    Mia ignores my silence, needing no invitation to keep talking. "I just love the words. So full of hope, you know?" I try to tune her out and focus on her hands instead. That''s so much lessplicated than conversation. "It''s my sunshine song." Oh, fuck it. "Your what now?"


    "My sunshine song," she replies matter-of-factly, as though I should know what the fuck that means.


    "What the hell is a sunshine song?"


    "Well, I have lots of sunshine things. A sunshine movie. TV show. Food. You know, the kind of thing that always makes you smile no matter how bad your day is? Like sunshine? ''Bright Side of the Road'' is my sunshine song."


    I frown. This woman clearly lives in a world that is so far removed from mine.


    Sheughs again. "I guess you don''t have a sunshine song then?"


    "No."


    Her fingers knead deeper into my muscles, and the endorphins that flood my body make me grunt. She dips her head and some of her hair falls onto my shoulder. "I''ll let you borrow mine if you like." Her warm breath dances over my cheek and, without warning, all the blood in my body rushes south.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    What the motherfucking fuck!


    I wrench out of her grip, ignoring the protests of my aching neck and my cock at the loss of her hands. "I need to get back to work," I bark, leaning away from her.


    "Okay," she replies breezily, seemingly unbothered by my harsh tone. "Did it help at all though?"


    I roll my neck and shoulders. It actually feels a fuckload better than it did a few minutes ago. "Yeah. Thanks."


    "Well, give me a few minutes a day and I''ll sort it out for you. And it''s probably a good idea to stop sleeping on the sofa-"


    "What?"


    Her cheeks turn pink. "Kat and Dante mentioned you often sleep on the sofa. Isn''t that why you have a stiff neck?"


    Who the fuck do they think they are, discussing that with her? They know why I sleep on the sofa. They know... My hands clench into fists. "Where I sleep is nobody''s fucking business but mine."


    Mia flinches away. "You''re right. I''m sorry. I, uh, I''ll leave you alone now."


    I tell myself I''m relieved that she''s finally leaving me alone, but if that''s true, why the fuck do I keep stealing nces at her every few minutes? Bathed in sunlight, she sits beneath the window with her head bent low, humming that damn song to herself while she carefully sorts through my mother''s most prized possessions. Her honey-blond hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders. She looks just like...


    Just like what, asshole?


    Just like a ray of fucking sunshine.

 106

    LORENZO


    I stalk down the hallway to the study, aggravated for reasons I can''t fully exin. It''s not my usual simmering anger, but a bone-deep irritation that I''m unable to fathom or fix. What the hell is wrong with metely? Maybe I need to beat someone to death.


    Maybe I need to do something else... A shiver runs down my spine and my cock twitches at the memory of her hands on me. Her soft voice in my ear. Her breath on my skin...


    "Lorenzo?" I turn in the direction of Max''s voice and find him frowning at me. "You okay,pagno?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "You blew right by me, and I had to call your name twice before you answered."


    Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I got a lot on my mind."


    "Well, I hate to add to your load, but Joey just called ..."


    "What is it now?"


    "Cops at the casino. Checking out reports of prostitution and underage drinking and gambling. They''re going through the ce right now. Joey''s handling it, but I wanted to let you know that I''m headed down there. Dante''s gone to that meeting for the new shipping contracts."


    "With the Btis, yeah?" I shake my head. "I''lle with you."


    "You know we can''t kill no cops today, right?" Smirking at me, he winks.


    "Damn fucking shame," I say, only half joking. "You know they were in the warehousest night dealing with another anonymous tip?"


    "Yeah, I heard."


    "It''s no fucking coincidence the casino gets hit the next day."


    "Nope. But your sister runs the tightest, cleanest operation I''ve ever seen. They won''t find anything."


    "Someone is fucking with us though." And I have a feeling I know exactly who it is.


    ***


    I spot my sister as soon as we walk into the lobby of our hotel and casino. She runs this side of the business and does a great job. She''s currently arguing with a cop and, from the look on the guy''s face, I''d say she''s winning. Joey''s one of the toughest and smartest people I know. Max sure has his work cut out for him.


    Turning to me, he rolls his eyes. "I''ll go talk my wife down before she gets arrested for punching a cop in the face."


    "Good luck with that,pagno." Giving his shoulder a squeeze, I scan the lobby for a familiar face.


    I spot the man I''m looking for. While Max makes his way over to defuse the bomb that is my sister, I head toward the guy scribbling in his notebook near the main desk.


    Leo Romano is a good cop. We have plenty of Chicago''s finest on our payroll, but this man isn''t one of them, which is why I value his opinion more than most. He and I went to high school together, and I once saved his ass after he kissed the star quarterback''s girl at a party. We keep our distance because we live very different lives, but I admire his integrity and he has a grudging respect for my family and the good we''ve done in this city over the years. "Lorenzo." Sighing, he shakes his head. "You know I can''t tell you nothin''."


    "I''m not asking for details, Leo." I lean on the reception desk beside him. "But this is the second raid on my family''s businesses in two days. Now, we both know that''s no coincidence."


    He tilts his head and eyes me with curiosity. "Can''t tell you nothin''."


    "I think I already know."


    "You do, huh?"


    "If you''re taking these tips seriously, they must being from a source high up the chain. Either that or someone who''s able to whisper in the right ears." Leo doesn''t answer. His jaw ticks as he stares at me.


    "What I can''t figure is how a Boston cop has so much sway here in Chicago?"


    Leo shakes his head, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You''re fuckin'' unbelievable."


    Looks like my instincts were spot on; Mia''s husband somehow has a hand in this mess. "You know I''ll find out anyway."


    "Well, not from me. I ain''t sayin'' a damn thing."


    I edge closer, crowding his personal space. "He have links to your department or something?"


    He shakes his head, every bit as pissed about being here, going through these motions, as I am about having the Chicago fucking PD in my family''s casino.


    I look around the lobby, counting the number of cops I can see. "You know this is a waste of your goddamn time, Leo. You know our warehouses and our casino are clean, yet you and three of your-" "Four," he interrupts me, tone full of annoyance. "Four of my guys they got on this."


    I arch an eyebrow. Looks like I''ll need to push his buttons a little more. "You and four of your guys are wasting time in here when you could be doing some actual police work. So tell me what the hell this cop has on your captain to make shit like this happen?"


    Leo scowls. "Not the captain." As far as Leo is concerned, Captain Ortega is a fucking modern-day hero.


    "The chief?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He hikes his thumb up, indicating this goes higher.


    I frown. "Superintendent Keane?"


    "His deputy." He gives me a wry smile. "But you ain''t never heard that from me."


    I choke down augh. "You''re a closed book, Leo."


    "Yeah? Well I got work to do, Mr. Moretti," he says as one of his officers wanders over.


    Taking the hint, I step back. "Of course, Detective. Please make sure you and your men clean up after yourselves when you leave my family''s establishment."


    My jaw clenches at the sight of Max and Joey huddled together near the elevators. Whatever he whispers in her ear makes herugh, and the sound of her joy has me grinding my teeth. What the fuck is wrong with me? She''s my baby sister, I want her to be happy. Fuck, I threatened to feed Max his balls if he ever did anything to make her unhappy. But why the hell must I be constantly surrounded by couples so sickeningly in love?


    Seeing me approach, Joey gives me a triumphant smile. "They''re clearing out of here in a few minutes. They found nothing. Assholes."


    "Yeah." I nce around to make sure none of the officers are within earshot. "It seems a certain Boston cop has the ear of the deputy superintendent, and that''s why we''ve had two raids in two days. We need to double-check that everything connected to Moretti Holdings is one hundred percent clean. Once they realize we have nothing to hide, they''ll back off. There''s only a finite amount of manpower they can waste on leads that go nowhere."


    Max nods. "Everything''s clean, but I''ll make some extra checks."


    "A Boston cop?" Joey says with a frown. "You think Mia''s husband''s behind this?"


    "Absolutely. He somehow has the ear of the deputy super, and I want to know why."


    "I''ll look into it," Max assures me.


    Deep in thought, Joey chews on her lip. "Do you think Mia knows anything about their connection?"


    "No, I think she''d have mentioned it. Either way, she doesn''t need to know about this yet. She''ll only worry herself sick."


    Joey and Max share a fleeting look that makes me feel like they know something I don''t.


    "What?" I bark.


    "It''s just you, uh ..." Joey presses her lips together.


    "I what?"


    "You don''t usually give a fuck about anyone who''s not one of us, Loz," Max finishes for her.


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    Rage bubbles beneath my skin, and I snarl. What the fuck does that mean? "She''s Kat''s cousin, that makes her one of us."


    Max holds his hands up in surrender. "Calm down,pagno. Just nice to know you''re notpletely dead inside, that''s all."


    Is he suggesting that Mia and I...? That I''m- "And just what the fuck does that mean?"


    My kid sister reads the murderous expression on my face and, shooting a warning look at her husband, wraps an arm around my shoulder. "He only means that it''s nice to see you care about someone, Loz. Nothing more than that. We all care about Mia. You''re right. She''s one of us." ring at my best friend, I crack my neck. "Hmm."


    Max arches his eyebrows at me, the corner of his mouth tilted up in amusement. I swear, I''d punch the fucker in the face if the cops weren''t still hanging around. "I guess I''ll get to work on finding the link between Mia''s ex-husband and the deputy."


    "Yeah, you do that," I snap and walk away.


    Taking my cell out of my pocket, I dial the number of an old friend.


    Lionel Hart answers with his distinctive smooth Southern drawl. "Mr. Moretti. It''s been a long time." He sucks in a breath, taking a heavy drag on the cigarette I can picture dangling from his lips.


    "I need a favor." I nce at Max and Joey, making sure they didn''t follow me.


    "Off the books?"


    "I wouldn''t be calling you if it wasn''t."


    He takes another drag of his smoke. "I''m retired, Lorenzo."


    "Yeah, right." I roll my eyes. "It''s nothing big. Nothing that''ll get your hands dirty."


    "Shame," he says with a soft chuckle. "So what is it?"


    "I need some information on a guy. A cop."


    "Ah." Heughs again. "I see."


    "No point in knowing a former FBI agent if he''s no use to me asionally." Jaded by the whole system, Lionel left the bureau twenty years ago and has worked frence ever since. He''s sixty-six and swears every year that he''s going to retire, but the hunt is in his blood. "So, can you help me out?"


    "Sure. I''m working a case for some oil tycoon right now, but I can do a little digging in my downtime. Send me his details. I''ll see what I can find."


    "Great. Check in when you have something for me."


    I end the call and slip my cell back into my pocket. Catching Max''s eye, I jerk my head at him, letting him know I''m ready to get the fuck out of here.

 107

    MIA


    Running my hands self-consciously over my hips in front of the mirror, I study the way the orange material stretches across my frame. "You''re sure this isn''t too tight on me?" I ask Kat.


    She ces her hand on my upper arm and checks out my reflection. "It looks stunning. Everything looks stunning on you." She curls a lock of my hair between her fingers before letting it fall over my shoulder. Then she gives me a yful swat on the behind. "You''re a knockout."


    I roll my eyes, dismissing herpliment. "My ass and boobs are way fatter than yours though," I insist, trying to pull the material up over my straining cleavage.


    Kat wrinkles her nose. "Not really. Maybe a cup size bigger than me, but the dress fits you beautifully." She ps my hand away. "Now stop fidgeting."


    I drop my hands to my sides. There''s no way she''s looking in the same mirror I am. Kat has an enviably slim figure, while I''m always at least ten pounds overweight. "It''s not too revealing for the dinner table?"


    "It''s a wrap dress, Mia," she says with a dramatic eye roll. "Not a bodycon mini."


    I didn''t bring much with me, and I''m running out of things to wear. Dinner at the Moretti mansion is a semiformal affair most evenings, and I don''t want to embarrass my cousin by wearing jeans and a tank top when everyone else is dressed up. "Thanks for the loan."


    "You should keep it. That color is perfect on you." She wrinkles her nose and I see where Gabrie gets that very same expression from. "It doesn''t suit me."


    "I can''t take this. I bet this dress cost more than myst car!"


    She grins at me. "All the more reason you should have it. It''s like an asset."


    Iugh. "I could sell it if I ever have to go on the run."


    "Seriously though, it looks incredible on you, Mia Melon." She wraps her arm around me, and her use of my childhood moniker warms my heart. "I''m so d you''re here."


    "I''m d I''m here too, Kat Cabana," I reply, resting my head on hers. We stand like that for a few beats, smiling at each other in the mirror the way we used to when we were thirteen years old and life was so much simpler.


    ***


    Joey jumps up to give me a hug when I walk into the dining room with Kat by my side. "Wow! You look hot." She pulls back and looks me over from head to toe. "That color''s amazing on you."


    Kat takes a ss of wine from Dante and turns to Joey. "Isn''t it?"


    My cheeks flush pink at their praise.


    "Yeah. I never did like it on you, but on Mia ..." Joey''s face lights up with a wicked grin.


    "You were the one who persuaded me to buy it!"


    "I know." Joey winces. "It looked good on you in the store, but I think it was the lighting. Green and blue are definitely more your colors."


    Kat gives her sister-inw a look of mock-betrayal and shakes her head. "Remind me to never take you shopping again."


    "I did help you choose that incredible green dress you wore for your wedding anniversary." Joey wiggles her eyebrows. "The one you said Dante tore in half because he-"


    "Enough, Joey," Dante says good-naturedly, shooting Kat a smoldering nce that makes her blush. Then he turns his attention to me and hands me a ss of wine. "You look very nice, Mia."


    "It''s a beautiful dress," I reply self-consciously, smoothing the fabric over my thighs. I turn to the table and notice Lorenzo sitting by himself, nursing a ss of Scotch. He''s looking down at his drink, but my skin tingles like his eyes had been locked on me only seconds before.


    "Do you have to cause trouble everywhere you go, baby girl?" Max asks Joey as he pulls out her chair.


    "You know I do," she replies with a soft giggle, and the sound he gives in response makes me smile. Everything about being around this family makes me happy. They''re so close-knit and care about each other so much. I''m privileged to have been allowed inside their little bubble, if only for a short while.


    "Speaking of trouble, I heard there was some at the casino today?" Dante asks as he takes his seat at the head of the table.


    Max and Lorenzo share a brief nce, but it''s Joey who answers. "The cops received a tip that we had some underage patrons and were also running hookers out of the ce. Obviously it wasn''t true. It''s handled." "Yeah. All sorted," Max agrees.


    Dante turns to his older brother. "Loz?"


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    "Dealt with," Lorenzo replies.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Dante frowns and takes a sip of his wine. Everyone remains silent for a few seconds, and when he speaks again, I see Lorenzo roll his eyes in my peripheral vision like he''s annoyed that his younger brother won''t let this drop. "Why did the cops act on such a bogus tip-off? Where did ite from?"


    "We''ll discuss itter," Lorenzo says, fists and jaw clenched.


    Dante res at his older brother. "I''d rather we discuss it now."


    Lorenzo res back at him. "It''s handled."


    Dante''s hand balls into a fist on the table. "Why are the cops acting on tip-offs about our casino instead of speaking to us about it?"


    "Because it came from a source they deemed reliable."


    Dante seems to take Lorenzo''s tone as a signal to stop asking questions, but my heart sinks through my stomach. "It was Brad, wasn''t it? He''s been making trouble for you?" "It''s handled," Lorenzo repeats sternly.


    Dante''s nostrils re. "Did it have anything to do with that fucker?"


    "I''m so sorry," I whisper, wishing I''d nevere here at all. Thest thing I wanted was to cause trouble. I should have known Brad would try something underhand.


    Joey squeezes my left hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Mia. We dealt with the cops and Max and Loz are looking into Brad''s connection to the deputy superintendent." "He''s connected to the deputy?" Dante asks with a frown.


    Max speaks up. "It seems so, but we don''t know how yet. We''re looking into it."


    Dante growls. "This is all we need."


    Oh, god. "I''m so sorry," I say again.


    "You have nothing to apologize for, Mia," Kat assures me. However, her husband looks like he''s about to start foaming at the mouth.


    "I do. I''m so sorry I brought this trouble to you all. I''ll leave first thing in the morning. I''ll find somewhere to go. I''m so sorry. I had no idea that Brad had any connection to anyone high up in the Chicago PD, because if I had-"


    "Mia!" Lorenzo''s deep voice cuts through my breathless chatter and a deafening silence falls over the room, broken only by me sucking in air. My blood thunders in my ears. "None of this is your fault," he says, his tone calm and reassuring. "He''s right, Mia." Dante sighs. "Please don''t think my anger at your ex-husband is in any way directed at you."


    "B-but I-"


    "Enough," Lorenzo barks, and this time his tone slices through me like a hot knife through butter, rendering me speechless, but not in an unpleasant way. I can''t exin the feeling that settles over me, but I sit back in my chair and shut my mouth, content not to speak for the moment.


    "I''ll have some information by tomorrow," Max says.


    Dante nods approvingly. "Andst night, Joey? Max told me there was some trouble?"


    Joey takes a sip of her wine before she replies. "Iman and his crew turned up, which isn''t a big deal. But they got pretty wasted on theplimentary drinks at the high rollers'' table and insulted two of our biggest female investors. Security dealt with them, and thedies said they were fine, but I don''t like women getting hassled in our casinos."


    I listen to the ongoing discussions about the casino and the Moretti business empire, thankful for a distraction from Brad even if the amount of drama this family deals with on a daily basis sounds exhausting. Still conscious of Lorenzo''s earliermand, I refrain from apologizing again about adding to their stress.


    "Max and I will pay Iman a visit tomorrow," Lorenzo says, which earns him a grin from Max.


    Dante raises his eyebrows at the two of them. "Just try not to kill anyone, eh?"


    Before either of them can answer, two housekeepers walk into the room carrying dinner and all talk of murder and mayhem is put on ice.

 108

    LORENZO


    Max stretches his neck, his dark eyes fixed on the man currently lying on the floor at my feet with blood running from his ears and a piss stain on the crotch of his pants.


    "I don''t think he knows anything, Loz."


    I kick the piece of shit in the chest and he coughs blood onto the floor. "You hear anything from Iman and you''ll let me know?"


    He sputters some more.


    "Pretty sure he can''t hear a fucking thing you said after you burst his eardrums," Max says with a dark chuckle.


    "Hmm." I look at the two metal kebab skewers on the ground, coated with his blood. This dog turd and his boss are the least of my problems right now, but they disrespected one of our biggest investors at our own casino, and for that they must pay. I crouch down on my heels, grabbing his jaw in my hands and squeeze hard, forcing him to meet my re. "Tell Iman I want to see him." I mouth each word carefully so he can read my lips. "Or you both die. Understand me?" He nods furiously, aware that the fact he''s still breathing is nothing short of a miracle. I''m not usually such a man of mercy, especially these days. I don''t know what the fuck''s gotten into me.


    I stand up, brushing the creases from my suit pants and follow Max out of the restaurant.


    "You had some kind of epiphany or something, Loz?" Max asks me as we climb into his car.


    "Fuck you," I mutter, making himugh.


    "Hey, I''m happy not having to help dispose of dead bodies every other day."


    "Yeah, well don''t get used to it." I lean back in my seat, close my eyes, and pinch the bridge of my nose. I''m so fucking agitated. I have no idea why I didn''t kill that stupid fuck in there. I barely slept at allst night. Every damn time I tried to doze off, all I could see were dangerous curves wrapped in orange fabric. Holy mother of fucks, why did she have toe to dinner dressed like that? Not that it was inappropriate, but it was way too distracting. My cock twitches.


    Fuck! I scrunch my eyes tighter, trying to rid my brain of the memory of her in that goddamn dress. And why is her seat at the table directly opposite mine, where I have no choice but to look at her all fucking night? Is it not bad enough that she''s invaded my library? Now she''s invaded my every waking thought. And that ass ... so fine it should have its own national holiday.


    "I got some information on Deputy Superintendent Hayes," Max says.


    My eyes snap open and I turn to him, thankful for an entirely different kind of distraction.


    "Seems he was a beat cop back in Boston when Brad was a rookie. They were partners for a year before Hayes applied for a transfer. He moved to Chicago and rose up the ranks pretty quick."


    "So they''re old partners? Buddies?"


    "Not buddies from what I hear. Seems like Hayes''s move was rted to some kind of fallout between him and Brad."


    I run a hand over my beard. "You learn what that was about?"


    "Not yet."


    "If they''re not buddies, Brad must have something on Hayes." "Makes sense."


    I grind my teeth. My jaw ticks. "Find out what it is, Max."


    He doesn''t ask me if I''m going to ask Mia if she knows anything about it, even though I can tell that''s what he''s thinking. But after my reaction at the casino yesterday, he holds his tongue, for which I''m grateful. Mia Stone brings out my protective streak, and I''m not prepared to consider why.


    And I''m certainly not ready to have anyone else think about it either.


    ***


    My thoughts are still on Deputy Superintendent Hayes and what Brad Mulcahy might have on him when I walk into the library. Her sweet scent fills my nostrils, and I stop in my tracks. Of course she''s in here. She''s always in here. Fuck. I need space from her. Space to think clearly.


    "You okay?" she asks breezily as she continues to pull papers from a brown cardboard box.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    I realize I''m still standing in the doorway, probably looking like I forgot what I came in here for. "Yeah." I stride over to my desk, refusing to nce in her direction with the hope that she''ll take the hint that I''m busy and don''t have time for her endless chattering.


    "It''s beautiful out today, right? I know it''s cold, but it''s so bright and fresh. I took a walk in the gardens earlier, and I had no idea-"


    "Mia!" Squeezing my eyes shut, I rub my temples. "Do you have to talk all the goddamn time?"


    Even from here, I see her throat constrict and her cheeks flush pink. A pang of guilt slices through my chest. I''m annoyed and frustrated, and yes, a lot of that has to do with her, but that''s not exactly her fault.


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    "I''m s-sorry," she says softly, wringing her hands in front of her. God, I''m such a fucking prick. She continues before I can apologize for snapping at her. "I know I talk way too much. Brad always told me that too. He hated it ;..." She shakes her head like she''s trying to dislodge an unwanted memory. Curling my fingers into fists at my sides, I curse silently, annoyed at myself. "I''ll give you a little peace and quiet." She bows her head and walks silently from the room, leaving me to stare after her, feeling like the world''s most insensitive asshole. I despise him for making her feel bad for being who she is. But I despise myself even more for having anything inmon with that motherfucker.


    I should go after her and apologize. Tell her she doesn''t need to change a single thing about herself for anyone. But I don''t. Better she knows what an insensitive, heartless bastard I am than think there''s anything but anger, despair, and bitterness inside me.


    ***


    With my eyes closed and my palms t on the tiled wall, I stand in the shower. Usually, the scalding water takes the edge off a little, but not today. Nothing soothes metely. Pent-up tension and rage bristle beneath my skin. My muscles are tense as fuck. My cock is rock hard and has been for the past hour. After Mia left the library, I kept seeing that tormented look I put on her face. The hurt I etched there. And then I imagined her gazing at me like that for an entirely different reason. What if I could give her apletely different kind of hurt? The kind that walks the thin line between pleasure and pain.


    No! I shake my head and bang my fists on the tiles and imagine Anya''s face. Blue eyes and ash-blond hair. High cheekbones and pale pink lips.


    I squeeze the base of my shaft hard, waiting for the relief to seep into my bones, but nonees. I pump fast, hoping some of the tension will start to dissipate as a climax builds. But it doesn''t. Nothing helps.


    Screwing my eyes tightly shut, Ib through the memories I have saved for moments like these. The thousands of times I fucked my wife. But they all elude me. All I can see is Mia''s face. The pain. The way she smiles even when she''s hurting. Heat sears in my chest, tightening my balls. Would she smile like that if I ...


    "Fuck!" I roar, banging my clenched fist against the wall.


    I can''t think about anyone but Anya while I''m jacking off. Can''t think about anything but her beautiful body. That''s the way it''s been for as long as I can remember. That''s the way it will always be. But when I close my eyes again, even her face eludes me.


    I press my forehead against the cool tiled walls and release my grip on my aching cock. It throbs painfully, but there''s no relief for me if it''s not with her.

 109

    LORENZO


    "You''ll be around for dinner, right?" Dante asks as we walk down the hallway to our study. "We missed you thest two nights."


    I answer with a grunt. It''s true that I''ve been avoiding dinner since I snapped at Mia a couple of days ago. But I guess she''s been avoiding me too because I''ve barely seen her. I know she''s been in the library-boxes have been moved and her goddamn scent hasn''t faded. But she must be sticking to times when she doesn''t think I''ll be there.


    Dante arches an eyebrow at me. "You been going anywhere in particr?"


    My muscles tense. "Working."


    His brow wrinkles with concern. "On anything I should know about?"


    My phone rings, saving me from having to answer my brother. I check the screen; it''s Lionel''s number. "I have to take this."


    Dante narrows his eyes and nods. "Go ahead then."


    I nce between him and the phone. We never keep secrets from each other, but for some reason, I don''t tell him who''s calling. Not even when the look he gives me makes me think he believes this is something personal, which it''s definitely


    not.


    The corners of his mouth curl up in amusement. "Dinner? Tonight?"


    "I''ll be there," I snap.


    "Good." With a satisfied grin, he walks off down the hallway, leaving me to answer my call in private.


    "Yeah?" I push open the door to the library, both annoyed and relieved to find it empty. It''s been two days since Ist spoke to her. Surely she''s not still pissed at me.


    "Lorenzo, you there?" Shit. How long has he been talking? I once again allowed myself to be distracted by thoughts of Mia when I should be thinking about anything but her.


    "You got something for me?"


    "That guy you asked me to look into, you know he had a sister?"


    I''m one hundred percent sure Mia never mentioned a sister-inw. "No."


    "Hmm, thought as much. I don''t got a lot on her. Her records are sealed-"


    "Sealed?"


    "Yep."


    I attempt to rub away the persistent throb in my temples with my knuckles. "Why would that happen?"


    "Any situation where a minor''s the victim of a crime would ount for sealed records, but this seems to go deeper than that. I couldn''t ess most of it."


    "You can usually get to that shit though, right?" I frown. I''ve never known Lionel to be unable to ess information, even high-level stuff. It''s why I use him. "Why can''t you get this?"


    "I figure it involves someone important."


    I run a hand through my hair. This is all I need. "So, what exactly do you know about her?"


    "Name''s Micha Mulcahy. She was born in 1989 to Mike and Janice. She has two older brothers, Bradley and Jake. Then there''s nothing of note on the entire family until she turns thirteen. Something happened that caused her to be removed from the home the same year her mom died. Apparent suicide."


    My chest tightens. Did Mia''s ex-husband learn everything he knows about beating women from dear old dad? "Apparent?"


    "Yeah. I looked over the police reports and there was some controversy, but ultimately the coroner ruled suicide." "How did she die?"


    "Hanged." "Fuck."


    "But that''s not the most disturbing fact about this case, Lorenzo." The tone of his voice sends a chill down my spine. He continues. "Micha''s aren''t the only records that are sealed. There was evidence of recent sexual activity after Janice was found hanging from the back of the bathroom door."


    "That doesn''t seem so unusual, especially if the husband did kill her."


    "It wasn''t the husband''s DNA they found inside her, Lorenzo. It was the son''s."


    Bile burns the back of my throat. "What the fuck? The son? Brad raped his own mother?"


    "Well, this is where it gets patchy. These records are sealed tighter than a nun''s cunt," He gives a darkugh at his own wit but clears his throat when I remain silent. "Bradley would have been seventeen at the time, and the other son, Jake, he''d have been fifteen. Most of what I got is conjecture and witness testimony, but the official story is mom and Bradley were having sex, and when the father found out, mom killed herself to avoid the scandal and possible prosecution." I hiss out a breath. I thought my family was fucked up.


    "However," Lionel goes on, "Janice had a sister, Minerva, who refused to ept the coroner''s verdict. Convinced Janice was a victim and was murdered to cover up the whole disgusting affair. She continued to campaign for her sister''s death to be investigated for another two years, but then she died in a car ident."


    "Suspicious circumstances, right?"


    "Yup. Quiet roadte at night. The other car was never found."


    Dammit! "And the daughter? Micha? What happened to her?" The sister could be the key to nailing that sick fuck once and for all.


    "No fuckin'' clue. She disappeared without a trace."


    "So find her, Li. If the records are sealed, unseal them." Rage courses through my veins and turns my voice into a growl.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


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    "Spent thest few days trying, buddy. If I could, I would. This case has me more intrigued than anything I''ve worked on in the past ten years. This involved someone real high up to seal these records the way they did. They''re watertight. Way above my pay grade."


    "What about the father? Mike Mulcahy? Where is he now? Does he have that kind of pull?"


    "He died four years back. Massive heart attack. He was a police chief, highly decorated and respected. But still, he definitely didn''t have that kind of sway."


    My hands clench into fists and sink into the huge leather chair behind my desk. "For fuck''s sake."


    "Sorry I ain''t got more for ya, buddy. I''ll keep digging, see if there''s anything else I cane up with."


    "Yeah," I say with a sigh. At least I know more now than I did an hour ago. And not that I needed further proof that Brad Mulcahy needs to be wiped from the face of the earth, but I sure have it. Sick, twisted fuck. I can''t even imagine what happened to his kid sister.


    "I have to go to Abu Dhabi for a few days," he says with a dramatic sigh. "That oil guy is making me work for my money. But I''ll get right back on it as soon as I get home."


    I thank him and end the call, my mind racing with more questions than ever. I need a fucking drink. Or maybe I need apletely different kind of distraction.


    Mia opens the door, her eyes widening when theynd on me. "I''m s-sorry." Her cheeks flush pink and her voice gets quieter. "I thought you were out. I''lle backter." "Don''t be ridiculous, Mia," I snap, harsher than I intended, but Lionel''s revtions have me on edge.


    She frowns, rolling her shoulders back before stepping into the room. "You don''t have to be so rude. I was being polite," she replies, her tone clipped. She walks to the pile of boxes where she''s been working, her movements stiff and her whole demeanor cold and detached. Nothing like the woman who''s spent thest few weeks in this house. The Mia I''ve gotten to know is always full of warmth, rarely seen without a smile on her face.


    A wave of guilt rolls through my gut. How many times has she forced herself to be a lesser version of who she is to cate a man?


    I push my chair back and wander over to her side of the room. She barely nces at me, focusing instead on the pile of books in front of her. "Have you been avoiding me, Mia?" The flush on her cheeks creeps down her neck.


    For a few seconds, I wonder if she''s going to brush me off, but she looks me square in the face, full of confidence and a defiance that makes all the blood in my body head south. "I''ve been giving you space, is all. I assumed you were happier working in here alone."


    My jaw clenches. I should tell her that''s true. It should be true. Except it''s not. "Actually, I kind of missed you."


    Her eyes spark with the kind of unrestrained happiness that should make me turn around and walk out of this room without looking back, but I can''t pull my gaze from hers. There''s something maic about those hazel-green eyes. But this is strictly tonic. What''s wrong with enjoying thepany of a beautiful woman when nothing will ever happen between us? "You did?"


    "I guess I''ve gotten used to your background noise," I say with a shrug. "It''s quiet in here without you."


    I watch her throat bob as she swallows. "I know I talk way too much," she says. "Brad hated it. He was always telling me to shut my yammering. Sometimes I think that made me worse." Herugh is full of self-deprecation and humility. That simmering anger bubbles beneath my skin. I fucking hate that her prick of an ex-husband talked to her that way. I hate that he ever made her feel like she''s anything less than perfect just the way she is. "You talk the exact right amount, Mia."


    She sinks her teeth into her full bottom lip, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Now I know you''re just being nice." Sheughs softly. "I''m aware that I''m a chatterbox, so you can tell me if I''m talking too much. I don''t mind, honestly."


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    "Maybe I should be a little less of an ass about it in future," I suggest.


    "I really wasn''t avoiding you, Lorenzo. Not in the way you think, anyway. I just thought you didn''t want me in here and this is your space. I''m a guest. Besides, you haven''t been at dinner the past few nights. Were you avoiding me?" I don''t particrly want to tell her that I''ve been feeling guilty about the way I spoke to her, so I lie. "I''ve been busy."


    "Well, I kinda missed you at dinner," she says softly, that flush on her cheeks deepening further.


    My heart rate kicks up a notch. I clear my throat and change the subject. "Do you know anything about Brad having a sister?"


    Her brows pinch together. "No. He doesn''t have a sister."


    "It seems he does. She was a few years younger than him. Looks like she was removed from the home when she was thirteen, but I can''t find the reason."


    Her frown deepens. "Brad never mentioned a sister to me. Neither did his brother or his dad. Are you sure?"


    "I''m sure. So there was never any mention of her anywhere? Any old pictures with a girl you didn''t recognize maybe?"


    She shakes her head. "No. But they didn''t have any family photos. Brad told me his dad burned them all after their mom killed herself."


    "She hanged herself, right?"


    "Yeah. So sad," she says softly. "Poor Brad and Jake never really got over it."


    I tilt my head, cracking my neck. Maybe I should tell her about poor Brad and what he did to his own mother, but it would bring her no peace, so I keep quiet.


    Mia stares at me intently, her lips pressed together like she''s deep in thought. "You have any idea where this sister of theirs is?"


    I shake my head. "No. Nothing."


    "How strange."


    "Yeah, well families are strange, right?"


    She smiles up at me. "Your family is wonderful though."


    "That''s because you''ve only met the nice ones," I assure her.


    That makes herugh. "I like talking to you, Lorenzo. Or at you." She grins at her own joke. "It''s been a long time since I''ve had a friend." Tears prick at her eyes, and she gives her head a brief shake.


    A friend. The tension in my shoulders loosens a little. That''s all we are and there''s no need for me to fear being alone in herpany. I hold out my hand. "Friends?"


    "Friends." She curls her delicate fingers around mine, and I try to ignore the warmth that spreads through my forearm at her touch, curling itself like a snake through my veins.

 110

    MIA


    I feel his presence in the room before I even see him, and my heart flutters in my chest at the sight of him sitting alone at the kitchen table. I''d like to say I have no idea why I enjoy hispany so much, but I''d be lying to myself. Lorenzo Moretti is aplex and wonderful man, and he''s be a true friend to me the past three weeks. It''s been two days since he admitted that he missed me in the library. Two days since I felt the strange fluttering in my stomach-when he looked at me like that. When he made me believe, just for a second, that there might be another reason he missed me besides having grown used to my background noise.


    But he''s just a friend. Nothing more. He''s clearly still grieving for his wife, and I''m still married.


    I take a seat opposite him and pour myself a mug of coffee from the pot on the table. My eyes are drawn to the delicious-looking cheesecake he''s eating, and the scent of sweet caramel makes my stomach growl.


    "I''m sorry. I took thest piece," he says with an apologetic shrug.


    "That''s okay. I had a snack earlier. Some carrots and cucumber sticks."


    His top lips curl with disgust. "You call that a snack?"


    I smirk at him. "You don''t like vegetables?"


    He tilts his head as though deep in thought. "I like them just fine, as an apaniment to a meal. Except cucumber. That stuff''s the work of the devil."


    "Noted," I say with a softugh. He''s funny even though he doesn''t mean to be. "Anyway, I don''t eat dessert."


    His eyes narrow in suspicion. "Why not?"


    I blink at him. "What?"Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I asked you why not."


    I shift in my seat. "What kind of a question is that?"


    A frown furrows his brow. "A straightforward one. Why don''t you eat dessert?"


    Old memories and lingering shame cause heat to creep up my neck and cheeks. I don''t want to answer, but Lorenzo stares at me, patiently waiting for my reply. "Sugar and fat go straight to my ass. I''m always ten pounds heavier than I should be, and dessert does not look good on a body like mine."


    His jaw ticks. "Who told you that?"


    "What?"


    His frown deepens. "Are you having trouble hearing today? I asked who the hell told you that?"


    I swallow a lump of emotion. Years of being belittled for my size and my tendency to put on a few pounds during the holidays, constant monitoring of what I ate and thinly veiled criticism if I ate even the slightest bit of anything sweet-all of that left a mark. "Brad told me-"


    Lorenzo snarls.


    "But it''s true. I am really susceptible to gaining weight if I don''t eat healthy."


    He snorts and looks down at the cheesecake in front of him.


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    I dip my head, so not wanting to have this conversation. Arge bite of cheesecake appears in front of me. "What?" I look between him and the gooey dessert two inches from my face. "Eat."


    I blink at him. Is he for real? "I-I can''t."


    "Yeah, you can." He inches the fork closer to my lips, and despite my embarrassment, I find myself opening my mouth and allowing him to feed me. As soon as the vor hits my tongue, the sweet taste floods my senses, making me moan softly in appreciation. My eyes flutter closed. Oh! This is so good. My tastebuds are overwhelmed by rich, tart cream cheese, velvety caramel, and the slightest hint of salt, and I''m reminded how much I love dessert. This cheesecake is divine. Lorenzo pulls the fork from my mouth, and I lick my lips before swallowing. "Thank you," I whisper.


    "You''re wee." He takes a bite for himself, licking the fork-the one that was just in my mouth-clean before scooping up another chunk and holding it out to me. Raising my hand, I shake my head. "No, you enjoy it."


    The corners of his mouth curl upward. "I''m gonna enjoy watching you enjoy it."


    Holy crap! I open my mouth again and he pushes the fork inside slowly, as though he''s savoring the moment. It feels so intimate. Too intimate. Heat coils deep in my core.


    I suck the cheesecake from the tines, sweeping my tongue over every nook to savor the sweet, delicious substance. Lorenzo keeps his gaze fixed on mine, making no attempt to pull the fork from my mouth. I''m hyperaware of the fact that he licked it clean only seconds earlier, and a throbbing ache builds inside me.


    Why does this moment feel so sensual? His fork is in my mouth, but it may as well be his tongue for the way my body reacts. Pulse thrumming against my pressure points. Skin flushed. Wet heat pooling between my thighs.


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    His eyes darken as he pulls the fork from my mouth. His attention remains locked on me while he takes another bite for himself, repeating the process again and again until he''s feeding me thest morsel. I keep my lips closed around the fork a little longer than necessary, wanting to prolong whatever this is. I don''t remember thest time a man looked at me with the kind of hunger I see in Lorenzo''s gaze.


    When he pulls away a few secondster, I almost groan with frustration. He was simply sharing his dessert with me. That''s all that was. He ces the silverware on the te and it clinks against the china.


    "Was that good?" he asks, his voice smoother than the caramel we just shared.


    Is he talking about the cheesecake or the way he fed it to me? "Yes," I reply to both, my cheeks ming brighter.


    "It''s a pleasure to watch a beautiful woman enjoy her food."


    I blink at him. He thinks I''m beautiful? My heart flutters in my chest like a bird trapped in a cage.


    His eyes narrow again as he searches my face. I wish I knew what he was looking for so I could give it to him. The sound of his throat clearing brings me out of my fantasy. "I should get back to work." I''m struck silent for the first time in my life. Say something, Mia!


    "Of course, can''t keep all those mobsters waiting." Oh, bananas. Anything but that. The puzzled look on his face makes me wince.


    I stare at my hands, picking at a loose piece of skin near my thumbnail while he washes his te. I steal a nce at him. His broad frame obscures my view of the sink. With every motion, his thick biceps strain the seams of his crisp white shirt. He ces the wet dishes on the drainer to dry, and I''m struck by howfortable he looks doing such a domestic chore. Sure, this is his house, but he has a bunch of servants and he still washes his own dishes. Brad didn''t wash a single thing the entire time we were together, not even at the beginning when he was sweeping me off my feet. That probably should''ve been a sign, huh?


    When he spins around to face me, I realize I''m staring and avert my gaze. He walks past me, headed for the door, but he stops as he reaches me, and I inhale the familiar masculine scent of him. "For the record, I think your ass, and the rest of your body, is fucking perfect."


    My jaw nearly hits the table as I watch him walk out of the room. Perfect? Lorenzo Moretti thinks my body is fucking perfect? Holy goddamn bananas. I might have just fallen head over heels in lust.

 111

    LORENZO


    "Futtuto idiota!" I mutter under my breath, stalking down the hall and as far away from Mia as possible.


    I just told our temporary house guest that her body is perfect. Why the hell did I say that? Maybe because I felt bad that her asshole ex-husband made her feel so shitty that she denies herself the pleasure of a food she so clearly enjoys? Yes, that was why. Not because my gaze drifts far too often down to her juicy round ass or her tits that strain against the fabric of the various dresses and tops she wears. My pity for her is the only reason I said what I did. The only reason I spent five minutes feeding her cheesecake and watching her pretty lips wrap around that fork. I sure as fuck did not imagine those lips wrapped around my cock, her soft tongue sweeping over the tip and collecting the precum collecting there.


    My balls feel heavy and hot. I haven''t jerked off for over a week, and I need to cum before I implode. That''s all this is about. Once I blow my load, I''ll forget about the way that distracting yellow dress hugs every inch of her body and shows off her tan, toned legs. I need to get off to the memory of my wife. The only woman I will ever love. The only woman I can ever want.


    A few momentster, I''m standing in the shower with piping hot water streaming over my face and chest. Gripping the base of my shaft, I squeeze hard and groan as blessed relief rolls through me. I picture her. My sweet Anya. Her ash-blond hair and ice blue eyes. The curves of her body. My tiny ballerina.


    My thighs tremble with the desperate urgency for release coursing through me. One hand on the tiled walls to hold myself steady, I tug harder, grunting as my balls sear with the need toe. Water drips down my face. I close my eyes and grant myself permission to remember her. Running my tongue along that scar over her hipbone. How she could take my entire cock inside her tiny little body. The way her pale skin marked so easily when I punished her.


    I pump harder. "Fuck!" Thighs burning and eyes stinging, I allow the memories to take hold. They swirl around my brain like the water around the drain. Honey-blond hair. No! Ash-blond hair.


    I recall the sweet scent of her. Jasmine and lemon-no, vani and almond.


    Her tits straining at the buttons of the clothes she wears.


    Small pink nipples and tiny breasts dwarfed by the palms of my hands.


    How her sweet round ass looked in that yellow dress today. Her pink lips wrapped around my shaft. Hazel eyes gazing up at me while I sink my cock into her.


    No! I m my fist into the tiled wall of the shower and shout my frustration at the ceiling. "Fuck!"


    Anya. My beautiful Anya. Where are you, passerotta? Wiping the water from my eyes, I try to picture her face, but all I see is the siren downstairs. My cock weeps, and I squeeze harder, forcing myself to focus on my wife''s pale blue eyes and her sweet smile. How her delicate fingers brushed my skin. The pleasing way she would dip her head whenever she spoke to me. Her cor. Her cunt. The way it rippled around my cock.


    Heat sears up my spine, and I continue to pump my shaft as new images and old memories fight for dominance, blurring into each other as they sh through my head. My hand ttens against the cool tile. I press up onto my toes. My balls draw up, all fire and fury as I work my cock more firmly. When I lose control,ing so hard and fast that my knees buckle, it''s to the vision of shining hazel eyes, full pink lips, and a pair of beautiful big tits encased in a yellow dress. LORENZO


    "You''ve reached me but I ain''t here." Lionel''s Southern drawl drones down my ear. "Leave me a message after the beep. If I haven''t been abducted by aliens or taken away from it all by a rich heiress, I''ll get back to you."


    With a sigh, I slip my cell back into my pocket. It''s been three days since I spoke to him. He must still be in Abu Dhabi. I re at myptop screen, hoping I''ll find a message from him telling me he''s found more information about that twisted piece of shit, but my inbox remains empty except for a spam email about erectile dysfunction.


    "Only dysfunction I have is a boner that won''t go away," I mutter under my breath. Every single morning, I wake with a raging hard on, and every single morning, I try to jerk off to the memory of Anya''s face, only to be gued by images of Mia. Inevitably, I give up and spend the next half hour beneath the icy spray of a cold shower.


    I''ve had a semi-permanent hard on for the past three days, and I swear that if I don''t bust my nut again soon, I''ll have a coronary.


    The sound of the inte buzzing snaps me from my train of thought. Dante and Kat are out with the kids. Mia''s in the kitchen with Sophia, learning to make fresh pasta-a skill she ims to have wanted to learn her entire adult life but never gotten around to. Fuck, that just leaves me.


    Pressing the button, I bark at the guard on the gate. "What?"


    "There''s a guy here, Boss..."


    "And?"


    "He says he''s a cop."


    "He says he''s a cop or he is a cop, Jimmy?" I snap, too wound up for riddles.


    "Well, he showed me his badge, but he''s not Chicago PD."


    "So where is he from?" I already know the answer.


    "Boston."


    "Fucker," I mumble, balling my hands into fists. I''ve wondered how long it would be before he came for her.


    "He says you''ve kidnapped his wife," Jimmy adds.


    I chuckle humorlessly. "I''ll be right out."


    Leaving my desk, I straighten my jacket and roll my neck and shoulders, trying to relieve a modicum of the tension currently squeezing every muscle in my body. Cop or not, I will shoot Brad Mulcahy where he stands before I let him anywhere near Mia.


    I walk down the expansive driveway of our family''s mansion and spot the ck Chevy idling right outside the gates. A tall sack of shit with a buzzcut leans against the driver''s side door, running a hand through his mousy brown beard. Two of my armed guards stand on either side of his car, but he stares directly at me and pays them no attention.


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    "You have a problem fuckface?" I ask as Ie within a few feet of him. I can smell his stench from here. Unwashed clothes and sweaty pits, stale cigarette smoke and junk food. Either he was punching way, way above his weight ss with the little firecracker in my kitchen, or he''s really let himself go since she left him. I suspect it''s both, but mostly thetter. He has that drawn, haunted look of a man who had it all and lost it in the blink of an eye.


    He spits onto the ground near my feet. Disrespectful prick! "I''vee for my wife."


    I fold my arms over my chest and re at him, watching the bead of sweat run down his forehead, belying his cocksure facade. This man knows who I am. He''s aware that I could put a bullet in his brain right now and there''s every possibility I''d get away with it. There''s every possibility that I wouldn''t too, given he''s a cop and it''s broad daylight, but he doesn''t know which side of the coin his fate lies on today.


    "I said I''vee for my wife," he repeats, spittle forming on the corners of his mouth. Jesus fuck, how did Mia ever even kiss this disgusting fucker?


    I go on ring at him, refusing to confirm that she''s here-for now at least. I''m enjoying watching him work himself into a fit.


    He balls his hands into fists by his sides and stamps his foot, a toddler throwing a tantrum. A chill runs down my spine. I''ve known plenty of men like Brad Mulcahy, with the emotional maturity of a child but the body of a heavyweight boxer. It''s a fucking miracle Mia didn''t leave that house of theirs in a box. I nce at his hands. Not as big as mine, but they''re big. I imagine them wrapped around Mia''s neck. mming into her face. Hitting her. Restraining her. Forcing her. He''s a fucking dead man walking.


    Rocking my head side to side, I pop my neck and step closer, biting back a smirk when he flinches.


    "Hand her over now and we''ll talk no more of it," he says, his voice taking on a desperate whine. "I''ll tell my buddy Superintendent Hayes to back off, and you can return to whatever it is you do."


    "Seems Hayes isn''t really your buddy though, is he? You have something on the deputy, isn''t that right?"


    He shrugs, trying to appear casual while sweat beads on his forehead and his arms remain rigidly clenched by his sides. "Even more powerful to have a superintendent in your pocket than as your friend, as I''m sure you know." "Deputy superintendent," I remind him.


    His lip curls with contempt. "He can still make your life very difficult."


    "He could." With a shrug, I edge closer. "But he''s not. A few raids on my family''s businesses. Is that the best you got, fuck-knuckle?"


    He bares his teeth, barely able to contain his anger now, so I push him a little further, hoping he''ll make a move and give me a reason to beat every breath of life out of him. "I said, is that all you got?"


    "Just give me my wife." His voice is half snarl, half whine. "Bring her out here and you''ll never see either of us again."


    "Now just why the fuck would I want to do that?"


    He barks out augh. "Because she''s not fucking worth it, man. Trust me."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


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    I take another step closer, and he shrinks back before he remembers that he''s supposed to be a tough guy cop and squares his shoulders. We stand toe to toe, eye to eye, and I grin with delight. "I happen to think she''s very worth it. Every delicious inch of her."


    That sparks something in him, and he bounces on his toes, anger radiating from him in waves. A thick vein pulses by his temple and he raises one fist.


    "Do it, fuckface," I goad. "Please fucking do it."


    "Take all three of you on?" He sneers at my guards.


    "I give you my word they won''t touch you. They won''t fucking have to, but just give me a reason to, you sick fuck." "Fuck you!" he spits.


    "You heard anything from your kid sistertely, Brad?" I ask with a grin, and the color drains from his face in an instant.


    His entire face twists with malice. "What the fuck are you on about?"


    "I know all about Micha. And your mom." I hope my lie will get him to reveal something more, but he stays silent and res at me. Fuck, I want to punch him in that ugly mug. Knock him to the ground. Jump on his fucking head. Want to make him bleed the way he made her bleed and hear him plead for mercy the way she must have so many times.


    With impable timing, Dante''s cares to a stop behind Brad''s. He rolls down the window and eyes me with concern. "Everything okay, brother?"


    I keep my attention glued to Brad. "Everything is just fine. Bradley here was just leaving."


    The asshole snorts, but his knees shake as he takes the few steps to his car.


    Before he opens the door, I grab onto his forearm, digging my fingers into his taut muscle. "You ever set foot in Chicago again and I will kill you in the most painful way imaginable. You ever try to contact Mia in any way ever again and I will tell the entire world about you and your whole fucked-up family. You got me?"


    His nostrils re.


    I squeeze tighter, enjoying the pain that shes across his face. He deserves so much more than that, but we are where we are. "I asked you a fucking question." "Yes," he hisses.


    I release my grip and let him climb back into his shit-box car. All the while, I feel Dante''s eyes on me, willing me not to waste a cop in front of our own house with my niece and nephews a few feet away. For their sake, and their sake alone, I don''t.

 112

    LORENZO


    Anger courses in my veins like it''s my lifeblood as I stalk back through the house, leaving my younger brother alone in the study. I exined what happened with Brad today, but I kept Lionel''s findings to myself for now. No point telling only half the story. Dante talked me out of my n to dispose of Brad Mulcahy. He thinks we should y it smart and wait for Brad to fuck his own life up, but I can''t help feeling like we''d be doing the entire world a favor by ending that piece of shit''s existence.


    I walk into the library, hoping for a little quiet, but she''s here. Of course she''s here. She''s fucking everywhere.


    "Are you okay?" she asks, her voice full of concern.


    I pace up and down the room, running my hands through my hair. Do I tell her that her sack of shit husband was just here? No, I can''t. She might decide to run, and if she left... I don''t know what the fuck I''d do, but I do know I like having her here. Despite her being a constant source of tension and distraction.


    "Lorenzo?"


    Thick knots of tension build in my muscles. She''s close enough that her scent washes over me. Too close. My dick strains at my zipper, pulsing and aching for relief. Every drop of blood rushes south, making it hard to breathe, and when I do manage to draw air, she fills my lungs. I can taste her, like a python senses its prey. I need to get the fuck out of here. Away from her soft body and her intoxicating scent.


    Mia smiles sweetly. Is she aware of the effect she has on me? If she is, she should run. Instead, shees closer. So fucking close, I swear I can hear her heartbeat. Or is that mine? I can''t even think straight anymore.


    I stop pacing and stand still, chest heaving as I stare at her. She ces her hand on my chest, right over my hammering heart, and leans close. So goddamn close. Her breath dusts along my neck and my cock twitches, letting me know he''s running the show from here on out. My brain checks out, happily handing over the reins.


    "Tell me what''s wrong. What do you need?"


    I suck in a breath,zily looking over her curves. Her fingers twitch and my veryst shred of restraint snaps. "What if what I need is you, Mia?" The words rumble out of me like a growl.


    "You know you can have me any time you want, right?" she whispers.


    Blinding light shes in my eyes, and a surge of adrenaline propels me forward. My hand is around her throat, pushing her back until she''s perched on the edge of the desk, her fingers syed out on either side of her hips. She spreads her thighs, allowing me to step between them and press my body t against hers. She holds my gaze, daring me to keep going.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I can''t.


    I shouldn''t.


    But I do.


    I fist my free hand in her honey-blond hair and hold her head still. My other hand slides down her body, over the pillowy curve of her breasts, eliciting a needy moan from her lips. Those lips. Fucking plump and begging to be wrapped around my cock. I crash my mouth down on hers, swallowing her sounds as my hand travels lower, over the arc of her hip and around to her ass. I squeeze hard, and her soft flesh yields to my touch as though it''s been lying dormant waiting for my fingertips. She parts her lips, allowing my tongue inside to explore the recesses of her mouth. She tastes so fucking sweet, and suddenly she is everything and everywhere.


    My heart beats frantically against my ribcage, like it''s trying to break free and remind me that we''re broken and we can''t do this. But I am lost in the feel of her soft flesh beneath my hands, her delicious scent in my nose and her taste on my tongue. How good would the rest of her taste?


    She rocks her hips forward, grinding her pussy on my cock, and precum weeps from the crown. If I don''te soon, I will die from a fucking heart attack. She pulls back, panting for breath as she runs a hand through my hair and tugs, tilting my head so that I''m staring into her hazel eyes.


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    "Fuck me," she breathes out the words.


    Holy mother of fucks. I almost choke on air, swaying on my feet as violent waves of desire crash over me. My head pounds, my cock aches. I lift her onto the desk and slide a hand between her thighs, my fingertips kneading her soft flesh as I work my way up to the apex. The ce where I can lose myself in her.


    Pulling her panties aside, I brush my knuckles over her slick folds. So fucking hot and inviting. I want inside her. I want to feel her.


    I want to feel.


    It''s been so long since I''ve enjoyed the pleasure of a woman. So fucking long.


    Her breathse hard and fast, and her eyes burn into mine. Then her hand is between us, fingertips brushing over my aching shaft as she lowers my zipper and slides inside my boxer shorts. She grips me at the base, squeezing hard, and I groan like a thirteen-year-old boy about to get his first handjob. I yank her arms behind her back, easily circling my fingers around both of her wrists and pinning them in ce while I free my cock.


    I roughly tug her panties down with one hand. Kicking them off, she wraps her long legs around my waist and pulls me closer. The tip of my cock presses against her wet heat, and nothing exists except for me and her and this moment. I slide in and her hot pussy squeezes my dick like a vise. "Holy. Fuck!" I grunt, burying my face in her neck. Grabbing a handful of her ass, I rail into her like an animal. My cock pulses and throbs as I drive in and out of her wet pussy. She''s dripping, coating my shaft in her sweet juices and making it possible for me to sink balls-deep into her tight-as-fuck cunt. And she feels so fucking good. Pure relief seeps into my bones, and with every thrust inside her, I get closer and closer to the edge that''s been eluding me for so long.


    "Oh, god, Lorenzo." She breathes out the words, hot against my ear. Her cunt ripples around me, pulling me deeper and deeper. I never want to stop. I want to bury myself right here and feel nothing but her and this pussy for the rest of my days.


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    "Your cunt, Mia ..." I release her wrists so I can hold onto her hips and drive harder and deeper. "Feels so good."


    "Yes," she moans, wrapping her arms around my neck and clinging to me. I m into her, my balls burning with the need for release. Harder and faster with each roll of my hips, my fingers digging into her soft ass cheeks, kneading and pulling and taking. I need her so fucking much.


    "So." Thrust. "Fucking." Thrust. "Good."


    She tips her head back, whimpering as I nail her. I run my nose over her sweet-smelling neck and sink my teeth into her flesh. Her pussy squeezes me harder, and I can''t hold off any longer. I''m going toe, fill her up, and I''d rather die than stop now. Gripping her ass tighter, I drive inside her onest time, making her cry out as I empty my myself into her. I close my eyes and almost ck out from the force of my climax.


    I fill her tight pussy until my cum drips out, overflowing from her channel. Three days'' worth of cum. Two years'' worth of anger and guilt and frustration and sadness. And she took it all.


    I pull my cock out of her, and although she does her best to hide it, she flinches. I was too rough. Too hard. I didn''t even get her off. And now it''s over, the rush of endorphins already leaving my body, reced by more guilt and anger. Zipping up my pants, I avert my eyes, unable to look at her.


    "Lorenzo?"


    "I''m sorry, Mia." There''s nothing else I can say. I still don''t look at her as I walk away, leaving her alone in the library.

 113

    LORENZO


    I find Dante in our study, reading over a stack of contracts Joey gave him earlier. ncing up, he gives me a concerned look and sits up straighter in his chair. "You okay?"


    Do I look as angry and distraught as I feel? I sink into the chair across from him and scrub a hand over my face. "I cheated on her, D."


    He blinks at me, confused. I should have known he wouldn''t understand. "On who, Loz?"


    "Anya," I snap, barely able to keep the anger surging through me under control.


    He leans forward, folding his arms on the desk. "You didn''t cheat-"


    "I fucked a woman who isn''t my wife." Jaw aching with all the tension I''m holding inside, I m my fist down on the arm of my chair.


    "Okay," he says in that calm, soothing tone he''s so good at, but it''s not working today. He leans back, eyeing me warily. Like I''mpletely insane. Maybe I am.


    "I fucked someone else, D." I hang my head, dropping it into my hands. All I hear is the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears. How the fuck did I let this happen? Making decisions with my dick, that''s how. I''m a better man that that. Anya deserves better than that.


    He finally responds. "It''s been two years, Loz."


    I lift my head, and he''s still staring at me with worry etched on his face. "It could be two hundred years, it wouldn''t matter. Anya is my wife."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "But she died..."


    "You think I don''t fucking know that?" I spit the words, directing my rage at him because I have nowhere else to put it. "You think I don''t remember every single second of every single fucking day that she''s dead?" He winces. "I know."


    "No, you don''t know, Dante. You don''t have any fucking idea."


    "I miss her too, Loz."


    "Of course you fucking miss her. Everyone misses her. But do you feel like every single day is an effort just to open your fucking eyes in the morning because you no longer have the one person who made your life what it was?" I don''t give him time to answer. "What if it was Kat? Would you be okay after two years?"


    My words cut him deep; the pain is evident in his voice when he manages to speak. "I never said you should be okay, Loz. But you didn''t cheat on your wife."


    "So, why do I feel like I did?"


    "Is this the first time you''ve... In two years?"


    I scowl at him. "Of course it fucking is."


    "Wow." He rubs a hand over his jaw. "I just assumed-"


    "No." I shake my head, guilt and shame eating away at my insides. "I''ve never even looked at a woman like that..." Until Mia.


    "So, what happened. Who was this woman?"


    Guilt clogs my throat, and I look down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.


    "Mia?"


    I don''t confirm or deny, but he takes my silence as an admission of guilt. "For fuck''s sake, Loz. She''s my wife''s cousin."


    "It won''t happen again," I assure him.


    "Does she know that?"


    I blink at him. That''s a good question. I have no fucking idea. I zipped up my pants and walked away, leaving her alone with my cum dripping down her thighs. Did she enjoy it? Fuck. I didn''t even ask if she was okay, didn''t stop to consider the fact that we weren''t using protection.


    "Loz?"


    "What?"


    "Of all the women, why her?"


    "Why not?" I snap, although I know he''s right.


    "She''s my wife''s cousin. She''s not..."


    I frown at him. "Not what?"


    "In a good ce?" he offers with a shrug.


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    "Mia is one of the strongest, most together women I''ve ever met."


    My instinct to defend her takes us both by surprise.


    "I''m not suggesting otherwise, but you two together..."


    "We''re not together, D. I told you it won''t happen again."


    He stares at me, and I will him to argue with me, because maybe raging at him will make me feel better. Maybe I''ll get a few shots in and the ache in my knuckles will distract from the churning shame in my gut. But he simply nods, giving me no outlet for all this impotent rage.


    A vein in my neck twitches. I''m so fucking conflicted. I hate myself for even thinking about touching another woman, let alone fucking one. But I can''t stop remembering how good she felt. How soft her skin was. Her sweet scent. How her tight hot, wet cunt made me think of nothing but the incredible relief of being buried inside her. How for a few moments I forgot...


    "You did nothing wrong, Loz," Dante assures me.


    "So why do I feel so fucking bad?"


    "Because you love your wife."


    I do.


    "That will never change. No matter how many women you fuck, it doesn''t change how much you love her."


    I grind my jaw. I know if things were reversed and he had lost Kat, I would say the exact same thing. But I can''t bring myself to believe it. Anya and I were different.

 114

    MIA


    My mind races with unanswered questions. What the hell just happened in the library? I take a seat on the wooden bench in the kitchen, and the slight ache between my thighs tells me that I didn''t imagine any of it. All those weeks of pent-up sexual tension, and now it''s over. I guess it''s not that unusual-unfortunately-for a guy to not care about a woman''s pleasure as long as he finds his own, but Lorenzo didn''t strike me as that type of guy at all. But the worst part is that he walked away without even checking if I was okay. It seems so at odds with the man I''ve been getting to know.


    I shake my head. We shouldn''t have gone there. I mean, it was great sex-hot sex-right up to the point where he left me hanging. I was literally on the verge of a mind-blowing orgasm, and he just stopped. Everything about Lorenzo Moretti screams sex wizard, but that''s the problem when you fantasize about someone for so long-the reality never measures up.


    The sound of the door opening interrupts my inner chatter, and a flush creeps across my cheeks as Lorenzo walks into the room. Well, holy shit, this is awkward.


    "Mia," he says gruffly, his brow furrowed.


    "Lorenzo." I give him a forced smile, wondering how I can extricate myself from this room and avoid having this conversation.


    He clears his throat. "About earlier."


    I wave my hand dismissively. "We don''t have to-"


    "We need to talk about what happened," he insists and sits on the bench opposite me.


    I swallow the ball of anxiety lodged in my throat.


    "I''m sorry," he says, his expression so full of guilt, sadness, and pain that I want to wrap my arms around him.


    "You don''t have to apologize," I assure him. "We''re both adults."


    "We didn''t use"-he clears his throat again-"protection."


    "Well, we were kind of in the moment," I remind him.


    "Do we need to do anything about that?" His eyes scan my face, full of concern now too.


    "No, I have an IUD. Also, just FYI, Brad was such a sleazebag that I had regr STI checks. The results of myst one came through just after I left Boston. Clean as a whistle."


    He nods and lets out a long breath. "I''m clean too. There''s been no one since Anya."


    Holy bananas! I''m the first woman he''s been with since his dead wife? I had no idea. No wonder he rushed off the way he did. Unsure what to say, I nod and look around the room for a means of escape. This is torture; I''m such an idiot. "So, we''re all good then," I say, infusing my tone with all the chirpiness and indifference I can muster while I sit here with his cum dripping out of me.


    "It can''t happen again, Mia," he says, his voice deep and solemn. "I''m sorry."


    Wow! The arrogance of men with huge dicks. I''m technically still married and not exactly looking for a deepmitted rtionship here either, buddy. He frowns. "What?"


    I shrug. Shut up, Mia. Don''t say it!


    "Mia?" he presses.


    "It''s bold of you to assume I want it to happen again, is all," I blurt. Idiot!


    His frown deepens into a scowl. "I just..." His Adam''s apple bobs.


    "You assumed that I''d be addicted to your giant penis after one quick liaison in the library?" I arch my eyebrow. Oh, for the love of god, shut up, Mia!


    He flinches. "No. I just meant..."


    "It''s not like we had great chemistry, is it?" Yeah right. The chemistry between us is scorching hot, which was why the end result was so disappointing. I hoped my lie would defuse the situation, but that huge vein starts to throb in his temple and tells me I only made it worse. "I mean, I guess not all sex has to end with both partiesing. That doesn''t necessarily mean it was bad," I babble. From the low growl that rumbles in his chest, I''m pretty sure I just poured a can of gasoline all over this little pickle we''ve found ourselves in.


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    He nts his giant hands on the table, jaw clenched tightly shut and rage visibly simmering beneath the surface of his skin. "So we''re in agreement then?" he barks. "Never again." "Never." I offer him my most genuine smile, trying to lighten the mood and convey that we can still be friends despite what happened earlier, but he glowers at me. Goddammit, Mia! I need to get out of this room before I inadvertently push another button and make him implode.


    "d we''re on the same page."


    He storms out of the room, and I rest my forehead on the table, letting the cool wood soothe my flushed skin. How the hell did my day end this badly? With a deep breath, I push myself up and roll my shoulders back. Tomorrow is a new day, and it will be a better one than this.


    Lorenzo and I can be friends again. Lorenzo and his rough hands and sinful tongue. The way it danced over the skin of my neck before he imed my mouth with a smoking hot kiss. Warmth pools in my core at the memory. So much promise, only for him to leave me wet and needy.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Gah! Stop it, Mia. It was mediocre sex at best. He fucked you and left you hanging.


    But what if-


    "Mia?" Kat says, popping her head into the kitchen. "That movie we were talking about is on soon. You wanna watch it with me?"


    Watching a movie with Kat sounds like the perfect distraction. As much as I''d love to talk to her about what happened with Lorenzo, sleeping with her brother-inw-who''s clearly still grieving for his wife-isn''t the wisest move I''ve ever made. And it''s not like it''s going to happen again. I''ll file it with all my other stupid mistakes I never speak of and leave it there.

 115

    LORENZO


    "Holy fuck, Loz." Max gives a darkugh and watches me wipe blood from my shoe with the T-shirt of the man groaning at my feet. "What?" I snap.


    He looks down at the man on the ground and shakes his head. "You just used that guy''s face as boot scraper."


    "So? He''ll live. Barely scratched him."


    Max blinks at me, a smile on his face but confusion in his eyes. "He only asked you where the fucking restrooms were."


    "People who use restrooms in shitholes like this are likely to get dysentery." I shrug. "I did him a favor."


    "Dysentery? What is this, the 1600s? We were only supposed to ask questions about the deputy superintendent," he reminds me.


    I look around the whorehouse, my nose wrinkling in disgust. It''s not an upmarket ce where the hookers are looked after; it''s a shitty old house where drugs are cheap and hookers are cheaper. It makes my skin crawl to even be here. "I want this ce fucking shut down, Max. It''s fucking unhygienic."


    "And what about the women and men who make a living here?"


    "Find them somewhere nicer to work," I suggest.


    "Fuck me. Like I have nothing better to do with my time," he grumbles as we head out the door.


    "Shall I ask Joey to do it? She''d have this ce turned over in a fucking day," I snap.


    "The fuck you will. I''ll fucking handle it."


    I crack my neck. "Good."


    Max res at me as we climb into the car. "Threatening to have your baby sister deal with pimps just to prove a fucking point isn''t fucking funny, jackass."


    I re right back, spoiling for a fight. "Sort it then."


    Max ms his hands on the steering wheel. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You''re always a pain in my ass, but you''re in rare fucking form today." "Just drive, Max."


    "Not before you tell me what the fuck is going on," he snaps back, folding his arms over his chest. "You''ve been acting like a bear with a ho''s nest up its ass all fucking day." "Have not." Fuck, I sound like a child.


    "On top of your little outburst back there, you punched a fucking steel door and almost broke your hand, and you smashed the butcher''s window with a meat cleaver because he didn''t have any prime rib left. What the fuck''s going on with you?"


    I let out a long breath. This asshole isn''t going to let up. "I slept with Mia."


    He gapes at me.


    "Max?"


    "Fuck, Loz." He shakes his head. "How was it?"


    "What the fuck, dipshit?"


    "What?" He frowns, face a mask of hurt. "She''s the first since Anya, right? It''s normal for me to ask how it went."


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    "That is not a normal response, Max."


    He finally starts the car. "It is. That''s what I was expecting you to ask me after you found out I banged your sister," he says, deadpan.


    I turn in my seat, ready to unleash hell on him, but he''s bent over the steering wheel,ughing so hard that I can''t help butugh too-just a little. "I should fucking cut your throat for that, you know." Wiping his eyes, he sits up and shoots me a wink. "But you won''t. Your sister would kill you in your sleep, and you know it."


    I shake my head and stare out the window while he pulls out into traffic.


    "Seriously though, Loz. How was it?"


    "The fuck, Max?"


    "I don''t mean how was the actual sex, fuck-nugget. How was it"-he waves a hand around-"like after and stuff. How were you? Is it an ongoing thing?"


    "Never happening again."


    "And is she good with that?"


    "More than good," I snap.


    "Oh?" He nces at me before turning his attention back to the road.


    "I don''t think she ;..." I swallow.


    "Don''t think she what?"


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    I scrub a hand down my face. "Enjoyed it," I mumble.


    "Sure she did," he insists. "You''re like a top fucking Dom or something. I see those women drooling over you whenever we go anywhere near one of those clubs you used to go to." He arches an eyebrow at me.


    "I didn''t make here, Max," I blurt out and immediately wish I could take the words back.


    "Well, uh, it''s been a long time." Giving me an awkward look out of the corner of his eye, he clears his throat. "You didn''t expect there to be anyone after Anya. That''s some deep shit to process."


    I rub a hand through my hair. "I feel so fucking guilty."


    "About Anya?"


    "And Mia. I should''ve shown some fucking restraint."


    "She''s a beautiful woman, Loz. You''re both grown-ass adults. And I know you don''t want to hear this, but-"


    I cut him off before he can finish the titude. "Don''t you dare fucking tell me Anya would have wanted me to move on."


    "Okay. I won''t tell you then. Does Kat know?"


    "I don''t think so. It meant nothing. I told Dante it won''t happen again, and I''m pretty sure Mia won''t mention it."


    He''s quiet for a few moments before he speaks again. "You did nothing wrong, Loz."


    I don''t answer. If that''s true, why do I feel so fucking torn up about it? Why can''t I stop thinking about how I betrayed my marriage vows?T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Would I feel better if it truly had meant nothing? What if I had fucked a random woman? Because the only thing that consumes me more than my guilt is the memory of being buried inside Mia. Her taste. Her scent. The way her soft flesh yielded beneath my fingertips. How her hot pussy molded itself to my cock like it was made for me. The way it almost ripped my fucking heart out when she told me we had no chemistry-the knowledge that if I still had a heart, she would have eviscerated it.

 116

    MIA


    I sip my hot chamomile tea, eyeing Lorenzo as he stalks through the room toward the refrigerator. His brow is furrowed, dark eyes hooded and unreadable. The sleeves of his white shirt are rolled up to his elbows so that all the beautiful art on his forearms is on full disy. He''s wearing his light gray suit pants today, the ones that hug his magnificent ass like he was poured into them. I mean, no man has any right to have an ass that looks that good. I stare at his perfect posterior while he rummages in the fridge.


    "You looking for anything in particr?"


    "Dinner," he grunts.


    cing my mug onto the counter, I wander over to him. "Sophia madesagna and I know she saved you some." I sidle up beside him so that we''re both looking into the cavernous refrigerator.


    "I can find it myself," he huffs.


    "And you''re doing such a good job," I say with a smirk after he picks up the same tub of yogurt for the third time.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I reach into the back for the ss container with the green lid. My arm brushes against his, and my breath catches. Warmth spreads across my skin, despite the cool atmosphere. He pulls away like he''s been burned by a hot poker. Did he feel that too?


    "Here it is." I hand him the food, my voice barely a whisper.


    "Thanks," he replies gruffly, snatching the container from my hand. It''s only now that I notice his knuckles are bleeding. Again.


    "You want me to fix you a little sd to go with that?"


    He narrows his eyes at me.


    "It''ll only take me a minute while you pop that in the microwave." For reasons I can''t fully exin, I want to soothe away some of his pain, do something to make him feel cared for, even if it is just a sd. "You like all vegetables except cucumber, right?"


    "Yeah," he says, his face softening a little.


    "Because it''s the work of the devil," I tease.


    The faintest flicker of a grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Exactly."


    I grab the sd from the crisper drawer and ce it on the kitchen counter. Then we stand side by side, me chopping vegetables and him staring at the microwave.


    I nce sideways at him. "What did you do to your hand?"


    "Work," he says with a dismissive shrug.


    "You should ask Kat to take a look at it."


    He shakes his head. "It''s fine."


    We edge closer to each other. Heat radiates from him like a furnace. He smells so good-fresh air and cologne-and my mouth waters. I chew on my lip, aware of my breath growing increasingly heavier, my pulse thrumming against my skin. While I''m chopping a tomato, a sudden memory of his tongue in my mouth makes me falter, and the knife slips, cutting my finger. "Ouch!"


    "Are you okay?" He grabs my hand, sending rivulets of pleasure coursing through me. Caressing the tip of my finger, he inspects it for damage.


    "It''s just a tiny scratch," I insist, pulling my hand away. Goosebumps prickle along my skin.


    His eyes darken to ck orbs. "You should be more careful, sunshine."


    Sunshine? He''s never called me that before. My throat constricts. "I will," I whisper hoarsely as the tension sizzles between us.


    He nods, his gaze fixed on mine so intently that I worry he can read my thoughts. Thoughts of him and what it would feel like to have him kiss me again. His tongue darts out, running over his bottom lip, and I swear I feel it between my thighs. I suck in a shaky breath.


    His dark eyes narrow.


    The damn microwave pings, and just like that, the spell is broken. He turns away to retrieve hissagna, and I arrange his sd and ce it on the countertop in front of him.


    "Enjoy your dinner," I say with a forced smile, but he doesn''t turn back to me. The closeness we shared has already vanished. "Thanks," he mumbles.


    I swallow down the knot of regret that sticks in my throat. Why is this so awkward?


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    I turn to leave the kitchen, but he grabs hold of my wrist and tugs me forward. Our bodies are barely an inch apart. My heart races. Blood rushes south. My mouth is so dry that I can''t even swallow. Then he dips his head, hot breath dusting over the skin of my neck and making me shiver.


    "You seriously think we don''t have chemistry, Mia?" he asks with a low growl that travels directly between my thighs.


    "M-maybe it was a poor choice of words."


    "Maybe?"


    "Yes. Clearly, we have something, but..."


    "But what?"


    "Well, it should have been fireworks, but it was more like a fizzle."


    He glowers at me, jaw ticking. "A fizzle?"


    I should stop talking. Right now. But I am Mia freaking Stone, and talking when I should shut the hell up is my lifelong curse. "It''s okay, not every guy can make every womane."


    Holy crap, Mia. Why?


    Lorenzo snarls, his muscles vibrating with pent-up rage. Towering over me, he picks up his te, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turn white. I wince at my own stupidity. I basically used the most dangerous man I''ve ever known of not being able to satisfy a woman. "I didn''t mean- I meant me. You couldn''t make mee," I babble on, embarrassing myself further. What the hell is wrong with me?


    His nostrils re as he draws in a deep breath, probably trying to stop himself from throttling me. Then he storms out of the kitchen, muttering something in Italian and leaving me to stare after him.

 117

    LORENZO


    My cock throbs painfully as soon as I open my eyes, just like it has every morning for the past two weeks. I stalk through this house in a constant state of semi-arousal, feeling like I''m going to tear someone''s head off. Only now I can''t jerk off because Mia is all I can see when I do. Incessant thoughts of her fill my mind. Her sensuous curves. Her smile. The way she smells-so sweet and tempting. The memory of her hot, wet cunt squeezing my cock. The way she looked at me when she said I couldn''t make here.


    Throwing back the covers, I jump out of bed, cursing under my breath as I stalk to the bathroom. I''ve never been so insulted in my whole fucking life. Couldn''t make here! I could make here so fucking hard she''d still moan at the memory when she''s a hundred years old.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ***


    Rubbing my temples in an attempt to stem the ever-present throbbing, I make my way to the library. She''s here. Of course she is. I can''t avoid her-or maybe I can''t stay away from her.


    I walk to my desk, and she sashays past me, her perfectly round ass swaying seductively in that little yellow dress she''s wearing-the same one she wore the night she arrived. My cock twitches in my pants at the sight and the thought of all the filthy, depraved things I''d like to do to her.


    "Oh, bananas," she mutters, stooping to pick up the pen she dropped on the floor. Holy fuck! Does she do this to me on purpose? Get some sick kind of thrill from making me walk around with a constant erection? I try to avert my eyes, but they''re glued to her. Fixated on every sumptuous curve, every single movement of her sexy body.


    She stands up straight and spins on her heel to face me, and I almost throw out my goddamn back trying to make it appear like I''m not staring at her ass. The grin that tugs at the corners of her full pink lips tells me I wasn''t fast enough. "You need any help there?" she says, ncing down.


    I frown at her, and it takes me a few beats to realize she''s talking about the papers in my hand, not the bulge in my suit pants. "No, it''s fine."


    "If you''re sure." She sinks her teeth into the pillowy cushion of her bottom lip and flutters her eyshes. She''s fucking with me, right? Nobody can look that fucking seductive just being their regr self. Everything about this woman drives me crazy. The way she tucks her hair behind her ear. Her scent. The way she smiles-all the goddamn time. Her perky tits and how they heave and jiggle when she takes a deep breath. How she hums along randomly to tunes that pop into her head. Even the way she talks far too much. "I guess I''ll just get out of your way then," she adds as she sashays across the room toward me, her hips swaying seductively. Like a hypnotist''s pendulum, they draw my entire focus.


    Yes, she should get out of my goddamn way. She should fucking run from me before-


    Her scent hits me, jasmine and lemon, and my mouth waters. All I need is one little taste. Before I can talk myself out of it, my hand darts out and catches her wrist. I squeeze tight, but she doesn''t flinch, and when I close the gap between us, her breath hitches.


    I dip my head low, brushing my lips dangerously close to her sweet-smelling skin. "I could make youe, Mia."


    She shivers, but her dark eyes fix on mine. They''re more brown today, her pupils blown wide as she res at me in challenge. She licks her lower lip and every single cell in my body screams for her. Her full pink lips part, and she breathes out two words. "Prove it."


    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    I have never seen Lorenzo''s eyes so dark and full of heat. They ze with fire, searing into my skin and making me squirm under the intensity of his gaze. I swallow hard. Did Ipletely misread the situation?


    The hell I did. He''s the one with his hands on me, telling me he could make mee. I''m hyperaware of his fingers circling my wrist. Heat spreads from where he touches me, seeping into every part of my body and setting my skin aze. I go on ring at him. Daring him. His jaw ticks. That thick vein in his temple pulses, and I grow wetter with each passing millisecond. Then he closes his eyes, momentarily breaking our connection. He draws a breath through his nose, his hand still on my wrist, and an animalistic growl rumbles in his throat. Then he picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me across the room to the piano. His hard cock presses against my pussy, and I stifle a moan as I instinctively rub on him.


    The corners of his mouth twitch into a smirk, so I smirk right back. He ces me down on the piano with a thud before taking a seat on the stool. "You sure about this?"


    I arch an eyebrow, unable to resist teasing him a little more. "Sure you can''t make mee? Yep."


    He gives a single shake of his head, lips pressed together in amusement. His hands glide up my bare calves, his touch soft and warm. I shiver with anticipation.


    My voice drops to a whisper, my bravado waning. "What are you going to do?"


    Amusement dances in his expression. He''s the hunter and I am the prey. Just how he likes it, I bet. "Make youe," he answers, deadpan. His hands coast higher up my legs, brushing over my knees and beneath my dress before skating along my outer thighs.


    "But how?"


    His dark eyes gleam dangerously. "Does it matter?"


    I swallow harshly. "I guess not." But I''m lying. From our position, it seems like he''s going to eat my pussy, and for me, that''s the most intimate thing a man can do. How the hell will I ever look him in the face again once he''s had it buried all up in there?


    That arrogant smirk is back again. "Surely you''re not nervous, sunshine? Not after you just threw down that gauntlet?" His hands move to the waistband of my panties.


    I harden my re. "No."


    He tugs my panties down my hips and wetness pools in my core. Oh god. I lean back on my elbows, and my breathing grows heavier as Lorenzo''s strong hands glide over my skin. He ces the underwear in his jacket pocket, and I swallow hard at the sight of his predatory gaze, the way his nostrils re with desire. He reaches for the edge of my dress, pushing it up over my thighs. My heart rate increases with every inch of bare flesh he exposes.


    He breaks eye contact, but only to trail his wickedly delicious lips up the inside of my legs. My legs shake, skin sizzling with electricity. Edging closer to the apex of my thighs, he groans softly and pushes my dress higher until it''s bunched around my waist. I''mpletely exposed to him, my pulse thundering in my ears.


    A blush creeps over my chest, racing up my neck and cheeks. His gaze locks on the space between my thighs, and his eyes darken even further. A tremor runs through my entire body as he stares at my pussy like a starving man let loose on an all-you-can-eat buffet. His soft kisses turn to tiny bites, moving higher.


    I suck in a breath as he gets closer to the spot where, despite my lingering embarrassment, I''m desperate to feel him. His fingers skate up my inner thighs, leaving trails of fire everywhere they touch. My back arches and I moan softly. "I can smell your sweet pussy, sunshine," he says with a low, rumbling growl that vibrates against my sensitive flesh. "So fucking wet for me, huh?"


    "Holy mother of god," I murmur, letting my head hang back between my shoulder des.


    "Mmhmm," he mumbles, nipping at the skin at the very top of my thighs. "So fucking beautiful."


    "Lorenzo!" I plead with him, but he just goes on teasing me, avoiding the ce I want to feel him most. I buck my hips, and he rewards me with a dark chuckle.


    "Don''t be so impatient, Mia. I''ve waited a long time to taste this pussy. I''m going to savor every second."


    He has? I look up at him again and his gaze meets mine as he blows a stream of cool air over the length of my wet slit, making me cry out. It''s so intimate. Too intimate. We shouldn''t be doing this, and definitely not here on the piano in the library. But if he stops right now, I might die. "Please?" I whimper, desperate for more.


    He arches an eyebrow. "Begging, sunshine? You have no idea how much I enjoy that."


    "I thought you were going to make mee?" I pant, growing needier and wetter the longer he torments me.


    He doesn''t answer. My snark seems to have zero effect on him as he continues leisurely kissing the tops of my thighs and brushing his fingers over my skin. I writhe on the piano, and the more desperate my whimpers be, the slower he goes. Damn him.


    "Lorenzo, please?" I whine.


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    He skims his hands all the way down to my ankles, and I whine. Why must he torture me by moving further away from where I want him? But then he grabs my ankles and lifts my legs. "Lie back," he orders, nting my feet on his shoulders. With trembling limbs, I do as he tells me, hyperaware that I''m spread wide open and his face is only inches from me. I feel so self-conscious.


    "You have a beautiful pussy, Mia," he says with an appreciative groan. "I''m gonna enjoy eating it so fucking much."


    I bite down on my lip as he inches closer, his warm breath dancing over my sensitive flesh. When he finally kisses me there, his mouth pressed against my wet folds, I moan his name so loudly and wantonly that it makes him groan. His lips dance along my center, making heat sear deep in my core, and then his tongue darts out, warm and wet and soft, licking a path from my entrance up to my clit.


    "Holy Moses," I gasp.


    "So. Fucking. Good." His tongue swirls over and around my clit,pping up my juices, animalistic grunts and growls rumbling from his throat. Warmth spreads through me as he coaxes wave after wave of pleasure from between my thighs, feasting on my pussy with skill and finesse. I was right. Lorenzo Moretti is a sex wizard.


    A familiar pulling sensation in my abdomen and tingling in my thighs builds as he goes on sucking my clit, rimming it with his tongue but concentrating the pressure on one spot. My back arches off the piano and I grind myself against his face.


    "Oh, fu-oh," I whimper. My climax builds to a crescendo. I reach the peak, and he maintains his steady yet relentless pace, and soon I''m bucking like a rodeo bull and screaming his name. Even after my hips still and I''m panting from the strength of my orgasm, he continues to suck and lick, wringing everyst drop of pleasure from me. Blinking, I stare up at the ceiling, all the bones in my body turned to Jell-O.


    Only when I''ve stopped whimpering and trembling does Lorenzo let up. Despite the incredible orgasm he just wrung from my body, I groan at the loss of him. That was so much, yet not enough. I lift my head, and he catches my eye and winks, making my cheeks flush pink. His beard glistens with my arousal. Holy banana-balls.


    He won.


    I push myself up onto shaky elbows and open my mouth to speak, but no wordse out. What can I say? Beg him to keep going? Plead with him to fuck me? Because that''s what I want more than I''ve ever wanted anything in my life. My pussy aches with a carnal longing to feel him deep inside me, and my eyes brim with tears as I stare at him, silently begging him not to leave me like this. Not after what he just did. After what we just shared.


    He stands and my heart stutters but resumes its rhythm when he nts his hands on the piano, bracketing my hips. His dark eyes burn into mine, searing into my soul. "You gonna let me fuck you, Mia?" Holy mother of bananas. "Yes please."

 118

    LORENZO


    I lick my lips, stifling a groan as I taste her sweet cum again. Swiping a hand over my jaw, I wipe her juices from my beard and the scent of her on my skin makes my cock throb harder. She smells fucking incredible. Tastes even better.


    I look down at her, spread open on the piano for me, her cheeks flushed pink. I love the way her pussy glistens and her perfect tits heave with every breath she takes. I''m practically fucking feral with the need to drive my cock inside her, but establishing her consent is a big deal for me. Thank fucking god she said yes.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She stares at me, sinking her teeth into that juicy bottom lip, her eyes pleading as she waits for me to fuck her. It makes me hard as stone to know she''s as desperate for me as I am for her. I unzip my pants, sighing with relief as my throbbing cock gets a little more room. Pulling it free from my boxers, I give it a quick tug to alleviate some of the pressure. Precum beads along the slit and I find Mia staring down at it with a ravenous look on her face. Her tongue darts out and moistens her lips.


    I bite back a chuckle. "You like what you see, sunshine?"


    "Yes," she says with a soft purr.


    I rub the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip, pulling down so her mouth opens. "These pretty lips would look so good wrapped around my cock."


    My little siren takes my thumb into her mouth, swirling her tongue over it and sucking softly. "If your cunt didn''t look so damn inviting right now, I''d put you on your knees and fuck your mouth instead."


    She releases my thumb with a wet pop, and she gives me a wicked grin. "I have no gag reflex."


    Holy fuck! I arch an eyebrow at her, trying to determine whether she''s screwing with me or telling the truth, but my instincts say it''s thetter. "I''ll be sure to test that theory some time."


    I press my cock at her soaking entrance, and she gasps in a breath, her eyelids fluttering as I push the tip inside her.


    She moans my name, her jaw ck. "You want this?" I give her a little more, wishing I could savor this but desperate to sink all the way inside her. Her hot pussy feels so good squeezing me.


    "Yes! Yes, please!" The sound of her pleading floods me with the insatiable desire to im her. Grabbing her hips, I hold her still and fill every inch of her tight, wet channel. "Jesus fuck!"


    "Oh, god," she moans at the same time, her back arching off the piano. "That feels... Oh! It feels so-"


    I pull out slowly and thrust inside her again, cutting off whatever she was going to say. Damn right it feels good. Relief seeps into every part of my body as her cunt ripples around my cock. She reaches for me, wing at my skin.


    "Nuh-uh, little firecracker." Grabbing her wrists, I pin them above her head with one hand. I like her this way, lying beneath me and taking everything I can give her. "Let''s see how hard I can make youe with my cock."


    She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and her eyes roll back in her head while I plow into her. I run my free hand over her breasts, squeezing each one hard and eliciting a sharp gasp. With a mumbled curse, I yank her dress down, then her bra, exposing the stiff peaks of her nipples. She grinds her hips against me, mewling and whimpering as I continue pulling out slowly before driving back in, savoring the way every inch of her pussy milks my cock.


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    I dust my lips over a pebbled nipple. "You love being fucked, don''t you, sunshine?"


    Biting down, I make her cry out. "Y-uh."


    I roll my hips, rubbing the crown of my cock over her G-spot, and she hisses out a breath as I trail kisses across her corbone. "And you''re such a good fuck," I grunt in her ear, and her pussy squeezes me like a vise, making me grin. She''d make an amazing sub.


    She whimpers my name, bucking on the piano beneath me as she chases another orgasm. I consider making her earn it and a sick thrill fires through me. How sweet it would be to make her work for her pleasure, to have her luscious body coated in perspiration while I kept her on the edge. God, it would be fucking glorious.


    But I don''t do that anymore. It''s enough to have herpletely at my mercy. Pinned down and helpless, so desperate for me to let here that she''d do anything. She digs her heels into my ass, pulling me deeper and bucking her hips. "Please let mee, Lorenzo." My cock throbs, balls searing with need, and her words are my undoing. Spine tingling, I give her everything she desires.


    "Oh, god," she screams as she falls over the edge.


    I graze my teeth over the shell of her ear. "Lorenzo will do fine." With a grunt, I empty myself inside her, my release tearing through me with the force of a hurricane.


    Working to catch my breath, I release her wrists. Her arms wrap around my neck, and the euphoria melts away.


    "We can''t do this again, Mia," I say quietly, unable to look her in the eyes.


    She curls her fingers in my hair, her warm breath tickling my ear as her heart races against my own. "I know."


    ***


    It''s almost midnight by the time I head to bed. Passing Mia''s room, I see the faint glow of amp from beneath her door. Is she awake, or does she sleep with the light on? It wouldn''t be surprising, given her history.


    I pause outside her door. She''s probably asleep, but I rest my forehead against the cool oak and knock as softly as I can.


    I''m about to walk away when the door opens and she''s standing there in a tiny tank top and panties. She smiles at me, like she knew I''d be here. Maybe we both did.


    "Everything okay?" She purrs the words, and they bypass my brain and travel straight to my dick.


    My eyes rake over her body and I''m already hard. "I figured..." Studying her face, I try to determine whether I''m pushing too far. Can we both walk away if we do this again? She sinks her perfect white teeth into that lush lower lip, and all reason goes out of the window. "If it''s still the same day, it counts as the one time, right?"


    Her perky tits jiggle as she lets out the sexiest littleugh. "I think that''s right," she agrees, stepping back and allowing me into her room. I follow, closing the door behind me and herding her toward the bed.


    Later in the night, while I''m fucking Mia way into the next day, I tell myself that it''s still the one time. It definitely won''t happen again.

 119

    LORENZO


    "You''re not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Max asks with a wicked glint in his eyes. Max DiMarco might have mellowed in recent years, since he married my kid sister, but he''s as unhinged as I am. Even more so in some respects. Tension seeps into my pores and I roll my shoulders and crack my neck to try and ease a little of it. "Is this why you tagged along? Did Dante send you to babysit me?"


    Heughs and shakes his head. "Just keeping youpany, buddy."


    I look across the parking lot at the motel, the one where Deputy Superintendent Hayes fucks his mistress every Thursday morning. "Like I believe that."


    "Number twenty-six, right?"


    "Same every week."


    After scanning the buildings, he gives me the side eye. "You sure this is a wise move?"


    "I''m not going to fucking kill him. But whatever Mulcahy has on this prick is something no other fucker seems to know about, so how else do we find out unless we go straight to the source?"


    Wee to a stop outside the motel room. "And we can''t ask Brad," Max says, eyes narrowed as he holds my gaze.


    "No. Mia specifically asked us not to."


    His mouth curls up in a smirk. "That''s what I just said."


    I press my ear to the door. "I know what you''re thinking. Fucking cut it out."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Heughs again. "Mind reader now, huh?"


    Ignoring him, I listen to the soundsing from the room. A man''s voice and a high-pitched giggling. "We have no reason to go after Brad right now. The raids on our businesses have stopped, and he''s leaving Mia alone." Although I''m still not convinced we shouldn''t wipe the piece of shit from the face of the earth. But Dante said we should respect Mia''s wishes, and I agreed, albeit grudgingly.


    "So, why are we about to bust into Hayes''s motel room?" Max asks with a devious grin.


    "Because I still want to know what the fuck Mulcahy has on this slimy prick." I drop my shoulder and ram it against the door, breaking the cheap-ass lock and bursting into the room.


    The woman screams, clutching the sheets to her chest to maintain her modesty, as if we''re interested in seeing her tits.


    Max picks up what looks like a dress and a bra from the floor and throws it at her. "Get dressed and get the fuck out of here." Shrieking, she scrambles off the bed.


    "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Hayes shouts, pulling the covers over himself.


    "Private detectives. Your wife hired us." Max chuckles as he pulls up a chair and takes a seat.


    "Pete?" The woman scrambles to pull on her clothes.


    "Shut the fuck up and get out, Candice," he barks at her. "I''ll call youter."


    She throws him a look that would melt steel, but then she nces at Max and me and hurries from the room.


    As soon as she''s gone, Pete Hayes climbs out of bed, his limp dick swinging between his legs, and pulls on the boxers he grabs from the floor. "When I asked who the hell you thought you were, it was a rhetorical question." He sighs, running a hand through what''s left of his hair as he sits back down on the bed. "So, Mr. Moretti"-he fixes his blue eyes on me-"perhaps what I should have asked is what the hell do you think you''re doing bursting into my motel room the way you just did?"


    I pull up the remaining chair and take a seat. Despite who I am, even I would think twice about taking out the deputy superintendent of the Chicago police department in broad daylight, and he knows it. We have an amicable, if somewhat strained, rtionship with Chicago''s finest-meaning that we stay out of each other''s way.


    "I just need a little information and then I''ll leave you to your day, Deputy."


    He bristles at the disdain in my tone, but he shakes it off. "Since when do you and your ilke to me for information?"


    "Since it pertains to you."


    His Adam''s apple bobs and he nces toward the door, which Max promptly goes to stand in front of.


    "You should''ve known we''d respond to the spate of raids on our businesses. Did you think we''d sit back and not look into that?"


    "It was a few raids. Nothing was found." His nostrils re and his fists clench by his sides. "You''re reallying at me over this?"


    "I want to know why you allowed a piece-of-shit cop from Boston to pull your strings like that."


    A muscle ticking in his jaw, he shakes his head.


    "Don''t mistake my calm demeanor, Deputy Hayes. Yes, we have an uneasy truce, but I will happily peel your skin from your body and roast your cock and balls on a barbecue before forcing you to eat them if you don''t tell me what I need to know."


    Face turning pale, he flinches. Hayes has heard the rumors, it seems, and believes me fully capable ofmitting such a violent act. But I''ve been around the block long enough to know that fear doesn''t motivate all men. "Look, I have no interest in you. My family and I are happy with the way things operate in this city, and we have no desire to change that. But I do have an issue with Mulcahy."


    "You won''te after me?" he asks, and I suppress a grin. I knew self-preservation would be his downfall. That''s how Mulcahy was able to use him in the first ce.


    "I only want Mulcahy," I assure him. "So, tell me what that fucker has on you."


    He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "She was his girlfriend."


    Girlfriend? What the fuck is he-oh, fuck no. Every muscle goes rigid. Max senses it and takes a step toward me.


    "That prick set it all up," Hayes continues. "Told me she was into role-y and that they''d nned it all out. He said she was supposed to say no. The screaming was all part of the act. She was supposed to fight back." Bile burns the back of my throat.


    Max ces a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Fight back?"


    Looking down at his feet, Hayes nods. "He told me it was all part of the fantasy. He even told me her safe word, but she never used it."


    My growl echoes around the tiny room. "Stop talking in riddles, Hayes, and tell me what that fucker has on you."


    He blinks up at me, tears forming in his eyes. Tears for himself. "He filmed it all. That twisted piece of shit filmed it all."


    "Filmed what?" I shout.


    "Me f-fucking his girlfriend. He t-told me she had a rape fetish. I knew her. I knew that she''d toyed with the idea of it a few times. So one night..." He swallows hard, eyes darting between me and Max. My blood boils in my veins. "He arranged for me to h-have sex with her. He said it was the fantasy." He wipes sweat from his brow, and his voice drops to a hoarse whisper. "So she screamed at me. She scratched me and she c-cried, b-but I thought she wanted it." He looks thoroughly ashamed, as he fucking should. But it''s not enough. All I can think about is my beautiful Mia being pawed by this sack of shit. Her cries and screams as she tried to fight him off. I don''t care who the fuck he is, he''s going to die a painful death for what he did to her.


    He looks up at me, eyes wide and pleading. "I fuck around, and I like it when women fight back, but only consensually. You have to believe that. I''m not a rapist. I swear I thought she wanted it." He drops his head in his hands. Stepping forward, I ball my hands into fists, but Max squeezes my shoulder and pulls me back. "You were partners in Boston, right? Thirteen years ago?" Hayes sniffs. "Yeah."


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    Thirteen years? Mia met Brad ten years ago. I let out the breath I was holding.


    "What was her name? His girlfriend?" Max asks.


    "Sherrie Jackson." The name trips easily off Hayes''s tongue, like he''s never forgotten it. "She''s married with three kids now. I hope she doesn''t think about that night as much as I do."


    Relief that it wasn''t Mia washes over me in a wave, but the fury doesn''t dissipatepletely. It may not have been someone I care about, but no woman deserves that shit. "Pretty sure she thinks about it every damn day," I snap. "I thought she was into it!" he insists. "I mean, what kind of animal allows their girlfriend to be raped?"


    My clipped fingernails dig into my palms as I fight against the urge to punch him in the face. If I start, I''ll never stop. "What kind of animal doesn''t establish enthusiastic consent before he engages in a rape scene?"


    Covering his face with his hands, he sobs into them. Max gives me a warning nce, and I nod my head, giving my assurance that Hayes will live.


    Seemingly satisfied that I''m not about to start a war with the Chicago PD, Max takes his hand off my shoulder and turns his attention back to Hayes. "And you said Mulcahy recorded all of this?"


    After several moments of sniffling and scrubbing his face, Hayes finally answers. "Yeah. He has it all on video. I''d lose everything. My career. My wife and kids. Everything."


    I sit back in my chair and motion for Max to keep going.


    "Why would he do that to you? You were partners? Buddies, right?"


    "We were. But I guess he saw me as a way to get to the top. I was always going ces. Youngest sergeant in my precinct."


    "Or maybe it was more about Sherrie than you?" I suggest, knowing what a twisted fuck Brad Mulcahy is. "What happened to the two of them after?"


    "They split up. I heardter that he''d caught her cheating on him."


    I snarl. "So he had his girlfriend raped as punishment for cheating on him?" I''m going to kill that sick fuck if I ever see him again.


    Hayes shrugs. "I guess."


    "So, how does this work? Mulcahy justes to you when he wants a favor?" Max asks, his face furrowed in a frown as his mind ticks over.


    "That was how it worked, but I hadn''t heard from him in years. Not since I gathered enough information that could hurt him too. I told him that we were done." Hayes runs a hand through his sparse hair and sighs. "Then he showed upst week with a final ask. He wanted me to ''ruffle the Moretti''s feathers.'' I figured sending my men on a few raids would satisfy him without causing too much trouble."


    "Why give into him when you''d told him you were done?" Max asks.


    "He seemed different." Hayes stares at the window for several moments. "Frantic. Like he''d lost his mind. He threatened to show my wife and the superintendent the video, even though I could bring him down just as easily as he could me." I sit forward in my seat, but I don''t interrupt. "He didn''t give a shit. Said he was happy to take us both down, so I did what I could, while ..."


    I narrow my eyes. "While?"


    He rolls his neck. "I have enough information on him to get him kicked off the force for good. I just need to get that tape."


    "But you haven''t yet?" I ask.


    "No. Prick up and disappeared. I spoke to his captain back in Boston, and he''s been on sick leave for three weeks. Apparently his wife left and he wentpletely off the rails." "But you''re looking for him?" Max says.


    Hayes nods.


    "Officially?" I ask.


    He shakes his head and avoids my gaze.


    I lean forward, my interest piqued. "So, you n on recovering the tape and then what?"


    "Don''t get excited, Mr. Moretti. It''s nothing quite so exciting as anything you''d have in mind. I''ll turn over the evidence I have on him to Internal Affairs."


    My mouth curls into a grin. "And exactly what evidence do you have on him, Deputy?"


    "Intimidating witnesses. Mishandling investigations. Tampering with evidence. That kind of thing. Again, nothing quite in your league," Hayes replies. "Shame," I mutter under my breath.


    "So?" Hayes grabs his pants off the floor and holds them in the air. "You gonna let me get back to work before anyone notices I''m gone?"


    "You''re an asshole, Hayes, but you got balls of steel, I''ll give you that. You hear anything from Mulcahy, you let me know."


    "His wife''s with you, right? Her cousin married your brother?"


    I fix him with a re. "Miss Stone''s whereabouts are none of your concern."


    He doesn''t break eye contact when he replies. "Of course not."


    The fucker really does have balls of steel.


    ***


    "We need to deal with him, D, before he bes a liability. He''s holding us partly responsible for Mia leaving him. He''s already proven he''s prepared to tank his career. He won''t stop until he has her back. Even without the threat to Mia, allowing him to live isn''t good for business or our reputation." Talking to Hayes confirmed my initial gut feeling that Mulcahy is a problem we need to rid ourselves of.


    Dante''s deep sighmunicates his reluctance to go against Mia''s wishes. Kat is firmly on her cousin''s side, and he''s rarely willing to do anything that displeases his wife. But he knows I''m right about this.


    I lean against the edge of my desk. "I''m prepared to do it myself, quietly, if that makes things easier," I suggest.


    "I''m not lying to my wife, Loz," he says with a frown. "I told her I killed her own brother, I think she can handle this."


    "Tell her then. Tell them both. Mia might be pissed, but she''ll learn to live with it." I don''t understand why-and I don''t wish to explore my reasoning-but I hate the thought of doing anything to cause her any degree of unhappiness. Still, I''ll take her displeasure if it means keeping her safe from that fucker. Family is everything, and Kat is my family. At least that''s what I''m telling myself to justify mymitment to Mia''s well-being.


    Dante nces between Max and me. "I don''t want either of you running around the country looking for this sack of shit," he says with a shake of his head. "Mia''s safe here, and she has no ns to leave. When Mulcahyes back to Chicago for her, do whatever the fuck you want with him. In the meantime, let Hayes do his thing. The man might be a slimeball, but he''s smart and ruthless. If luck''s on our side, he''ll solve the problem for us. An ex-cop is easier to deal with than a cop." I don''t have to like it, but his reasoning is sound. My baby brother has grown up a lot-he didn''t have a choice. Dante was never meant to be the head of the Cosa Nostra, but his ability to curb his impulses and look at the big picture makes him the best man for the job, and I respect him enough to follow his lead.


    "You okay with that, Loz?"


    "Fine. But as soon as hees back here..." My chest tightens.


    "Do whatever the fuck you like with the slimy prick," Dante finishes with a cruel smile.

 120

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    I thumb carefully through the well-worn copy of Little Women, wondering who read this book so many times that some of the print has faded. How many times did their hands caress these pages while being absorbed in another world? That''s the true beauty of reading-being able to be anywhere you want while staying right where you are.


    Closing the cover, I lift up on my tiptoes and slide the book into its proper space on the shelf. The door opens, and even with my back to it, I know it''s him. It''s been a week since he fucked me on top of the piano in this very room, and despite our agreement that it wouldn''t happen again, it''s happened at least once a day. And again every night. Lorenzoes to my bedroom every evening after I go to bed, but he never stays, always leaving once I fall asleep.


    The room charges with electricity and sexual tension. Every cell in my body responds to his presence, and my breathing grows faster, my heart rate kicks up, as he draws near.


    I feel his warm breath on the back of my neck, and I shiver with anticipation. Strong hands slide over my hips, pulling my backside against his hard cock.


    "You''re a distraction, sunshine," he says with a low throaty growl, lips dusting over my ear and making goosebumps prickle along my forearms.


    A smile spreads across my face. "I am?"


    "An addictive distraction. You look good enough to eat."


    "So eat me," I offer, wiggling my ass against him.


    He sinks his teeth into the delicate skin of my neck, biting down and making me yelp from thebination of pain and pleasure. His fingers dig into my hips as he sweeps his tongue over the sensitive flesh, soothing the sting of his bite. Then he presses his mouth against my ear. "Be careful what you wish for, Mia."


    Wetness pools between my thighs. "You could bite every inch of my body like that and you wouldn''t hear a singleint from me."


    His deep groan rumbles through my bones. "Yeah?"


    "Please?" I gasp out the word, pushing my body back against his and letting his heat warm me from the inside. In moments like these, I''d give anything to feel his hands and his mouth on every part of me. To have him fill me uppletely. He grinds forward, his thick cock pressing against my lower back. "Fuck!" Dragging his teeth along the column of my throat, he feeds my desperate need for him with each passing second. "You know what hearing you beg does to me." I do know. It drives him wild, and I love it. "Please, Lorenzo," I whine.


    Without warning, he spins me around and sets me on the third rung of thedder beside us, then drops to his knees, a wicked look on his face. His tongue darts out to lick his full lips, and I nearly pass out from anticipation. Holy bananas!


    With a trembling grip, I grab onto the handrail while Lorenzo slides his hands over my ankles, gliding up my calves and past my knees. He slips them beneath my dress, pressing his palms on the inside of my thighs and spreading them wide open, forcing me up to my tiptoes. His fingers trail higher, and I whimper as he brushes over my panties, softly rubbing my clit through the fabric. I bite down on my lip, my eyes fluttering closed at the warm waves of pleasure radiating from that spot between my legs.


    "So easy for me, sunshine." He releases a dark chuckle. I don''t correct him, too busy shivering as he slowly tugs my panties down my legs.


    "Hands behind your back," he orders as he leans forward.


    I do what I''m told but struggle to maintain my bnce on the small step. Thankfully, his huge frame keeps me in ce while he loops his arms around the back of thedder, grabbing hold of my wrists and pulling them through the rungs before binding them together with my own panties. He pulls the material taut, and it bites into my skin, making me wince. He presses a kiss on my corbone that elicits a soft moan from me. He''s so right. I am easy for him. Then his hands slide down my thighs again and he lifts my ankles high in the air, causing my knees to press into my chest. He ces my feet on the handrails on either side of my ass, making it easier to stay perched on the narrow step. "If you move those feet, you won''t being. Understand?"


    From the way he has me folded up like a pretzel, I''d have difficulty moving them anyway. I imagine this isn''t the most ttering position I''ve ever been in, but from the fire in Lorenzo''s eyes, he''s sure enjoying it. "Y-yes," I whimper, waiting for him to touch me as I sit with my dress bunched around my waist and my pussy on full disy, tied up andpletely at his mercy. A flush creeps over me at the realization of how wet I am and how clearly he must be able to see that. He drags his pointer finger down my soaking center and I suck in a breath, my back bowing. "So fucking ready for me." His growl vibrates through my core. "My fingers." He slips one inside me and I release a rush of arousal. "My mouth." A trail of heat follows his tongue from my corbone up to my ear. "My cock?" He arches an eyebrow at me.


    "Yes," I pant, needy and desperate.


    He rubs a hand over his beard and stares at me. "But something''s not quite right."


    I frown. "W-what?"


    He fists his hands in the material at the front of my dress. "I want to see this beautiful body when I y with you." In one swift move, he tears my lovely blue dress down the middle. "Much fucking better."


    I feign a scowl. "You owe me a new dress."


    "I''ll buy you twenty."


    I open my mouth to give him a snappyeback, but he kisses me, stealing my words with his sinfully delicious tongue. He slides his hand between my thighs, toying with my swollen clit, and heat coils deep in my belly.


    I moan into his mouth, unable to rock my hips against his hand because of the position he put me in. My moans turn to frustrated whimpers, and he chuckles. "I wonder how many times I can make youe with just my fingers?" His eyes search mine as he presses two thick digits inside me, causing a desperate groan to pour from me. "You feel how easily they slide into your tight cunt? So fucking wet and loose for me. I think you like being tied up, huh?" He pushes deeper, sweeping the pads of his fingers over my sensitive flesh and finding nerve endings that I didn''t even know existed.


    My legs tremble. I pant for breath. My eyes squeeze shut as I fight to control the tremors rippling through my body.


    Lorenzo brings his lips to my ear. "And if I press right here..." Going deeper, he curls the tip of his middle finger against a spot inside me that has never been touched before. It makes me want to howl like a prairie dog. Instead I shout his name as an orgasm more intense than anything I''ve experienced in my entire life barrels through me with the force of a neutron bomb. "Oh, there she is."


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    My body quakes with aftershocks. "W-what did you just do?" I whimper.


    "I found your G-spot is all, sunshine," he says with a wicked grin while he continues to massage my inner walls.


    "It was... like nothing..." I blow a strand of hair from my face and smile dreamily. "It was incredible."


    He eyes me with amusement. "Wait until I make you squirt."


    "What?" I gape at him.


    His fingers move gently in and out of me, giving my body time to recover. "You heard me."


    "I c-can''t do that. My body doesn''t do that." I mean I''ve never done that. I''ve seen it on the inte, but I''m not entirely sure it isn''t just pee.


    "We''ll see." He winks and sucks one of my hard, aching nipples into his mouth. Biting gently, he prompts a fresh rush of arousal to pour over his hand. He picks up the pace, thrusting faster. The sound of my wet pussy being fucked by his skilled fingers is loud in the quiet library-and so hot I feel like I might pass out.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You hear how much your pussy loves my fingers, Mia?"


    "Y-yeah."


    "You ready to soak us in your cum, sunshine?"


    "I can''t," I insist.


    His eyes narrow and he licks his lips, murmuring something in Italian. Then he ces his free hand t on my lower abdomen, directly above my pussy, and presses firmly.


    Aching pulses of pleasure sear through my core. "Oh!"


    "Oh," he parrots with a devilish smirk and curls the tip of his finger along my G-spot again, rubbing firmly. I feel it more intensely because of the pressure of his hand. Holy shit! As if that wasn''t enough to turn me into a gibbering wreck on the verge of melting into a puddle of cum, he straightens out the thumb of his hand pressed on my stomach and rubs the pad over my clit in slow, teasing circles.


    I buck against him. With my feet stuck in ce and my hands bound to thedder, I have nowhere to go. "L-Lorenzo, please!"


    "You gonna squirt for me?" he teases me.


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    "I t-told you I c-can''t." I scream as my back nearly bows in half.


    His dark eyes narrow and he drives into me harder and faster, maintaining steady, delicious pressure on my stomach while he rubs my clit. "You sure about that?"


    Oh. My. God. My body will explode if he doesn''t let mee soon. "It f-feels too..." I draw in a sharp breath and let it out on a wail. "I don''t feel in control," I whimper as my eyes flutter closed.


    "Look at me, Mia," hemands, his tone so deep and authoritative that it makes the hairs on my body stand on end. I have no choice but to obey. I force my eyes open and press my lips shut to keep from babbling nonsense. Pleasure fights to take overpletely. "You don''t have to be in control here because I am. I''ve got you, sunshine. Nothing bad is going to happen when I have my hands on you. Understand?" His voice soothes every frayed nerve and every doubt in my mind. Doubts that have gued me for as long as I can remember.


    Why do I trust him more than I''ve ever trusted anyone in my life? Lorenzo Moretti is not a good man. He''s a killer. A broken man, still in love with his dead wife. But I find myself nodding.


    His gaze burns with fire and longing. "So, rx and give me everything you''ve got, tesoro."


    Tesoro. I have no idea what that word means, but the way it rolls off his tongue feels warm and familiar. I stop fighting the overwhelming sensations flooding my body and allow myself to give in to them. Lorenzo works his fingers faster and deeper, pressing down on my abdomen until the pressure builds to a crescendo.


    Oh mother of holy banana fucks!


    "I-I c-can''t... hold on."


    "So let go," he orders. "Let go ande for me."


    Resting my head on thedder, I arch my back and press the soles of my feet against the metal handrails as an orgasm even more intense than thest one-more intense than anything the world has ever seen-crashes through me like a freight train. I cum so much that I''m sure I drench us both. Every cell in my body trembles with the force of my release, and the wicked devil with those magic hands finger fucks me through it, grunting his appreciation as he does.


    "Did I...?" I gasp when I can find my voice again.


    "You sure did. You''ve soaked my goddamn pants."


    "Wow!" I pant. I squirted. And it was definitely not pee.


    He gently slides his fingers out of me. "Told you."


    I smile at him, my eyes still rolling back in my head, and tug at my restraints on my wrists. "Can you untie me now?"


    A smirk ys across his lips as he unzips his pants. "No."

 121

    LORENZO


    Mia groans. The position I have her in showcases her pussy to perfection, but her arms and legs must be starting to ache, which is too bad because she''ll have to remain there a little while longer. Her hazel eyes sh with desire as she res at me. The fire in her is such a fucking turn-on. I love stoking those embers and igniting that spark.


    Grabbing the base of my shaft, I squeeze hard and groan at the instant relief. My gaze falls to her spread thighs that are literally dripping with her cum. So fucking beautiful. I bend my head and lick a drop trickling from her pussy, and she whimpers-desperate for more even after what I just did to her. I could train her so well... Except I no longer do that.


    "Fuck!" I grunt. She tastes so damn good. Part of me wants to bury my head between her legs and eat her until shees again, but my cock''s so hard I''d probably blow my load doing it. I''d rathere inside her than anywhere else. She breathes my name, and it makes my aching cock weep. I need inside her before I explode.


    I ce the tip of my cock at her dripping entrance, and she sucks in a breath that makes her beautiful tits shudder. I take in every perfect curve of her body. So helpless and in need of a good fucking. My balls draw up into my stomach at the thought of sinking all the way inside her wet cunt. She cries out as I give her a little more, and I relish the sight of her stretched wide around me.


    Cupping her juicy ass with one hand, I give her more, making her thighs tremble. I dust the tips of my middle and pointer fingers over her swollen clit, and she keens, her body bucking on thedder but pinned in ce. So fucking beautiful. So fucking desperate for my cock.


    "P-please?" she begs, but I go on teasing her, drawing out our pleasure for as long as I can. Only when I can''t bear the exquisite torture of not being balls-deep inside her tight cunt for another second do I allow myself to drive all the way in, filling her with my cock and making her scream my name so loudly it echoes around the library.


    Her pussy squeezes around me, hugging my dick as she coats me in her slick, silky juices. "Holy fuck!"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Oh, god," she pants, her gorgeous tits heaving with every breath.


    I wrap my free hand around her slender throat, squeezing just enough that she can feel the pressure on her windpipe but not enough to hinder her breathing, which is as fast and ragged as my own. I pull out and sink back into her again, ovee with the sweet relief of being buried deep inside her.


    Tears run down her face, and her pussy grips my cock like a vise. I''m so close to losing myself in her sweet scent and her tight, wet heat. I''m so close to losing myself in her. My sunshine-burning me up from the inside out.


    "Oh, Loren-" The rest of my name is cut off by her cries of pleasure as she''s taken under the wave of another orgasm. Shees loud and hard, soaking my cock with her cum and milking me so thoroughly with her hungry squeezes that she tips me right over the edge with her. I bury my face in her neck, rolling my hips and grinding out every single drop of my cum. Unable to move, my body sags against hers, my hands still on her throat and her ass. When I finally look up, she has the sweetest smile on her face, as though I haven''t just tied her up and fucked her relentlessly. "You okay?" I work to free her feet from the handrails. She winces as I do, stretching out her legs and rolling her ankles.


    "Mia?" I ask softly.


    "Okay is not a word I''d use to describe how I feel right now, Lorenzo," she says with a softugh.


    "So what is?" I reach behind her to untie her wrists.


    "Umm." She presses her lips together, deep in thought. "I can''t even ..." She shakes her head. "That was incredible. I feel like I could sleep forever and run a marathon all at the same time."


    I pull her hands free and rub mine along her forearms to help the cirction. "You''re not in any pain?"


    "I ache." She sighs dreamily. "But no, I''m not in any pain."


    She''s moving her arms and legs freely and has that goofy smile on her face. My ray of sunshine can take the kind of fucking I enjoy without even breaking a sweat. But I guess I already knew that. Mia Stone might just be the strongest woman I''ve ever known.


    "Good." I stand straight and pull her up with me.


    "I do, however, have nothing to wear to get out of this library and back to my room without raising an eyebrow or two." She holds up the remnants of her dress. "And this was one of my favorites by the way."


    I wrap her in my arms and kiss her forehead. "I told you I''ll buy you twenty more."


    Her body leans into mine, fitting perfectly, as though it belongs there. "Just one will suffice."


    "I''ll buy you twenty, then I won''t have to feel guilty when I tear the next one off you." I chuckle.


    She gasps, but the wicked glint in her eye tells me she can''t wait for next time. She looks around the library and back at me. "But seriously. What am I going to wear?"


    I untangle myself from her and unbutton my shirt. "You can wear this."


    She watches me, eyes trained on my fingers as I unfasten each button. "And what will you wear?"


    I hand her my shirt and look down to appraise my own attire. "My pants."


    She pulls off her torn dress and ces it on thedder behind her before sliding my shirt over her arms. Something about her wearing my clothes makes a primal instinct take hold, but I shake it off. She''s not mine. This is just sex. Mind- blowing sex, but just sex.


    She arches an eyebrow. "You in your pants and me in your shirt? People will know."


    "The only people who matter probably already know," I remind her.


    She smiles wider. "I guess that''s true. But actually I have some work to finish up here first."


    "So do I. I did actuallye in here to work before you distracted me with this ass." I squeeze it for emphasis.


    "I was simply putting books away when I was osted from behind."


    "Is that so?" I silence her with a kiss. She tastes so fucking good. My cock twitches again, and I force myself to pull away from her before we end up fucking on the floor. "Finish your work in here and then I''ll escort you to your room to make sure to protect your modesty."


    She flutters her eyshes at me. "Such a gentleman."


    "We have work to do, sunshine. So behave yourself." I give her one hard smack on her ass, making her squeal.


    Whenever Mia reaches for a high shelf, my shirt rides up and reveals a glimpse of her perfect ass encased in those white cotton panties, and by the time I finish what I''m working on, I''m once again hard as fucking stone. I can think of nothing but burying myself inside her.


    I shut down myputer and make my way over to where she sits cross-legged on the floor, poring through a stack of old letters written by my great-grandparents.


    She looks up when I approach, her eyes shining. "These letters are truly beautiful. Have you ever read them?"


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    I hold out my hand. "No. Come to bed."


    She bites her lip. "I haven''t finished what I was nning on doing today. I got caught up in these." She holds out a letter as evidence.


    "So you can catch up tomorrow. You''re helping us out, Mia. There''s no deadline on this stuff."


    "It''s a good thing you guys aren''t paying me." She ces the letter to one side and grabs my hand, allowing me pull her up. "Because I''d definitely get fired," she adds with a softugh. "This stuff is all so fascinating that it''s going to take me forever to get through it all."


    Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pull her body close to mine. "I''d much rather pay you in other ways, sunshine." I trail my lips over her neck and she shivers.


    "Me too," she murmurs, melting into my body like hot wax. "You could pay me in orgasms."


    "Hmm." I bite down on her neck and suck, causing her to gasp, before soothing the sting with my tongue. "How many are you owed for today''s work?"


    "At least another two, I think," she purrs, snaking her arms around my neck and curling her fingers in my hair.


    "I thought I might have a credit after those three I gave you earlier. Remember? When you drenched the floor with your cum?"


    Still kissing her neck, I feel her skin heat up. "Well, they were back pay." She giggles.


    The corners of my mouth curl up. "Back pay?"


    "For all those times you made me stare at your hotness all day but didn''t even so much as kiss me." She tilts her chin up, giving me better ess to her neck.


    "In that case, you owe me at least half a dozen blowjobs."


    That makes herugh out loud. Then she fixes her beautiful hazel-green eyes on my face. "You''d better take me to bed so you can collect then."


    ***


    A couple of hourster, I lie back with Mia''s body draped over me,pletely spent and satisfied. She made good on her blowjob promise, and I fucked her twice as a reward. I don''t want to get up, but I always leave after she falls asleep. Sleeping in the same bed would make this feel like something more than it is. Something more than sex, which is all it can ever be.


    She sighs contentedly and snuggles into the crook of my shoulder. "Tell me about being a Dom," she says, taking mepletely by surprise.


    "What?"


    "You were a Dom, right? Are a Dom?"


    "I was. Not anymore."


    She lifts her head, the spot between her eyes pinched in a frown. "How does that work?"


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    "How does what work?" I snap unintentionally, but I have no clue where this conversation came from and I don''t particrly want to have it.


    "You were a Dom but now you''re not? I just assumed if you were into that, it would always be your thing," she says with a shrug.


    "I was Anya''s Dom. I won''t ever be anyone else''s." Hopefully that''s enough to shut down the conversation.


    "So, you never had other submissives before her?" she presses.


    I close my eyes and lick my lips, trying to stem the annoyance bubbling inside me. "Yes, I had other submissives."


    Her frown deepens. "So, you''re a Dom, not just Anya''s Dom."


    "I will never be anyone else''s Dom, Mia," I bark at her. "That part of me died with her."


    She nches at my tone, but she''s relentless. Propping her chin on her hand, she tilts her head. "But why?"


    I swallow a thick knot made of guilt, sadness, and regret. "Because I swore I''d never be that for anyone again. Not after her. That part of my life is over."


    She opens her mouth as though to reply but quickly closes it. "What?" I demand, against my better judgment.


    "I just... I guess that''s all good if it''s something you have no interest in anymore, but if you''re only closing that part of yourself off because you think it''s the right thing to do..." She looks at me with eyes full of pity and I can''t fucking stand it. "Well, that makes me sad for you."


    Tension hardens my muscles. "I don''t need your fucking pity."


    "I never said I pitied you, Lorenzo. I don''t."


    I re at her. I''ve never known anyone to be so infuriatingly difficult to argue with. She never takes the bait. Like she''s programmed to defuse situations. Fuck, I guess she is.


    "Why are we even talking about this?" I ask with a sigh.


    "Because I was interested. The BDSM lifestyle fascinates me."


    It does? Sheys her head back down on my chest, snuggling close to me again like I didn''t just berate her. "But if you don''t want to talk about it, that''s okay. I understand." She yawns loudly, and her breaths even out as she falls asleep. Instead of leaving immediately, I hold onto her and think about her fascination with the lifestyle and what a good submissive she would make. I had half a dozen subs before Anya, each different from the other. They all required a different kind of Dom, but no matter what the nature of our rtionship, they all fulfilled the same need in me-the need forplete control.


    Gazing down at Mia''s sleeping form, I wish that I could give her more. I push the envelope every damn day with her as it is. Every day I let her in just a little further, let her see more of my shattered soul. Someday soon that''s going to have to stop. Or her heart will end up looking like mine.

 122

    MIA


    I close theptop Kat loaned me with a snap, not wanting Lorenzo to see what I''ve been looking at. Not that I have anything to be embarrassed about-I''m entitled to my curiosity-but after the way he reactedst night, I figure he might be pissed to learn that I''ve spent the entire day researching the Dom/sub lifestyle. I just find it all so intriguing. And a little thrilling. If only I could get him to unlock that part of himself again.


    Lorenzo walks straight to the piano and takes a seat. It''s getting dark out and I haven''t switched the lights on, but surely he saw me sitting in here. He lifts the lid and his fingers brush reverently over the keys, but he doesn''t y. Setting theptop aside, I approach him. He remains still, staring at keys as though they might start ying of their own ord. I run a hand over his powerful back muscles that flex beneath his white cotton shirt. His sleeves are rolled up and thick veins wind down his forearms as he clenches his fists.


    I lean down and press my lips against his ear. "Would you please y for me?" I whisper.


    His jaw tightens, the muscles in his forearms flex. Then his hands dance over the keys, and he ys a few notes of a song I don''t recognize. I curl myself around his body, sliding my leg onto hisp, and he stops ying for a second to allow me to straddle him.


    "Thought you wanted me to y for you, sunshine?" he asks, his voice a deep growl.


    I roll my hips, lining my pussy up directly along his thick cock, and dust his ear with my lips. "I do, but I''m going to y too." My fingers trace the buttons of his shirt while his hands move swiftly and effortlessly over the keys, ying the beautiful song. His muscles tense as I drag my teeth along the fresh-smelling skin of his neck, and I resist the urge to bite and suck. For now. I nuzzle his throat, inhaling his masculine scent. Warmth pools in my core, and I squeeze my thighs together so they''re snug against his hips.


    As I work my way from one side of his throat to the other, a soft groan rumbles in his chest, spurring me on. He doesn''t miss a single note, not even when I unbutton his shirt, but with each inch of skin I expose to the air, he grows tenser. My hands glide over his pecs, down every muscle and groove of his chiseled abs, sinking lower and lower.


    I pop open the button of his pants, and he growls and misses a note, making me smile against his skin. To my surprise, he picks the tune back up perfectly, and the haunting song fills the library once more. I pull down his zipper, and he groans as I slide my hand into his underwear. My core contracts with a deep aching need to have him inside me. I can barely think straight, distracted by the burning desperation to have him fuck me. His ability to continue ying so smoothly impresses the hell out of me. How does he maintain such irond control?


    I tug his boxers down and stroke my fingertips over his smooth, rock-hard length. He misses another note, and I grow braver. Lashing my tongue against a spot on his neck, I wrap my hand around the base of his shaft and squeeze. "Holy fuck!" he growls, his arms and shoulders tense, but the music stays steady.


    "Your cock is so beautiful," I purr against him.


    He misses another note. "So sit on it." And another.


    "If that''s what you want." I fight my base urge and stop short of adding the word Sir. Wet heat slicks between my thighs, and I pull him free from his pants. Lifting my hips, I tug my panties aside. The soothing melody fills the room, but the tempo speeds up as I shift myself to the perfect angle for his crown to nudge my entrance.


    His eyes burn into mine and my entire body shivers. He looks so tormented. But as I sink down onto him, allowing him to stretch me wide, his mouth goes ck and his eyelids shutter closed. He misses a few more notes, and when he reopens them, they''re full of a different kind of desperation. A kind that mirrors my own.


    "Mia." He follows my name with something in Italian, and I imagine they''re words of desire and longing because those emotions pour from him in waves. His fingers sh and ng on the keys before he stops ying altogether. Banding his arms around my waist, he pulls me in tight, burying his face against my neck while I ride him. My pussy walls squeeze him, trying to draw him deeper, but he''s already so far inside me that I feel him everywhere. It''s pleasure bordering on the brink of pain. And when he fists a hand in my hair, pulling my head back so that he can feast on my neck, I whimper and allow him to take full control. He drives his hips upward and devours my flesh, all teeth and tongue and lips over my skin. My skin blooms with heat. Pleasure shuttles around my body like lightning. I''m so close. I squeeze his cock and he groans loudly. Then he''s talking to me in Italian again, whispering soothing words that call to my soul.


    I rock my hips as he pistons his, thrusting himself deeper and deeper inside me and making light flicker behind my eyelids. Pleasure coils in my gut, snaking through my thighs and up into my ribcage before bursting out of every single part of my body. I scream, hanging onto him and grinding out my release. I''m unable to catch my breath while he holds me tight, pushing into me until hees with a harsh grunt of my name.


    I rest my head on his shoulder. Our breathsebored and heavy. "What were you saying?" I whisper. "In Italian?"


    "I don''t remember." The lie falls right off his tongue so easily.


    I swallow the sob that wells in my throat. "Shall we go to bed?" Please. I want to hold onto our closeness, but it''s already ebbing away into the night.


    "I can''t tonight. I have too much to do." He brushes the hair back from my face and presses a soft kiss to my forehead.


    "Are you lying to me, Lorenzo Moretti?" I ask, but I already know the answer, and I prepare myself for another lie.


    "No, sunshine. I''m just busy. Promise. Go to bed and get some sleep and I''ll see you at breakfast." He''s already untangling himself from my arms and pulling his dick out of me before he even finishes the sentence. Perhaps I pushed him too far by asking him to y for me. Perhaps it was too soon? I climb off him, tugging my panties back in ce. "Can you at least tell me the name of the song?"


    "Tchaikovsky''s sixth symphony."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    The final symphony.


    "One of history''s most famous goodbyes," I say quietly. If he hears me, he doesn''t respond.

 123

    ¦¬¦©¦¡Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Lorenzo nces up at me as I approach, greeting me with a subtle nod before returning to his work. I slept fitfullyst night without him beside me as I drifted off. Despite him leaving after I fall asleep, I findfort in him being there until I do. I stand behind him, running my hand over his back, caressing his strong shoulders through his white cotton shirt. His muscles flex beneath my fingertips. Such a powerful, formidable man. He should frighten me, but instead he intrigues me. I can''t help but wonder what it would be like to truly belong to him. To be his submissive. Wear his cor and have him own me.


    "You''re very distracting, sunshine." His throaty growl rolls through me, making me wet and needy for his touch.


    I move around to the front of his desk and take a seat, crossing my legs and smiling when his eyes are immediately drawn to the bare skin of my thighs. "Well, it''s so much fun distracting you, Sir," I purr the word, hoping it will shred hisst sliver of restraint.


    It has the opposite effect. His entire body tenses. A muscle in his jaw ticks, and a deep furrow appears between his eyebrows. "What did you just say?" His tone is full of aggression, and the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. "I j-just... I''m s-sorry, I was ying around."


    His lip curls into a snarl. "Do you think my previous lifestyle is some kind of joke, Mia?"


    "What? No! I just wondered how it would sound."


    I wait for his face or his tone to soften, but neither happens. "I told you that part of my life was over. I told you nobody would ever be that for me again."


    "I know. I was just reading about it and ..." I shake my head. I''m not sure what I expected to happen, but it certainly wasn''t this.


    He nts his hands t on the desk. "To call me Sir is a privilege that no one will ever earn again. Nobody. Not even you. This thing between us-whatever you think it is-will end soon. You know that, right?"


    My lower lip trembles, but I refuse to cry.


    "Am I making myself clear?" he barks.


    I stand. My throat swells with emotion, but I swallow it down and look him in the eyes. "Crystal." Spinning on my heel, I march out of the room.


    I don''t look back, and he doesn''t ask me to stay. Just like that, I know exactly what the next stage of my life must be.


    ***


    A few hourster, and after some research, I find Kat and Dante in the den with the TV on. She''s curled up against him and he has an arm wrapped protectively around her. Smiling, I watch them for a few seconds. They''re so happy and in love. Surely that''s out there for me somewhere, right?


    "Are you okay, Mia?" Kat asks when she notices me in the doorway.


    "Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you both about something. But if it''s a bad time-"


    "No not at all," Kat says, her toneced with concern. Dante switches off the TV and they both stare at me as I take a seat in the armchair opposite the sofa.


    I take a deep breath. "I think it''s time for me to leave."


    "What? No!" Kat protests, as I knew she would.


    "Yes. I''ve loved being here and getting to spend time with you all, but I''m ready to start the next part of my life. Seeing you and Dante so happy and in love makes me want that for me. And I need to branch out on my own if I''m ever going to have the chance to."


    Kat nces at her husband who shrugs in response. How can either of them argue with what I just said? "But where will you go? Brad will find you."


    "That''s where I was hoping you could help me." I gesture awkwardly at Dante. "You can get me a fake identity, right? Let me start somewhere new as a different person?"


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    "Of course," he replies with an assured nod. "It would take a few days."


    "But Mia..." Kat makes a sad face.


    "I have to do this, Kat. I''ll miss you like hell, but I can''t stay here forever. I need to go or I might never want to leave." Iugh, making a joke of that even though it''s true. Dante regards me warily, and I pray that he doesn''t push me for more details.


    "Is this about Lorenzo?" Of course Kat''s the one to ask that.


    "This is about me needing to live my life," I tell her, avoiding any mention of her brother-inw''s part in my decision.


    "You''ve always been a free spirit, Mia Melon," she says with a sad smile.


    Tears clog my throat and I cough to clear it. "I''ll always be just a phone call away."


    "You have anywhere in particr you''d like to go or anyone you''d like to be?" Dante asks.


    "If possible, I''d like to be a few hours'' drive from Chicago. I found a few jobs in Iowa. But if you can just get me the ID, I can take care of the rest. I''m pretty resourceful when I need to be."


    Dante promises me that he''ll have everything by the end of the week. Kat gets up and pulls me into her arms. Embracing my cousin, I''m overwhelmed by loneliness, and a sob wells in my throat. Am I doing the right thing here? I remember Lorenzo''s harsh words, how he''s been pulling back from me. Yes, this is the right choice. I need to get away from him before he breaks mepletely.

 124

    LORENZO


    My mouth is dry, my chest heavy and tight. Last night at the piano was a huge mistake. I shouldn''t have yed for Mia, but she has me under some kind of spell. She''s gotten too close. I feel her beneath my skin, creeping through my veins and forcing her way into my heart. That''s what I said to her in Italian. How much I need her. How I can''t go a single minute without thinking of her. And when she asked me what I said-how could I tell her the truth? Whatever''s between us muste to an end before it goes any further than it already has. Before I lose what''s left of my goddamn mind.


    And then she called me Sir this morning. The word burned me, seared my soul. So many emotions boiled up inside of me, not all of them unpleasant.


    No matter how good it felt or how natural the word sounded falling from her lips, I can''t be that for her. And I was clear with her about that, yet she pushed me on it anyway. What the fuck did she expect me to do?


    My neck and shoulders ache with tension. I slept on the sofa against night, too stubborn and possibly too afraid to go upstairs because then I would have had to pass her room, and I might not have had the strength to walk on by. Maybe I would have let her curl up on my chest and fallen asleep right next to her.


    My phone rings and I focus on the screen, thankful for the distraction. I sure hope Lionel has something useful for me-something that might take my mind off the siren down the hall.


    Answering the call, I wait for some good news.


    "I still can''t get ess to them records, Lorenzo," Lionel says with a sigh. "I even tried my old buddy at the bureau."


    "You called me to tell me you have nothing?" I snap, taking the opportunity to direct my frustration at him.


    "I called to tell you I''m out of options. And if my contact at the bureau can''t help, this mess involves someone high up with deep pockets and a lot of strings to pull."


    "Fuck!" The intel on Brad isn''t essential to me, but I still want to know what the fuck I''m dealing with. I hate not being able to get the information that''s certainly out there but out of my reach. It''s not a situation I encounter often.


    "I know this isn''t how things usually y out for you," Lionel says as though reading my mind, "but this is the United States government. It''s gonna take someone with a lot more firepower than me to get what you need. Maybe that girl not being found is a good thing, huh? Who knows what hell she went through that put her where she is?"


    Looking up at the ceiling, I consider his words. Dammit, he''s not wrong. No good cane from dredging up the past for her. But I don''t fucking care. It might make me more of an asshole than even I thought, but Mia''s safety is tantamount. "I have no interest in making her life difficult, Li, but I want to know what that sick fuck is hiding."


    "I hear ya, I do. But my hands are tied. I do have some good news for ya, though. Your guy left the country."


    "To go where?"


    "Got himself a one-way ticket to Panama. Had a buddy of mine keep tabs on him and his passport pingedst night."


    The knot in my shoulder throbs, and I tilt my head to stretch it out. "Doesn''t mean he won''t be back."


    "Well, I''ll let ya know when hees back."


    As we end the call, I mentally sift through my list of contacts, wondering who has the necessary pull to get their hands on those sealed records. If I utilize any of the obvious choices, I''ll have to exin to Dante what I''ve been doing. I guess that''s not such a big deal now that he knows about Mia and me.


    I''m setting my phone back on my desk when Dante walks into the room, and the look on his face makes me wish I wasn''t here. How many more problems want to fuck up my day?


    "What is it?" I ask him with a sigh.


    "Did you know Mia wants to leave?"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    A wave of fresh guilt tinged with intense rage washes over me, stealing the breath from my lungs. I sit up straighter in my chair and take a second topose myself, hoping my younger brother doesn''t see how much his news affects me. "She what?"


    His eyes narrow with suspicion as he takes a seat opposite me. "She said it''s time to move on. Asked for a new ID to start fresh."


    My hands ball into fists by my sides, and I grind my teeth so hard I figure they''re about to turn into dust.


    "I figured you must know something about it, seeing as how you and she are so"-he arches an eyebrow-"close."


    "I knew nothing about it," I admit through gritted teeth.


    "You want me to tell her I can''t do it?"


    Closing my eyes, I will myself to calm down. The blood rushing in my ears is so fucking loud that I can''t hear my thoughts. Through my panic, Dante''s words hit me, and I''m overwhelmed with love for my brother. He really would do that for me; he''d keep her prisoner here if I asked him to, no matter how much it might piss off his wife.


    But no. I can''t keep her. I knew that all along, didn''t I? She''s better off without me. We all know that. Can''t believe she doesn''t have the guts to talk to me about it though. The fact that I''m hearing about this from Dante instead of her has me wanting to track her down and demand answers, but I take a deep breath and refocus on the conversation. "Let me handle it."


    Standing up, he shrugs. "Whatever you want, brother."

 125

    LORENZO


    My blood is damn near boiling when I walk into the library and m the door closed behind me. She spins around, her face a mixture of shock and surprise. Like she didn''t know this would happen. This is exactly what she wanted, right? To provoke me enough that I''d beg her to stay?


    She opens her mouth to say something, but I don''t allow her the courtesy. "Is this some kind of punishment?" I ask with a snarl, crossing the room in a few strides until I''m standing so close to her that I can smell that damn sweet scent of hers. Jasmine and lemon.


    Her forehead wrinkles with confusion. "What?"


    "You heard what I fucking said, Mia."


    She puts her hands on her hips. "I heard you, but I don''t understand what you''re talking about."


    "It''s a pretty simple fucking question. You asking Dante to get you a fake identity. Is that payback for what happened yesterday?"


    "Don''t be ridiculous," she huffs.


    I fold my arms over my chest so I don''t put my hands on her. If I touch her, it''s likely to only end one way. "So what the hell are you ying at? Because it feels like you''re doing this to prove some kind of point. Were you hoping I''d ask you to stay?"


    Backing up, she scowls. "I need to leave. That''s why I went to Dante."


    "If this is truly about you leaving, why not ask me to get you the fake papers?"


    "You seriously have to ask me that?" Mia scoffs.


    "I just fucking did, didn''t I?"


    "Ugh! For a man who''s so intuitive, you''re incredibly blind."


    What the fuck is she talking about?


    "I didn''t ask you because I wouldn''t have been able to go through with it. You would''ve looked at me that way you do and I''d havepletely lost my nerve. I had to ask Dante or I never would have done it. I couldn''t have summoned the courage to leave and I need to."


    "Why? Because I snapped at you?"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Mother of bananas, give me strength," she mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose.


    Why do I feel like I''m missing something here? "Mia!" I shout, frustrated.


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    She flings her arms down by her sides and yells, "I''m leaving because I''m in love with you, Lorenzo."


    I stagger backward, feeling like I''ve been sucker punched.


    She softens her tone. "And I know that you can never love me like that." Closing the space between us, she ces her hand on my cheek, and her touch soothes me in a way nothing else ever has. For the first time in two years, the constantly simmering rage dissolves, as though her light traveled through her fingertips and seeped into me, just enough to smooth the edges of my fractured heart and soul. "And I would never ask you to. But if I stay here, I''ll convince myself that I can survive on any scraps of affection you throw my way. Don''t I deserve more than that, Lorenzo?"


    She does deserve more than I can give her. She deserves every-fucking-thing. "Yes." The word burns my mouth like acid.


    "I want the whole package. I want kids and maybe even to get married again one day. I want a man who looks at me like he''d hang the moon if I asked him to. And if I stay here much longer, I''ll never summon the strength to leave and find that for myself."


    I stare at her, wanting her to stay but knowing that I must let her leave. She''s far too good for an angry, ck-hearted monster like me. She has too much to offer this world to waste any of her love on me. "I''m sorry, sunshine."


    She gives me a smile that would melt my fucking heart if I had one. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I will never be sad about loving you, Lorenzo Moretti. I''ll never regret a single second that I''ve known you. Just because this is the end of our story doesn''t mean that it has to be all tears and sadness. I''m seeing it as the start of a new adventure. A chance for me to begin again, with a better understanding of myself and the kind of love that I''ve discovered I want." There''s a deep, gaping wound in my chest. Is she talking about the submissive lifestyle? About the things I''ve done to her body that she''s realized she enjoys now? Why does the thought of her finding that with someone else shred through every single part of me like shards of ss?


    "What about Brad? He''s still out there," I remind her.


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    "He always will be." She shrugs. "I refuse to live in fear of him forever. I''m going to start a new life with a whole new identity, and I''ll do what I can to keep myself safe, but existing in terror behind these four walls isn''t what I want. Being a prisoner here wouldn''t be all that different from the life I left in Boston."


    She''s right. She''s too free-spirited to be contained. For the past few weeks, I''ve been a curious child who caught an exotic bird and kept her in a cage to admire her beauty. It''s time to let her go and watch her fly. "And besides," she adds as she looks around the library, "I''ve finished sorting through your mom''s things. It seems like the perfect time to move on. I hope it feels less cluttered when you''re working in here now... and I hope you think of me sometimes."


    I nce around the library, and a ball of emotion wells up from my chest, sticking in my throat. I will surely think of her every time I set foot in this room. I''m selfish enough to ask her to stay. And if I asked, she''d let me lock her in this gilded cage.


    But could I live with myself if I clipped her wings by denying her the life that will allow her to soar? I can never offer her what she needs, or what she deserves-


    Mia''s mouth opens and promptly snaps shut, and she looks down like she''s afraid to say what''s on her mind. But this is Mia-keeping her thoughts to herself when she''s got something to say isn''t her strong suit. "I know you think you''re some tough guy with these walls you''ve built, but you''re letting fear hold you back. It takes real bravery to open your heart and start again."


    "You think I''m afraid? Of what? You?"


    "I think you''re afraid of feeling anything for anyone, Lorenzo. Of loving again. But love is always worth the risk. Even if your heart gets broken in the process. What''s the point of living if you won''t let your heart soar?"


    "I could never love anyone the way that I loved her."


    Sorrow clouding her hazel eyes, she shakes her head. "I know you believe that."

 126

    TWO WEEKS LATER


    Dante hands me my new passport and driver''s license. "Who are you?"


    I answer without looking down. "Amelia Donovan from Phoenix, Arizona."


    He nods his approval. "The house is all paid for-"


    "I wish you''d at least let me pay rent."


    "We''ve discussed this, Mia. We own plenty of property. The house is an investment for us, and it''s yours for as long as you need it." I swallow the emotion welling in my throat and hug him goodbye. He wishes me luck and goes inside, leaving me alone in the driveway.


    Kat and I said goodbye in the house; she said she couldn''t bear to see me drive away. We stayed up way tootest night, watching movies and reliving our teenage dramas. We cried andughed, then cried some more. But she and the kids, and their army of bodyguards, areing to visit me next month.


    I can do this. Any life I build now can''t be any worse than what I left behind in Boston. Tossing my purse into the passenger seat, I grin at the blue Mustang that''s almost identical to the one I drove when I fled Boston. I appreciate the gesture, and I''m certain it was Lorenzo''s doing.


    I''ve barely seen him since I announced I was leaving, and if I''m being honest, I''m d. The time apart convinced me that I''m making the right decision. As much as it hurts to leave, and as much as I''ll miss Kat and the kids and everyone here- especially him-this is the best thing for me.


    I loved Brad once and he destroyed it. He almost destroyed me too. But what I felt for him pales inparison to what I feel for Lorenzo. To stay here and risk never being loved that way in return makes my heart ache. As much as I love him, I would rather live alone with hope than live a hopeless life with him.


    I thought he''d be here to say goodbye, but I guess I never meant all that much to him.


    Looks like there''s nothing left for me here. With a heavy heart, I pull open the car door, wishing I''d at least written him a note.


    The front door of the house opens and he steps outside, dressed in one of his finely tailored suits. Without thought, I run toward him and throw my arms around his neck. Because despite it being over, what we had meant something, even if that something wasn''t enough for him.


    "I''ll miss you, sunshine. Take good care of yourself, okay?" he says, his voice hoarse and shaky.


    I close my eyes and breathe him in, savoring the familiar warmth of his embrace-all for thest time. It hurts to let him go, but he was never really mine to begin with. I press my lips to his ear. "Thank you so much for everything, Lorenzo Moretti, but most of all for making me remember how it feels to be alive."T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    With every ounce of willpower and strength in my body, I untangle myself from his arms and walk to the car without a backward nce. Forward is the only direction I have any interest in now.


    I hit y on the stereo, and the first bars of "Bright Side of the Road" fill the car. Singing along, I exit the gates of the Moretti mansion and drive toward my new life, leaving behind the man I foolishly hoped could be my forever. LORENZO


    It''s not an unfamiliar feeling that settles over me as I walk toward the study. The house seems quieter and darker than before, although I''m aware it''s exactly the same.


    I shake my head, annoyed that I''m wallowing in a misery of my own making. So, I miss her. It means nothing. She inserted herself into my life from the moment she arrived here-of course I fucking miss her. I threw myself into the arrangements for her new identity in Iowa because it was the perfect distraction and because it made it easier to let her go if I knew she''d be safe. ording to Lionel, Brad''s still in Panama, and Mia now has a secure house in a quiet neighborhood where nobody will ask questions about a woman who just moved from Arizona for a change of pace. I avoided her too. Under the misguided notion that not being around her would make her absence less difficult to bear.


    None of that helped with the loss I feel today. It hurts just as much as if I''d held her in my arms up to thest second. Even when I was avoiding her, she was still here. Herughter echoed around these walls, her scent filled every room she left. She made this house a home for me again.


    But it was all an illusion. She can''t rece Anya''s position in my life or in this house. No one can.


    ***


    Max walks into my office, his expression full of anguish. Oh, fuck. "What''s wrong? Is it Joey?" "No. Everyone''s fine," he assures me, and a wave of relief washes over me.


    "So what the fuck''s wrong with your face,pagno?"


    His Adam''s apple bobs. He wasn''t this fucking nervous when I caught him at his cabin with my sister. "I''m sorry, Loz." His voice cracks with emotion, and adrenaline thunders around my body. "I should''ve seen it." He ces hisrge hands over his eyes, like he can''t bear to look at me.


    "What the fuck are you going on about, Max?" I ask with a snarl, a million different scenarios running through my head.


    "This." He pulls a white envelope from the inside of his suit pocket. "She asked me to give it to you when the time was right, but I didn''t know it was the right time. You told me it was just sex. She was the first woman..." He shakes his head again, nervous energy radiating from him. "I didn''t realize how much she meant to you until I saw how miserable you''ve been since she left. It''s almost like when-" He coughs.


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    "Are you talking about Mia?" It''s been a week since she left, and I''ve barely slept or thought of anything but her. I''ll get over it. It''s nothingpared to Anya.


    I nce at the envelope in his hand. A letter from Mia? That doesn''t make sense. It must be from- My heart races and I struggle to catch my breath. "What is that? Who asked you to give it to me?"


    He holds out the white envelope and I see her distinctive writing. Tears well in my eyes. I m my hands on the desk and everything on it shakes violently. "You had a letter from my wife, and you''ve kept it to yourself for over two years?" My voice is quiet. Calm. Deadly.


    "She made me promise, Loz." He ces the envelope on my desk. "I fucking hated keeping it from you, but she made me ..."


    I stare at my name written in her beautiful cursive handwriting. He had a letter from my wife, and he kept it from me. Anger wells up like a volcano and I glower at him, ready to tear his head off his fucking shoulders. "You kept it from me." "She made me-"


    "I don''t fucking care!"


    "Read it and you''ll see why," he says, his eyes brimming with tears. "I''m not sorry I kept it from you, Loz, but I am sorry I didn''t give it to you weeks ago. So you can hate me all you want, but you''ll never hate me as much as I''ll hate myself if I fucked this up for you."


    "Get the fuck out!"


    He blinks at me.


    I snarl, lip curled and nostrils ring as indescribable rage courses through me, blurring my vision and rendering me immobile.


    "Now." My chest heaves with the effort of not killing him.


    "Nobody else knew, Loz. I didn''t even tell Joey." With that, he walks out, leaving me alone. I nce at my desk, at the innocuous-looking white envelope that just turned my whole goddamn world upside down. With trembling fingers, I pick it up and lift it to my nose, inhaling deeply. I hoped for her scent, but it smells of Max''s cologne.


    cing it back down, I sit and stare at it. Once I open it and read her words, they''ll be gone. I''ll know them and there will be nothing new of her left.


    I have no idea how much time passes while I sit and look at the damn thing, wondering why the hell she gave it to Max and not me-or even to Dante. He never would have been able to keep this from me. Is that why she chose Max? My hands shake as I pull it open. It''s not sealed, and I recall Max''s words. Read it and you''ll see why. How dare he read her final words to me!


    My rage is washed away by a wave of bone-crushing sadness at the sight of the pale pink pages that spill from the envelope. I hold these to my nose also and sob when I find her sweet vani scent.


    I open the pages slowly, careful not to tear or blemish the delicate paper, and I read.


    My dearest Lorenzo.


    I know you hate surprises, my darling. This is thest one from me, I promise. If Max has given you this letter, it must be time. Asking you not to be mad at him for keeping it from you is like asking the sun not to set, but please know that I chose him because he loves you like a brother, yet he''s strong enough to see you in pain and still do what''s best for you. Don''t spend too long punishing him for only doing what I asked. I trust him to know when the time is right. He won''t let either of us down.


    So, you''ve met someone, right? I hope she is everything you need and want. I hope she makes you smile again, my dearest love. If I know anything though, it''s that you''ll be fighting your feelings, pushing her away and letting guilt consume you for loving her after you promised to only love me.


    My Lorenzo, my darling. My everything. Our love was timeless. Perfect. It will never be replicated or repeated.


    That doesn''t mean you can''t find a whole new kind of love. She might be exactly like me or nothing like me-all that matters is that she makes you happy.


    My greatest regret in leaving youes from my fear that you will spend the rest of your life in darkness. Please don''t, my darling. It would break my heart a million times to think of you never again experiencing all the joy that life has to offer. Your love for another does not diminish your love for me, and you honor my memory by allowing your heart to beat for another.


    I wish that I could write more, but you know how easily my hands tire now. Besides, you are a man of few words.


    So I''ll leave you with this-grief is the price we pay for love. Would you trade any of your pain if it meant we lost even a second of our time together? I know you well enough to know your answer. You would endure a thousand years of torment for one more kiss, one more dance, one more anything. Do not let fear of loss stop you from living, Lorenzo. And know, that no matter what you do, I will always be proud of you.


    So go live enough for both of us, content with the knowledge that the piece of your heart you gave me is safe in my hands for eternity.


    Until we meet again, my dearest love,


    Anya x

 127

    FOUR WEEKS LATER


    I have my back to the door when it opens. I smile, ready to turn and meet my newest client.


    "Hey, sunshine." Oh dear god. That voice. The deep throaty growl I know so well. My legs tremble. My knees almost buckle


    Spinning around, I gape at him and drink him in. And dammit, he looks so good. His beard has been neatly trimmed, his thick hairbed to the side. He''s wearing dark gray suit pants and a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Those forearms-my kryptonite. A dull ache builds between my legs, and I clench my thighs together. I haven''t had enough time away from him to stop responding to his presence. I wonder if it''s even possible for enough time to pass for me to forget the pleasure this man''s body can wring from my own.


    Heughs nervously. "Surprised to see me?"


    I finally find my voice. And my backbone. Damn right I''m surprised to see him. I''ve worked hard to start a new life here in Iowa. I love my job at The Rxation Rooms and if he thinks he can just walk in here... "What the hell are you doing here, Lorenzo?"


    He rocks his head from shoulder to shoulder. "I have that twinge in my neck again."


    I fold my arms over my chest and fix him with my fiercest re. "There are plenty of good masseurs in Chicago."


    He starts unbuttoning his shirt. What the hell is he doing? "I drove five hours to have you give me a massage though. So hadn''t we better get started? You charge by the hour, right?"


    Charge by the hour. Jackass!


    "Yes, and you got fifty-eight minutes left."


    A smirk ys across his lips, and he shrugs off his shirt before cing it on the chair in the corner. "Pants as well?" he asks with a cock of one eyebrow.


    I sigh. "Just your shirt is fine." He''s actually going through with this?


    "Where do you want me, sunshine?"


    Back in Chicago? Or with your head between my thighs? I can''t decide. I go with neither of those responses though. "On the bed. Face down, please."


    He mumbles something unintelligible and lies on the bed, arms above his head and his face in the small hole in the bench. Without him watching me, I take a moment to check out his body while I rub massage oil into my hands. His powerful


    back is covered with eye-catching tattoos. Every muscle taut and toned and begging me to touch. And then there''s that ass. I could sink my teeth into it, even when I''m pissed at him for intruding into my new life, especially when I''ve done my best to move on and get over him. Right now all I can think about is how I''d much rather be getting under him.


    Stop it, Mia. He''s a client. Nothing more. You can do this.


    I slide my oiled hands over his back and his muscles flex beneath my palms. "Is it just your neck you''re having trouble with?" I ask, biting on my lip as warmth spreads through my core.


    "My back and shoulders too." He lets out a deep groan as I work my fingers into the muscles between his shoulder des.


    "You still sleeping on the sofa?" I ask and immediately regret it. I don''t need to know where he''s been sleeping. I don''t need to know anything about his life.


    "Uh-huh." He really has the most beautiful body. So big and powerful. Hard and toned and ...


    "Are you okay?" He cuts through my internal chatter, and I wonder if I said any of that aloud. Or did I stop massaging him while I was thinking about how good his body feels? "Yes. I''m sorry, did I stop?"


    "No. It''s fucking perfect." He groans again. "But are you okay here? In Iowa?"


    What the hell kind of question is that? "Why are you here, Lorenzo?"


    "I told you, my neck."


    "Yeah, right." I stop massaging him. "Tell me why you''re here or you can leave now."


    He''s quiet for a few beats. "I had to make sure you were okay, that''s all. I just needed to see you and ..."


    "I''m okay." I resume his massage. "It''s nice here. I like my new job. My house is lovely and it''s in a quiet neighborhood. Dante did a great job picking it out," I say, although I suspect Lorenzo had a hand in it too. "I''m d."


    "You could''ve asked me all of this over the phone, you know. It would''ve saved you a trip."


    "I told you, I needed to see you."


    I swallow down a lump of sadness. "I wish you hadn''t," I admit, dropping my hands to my sides.


    He turns over and sits up on the bed, and I can''t fail to notice the huge erection he''s now sporting. I guess it''s not just my body that remembers, huh? "I''ve told you before that I don''t offer those kinds of services," I say with a nod to his groin, trying to add a little humor to defuse the increasing tension.


    He swings his legs off the side of the bed. "I swear I didn''te here for that, Mia."


    I nod, ncing at the floor. I should be pleased about that, but for some reason it hurts.


    "That''s not to say I''m not currently thinking about pinning you up against the wall and fucking you so hard you pass out," he adds with a shrug. "But I came here to talk to you."


    I look up at him and find his dark, pain-filled eyes fixed on my face.


    "I wanted to say I''m sorry for being such an asshole when you said you were leaving. It was the right thing for you to do, and I should''ve supported you instead of pretending like you didn''t exist."


    "You should have," I agree.


    "I need you to know why I acted like that," he says, his voice thick with emotion.


    Tears prick at my eyes. "Okay. Why?"


    "Because it hurts so fucking much to lose you. I need you to know that it wasn''t all one-sided. You told me you loved me and I let you believe you meant nothing, when you mean more to me than I thought anyone ever could again." He takes my hand in his and lets out a long breath. Bastard''s about to break my heart all over again, isn''t he?


    "But?"


    His face tightens, so full of anguish and pain and heartbreak. "I care about you, Mia. I really do. But I can''t let her go."


    A tear runs down my cheek. I don''t bother swatting it away. "That is why we would never work, Lorenzo. Not because you still love your wife-of course you do-but because you have no idea who I am. For a man so intuitive to my emotions and my physical needs, you don''t actually know me at all."


    His brow furrows. "I know you, Mia."


    "No." I shake my head. "If you knew me, you''d know that I believe every person we love makes their mark on our hearts, shaping us into the people we be. You are the man you are because of Anya. Who knows if I would''ve even liked the man you were before her? But I love the man you are now. And if you truly knew me, you''d know that I would never ask you to let her go."


    I pull my hand from his. "I''m going to the store. When Ie back, I''d like you to not be here." I walk out of the room.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Don''t look back. If I risk even one nce, I might break. I might ept the crumbs of affection he offers me. But I deserve more, and he was the one who helped me realize that. I close the door behind me. Closing it on him. On us.


    ***


    With trembling hands, I open the door to my treatment room. I''d be lying if I said there wasn''t a part of me hoping he''s still in here, waiting to tell me that he can''t live without me. I suck in a deep breath, and I''m flooded with both relief and sorrow when I find the space empty. His scent and his essence remain. The memory of him. And a note, in his handwriting.


    I''m sorry I can''t be the man you deserve, sunshine. But I will always be here if you ever need me. No matter what or when or why, call me and I''lle. X


    His cell phone number is scrawled at the bottom.


    Tears rolling down my cheeks, I crumple the note in my hand. Damn that man!

 128

    ONE MONTH LATER


    My fingers glide over the keys of the piano, ying the final notes of the song. It only took me a week to master, and now I can y it from memory. I guess Van Morrison isn''t as difficult to learn as Tchaikovsky-or maybe that damn melody is just permanently etched in my mind. Her sunshine song, she called it. She hummed it all the goddamn time, and after she left, I couldn''t get the fucking tune out of my brain. Who the fuck has a sunshine song anyway? With a heavy heart, I close the lid. I should have learned this while Mia was still here and yed it for her. I should have done a lot of things while she was here. Like never let her fucking leave.


    I take my phone out of my pocket and, like I do every single day, check it, hoping for a message or a call from her. And just like every day that''s passed, there''s nothing. Of course there isn''t. She''s living her life and moving on without me. She hasn''t met a guy yet. I know that because I keep tabs on her via her cell phone and the security guard who works near her job. I don''t know what I''ll do when she does. Probably have him taken out by a sniper so nobody knows who''s responsible. And then I won''t be forced to admit that the idea of Mia being with anyone else fills me with jealousy that burns me from the inside out.


    I scroll through my contacts and bring up her number. My heart races in my chest at the thought of pressing that green circle on the screen and hearing her voice. As it turns out, I still have a heart after all. It seems Mia Stone put it back together so quietly and carefully that I didn''t even notice until I felt it break all over again.


    I lock the screen and slip it back into my pocket. She made it clear when I saw herst that she didn''t want to hear from me. Not that I me her. I went there to tell her how much I missed her and that I wanted her to return to Chicago, but once again I let my doubts-guilt over Anya and fear of fucking Mia''s life up more than I already have-stop me from saying any of that.


    I need to delete her number. Need to stop checking up on her, other than to make sure she''s safe from her prick of an ex-husband. I need to let Mia Stone go. She was never mine to begin with. THREE MONTHS LATER


    The sound of my cell phone vibrating on the nightstand rouses me from a fitful sleep.


    "What the fuck?" I grumble, fumbling in the dark for the offending item. Whoever''s waking me up at buttfuck o''clock in the morning better have a great fucking excuse.


    Every ounce of anger in my body is reced with dread when I see her name on the screen. If she''s calling me, especially this early, something''s wrong. I''ve imagined this moment at least a million times, all the things I''d say to her to make here back to me, but now I''m only filled with panic.


    "Mia? What''s wrong?"


    A loud, guttural sob echoes in my ear, and every muscle in my body tenses. I fist my free hand in the sheets but keep my voice calm. "What is it, sunshine?"


    "I-I..." She sobs again. "I k-killed him."


    Adrenaline courses through my body. "Brad?"


    "Y-yeah," she stammers.


    He''s not even supposed to be in the country. I''ll kill Lionel when I get my damn hands on him. I take a deep breath. "Are you hurt?"


    "I-I don''t th-think so."


    I throw back the covers and jump out of bed, putting her on speaker so I can keep talking to her while I get dressed. "Where are you, Mia?" "H-home."


    "Is anyone else there with you?"


    "N-No. I..." She cries louder, and my heart seizes in my chest.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "I''ll be there as soon as I can. Don''t leave the house. Don''t call anyone. You wait for me, okay?"


    Her gut-wrenching sobs are her only response. Fuck!


    "I have to make some calls. Then I''ll call you back and keep you on speaker till I get to you, okay?"


    After several seconds of silence, she sniffs loudly. "Y-yeah. Okay."


    "I''m going to hang up now, tesoro. I''ll call you back as soon as I can."


    She doesn''t reply, and I reluctantly end the call. I throw on a pair of sweats, my sneakers, and a clean T-shirt as fast I can. As soon as I get to my car, I dial Max''s number. He answers on the sixth ring, his voice thick and heavy with sleep. "What''s wrong, Loz?"


    "I need you to pay attention, Max."


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    This man never fails to have my back, and that''s why I couldn''t stay mad at him for keeping Anya''s letter from me. It took me a few days to get my head out of my ass, but once I did, I realized that he was right. I wasn''t ready until I met Mia. Until I fell for her. And now she needs me and-fuck!


    I quickly exin what happened while I head to my car. In the background, I hear him telling Joey to go back to sleep, then the sound of clothing rustling over the receiver.


    "What do you need?" Max asks.


    "I need you to get four of our best men and a removals truck over to her ce in Iowa."


    "I''m on it." He sighs. "She okay?"


    "She will be. I''m on my way there now. I need you and the guys there as soon as you can."


    "I''ll make the calls now. We''ll be there an hour after you. Tops."


    "Can you call Dante too? I know they''re on vacation, but he and Kat will want to know. If you''d heard her... she was ..." An image of Mia, broken and alone, makes anger and terror burn through my veins. I press my foot down on the gas. I need to get to her.


    "I''ll call him. You focus on getting where you need to be. I got it all covered."


    I keep my eyes on the road and take a deep breath. "Thanks,pagno."

 129

    MIA


    I stare at Brad''s lifeless body. His cold, dead eyes stare back. Unblinking. usatory. Deep red blood pools around him. Spreading out across the tiled floor like raspberry sorbet left out in the sun. Its coppery tang fills my nose and throat. I can taste it when I swallow.


    I pull my knees closer to my chest and curl my toes into my feet so the growing puddle of blood doesn''t touch me. It continues to reach for me, like his essence wants to drag me down to hell with him. Even in death he can''t leave me alone. A deep sobbing sound echoes in my ears, and it takes me a few seconds to realize that it''sing from me.


    A sudden vibration in my hand jolts me. I tear my eyes away from Brad''s and nce down at my phone that''s covered in bloody fingerprints. An unknown number shes on the screen. Oh yes, I called him, didn''t I?


    The phone goes on ringing, and I blink at the screen until it stops. A secondter, it starts again. The persistent vibrations travel through my palm and along my forearm. My thumb keeps slipping as I fumble to answer the call, but I finally manage it.


    "Mia?" His deep soothing voice fills my ear. "Talk to me, sunshine."


    "I-I''m here." I sob out the words as my gaze drifts back to Brad.


    "Are you okay?"


    I stare at the body of the man who made my life a living hell. A shudder runs down my spine. I can''t take my eyes off him for too long. What if he''s just messing with me? What if he isn''t really dead? "I st-stabbed him." "You did good, Mia. Are you still alone?"


    "Y-yes."


    "Does anybody know he''s there with you? Did hee alone?"


    Did Brad just wink at me? Did his eye move?


    "Mia?" The soothing timbre of Lorenzo''s voice calms the tremors fighting for control of my body.


    I take a gulp of air. "He came alone. I d-don''t think anyone knows he''s here."


    "Did he hurt you?"


    I look down at my torn clothes and note the fingertip-shaped bruises blooming beneath the skin on the tops of my thighs. "N-not really."


    "I''m on my way, sunshine. I''ll be there as soon as I can."


    "What if he''s not really dead?" I whisper, scared that if Brad can hear me, he''ll choose this moment to strike. I''m no longer holding the knife in my hand; my only weapon is this cell phone. "Is he moving? Breathing?"


    "N-no."


    "Are his eyes open or closed?"


    I shiver. "Open. He''s staring at me."


    "Have his eyes moved? Has he blinked at all?"


    "I don''t... I don''t think so."


    "He''s dead, Mia."


    "He looks dead, but what if ...?"


    "Have you checked for a pulse?"


    "N-no. I don''t want to touch him."


    "Mia, listen to me." He speaks slowly and softly. "You need to check for a pulse."


    The thought of touching his body fills me with terror. "I c-can''t."


    "You can do anything, sunshine. You''re the toughest woman I know. Do you know where to check on his neck for a pulse?" "Uh-huh."


    "Go on, sunshine. I''m right here with you."


    Taking a deep breath, I creep forward, watching intently for any sign of movement. My fingers hover over the spot on Brad''s neck. "What if I touch him and it wakes him up?"


    "He''s not sleeping or unconscious. If he was, his eyes would be closed. But if the man has no pulse, he''s most definitely dead. Check and then you can know for sure too."


    I nod. Logically, I know he''s right, but fear has its icy grip mped around my heart. All rational thought and reason seem to have left me. I fumble with his cor, exposing the skin I need to touch, and press two fingers against his throat. He''s still warm, still feels alive. But his body remains motionless. Applying more pressure, I stare at Brad''s face and wait. Nothing.


    "You okay, sunshine?" Lorenzo asks softly.


    "Yeah." I wait for a faint pulse to thrum against my fingertips. Still nothing.


    "You feel anything?"


    Relief rushes through me, and I close my eyes atst. "No. Nothing at all."


    "That''s my good girl."


    My heart finally begins to calm down. I lean back against the cupboard and hug my knees to my chest once more, feeling safe now that I know he''s gone but still unable to find the courage to get up and leave him here alone. "I have to make a few more calls. Will you be okay while I''m on my way to you?"


    "I-I''m fine," I lie.


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    "I''ll be there soon. Call me back if you need anything at all. Don''t answer your phone unless it''s me calling. And don''t answer the door until I get there. Promise me."


    "I promise," I whisper.


    He hangs up and I press the phone to my chest. Right now it feels like my lifeline. My only link to the real world outside this nightmare in my kitchen. Brad goes on staring at me with his cold, dead eyes. It''s a look I''m used to from him. A slideshow of images from earlier flicker through my mind, and goosebumps break out along my arms. Please hurry, Lorenzo.


    ***


    Wrapping my hands around my mug of chamomile tea, I smile at the view from the window overlooking my little yard. A feeling of contentment settles over me. I love it here. It''s still dark out, but a string of fairy lights illuminates the cluster of exquisite rose bushes grown by the previous owner. They''ve started to bloom alongside the jasmine I nted a week after I moved here.


    My phone lights up beside me, the shing battery indicator reminding me that I forgot to charge itst night. Putting it in my pocket with a mental reminder to plug it in while I get showered and dressed for work, I open the back door and step outside. The gentle morning breeze dances over my skin, and the sweet scent of jasmine drifts through the air. My stomach growls, so I return to the kitchen, take arge knife from the drawer, and ce it on the counter. I open the refrigerator, searching for the strawberries I bought yesterday. Darn it! I got homete and was so exhausted that I ate them for dinner. A banana it is, then.


    I close the refrigerator door.


    My heart stops.


    He''s here. His face.


    Right outside my window.


    I scream.


    He smiles.


    My heart starts beating again. No, it gallops.


    He''s closer to the back door than I am. I''ll never make it. I run for it anyway, desperate to close it before he can make his way inside. It''s like I''m running through msses in wintertime. He''s inside before I can even reach the doorway. He closes the door behind him. The deadbolt clicking into ce echoes around my small kitchen like a death knell.


    I scramble backward and bump into the kitchen counter.


    "Hey, honey, I''m home," he sing-songs, like he just came home from a shift.


    "B-Brad?" My blood freezes in my veins and my heart tries to beat its way out of my chest.


    He licks his lips, leering at me like I''m hisst meal. There''s a crazed look in his eyes. "You really thought you could hide from me, Mia?"


    "I-I-" My words are stolen by the thick knot of terror lodged in my windpipe.


    He edges closer, his expression growing more crazed as he nears me. His face is unshaven, his appearance unkempt. A sour stench fills the space between us, making me gag. My chest aches from the pressure of my racing heart.


    I''m going to die right here in this spot before he even puts a hand on me.


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    "Faking a panic attack again, are we?" he says with a cruelugh, mocking me.


    "P-please," I beg, despite knowing the futility of it. He never showed me any mercy before, and now ...


    His face contorts with hatred. "Please?" He snarls. "You think I give a single fuck about you anymore, Mia?" He spits out my name like a curse. "Eight months I''ve been looking for you. Waiting for you to see sense ande back to me. You had your chance to beg me for forgiveness, but it''s long gone, honey."


    He takes another step closer, and my hands and legs tremble violently. Watching me, he gives a viciousugh.


    Fucking asshole.


    I suck in air and lean against the counter for support, trying to regte my breathing and calm my stampeding heart. Nothing I say will have any effect on him. Brad Mulcahy doesn''t have one decent bone in his entire body. Why the hell would I give this sack of elephant dung the satisfaction of seeing me cower in fear? Never again. This might be the end for me, but I won''t make it easy for him.


    "Beg your forgiveness?" I find my voice, and while it''s little more than a croak, he falters. His nostrils re as he glowers at me. "I should have left you the first time you hit me." My voice grows stronger. "The first time you raped me. The first time you made me question my own sanity."


    "Ungrateful bitch," he spits, cracking the back of his hand across my face. His signature move. My head snaps back and pain blooms on my cheekbone, but I stand tall and re at him.


    "You are a coward and a bully, Brad Mulcahy."


    He bares his teeth, like a rabid animal. "Did he tell you that?" His face contorts with disgust. "The guy you were fucking in Chicago?"


    The reminder of him gives me a fresh shot of adrenaline. Even in the face of certain death, Lorenzo Moretti would stay strong until hisst breath. "Lorenzo is a far better man than you will ever be, Brad."


    His body vibrates with rage. "Fucking whore." He makes a grab for me, and I''m not fast enough to dodge him. Vicious hands tear at my clothes. I struggle against him. My shirt rips down the middle, exposing my breasts. That only seems to drive him into a deeper frenzy.


    He rages at me. Calls me a slut and a whore while he tries to tear off the rest of my clothes. I scratch and w at him, but he''s bigger and stronger and his determination to take what he wants rivals my resolve not to let him. Survival instinct kicks in, and Ish out, kicking him in his knee. He howls but remains undeterred. mming me back against the counter, he tugs at my pajama shorts, almost making me topple over as he wrenches them off my legs.


    "I don''t want you, you fucking animal!" I screech, but he onlyughs.


    "Tough shit, honey. I''m going to fuck you so hard you''ll forget about ever having another man between your legs." He wraps a hand around my throat, his grip brutal. Thick, ugly fingers probe the tops of my thighs, leaving bruises everywhere he touches. I need a weapon. Something. Anything. He brushes the edge of my panties and bile surges from my stomach, burning my esophagus as I''m forced to swallow it down. Strawberries!


    I reach behind me, scrabbling for the knife in the sink. My hand curls around the smooth handle, and I''m filled with a rush of adrenaline. Brad''s disgusting fingers slip into my panties, and I swing my left arm, plunging the de into the column of his throat. His gray eyes widen; his grip loosens. Blood bubbles from his lips and he staggers back, reaching for the knife embedded in his neck. He pulls it free and blood gushes from his wound, spurting all over me as he lurches forward, grasping at my clothes.


    This time he''s the one begging. His eyes plead for mercy, full of terror and the knowledge that he''s about to die. I wrench from his grip, and he stumbles back and crumples to the floor, choking on his own blood.


    I gulp for air. What the hell have I done?


    I killed a cop. Holy fuck! My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out. The red indicator shes, reminding me that the battery is low. A hystericalugh bubbles out, and it tumbles from my hands as I lift them to my lips. The battery symbol continues to blink at me from the floor, almost like it''s trying to tell me something ...


    Ten digits pop into my head. A phone number I memorized from the wrinkled piece of paper that I read more times than I could count. Sinking to the floor, I send up a prayer that he picks up, and I use my trembling, blood-soaked fingers to call Lorenzo.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 130

    LORENZO


    Throwing the driver''s side door open without bothering to turn off the engine, I bolt from the car and race up the small path that leads to Mia''s little house in this idyllic neighborhood that I chose especially for her. I called her back after I finished speaking with Max, but it went straight to voicemail. I''ve spent the past four hours thinking of every possible worst-case scenario while praying that her phone just died.


    The front door is locked, but that''s not about to stop me. Using my shoulder as a battering ram, I splinter the wood around the frame and stumble into the entryway. The scent of jasmine and lemon fills the air.


    "Mia?" My heart pounds so hard in my chest I''m certain it will explode if I don''t know that she''s okay in the next ten seconds. I head for the kitchen, crossing the small hallway in two strides, and I see her piece-of-shit husband first. Lying face up, his body sprawled at an unnatural angle in a pool of congealed blood.


    My eyes dart around the kitchen, heart hammering and blood thundering in my ears until I see her, curled up in a ball a few feet away from him, her attention fixed on his dead body.


    I say her name again, but she doesn''t respond. Stepping over him, I crouch down in front of her. She stares right through me and offers no resistance while I check her to make sure she''s okay, running my hands down her arms and pulling them away from her body to check for damage. There''s a small cut above her eye and red marks on her neck, and she''s covered in blood, but it doesn''t look like any of it is hers.


    Her T-shirt is torn, her shorts are in the corner. Every sinew in my body threatens to detonate with pent-up rage. This is my fault. I should have killed that twisted fuck when I had the chance.


    I never should have let her leave.


    "Mia," I say calmly, swallowing down all the rage that''s bubbling to get out of me. I snap my fingers in front of her face and she blinks, so I cup her jaw softly, tilting her head. Her hazel eyes fix on mine. "I''m here, sunshine."


    "Lorenzo?" she croaks, tears welling in her eyes. They''re full of confusion and terror and panic, and my heart is fucking breaking in two. How the fuck could I let this happen to her? I should have done better. I should''ve looked after her and protected what''s mine.


    Mine.


    I pull her into my arms, wrapping them around her as I press my lips against her hair. "I''m here, sunshine. I got you."


    Heaving sobs wrack her body and I hold her until they subside enough that I can speak to her. Brushing her thick hair back from her face, I kiss her forehead and inhale her sweet scent. "Let''s get you cleaned up and get you out of here. Okay?" She nods meekly. I''ve seen this before. She''s numb from the shock of what she did, and from the realization of what might have happened if she hadn''t killed him first. I scoop her into my arms and stand, noting the fresh bruises on the tops of her thighs. Bile burns in my gullet, but I swallow it down and carry her from the kitchen, closing the door behind us so the stench of her ex-husband''s corpse doesn''t follow.


    I set her on her feet in the bathroom and she wobbles unsteadily. Grabbing her waist to steady her, I try not to think about all the other times I''ve had my hands on her. And how that disgusting fuck had his hands on her again-which I allowed to happen.


    Keeping one hand on her waist, I reach behind her and turn on the shower. "You need help getting undressed?"


    After shaking her head, she peels the torn T-shirt from her body and stands before me in only her panties. I nce away while she tugs them down her legs and kicks them off her feet. Once she''s undressed, I look into her hazel eyes, more brown today than green. "You want me to wait outside for you?"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    She shakes her head again, but then she just stands there, like she''s forgotten what to do next. "You''re going to get into the shower and wash the blood off," I say, gently coaxing her.


    "Yeah," she says absent-mindedly, her voice little more than a whisper. She steps gingerly into the walk-in shower and stands beneath the hot running water. I wait for her to wash herself clean of that fucker''s blood, but she remains still, her only movement the gentle shuddering of her shoulders as she starts to cry.


    Fuck!


    I kick off my sneakers and step into the shower behind her, turning her around and pulling her into my arms. She buries her face against my T-shirt, sobbing softly as the water runs over us both. I have no idea how long I stand with her, holding her while she lets everything out, but I do know that I will hold her for the rest of my life if that''s what she needs.

 131

    MIA


    I lean back against Lorenzo''s strong chest as hethers shampoo in my hair. He''s surprisingly gentle for a man with such powerful hands. I love the feeling of his skin on mine. I''d forgotten how much I missed it. He climbed in here with me fully clothed, but now his T-shirt and sweatpants lie in a soaking heap in the corner of my bathroom floor.


    "You okay there, sunshine?" His lips trail over the sensitive skin on my neck. Despite the circumstances, my core contracts with heat at the memory of his mouth on my body.


    "I''m better than I was," I reply honestly. At least I can think clearly now that I''m no longer trapped in a daze of panic and fear. Lorenzo is here. Lorenzo can make all of this go away, right? Maybe I can go back to my nice little life that I was building here in Iowa. He rinses the shampoo from my hair and adds conditioner before squeezing body wash into his palms.


    "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asks in his deep, soothing voice as he starts to wash my arms.


    "My face is a little tender, but it''s okay."


    He clears his throat. "And what about anywhere else? Is there any ce you don''t want me to touch you?"


    I turn in his arms and stare up into his handsome face.


    "You have some bruises on your thighs," he says, by way of exnation, and the fear in his eyes makes my heart ache for him.


    "They don''t hurt. And I stabbed him before he could..." My cheeks burn with anger and irrational shame.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t kill him for you myself. I should have." His soapy hands glide over my stomach.


    "I asked you not to," I remind him. "I honestly thought he''d let me go. That once I was gone, he''d see that we had nothing left together." I shake my head at my own naivete.


    He kisses my forehead and washes the blood spatter from my chest. "You''re a very difficult woman to let go of, Mia."


    Not all that difficult. Not for you. I don''t say that though, because it''s petty and childish. Lorenzo came when I called. He''s taking care of me, and he''ll do that right up to the point he has to leave. I close my eyes and focus on the sensation of his strong,forting hands washing me clean. Finished with my top half, he drops to his knees and washes my ankles, snaking up my calves to my thighs. He''s extra gentle when he soaps the tops of my legs, careful not to apply too much pressure to my bruised skin.


    His knuckles brush my pussy lips, and my knees almost buckle at his touch and the rush of memories he invokes. He moves on quickly, and I remind myself that this isn''t about that. This is simply him helping me out because he cares. I need to stop clinging onto hope for more.


    ***


    I step out of my bedroom, towel drying my hair. Lorenzo paces up and down my hallway with a towel wrapped around his waist, and he''s speaking into his phone in Italian. I don''t understand a word of what he''s saying. However, I can tell from his tone and the scowl on his face that he''s annoyed. Seeing me, he stops pacing and quickly ends the call.


    "You feeling better, sunshine?" he asks, his eyes narrowed in concern.


    "A little, but..." I swallow the ball of anxiety that has made a permanent home in the space between my chest and throat.


    "I''ll take care of all this." He steps toward me. "It''ll be like you were never here. Brad too."


    "Me?" I assumed I''d stay here, although living in this house after what happened this morning doesn''t exactly fill me with joy.


    "Yes, you. You can''t stay here now. Max is on his way with a team. They''ll move all your things back to Chicago. Amelia Donovan has returned to her old life in Phoenix, and Mia Stone has been with me in Chicago since you left Boston." My head spins. I must still be in shock. "You''re taking me back to Chicago with you?" Before I can ask why or what that means, there''s a knock at my front door.


    "That''ll be Max and the guys. You have nothing to worry about, sunshine. They''ll take care of everything and I''m going to drive us home."


    He opens the door, and Max steps inside first, not even batting an eye at Lorenzo only wearing a towel. "I got some spare clothes in the truck." He gives his friend a quick hug and moves around him. Max approaches me with a sympathetic smile. "Hey, Mia. How''re you doing?"


    Four men dressed in coveralls with the name Tommy''s Removals printed on the front file into my small hallway, each of them greeting Lorenzo. None of them show any surprise at hisck of clothing. I nce back to Max. "I guess I''ve been better."


    Max wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives me a brief squeeze. "You did the right thing."


    "Tommy, take that fucker''s car and drive it to the pound in Michigan. Leroy will turn it into a pile of scrap metal before the day''s out."


    A tall man with gray eyes and a gray goatee nods. "Will do."


    "Any of your furniture you have a particr fondness for, Mia?" Lorenzo asks me.


    I shake my head. I don''t have a lot of attachment to material possessions.


    "Then pack up her personal belongings and burn everything else," Lorenzo orders.


    "What? Some of that stuff is nice. At least give it to goodwill," I insist.


    "Burn it," Lorenzo repeats. "The less evidence there is of Mia being here, the better."


    I frown at him, but he goes on barking orders to Max and the other men. They''re going to make this look like Amelia Donovan never existed at all. Max will check the security footage, including doorbell cameras, in the nearby area and erase anything that shows Brad''s car. When they''ve finished discussing the n for my house and my things, they move onto the body.


    "So, we cut him into pieces, stuff him in a couple of suitcases and then we drive him to Chicago and turn him into ash?" Max says with a wicked grin, like this is his favorite part of his job. Like they aren''t talking about a man whose heart beat steady in his chest just a few hours ago. A vile man, but still a man. My stomach rolls and I fight the urge to be sick.


    Sensing my difort, Lorenzo steps up beside me and slips his arm around my waist, giving me a reassuring squeeze before adding, "Then you scatter him in the river."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    I stand frozen in my hallway while Max and the other guys get to work. A million thoughts and questions race through my head. What about my job? My clients? The friends I was starting to make? My life here in Iowa?


    "Mia?" Lorenzo''s deep voice cuts through my internal chatter, and I realize he''s been talking to me.


    I gape at him. "This is ..." I swallow a sob. What the hell did I expect? I just killed my cop ex-husband in my kitchen. "It''s a lot."


    He pulls me close and wraps his arms around me. I hate that he feels so much like home. I hate that within an hour of him being here, I''m already so dependent on him forfort. "I know, sunshine. We''ll be home soon though and you can put all of this behind you."


    Home? Chicago isn''t my home. "But what about my job?"


    "You''ll need to call your boss and tell her you can''te back. Tell her your mom is sick so you''ve had to rush home to Phoenix to take care of her. That''s all you need to say."


    He makes it all sound so easy. Like we can just erase everything that happened here. Like he erased everything that happened between us? Another sob wells up in my throat. I''m overly emotional, but he''s right. I need to leave here. I can figure out where to go next once I''m safe in the Moretti mansion. Once I''m back with Kat, the only family I have left.


    Nodding my agreement, I roll back my shoulders and look him in the eye. "I''ll call Gina and tell her."


    "Good girl."


    I ignore the way those two words make goosebumps prickle out all over my body, and I hope that Lorenzo doesn''t notice either.

 132

    LORENZO


    I end the call to Max and lean back in my chair. It seems Lionel Hart died of a heart attack two Saturdays ago. Alone in his apartment, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. No wonder the guy didn''t tell me Brad had returned to the States. I hope he at least went out with a smile on his face.


    Brad''s ashes have been tossed into the river, his car crushed, and every trace of him and Mia has been forensically removed from her little house in Iowa-the house I found for her, thinking it would keep her safe. The house she never should have even moved to because I never should''ve let her leave the protection of these walls.


    The door to the study is open, and Ed, one of the men who helped today, strolls in. "Anything else you need before I leave, Boss?"


    I rub my temples, trying to stave off the inevitable headache. "Are all of Mia''s things here?"


    "Yep. Moved them all in myself."


    "Then yeah, you can go. I need to call Dante. Tell the guards I''m not to be disturbed."


    "Will do, Boss." He pulls the door closed behind him.


    Dante answers on the second ring as though he''s been waiting for my call. "Hey, Loz. How is she?"


    "She''s okay. Shaken up. Has a few bruises, but she''s here now and she''s safe."


    He rys the information to Kat. Mia called her cousin herself on the drive back to Chicago, but she''ll have been waiting for confirmation that Mia made it home safely.


    "And how''re you doing?" Dante asks, his voiceced with concern.


    "Fine."


    He gives a faintugh.


    "I never should have let her go, D." He doesn''t try to correct me or make me feel better about the fact that I failed her, which I appreciate. "I should''ve ..." I run a hand through my hair and stare up at the ceiling. Dante remains silent.


    "If I make her stay... She''s like a ray of fucking sunshine, and I''m a huge fucking ck hole. I''ll consume her with my darkness, D. I''ll fuck up her life, just like I fucked up Anya''s."


    "You are not the reason Anya got sick, Loz," Dante snaps. "She loved every fucking second of her life with you. She loved you. Don''t start rewriting history because you''re feeling sorry for yourself."


    I suck on my bottom lip, mired in thoughts of my dead wife as well as the woman who calls to my fucking soul like she was born to be a part of me. Dante''s right, but I don''t need to tell him that. "Mia loves you too. It''s not toote to fix whatever it is you think you did wrong."


    "Yeah," I murmur absent-mindedly.


    "Anyway, tell me what happened. Is everything taken care of?" He brings the conversation back to business, and I give him a rundown of the day''s events.


    MIA


    I open the door to my old room, expecting to see stacks of boxes, but it''s just as I left it four months earlier-full of tasteful furniture but none of my things are in here. Frowning, I wander over to the closet. Perhaps someone put everything away? No, it''s empty too, aside from a few nkets and spare pillows.


    Where the hell is my stuff? I want to take a long hot soak, and I need my clean clothes and toiletries. Wandering back into the hallway, I look around for one of the housekeepers.


    Hearing footsteps in the hallway below, I lean over the rail and recognize one of the men who arrived with Max earlier today.


    "Hey?" I call, unaware of his name.


    He looks up at me and smiles. "Yeah?"


    "Do you know where my things are?"


    "Sure. We put everything in the boss''s room."


    I frown. "Oh?" They must have misunderstood our rtionship. "Do you know where he is?"


    "He''s on a call with Dante. Not to be disturbed."


    "Oh. Okay. Um, thanks."


    "You''re wee, ma''am."


    What the hell should I do? I need my stuff, but I don''t want to interrupt his call. Maybe I can sneak into his room and quickly grab what I need. Then I can tell him there''s been a mix-up and get everything put in the right ce. My heart beats fast as I push open the huge oak door that''s as imposing as he is. Stepping inside, I suck in a shaky breath. I''ve never set foot in here; it feels like a vition of his privacy.


    The space is very him. Dark and masculine and fresh smelling. A four-poster super king-sized bed with navy bed linens dominates the room. The wooden floor is warm underfoot as I pad over to my boxes stacked in front of arge oak dresser. I find the boxbeled toiletries in thick ck pen. Everything is packed neatly inside, and tears prick at my eyes. Lorenzo and Max and their men looked after me so well today. I move the make-up bag from the top of the pile, searching for my bubble bath.


    "Where the fig are you?" I mutter as I dig deeper.


    The door closes behind me and a shiver runs along my spine. Oh crap!


    I spin around, heart beating wildly from being caught in Lorenzo''s private space. He stares at me, his hands stuffed in his pockets and stretching the material taut over his thick thighs.


    Words get caught in my throat, and for an awful moment I wonder if I''ve lost my ability to speak. "I''m s-sorry." I dart my tongue out, moistening my dry lips. "Your men put my things in here by mistake."


    He crosses the room in three giant strides. Wow, he smells so good. My body instinctively leans toward his, the memory of thefort I found in his arms earlier dominating my thoughts. Being near him made everything better; he made me feel so safe and cared for.


    "Not by mistake, Mia. I asked them to."


    My racing heart flutters like a butterfly trapped in a ss jar. "But why?" The wordse out so quietly, I wonder if he heard them.


    He brushes his fingertips over my bruised cheek. "Because I want you in here with me."


    My head spins. I''m still so confused. "For tonight?"


    "For every night." He cups my chin in his hand. "But I should have asked. You can have your own room if you''d prefer."


    Tears blur my vision. This can''t be happening. It''s exactly what I wanted, but something he could never give me. So, what''s changed? Because I don''t want his pity. I''d rather spend every night alone than have him feel sorry for me. "You don''t have to worry about me. I''m okay," I assure him.


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    "I will always worry about you, sunshine, but that''s not why I want you here in my room." He edges closer so that our bodies are pressed together. "In my bed," he growls. Warmth coils up my spine, his deep voice traveling into my core. "But why do you want me in here now when you didn''t before?"


    He slides his hand to the back of my neck, palming it possessively. "Because I was a fucking fool, and I had no idea how much I needed you until you weren''t here anymore. And now that you''re home, I don''t want to spend another night without you, Mia."


    "I don''t want to spend another night without you either."


    "My tesoro," he says with a soft groan as he bends low and seals his lips over mine. Looping his free arm around my waist, he pulls me closer, and I melt into him, opening my mouth and allowing him to slide his tongue inside and deepen the kiss. My pulse thrums rapidly and warmth floods my body. His hands grip my ass and he lifts me with ease, wrapping my legs around his hips and carrying me to his bed. He nestles between my open thighs, pressing his hard cock against my pussy through our clothes. As he rocks his hips, my core contracts with wet heat. Taking my hands, heces our fingers together, pinning my arms on either side of my head.


    "Lorenzo," I groan, desperate for him. The emotional upheaval of the whole day threatens to overwhelm me, and he''s the perfect distraction.


    He pulls back and res at me. "In my bed, Mia, you will call me Sir. Understand?"


    I gasp, and my racing heart goes into overdrive. Pleasure skitters through every nerve ending in my body. Sir? "But you said you''d never ..."


    "I was wrong. You still want this with me?"


    I take another deep breath. "Yes, Sir."


    "Good girl," he growls before he rubs his nose along the column of my throat, inhaling deeply. "You smell so fucking delicious. I don''t know how I ever lived without you."


    His hands caress my skin as he slowly undresses me. I whimper with frustration, pleading with him to hurry, but the more I beg, the slower he goes. I curl my fingers in his hair, guiding his head lower so that at least his mouth might end up where I want him..


    He jerks away and gives me a wicked grin. "I can see I''m going to have so much fun ying with you, sunshine." He tugs my panties off and wetness slicks between my thighs. "Hold out your hands," he orders.


    I do as he asks, watching in fascination as he binds my wrists together with my underwear, like he once did in the library.


    "Now put them above your head," hemands in a deep throaty growl, and I immediatelyply, desperate to please him.


    A few secondster, I hear a soft click and I pull at my wrists. They don''t budge. I twist my head, trying to see what he''s done. "It''s a design feature," he says with a wicked grin.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    A thrill of excitement shoots through me. "You''ve tied me to your bed?"


    There''s a wicked glint in his eyes as he tugs on my restraints, making sure I can''t move my arms. "More like cuffed."


    I arch an eyebrow at him. "Cuffed and tied up with panties?"


    "You''re going to want to move those hands an awful lot, sunshine," he says with a darkugh that makes molten wet heat sear between my thighs.


    "Have you used them with anyone else?" I ask, unable to stop myself even if it kills the mood.


    "No. They were part of the bed when I bought it. I''ve never used them before."


    "And has there been anyone else?"


    "No." He kisses me softly. "No one but you."


    "There''s been nobody for me either," I assure him.


    "Oh, I know that, sunshine," he says with a deep growl, and I don''t ask him how. Instead I lean against the pillow and watch him trail soft kisses and sharp bites over my entire body.


    Lorenzo wasn''t wrong about me wanting to move my arms. I pull at my restraints as he teases me relentlessly with his mouth and his fingers and his beautiful big cock, bringing me to the crest of my orgasm before gently easing me back down again. He does it repeatedly, rendering me a trembling, sweaty mess. I beg him to let mee.


    "Such a needy little sub," he taunts, sinking his cock inside me once more. How does he have so much stamina? He''s already finished inside me twice and he''s ready to go again.


    Meanwhile, my nerves are fraught with pent-up tension; my entire body sizzles with fric sexual energy and all it would take is one tiny spark to set me off like a Fourth of July disy. Every cell trembles with the need toe. Perspiration slicks my skin. My heart pounds in my ears, mirrored by the throbbing in my clit as Lorenzo goes on paying it enough attention to keep me on the precipice of eternal ecstasy. Pleasure skitters through me, coiling and whirling but never really taking hold.


    "You''re so mean." I pant out the words, feeling like I''m about to pass into the afterlife.


    He chuckles softly, sucks my nipple into his mouth, and bites hard.


    "Please, Sir?" I beg onest time, beyond needy and desperate. "I''ll do anything." "Anything, huh?"


    "Y-yes," I scream as another wave takes hold. Will he let me ride it to the end this time?


    He drives his cock into me, hitting my G-spot. "Thene for me, tesoro," hemands, and I explode around him, like a billion tiny fire bursts all went off in my body at the same time, each one setting off the next in a chain reaction until they all converge in that one sweet point between my thighs where he''s inside me.


    I scream his name. My entire body convulses. I drench him. My mind goes nk, drifting into a semiconscious state where all I can feel is contentment and pleasure and warmth. Lorenzo anchors me to reality, growling filthy words in my ear while he slowly fucks me into oblivion.


    Lying in Lorenzo''s arms a little whileter, I''m tempted to purr like a cat. I can''t recall thest time I felt as happy and cherished as I do right now. Maybe I never have. Brad swept me off my feet after we met. He promised me the world. But I don''t know that I ever experienced this joy with him-not even in the very beginning when things were good.


    I press my face against his chest. "That was incredible, Sir."


    He murmurs his agreement, dusting his lips over my hair.


    "I enjoyed calling you Sir. I mean, I thought I''d be into it because I read a lot about the lifestyle, but I didn''t think I''d be that into it, you know? It was so hot. And when you did that thing with-"


    "You really have an issue with quiet, don''t you?" He chuckles.


    "Yes, sorry. I have so many questions though."


    He yawns. "You also apologize way too much. I''m going to train all of that out of you."


    Train it out of me? Why does that fill me with excitement? "You are, huh?"


    "Hmm. But right now I just want to lie here with you."


    My cheeks hurt from smiling so widely. I can''t believe this is how my awful day is ending. "I love lying here with you."


    He tightens his grip, pulling me closer so that I''m practically lying on top of him. "Get some sleep, sunshine."

 133

    LORENZO


    Mia looked so peaceful lying in my bed that I left her sleeping. She needs it after what she''s been through the past few days.


    Sitting in my office, I find my mind drifting to her instead of focusing on work. It felt so good to fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up with her juicy ass nestled against me. I was tempted to wake her up by sliding my cock inside her, but we haven''t had any discussions about consent yet.


    A soft tap on the door distracts me from thoughts of Mia in my bed. My cock stiffens at the realization that it''s probably her outside the room. My men don''t knock so quietly. "Lorenzo?" she calls out, confirming my suspicion.


    "Come in."


    She walks through the door, a huge smile on her face and her hair still mussed from sleep-the embodiment of my pet name for her. She''s wearing a T-shirt of mine, and from the outline of her hard nipples against the soft fabric, little else. I growl my appreciation.


    "All of my clothes are still packed away in boxes," she says when she sees me staring at her attire. "This was on the top of yourundry basket. I hope you don''t mind." "Not even a little. Come here." I push my chair back and watch her walk toward me. She looks at the floor rather than at me.


    I reach for her as soon as she''s within touching distance, pulling her close enough that I can cup her chin and tilt her head up. "Why won''t you look at me, sunshine?" She wrinkles her nose. "I''m not sure of the rules."


    "There are no rules. Yet. We haven''t agreed to them."


    She smiles wider. "We agree to them together?"


    "Of course."


    "Will I need a safe word?"


    "Yes."


    "I think it should be bananas."


    Laughing, I arch one eyebrow. "It can''t be bananas."


    "Why not?"


    "Because it has to be a word that you wouldn''t ordinarily say. You say bananas far too often."


    Her hazel eyes widen. "I do?"


    "Mia." I brush a hand through her hair and tug her head back to the perfect angle. "You are the only person I know who says bananas when they really mean fuck." I kiss her soft lips then release her so she can perch on the edge of my desk. "I don''t always say bananas when I mean that other word," she reminds me, a pink blush creeping across the bridge of her nose.


    "Pick another."


    She presses her lips together and stares at the ceiling. "How about cantaloupe?"


    "Why the obsession with fruit?"


    With a shrug, she pops a grape into her mouth from the bowl on my desk. "I guess I''m a fruity kind of person."


    She''s certainly something. My eyes roam over her face. She''s entirely serious about her word choice.


    "So cantaloupe then? Can that be my safe word? I would never say that usually. I''d just say melon."


    "Cantaloupe is fine."


    She inches along the edge of my desk, dangerously close. Mia will soon learn that being within touching distance means she''s likely to end up with a part of me inside a part of her. She runs a fingernail across the cor of my shirt. "Do you have a safe word?"


    "No."


    "I read that some Doms do."


    "I don''t. I''ll stop a scene if I think it''s too much for either of us."


    "Okay. So, do we need to discuss limits?" I pull her onto myp and silence her with a brief kiss, but as soon as I let her up for air, she''s talking again. "I''m sorry, I just have so many questions," she whispers.


    "I know, sunshine. How about we go grab some breakfast before we talk any more about this?" I run my nose along her throat, and I swear, she fucking purrs like a contented cat. "Because thinking about all of the filthy things I''d like to do to you while you''re sitting here half naked is making me hard as fuck."


    She giggles, biting her lip as she runs her slender fingers over the back of my neck. "I guess that''s not very conducive to talking then?"


    I grab a handful of her perfect ass. "No. If we stay here, the only talking you''ll be doing is moaning my name."


    Her hazel eyes grow darker and she clears her throat. "That sounds all kinds of hot, but I think we should talk first."


    I''m d she backs away, because Ick the willpower to force the issue, and I really don''t want to fuck this up before we even get started.


    ***


    Mia sits opposite me, chewing a bite of her pancakes and watching me intently. I can almost hear her brain working, racing with questions.


    "You want to talk about how this might work?"


    She nods, swallowing her food before she speaks. "Please."


    "What do you want to discuss first?"


    Her brows pinch together. "I researched Dom/sub rtionships, but I don''t know where to start. So how about you tell me what rules you''d like to have, and I can say whether I''m happy with them? Is that okay?" "I only have one rule."


    "And what''s that?"


    "You give meplete control over your body."


    She gawks at me. "Complete control?"


    "Yes."


    "B-but how would that even work? Like you''d tell me what I could and couldn''t do all the time? I''d have no free will?"


    I run a hand over my beard. "You always have free will. But when I tell you to do something, I''d expect you to do it. No matter where we are or what you''re doing. There may be days when I don''t ask you to do anything at all. Other days I may feel like controlling every aspect of your day. Or there may be times when you don''t feel like making any decisions and you ask me to make them for you."T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Deep in contemtion, she rests her fork against her lips. "And in return, what do I get out of this arrangement?"


    "You get the freedom of knowing that someone else is always in control. I will always take care of you. Part of my role as your Dom is to know what you need, and giving you that is something I take very seriously. I would never do anything to cause you any real harm."


    "Hmm." Her brow furrows. "Can you give me an idea of the kinds of ways you''d exert this control?"


    "It''s the act of your submission that interests me. Knowing that I have control over you is what I thrive on. I have little desire to police what you eat or wear." She''s had enough of that in her life. "But that doesn''t mean I won''t sometimes order for you when we eat out or asionally choose your clothes."


    Nodding, she leans forward in her chair.


    "If we go anywhere and I have expectations about how you''re to behave, I''ll outline them before we go. If we engage in any kind of y, I will make the boundaries and expectations clear at all times."


    "I like clear expectations."


    "And there are certain things I''d like to work on with you."


    She frowns. "Work on?"


    "Yes. Your nervous chattering for one."


    Hurt shes in her eyes. "I thought you liked that I talk a lot?"


    "I do, sunshine. I''m not referring to you talking a lot, I mean the babbling you do when you''re nervous." I lean forward now too. "I guess it''s a trauma response, but I don''t think it''s from Brad because you said he berated you for talking too much. So I''m thinking it was something before that?"


    Her mouth drops open, and she blinks at me for a few seconds.


    "If I''m going to be your Dom, it''s helpful for me to know what causes you to react to things the way you do."


    "Well, you''re right about the babbling. My dad was a drunk. I was his little princess. I used to tell him jokes and stories to distract him when he was trying to beat my mom. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not." She shrugs.


    The fact she grew up in an abusive household exins a lot about her. But that''s a conversation for a different day.


    "I also want to work on your low self-esteem."


    "I do not have low self-esteem," she retorts.


    "No?" I arch one eyebrow. "Why the hell have you only eaten half a pancake for breakfast when I made you three?"


    She presses her lips together and mutters, "Touch¨¦."


    "You want to keep going, sunshine?"


    She res at me. The defiance in her eyes makes my cock hard. "Yes."


    "You only need to address me as Sir in the bedroom or if I''ve instructed you to do so. But I expect obedience and respect at all times. Any failure to adhere to the rules will result in a punishment."


    She chews on her juicy bottom lip. "So obedience andplete control? And that includes sex too, obviously?"


    "Sex is a huge part of it, yes. And that''s why we need to discuss your limits. Hard limits are the things you''re not willing to try at all, and a soft limit is something you''re unsure about but you''d be open to exploring it if it''s handled carefully and considerately."


    "So, should I tell you what my hard limits are, because I already know them." She takes another bite of her pancake.


    "You have been doing your research."


    Nodding, she continues to chew.


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    "Yes, tell me what your hard limits are."


    "I don''t think I have many, actually."


    I frown. "No?"


    "No. Because isn''t that what safe words are for? You''ll stop if I''m not into something?"


    "Yes, that''s what your safe word is for, but there must be things you wouldn''t even consider trying."


    Her lips twitch into a wicked smile. "Ball gags."


    That''s definitely not where I thought she''d start. "Ball gags?"


    "Yup, and I know you have a thing about my constant chattering, so I''m sorry if they were going to feature in your training, but I can''t do them." She shakes her head, and her hair falls in soft caramel waves over her shoulders. Cupping her chin, I brush the pad of my thumb over her full lips. "I have plenty of more interesting ways of keeping you from talking, sunshine."


    Her throat constricts as she swallows, but her eyes hold mine and they ze with fire.


    "Anything else?" I ask as I sit back.


    "Nothing degrading or humiliating. Like I don''t want to be led around on a leash or get peed on. Although I don''t get the sense that they''re your thing anyway."


    I don''t confirm that she''s right. We''ll get to my limits shortly. "Anything else?"


    "Anal fisting," she says, deadpan.


    "No anal fisting," I agree, fighting to keep the smirk from my face. "So fisting in general is okay then?"


    She looks at my huge hands resting on the table and winces. "Okay, maybe no fisting at all."


    She''s quiet for a long moment.


    "Is that all?"


    "I think so."


    She hasn''t given this enough thought. I don''t want to dredge up bad memories for her, but better to do it here in the safety of the kitchen than when my hand is wrapped around her throat or I have her bent over my knee. "What about punishment, Mia?"


    She blinks a few times and suddenly her eyes are wet with tears. "Like beating?"


    Shaking my head, I frown. "There are many different forms of punishment, not just physical."


    "Don''t ignore me. I would hate that."


    "That''s not a punishment I would use."


    "Is beating?"


    I suck on my lip. This won''t work if I''m not honest, right? "Not beating. I''m not a sadist. Causing physical pain doesn''t get me off, but..."


    "But?"


    "There''s a very fine line between pleasure and pain, and I like to walk that line. Spanking makes me hard as fuck. Havingplete dominance over you makes me even harder. But you do understand that spanking and causing physical pain to illicit pleasure is different than beating someone?"


    Her eyshes flutter, wet with unshed tears. "Yes."


    "Is that a hard limit for you?"


    "Do you only use your hand?"


    "Not just my hand," I admit. "Many things. A cane. A flogger. A paddle. My belt."


    Her tanned face pales. "Just don''t use a belt."


    "Is that a hard limit?" I hope not. I''d love to stripe her ass with my belt.


    She wrinkles her nose again, the way she does when she''s thinking. "If it''s a soft limit, we''d always discuss using one first, right?"


    "Always."


    "Then it''s a soft limit, I guess."


    "So spanking in general?"


    She gives me a faint smile. "Spanking is fine."


    I walk around the table and sit beside her, taking her face in my hands. "We don''t have to decide all of this now. We can take it slow and work out what you like as we go."


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    "Do you trust me, sunshine?"


    "Yes," she says, without a flicker of hesitation.


    "Then know that I will never hurt you. I will never punish you when I''m angry. I consider it a privilege and an honor to have your submission, and if we do this, your safety is my priority. Always."


    "If we do this?"


    "We can just be us. No Dom, no sub. Just me and you. If that''s what you want."


    She shakes her head. "I want to be your submissive, Lorenzo."


    "Why?"


    Hurt and confusion sh across her face.


    "This is important, Mia. Why do you want this?" I need to know that this isn''t about her trying topete with anyone else or a misguided attempt to please me. If she''s not all in on this because it''s what she truly desires, it won''t work, and I''d rather we have a more conventional rtionship than a failed one.


    Head tilted to the side, she takes a deep breath. "I''ve thought a lot about this," she says, her brow wrinkled in a frown. "When I was in Iowa, I looked into the lifestyle quite a bit. It was something I was open to exploring, even if it wasn''t with you."


    I grind my teeth at the thought of her with another man but force myself to remain silent and let her continue.


    "When I was married to Brad, most of my life was controlled by him. What I could wear. What I should eat. How much I should weigh. Who I could talk to. So, shouldn''t I want the opposite of that in a new rtionship?" The question is obviously rhetorical, so I remain silent but motion for her to continue.


    "But that''s not what I want at all. I mean, I want control, but isn''t that what this is? Aren''t I the one in control here too? I think that was what drew me to Brad when I met him. He always took charge of situations, and I loved that about him. I guess I was attracted to his dominance even though I didn''t really understand that back then. And there were so many red gs that I didn''t see until after we were already married. This"-she waves her hands between us-"feels like an equal partnership way more than any other kind of rtionship could be. I choose to give my autonomy to you, and in return you respect my wishes and my feelings. You stop whenever I ask you to. You check in with me. You care for me and my well-being. And that is why I want this."


    I brush my fingertips over her cheek. She couldn''t have given me a more perfect answer if I''d written it for her myself.


    "And why do you want this, Lorenzo?" she asks softly, her hazel eyes shining green as they stare into mine. She''s so open and trusting. In my world of darkness and deceit, she is an actual ray of fucking sunshine.


    "These limits don''t mean a lot to me, Mia." My statement is met with a frown. "Your limits do, of course. I will respect them, but there''s very little I wouldn''t be prepared to do for or to you. I don''t enter into this kind of rtionship lightly, and I''m not doing it so I can punish or praise or spank you. We could do those things in a conventional rtionship too. I told you before, what I want is simply your submission. The very act of you giving up your control is what''s important to me." She climbs into myp and straddles me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "If you want my submission, you have it. I''m yours."


    My cock throbs in my pants as she rolls her hips. There are two thin pieces of fabric between us, and the heat from her pussy is too fucking distracting.


    "My good girl," I growl, running my nose over her corbone.


    "Only if you want me to be." Sheughs softly. "But you must have some limits. You said there was very little you wouldn''t do, not nothing."


    "I have two." I lift my head and look into her beautiful trusting face. "Infidelity is unforgivable. It''s the worst breach of trust between two people who havemitted themselves to each other. You ever cheat on me and we''re over." She shakes her head. "I would never."


    "That means I don''t share. No matter the circumstances. You belong only to me."


    "I don''t want you to share." Her eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Why would you do that?"


    "Some people do, especially in themunity. Sometimes as a form of punishment, other times because that''s a couple''s dynamic, but it''s not mine."


    "Not mine either. So I guess that''s a hard limit for me too," she says. "And your other limit?"


    "I can''t abide petty jealousy. Know that if I''mmitted to you, I am yours as much as you''re mine. If I talk to a woman, if I make pleasant conversation, that doesn''t mean I want to fuck her." It was the thing Anya struggled with most, and it took years for me to condition it out of her. Questioning my loyalty is a big deal for me.


    Mia smiles. "No acting jealous if you speak to another woman. Promise. No cheating or sharing."


    I slide a hand to the back of her neck, palming it possessively as I wrap my other arm around her waist and pull her closer. "No cheating or sharing isn''t just a limit, Mia. I don''t do jealousy, but that doesn''t mean I don''t protect what is mine. You are mine. If another man so much as touches you without my permission, whether you want him to or not, he will die."


    "Like... you''d kill him?"


    "Yes."


    She darts out her tongue, moistening her lips. My little pacifist is struggling with that concept.


    "This is the man I am, sunshine. You sure you want to go all in with me?" Like she actually has a choice. She''s already mine, and there''s no chance in hell I''m letting her go.


    Her eyes flicker over my face and she nestles closer. "I want all in."


    So we''re doing this. I stand, picking her up with me and wrapping her legs around my waist.


    "Back to bed to continue working through our terms."


    "Where are we going?" she asks, smiling up at me.


    A flush creeps over her neck.


    "We still have some issues to iron out, don''t you think?" Not giving her a chance to answer, I seal my mouth over hers and carry her upstairs.

 134

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    I chew on my thumbnail and bounce on my toes, full of nervous excitement. Lorenzo takes my hand and pulls it away from my mouth.


    "I''m excited," I say breathlessly and peer through the windows while I wait for the car to pull up at the front door. "You remember the rules, sunshine?"


    "No nervous babbling. No negativity about myself, and no brushing offpliments." Those are the only rules he gave me for our first time out as a couple. I figure he''s taking it easy on me-way too easy, if you ask me-because he thinks I''ll struggle to obey his rules. Like I told him, I''m excited rather than nervous, and I can keep my babbling in check for a few hours. As for talking bad about myself, I know I joke about my fat butt asionally, but I''m a woman confident in her own skin. I can so do this. This submissive thing is a breeze. I''m going to ace my first test.


    The car pulls up and Lorenzo ces his hand on the small of my back, shing me a wicked grin, like he knows something I don''t. "You ready?" We''re going on a double date with Joey and Max, and I''m beyond giddy with excitement. "You remember the other rule, right? The one that''s always in y?" he asks, dusting his lips over my neck and making me shiver.


    "Do whatever you say without question."


    "Good girl."


    ***


    Joey pushes her te away, groaning loudly. "I''m so full," she moans, rubbing a hand over her stomach. "That was so much pasta."


    Max grins at his wife. "Pretty sure you''ll still have room for dessert, baby girl."


    "There''s always room for dessert, DiMarco." She grins back at him, and he licks his lips.


    "Do you two really have to do that in front of me?" Lorenzo asks with a groan. "Can we not have one meal without some kind of sexual innuendo?"


    "Says the man who''s been feeling his date up under the table all night?" Joey fires back with a pop of her eyebrow. "Don''t think we can''t see you."


    I suppress a smile because she''s right, he has been doing that.


    Lorenzo narrows his eyes at her. "I wasn''t trying to hide it. But Mia isn''t Max''s little sister, is she?"


    Joey rolls her eyes, but Maxughs. "We''ll be good, buddy," Max adds when Lorenzo shoots him a look.


    I push some chicken from my Caesar sd around my te. "You had enough to eat, Mia?" Joey asks. Her pasta looked delicious, but I went for the lighter option because I don''t want to burst out of the beautiful new dress that Lorenzo bought me-it cost more than I used to earn in a year-and also because this is my first dinner out with Lorenzo. I want to make a good impression.


    "Yeah." It''s not exactly a lie. I have eaten enough, although I could eat a lot more.


    I feel Lorenzo''s eyes on me. He and Max ordered ribeye steaks, which were massive, and they practically wiped their tes clean.


    Joey extends her arm and makes a gimme gesture. "Pass me that dessert menu."


    Max rolls his eyes and takes a menu from the empty table beside us. He grabs another one and hands it to me, but I shake my head. "Oh, none for me, thanks."


    "You don''t want dessert?" Joey asks incredulously. "What was the point of getting that tiny ass sd if not to save room for a dessert as big as a bus?"


    "Yeah, well my ass is already the size of a bus, so I have to stay away from sugar and fat," I say,ughing.


    Joey rolls her eyes but doesn''t question me further. "Loz, you''ll order dessert with me, right?"


    He takes the menu from her outstretched hand. "Sure, kid."


    ***


    As we walk out of the restaurant, my cheeks hurt fromughing and smiling. I hug Joey and Max goodbye, and then Lorenzo and I climb into the waiting car. When the car merges into traffic, he presses a button to speak to the driver. "Take the fastest route home, Tommy," he orders.


    "Of course, Boss."


    I bite down on my bottom lip, wondering what he has in store for me when we get home. Surely I just aced my first sub mission. I run my hand over thepel of his jacket. "Tonight was lovely. Thank you."


    He gives a subtle nod. "It was, sunshine."


    "And I obeyed all the rules, right?"


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    His handsome face furrows and he shoots me a look that makes an uneasy feeling settle in my gut.


    "I know the night''s not over yet, b-but-"


    He pats his thighs. "Come here."


    I straddle him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulls my thick hair aside and trails soft kisses over my corbone. Warmth rolls in my core. He runs his fingertips up my thigh, slowly pushing my dress up. My breath hitches. He goes on kissing my neck, teeth gently scraping my skin.


    "Lorenzo," I whimper, dropping my hips and chasing friction between my thighs.


    His tongue darts out, licking the length of my throat as his hands coast higher. When he reaches the apex of my thighs, he yanks my panties to the side and brushes the pad of his thumb over my clit. My thighs tremble and I gasp.


    He lifts his head, his dark eyes boring into mine. "You had two rules, Mia. Can you tell me which one you broke?"


    I open and close my mouth like a goldfish, genuinely confused as he goes on softly rubbing my clit. "I know I talked a lot, but I was chatting with Joey about the casino. I didn''t babble."


    "I never said you talked too much," he replies coolly.


    "I-I-" Heat shes over my cheeks. He''s talking about the negativity thing. "I didn''t... Joey said I looked stunning, and I just said thank you..." Now I''m babbling, and he''s making it hard to think with his delicious teasing between my thighs. I did ept Joey''spliment, and Max''s, even though it felt strange not to brush them off.


    His eyes narrow. "What did you have to eat?"


    "A Caesar sd."


    He increases the pressure with his thumb, and I whimper. "Why?"


    "Because I-"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


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    "Don''t lie to me, Mia," he warns.


    I swallow down the words that were about to trip off my tongue, not so much a lie as a well-practiced habit. "Because I didn''t want to appear greedy," I admit on a whisper while heat and need coil deep in my core.


    "Did anyone else at the table appear greedy for eating what they wanted?"


    "No, but I ..." I bite my lip, wanting to scowl at him but too distracted by what he''s doing with that magical thumb to follow through. "So, I want to eat healthily. I don''t get how that''s a bad thing."


    "It''s not, but when you deny yourself an asional pleasure because of some fucked-up idea that you''re fat, it isn''t healthy." He rubs harder, swiping the pad of his thumb from side to side.


    "I didn''t deny myself." I try to snap at him, but my wordse out on a moan.


    "Did you want dessert? Do you think I didn''t hear your stomach growl when I was eating mine? If I take you out for dinner, Mia, I expect you to fucking enjoy it."


    "I did enjoy dinner. Just because I didn''t eat dessert-" My climax builds to a crescendo, and I throw my head back on a moan. How does he have me so close using only his thumb? Wizard! "I didn''t even know that was part of the rules," I whimper.


    "It wasn''t. But what did you say when Joey asked why you weren''t having dessert?"


    Oh bananas! Here I was thinking I aced his test. My cheeks burn with shame. "That my ass was fat," I whisper.


    He changes the angle of his thumb, sweeping back and forth now. "That it was the size of a bus?"


    "I... I was joking. It''s a reflex thing-" I gasp, my thighs and core tightening with my impending orgasm. Just before it hits, Lorenzo stops, slips his hand away, and grabs my jaw, holding my head in ce so I have nowhere to look but his eyes. "It''s not a joke, Mia. It''s a deeply ingrained, fucked-up belief that I''m going to rid you of."


    My breath catches in my throat. "Are you going to punish me?"


    His mouth curls into a smirk. "Yes I am."


    Lifting me off hisp, he returns me to my seat and ces his thumb into his mouth, sucking it clean. I lean my head back and swallow the ball of anxiety in my throat. We spend the rest of the drive home in silence.

 135

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    My legs are actually trembling as I kick off my heels and walk to the closet to take off my dress. Lorenzo sits on the edge of the bed, watching my every move. I wish I knew what was going on in that devious brain on his. When I''m standing in only my underwear, he finally speaks. "Come here."


    I take a deep breath and approach him on shaky legs. What on earth does he have in mind? He pats his knee, and my eyes dart between his face and his muscr thighs, spread out as though he wants me to lie on top of them. "A-are you going to spank me?" I whisper.


    "It''s the quickest form of punishment I can think of right now, and your ass in that dress has me dying to fuck you, so yeah." He pats his knee again. I swallow hard.


    "Don''t make me ask again, Mia," he warns.


    With trembling everything, I position myself over hisp, my elbows resting on the bed and my ass in the air. I feel like a naughty teenager.


    Lorenzo rubs his rough hand over my ass and pleasure sizzles through me. Maybe this won''t be so bad. He''s pped my ass plenty of times before.


    "This is a beautiful ass," he says, right before he brings his hand crashing down on the meaty part of my cheek.


    I yelp even though it didn''t hurt that badly.


    "Not even the warm-up, sunshine." pping me harder this time, he continues. "Your panties are still on. Your spanking doesn''t really begin until this ass"-he smacks me again-"is bare." "Then make it start, please." How many times is he going to spank me before the punishment truly begins?


    "I''m doing you a favor warming this ass up first." He ps me again, and unexpected waves of pleasure roll through me. I can''t stop the moan that tumbles from my lips.


    "Warmed up then?" He peels my panties off, and I press my ass up into his hands, desperate for his touch despite knowing it will hurt.


    "You''re going to count your punishment, Mia. Okay?"


    "H-how many, Sir?" I breathe as wetness drips between my thighs.


    "It''s your first punishment, so only eight. We''ll increase the number over time as you get used to it. You ready?"


    "Y-yes, Sir."


    He spanks me hard, and I cry out, white-hot need searing through me.


    "How many?" he barks.


    "One!"


    He spanks me again, harder. "T-two," I pant.


    "Good girl," he grunts and spanks me again. By the time he gets to number seven, my ass is on fire, my pussy leaking like a broken faucet, and my head spins. The burning sensation is unlike anything I''ve experienced. Concentrated in that one single ce, it stings and throbs, making me needy for him. But I''m not sure how much more I can take. It won''t be long before the bnce tips from pleasure and pain to only pain.


    He spanks me onest time, harder than all the rest, and stars flicker behind my eyelids. "Eight," I scream, gasping for breath. He rubs a soothing hand over my poor inmed ass, and I press into his palm, longing for his touch.


    His hands disappear, leaving me desperate for him. I need to feel him inside me. His cock dug into my ribs the whole time he spanked me, so I expected to be thrown onto my back and fucked as soon as he finished. "Sir?" I whine.


    "Lie on the bed. Face down," he orders.


    I crawl off him and do as I''m told. He leaves but reappears a few momentster and rubs something cooling and soothing over my ass cheeks. Although it feels good, I''m still sore and pissed at him. Wrung out but desperate for him at the same time.


    "You did well, sunshine," he says softly. "Your ass looks even more beautiful after a spanking."


    I don''t respond.


    "I can''t wait to use my paddle and my crop," he says with a groan, squeezing a handful of my ass. "I can''t wait to see you striped with welts."


    Unexpected tears prick at my eyes and I turn away, but he turns me back to him.


    "Don''t pout."


    "My butt hurts!"


    He arches an eyebrow, and I''m sure I see the flicker of a smirk on his lips. Jackass! "It was a punishment. It was supposed to hurt." "You''ve spanked me before and it never hurt like that."


    "This is the first time I''ve punished you though, right? And will you think twice before you talk bad about yourself again?"


    I press my lips together, refusing to give in so easily.


    "Answer me, Mia." His hand squeezes my tender flesh.


    "Yes, Sir," I gasp.


    "So the correction worked then." He does smirk now.


    "The correction?" I snap at him, annoyance prickling beneath my skin. "You make me sound like a dog."


    All the humor on his face disappears, reced with a simmering anger that vibrates through every part of him. I swallow hard and my heart rate kicks up at least half a dozen gears. Lorenzo Moretti is a violent and dangerous man, and I yed with hisst nerve. My blood freezes in my veins as I brace myself for another punishment.


    But he pushes himself off the bed and stalks toward the closet. I watch him intently as he takes out two huge nkets and starts to spread one out on the floor beside the bed.


    "You think I treat you like a dog?" His tone is calm and collected, but it''s so cold that it makes me shiver.


    "I never said ;..." I swallow again. My heart pounds in my ears.


    He nods toward the nket on the floor. "This is where my dog would sleep."


    I blink at him. "Are you suggesting...?"


    "Dogs don''t sleep in my bed. You want to use me of treating you like my pet, then I''ll show you exactly how that would feel. Floor. Now!"


    My breath hitches in my throat as I stare at him. He''s serious. I should tell him to go to hell. Use my safe word, maybe? This has gone too far. So why do I slip out of bed and lie on the nket on the floor? Because this feels like a test. Everything feels like a test with him, and I don''t want to fail so soon.


    Tears prick my eyes and I swallow the emotion knotting my throat. "Don''t I even get a pillow?"


    He ces the second nket over me, and although he''s mad and this is a punishment, he does it so tenderly that it makes me more emotional. "My dog wouldn''t even get a nket." Then he climbs into bed without another word.


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    I put my hands behind my head and stare at the ceiling. The nkets are thick and soft, but they do little to negate the hardness of the wood beneath me. This isn''t the worst ce I''ve ever slept, but sleeping on the floor isn''t the most difficult part of this, at least not for me. It''s not being close to him that hurts. Not being able to touch him at all as I drift off to sleep, that''s the true punishment. And I''m sure the jackass knows it.


    I listen to his steady breathing as I lie in the darkness. Needy for his touch. Wet from his teasing in the car and even from the spanking. His hands on any part of my body make me yearn for him. Is he awake? I bet he fell fast asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Correction: arrogant jackass! My back starts to ache and I shift onto my side.


    "Sir?" I whisper.


    "Yes?" His deep soothing voice cuts through the thick tension like a knife.


    I smile because he''s awake just like me. Does he miss my touch as much as I miss his? "Am I a bad sub?"


    He sucks in a breath, and my heart stops beating while I wait for his answer. "No, just a new one."


    I smile wider. "Sir?"


    "Yes."


    "I''m sorry."


    "I know. Get some sleep."


    ***


    Footsteps rouse me from my fitful sleep. It took me hours to finally doze off on this damn floor. Opening my eyes, I see Lorenzo, fully dressed in his suit and tie. He crouches down beside me. I swear if he pats me like I''m a dog, I''ll bite him like


    one.


    But he doesn''t. He scoops me into his arms and ces me gently on the bed. "What are you doing?"


    "Even bad dogs get to sleep on the bed sometimes," he says softly. I feel the retort on the tip of my tongue but amusement dances in his eyes, and I don''t want another fight. He takes away my nket and tucks the duvet around me before sitting on the edge of the bed.


    "I''m going to be out all day. I won''t be home until after dinner."


    "Okay," I whisper. I don''t know how to do this yet; how to act normal with him after he spanked me and made me sleep on the floor. I''m used to tension and conflict being resolved with shouts and fists. At least I knew how to handle strife with Brad, even if it was a nightmare to live through. I don''t know how to move past this with Lorenzo.


    "I missed you," I admit.


    He dusts his knuckles over my jaw, and I press my cheek into his hand, desperate for his affection. "I missed you too."


    "Did I mess it all up on our first date?"


    A deep frown furrows his brow. "No."


    "You''re not still mad at me?"


    He rolls on top of me, his forearms on either side of my head and the weight of his body pressing me into the mattress. "No, sunshine. The point of the punishment is not only to correct the behavior, but to enable us to get past whatever the issue was. Once the punishment is over, it''s done with and we move on. No holding onto any negative shit, and if you are holding onto any, then talk to me about it."


    "I didn''t like sleeping on the floor."


    He runs his nose along my jawline and goosebumps prickle over my forearms. "I know. I didn''t like you sleeping down there either."


    "I''m sorry."


    "You already apologized."


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    "Another one I''m going to break," he says before he trails soft kisses over my neck.


    I whimper like the desperate little sub he''s turning me into. "You smell so good, sunshine."


    "So do you, Sir." Catching the scent of his expensive shampoo and his cologne, I moan.


    A deep, guttural growl rumbles in his throat. "I have to go."


    I wrap my arms around his neck and lift my hips, rubbing along his rock-hard length. "Can''t you stay for ten more minutes?"


    "No." He nips at my neck and pushes himself up. "Besides, ten minutes is nowhere near enough time for all of the things I''m going to do to you."


    A shiver runs the length of my spine.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "After dinner tonight, I want you toe straight to bed and wait for me."


    "Naked?" I bite my lip.


    He fixes me with a steely re. "Of course."


    "Of course."


    "You can shower when you get up today, but that''s it. Don''t shower before bed."


    I frown. "Really?"


    "Really." A wicked glint shes in his eyes. "And no touching yourself."


    "W-what?" I stammer. "That''s so unfair. I''m a woman on the edge here."


    "And whose fault is that?"


    Drat! I sigh. "Mine."


    "So be good today and I''ll take care of you tonight." He gives me a soft kiss on the forehead and stands, straightening his jacket.


    "How long will I have to wait for you?" Five minutes will be too long. I need him back in bed with me now.


    "As long as it takes."


    My lower lip juts out, but I don''t want to get in trouble for pouting, so I pull it back in. "Can I read in bed while I wait?"


    "Yes."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    With an unintelligible grunt, he leans down and kisses me, parting my lips with his tongue and making me moan softly into his mouth. All too soon, he pulls away again, leaving me wanting. "Be good, sunshine." "I will, I promise." Maybe I can do this submissive thing after all.

 136

    LORENZO


    My heart thumps loudly and my cock aches as I take the stairs two at a time. Mia isn''t downstairs, so she must be doing what I asked of her. I''ve been desperate to fuck her since we left for the restaurantst night, and I might explode if I don''t feel her tight pussy around my cock soon.


    When I walk into the room, she''s sitting up in bed reading, nket pulled up over her breasts. I can''t tell if she''s naked beneath there or not. From the looks of the book cover, it''s one of the filthy ones that she and Kat like to read. She looks up and ces her book on the bed. "Hey," she says with a sweet smile.


    "Hey." I pull off my tie. "How was your day?"


    "It was good."


    "Did you eat dinner?" My socks and shoes join my tie on the floor.


    "Yes. Spinach and ricotta cannelloni." She licks her lips as she watches me undress. "It was delicious."


    "And for dessert?" I shrug off my jacket and fold it over the back of the chair.


    "I didn''t have any."


    I walk toward the bed. I need to feel her now. "Why not, sunshine?"


    Her cheeks flush a little pink. "Because I wasn''t hungry."


    I narrow my eyes at her, reading every single emotion on her face as I crawl onto the bed.


    "I wasn''t. I swear," she whispers.


    "I believe you." I fist my hand in the duvet, pulling it down and revealing her beautiful body inch by inch. Her breath catches in her throat and her tits shudder as I expose them to the air. Leaning forward, I suck a hard nipple into my mouth, and she whimpers, threading her fingers in my hair and arching her back. I nip her gently before moving to pay her other one the same attention.


    "That feels so good, Sir."


    I pull the duvet down lower, over her stomach, resting it on her hips. The scent of her fills the air. "I can smell how wet you are from here. Tell me, was it your dirty book?" I glide my hand up her thighs, and I''m pleased to find her naked for me. She spreads her legs without hesitation, allowing me to slip two fingers between her pussy lips. "Or is any of it for me?"


    She stares into my eyes, biting her lip and stifling her soft moans. "It was a little from my book." A flush creeps over her neck. "But mostly for you."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Yeah?" I dip my head lower, trailing soft kisses over her breasts and down to her stomach as I drag my fingers through her wet folds.


    "Yes. I''ve been thinking about you all day."


    "I''ve been thinking about you too, sunshine. I brought you something."


    "You did?" Her voice goes high with delight.


    Getting out of bed, I go over to the chair and grab the silver nipple mps from my jacket pocket. I lie back down next to her and hold them up by the thick chain linking them. "You know what these are, Mia?"


    Her tongue darts out, moistening her juicy bottom lip. "Nipple mps," she breathes.


    "You ever had them used on you before?"


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    She shakes her head, her gaze never leaving the toy in my hand.


    I dip my head and run my tongue over one of her hard nipples. "I bought them this morning and I''ve been waiting to use them on these perfect tits all day."


    "Do they hurt?" she whispers, eyes wide.


    "Only in a good way," I tell her with a wink, shaking the chain loose so that a mp dangles from each end. "You ready to try them?"


    She nods eagerly. "Yes, Sir."


    "That''s my good girl."


    I don''t miss the way her face lights up at my praise. She needs this afterst night. We both do. I open the first mp and bring it close to her hardened bud. She sucks in a breath, intently watching me fasten it onto her nipple, and makes the softest, sexiest little moaning sound.


    "You like that, huh?"


    She gasps, her neck flushing with heat.


    I tighten it a little and the mp bites into her stiff peak. She whimpers, but a few secondster she''s moaning again. "Still good, sunshine?"


    "Y-yes," she pants, licking her lips.


    "Keep your hands by your sides. No touching yourself. Okay?"


    She presses her lips together. "Mmhmm."


    I mp her other nipple and she squirms when I increase the pressure. She sinks her teeth into her lip now, her fingers twitching on the covers.


    I grin wickedly and hook my finger on the chain. Tugging gently, I watch in satisfaction as her back arches off the bed.


    "Sir," she whimpers.


    "I wonder if I could make youe like this, tesoro?" I tug the chain a little harder and she keens, back arching higher and legs spreading wide.


    "Sensitive, are we?" I flick her pebbled nipple with my tongue,vishing it with attention. Her hands ball into fists and she lifts them off the bed. "Hands," I remind her.


    "I know, Sir," she whines.


    Sliding my hand across her soft stomach, I cup her other breast, wedging the mp between the knuckles of my middle and pointer fingers. I squeeze gently and her eyes roll back in her head. "Is this what you wanted?" "Yes!"


    I settle between her thighs, my hard cock encased in my suit pants and pressing up against her pussy. I knew she''d like the mps, but I had no idea they''d make her this feral.


    I roll my hips, rubbing the seam of my zipper over her clit. "Oh, holy cow!" she moans.


    "How about we see if we can get you off like this?" I suggest, squeezing her breast harder. "You grind that pussy on me while I y with these beautiful tits." "Y-yes, Sir."

 137

    MIA


    My breasts throb with a delicious, heavy ache. I can barely see straight. Wetness slicks my thighs, and I whimper without shame, grinding myself on Lorenzo''s hard cock.


    "These are fucking beautiful, tesoro," he says, squeezing one of my breasts hard, his tongue sweeping over the other, teasing my pebbled nipple while the toy bites into my skin. Every time I feel like the pleasure can''t get any more intense, Lorenzo pulls on the chain between the two mps, and I enter a whole new sphere of ecstasy.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Pressure building in my core, I rock my hips, rubbing my sensitive clit over his hard length. I''ve nevere from having my nipples yed with before, and although I''m grinding against him like a horny she-cat, it''s the sweet ache in my breasts that''s causing the deep contractions in my pussy. The ones that build and crest as he goes on ying me-like a puppet master literally pulling my strings.


    He sucks one nipple into his hot mouth and bites gently, causing me to gasp. "Sir, that feels so good."


    "Mmhmm," he murmurs, feasting on my flesh and twirling the chain between his thumb and forefinger so that it pulls and releases over and over again. "Can I please touch you, Sir?" I beg, desperate to feel any part of him beneath my fingertips but conscious of his instructions to keep my hands by my sides. "Only touch me."


    I sigh with relief as I grip his thick hair, holding his head in ce and pressing into the pleasure of his expert mouth. He rolls his hips, causing the perfect amount of friction against my clit, and as I arch toward him, giving in to the sensations that course through me, he gives the chain one final yank, pulling the mps offpletely. Blood rushes back to my nipples and intense euphoria crashes over me.


    "Oh, fu-" My orgasm tears the words from my mouth, cutting off my oxygen as it rips through me. I try to catch my breath, but Lorenzo wraps a hand around my throat. "Hold it in and feel it all."


    I mp my mouth shut and tremors rocket through my body. And when I feel like I''m about to pass out, Lorenzo releases his grip. I gulp air, filling my burning lungs with oxygen.


    "W-wow," I pant, several minutester. "That was incredible."


    Raising his eyebrows, Lorenzo winds the chain around the mps. "I''m definitely adding these to our ytime, sunshine."


    "That would be nice, Sir," I purr, fluttering my eyshes at him.


    His eyes narrow. "You''re being a very well-behaved sub today."


    "I am," I agree.


    "Still not going to save you though." With a wicked grin, he jumps off the bed and gets undressed.


    I marvel at the sight of him. All hard ridges and beautiful artwork carved into his skin. "Save me from what?"


    "Your next lesson."


    "My next lesson, Sir?"


    He nods and removes his boxers and pants, revealing his incredible cock standing thick and tall, weeping with precum. "And what is that?" I ask, full of excitement and a little trepidation.


    He crawls onto the bed, trailing feral kisses up my legs, all the way from my ankles to the tops of my thighs. "You''ll see."


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    Half an hourter, I''m wondering if the lesson is orgasm denial. Lorenzo has my legs thrown over his shoulders while he eats my pussy with all the skill and finesse of the genius sex wizard I''ve always known him to be, but no matter how close I get to the edge, how much I beg and plead and promise to be good, he refuses to let mee.


    "Please, Sir!" My entire body feels ame with desire.


    "Not yet," he growls against my flesh. "You need to learn patience."


    Patience? Is that my lesson.


    "Your cunt is so fucking sweet," Lorenzo says with a groan as he sits up, dropping my legs t to the bed before he wipes his mouth free of my juices.


    I gasp for breath and try not to pout as yet another mind-blowing orgasm ebbs away. Lorenzo leans over me and brushes my hair from my face, and without further warning, he sinks his cock all the way inside me.


    "You know how I train my subs toe onmand, Mia?"


    I''m too consumed with the sweet relief of being filled by him to respond.


    "I get them to the ce where they''re so wrung out and desperate toe that it would only take the slightest amount of pressure in just the right spot"-he rolls his hips, sweeping the crown of his cock over said spot and proving his point- "to have them fall apart at my say so. And eventually there''s such a strong association between the words and the orgasm, they wille almost from the words alone, with very little stimtion."


    "Like Pavlov''s dogs?"


    "Are you going to be sleeping on the floor again?"


    "What?" He rocks his hips again, and I arch my back, giving into the pleasure he invokes. "I didn''t mean-it''s a famous experiment," I protest.


    "I know what it is," he says with a wicked grin, and I realize he''s teasing me.


    "You''re a jack-"


    He cuts me off by mming into me, making me gasp as endorphins race around my body. "Come for me, Mia."


    My body teeters on the precipice of ecstasy, and his words tip me right over the cliff. I fall hard, my climax crashing into me with such force that I shake. He fucks me through every second of it, railing into me as he grinds out his own orgasm. Pulling me with him, he rolls onto his back.


    "Soing onmand was my lesson, Sir?" I nestle my face into the crook of his shoulder.


    "Well, weid the groundwork." Heughs softly. "It''s not as easy as people think."


    "I never thought it would be easy. I assumed it was only in my books."


    He brushes my hair from my face and palms the back of my neck. "It can be done with practice."


    "I look forward to practicing a lot." I snigger and drape my leg over his hip.


    He hooks his hand under my knee and pulls me closer, kissing the top of my head. "Goodnight, sunshine."

 138

    LORENZO


    I stretch my neck and it cracks. Work is busy and that makes me tense, but lucky for me, I have the perfect distraction. I type out a message to Mia that simply says, Library. Ten minutes.


    Ten minutester, like the good little sub I''m training her to be, she walks into the room.


    "Come here." I nod, indicating the space between my thighs.


    Her breathing grows faster as she approaches. She knows what I want. It''s what I always wanttely, and I can hardly believe I forgot the innate pleasure and power of having sex whenever and wherever. Mia has reawakened something in me that I thought I buried along with my wife.


    "Bend over the desk," I order as she steps between my thighs. If she''s bothered by the fact that I clearly only asked her in here so I could fuck her, she doesn''t show it. Instead, she turns around and does exactly what I told her to do,ying her face t against the wood. Running my hands up the curves of her juicy ass, I sink my teeth into my lip to stifle a groan and yank her dress up over her hips. "Spread your legs for me."


    She does so without hesitation, revealing the unmistakable damp spot on her pale pink panties. My aching cock weeps for her.


    I run my fingertip down her slit, making her shiver. "Something got you wet, sunshine?"


    "Y-yes," she whimpers, squirming.


    "Have you been touching yourself?"


    "No, Sir."


    Tugging the cotton aside, I drag my pointer finger through her dripping folds. "Then why are you this wet?"


    "I was thinking about this morning." She stifles a giggle. "And then you ordered me in here, and I knew-" I push a finger inside her hot channel and she gasps. "You knew all I wanted was to fuck you?"


    "Yes, Sir." Face pressed against my desk, she pushes her ass back onto my hand and takes more of my finger inside her.


    I push deeper, enjoying the sensation of her pussy squeezing me and knowing I''ll soon get to feel her pulse around my cock. "And that doesn''t bother you?" She lets out a breathy moan. "Not at all, Sir."


    "Good girl." I slide my finger out of her, and every inches out thick with her arousal.


    She whimpers my name, and my balls pulse with desperation to im her. My cock throbs and my head spins as every drop of blood in my body rushes south. I fumble for my belt, blinded by an insatiable desire to fuck her until her screams and moans fill the library. I stare down at mypliant little submissive, waiting patiently for her master to fuck her. My belt buckle jangles as I wrench it free from its leather confines.


    Mia gasps. Every muscle in her body goes rigid. "C-cantaloupe."


    I freeze, my cock straining to be released from my zipper-aching to be inside her. Sinking into my chair behind me, I silently curse my recklessness. I was so desperate to fuck her that I forgot to take care of her.


    She remains locked in ce,pletely motionless. Taking hold of her hips, I gently tug her toward me, and she offers no resistance when I pull her onto myp. "Come here, tesoro." She curls her trembling body against me, bringing her knees up to her chest and nestling close.


    Wrapping my arms around her, I hold tight and press my lips against the side of her head. "I got you, sunshine." My breath dusts through her hair, dislodging notes of jasmine and citrus. God, she even smells like sunshine and summer. She doesn''t speak but covers her face as tears drip from her jawline onto the silky skin of her chest. I gently take her hands in one of mine and pull them to herp. "You don''t need to hide yourself from me."


    She sucks in a deep, bone-shaking breath just before a giant sob rips through her entire body. I pull her tighter and she presses her face to my shirt, soaking the thin material with her tears. Murmuring words offort, I let her pour all the hurt and pain onto my chest and wish that I could take away all her bitter memories.


    No man will ever hurt her again. And any man who tries...


    My jaw aches, anger and injustice burning through my veins, but something stronger settles in my bones. Her pain leaches into me and awakens a deeper emotion. An instinct I''ve suppressed for too long snakes its way to the surface, demanding that I remember the man I was born to be. It is my job to protect her, to chase away her demons. I will hold her while she fights this battle raging inside her and help her to realize her true strength.


    Because of Mia, I reim the man I once was and thought I could never be again. As her tears soak through my shirt and onto my chest and she clings to me like I''m the only anchor in her storm, a newfound peace settles over me. This, right here, is where I''m meant to be.


    ***


    Mia cried in my arms for a full half hour before she stopped enough that I risked carrying her to bed. Iy her on the bed and she sniffs loudly, roughly swatting at her cheeks. Lying beside her, I brush away her tears with the pad of my thumb. "I''m sorry. I hate crying."


    I narrow my eyes. "Why?"


    "It used to m-make him super m-mad..." She sucks in a huge breath. "He hated it. He said it was me m-manipting him."


    Anger rolls in my gut, and I wish that piece of shit wasn''t already dead. "Crying is a perfectly safe and natural way to release emotion and tension, Mia."


    "Hmm." She blinks, staring at the ceiling. Then she rolls onto her side and faces me. "Thank you."


    "For what?"


    "For understanding what I needed. For not getting mad."


    I cup her cheek in my hand. "For that, you never have to thank me, sunshine."


    She sinks her teeth into her lush bottom lip, and I have to remind my still-aching cock that this isn''t the time. "I just know that you wanted to ...in your office ... I guess I''m not very good at this submissive thing."


    A sigh heaves from my chest. I forgot how exhausting andplex training a new sub can be. "Listen to me, Mia. We have a power exchange in our rtionship, but that doesn''t mean there''s a power imbnce. Do you understand the difference?"


    Her cheeks flush pink. "Yes."


    "There is no circumstance where my needs outweigh yours. There will never be a time when I''ll be angry at you for feeling something you have no control over, for not wanting sex, for using your safe word. Never."


    Confusion pinches that spot between her brows.


    "Using your safe word when you need to is a good thing."


    "It is?"


    "That''s what they''re for."


    "I guess. I just... I feel like I keep failing."


    I press my forehead against hers. "No, tesoro, I failed you. I forgot about the belt. That''s what happened, right?"


    "Yes." She breathes the word like a sigh of relief. "I knew you weren''t going to use it, I just... the sound... it made me ..."


    "I know."


    "His belt was his favorite thing to hit me with. It had this huge buckle. When I''d hear him opening it..." She starts to cry again, and I wrap her in my arms, pissed at myself for not realizing that taking off my belt like that might spook her. "We''re going to fix your fear of belts, sunshine."


    She looks up at me, eyes so full of trust that my heart beats faster. "How?"


    "You''ll see," I tell her with a wink.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    My phone vibrates in my jacket pocket, interrupting the moment. Fishing it out, I nce at the screen and see it''s a call I need to take, but I have no intention of leaving her right now.

 139

    MIA


    Lorenzo''s call didn''tst very long and now he''s scrolling through his cell phone while I read a scene in my book in which the main character gets railed by three vampires.


    A deep ache builds in my core, and I clench my thighs together, jealous of Ophelia Hart and the fact that she''s full of dick right now. Why the hell am I reading about this when I have my very own hot, brooding alpha-hole beside me? I nestle closer and breathe in his scent-so masculine and fresh and intoxicating. He brushes a stray hair from my forehead. "You getting to a good part, sunshine?" he asks with a low growl.


    "Why do you ask that?" I whisper, cheeks ming.


    "Because you''re rubbing up against me like a bitch in heat."


    I open my mouth to protest but close it again, not wanting to lie.


    "Read it to me," he orders in that low, smooth tone that turns my legs to jelly.


    "I-I can''t." "Why not?"


    Will he judge me for reading about a woman being taken by three guys at the same time? Will he think that''s what I secretly want? My cheeks burn hotter. "It''s like really spicy." "So read."


    I lick my lips. Holy shit! He''s going to realize I''m aplete deviant, and then I''ll have to start hiding my smutty books from him just like I did with Brad. And I would hate that. I love that Lorenzo isn''t the least bit threatened by what I read- although that was before he knew exactly what it was.


    "Mia?"


    I take a deep breath. Holy bananas. Here goes nothing. "I arch my b-back as Xavier''s c-cock stretches my ass. ''You can take me too, baby,'' he groans softly in my ear. Axl grips my breast and drags the fingers of his other hand through my dripping sex. ''I can''t wait to fuck you w-with him, Ophelia."" I nce over at Lorenzo, but his expression is unreadable, and I continue reading the spiciest scene in the entire book to my possessive, hotter-than-hell boyfriend, while I get wetter by the second. When I get to the part where the third guy joins the action, Lorenzo makes a noise between a growl and a grunt and flips me onto my back, taking the book from me and tossing it toward the nightstand.


    "I had no idea your reading choices were quite so filthy as that," he says with a wicked glint in his eye.


    "W-well," I stammer. "Not all of them are, but..."


    "That was fucking porn."


    Is he mad? "It''s not," I insist. "It has a plot too."


    He arches an eyebrow. "It does?"


    "They''re also saving the world from a mutant vampire race."


    "Oh, really?" He pins my hands to the bed and trails soft kisses over my jawline.


    "R-really," I pant, lifting my hips and grinding against his hard cock.


    "I like how worked up those books make you," he says, moving lower and grazing my neck with his lips and teeth. "You do?"


    "Hmm," he murmurs against my skin. "How could I not like something that makes you this needy, sunshine?"


    "I wouldn''t say needy," I protest, even though that''s exactly what I am.


    "No?" He smirks. "What do you need right now, Mia?"


    "You," I admit in defeat.


    "My mouth? My fingers? My dick?"


    "All of you," I groan, arching my back as he rubs his hard length against my pussy.


    "My greedy little sub needs more?" He gives a dark chuckle and sinks a finger inside me.


    "Y-yuh," I whimper.


    He inserts a second finger, stretching me wider. Hot pleasure skitters up my spine. He trails his mouth lower, skating along my breasts and my stomach, and when he moves between my thighs, he takes a deep breath through his nose. "You smell so fucking wet already." He blows a stream of cool air over my clit while slowly fucking me with his fingers and I see stars.


    "Sir, please?"


    "Tell me what you want, Mia," hemands.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Your mouth on me," I gasp, rocking my hips and chasing the sweet relief of his tongue on my clit.


    "I love how much you need me," he groans against me, and the sound vibrates though my clit, making tremors wrack my body. "You''re so close."


    "Yes!"


    He swirls his delicious tongue over my clit, making appreciative growling noises as he eats my pussy and drives his fingers deeper inside me. He quickly finds my G-spot and applies the perfect amount of pressure.


    I squeeze my eyes closed. I''m going to lose control any second, and he knows it. Pleasure and panic course through my body. But I can let go. He''s got me.


    A deep, throbbing ache grows in my center, and I mp my thighs around his head as my orgasm builds to a crescendo. He uses his free hand to force my legs back down to the bed, giving him more room to eat me and finger fuck me.


    "Sir, I''m going to-" I scream. My climax washes over me like a full-scale tsunami, soaking Lorenzo and the bed. I gasp for breath while my devilish Dom lifts his head and watches mee back down to earth with a wicked glint in his eyes. He pushes himself to his knees. "You had my fingers and my mouth, sunshine. What''s next?" He licks my arousal from his lips.


    My chest heaves as I push myself up onto my elbows, my gaze dropping to the bulge in his suit pants. I lick my lips too. I want all of him. "Your dick," I whisper as heat rushes to my face.


    He kneels, straddling me. "You want my dick, Mia, you''re going to have to open my belt first."


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    Amused, he raises one eyebrow. "You want me to fuck you?"


    "Yes," I whimper. I want him to fuck me more than I''ve wanted anything in my life. My entire body aches and screams for him to sate this ever-present need for him.


    "So, open my belt," hemands, and the deep, soothing timbre of his voice melts my core.


    With trembling fingers, I reach for his belt and tug on the supple leather. The metallic jangle of the buckle is jarring and tries to pull me into an old memory.


    "You''re doing so well." Lorenzo anchors me back to the present. To him. To us. I tug the leather through the buckle and take another deep breath. "All the way off, Mia," he adds, brushing his strong fingers over my trembling ones. I nod jerkily and pull it through the loops of his suit pants. The sound of it sliding against the fabric threatens to drown me again, but he keeps me afloat, telling me what a great job I''m doing. When I finally work it free, I smile up at him in triumph.


    "You did so good, sunshine." He takes the belt from me, and my blood freezes at the sight of him holding it, but he''s ready for me this time. He ces a warm hand over my heart. "Rx, Mia."


    I nod. I trust him. Lorenzo might be the most dangerous man in Chicago, but he isn''t cruel and he would never hurt me. He trails the tip of the leather, warmed by his body heat, over my stomach and I shiver.


    "One day, I will show you how good this can feel on your skin, tesoro." Tossing the belt to the floor, he nudges my thighs further apart with his knees, unzips his fly and reaches inside his pants to free his thick cock. A groan of relief tumbles from his lips. I think he''s been hard since earlier in his office, yet he''s been nothing but patient and understanding. Oh, god, I love him.


    He gives his dick a quick tug, groaning as precum seeps from the tip. Oh, bananas. I love him so freaking much.


    "You see how fucking hard you make me, Mia," he says with a throaty growl as he nudges his cock at my entrance. I wrap my legs around him, fisting my hands in his shirt and pulling him down onto me.


    "Feel how wet you make me, Sir." He drives into me, hard and fierce and all-consuming. My walls squeeze around him. I''m desperate for the relief that being full of him gives. He pulls out only to push back inside with even greater need. I whimper as he ms into me repeatedly, making the headboard crash against the wall. Clinging to him, I ride the waves of the orgasm that''s already building. He rolls his hips, sweeping the crown of his cock over my G-spot and causing tremors to vibrate through my body.


    "Holy ... Sir," I groan, wrapping my arms around his neck. He buries his face against mine, teeth and lipsshing over my skin. Warm pulses of energy roll through me as he coaxes another climax, this time from deep within me. I cry out when it hits, and it seems to drive him even more feral with need.


    He fucks me like a frenzied animal, as though he can''t get deep enough inside. His breathing grows heavier as he grunts loudly, railing into me onest time before his hips still. "Fucking Christ," he groans, lifting his head and looking into my eyes. I brush aside a damp strand of hair as he stares at me so intently that my entire body shivers. It seems like he wants to say something, but he holds back, and so do I.


    "Was that worth waiting for?" I ask instead, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of my mouth.


    "You"-he kisses my forehead-"are always worth waiting for."

 140

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    "Your gown is stunning," I say with a soft sigh while Kat tries on her outfit for the charity g she''s attending with Dante, Joey, and Max. Lorenzo and I are on babysitting duty, and I''m a little envious she gets to dress up in a ball gown and go dancing with her husband, but I also understand that going to such a public event together would be a huge deal for Lorenzo. Besides, I''m looking forward to snuggling on the sofa with him and forcing him to watch my favorite movie of all time, City of Angels.


    "Thanks, honey." She smiles widely. "Dante hates these things, but I''m so excited. Do you know some of the cast of that show, The Vampire Journals, are attending? One of them is a patron for the charity or something."


    I roll my eyes and stifle a groan. "Okay. You don''t have to rub it in, I''m already green with envy."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Sheughs softly. "You don''t have an envious bone in your body, Mia Melon."


    "That was before I realized you might get to meet some hottie vampire actors."


    "I, uh. I need to go check on the kids."


    "Okay... Well, I''m going to take a long soak in the bath before I have to report to babysitting duty."


    Kat links her arm through mine. "Not to worry, Cinders, one day you''ll get to go to the ball."


    Kat and I partpany at the top of the marble staircase, and I go into Lorenzo''s bedroom. My eyes are immediately drawn to the gold ballgown lying on the bed, and I nce around. Is this Joey''s? Is she getting ready here? Did somebody put it there by mistake?


    I wander over to the bed and pick it up. The color is beautiful with the way it shifts depending on the way the light hits it. It''s so luxurious, but it seems a size too big for Joey and it''s not the right shade for her skin tone. What the hell is it doing here?


    "You like that, sunshine?" Lorenzo''s deep voice rumbles through the room, followed by the sound of the door closing.


    I spin around, still clutching the gown. "What? Yes, but..." I frown.


    "I spoke to Kat and Dante. They''re happy for Sophia and Maria to watch the kids tonight, along with some extra armed guards."


    Mouth hanging open, I blink at him as he crosses the room and stands directly in front of me. Close enough that I can smell his expensive cologne. "Does that mean..."


    He arches an eyebrow. "You want toe to the ball with me?"


    I toss the dress onto the bed and throw my arms around his neck. "Yes, yes, yes," I squeal.


    "The hair and make-updy will be here in thirty minutes, so I suggest you stop rubbing up against me like that."


    My cheeks flush pink and I take a step back. "Sorry."


    His eyes narrow.


    "No, I''m not," I add with a smile. "I love that I make you feel like that."


    The corner of his mouth curls up, and he reaches into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "I have something else for you too." He pulls out a long ck box, covered in velvet.


    My mouth goes dry. He snaps it open, revealing a beautiful thick gold chain with a sunflower pendant. The petals are made of gold, and the center is a huge yellow gemstone. "Is that a ..." I gape at him.


    "A two-carat canary diamond? Yes." He takes the ne from the box.


    "Lorenzo, it''s too much."


    Shaking his head, he tosses the box onto the bed and opens the sp on the chain. After looping it around my neck, he fastens it in ce. "It''s not enough, sunshine."


    I brush my fingertips across the sunflower. It''s way more snug than any ne I''ve ever worn before. My breath hitches in my throat, and he dusts his lips over my ear. "It''s not a cor, Mia," he says, answering the question I didn''t voice. I swallow the lump in my throat. "Okay."


    He takes a step back, his eyes raking over my body before fixing on my neck. On the ne that''s not a cor.


    "Thank you," I whisper. "For the ne, and the dress. They''re both beautiful. You have exceptional taste."


    He stares at me with hunger in his gaze. "I agree."


    Wetness pools between my thighs and the air bes charged with sexual tension. I clear my throat. "I should shower if the make-updy will be here soon."


    He licks his lower lip before his eyes meet mine, so dark and full of longing. "I should leave you to it because you''re way too much of a distraction."


    I smile at him. I love being this man''s distraction more than anything in the world.


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    I poke my head into Kat and Dante''s bedroom, and my cousin squeals my name, jumping up from her chair and pping her hands.


    My excitement matches hers, and I charge across the room. We meet in the middle, and she wraps me in a hug.


    "Did you know he had this nned when you were teasing me earlier?" I ask usingly.


    "Yes!" She giggles. "I was so desperate to tell you, but I didn''t want to spoil the surprise. I''m so excited we''re getting ready together."


    "Like when we were back in high school," I add, tears filling my eyes as a wave of happiness and contentment washes over me.


    "Except that we have actual professionals to make us look good now instead of having to do each other''s eyeliner." Sheughs loudly. "You were so bad at that."


    I snort. "Like you were so much better."


    Laughing, she takes my hand and pulls me to sit in the chair beside hers so the hair and make-updies can get to work.


    I lean back and allow thedy who introduces herself as Lucy to brush my hair. Butterflies swirl in my stomach. I''m sitting here with Kat being pampered, wearing a beautiful diamond. It might not be a cor, but it feels like the start of something special. And the most exciting part of all-I''m going to a ball with the man of my dreams.

 141

    LORENZO


    The smile on Mia''s face could light up the entire state of Illinois. From the moment she stepped out of Kat and Dante''s bedroom, she''s been grinning from ear to ear, awestruck by everything. The limousine, the champagne in the limo. The limo''s mini fridge that''s stocked with Milky Ways, Three Musketeers, and Snickers bars for the journey home.


    She''s no less stunned when the limo pulls up at the venue-a hotel built to look like a French castle, the walkway lit by six-foot brass candbras. It''s a stunning sight, but it pales inparison to the way Mia looks in the dress Kat helped me pick out, with its tight corset top that pushes her tits up and disys them to absolute perfection and the full skirt that manages to cling to her hips and juicy ass just enough to showcase her beautiful curves. She takes my breath away, and it took every ounce of effort I possess not to march her straight into my bedroom when I first saw her.


    She holds onto my arm, and I escort her down the red carpet while she looks around the entire time. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, like a kid on their first trip to Disney World. Biting back a smile, I allow her a few moments to enjoy her surroundings before I pull her closer, pressing my lips to her ear so no one else will hear. "There are some rules tonight, Mia." She shivers and it fills me with a perverse sense of satisfaction.


    "Yes?" she whispers.


    "You will not speak unless you are asked a direct question or I give you permission." She presses her lips together. That''s a tough rule for my little chatterbox to follow, but she nods. "You will not make eye contact with anyone without my permission."


    Her gaze drops to the floor, and I grin. That rule can be a difficult one for inexperienced subs to follow without appearing rude, and I know that Mia is a people pleaser at heart. I look forward to seeing how she''ll handle it, and my cock throbs at the thought of spanking her for breaking the rule, which she surely will.


    "And you will do whatever I tell you to do without hesitation. You understand me?"


    "Yes," she replies, full of confidence.


    "Good." I blow out a breath, preparing myself for the inevitable stares and questions. This is the first time I''ve attended a function with a woman since Anya died, and it''s a public statement that we are a couple. There will be people from the lifestyle here, and I can already hear the whispers and the gossip about whether I might have taken a new sub. I''ve had no shortage of offers the past two and a half years. Any single experienced Dom is in high demand in the circles I used to move in, and I''m no exception. But I told them all I''d never take another sub. I meant it when I said it.


    My muscles tense. Mia squeezes my arm reassuringly and I nce at her. "Look at me," Imand. She turns her head, fixing her hazel eyes on mine. "You ready?"


    "Yes, Sir." Her soft purr rolls through my body and goes straight to my dick. Fucking siren.


    ***


    Mia has been nothing short of impable tonight. As I expected, there were plenty of people eager to meet her, and she greeted them all pleasantly and respectfully, managing to avoid eye contact with every single one. Even while dancing, drinking champagne, andughing with Kat and Joey, she has obeyed my rules to the letter.


    I''m escorting her back to our table when a familiar voice stops me in my tracks.


    "Lorenzo Moretti," she says, her voice a sultry purr. "It''s so wonderful to see you." Oh, fuck! I hoped she wouldn''t be here tonight.


    I turn with my arm locked around Mia''s waist, and she''s forced to turn with me. "Dahlia," I say with a weak smile. "It''s nice to see you too."


    Mia keeps her gaze averted from Dahlia''s, but I see her appraising the other woman, taking in her perfectly styled dark hair and elegant ck gown, as well as the diamonds dripping from her neck.


    Dahlia lifts her eyebrows expectantly. My difort at seeing my old girlfriend is no excuse for forgetting my manners. I slide my right arm from around Mia''s waist and grasp Dahlia by the shoulders, giving her a kiss on each cheek. "You look well."


    She runs a manicured fingernail over thepel of my suit jacket. "And you are as handsome as ever. I''d almost forgotten what that face looked like."


    I force augh and return my hand to Mia''s hip, pulling her toward me again. "This is Mia."


    "Mia?" Dahlia extends her hand. "Delightful to meet you."


    Mia extends her hand and smiles widely, being careful to avoid eye contact. Dahlia shoots me a knowing look and touches my arm. "It truly is wonderful to see you back out here." She gives me a kiss on the cheek and says goodbye to both Mia and me before disappearing through the crowd.


    With my hand on Mia''s back, I guide her through the crowd, searching her face while we make our way to our table. She continues smiling, her eyes sparkling with delight as she looks around the huge ballroom with wonder, despite having already been here for three hours. But then she nces at me, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.


    "Something you''d like to say?" I ask her.


    She nods, avoiding my gaze.


    I sigh inwardly. I knew she was too good to be true. She''s going to bitch about me talking to Dahlia. "Then say it."


    "May I look at you?"


    "Yes."


    Her hazel eyes appear green tonight, sparkling under the bright chandeliers. "Your friend was so lovely. Did she know Anya too?"


    I scan her face and don''t find a trace of jealousy or envy, only genuine curiosity. "Why do you ask that?"


    "It just seemed like she did, from the way she spoke."


    My heart constricts. "Yes, she knew Anya too. Although it took them a long time to be friends."


    She tilts her head to the side, regarding me with curiosity. "Why?"


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    "Dahlia and I used to date. She was my first sub." I narrow my eyes, waiting for the inevitable change in her demeanor.


    Mia''s eyes widen, shining with delight and intrigue. "That''s ... wow, I love that," she says thest part softly as she scans the crowd.


    "What?" I ask her with a frown.


    She blinks at me, as though the answer is obvious. "She was so nice. It makes me feel like I know a little more about you is all."


    I continue watching her for any sign that she''s bullshitting me, but she remains her usual happy, heart-on-her-sleeve self.


    I arch an eyebrow at her. "You only met her for a few minutes, how can you know if she was nice?"


    "Her whole vibe was good." She shrugs, but then she gives me a wicked grin, running her hand over the buttons of my shirt. "Are you telling me she''s not nice? Are my spidey-senses off?" "No." The corners of my mouth tug into an unexpected grin. "She''s a good person."


    "Well, I''d love to get to know her better-if that''s a possibility? I guess it must be hard to see your old friends when you''re here with me."


    Fuck me, this woman is too perfect for words. She waits for my response, her tits heaving every time she breathes, and my cock twitches in my pants. "Go to the restroom and take off your panties." She stares at me, her cheeks turning pink before she looks away. I cup her chin in my hand and tilt her head up. "Look at me." Her gaze fixes on mine. "Do I need to ask you again?" "No," she whispers.


    "So go do it ande straight back here to me."


    She nods and turns to obey. I watch every step she takes as she disappears through the crowd to the powder room.

 142

    MIA


    I walk out of the powder room, panties stuffed inside my purse, my heart racing wildly as I scan the hall for Lorenzo. I''m not sure if he''s mad at me or not. One second we were talking and the next he went all bossy alpha-hole on me. I''ve only taken a few steps toward where I left him standing a few minutes ago when he moves in front of me.


    He leans close, lips against my ear. "Where are your panties?" "In my purse."


    "Good." He takes hold of my elbow, nods at one of his men, Tito, to follow us, and then leads me to a staircase at the back of the room that''s blocked by thick velvet ropes with a closed sign. Lorenzo simply lifts the ropes and walks up the stairs, leading me with him while Tito trails behind.


    My heart beats faster, and I nce around, wondering why he''s bringing me up here, why Tito ising, and what will happen if we get caught. When we reach the top, Lorenzo turns to his guard. "Make sure nobodyes up here." Tito nods and turns to face the stairs. Lorenzo takes my hand and pulls me along the narrow hallway until we reach a balcony that overlooks the ballroom.


    Looking out at the crowd, I gasp. The view is incredible from this vantage point. A few people nce up and see us, and I instinctively shrink back, aware we shouldn''t be up here, but Lorenzo is right behind me, pressing his body against mine so I''m pinned to the waist-high wall and unable to move.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    He pulls my hair aside and dusts his lips over my neck. "Don''t you like being up here?"


    "Yes," I breathe as heat coils up my spine. "But are we allowed to be here?"


    "We''re this charity''s biggest donors, we can be wherever the fuck we want."


    "Then I love it. I love being able to watch everyone."


    "And how do you feel about them watching you?" he asks, his voice dropping an octave. It''s dark and tempting and wicked as sin.


    Then he''s lifting my skirts, pulling at theyers of fabric, revealing my bare legs inch by inch. "W-watching me?"


    He drags his teeth along the back of my neck as he pulls my dress higher, exposing the tops of my thighs. "Watching you while youe on my cock."


    I inhale sharply, sure I misheard him. There must be at least two hundred people down there.


    His fingertips brush my bare ass cheeks, and I shiver. "You want them to watch us?"


    "I want them to look up here and have no idea that I''m fucking you," he says with a dark chuckle. "I want you toe in front of all these people, sunshine, but I don''t want them to know a thing about it." "I-I-h-how?" I stammer. The wall hides us both from the waist down, but surely they''ll still be able to tell. They''ll see him railing into me. See my face change when he forces an orgasm from my body.


    He glides his hand over my hip and down between my thighs. "Open," hemands, and I spread my legs wider, allowing him room to rub my clit in slow, teasing circles. "I''m going to slide my cock inside your tight cunt and rub right here"- he presses firmly on the sensitive bud of flesh, and my eyes almost roll back in my head-"until youe for me. And while I''m doing that, we''re going to see if you can make mee with just your hungry little squeezes." Heat floods my entire body as I look at the sea of people below. Will they really have no idea what we''re doing? Or will it bepletely obvious that I''m being fucked while they''re dancing and drinking champagne?


    "I''m going to open my belt," Lorenzo says softly, preparing me so I don''t freak out at old memories again.


    I bite down on my lip as he tugs open his belt, his other hand still between my thighs.


    "I''m so fucking hard for you," he says on a deep groan. "Are you wet for me?"


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    "Yes, Sir," I whimper, feeling able to use that title while we''re alone.


    His teeth graze the shell of my ear. "You''re turning into such a good little sub, Mia."


    The tip of his cock presses against my opening and I gasp. "Hold onto the wall while I get inside you," he orders.


    I brace myself against the cool brick, my fingers gripping the edge tightly as he pushes his thick cock inside me. Our height difference is much less pronounced in my six-inch heels and he''s able to fill me without it being obvious to the crowd below. He grunts as he sinks all the way in, making wet heat rush between my thighs.


    Oh god. Knowing that people can see us is so hot.


    "Fucking Christ, you are wet, sunshine. Soaking for me." He groans loudly in my ear, his hips stilling as he fills me uppletely. He starts to rub my clit again, using the pads of his fingers to coax warm waves of pleasure to rush through my core and thighs.


    I press my lips together, careful not to speak unless he gives me permission. But I so want to moan his name as his cock throbs inside me.


    "Squeeze my cock. Make me fill you with mye."


    I squeeze and release, my pussy walls pulling him deeper and eliciting guttural growls from his throat. Over and over again, I grip his cock with my inner muscles.


    He increases the pressure on my clit. "Holy fuck, tesoro."


    ncing at the scene below, I see that nobody is paying us much attention now, and I allow my mouth to fall open on a soft moan.


    "You''re doing so well, Mia. Being such a good girl for me."


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    A whimper falls from my lips, and I bite my cheek to stop any further sounds from escaping.


    He nuzzles my neck, biting down on my sensitive flesh, then soothing the sting with a sweep of his tongue. My pussy ripples around him and he grunts in appreciation. "That''s it, sunshine. Come for me in front of all these people." With his permission given, the orgasm floods my body, washing over and through me in long, undting waves. I mp my lips together and rock on my heels, my back pressing against his hard chest. He snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me close as I squeeze him deeper. With an Italian curse, he fills me with his cum. "Holy motherfucker," he groans, sliding out of me and causing wetness to slick my thighs.


    Gripping the wall, I suck in a stuttered breath while he lowers my dress and fastens his pants. My head swims as Ie down from the high, but I manage to focus on the crowd. Nobody is looking. Nobody except Lorenzo''s friend, Dahlia. She catches my eye and raises her ss of champagne in a silent toast. I swallow hard. Did she see? Does she know?


    I nce back at Lorenzo. He''s looking at Dahlia too, and the change in him is instantaneous. He grabs hold of my hand. "We''re leaving," he growls.


    His jaw ticks, his muscles tense. I want to ask him what''s wrong, but I don''t want to upset him further. Is he mad because Dahlia knows what we were doing? Did I do something wrong? Draw too much attention? He remains silent as he hurries down the stairs, my hand still sped in his. We almost bump into Tito, who waits obediently at the foot of the stairwell.


    "Tell Dante and Max I''m taking the car. I''ll send it straight back for them," he snaps.


    Tito nods and slips away through the crowd, and I swallow the knot of anxiety currently lodged in my throat as Lorenzo pulls me out of the building like it''s on fire. I did everything he asked of me. This can''t be about me, can it? Is he upset about Anya''s friend seeing us together that way?


    As soon as we''re alone in the back of the car, Lorenzo sinks against the seat and wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. He presses a soft kiss on my forehead, and I lean into him, loving thefort and warmth of his body. He doesn''t seem mad at me, but his jaw is still clenched and he''s stiff with tension. I wish he''d let me in and tell me what''s going on with him.


    "Are you okay?" I chance asking a question. The rules were for the ball, right? Not for he and I alone in the car.


    "I''m good, sunshine," he assures me. But he says nothing else, and I spend the rest of the drive wondering what went wrong.

 143

    LORENZO


    As soon as the car rolls to a stop, I open the door, too impatient to wait for the driver. Mia''s hand is sped in mine, and I pull her out with me, hurrying up the path and into the house.


    My jaw aches. I stretch my neck, trying to ease the tension there, and quicken my steps, desperate to get her to my room. Mia''s heels click along the marble floor as she breaks into a slight jog to keep up with me. She stumbles, and I curse out loud before scooping her up. Holding her against my chest, I take the stairs two at a time, forcing her to wrap her arms around me to maintain her bnce. Her breathing is heavy-stuttered-and it makes those cock-achingly perfect tits jiggle. "Sir?" she whispers, her voice uncertain. I walk inside my bedroom and kick the door closed behind me before striding toward the bed and setting her on her feet. My pulse races, thundering like a prize-winning stallion. My cock is painfully hard, leaking precum in my boxers. She was fucking perfect tonight. She is fucking perfect.


    I need her more than I need my next breath.


    I brush her honey-blond hair back from her face and cup her chin in my hands as I draw a deep breath. Her full pink lips part like she''s about to ask me what''s going on, but I seal my mouth over hers, sliding my tongue inside and tasting her sweetness. Everything about her is good and light. She''s the perfect balm for my wretched darkness.


    She whimpers and I swallow the sounds, kissing her so hard that she''s unable to breathe, but I don''t let up. I can''t. I slide my hands to her back and find the concealed zipper of her gown. The dress falls away, exposing every delicious curve to the cool air, and the shimmery fabrds in a pool at her feet, leaving her naked except for her heels. I pull her closer, warming her with my body heat. Her tits press against me, her nipples pebbled.


    Lifting her, I wrap her legs around my waist and crawl onto the bed. Only when I have her beneath me do I break our kiss, taking the opportunity to look over her beautiful body.


    "Sir?" she says on a breathy moan, arching her back and rubbing her pussy on my cock through my pants.


    "You''re so fucking beautiful, tesoro," I groan against her skin, lips dusting over her neck and corbone as I make my way down to her delicious tits. I suck her nipple into my mouth and bite down on the turgid peak until she cries out. Sweeping my tongue across the tip, I soothe the sting of my bite, then move to the other one and do the same. She curls her fingers in my hair and presses herself into my hungry mouth. I fight myself for control. If I''m not careful, I will end up devouring her whole, permanently marking her perfect body for all eternity.


    She mewls and whimpers as I work my way down, over the soft curves of her stomach. My lips graze her thighs, still sticky with our cum, but it''s her essence that floods my senses, the scent of her arousal that makes my mouth water. My aching cock weeps to be inside her. I swirl my tongue over her clit, soaking up the taste of her juices. When I growl against her sensitive flesh, a shiver ripples through her body. She bucks her hips, pressing her pussy into my waiting mouth, and I suck and lick her wetness from her, feasting on her cum until my balls burn with the need to fill her.


    Holding myself up on one forearm, I tug open my belt with the other. Her hands fist in the cor of my shirt. "I want to feel you, Sir," she pants. "Feel your skin. Please?"


    I push up onto my knees and start to unbutton my shirt. Her deft fingers soon join mine and she tugs at the buttons with a desperation that mirrors my own. Once that''s out of the way, she unzips my pants and, without warning, slips her hand into my boxers and squeezes my cock at the base.


    "Fuck!" I get rid of my pants and boxers, along with my socks. Being propped up on top of her makes it so much more difficult, but I can''t tear myself away from her delectable needy body.


    With a seductive smile, she wraps her slender legs around my waist and tugs me closer, and I press the crown of my cock against her drenched opening. She hisses out a breath, wing at my back and shoulders as she tries to pull me inside her.


    I hold back, teasing us both despite our urgent need. I want to take my time, savor every single second with her.


    "Please, Sir?" The sound of her begging shoots a bolt of pleasure through me. I trail kisses over her corbone, inhaling the smell of her sweet skin as I roll my hips and sink so deliciously deep inside her that I almoste on the spot. She cries out, the sound so full of relief that I feel it in my soul. I suck a tender spot on her neck and pull out of her slowly before sinking back in.


    "Oh god," she whimpers. Her nails rake down my back and break the skin, but I don''t feel the sting of her scratches. I feel nothing but the deep, soul-cleansing euphoria of being inside this woman. Nothing exists outside the two of us. She is everything. Where I begin and end.


    And when I crash my lips against hers, taking her breath as I take her body-while she ims my heart and my goddamn soul-I slowly rock my hips. Her hot, wet channel squeezes my cock like she never intends to let me go. "Fuck, tesoro," I groan in her ear. "Sei fottutamente perfetto."


    She cries out, clinging to me desperately. "I love you, Sir!"Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Her words steal the breath from my lungs. Her juicy lips open on a moan as shees hard for me, milking me for all she''s worth. I plow into her, drawing out her orgasm while I grind out my own. My head spins with the force of it. I roll my hips against her, spilling everyst drop from my balls into her sweet cunt.


    Completely spent, obliterated by the love of this woman, I copse on top of her, my head buried in the crook of her neck. The high starts to ebb away, and as it does, I''m hit with the realization that I just made love to a woman who isn''t my wife.

 144

    MIAT¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    A current of cold air makes me shiver, and I roll to the middle of the bed, seeking Lorenzo''s warmth. Disoriented, I open my eyes and see him perched on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Waves of pain radiate from him, and my heart drops through my stomach.


    Climbing out from under the covers, I crawl across the bed to him and slide my hands over his shoulders.


    "Don''t." The way he shrugs me off and his harsh tone hit me like an arrow through my heart.


    "What''s wrong?" I ask softly, terrified of his answer.


    "This," he says with a snarl. "This is all wrong."


    "Lorenzo, don''t..."


    Rocketing off the bed, he spins around to face me. "Do not fucking tell me what to feel, Mia."


    I flinch at the hostility in his tone. "I wasn''t going to."


    He runs his hands through his hair. "I''m sorry. But this-us. It can''t work."


    "But it does work," I remind him.


    "But it can''t!" he yells, morphing into a man that I don''t recognize, and I flinch. "I can''t do this, Mia. I''m sorry." His tone is softer now, his head hung low-in defeat.


    Climbing off the bed, I go to him and cup his face in my hands. "You can do this. I know you''re feeling things, but just talk to me-"


    "It''s no good." He steps back and sneers. "You need to get the hell out of here. Get the hell away from me. You were right when you said you deserve more than I can offer."


    Fighting tears, I stare into his eyes that are so full of shame and sorrow. "That was before I knew you were capable of-"


    He scoffs. "Capable of what? Of loving you?"


    Goddamn this stubborn asshole. "Yes!" I shout back.


    His mouth twists in a cruel sneer. "You think I could ever love you as much as I loved her, Mia? You will never be her. You will never be good enough. Is that how you want to live your life? Always second best?"


    I recoil, no less wounded than if he''d punched me in the face. In fact, a punch to the face wouldn''t have hurt so much. Tears stream down my cheeks. I don''t think there''s any way back from what he just said. Lorenzo knows it too. He turns around and storms out of the room, mming the door behind him.


    LORENZO


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    Sitting at the piano, I stare at the keys. My fingers hover over them, poised to y, but it''s like they''ve forgotten how. I m the lid down and rest my forehead on the cool polished wood.


    I need to think. To breathe. To stop the walls from closing in around me. But it''s no less than I deserve.


    An image of her face torments me. Mia Stone, the woman I tore to pieces because I''m a selfish asshole who can''t give her what she needs. I can''t give her what she deserves. Mia should have every single thing her heart desires-just as long as that something isn''t me.


    Except I could grant her everything she wants, couldn''t I? The wedding and the kids and the happily ever after-the entire beautiful fucking future I dreamed ofst night after I made love to her like she was the other half of my fucking soul. We could have everything together. But why should I get a happily ever when Anya couldn''t have hers? What gives me the right to a joyful future with Mia when I promised my wife on her fucking deathbed that I would never love anyone else ever again?


    Anya''s letter healed me in ways I never expected, but I can''t give myself permission to move on. I can''t offer another woman the future I was unable to provide for my wife ...


    And I can''t do it for Mia.


    She was so perfectst night. I saw people watching us, and I know that they saw it too-how right we looked together, how fucking incredible she looked on my arm. Like everyone forgot that another woman once upied that ce. They forgot my beautiful Anya. But worse than that-I forgot her too. Not once did I think of my wifest night, and the weight of that guilt is heavy enough to crush me.


    What if I stop thinking about her altogether? What happens to her then? What if I forget the feel of her skin against mine? The scent of her hair. The sound of her voice. How she curled up on my chest whenever she was tired. Who will remember all of those things about her if I don''t? If I stop thinking about her every day, she might be lost forever.


    Balling my hand into a fist, I curse the day I met Mia Stone. Rage is an emotion I know how to deal with. Anger is all I''m good at now. If I''d never met her, I wouldn''t have made love to herst night. I wouldn''t have broken her heart. I wouldn''t have betrayed the only two women I''ve ever loved.


    And I never would have felt my own heart shatter for the second time.


    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    Kat ces a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "He''lle around, Mia," she says softly. "You looked so happy together the night of the ball."


    I know we did. Because we were happy. I have no idea what happened to turn the man I love into the world''s biggest jackass. "I don''t think so, Kat," I sniff. "He said some awful things." The memory of his words slices a fresh welt across my heart. I haven''t told Kat exactly what he said. I couldn''t bear the pain of repeating them, and I''m too ashamed of thinking I could have a future with a man who sees me that way.


    "Besides, I''ve waited too long already. He had all day yesterday toe and talk to me." My cheeks flush at how I stupidly sat in his bedroom for hours, hoping he''d rush back in and beg my forgiveness. Tell me it was all some awful mistake, that he didn''t mean any of those horrible things he said. "But I haven''t seen him at all. It''s like I don''t even exist anymore. I''m done, Kat." I dry my face with a tissue from the box she hands me.


    The agony of Lorenzo''s betrayal is so acute that reliving his unforgivable words renders me almost numb. It''s as though my brain knows that to allow myself to feel the pain of those words would be too much for me to bear all at once, so it won''t let me. Instead, I remember snatched pieces, and I recall the hurt. The soul-crushing hurt of him eviscerating my heart all over again.


    For a few hours after it happened, I even convinced myself that he''de to me and somehow take back those terrible things he said. But of course he didn''t. Lorenzo Moretti might just be the most damaged and stubborn man I''ve ever known. He''s either beyond redemption or I pity the woman who eventually decides to stick around long enough to help him work through his pain. Because he''s a selfish son of a bitch, and if he was right about one thing, it''s that I deserve so much better.


    I roll back my shoulders and swallow down a fresh wave of sorrow. "I found a few apartments nearby. Would youe look at a few with me? I have some savings and ..."


    Kat pulls me into a hug. "Whatever you need, honey. I''m here for you."

 145

    LORENZO


    I stare out the window without seeing anything. Since the night of the ball, I''ve felt like I exist in a void. Walking around in a body that doesn''t belong to me.


    I don''t realize I''m not alone until she speaks. "You''re a gigantic asshole, you know that?"


    I spin around. "What?"


    Kat stands in front of my desk, holding my nephew on her hip and ring at me with contempt. "I said you''re an asshole."


    I lick my lips and sigh. I have no desire to get into an argument with her, especially not when she''s right.


    "If I didn''t love you so much..." She shakes her head when I don''t give her any response other than a nk stare. "That being said, can you look after Micah for me? Dante took Gabrie and Marco to see Toni."


    I scowl at the mention of my half sister''s name. We''ve never had a great rtionship, although it''s certainly improved since our father died.


    "I''ll be back in a few hours, but there''s some expressed milk in the fridge if he needs any."


    "Where are you going?"


    "To help Mia look for an apartment. I''d take him but it''s hot out and he gets a little cranky in the cartely."


    Mia''s looking for an apartment? I swallow the question down without asking it. It''s for the best. She needs to be far away from me before I fuck up her life more than I already have.


    "So will you?" she asks again, and I realize I haven''t answered her.


    "Sure." I take Micah from her arms, and he curls his chubby fingers in my beard and giggles.


    "Thanks," she says softly, her eyes shining with unshed tears.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    I re at her in warning. "Don''t, Kat."


    "I didn''t say anything." She kisses her son on the cheek. "Be good for Uncle Loz, baby."


    Then she walks out of the room, and I''m sure she calls me an asshole again under her breath.


    Drool runs down my nephew''s chin, and I wipe it with the pad of my thumb, which he tries to suck into his mouth. I arch an eyebrow at him. "You think I''m an asshole?"


    "Dada," he replies.


    I look into his dark brown eyes. So innocent and trusting. A vise mps around my heart and squeezes.


    "Dada," he says again, sucking his chubby fist into his mouth.


    And I see it all again. Mia at the ball. My dream from the other night. My legs buckle, and I sink to the floor with Micah in my arms, fighting to breathe like someone just sucked all the air out of the room.


    "Dada. Dada," Micah chants, pping his hands and squealing. Images sh through my head. Mia in her sexy-as-fuck heels. Mia being the perfect submissive. Wearing my cor. Wearing my ring. Children with Mia''s honey-blond hair and sparkling hazel eyes...


    "Dada," Micah coos, resting his plump little cheek against my chest.


    "No, baby." I kiss the top of his head. "Not me."


    The realization that it could be me hits me like a forty-ton truck.


    My heart pounds, threatening to explode through my ribcage. Kat''s right, I am a gigantic fucking asshole. I destroyed Mia because I allowed my guilt to consume me.


    I look down at my nephew''s smiling face. I thought I could never have what my younger brother has. That I could never have a family of my own. But why can''t I be called Dada or Daddy for real?


    The only thing stopping me is this soul-crushing guilt. Finding the strength to get off the floor, I go to my desk and grab the envelope containing my wife''s letter. As agonizing as they were for me to read, I can''t imagine the pain she must have felt when she wrote these words. Jealousy was Anya''s one major w. After I put in a ton of effort to prove mymitment and devotion to her, she eventually trusted my loyalty. Still, a small jealous streak remained. How hard must it have been for her to contemte the notion of me loving someone besides her? My incredible wife rose above her grief and fear, and even her jealousy, to urge me to keep living, proving what I already knew to be true. Anya''s kind heart andpassion outweighed all her other wsbined. And she loved me just as much as I loved her.


    Cradling my nephew against my chest, I stride out of the library and find Kat in the hallway, fixing her purse over her shoulder. Mia, standing beside her cousin, looks up. Her eyes lock on mine, and the expression on her face almost breaks me. There''s no light left, not even a flicker. I stole it from her. Without taking my focus off Mia, I hold Micah toward Kat and tell her that I can''t watch him.


    I see her frown from the corner of my eye. "What? Why? Is this because I called you an asshole?"


    Mia res at me, her jaw set.


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    "No. It''s because you''re not going."


    "Oh, for goodness'' sake," Kat says with a sigh.


    I drag my eyes away from Mia for a second. "Can you give us a moment?"


    "No," Mia snaps.


    "Please?" I say to Kat.


    Rolling her eyes, she sighs again. "I''ll be in the den if you need me," she tells Mia before giving me a pointed look and walking away.


    "Kat?" Mia shouts after her, but my sister-inw ignores her. "Fine." She huffs and stomps toward the front door.


    An armed guard stands nearby, and he looks at me for guidance. I shake my head. "Sorry. I can''t let you leave," he says, stepping in front of Mia and blocking her path. She spins on her heel, her hazel eyes zing green with fury. "I am not your prisoner, Lorenzo. Let me out of this house right now."


    "No."


    "What the..." Pressing her lips together, she draws a deep breath through her nose. "I can''t even deal with you right now."


    "Leave us." The guard nods politely and goes outside. At least Mia doesn''t try to bolt after him. She crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot on the marble floor, refusing to look at me. "Mia?"


    Pursing her lips, she tilts her head toward the ceiling.


    "Look at me."


    Her throat constricts as she swallows.


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    She lowers her gaze to the floor, but she turns her head in my direction.


    My heart pounds so hard, I''m certain she must hear it. Can she not see how fucking brutal this is? "Please, sunshine. Please look at me."


    Her head lifts, eyes flickering over my face before theynd on mine. "What do you want from me, Lorenzo?"


    "Stay."


    She snorts. "Stay?"


    "Yes."


    Her eyes narrow, confusion and anger pulling her beautiful face into a scowl. "Why the hell would I do that?"


    "Because I need you."


    "No." Shaking her head, she res at me. "You don''t get to do that. Not now. Not after I begged you to talk to me. Not after those things you said. Two days I''ve waited for you to tell me that you didn''t mean it. For two days, it felt like my heart was being torn apart. Two days, Lorenzo! You could have asked me to stay at any point. Could have told me you needed me. But instead, you ignored me and left me alone when I needed you."


    A thick knot of regret threatens to choke me, but I manage to swallow it down. "I needed time. To process."


    "Bullshit!" she bellows, angrier than I''ve ever seen her. "You needed time to wallow in your own misery. Well, I am done watching you shred yourself to pieces with guilt. Done waiting for you to wake up and realize that loving somebody else doesn''t mean you loved her any less." She swats away the tears dripping down her cheeks. "I''m just done."


    The pain in my chest nearly brings me to my knees at her feet. "Mia, please?" She can''t be done. "I can''t let you walk out of here."


    She shakes her head. "You can. You don''t have a choice. The time to ask me to stay was two nights ago, Lorenzo. You''re toote." I open my mouth to argue, but she cuts me off.


    "Goodbye, Lorenzo."


    This time I don''t stop her.

 146

    LORENZO


    Where the hell is she, and how the fuck could I just let her walk out of here like that? Did I learn nothing from what happened thest time I let her leave? But I thought she''d take a few hours to cool off and be back behind the safety of these walls before nightfall.


    I thought I had time to win her back.


    cing my hand on the wall, I gulp air, but I can''t get enough oxygen inside my lungs to stop the burning fire in them. There''s a gaping hole in my chest where my heart should be. She put it back together piece by piece without me even noticing, and now she''s taken it with her.


    I m my fist against the wall. Where the fuck else does she have to go? I know who will know. Leaving the library, I stalk around the house until I find Kat in the den watching TV.


    Dante walks into the room behind me carrying two sses of wine. He stares at me, eyes narrowed in concern when he sees the murderous look on my face.


    I ignore him and focus on my sister-inw. "Where''s Mia?"


    She doesn''t look at me. "I''m not telling you."


    I scrub a hand through my hair and re at her. "Where the fuck is she, Kat?"


    "Somewhere she doesn''t want you to know about," she says with a casual shrug, not taking her eyes off the TV.


    My hands clench into fists, but I bite back the angry retort on the tip of my tongue. I need to rip someone''s head off. Now.


    Shooting me a warning re, Dante sits beside her on the sofa and ces the sses of wine on the table. She lets out a frustrated sigh when he turns the TV off.


    "Kat." Cupping her chin in his hand, he forces her to look at him.


    "She doesn''t want to see him, Dante," she insists.


    He frowns. "You really think that''s true, kitten?"Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    She rolls her eyes.


    "Kat?" His voice drops an octave.


    She nces at me. "Why can''t you just leave her be? Let her have a little space before you break her heart again?" she snaps, and the reminder of how much I''ve hurt her cousin pierces me like a surgeon''s de.


    "I''m not looking to break her heart, Kat. I need to tell her..." I swallow the words. Mia should hear them first.


    My tormented expression must give me away because she offers me a faint reassuring smile. "She''s in the presidential suite at the hotel."


    "Our hotel?"


    "Of course."


    Thank fuck for that. She''s safe and easy to find. "Thank you, Kat."


    "If you hurt her again..." She scowls.


    "I won''t."


    She continues to glower at me, and the icy look in her eyes actually makes me a little nervous. This woman knows her way around a scalpel.


    "He said he won''t hurt her, kitten." Dante pushes his wife against the sofa cushions and silences any further concerns she might have with a kiss. I''ll have to thank him for distracting herter. I''ve got more important things to do right now. Like begging the woman I love for her forgiveness.


    MIA


    "So apartment hunting was a bust, huh?" Joey perches on the edge of the sofa in my hotel room. Well, it''s not a room so much as a huge suite that I''m sure costs more a night than I''ve ever made in a month. I saw four ces today and none of them were suitable. Kat said I shoulde back "home" to the mansion, but when I told her I couldn''t bear to face him, she insisted I stay here instead.


    "Yeah. There''s not a lot avable for my budget." I have money in savings from my time in Iowa, but it won''t get me far. "I''ll find somewhere soon though. I promise."


    Frowning, she shakes her head. "You can stay here as long as you need to."


    "I can''t. You must be losing what, like a thousand bucks a night letting me stay here? I''d be happy in any room."


    "Actually, this is one of the few avable rooms tonight. We keep suites like these open for our exclusive celebrity clients and high rollers, and we don''t have any in town this week. Besides, you''re family. You only get the very best." Her warmth and generosity nearly bring me to tears.


    "Well, I''ll be out of here as soon as possible. I have a bunch of apartments lined up to see tomorrow too. I''m sure one of them will be a good fit..." How can anythingpare to the life I thought was mine just a few days ago? The future I imagined with her brother. God, she looks so much like him.


    "Lorenzo is a jackass." She pushes to her feet and gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. Is it so obvious that I was thinking about him? She regards me with curiosity. "But I saw the way he looked at you the other night. If you want him, Mia ..." "What?" I blink at her.


    "If you want him, he''s yours. My brother doesn''t fall often but when he does, he falls hard. I''ve only ever seen him look at one other woman the way he looks at you." She leans down and ces a soft kiss on the top of my head. "I have to get home or Max will send out a search party. Ring the desk for anything you need."


    "Thanks, Joey." "My pleasure."


    At a loss for what to do with myself, I pace around the spacious suite. I tried meditation earlier, but I couldn''t clear my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was Lorenzo''s face. Asshole.


    A knock at the door makes me jump. Kat called a little while ago and said someone was on their way over with my things.


    Smiling, I open the door and his familiar face twists in a triumphant sneer.


    My heart drops through my stomach. Oh god. How did he-


    "Thought you could hide from me forever, Mia?"


    Adrenaline thunders around my body. I can''t breathe. Can''t get my body to cooperate with the message screaming in my head-close the fucking door! He takes the opportunity to push his way inside my hotel room. I stagger back, but he catches my wrist, his brutish grip sending a sharp pain up my forearm. The memory of his touch makes my skin crawl, like a million scurrying ants have taken up residence.


    I try to wrench from his grip. "G-get your h-hands off me."


    He holds tighter, pulling me toward him. The smell of cigarettes invades my nostrils. "What? You used to love the way I touched you." He runs a fingertip down my cheek and I shudder. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I''m safe. I''m in the hotel. There''s security here.


    I blink and focus on his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Jake?" I spit his name because I dislike this man almost as much as I did his brother.


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    An arrogant smirk on his face, he pulls a pair of cuffs from his belt. "Taking you in on suspicion of murder, darlin''." He twists my wrists behind my back and roughly ps the restraints on me.


    My head spins. He knows what I did to Brad? Am I going to prison for murdering a cop?


    "Wh-what the hell are you on about?" I stammer, afraid my guilt is written all over my face.


    He grabs my hair at the nape of my neck and pulls hard, forcing me to look at him. "You know exactly what the hell I''m talking about, you cheating whore." A globule of his saliva hits my cheek. I try to wipe the vile substance onto my shoulder, but he holds my head firmly in ce and brings his face close to mine, his foul breath making me gag. "Brad went looking for you and never came back. You might have the rest of the world convinced you''re some sweet little angel, but you and I know the truth, don''t we, Mia?" He shoves me down the hallway. "We both know you''re a liar and a bitch who''d fuck anyone over just to save her own skin."


    "No, Jake, please." He knows that''s not who I am. He knows me.


    "Jake, please?" he whines, mocking me with my own words. "Save it for the station, sweetheart, because you''ll be confessing to my brother''s murder before the night is over."


    He releases his grip on my hair and grabs my elbow, his thick fingers digging into my skin as he drags me along the hallway to the elevator. I nce around, hoping that a Moretti guard will be there, but we''re alone.


    A sob wells in my throat. I guess this is what I deserve after all. I did kill Brad. I plunged that knife into his neck, and I''d do it again. The elevator doors ping open. One of Lorenzo''s men steps out and frowns at us, and my heart leaps with hope. "Tommy!" His name leaves my lips like a prayer to the heavens.


    He trains his eyes on Jake, teeth bared like a protective dog. "What the fuck do you think you''re doing?"


    Jake pulls his badge from his pocket. "Back off, asshole. Mrs. Mulcahy here is under arrest."


    Tommy reaches around to his back, where he keeps his gun in a holster. Oh god. "Tommy, don''t! He really is a cop. Can you just let Kat know what''s happened to me? Please?"


    His eyes flit between me and Jake.


    "That''s right, fucker, do as thedy wants and back the fuck off."


    He grinds his teeth, likely torn between wanting to protect me and the knowledge that any attempt to free me from this situation would cause a load of trouble. "Please, Tommy. I''ll be okay, can you just let Kat and..." Swallowing, I stop myself from saying Lorenzo''s name. "Can you just let Kat know what''s happened?"


    He nods but continues ring at Jake.


    "That''s a good boy." Jake gives a sinisterugh and shoves me into the elevator.

 147

    LORENZO


    I''m almost at the hotel when a calles through from my sister.


    "Hey, Joey."


    "Are you driving?"


    "Yeah."


    "Fuck," she mutters, almost inaudibly.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "What is it?"


    She clears her throat before answering. "Mia''s been arrested."


    She must be mistaken. My Mia? Arrested? "What the fuck are you talking about?"


    "Tommy just called Max. Mia was arrested ten minutes ago. The cop had a badge. He was legit."


    Every breath of air feels like it''s being sucked from my lungs. "She was arrested?"


    Blood thunders through my veins. "What the fuck for? Who was this cop?"


    "I don''t know, Loz. Tommy said he was an asshole. He took her out in cuffs and the hotel manager saw him put her in a car." "And nobody fucking stopped him?" I shout.


    "What could they do? The guy was a cop."


    "Fuck, Joey!"


    "I know. Max is already on the phone to Dante and Kat. We''ll find out where she is. I''ll call Drake. He''ll-"


    "Fuck Drake. I want Nathan James on the next fucking ne to Chicago."


    "Okay. I''ll get Max to call him."


    "I''ll call him myself." He''s not going to jump on a ne at the drop of a hat for just anyone, but he will for me.


    "Okay. Head back to the mansion, and Max and I will meet you there."


    "I need to know where she is," I growl, anger surging through every cell in my body.


    "I know, Loz, but until we find out what precinct she was taken to, there''s nothing we can do. We need to work on this together. This is the cops we''re talking about. We can''t solve this our usual way." "Fuck!" I m my hands against the wheel. I never should have let her leave the fucking house.


    "I''ll see you soon, Loz. We''ll fix this, okay?" Joey says reassuringly. "We''ll get our girl back."


    I can''t even think about how scared she must be. How I should have been with her. Then at least she''d have a hot-shitwyer sitting by her side right now.


    I bark an order to my car''s hands-free system to dial Nathan James. It takes him seven fucking rings to answer me.


    "Lorenzo?"


    "I need you in Chicago. Now."


    "What''s going on?"


    "My girlfriend..." That word sounds so fucking wrong-it''s not enough for what she is to me. I clear my throat. "She''s been arrested."


    "For?"


    "Not sure. Probably for the murder of a cop."


    "Fuck, Lorenzo. Where''s Drake?"


    "I don''t want your fucking brother, Nate. I want you."


    He sighs, and I can almost hear the cogs ticking in his brain. "The jet''s at JFK. Give me a few hours and I''ll be there. But have Drake filled in by the time I get there. He can do what needs to be done until then." "I''ll call him now," I say.


    "See you in a few hours."


    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    Jake manhandles me into small room and shoves me into a chair.


    "I get a phone call, right?"


    "You''re lucky you''re even walking, bitch. You know what we like to do to cop killers around here?"


    "And do you know what mywyer will do when he finds out you didn''t give me my phone call?" I snap back, full of bravado and a confidence that I don''t feel. But I was married to a cop for nine years. I know my rights-well, some of them at least. Every nerve in my body is frayed beyond belief. Even my eyelids are trembling with fear. I killed Brad and I''m going to go to prison for the rest of my life.


    "You got awyer?" he says with a sneer.


    I don''t. But the Morettis do, and I know Kat and Dante will help me. "I''m sure you''re aware that my cousin is married to Dante Moretti. And if you''re not familiar with that name, I''m sure your buddy here can fill you in." I nod toward the cop with gray hair and matching soul patch who greeted us when Jake brought me in.


    His eyes go wide as he looks at Jake. "You should probably get her that phone call."


    Jake presses his lips together, anger shing across his face. "What the fuck?" he mumbles.


    Soul Patch steps toward Jake. "I said I''d help you out, man. I didn''t know the Morettis were involved in this. Give her the phone call and you can hold her until one of theirwyers gets here." He walks out, leaving Jake and me alone. "I know you fucking killed him, Mia."


    "My phone call?" is all I say in response.


    Jake uncuffs me and hands me a telephone. But he stands over me, watching the entire time. I hold the stic receiver to my face, praying that Kat answers.


    "Hello?" The sound of her voice almost makes me cry.


    "Kat," I blurt out. "I''ve been arrested."


    "Mia, honey," she says with a huge sigh. "We hoped that was you. Are you okay?"


    "No," I sniff.


    "Have they hurt you?"


    "No. I''m just-they''ve arrested me on suspicion of murder, Kat," I whisper.


    "We''ll get you out of there soon, okay? But I''m going to pass you over to Dante''swyer real quick. His name is Drake James."


    I don''t want to talk to awyer; I don''t even want to talk to Kat. I need to hear his voice. "Is, uh, is Lorenzo there?"


    "I''m here, Mia." His deep, calm tone cuts through my internal chatter, soothing all those frayed nerves. Even after everything, his voice alone gives mefort. Kat must have me on speaker. "Listen to Drake. He''s going to have you out of there real soon."


    "Mia, this is Drake," an unfamiliar voice says. "Don''t say anything. I''ll be there soon. Okay?"


    "Okay."


    "We''ve got you, sunshine," Lorenzo says softly. Sunshine. The memories invoked by that word have me fighting off tears.


    "Tell me where you are and exactly what the cop who took you said."


    "I''m at the Fourth and Beacon precinct. He said he was bringing me in on suspicion of murder." The force of Jake''s glower has me whispering thatst word again.


    "What''s the cop''s name?" Lorenzo growls.


    "J-Jake Mulcahy."


    "Brad''s brother?"


    I nce up at Jake and wish I hadn''t because the pure venom in his re makes me want to throw up. "Yes."


    "Goddamn motherfucker!"


    "Is Jake a Boston cop?" Drake asks.


    "Yeah."


    Another round of curses and grumblinge from Lorenzo and someone else, maybe Max or Dante.


    "Hang tight and I''ll be there as soon as I can. You can''t be under arrest, Mia, because a Boston cop has no jurisdiction in Chicago," Drake assures me. "Say nothing. You understand me?" "Y-yeah," I mumble, but I don''t fullyprehend what he''s saying. I''m not under arrest?


    "It will be okay, honey. I promise," Kat assures me.


    "Okay," I agree, but it won''t be. I killed Brad and Jake must have found out. As much as I despise him, he''s a good cop. He''ll never let his brother''s disappearance go unresolved. It''s only a matter of time before he''s able to charge me for real.


    ***


    He''s been asking me the same questions for almost an hour now. I''ve refused to answer a single one, and my continued silence is met with increasing agitation. Jake bangs his fists on the table. Pulls at his hair. Snarls in my face, so close that his spittle flecks my cheeks. After my phone call, he cuffed me to the table, so I''m unable to move and unwilling to talk. He should know that a little Mulcahy rage isn''t going to intimidate me-I lived with it for ten long years. My head hurts so much.


    Sunshine. Sucking in deep, even breaths, I repeat the word to myself.


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    "Could I please get a drink?" I ask. My throat is bone dry and I feel sick.


    "When you start answering my fucking questions," he says with a vicious snarl.


    I glower at him. "I''m pretty sure it''s notmon practice to deny prisoners a ss of water."


    "Common practice," he spits. "I should fucking-"


    The door bursts open, and a tall, handsome man with impably styled hair and one of the finest suits I''ve ever seen strolls into the room.


    "Take the cuffs of her. Now," he demands, his tone even and calm but full of authority, like he''s used to people doing exactly what he says. Jake res at him.


    "You usually restrain innocent citizens you bring in for questioning, Detective?" he asks. "Unless you want to find yourself on charges for kidnapping, I suggest you take the cuffs off her right now and let her go." "Fuckingwyers," Jake grumbles under his breath, but he unlocks the cuffs, and I rub at the red marks they left on my wrists.


    "Kidnapping?" I blink at the guy in the suit in confusion.


    "Ms. Stone? I''m Drake James." He shoots me a wink. "Detective Mulcahy here has no jurisdiction to arrest you in Chicago. No warrant. No grounds at all to detain you here against your will." He returns his attention to Jake. "And you can make damn sure your superiors back in Boston will be hearing about this."


    "I have every fucking ground," Jake says with a snarl. "And there will be a warrant. Soon." The amount of menace in his voice makes me shiver. "Enjoy your freedom while you can."


    Drake takes my hand and helps me up from my seat. Wrapping a protective arm around me, he escorts me to the door, then stops and nces at Jake. "Threaten my client again, Detective, and I''ll have you charged with harassment. Enjoy that badge while you can."


    Jake res back at him, the vein in his forehead pulsing. He''s not used to being told what to do, much like his older brother.


    My legs shake as we walk down the corridor of the station. I can''t believe it''s over ... except it isn''t, really. There''s no chance in hell that Jake is ever going to let this go.


    "You okay?" Drake asks as he opens the door onto the street.


    "Yes. Thank you for that." I nce behind me, making sure Jake isn''t going toe after me with an arrest warrant. "You were so good in there."


    He shrugs. "That was nothing. You should see my older brother in action."


    "No, you were super impressive. Thank you."


    "Just doing my job, Ms. Stone."


    "Please, call me Mia."


    "Mia." Smiling, he guides me down the street. "Mr. Moretti is waiting in the car for you."


    Despite everything, my heart fills with joy. Lorenzo came! Drake opens the car door, and I struggle to hide my disappointment.


    Dante reaches for my hand and pulls me into the idling car. "Come on. Let''s get home," he says with a soft smile that I can''t help but think is full of pity. Am I really so pathetic? I settle into the back seat and Drake climbs into the front beside the driver.


    "You run into any trouble at all?" Dante asks him.


    "Nope. None," he answers, eyes fixed firmly ahead.


    "So, I wasn''t under arrest at all?" I ask.


    "No," Drake replies.


    "We''ll be home soon. There''s no sense in you having to relive this whole ordeal twice." Dante pats my shoulder. "Unless you need to talk about it right now?"


    I shake my head and stare out the window. I don''t want to talk about what just happened, but I would like to know why the hell his cowardly older brother isn''t here instead. He really wasn''t joking when he said I''ll never mean that much to him. Tears sting the corners of my eyes.


    Dante sighs. "You know I couldn''t allow Lorenzoe to get you."


    I turn and blink at him. "What? Why not?"


    "Because he would have stormed into that station and probably shot the cop who arrested you, as well as any others who got in his way."


    "You think?"


    Shaking his head, he lets out a darkugh. "Have you met him?"


    Relieved that Lorenzo didn''t choose not toe, I sit back and close my eyes for the rest of the drive.


    Kat is the first to rush out of the house and greet me when the car pulls up outside the Moretti mansion. She hauls me into her arms for a fierce hug, then steps back and checks me over. "Are you okay?" "I''m fine," I assure her.


    She hugs me again. "I was so worried about you."


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    "Me too." Joey wraps her arms around both of us.


    A throat clears.


    Stepping back, Joey and Kat nce at each other awkwardly and follow Dante and Drake into the house, leaving me standing outside with Lorenzo. I look down at my feet.


    "Mia?" His tone ismanding and deep, and despite myself, I look up at him. His dark eyes smolder with emotion. I can''t do this. Not again. "Did they hurt you?"


    I subconsciously rub my wrists. "No."


    He walks down the two steps separating us and stands right in front of me, so close that I feel the heat from his body. He takes my hand and I jerk it back. The memory of his fingers on my skin is too much.


    But he holds tight, inspecting the red skin on my wrists. "Who the fuck did this to you? Jake?"


    "It''s fine. It was just the cuffs."


    "He put you in fucking cuffs?"


    "That''s kind of what they do when they arrest people, Lorenzo."


    "But he didn''t fucking arrest you. He had no warrant."


    I shake my head. This is all too confusing. Every part of it. The whole thing with Jake, and now this with Lorenzo. I hate that I seek hisfort, hate that I can feel how much he cares for me even after those awful things he said. This would all be a lot easier if he acted like that uncaring asshole from the other night.


    A thick vein pulses in his neck as he goes on staring at me and holding onto my wrist. "I''ll fucking kill him."


    I jerk my hand away. "Is that your answer to everything? Destroy it?" I swallow down the sob that wells in my throat. We both know I''m no longer talking about Jake.


    His eyes sh with pain. "Mia." My name is spoken like a plea, but I have no idea what he''s pleading for. He destroyed everything we had together.


    "You killing Jake isn''t going to help me, Lorenzo. In fact, the only way you can help me is by staying away from me." Brushing past him, I walk into the house.


    ***


    With a mug of chamomile tea warming my hands, I recount exactly what happened at the hotel and everything Jake said to me in the interrogation room.


    Drake''s brother, Nathan, seems to take charge, asking me questions and probing for more information, not letting up even after Lorenzo scowls at him. Nathan James is a formidable character. Tall and dark and muscr, but leaner than the Moretti brothers. He wears casual cks and a white polo shirt, but every inch of him screams power and control.


    When I''ve gone over my ount at least three times and Nathan has asked me dozens of questions, Lorenzo stands and clears his throat. "It''ste," he says pointedly to Nathan and Drake. "There''s nothing that can''t be discussed in a day or two, after Mia''s had a chance to rest."


    I nce sideways at him, thankful for his intervention.


    "Of course." Nathan stands and Drake follows suit. "I have to fly back to New York for a hearing tomorrow, but I''ll be back in Chicago by Wednesday. I''d like Mia toe in and we can discuss everything in more detail then." He nces at me and I swallow. I guess that means we''ll be talking about the fact that I actually did murder my husband. I''m sure Lorenzo has told them both that already, but they probably need to hear the full story from me. Isn''t that how these things work? Lorenzo agrees and pulls Nathan into a brief hug. "Thank you foring."


    "Any time. I''m just d I wasn''t needed tonight," Nathan says, pping Lorenzo on the back.


    Once everyone else is gone and Dante finally persuades an anxious Kat that she needs to get some sleep, I find myself alone with Lorenzo. I can''t help feeling like this is a setup. I''ve felt his eyes on me all night long. I hate that I still find morefort in his presence than I do with anyone else, but he can''t undo what he said.


    I fake a yawn and stand. "I guess I''ll head to bed as well. Goodnight." Lorenzo stands too, and as soon as I open the door, he''s right there behind me. His closeness has goosebumps popping up all over my body.


    With one hand above my head, he closes the door and blocks my exit, his body heat warming my back.


    "Lorenzo. I''m tired. Please just let me go to bed," I say with a heavy sigh.


    He brushes the hair from the nape of my neck with his free hand, and my skin quivers at his touch. "Can we talk?"


    My thighs tremble, but I suck in a deep breath. Stay strong, Mia. You can do this. "I-I have nothing to say to you."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He moves closer until his warm breath dances over me. My core contracts with pulsing need. "Then listen."


    Listen?! How fucking dare he! I spin around so I''m facing him. "I don''t want-"


    He grabs hold of me, one hand in my hair and one on my ass, and seals his mouth over mine, pushing me back into the door. My treacherous body wants to melt against him, but I m my fists into his chest. It has no impact. He''s an immovable wall. He doesn''t even flinch. Instead, he deepens the kiss, pulling me tighter, and despite my anger at him, wet heat pools between my thighs.


    But this can''t happen. He doesn''t get to kiss or fuck me into submission.


    Struggling, I try to shove him back, but he holds me in ce with his undefeatable strength. I bite his lip, drawing blood, but he simply licks it off and goes back to kissing me. Beating against his chest, I strain to get away from him, but he pins me with the weight of his body and captures my hands in one of his, securing them above my head. I could say my safe word, that would make him stop. He''d never break that trust, right? So why can''t I bring myself to mumble that one word? Why are my eyes closed and my legs trembling? Tears stream down my cheeks. I don''t know what to think anymore. I want him, but he''s not mine. He''ll never allow himself to be mine. I wrench my lips away and rasp, "Cantaloupe." Gasping for breath, he releases me, a pained expression taking over his face. "Mia. Please?"


    Tears blur my vision, and I swallow the words that my heart wants me to scream. I cannot let this man rip my soul apart again. I won''t recover from it a third time. "No, Lorenzo. It''s toote. There''s nothing you can say." Fumbling for the door handle, I''m relieved when it turns with a soft click. He stares at me without blinking as I slip out of the room and get as far away from him as I can.

 148

    LORENZO


    "They have a sister, Micha," I tell Drake James as we go over everything rted to Mia''s arrestst night. "I had an ex-fed looking into her, but her records were sealed tight."


    "Yeah?" he mumbles, and I imagine him furiously taking notes. I fill him in on everything I learned from Lionel before he died. "I wonder what Jake''s role in it was?" I rub my hand over my jaw. "At the very least, he''s implicit in any cover-up." "Hmm. I''ll run it by Nathan when he flies back in the morning and we''ll get one of our guys on it. Pretty sure he knows some hot shot hacker in Manhattan."


    "Is there anything else from the cops? Is Mia at any risk of getting pulled in for questioning again?"


    "It''s unlikely but not impossible. Seems Mulcahy had nothing but his own hunch to go on. Some old buddies of his work at the precinct, and they let him use an interrogation room to scare Mia into a confession. Thankfully she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. But the guy''s a rottweiler. He''s not going to let this go, Lorenzo. The most important thing is for Mia not to panic and do anything stupid. Even if he does try to rattle her cage again, he doesn''t have any evidence, and knowing you, there''s no evidence to find."


    "I''ll rattle his fucking cage," I say with a snarl.


    Drake sighs. "You know you can''t touch him, right? Not with all of this going on?"


    "I know," I assure him, even as ns for torturing and killing that fucker race through my head.


    "So you''ll tell your girl he has nothing on her and she needs to keep a clear head, yeah?"


    "Yeah." Except she''s not my girl any longer. That reminder makes my chest ache.


    "Bring her in tomorrow when Nathan''s back and we''ll go over everything with a fine-toothb. Make sure we have every base covered."


    Ending the call, I lean back in my chair. At least Mia will be forced to spend a little time in mypany tomorrow. I''ll be damned if I let anyone else take her to see the James brothers. She''s avoided me all morning, leaving the kitchen under the pretense of needing the restroom when I walked in for breakfast, and then she never returned.


    What can I expect after those things I said to her? The memory of the pain on her face tears my heart in two. How the fuck do I ever take something like that back?


    I walk out of the study and bump into her, almost knocking her off her feet. Reaching out, I grab her forearm to steady her, but she jumps back like my touch scalds her skin.


    There was a time when my touch set her skin on fire for a different reason. I clear my throat. "I just spoke to Drake. He said you have nothing to worry about for now. Jake has no evidence to connect you to Brad''s death. Looks like he was on a fishing expedition." I don''t tell her that I agree with him about her ex-brother-inw not letting this go. I imagine she already knows that.


    "Thanks," she says, without looking me in the eye.


    "We''ll still have to go in and see Nathan and Drake tomorrow. So they can make sure everything is properly dealt with and this won''t bite you in the ass in the future."


    She continues to look anywhere but me. "Fine."


    I want to grab hold of her and shake her. Fine? Nothing about this is fine. I''m falling to fucking pieces here, Mia! But that''s not her fault, is it? I had her in the palm of my hand and I forced her to fly away.


    MIA


    I p my book down on the table next to me and groan. The whole situation with Jake weighs heavily on my mind. Despite Lorenzo''s assurances earlier, I''m sure my ex-brother-inw is going to rock up here any minute now with a warrant for my arrest. I can''t even find any pleasure in reading. Living vicariously through fictional characters isn''t as much fun after having my heart broken by a man who did things to my body that put every book boyfriend to shame. Damn you, Lorenzo Moretti!


    As though I''ve conjured him with the strength of my thoughts, he walks into the library, arge brown envelope tucked under his arm.


    "Oh... I thought you were with Kat and Joey. I''m sorry, I was just-I''ll go to my study."


    "It''s okay." I stand and smooth my dress over my thighs, not missing the way his eyes follow my hands. "I was just leaving anyway."


    He nces at my discarded book. "That one not filthy enough for you?"


    Despite everything, I smile. It''s like I can''t not smile in his presence. He''s so annoyingly lovable. Infuriating and lovable. "Something like that."


    He rakes his gaze over my body, unashamedly drinking in every inch. I''m wearing his favorite yellow dress. Was that a conscious decision? Because no matter what went wrong between us, I still feel more alive when I''m near him than I ever have in my life. And I hate it. "What happened, Lorenzo?" The words tumble from my mouth before I can think about the can of worms I''m opening.


    His eyes drift upward, locking on mine. "What do you mean?"


    I swallow hard. I shouldn''t ask this of him. Not now. But I need answers. Maybe then I''ll be able to truly let him go. "That night after the ball? It felt like everything was perfect, and then..."


    "Mia." His chest strains against the buttons of his shirt with the force of his sigh. He walks toward me and ces the envelope on the table next to my book.


    "Tell me the truth," I plead with him.


    He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I press my cheek into his palm, subconsciously seeking thefort of his touch. "It was a perfect night, Mia. So perfect. You were fucking perfect." I frown. "So?"


    "I saw it." The tears swimming in his eyes render me mute for several seconds.


    "Saw what?" I ask, finding my voice.


    Just a heads up: NovelDrama.Org is the only ce to read theplete version of this book for free. Don''t miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey!


    "Our future."


    "And was it that bad?"T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose.


    My head swims with confusion. "No?"


    His eyes ze, fiery and dark. Goosebumps break out all over my body. "It was fucking glorious. I saw you standing at an altar with my ring on your finger. I saw us on our honeymoon on some tropical beach. You were wearing the tiniest fucking bikini imaginable." His Adam''s apple bobs. "I saw us old and gray with our kids and our grandkids."


    Winded by his revtion, I suck in a harsh breath. "And you don''t want any of that?" I ask, my heart shattering into a million tiny pieces.


    "I want every single fucking second of it."


    I blink, my eyes blurry with tears. "But?"


    He palms the back of my neck and presses his forehead against mine. "I couldn''t give it to her, and she deserved it. So fucking much. All of it."


    "W-why are you doing this to me?"


    "I''m not..." He shakes his head and drops to his knees, staring up at me, his own tears staining his cheeks. "I''m so sorry, Mia. I didn''t mean any of those awful things I said. You were right, it was all guilt and self-loathing. I was hating myself for finding happiness without her, and I took it out on you. And even though what I said and the way I acted was unforgivable, I''m selfish enough to ask you to forgive me anyway."


    "So why couldn''t you just admit that when I asked you? Instead of tearing out my heart?"


    His eyes fill with immeasurable pain. I want to drop to my knees and wrap him in my arms, but I can''t give in that easily. I deserve so much more. And he''s the one who taught me that.


    "Because I was truly happy the other night, Mia. You make me so fucking happy. I made love to you like you were the only woman in the entire world. And then I saw our future together so clearly, it was all mapped out for us, as though it was exactly what I was supposed to do with my life. I was consumed with guilt for wanting that life-for wanting to give you that life when I couldn''t give it to her."


    "Y-you really want all of that? What you saw? With me?"


    "Fuck yes. I want all that and more."


    I rub my throbbing temples. This is all too much. He''s scrambling my brain with his smooth words and sex appeal. "But why didn''t you just tell me that?" I repeat, still unable toprehend why he couldn''t be honest with me. "Why didn''t you talk to me? I needed you to let me in and you shut me out."


    "Kat was right, I''m an asshole. It was only when I knew I''d lost you that I realized I can''t live without you. I''m far from fucking perfect, and I know I''ll make mistakes. I''ll still feel guilty sometimes, but I promise to never shut you out again. I''ll always be honest with you from now on, even if it hurts. I swear. You''ll never be second best, sunshine. I''ll remind you every single fucking day how much I love you."


    Just a heads up: NovelDrama.Org is the only ce to read theplete version of this book for free. Don''t miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! Heart pounding, I blink at him. "Y-you... you love me?"


    He stands and wipes the tears from my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "So fucking much. With everything I am. I am yours, Mia. Every part of me, even the broken ones. You''re way too fucking good for me, but if you''ll have me, I will never let you spend another second of your life doubting how much I love you."


    My heart aches to tell him what he wants to hear, but I''d be a fool to trust him with it again, wouldn''t I? "What if I let you back in, and you ..." A shuddering sob forces me to pause, and I shake my head. "I can''t take that risk." cing a fingertip under my chin, he forces me to look at him. "A very smart woman once told me that love is always worth the risk."


    Damn him. Using my own words against me. Without warning, the emotional upheaval of the whole week ms into me and I sway on my feet, but his hands on my hips hold me steady. What kind of person would I be if I didn''t give him another chance after he bared his entire soul? Not the kind of person I want to be.


    I wrap my arms around his neck. "I love you too, Lorenzo Moretti."


    His lips find mine and he kisses me so fiercely that my head spins. Melting into his embrace, I allow myself to be dominated and imed by him. It feels likeing home.


    I rub myself against his rock-hard cock, chasing the deep connection that I''ve only ever felt when our bodies join together. With frantic motions, he pulls at my dress, bunching the material at my hips. His hand delves between my thighs, tugging my panties out of his way. When he slides a finger through my wet folds, my legs almost buckle, but he holds me up, wrapping his free arm around my waist.


    "Need you... so fucking bad." He kisses me deeper, grinding his hard length against me.


    "I need you too," I gasp, feeling for his button and zipper and tugging them open. Reaching into his boxers, I wrap my hand around the base of his thick shaft and squeeze, eliciting a guttural groan from deep in his throat. He''s holding back. "Fuck me," I murmur into his mouth.


    He wastes no time lifting me onto the piano and wrapping my legs around him, not breaking our kiss for a single beat as he tugs my panties aside and sinks all the way inside me. His tongue swirls against mine and he rails into me, iming my mouth and my body with the same intensity.


    I w at his back and shoulders, trying to take him deeper, desperate for him to sate the ache inside me the way that only he can. With equal frenzy, he squeezes my ass in one hand while the other roams my body as though he''s reacquainting himself with every curve. His heavy breathing morphs into animalistic grunts, my moans turn to eager whimpers.


    "Fuck!" He changes the angle so he can go deeper. My back arches as he rolls his hips, sweeping the tip of his cock over the sweet spot inside my pussy that makes me want to do anything for the promise of the bone-shattering orgasm he''s about to deliver.


    I wrench my lips from his, unable to kiss him and breathe at the same time for much longer. "Please, Sir!"


    "Oh, tesoro, you know I love it when you beg." The vibration of his words against my ear shoots electric pleasure up my spine. His abs and thighs clench tight as he tries to stave off his release, but I want him to lose control right along with me. I dust my lips over the shell of his ear, and in the most seductive voice I can muster while being nailed into oblivion, I say, "I''d do anything for your cock, Sir."


    "Holy. Fuck. Mia!" he roars, mming into me. My walls contract around him, milking his thick cock and coating him with my slick release. He buries his head into my neck, breathing heavy and muttering in Italian.

 149

    LORENZO


    I carry her upstairs to bed, my cum dripping from her and a satisfied smile on her face. As soon as the bedroom door closes behind us, I finish undressing her.


    She walks backward, and I follow her step for step, herding her toward the bed. My eyes roam hungrily over her beautiful body. It''s been three days since I saw her naked, but it feels like forever. "Take off the underwear." I pull off my shirt.


    "You''re very impatient tonight, Sir," she says with a softugh, her skin flushing pink.


    Grabbing her at the nape of her neck, I pull her tantalizingly close and tilt her head, forcing her to look up at me. My free hand coasts down her back to palm her juicy ass. "I know it was all my own fault, tesoro, but that doesn''t change the fact that I have lived without this beautiful body for three whole days." Her soft pink lips fall open on a moan. "And I intend to spend as long as it takes to reacquaint my hands, my mouth, and my cock with every single delicious inch of it." Dipping my head, I sweep my tongue over the plump bow of her lips and squeeze her throat gently. She sucks in a stuttered breath. "So take off your fucking clothes and lie on the bed."


    After I release her, she stares at me while slowly stripping off her bra. I try to maintain eye contact, but I see her reaching for her panties and I''m done for. My gaze drops, and she lets out a triumphantugh and peels away the small scrap of fabric, well aware that I''m watching every move she makes. By the time she stands up straight, her glorious naked body on full disy for me, I''m hard as fucking iron. Then my little temptress sits on the bed, leans back on her elbows, and inches toward the pillows. I finish undressing, eyes fixated on her sweet pussy-my heaven on fucking earth.


    Acting coy, no doubt just to push my fucking buttons and make me harder than I already am, she crosses her legs as she scoots back.


    I scowl at her. "No. Let me see my pussy, sunshine."


    Smiling mischievously, she opens her legs a little wider.


    "All the fucking way, Mia."


    She rolls her eyes but spreads her legs wide for me, letting me see her juicy cunt dripping with our cum. "I know what you''re doing, tesoro."


    "And what''s that, Sir?" she purrs thest word.


    I crawl over her, running my nose from her ankle up her calf and all the way to the apex of her thighs. Damn, she smells so fucking good. I need to taste her, but I need to deal with her attitude first.


    She whines with frustration when I pay no attention to the space between her thighs but instead keep moving. nting my forearms on either side of her head, I bring my face close to hers. "You''re trying to test me to see if I''m feeling guilty enough about what I did the other night that I won''t punish you for misbehaving."


    She narrows her eyes at me in defiance.


    I press a soft kiss on her forehead. "And the answer is no. Behave yourself or I will spend the rest of this long night taking my fill of your entire body, and when I''m done, I''ll leave you wanting."


    Her hazel eyes sh with defiance and desire.


    "I''ll bring you to the very edge while I suck and lick and fuck you. Over and over. Even when you cry and beg me like the needy little sub you are, I''ll keep you there on that edge... never letting you get off." "You wouldn''t," she breathes.


    "Oh, I would, sunshine. It''s my favorite kind of punishment, and I know many, many ways to deny you a release."


    "But Sir..."


    "And I am so looking forward to seeing you all wrung out, on your hands and knees, begging for me to let youe. So, what''s it to be? Are you going to be a good girl for me or am I going to get to use this beautiful body all night?" She sinks her perfect teeth into her juicy bottom lip, her face flushing with heat.


    "Mia?"


    "I''ll be good..."


    I narrow my eyes at her. "But?"


    "You using my body all night sounds kinda hot."


    "It will be." I kiss her, swallowing the soft whimpers she makes as I grind my hard length against her wet pussy lips.


    MIA


    "Come here, sunshine, I''m not done with you yet." Lorenzo grabs my hips, pulling me up so I''m on my knees with my head down and my ass in the air.


    "I c-can''t... anymore..." I pant. Every part of my body aches and trembles.


    He leans over me, his hot mouth resting against my ear. "I told you I was going to use this body all night long. Did you think I was ying?" "No, Sir."


    "I won''t ever give you more than you can take, but you can use your safe word any time you need it." "Uh-huh," I whimper.


    "What is it, Mia?" he whispers, his warm breath dusting over my damp skin and making me shiver. "Cantaloupe."


    "Good girl." He drags his thumb through my wet folds, scooping up my arousal with the tip.


    "Sir?"


    "Yes?"


    I chew on my lip. Will he be annoyed if I make him say it again?


    He leans over me, cupping my chin in his hand and tilting my head back so he can look at me. "What is it?"


    "Can you tell me again?" I whisper, tears pricking unexpectedly at the corners of my eyes.


    He smiles and my heart bursts. "I love you, tesoro."


    "I love you too, Sir."


    He lets my head drop back to the mattress and rubs a soothing hand down my ass. "I know you do." Then he spanks me hard, causing white-hot pleasure to burn through my core. I whimper with need as another orgasm starts to coil deep in my center. I stopped counting how many times he made mee when I got to four. They just keep rolling over me one after the next until I can barely remember my own name.


    His hand spanks my tender cheek again and I yelp, pulling my legs toward my body but unable to move much. He tied my wrists and ankles to the bedposts a while ago, spreading me out like a giant cross but with plenty of give in my ropes that he can still flip me over whenever he wants. The man is a machine. A hot devilish machine with the body of a demigod.


    "Sir," I whimper after he spanks me again, harder this time, and I have no idea how it''s even possible that my body continues to crave him when I''m sopletely wrung out and exhausted. I''m sticky with cum-his and mine-the sheets are soaked, and I''m pretty sure I''ve passed out at least twice. But I still push my ass back, needy for more of whatever he''s willing to give.


    "You have such a beautiful ass, Mia." He pushes his thumb, slick with my cum, into my asshole.


    "Oh, fuck." I hiss out a breath as my muscles clench around him. He spanks me over and over while he fucks me there, slowly working his thumb in and out, and I teeter on the edge of a sex-induceda.


    He sucks in a deep breath. "You''re so tight here, tesoro. Have you ever been fucked here before?"


    "Yes," I admit.


    "Did you enjoy it?" He pushes his thumb deeper, making me moan. "Sometimes," I whisper when I regain my ability to speak coherently.


    "You think you can take my whole cock in your ass right now?"


    The wordse out without thought. "Yes please, Sir."


    "You''re being such a good girl for me tonight, so much cum I don''t think I even need the lube." He slips his thumb out of me, then to my shame and delight, he scoops our cum from between my thighs and uses it to coat his cock. Grabbing hold of my hips, he positions the crown at the seam of my ass.


    He pushes in a little and I groan as he stretches me wide open. "Okay, sunshine?" he asks.


    "Uh-huh."


    He waits, allowing my body to adjust to his size before he pushes a little deeper.


    "So fucking tight," he says with a growl as he massages my G-spot with his finger and sinks further into my ass.


    "Sir!" Waves of unending pleasure roll through me.


    "Almost there. You still okay?"


    "Y-yes," I whimper. "I can take more."


    "Yeah?" he grunts, his free hand gripping my hip so tightly, his fingertips bruise my soft flesh, but I don''t care. I''m going to be covered in his marks tomorrow, and I''ll remember how good he made me feel making every single one. "Yes please!"


    He rewards me by sliding all the way inside. I almost crumple to the mattress, but he holds me upright, stilling my body while he pushes deep. "Jesus. Fuck!"


    I whimper and mewl like a feral kitten.


    "So fucking good."


    I murmur something unintelligible, incapable of forming coherent words. And when he slips a second finger inside me and starts to fuck my ass and pussy at the same time, I go nuclear. He curls the tips of his fingers, pressing against that spot that he finds so damn easily, and I lose all sense of space and time. Wave after wave of euphoria overpowers me and a tsunami of cum rushes between my thighs.


    My body shakes and shudders, and he finally allows me to drop to the mattress, pressing me down with his weight as he goes on fucking my ass. I try to focus on his words. On the sounds he makes when hees apart a few momentster, but I''m floating somewhere between reality and oblivion, unable to get any rational sense of where I am. There is only warmth and happiness and a deep-seated contentment.


    "You''re okay, sunshine." Lorenzo''s soothing voice anchors me to reality, and I blink to find myself lying face up, free of my restraints. I feel blissfully cozy and there''s a soft warmth between my thighs that I can''t work out. "Youing back to me, tesoro?"


    I focus on his hands. The warmth is a washcloth. He''s cleaning me up. Washing our cum off me. The fabric beneath me is dry now too. I wiggle my ass a little. The duvet is gone and I''m lying on the dry sheets.


    "That feels nice." My eyes flutter open.


    Lorenzo kisses my stomach. "You did good. Are you feeling okay?"


    "Hmm," I murmur. "Better than okay."


    "Good girl," he repeats, peppering soft kisses over my abdomen while he cleans me up. Then he pushes himself up from the bed, and I whimper at the loss of his warmth. My eyes shutter closed again. The bed dips beside me and I smell a familiar scent. Jasmine and lemon.


    His hands glide over my calves, smoothing my favorite body lotion into my skin and working his way up to the tops of my thighs. "What are you doing now?" I ask softly.


    "Making sure your skin doesn''t dry out. I just gave you a bed bath." He chuckles.


    "You''re so considerate, Sir."


    "It''s all part of the service."


    "Hmm. Fuck me into aa and then take care of me after?" I giggle.


    He yfully nips at my thigh. "It''s called aftercare. I''m surprised it never came up in your extensive research."T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh, it did. I just didn''t think it would feel this good." I practically purr thest word.


    He rubs his hands over my hips and stomach. "I didn''t think anything could feel this good again." His voice is thick with emotion, and it makes my heart ache. I reach for him, pulling him to lie down next to me. He goes on massaging my skin with lotion while he nuzzles my neck.


    "I''m d you took a risk, Sir."


    "So am I, tesoro."

 150

    LORENZO


    I wake with her still asleep on my chest. My muscles tense instinctively, my arms banding tighter around her in case this is a dream.


    She snuggles closer, and I drop a soft kiss on her forehead. Her eyes flutter open. "Morning, Sir," she breathes, and already my cock is twitching. How the fuck does she do that? "Morning, sunshine."


    "I love waking up next to you."


    I brush her hair back from her face. "Me too. I''m so d you''re home."


    "Hmm." She sinks her teeth into her luscious lip, and it makes me instantly hard.


    But I don''t like that look on her face. "What does that sound mean?"


    "This doesn''t really feel like my home is all," she admits.


    I look around the room, the one I shared with my wife. She''s right; I''ve done nothing to make Mia feel like this ce belongs to her. "What would it take to make it feel like your home?" She shrugs. "I don''t know. It''s such a big house."


    "It''s about to get bigger too. Dante convinced Max to move back here with Joey, but only if they can build their own wing." "Wow! A whole wing."


    "Well, everyone needs their privacy, I guess. Although most of this wing is barely used now. After Anya''s cancer went into remission the first time, we moved to Italy for a few years and this part of the house was locked down. We came back when she got sick again, but we never really opened it back up."


    She rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling, a soft smile on her face. I love that she allows me to talk about Anya and doesn''t make me feel bad about it. "That''s such a shame. It''s an incredible space."


    I prop myself up on one elbow and search her face. "You could bring it back to life."


    "I could what?"


    "Why don''t you make this part of the house ours. Mine and yours."


    "But how?"


    "However you want."


    "I couldn''t. I''d be too scared of changing something I shouldn''t. Besides, I don''t need a wing. But maybe a room? Where we could watch TV alone sometimes? Somewhere private. The library is supposed to be for everyone, and I spoke to Kat about a reading corner for the kids. So I don''t think we can keep using it as our own personal..." She bites on that damn lip again. "Fuck den?" I suggest.


    Sheughs out loud. "Our bang pce?"


    I dip my head and nip her shoulder, making her squeal as she goes on giggling. "Yeah, we definitely need some space of our own." She flutters her eyshes at me. "It would be nice to have somewhere to watch you work while I read."


    "Read your porn?"


    "My cli-te-ra-ture," she says, enunciating each syble.


    "Maybe I''ll make you read it to me while I''m working." I roll on top of her.


    Her chest and neck flush with heat. "I''d like that a lot, Sir."


    "And between reading your porn, you can renovate this entire wing so that you feel like it''s your home as much as mine."


    She opens her mouth. "I said-"


    I kiss her, refusing to let her argue with me. I need her by my side every second of every day, and it''s safer for all of us if we live in this mansion. My free spirit will be able to spread her wings, but that doesn''t mean I''m not going to protect her while she soars.


    MIA


    "The James building?" I ask as we walk up the marble steps to the huge ss doors.


    Lorenzo straightens his tie and nods.


    "They have an entire skyscraper named after them?"


    "It''s their building," he replies, ncing around the street, always on alert.


    "Wow! They must be super rich to own a whole building, and I bet that''s not just here in Chicago, right? Did you say Nathan is from New York? I bet he has his own building there too. And where else? I heard there were four brothers. Do you know-"


    "Mia." Lorenzo squeezes my hand. "It''ll be okay."


    I swallow down a thick knot of anxiety. "Sorry."


    He lifts my hand, brushing his lips over my knuckles. "Stop apologizing."


    "Sor-" He shoots me a warning look, and I mp my lips together.


    A man holds the door for us, and Lorenzo guides me into the building, his hand ced reassuringly on the small of my back. "Mr. James is waiting for you, sir," the man says. "Thank you." Lorenzo leads me to the elevators on the other side of the building. As we near them, a smartly dressed woman, about my age, stops in front of us.


    "Lorenzo, it''s so wonderful to see you." She leans in and kisses him on each cheek, leaving a cloud of expensive perfume behind.


    "Mnie, how are you?" he asks, giving her shoulder a light squeeze with his free hand, keeping mine sped in his other.


    Even in sky-high heels, she has to crane her neck to look up at him. "I''m wonderful," she says, giving me only a cursory nce. "I heard a rumor you were back on the scene." "Well, you heard wrong," he replies curtly but politely.


    "Oh?" She blinks at him, fluttering her eyshes and running a hand over her perfectly styled blond hair. "So, you haven''t taken a new sub?"


    "Not that it''s any of your business, or the kind of information I want to discuss in a public lobby..."


    I lower my gaze to the floor, feeling unexpectedly wounded over the denial that''s about toe from his lips. Maybe I''m no longer his sub? We didn''t discuss the specifics of our rtionshipst night. "I haven''t taken a sub, but perhaps you''re referring to Mia." He pulls me closer and possessively wraps his arm around my waist. "My future wife."


    What the...


    Mnie''s face flushes as crimson as the elegant dress she''s wearing, and she opens and closes her mouth like a goldfish. I feel equally stunned by his revtion, but for the sake of appearances, I gaze adoringly up at Lorenzo and almost melt into a puddle when he winks at me.


    "We should go," he says with a polite nod. "It was ...interesting running into you."


    "You too." She still doesn''t acknowledge me. "Perhaps you coulde to the club some time?"


    He narrows his eyes. "Only if Mia would like to. Perhaps you should ask her?"


    Mnie makes a sound like she''s choking on her own breath. "Of course, Mia. We''d love to see you at the club some time."


    "Maybe," I say with a genuine smile. I have no idea what the club is, but I want to go.


    "We really need to go, tesoro," Lorenzo says to me, guiding me into the elevator and leaving Mnie staring after us.


    The doors close and I press my body against his. "Your future wife?"


    He rolls his head from side to side, stretching neck. "Aren''t you?"


    "I, uh, well. We never discussed it."


    "I told you what I saw. What I wanted," he says matter-of-factly.


    "I know, but that''s not exactly discussing it, Lorenzo."


    Sliding his arms around my waist, he pulls my body close to his. So close that I feel the heat from him even through my coat. He dusts his lips over my ear. "You will be my wife, Mia." Not will you, but you will. Arrogant son of a ...


    "Won''t you?" he growls, and the sound of his voice makes me shiver.


    "Is that your idea of a proposal?"


    "Not even close." The corners of his lips curl into a smile.


    "I''m technically still married," I remind him.


    "I know, and in a year''s time you can apply for divorce on the grounds of desertion."


    I sigh. "If I don''t end up in prison for life first."


    He holds me tighter, and I bury my head against his chest. "I would go to prison myself before I let you spend a single day in one," he says softly.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    What does he mean by that? He''d take the me for Brad''s death? "No! I would never let you do that."


    "Neither of us are going to prison, sunshine." He brushes my hair back from my face. "Trust me."


    "I do trust you, but I killed him, Lorenzo," I whisper.


    His dark eyes narrow. "You protected yourself, Mia."


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    The elevatores to a stop and the doors open with a soft ping, signaling the end of our conversation.


    Drake James''s office is bigger than my first apartment. Floor-to-ceiling windows, shelves upon shelves of journals and awards. There''s an enormous ss desk in the center that could easily amodate six people but is currently home to Drake and his brother.


    Nathan and Drake wee us both and we take a seat on thefortable sofas in the corner of the room.


    Nathan pours us all a ss of water. "I''m sorry we couldn''t meet yesterday. But I''m here for today and I can fly back any time you need me to."


    "I appreciate you doing this on such short notice,pagno," Lorenzo says.


    "You know I''d do anything for you, buddy," Nathan replies, and if I wasn''t feeling so nervous and desperately trying not to babble, I might ask what that was about.


    Nathan leans forward in his seat, hands steepled beneath his chin. "Tell me everything. From the start."


    Lorenzo squeezes my hand in his. "Tell them, sunshine. Anything you say in here ispletely confidential."


    I sip my water and take a deep breath, my hands trembling. Lorenzo squeezes again, his solid presence calm and reassuring, but I''m about to confess a murder to two men I barely know.


    Nathan and Drake listen intently while I tell them about leaving Boston and the events that led to that awful day in Iowa.


    "And you disposed of the body?" Nathan asks Lorenzo without even a flicker of difort, as though they''re talking about disposing of some trash, which I guess isn''t entirely inurate. "Yes."


    "No trace?" Drake asks.


    "The body was incinerated. His ashes were dumped in the Chicago River. There''s nothing left to trace," Lorenzo replies confidently.


    Nathan bobs his head. "And the knife? The house? Mia''s clothes?"


    "The knife was melted down and recycled. Mia''s clothes were incinerated too. And the house was forensically cleaned by my best men. Max oversaw it all."


    Nathan licks his bottom lip, his brow furrowed. Then he nces at his brother who nods back at him. What was that nod for? My gut swirls with so much anxiety that I feel like I might throw up. Do they think I''m evil?


    Nathan fixes his eyes on mine. "Well, it''s difficult to have a murder trial when there''s no body or other DNA evidence to prove that a murder took ce, but I doubt that this guy is going to stop digging into this, so I think we need to focus our efforts on-"


    "Wait," I interrupt him. "What about other evidence?"


    Nathan regards me with curiosity. "Such as?"


    "Maybe somebody saw him drive to my house? I used a different name, but what if they put me in a lineup and one of my customers can identify me? What if-"


    "Mia?" Lorenzo lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles.


    Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.


    "All that would prove is that you lived in Iowa for a few months. You''ve never officially denied that. Even if there was absolute proof that your ex-husband visited you at your house-"


    "There isn''t. Max swept the entire area for camera footage, but there weren''t any near the house. It''s one of the reasons I chose that neighborhood," Lorenzo interjects, confirming my suspicion that he was the one responsible for overseeing my move. God, I love him so much.


    "Even if there were, it''s all circumstantial, Mia. I think we focus our efforts on convincing your ex-brother-inw to let this thing go. There''s no evidence to connect you to a murder or even a disappearance. Unless there''s something else you haven''t told us."


    "Not about that, no."


    Nathan frowns. "Is there something else we should know?"


    I fidget in my seat. "I-I''m not sure it''s relevant."


    Lorenzo narrows his eyes at me. "It''s relevant, Mia."


    I swallow hard. I never wanted him to know about this. Oh god. Will he hate me now? "I... Jake and I..." Every muscle in Lorenzo''s body goes rigid. "We had an affair," I whisper, ovee with shame.


    Lorenzo rubs his free hand over his beard and sighs.


    "When was this?" Drake asks.


    "About f-four years ago."


    "Did Brad know?" Nathan probes.


    I steal a nce at Lorenzo, but his eyes are closed.


    "God no. He would''ve killed him. It onlysted about three months." I swallow the huge knot of shame and guilt that sticks in my throat. "He knew what Brad was like. He would sometimese see me when Brad was working a double. One time, after a bad e-episode..."


    "Episode?" Drake asks with a frown.


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    "After that piece of shit beat the fuck out of her," Lorenzo answers for me, his voice rough with anger.


    "Y-yeah. Well, Jake came over and helped me get cleaned up. He took care of me, and it had been so long since anyone had been so nice to me ..."


    I swear I can taste Lorenzo''s rage. He vibrates with fury. I keep tight hold of his hand, refusing to let him go, and he makes no attempt to pull away.


    "He kissed me, and well ..." I don''t want to say the words out loud in front of Lorenzo and these two smartly dressedwyers. "We were together a few times after that." "Who ended it?" Drake asks.


    "I did."


    "Why?" He probes further, and Lorenzo mutters a curse.


    "I was scared we''d get caught. I didn''t really like him that way. It was just nice to be taken care of after, you know?" I take a long drink of my water, and when I nce up again, I want to hide from the looks of pity I''m getting from Drake and Nathan.


    "You''re a hell of a woman, Mia." Nathan smiles and shakes his head. "I''m surprised you didn''t kill that fucker way before you did."


    Drake snorts. "I would have."


    "Mia doesn''t believe in violence," Lorenzo adds quietly. "She feels guilty about ending that twisted fuck''s life."


    Nathan frowns at me. "It was you or him though, right?"


    "I guess so," I admit.


    "That''s self-defense, not murder. Had Lorenzo not protected you by disposing of the body and getting you out of that house, I still would have had you out within twenty-four hours."


    "He''s right," Drake agrees. "But right now, we need to deal with Jake and the addedplication of him maybe still having some kind of torch for you. Did he take the break-up well?"


    Recalling that awful day, I shake my head. "He was furious. He threatened to kill me. Then tell Brad and all my friends what a whore I was."


    "Jesus fucking Christ," Lorenzo mutters. He must be so disappointed in me. Infidelity is his hard limit.


    "I knew he wouldn''t do any of that though. He was too worried about what Brad would do if he found out."


    "Just let me fucking deal with him," Lorenzo says with a snarl.


    Nathan shakes his head and gives Lorenzo an exasperated look. "He''s a cop. A decorated detective. You can''t use your usual methods, buddy. Especially not after he''s been using your girlfriend here of killing his brother. We need to be smart about this."


    "So what the fuck do you suggest?" Lorenzo snaps.


    "Well, I''m betting any guy who would take advantage of his brother''s wife and then call her a whore because she breaks it off isn''t the stand-up guy everybody thinks he is. I''m sure that with a little digging, we can find some leverage on this prick," Drake says.


    "Agreed. We''ll get our best guys on it. And we''ll have someone look into the sister too. Maybe that''s an avenue worth exploring. But the further you stay from this guy, the better," Nathan warns Lorenzo.


    Grumbling, Lorenzo agrees. "But I''ll kill the piece of shit if I ever see him again."


    I squeeze his hand, but he still doesn''t look at me.


    "How about for now you let us do our thing and try not to kill anyone in the meantime?" Nathan stares at us, his eyebrows pointedly raised. Lorenzo stands, pulling me up with him. "I''ll do my best, but no promises."


    ***


    We''re in the elevator by the time I pluck up the courage to raise the issue of my affair. Lorenzo leans against the wall opposite me, his jaw set.


    "I''m sorry," I choke out on a sob.


    I don''t even finish taking my next breath before I''m wrapped in his huge arms. "What the hell for, sunshine?"


    My chest heaves as I cry. I''ve tried my best to forget about those months with Jake and pretend they never happened. I feel so much guilt for breaking my marriage vows. While it was nice at first to have someone to care about me, he soon became as possessive and demanding as his older brother. I lived in constant fear of Brad finding out, but Jake made it hard to say no to him. "I-I know you hate cheating, and I... Jake and I were never-" Another sob steals the rest of my sentence.


    "Hey." He smooths my hair back and kisses the top of my head. "That prick took advantage of you when you were at your most vulnerable. That was not cheating, it was an extension of his brother''s abuse."


    I bury my head against his chest,forted by his warmth, his familiar smell, but most of all, by his understanding. "So, you''re not mad?"


    "Not at you, Mia."


    "I thought you were disappointed in me."


    "Never." He kisses my head again. "But we really need to work on your self-esteem because those Mulcahy brothers made you believe that you''re worthless. When I''m done training you, you''ll believe me when I tell you that you''re nothing less than perfect. You understand me?"


    My cheek brushes against the soft wool of his coat as I nod my agreement.


    "That''s my good girl."

 151

    MIA


    I ce my hand on the door and shivers of both excitement and trepidation shoot through me. Lorenzo sent me a text message asking-no, instructing-me to meet him in the bedroom. He went out with Dante for a few hours when we got back from our appointment with thewyers, and despite spending a lovely afternoon with Kat and the kids, I still feel a little wobbly. Reliving my affair with Jake and having Lorenzo learn about it at the same time really shook me. And even though he told me it changed nothing between us, I crave his reassurance. He truly has turned me into a needy sub.


    With that thought in mind and a faint smile on my face, I enter the bedroom. He''s sitting on the bed wearing only his suit pants, legs spread wide as he stares at me. I close the door behind me, and my pulse thrums an erratic beat. "Come here, sunshine," he orders in his signature low growl that rumbles through my bones. I walk toward him, the wooden floor warm beneath my bare feet. As soon as I reach him, he nods, indicating the space between his thighs. "Kneel." I drop to my knees at his feet, licking my lips in anticipation, and a grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Turn around."


    I do as he instructs. What wickedly sinful ideas are going through his head right now? He surprises me by running a brush through my hair. I close my eyes and sigh with contentment. Once he''s finished untangling it, he begins to braid my hair into a thick it. He''s efficient at it too, securing the end with a hair tie when he''s done.


    He gently taps my shoulder, indicating I should turn around again, and I shuffle on my knees until I''m facing him once more. "Where did you learn to do that, Sir?" I ask with a pop of one eyebrow.


    "Not where you think. Our mom died when Joey was three. I had to braid a lot of hair."


    The image of him braiding little Joey''s hair warms my heart.


    Lorenzo''s dark eyes fix on mine. "I have a gift for you."


    Warmth settles in my core, and any lingering doubts I had about this morning melt away.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    He cups my jaw in his hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my cheekbone. "It''s not just a gift though, tesoro." His eyes narrow. "It''s something much more. Amitment."


    I blink in confusion. I''m the one on my knees here, so this can''t be a proposal.


    My entire body trembles when he pulls a square velvet-covered box from behind his back and snaps it open to reveal a stunning white-gold choker. Tears prick at my eyes. On closer inspection, I see it''s a series of thick links that fit so perfectly together that they look like one piece of metal. Each link has a sunflower or a sun delicately engraved on it, so fine that they can only be seen from up close.


    The center link is set with arge canary diamond and the fastening at the back has a small heart-shaped padlock. It''s the most beautiful piece of jewelry I''ve ever seen.


    "Is that a ..." I swallow the emotion welling in my throat, worried I might cry and spoil the moment.


    "It''s a cor, sunshine. I want you to wear it, but I also want you to think about what this means before you say yes. I can wait if you need time."


    A cor means he''s my Dom and I belong to him. What is there to think about? "I know what it means," I whisper.


    "Do you?" He arches an eyebrow at me. "Because once you put it on, you don''t get to take it off so easily."


    I nce at the choker again. So intricate and pretty.


    "You can take it off to shower or bathe," he says, reading my mind, "but once you wear my cor, you belong to me. It''s like a wedding ring. Off or on, you''re still my sub. Twenty-four seven." Sucking in a deep breath, I try to calm my galloping heart. "With the same rules we have now?"


    "Yes. But we can revisit the rules anytime you want."


    "An equal partnership?"


    "Yes."


    "Where I do whatever you tell me without question?"


    He smiles widely, and the sight makes my heart, and my pussy, flutter. "Yes."


    I suppress a grin. "If this is a proposal, shouldn''t you be the one on your knees?"


    The sound of hisugh fills the room. I don''t think I''ve ever heard himugh like that before. "For that proposal, you can be sure I''ll be on at least one knee, sunshine."


    Butterflies swirl in my stomach. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his face growing serious again. "Know that this means more to me than any marriage proposal. I can wait to make you my wife, but I don''t want to wait any longer for this."


    "Well, you kind of have to wait to make me your wife seeing as I''m technically still married." I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Brad has no ce in this conversation. But if the reminder of my ex-husband bothers Lorenzo, he doesn''t show it.


    He ces his hand on my cheek and rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. I stare up at him, drinking in every single thing about him. I love him so much it makes my heart ache. "Mia Stone, will you wear my cor?" "Yes Sir, I would love to."


    His chest heaves as though he was holding his breath waiting for my answer-like there was ever any doubt that I would say yes. He takes the choker from the box and fastens it around my neck, clicking the lock into ce before sitting back with a satisfied smile on his face.


    I run my fingers over the stone on the front. The choker is surprisingly light andfortable-two things I''m sure he took into consideration when he chose it.


    "If it''s not to your liking, I''ll have them make you another.


    "I love it. It''s perfect." My cheeks flush with heat. "But where is the key?"


    He indicates the crucifix around his neck, and I notice the small gold key nestled behind it. "Right where it belongs."


    I whisper his name on a breath. How long has he been nning all of this? Can this even be real?


    "Take off your clothes." The air in the room grows thick with supercharged sexual energy.


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    Bowing my head, I reach behind me and lower the zipper on my dress. I take it off, along with my underwear, all under the heat and scrutiny of Lorenzo''s intense gaze. When I''m done, I resume my former position at his feet. He cups my chin in his strong hand, tilting my face up, and runs the tip of his pointer finger over my cor. "From now on, this is all you wear in my bed unless I give you permission to wear something else. Understand?" "Yes, Sir."


    His eyes twinkle with delight. "And when I tell you to be ready for me, this is how I want you. Naked, with your hair up in a braid or a ponytail."


    "Of course, Sir."


    "Now how would my little sub like to thank Sir for her cor?" he asks, his tone deep and smooth.


    I nce at his hard cock, currently straining at the zipper of his pants, and lick my lips. A wicked chuckle escapes him. "That''s my good girl." He unzips his fly and frees his thick shaft from his boxers.


    I bring my mouth close to the tip, already wet with precum, and breathe in his masculine scent. My pussy clenches as I swirl my tongue over the crown, and a deep groan reverberates through him. He wraps my braid around his fist and uses it to hold my head in ce while he slowly feeds me his entire length. "You look so beautiful wearing my cor and sucking my cock."


    "Mmm," I murmur around him, my tongue darting over his length as I squeeze his thighs.


    "Fuck, you do that so well." He rxes his grip on my hair, allowing me more control. I take full advantage, sucking him all the way into my mouth. With the crown of his cock lodged in my throat, I inhale deeply through my nose and swallow. "Jesus fucking Christ, Mia." His fingers tighten around my braid once more, tugging at it, and the sharp sting in my scalp spurs me on. I swallow again, and his animalistic growl travels straight to the aching spot between my thighs. I moan around him and the vibrations have him shouting out my name. Before I can swallow again, he pulls his beautiful cock from my mouth. "Tongue out," hemands, and I do as he tells me, waiting for his release like his needy little sub. Gripping the base of his shaft in his free hand, he pumps twice before warm ribbons of cum streak over my tongue and drip down my chin. He looks at me through half-closed lids, his chest heaving. I smile triumphantly, loving that I can make him lose control.


    "Swallow, sunshine." I do as he instructs, savoring his taste. He swipes the pad of his thumb over my jaw, his eyes sparking with unrestrained desire. I ache for him, desperate for his touch. My chest heaves as I pant in anticipation, and he shes me a wicked grin. "Get dressed. Time to go to dinner and show off your pretty cor."

 152

    LORENZO


    Fastening the buttons of my shirt, I don''t let my gaze fall from her perfect body for even a second. My cock''s already twitching at the sight of her, despite the amazing blowjob she just gave me. But of course I''m hard; I cored her. I want


    nothing more than to throw her down on our bed and im every inch of her until she has no memories of her past life, remembers nothing but me and my body.


    But I want to show her off too. Let our family see how beautiful she looks wearing my cor. She smooths the fabric of her dress down over her hips and flutters her eyshes at me.


    "You ready, sunshine?"


    "Ready, Sir," she says, her voice a soft purr.


    I squeeze her ass and guide her out the door.


    Dante, Kat, Joey, and Max nce up from the table when we walk into the dining room. And when I pull out Mia''s chair for her to sit, they all seem to notice the thick white-gold cor around her slender neck. Kat gapes openly and Dante gives her a discreet nudge. My younger sister breaks the silence.


    "Mia!" she squeals. "Is that a cor?"


    Mia brushes her fingers over the choker, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink as I take a seat by her side.


    "Yes," she replies confidently, giving Joey a huge smile.


    pping her hands, Joey pushes back her chair and throws her arms around Mia''s neck. "I''m so happy for you both!" Looking at me with tears in her eyes, she mouths, love you.


    "Me too," Max says, giving me an approving nod. Meanwhile, Kat continues to gape at us with her mouth hanging open.


    Dante chuckles. "You''re staring, kitten." She closes her mouth, but her narrowed eyes remain fixed on me.


    "Are you okay, Kat?" Mia asks sweetly.


    "Of course. It''s just..." Kat frowns, her gaze flicking to the jewelry at her cousin''s neck.


    "It''s a cor?" Mia finishes for her.


    Kat frowns. "It''s... I mean..."


    "Katerina," Dante says in a firm tone.


    She turns and res at him. "It''s just unexpected is all."


    I don''t buy it, and neither does my brother. He rolls his eyes and turns back to me. "Congrattions to both of you."


    ***


    "I have a little business to take care of, sunshine. I won''t be long. Go wait for me upstairs," I tell Mia after dinner.


    "Don''t be long, will you?" She presses her curves against me and makes my cock twitch at the thought of fucking her while she wears my cor.


    "I''ll be real quick," I assure her, giving her a soft kiss on the lips before smacking her on her ass and sending her upstairs.


    Sitting down at my desk in the library, I fire up myptop and read through emails while I wait. She doesn''t keep me waiting long. "I knew you were alone so I didn''t knock," Kat says as she makes her way toward me. Closing myptop, I rest my hands on the lid. "I was expecting you."


    She gives me a faint smile. "You knew I''de, huh?"


    I raise my eyebrows. "You love your cousin and you want to make sure my intentions are honorable."


    She takes a seat opposite me. "Now you''re making me sound really stuffy and old fashioned, Loz."


    "You''re the one worried about your cousin''s honor," I remind her.


    She fixes me with that famous Kat Moretti re I''vee to love. She is more than a match for my strong-willed, headstrong younger brother. "Not her honor. Just her heart."


    I lean back in my chair. "I wish you''d had the chance to know Anya before she got sick."


    Kat blinks at me, unustomed to me using my wife''s name in her presence-in anyone''s presence.


    "She was vibrant and challenging and full of life." Emotion clogs my throat.


    "She was all of those things when I knew her too," she says sadly.


    "She was a mere shade of those things after we came back from Italy," I recall with a faint smile. "But before the cancer took hold, she was really something. A force of nature." Kat brushes a tear from her cheek.


    "Dante told me how when you first met the two of us, you thought she was afraid of me." Iugh at the absurdity of that notion.


    She gasps, eyes wide. "He told you that?"


    "Yup."


    "She just seemed so ...so small in your presence. At least that''s what I thought at first."


    "Our rtionship changed as she grew sicker." Icy fingers of regret mp around my heart. "It became necessary to take a greater degree of control. Perhaps too much."


    "No, Loz," Kat says, reaching across the desk and cing her hand over mine. "My first impression was all wrong. Anya was never more alive than when she was with you." She swats another tear from her face. "You took care of her and allowed her to make her own decisions right up to the end. You were the finest husband and partner she could have wanted."


    I give her a nod of appreciation..


    "But Mia isn''t Anya," she adds, wincing as though the words pain her.


    It''s my turn to frown now. "You think I don''t know that?"


    The sound of the door opening distracts us both. Mia nces between Kat and me, her eyes narrowed with confusion. A split secondter, she walks straight toward my desk, head bent low as she avoids looking at my face, and drops to her knees at my feet.


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    "I''m here and ready to serve you, oh mighty one," she says deadpan, eyes on the floor.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kat''s horrified expression, and I have to bite my lip to stop myself fromughing out loud. Fucking siren!


    Instead, I cup Mia''s chin in my hand and tilt her head up until her gaze meets mine. Her eyes dance with amusement. "Behave, sunshine, or I''ll make you start doing that for real." "I couldn''t help it." She giggles and jumps up from her knees. "The look on Kat''s face is worth it."


    Kat res at her cousin. "That wasn''t funny, Mia."


    Mia perches herself on myp and wraps her arms around my neck. "Well, why are you in here grilling Lorenzo about my cor when you could''ve juste and spoken with me?"


    Kat''s tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip as she nces between Mia and me. "I just wanted to make sure he''s not pressuring you into this."


    "Kat!" Mia admonishes.


    "She''s only worried about you, tesoro. That''s not a bad thing," I say softly.


    "Exactly," Kat agrees.


    "I think Kat''s worried that you''re a little too feisty to be my sub." My statement is met with an eye roll from both women.


    Mia turns serious. "I know this might seem absurd to you after what happened with Brad, but this isn''t about me losing control, Kat." "It''s not?" she asks.


    "No. It''s about me choosing to give up control, and that''s an entirely different thing."


    Kat frowns, seemingly unconvinced. "But you''re allowing someone else to control your life. To tell you what to do. I don''t get it."


    "Okay." Mia chews on her lip and thinks for a moment. "Let''s say you were in here alone and Dante came in and told you to get on your knees. With no other exnation. He just unzips his fly and says do it. Would you?" Kat''s cheeks turn pink, and I clear my throat, wishing I wasn''t here for this part of the conversation.


    "Well?" Mia presses.


    "Yes, if we were alone, of course, but that''s because..." She goes quiet.


    "Because you trust him? You know he''s not going to do anything you don''t him want to?" "Yes," Kat replies quietly.


    "That''s what this is." Miaces her fingers through mine. "Pure and simple trust. That''s all."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    I squeeze her hand.


    "You trust Lorenzo, right? You trust me?" Mia asks.


    "Of course."


    "Then trust us to know what we want."


    Kat nods, tears pricking at her eyes. "You''re right. I''m sorry. It''s none of my business."


    "Mia''s welfare is your business, Kat," I assure her.


    "Yours is too," she retorts, her brow furrowed.


    "Yeah, I know." She and the rest of my family were the only reason I managed to put one foot in front of the other for the past few years. "But I''ve got her now. You can trust me to take care of her."


    "And I''ve got him," Mia adds with a triumphant smile.


    Kat''s eyes swim with unshed tears. "I see that." Her voice cracks on thest word and she clears her throat. "And I''m sorry if I overstepped."


    I shake my head. "You didn''t."


    "I was just worried about you both, but I can see how happy you are. And ..." She swats away a rogue tear. "And I''m d you found each other."


    I mouth thank you and she acknowledges it with a nod before leaving and closing the library door behind her.


    Alone with Mia, I turn her on myp. She straddles me and runs her fingers through my hair, a half-smile ying over her mouth as she sinks her teeth into her juicy lower lip. "You got me, do you?" I ask with an arch of one eyebrow. Her eyes narrow. "Yes. I get to take care of you too, don''t I?"


    I tilt my head to the side, eyes raking over her face and down to her beautiful tits that are pressed against my chest, but I don''t answer.


    "I think we need to revisit my hard limits, Sir, because you not allowing me to take care of you is a big one."


    I pull her closer and trail soft kisses down her neck that make her squirm. "Toote now, sunshine, you''re wearing my cor," I tease. She gasps loudly, feigning indignation as she rolls her pussy over my already hard cock.


    "I might go on sub strike." Tilting her head back, she allows me better ess to her throat. I take full advantage, trailing my teeth along her sensitive skin, my lips brushing over her new neckwear.


    I pull down the zipper on the back of her dress. "You''re unionized already?"


    "I''m starting my own union."


    Slipping the dress off over her shoulders, I growl when it falls to her waist. "Now that I would love to see."


    "You would, huh?"


    "Hmm." Moving lower, I pull her bra down so I can toy with her hard nipples. I roll one between my finger and thumb, making her whimper and grind her pussy on me. Flicking my tongue over the other one, I bite back a smile when she moans my name. "I can just imagine the punishments I could dole out for your strike. They would make the spanking you''re about to get upstairs for your little stunt with Kat look like ytime." I sink my teeth into her juicy flesh.


    "But you thought that was funny," she whines, pressing herself into my mouth in search of the delicious blend of pain and pleasure. "I saw you trying not tough."


    Fisting my hand in her hair, I tilt her head so she''s looking at me. "It was very fucking funny." A victorious smile spreads over her face, and I can''t help but grin back at her. That smile of hers is fucking infectious. "And that''s why I''m going to let youe after I''m done punishing you."

 153

    LORENZO


    Sitting on the edge of the bed, I reach up and cup Mia''s jaw in my hand. "Take off your clothes and get on your knees." She does what I ask without a second''s hesitation, quickly pulling off her dress and underwear before dropping to the floor and looking up at me expectantly. Such a good little submissive already. I run my fingertips along her cor, and a primal urge to throw her down and fuck her senseless washes over me, but I resist it. "Your cor wasn''t the only gift I bought you today."


    Her hazel eyes shine with delight. "It wasn''t?"


    I reach for the ck box beside the bed. Opening it, I take out the piece of fabric and hold it up for her to see. She sinks her teeth into her luscious bottom lip, making me envious that I''m not biting on it right now instead, but we have plenty of time for that. As soon as I lean forward, she dips her head slightly, allowing me to tie the blindfold. Sitting back, I admire her while she waits patiently for whatever I have nned next.


    Reaching into the box again, I pull out a pair of leather cuffs. Mia tilts her head, like she''s straining to hear what I''m doing. "Hold out your arms." She does as I ask, a smile ying on her lips as I wrap the first cuff around her left wrist. "You''re unusually quiet tonight, sunshine."


    "I don''t want to miss any instructions, Sir."


    "You do know you''re still going to be punished for that stunt with Kat downstairs, don''t you?"


    My little siren grins. "Yes, Sir."


    I grin too. Her little joke on Kat was hrious, and the look on my sister-inw''s face was priceless. I have no intentions of actually punishing Mia for it, but that doesn''t mean I won''t have fun with her. "You won''t be smiling when I''m done with you," I warn her.


    "I know, Sir."


    I wrap the second cuff around her right wrist. Standing, I help her up. "Come with me." I walk to the other side of the room, pulling her along with me. The metal hook has been in the ceiling for years, and I''ve used it plenty of times in the past, but never with Mia. I bought the new chain to go on it earlier today, and she was so focused on getting her cor and then sucking my cock, she must not have seen it, which was exactly what I''d hoped for.


    I join the cuffs with the metal fastenings and lift her arms to attach them to the chain overhead. She flinches at the rattling sound but doesn''t pull back from me. Instead she allows me to shackle her to the ceiling without any resistance. Finished securing her, I run my hands down her arms and sides and she squirms, pressing her lips together, but a giggle escapes. I don''t bother to hide my smile-one of the perks of her being blindfolded is that I don''t have to mask my facial expressions.


    I grab the belt I bought for her and trace the soft leather tip over her hip bone. She shivers under its touch. "This is for you to wear, tesoro," I reassure her and slip it around her waist.


    "Oh?" she breathes as I fasten the top half in ce. No doubt she can feel the additional straps and knows this isn''t a regr belt, but she doesn''t ask questions.


    "This part," I say, holding up the piece at the back, "goes through here." I slide the leather between her thighs, and she sucks in a deep breath. Her nipples harden further and her skin blooms with heat. I suppress augh and fasten it to the front. When I''m done, I step back and admire her for a few seconds.


    "What is it I''m wearing, Sir?" she asks softly.


    "It''s a wand belt." I walk back to the bed and take out another gift.


    "A wand belt?"


    "Yeah." I plug the new toy into the wall and her mouth opens wide at the sound it makes. "You know what a wand is, right?"


    Her cheeks flush pink. "Yes."


    I hook the head of the toy into the straps between her thighs, dusting my lips over the skin of her neck and making a shiver run the length of her body. "This part holds the wand in ce while my hands are busy doing something else." Panting, she squeezes her thighs together and presses the bulbous head of the toy between them.


    And as for what I''ll be busy doing ... I take her final gift from the box and smack the leather paddle against my hand. With a loud gasp, Mia squeezes her thighs tighter together. Goosebumps break out all over her body.


    I trail the paddle over her breasts, gently tapping it against her hard nipples. She moans. "You know what your final gift is?"


    "Is it a paddle?"


    I trail it further down her body before giving her a quick swat on the ass with it. She yelps. "Clever girl."


    I take a few steps back. Absolute fucking perfection. Her wless tits jiggle with each breath. I drink in every part of her. Every line. Every curve. Every scar. But it''s not her beautiful body tied up and ready to be used however I want that makes me feel like I can''t breathe. It''s how she waits for me. So patient. Wearing my cor. Unable to see or free herself. Nipples hard enough to cut diamonds. Legs trembling from standing on her tiptoes. Skin flushed with heat and anticipation, and not a single ounce of fear.


    After everything I''ve done to her, after the way I pushed her away and those awful things I said, she still trusts mepletely. Not only with her body, but with her heart too. The realization floors me and makes my cock harder than an iron bar. "Sir?"


    I realize she''s listening to the silence and probably wondering what the hell I''m doing. "I''m just admiring my property, sunshine. You look so fucking beautiful wearing my cor."


    "I feel beautiful wearing your cor," she says, and the smile that follows nearly knocks me on my ass. It''s sweet and pure and everything she is. And everything I''m not. But I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself worthy of that smile.


    Coasting my hand over her stomach and down her ass, I walk behind her. "Your ass is going to look even more beautiful when I''ve striped it with my paddle."


    She opens her mouth, but I spank her with my palm before she can speak, hard enough to make her squeal. I p her other cheek just as hard, but this time she moans and rocks forward on the balls of her feet.


    "Where did I tell you to wait for me after dinner, Mia?" I spank her again.


    "U-upstairs."


    "So why did youe to the library?" Smack.


    "I d-didn''t know it was a rule, Sir. I th-thought..." I bring my palm down on the fleshy part of her behind and the sound makes me groan. She yelps.


    "Thought what?"


    "That it... was a ..."


    I spank her again. "A what?"


    "A suggestion," she whispers.


    I press my lips to her ear. It wasn''t a rule, but then this isn''t a punishment. Not even close. I slip two fingers inside her and she whimpers. "You''re already wet, sunshine. Are you enjoying this punishment a little too much?" "I''m sorry, Sir. I can''t help it."


    "You can''t help getting wet when I spank you?" I smack her ass again while I drive my fingers in and out of her.


    She groans softly. "N-no, Sir."


    "Maybe I need to be a little tougher on you, huh?" I don''t give her a chance to reply before I pull my fingers from her pussy and spank her with the paddle.


    "Ow!" she screeches, rocking forward and causing the chain to take most of her weight. I nce up at her wrists, making sure the cuffs are secure and not too tight. It''s been so long since I''ve shackled someone new to my ceiling, and back before I was married and I used to do it with many different women, it was a fine bnce to cause enough difort without it being so unbearable that the scene ended too soon. This position can cause considerable damage if not done properly. I would never risk Mia''s safety, so I intend to be careful to watch her for signs of distress.


    The sound of the paddle colliding with her perfect ass makes my cock weep to be inside her. I rub a hand over her reddened cheeks, kneading her soft flesh to soothe the sting and add a different kind of pain.


    She leans back, pressing her ass into my hands and I smile at her high pain threshold. I give her four more sharp smacks with the paddle, then stop. Stroking her back, I drag my teeth over the skin on her neck. "You''re doing so well, sunshine." "Thank you, Sir," she says, breathless.


    "I''m going to give you a little break for a few minutes, okay?" I kiss her shoulder and step away.


    "Why? Where are you going?" she asks, a faint hint of panic edging into her voice.


    "I''m right here. Just taking off my shirt."


    She lets out a relieved sigh.


    I pull off my shirt and toss it into the hamper, watching her intently as I do. Her ass is a delicious shade of pink, but she still has a sweet smile on her face. Taking the remote control from my pocket, I switch on the wand between her legs. She jumps, letting out a small shriek that makes me chuckle.


    "Oh god," she pants as the toy vibrates against her clit. Her heels drop to the floor and she allows the ceiling hook to take most of her weight, which will help her aching thighs but will make her arms burn more. I turn the wand setting down until it''s only a gentle thrum and she purrs contentedly.


    "You having fun there without me?"


    "I''d much rather have fun with you, Sir." Stepping up behind her, I cup her breasts. She leans into me, rubbing her back against my chest and her ass over my aching cock. "I love feeling your skin on mine, Sir."


    "I know, tesoro." Kissing her neck, I continue kneading her breasts, rolling her nipples between my thumb and finger. She moans. My cock throbs. Her breathing gets shallow and fast, and I step back from her, giving her ass a hard smack with the paddle. "Oh, fuck," she pants.


    "Don''t forget this is supposed to be a punishment," I tease, then deliver another hard p on her ass.


    She groans, pulling at her restraints as her body chases release.


    I turn up the setting on her wand. The increase in pressure makes her mewl with pleasure, so I spank her again, harder than before, enough to take the edge off the euphoria from the vibrations pulsing directly on her clit. "Sir, please?"


    I bring the paddle down on her ass again, loving the way it marks her exquisite skin. "You know your safe word, sunshine."


    "I don''t want it to stop, I want to..." She gasps, frustrated and desperate and needy.


    I trail my fingertips down her spine, making her wriggle. "What do you want?"


    "Toe, Sir," she pleads.


    "But this is a punishment, remember?" I bite down on her neck and suck hard enough to leave a mark. My mark.


    I spank her over and over again. Sometimes hard. Sometimes soft. Sometimes in quick session and sometimes leaving ten or fifteen seconds between each blow. I grab her ass cheeks, kneading and pawing her sensitive skin to soothe the sting or to make it hurt a little more. And I turn the vibrations of the wand up and down to counteract the pain I inflict on her. She begs me to let here each time I bring her close to the edge, whimpering while tears stream from her eyes, but she takes everything I give her. We''re both panting from the effort and perspiration covers our skin. I''m hard as fucking stone.


    When her ass is crimson and she''s close to the edge once more, I turn off the toy and throw the paddle onto the floor. She drops her head and her entire body sags, mostly held up by the chain attaching her wrists to the ceiling. She whimpers when I remove the wand from the fastening between her thighs, and I take the belt off her too, careful with the leather against her sensitive flesh. She stands before me in only my cor and the blindfold. "How are you doing, sunshine?"


    She tilts her chin up, her pink cheeks stained with tears. Fuck me, she''s beautiful. "I''m good, Sir."


    Slipping my hand between her thighs, I slide two fingers through her soaking folds before dipping them into her tight pussy. "You took that spanking so well." Her smile grows wider. "You remember the first time I fucked you, Mia? When I didn''t make youe? And you thought that I couldn''t do it?" Her throat constricts, a flush creeping across her face at the memory. "And now you''ve spilled your cum all over this house for me. I know your body so well, I can tell exactly when you''re about to lose control. The way your greedy cunt spasms." I sink my fingers deeper and her muscles ripple around them. "The way your legs start to tremble. Your breathing gets faster and shallower." I trail soft kisses along her corbone and she whimpers. "The skin right here turns a very particr shade of pink."


    "S-Sir?" She tries to sink further onto my fingers but can''t because of her restraints.


    "You want to know something about our first time? You felt so fucking good. I lost myself in you. And I''ve been losing myself in you ever since."


    I sink my teeth into the soft skin on the side of her neck, causing her to moan loudly. Her legs tremble as her orgasm grows dangerously close again, and I slip my fingers out of her, sucking them clean while she whimpers in frustration. "A part of me knew from that very first time that we''d end up right here. Even when I was pushing you away, some part of me knew we''d wind up like this one day. You wearing my cor." I caress her throat and her chest heaves. "You beingpletely mine. Mine to control. Mine to use." I tweak one of her hard nipples.


    "Sir," she whines, tears running down her face.


    "Mine to care for. Mine to worship." I dust my lips over hers, taunting her with the promise of a kiss, then pulling back. "Who do you belong to, Mia?"


    "You, Sir," she whispers.


    After unzipping my fly, I slip one arm around her hips and free my cock from the confines of my suit pants. I grip the base and squeeze. Her arms must be aching, and she''s probably approaching the limit of what she can take, but how do I not fuck her right now, when she''s tied up and desperate for me? I rub the crown of my cock on her clit and her entire body shudders. She leans into me as I lift her, wrapping her legs around my waist and positioning my tip at her entrance. She''s so fucking hot and inviting that it nearly kills me not to plow straight into her, but she''s so dangerously close to the edge that it might just tip her over, and she doesn''t get toe-not yet.


    "Please, Sir? I need you."


    "You have every single part of me, sunshine. All of me. Always." I sink halfway inside her and groan at the relief of her hot, wet pussy.


    Tremors wrack her body and cause her to jerk on the chain. I nce up at her arms, aware of the ache that must be burning through them right now. "You''re doing so well. You take your punishments like such a good fucking girl." I sink deeper and she coats me in a rush of slick heat. "So fucking good." I groan out the words as warmth coils up my spine. My head spins with the effort of not nailing her into next week.


    She throws back her head, grinding herself onto my cock while she chases the orgasm I''ve been denying her. I sink all the way inside her and suck a pebbled nipple into my mouth, biting down hard enough to make her cry out and giving her the perfect amount of pain to take the edge off her pleasure and keep her teetering on the brink.


    "Lorenzo," she whimpers, her mouth open as her chest heaves with the effort of breathing.


    Keeping one arm banded tightly at her waist, I reach up and free her wrists from the hook on the ceiling. She drops her head against my shoulder. Her hot breath on my neck makes all the tiny hairs there stand on end. With my dick still inside her, I carry her to the bed andy her down. And when I slide out of her a secondter, she lets out a sob.


    "Where are you hurting, sunshine?"T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


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    She sniffs. "My arms."


    I rub my hands up and down her arms, gently kneading her muscles to soothe the ache and encourage blood flow. A few momentster, her breathing evens out and her chest stops heaving. "You did so well, tesoro."


    A grin tugs on the corner of her lips. "Thank you, Sir."


    I take off her blindfold. She blinks, adjusting to the light, and when her eyes finally find mine, she rewards me with a heart-stopping smile. "You''re so fucking beautiful, Mia." I run my fingers over her cor and tug it gently, making her gasp. "And you look even more beautiful wearing this."


    She flutters her eyshes. "I love wearing your cor, Sir."


    I dip my hand between her spread thighs, enjoying the way her eyes roll back when I toy with her wet pussy.


    "You wear it so well. You''re fucking perfect, you know that?" I sink two fingers into her and her back arches off the bed. "I have no idea what I did to deserve you."


    She writhes, her body fighting for the orgasm she so desperately needs. Her lip trembles, but she holds my gaze. "You have it all wrong, Sir. You might have lost yourself in me, but I found myself in you."


    I swear someone just punched a hole through my chest and put my heart in a vise. I take a deep breath to rece the air she stole from my lungs. If I wasn''t already on my knees for her, I''d drop to them right now and worship this woman for the rest of my life. "Jesus, Mia." Slipping my fingers out of her, I position myself between her thighs and drive my cock into her instead, unable to resist being inside her for a second longer. "You feel so good."


    Circling my neck with her arms, she wraps her legs around my waist, trying to pull me closer even though there isn''t a millimeter of space between us.


    "So do you," she whimpers, nails wing at my back.


    "You think you deserve toe, sunshine?" I growl as I nail her to the bed.


    "Yes. Please?" Her hot cunt squeezes me tight, and I m into her, rolling my hips so that the crown of my cock sweeps over her G-spot, giving her the release she''s been craving for the past hour.


    She cries out when shees-a sound that''s ripped from deep in her core, filled with relief and euphoria-and she soaks us both with her cum. It runs down her thighs as I carry on driving into her, drawing out her pleasure while I chase my own. I bury my head against her neck, sinking my teeth into the skin just above her cor, and fuck her harder than I''ve ever fucked anyone in my life.


    I never thought I''d have anything like this again... and I almost lost her. Almost let her slip through my fingers. But she''s mine now. She will be mine forever.


    I thrust into her onest time. "Mine," I growl as I fill her with my cum, grinding every single drop from my balls into her sweet cunt.


    Rolling onto my back, I pull her with me so that she lies on top of me. Her eyes are closed and she''s practically purring like a kitten. I gently squeeze her ass and watch her face for any signs of difort, but she just smiles. The aftercare can wait a little while.


    I brush her hair back from her damp forehead. "That''s another duvet that needs to be dry-cleaned."


    "And whose fault is that, Sir?"


    I press a kiss to the top of her head. "I guess I do make youe kind of hard, huh?"


    Sheughs. "So hard."


    I stare down at her beautiful face. So peaceful and content. "What we just did, Mia, did that feel like a punishment?"


    "No, not even a little," she says with a contented sigh. "More like funishment."


    "Funishment?" I bite back augh. "I guess it was."


    "It was hot, Sir."


    My cock twitches at the fresh memory. "I''m d you could tell the difference between real punishment and ying like we just did."


    She lets out a sigh of pure contentment. "I knew all along. I could tell by the devious look in your eyes when you pulled out that blindfold."


    Reaching out, I grab the duvet and pull it over us both, wrapping us up in our own little cocoon. Then I close my eyes and listen to the sound of her steady breathing. Just a few minutes and I''ll get us cleaned up and get her ass taken care of. But right now, I don''t want to do anything but hold her. Only the two of us in our own tiny part of the world where nobody else can touch us.


    "I love you, Sir," she whispers, rubbing her cheek against my chest.


    "I love you too, sunshine." The wordse so easily to me, like some universal truth that I''ve known all my life. Suddenly an image of Anya''s face drifts into my head-my other universal truth-and instead of the pain that usually apanies her memory, there''s only a sense of peace.


    Mia''s breathing grows deeper, and I tighten my arms around her, wanting her as close as possible. I really should get us cleaned up, but her body''s so soft and warm, and it feels so fucking nice lying here with her. I never want to move.

 154

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    Lorenzo pops his head into the den where I''m ying with Kat and the kids. "Nathan and Drake want to see us at their office, sunshine."


    "Oh." I bite my lip and cast an anxious nce at Kat.


    "Drake says its good news," he assures me.


    Kat squeezes my arm. "And Lorenzo won''t let anything bad happen."


    Less than an hourter, I''m seated next to Lorenzo in Drake James''s office. Anxiety and trepidation shudder up my spine, but Lorenzo squeezes my hand, and I''m reminded that he and the James brothers are on my side. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Nathan says as he and Drake walk in.


    "You said you have some good news?" Lorenzo asks.


    "Some very good news. We found the sister," Nathan answers with a smirk.


    "The sister? The one you told me about? The one who disappeared?" I ask Lorenzo. "What does she have to do with anything?"


    Lorenzo nods but keeps his focus on Nathan. "You found her? How?"


    "One of my new clients back in New York happens to be the best hacker in the country. She found her for me. Micha Mulcahy is now Callie Stretton, and she lives in Nevada."


    "And did you manage to speak to her? Did she tell you what happened? Has Jake been covering for his big brother all these years?" Lorenzo asks.


    Drake clears his throat. "How about we let her answer that herself?"


    "Herself?" I gasp. "You mean she''s here?" I grip Lorenzo''s hand tighter. I''m not sure


    I want to meet Brad and Jake''s sister. What if she''s as awful as they are?


    Lorenzo squeezes my hand in return. "I''m right here, sunshine," he assures me, then turns his attention back to Drake. "She was willing toe here after hiding for so long? Why?"


    "She''s an advocate for women''s rights. She runs some charity in Nevada. I gave her an overview of the situation and she was keen to help. She''s on the level, I swear."


    "You want to meet her?" Lorenzo asks me.


    "Do you think she can help us?"


    "I think she might have some information that we could use to keep Jake off your back until I find a more permanent solution," he replies. I don''t ask what his permanent solution is-I already know. I make a mental note to remind him that he can''t go around killing cops.


    "Then yes, I''d like to meet her."


    "Brad and Jake abused her too, Mia," Nathan says. "Her motives align with ours, I promise you that."


    They abused her? Their own sister? I swallow down a bubble of anxiety as Drake leaves the room. A few secondster, hees back with a woman who looks to be in her early thirties and is wearing the coolest pair of purple boots I have ever seen in my life.


    She chews on her lip, and I feel her nervous energy from across the room. I guess she has even more reason to be anxious about this meeting than I do.


    "Callie?" I say with as wide a smile as I can muster. "Mia, right?" She gives me a faint smile in return.


    "Yes." I instinctively jump up from my seat and pull her into a hug. Thankfully, she''s a hugger too, and she hugs me right back. "Thank you so much foring."


    Sheughs nervously, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. "Anything I can do to save any woman from those toxic pieces of shit is my pleasure."


    The sadness in her eyes makes me want to cry. I didn''t have any siblings, but Kat was like a sister to me growing up. She has a brother, Leo, and he was always kind of an asshole, but I can''tprehend how anyone could hurt their own sister. When introductions have been made and Drake''s secretary has provided everyone with a hot drink, the four of us wait for Callie to speak.


    "I guess I''m the one with all of the answers then?" she says with a wryugh.


    "We have some for you too," Nathan tells her.


    "You said Brad is dead, right?" she asks.


    He gives her a curt nod.


    "Good riddance to that piece of shit," she mutters.


    Lorenzo leans forward in his chair. "Can you tell us what happened to you, Callie?"


    She takes a sip of her coffee and rests the mug on her thigh. "That sick fuck beat me and raped me," she says matter-of-factly, as though she''s told this story many times.


    "Brad?" Lorenzo asks.


    "No." She shakes her head. "Jake."


    "Jake?" Lorenzo frowns.


    "Yeah, I told my parents, and they both just let it happen," she says with a shrug. "He was like our dad''s golden boy, and he got away with murder-probably literally in the case of our mom." "You think it was Jake who killed your mom?" Nathan asks, while I listen in shock.


    "I wouldn''t put it past him. He was a sick, twisted fuck."


    I squeeze Lorenzo''s hand and try to stop my entire body from shaking.


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    "Jake? Not Brad?" Lorenzo asks again.


    "The semen found on Janice Mulcahy''s body belonged to Jake," Nathan cuts in. "We got ess to all the sealed files."


    Holy crapballs. What the hell kind of family did I marry into?


    "How old was Jake then, like fifteen?" Lorenzo asks.


    Nathan nods. "That''s why his files were sealed too."


    I fight the urge to be sick. "Semen? You mean Janice? Brad and Jake''s mom?" Lorenzo squeezes my hand tighter. "So she was abusing Jake? Having sex with him?"


    Callie snorts. "He was raping her too. I told you, he''s a twisted fuck." How is she so calm about all this?


    Lorenzo takes a deep breath topose himself before he speaks again. "What happened when you were thirteen?"


    "I got pregnant. Best thing that ever happened to me," she says with a derisiveugh. "That''s when people started to believe me. Child services whipped me out of there and I never looked back. I found out about my mom''s death when I was seven months along, and I haven''t seen a single one of those fuckers since."


    "What happened to your baby?" I ask.


    She smiles softly. "He was adopted by a great family. He''s doing really well. Just finished college. I don''t see him, but I get updates."


    I return her smile, d that she seems to takefort in that.


    "Did you know that Mike Mulcahy wasn''t your father?" Nathan asks her.


    "Not back then. I didn''t find that out until a few years ago."


    "Who was your father?" Lorenzo asks. I can''t believe I had no idea about any of Brad''s messed-up past. "He have anything to do with how hard it was to ess those records?"


    "Yep. Seems my dear old mom had an affair with a guy named Foster Carmichael," Callie replies.


    Lorenzo frowns. "Why do I know that name?"


    "He was a big deal in New York in the nies and early 2000s," Nathan exins. "Before he started pissing off the wrong people. But back then he was a big fish with a lot of government pull. Family values were a major foundation of his campaigns. He couldn''t afford the scandal if word ever got out that he''d had an affair and a kid with a married woman, so he had the whole thing buried deep."


    "I figure good old Mike knew all along that I wasn''t his kid, which was why he allowed Jake to do what he did," Callie adds. "And my mom was bullied by him her whole life."


    "Where does Brad fit into this though?" I ask, finally finding my voice. "Jake always seemed a little afraid of him."


    "I guess he was." Callie shrugs. "Brad was always a bully too. He was the one person Jake could never push around, and while Brad didn''t actively participate in any of the shit Jake did to our mom and me..." She shakes her head. "He didn''t stop it either. And he was the one person who could have exposed Jake''s secrets." Drake finishes for her.


    Callie nods. "Exactly."


    "But what does all this mean?" I ask. "Callie, you can never let Jake know who you are now. You''d be putting yourself at risk, and maybe even your son too."


    "My son is very well protected, I assure you. And while I have no desire to see that piece of shit again, he has the entire Boston police force on his side. Oh yeah, I''ve kept tabs on him. If he wants to pin Brad''s murder on you, he won''t stop until that''s what he''s done. I will happily do whatever I need to if it means preventing him from ruining your life the way he tried to ruin mine." She pulls a brown envelope from her purse and hands it to Nathan. "But I hope this is enough and that it never has toe to that."


    Nathan slides the envelope across his desk. "This is Micha Mulcahy''s written statement of everything that happened to her and her mom, and it''s sure as hell gonna be enough to get Jake to back down."


    I lean back in my chair, my entire body trembling as her words sink in. I thought I knew Brad and Jake. And I knew they weren''t good men, but now that I know the true extent of the things they''re capable of...


    "I will never let him anywhere near you again, Mia," Lorenzo says, his voice calm and reassuring.


    I swallow the huge knot of anxiety balled in my throat. I know I''m safe with Lorenzo. He''d protect me from harm even if it meant hurting himself, but if Jake is determined to have me arrested for murder-one that I actuallymitted-I have no idea how he can stop that from happening. Not unless he can persuade Jake to drop it.


    "So we confront him with the information and warn him that if he doesn''t stay the fuck away from Mia, we''ll make sure Micha''s statement goes public?" Lorenzo''s question is met with nods of approval from Drake and Callie. "I''ll go to trial to see that sick fuck suffer if I have to," Callie adds.


    "Don''t do anything stupid, buddy," Nathan warns Lorenzo. "I can speak with him. Lay it all out on the line right here in my office."


    "That sounds like a good n." I don''t want Lorenzo getting himself into trouble.


    Lorenzo turns to me. "No, tesoro. I will look him in the eyes when I threaten his life if he everes anywhere near you again. It''s not up for negotiation."


    Callie grins. "I wish I could be there to see it too."


    "So, it''s settled then? You''ll speak to him yourself?" Nathan asks Lorenzo. "And I mean speak."


    "I''ll be good. I''ll take Dante and Max," he replies with a hint of a smirk.


    Drakeughs. "He''s gonna shit his pants."


    "Good." Callie stands and sets her coffee mug down on the table beside her. "I have to catch that ne back if I''m gonna make my meetingter."


    "Of course. Thank you so much foring, Ms. Stretton," Nathan says, standing to escort her out.


    "Thank you for flying me here on your fancy private jet," she says with a chuckle. "Not every day a girl gets to see one of them."


    I jump up and give her another impromptu hug. "Thank you so much, Callie. For everything."


    "My pleasure, honey. I hope he leaves you in peace now." I smile at her, trying to think of something appropriate to say back, but she winks at me. "I found my own peace a long time ago, don''t you worry about me." Nathan returns to the office after escorting her out and grabs his coat. "If you don''t need me for anything else, I have a whole fuckload of shit to deal with in New York."


    "Thanks for everything,pagno." Lorenzo wraps the other man in a hug. "I owe you."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Nathan hugs him back. "You will never owe me, buddy, and you know it."

 155

    LORENZO


    "You sure we can''t just tie him up and torture the sick fuck to death?" Max asks as we duck across the road to Jake Mulcahy''s house under the cover of night. "Don''t give him fucking ideas, Max," Dante says with a sigh.


    "Hey, I''m good with the n," I assure him. "No sense having to dispose of a cop''s dead body when we have enough information to scare the fuck shitless." I''m not lying; I will stick to the n. But I intend to deal with the twisted piece of shit my way in the future.


    "Kitchen light''s on. You think he''s in there?" Max asks as he and I jog around to the back of the house while Dante goes to the front. We climb over the fence and drop to the grass below with a soft thud. Max grins. "Well, let''s go say hello."


    We break in through the back and find Jake Mulcahy bent over his kitchen table, eating a microwavesagna when Max and I stroll into the room. "What the fuck?" he snarls, scrabbling to get up and reach for his gun on the counter. But Max is too quick. He has Jake in a headlock before the prick can even get off his ass. We pull his arms behind his back and make short work of tying him to the chair.


    Once he''s secure, Max releases his hold on Jake''s neck. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" he seethes, wrestling against his restraints.


    "You know who we are," I remind him as I take a seat.


    "You won''t get away with this. I''m a fucking decorated cop," he spits.


    "We haven''t done anything we need to get away with, Jakey." Max perches on the edge of the table. "Not yet, anyway."


    "We only want to talk." That''s bullshit. I want to rip his fucking throat out. But not tonight.


    Dante walks into the kitchen, cing the lock he''s just removed from Jake''s front door on the table. "You might want to get that looked at. Came right off in my hands." "Fuck you!" Jake snarls.


    Max backhands him across the face. "Don''t ever speak to Mr. Moretti like that again, fuck-nugget."


    Jake spits blood on the floor and res at us with contempt. The stupid fucker doesn''t know how lucky he is that he''ll still be breathing when we walk out of here. "Like I said, we only want to talk," I repeat.


    "So talk," he snaps but there''s a tremor in his voice now. As though he''s only just realized the severity of his situation.


    "I want you to stay away from Mia," I start.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


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    "She killed my fucking brother," he says, his voice dripping with venom.


    I nce at Max, and he punches Jake in the mouth. We agreed I wouldn''ty a finger on the horrible fuck in case I couldn''t stop.


    "As I was saying, you will stay away from Mia. You will drop this bullshit about your waste-of-oxygen brother, and you will never even think her name again. Understand?"


    Beads of perspiration trickle down his forehead. "And if I refuse?"


    "How about I cut you open from scrotum to nose, fuck-nugget?" Max asks, kicking Jake''s chair and making him flinch.


    "You''d never fucking get away with it," Jake insists. "I''m not some street punk you can make disappear."


    I made your brother disappear, you stupid fuck! The words want to roll off my tongue, but I hold them back. I''ll tell him when I return for his life. "I think you''ll find we can make anyone disappear," I say instead. "But fortunately for you, my colleague here won''t need to gut you like a fish to stop you from talking."


    He eyeballs me but doesn''t say anything.


    "All we have to do is release the statement your sister gave us. All about what a warped, evil little fuck you are. Your life as you know it would be over."


    His face turns whiter than the fridge directly behind him.


    "Micha''s even willing to press charges should we ever need to provide you with a little more encouragement. You know there''s no statute of limitations for rape in Boston, right?"


    "You''re lying," he snarls, but his lip wobbles and he''s sweating profusely now.


    "No. We had a good chat with her. And of course there''s DNA evidence of your crimes. Did you know she had your child? A son. He knows nothing about the depraved fucker who sired him though."


    "Fuck you!"


    I push my chair back and he flinches. I need to cause him a little pain, just so he has a taste of what''sing to him one day. I grab his limp dick and squeeze. He wheezes and tears spring to his eyes. "Drop the vendetta against Mia or I will release that statement. And if she ever has to see your ugly goddamn face, hear your voice, or if anything happens to her because of you for the rest of her days"-I squeeze harder, tempted to pull the goddamn thing off with my bare hands- "we wille back here and we will slice off every single part of your anatomy piece by fucking piece. Until you''re nothing but a head on a fucking torso. And then I will pour battery acid into your fucking eyes and watch you burn from the inside out, you disgusting fuck! You got me?"


    Unable to speak from the pain of having his junk crushed, he nods.


    "Good." I walk out of his kitchen before my restraint snaps, leaving Max and Dante to untie him. ncing back at the house, I swear that I will return. And next time I''lle alone.

 156

    ¦¬¦©¦¡


    Lorenzo slips an arm around my waist, giving me a reassuring squeeze as we move past the thick velvet ropes that lead to The Peacock Club. I resist the urge to chew on my lip, not wanting to ruin the lovely make-up that Joey helped me with. "No need to be nervous, sunshine," Lorenzo says softly in my ear, his warm breath sending a shiver along my spine. "I''ll take good care of you."


    "I know," I say with a smile. "I think I''m like excited nervous though, you know? This is my first time in a club like this."


    "d to hear it," he says with a wink. "You remember the rules once we''re inside?"


    "Only address you as Sir. Don''t talk unless you give me permission, and do anything you say without hesitation?"


    "That''s my girl." He dips his head and gives me a sweet, lingering kiss.


    "Can I ask you something though, Sir?" I purr, running a hand down thepel of his finely tailored and incredibly well-fitted suit.


    "Of course."


    "Why the no talking rule tonight? Is there a specific reason?" The nervous chattering rule is a constant, and I''ve almost cracked that particr habit, but not talking at all, even when someone speaks to me, ispletely new. He gives me a wicked grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and skims a hand down to my ass.


    "What?" I frown.


    He dusts the knuckles of his free hand over my cheek before cupping my jaw and tilting my head so he can look into my eyes. "It''s because, my feisty ball of sunshine, despite you being so full of fire and defiance, you''re actually turning into a very well-behaved little sub."


    My entire body floods with heat at his praise.


    "I had to get more creative and make some rules that you might actually break."


    My breath catches in my throat. "So you can punish me?"


    "Exactly."


    "So, are you saying I''m a good sub, Sir?"


    He presses his lips close to my ear again. "You''re my perfect sub, tesoro."


    "Thank you," I whisper, basking in his praise, just like he''s taught me.


    My head may as well be on a swivel once we get inside the club. It''s one of the most beautiful ces I''ve ever seen. All ss and chrome and plush velvet. Lorenzo told me it''s under new ownership and they renovated and changed the name. Whoever the new owners are, they obviously have impable taste. The club is packed, and we have to thread our way through the crowd to reach the VIP booths at the back.


    Mouth hanging open in fascination, I admire the costumes and outfits of everyone I see. My jaw drops further when we pass two people having sex on a table about two feet away from us.


    Lorenzo tugs on my hand, pulling me through the mass of bodies, and I stumble after him in my heels. Instead of continuing toward the back of the club, he leads me to a crowded spot with a single seat avable at a table. Two men and a woman are already sitting there, and they acknowledge him with a nod. Lorenzo sits in the empty chair. Confused, I frown. Am I supposed to sit on hisp?


    Lorenzo res up at me. "On your knees."


    I blink at him.


    "Do not make me ask again."


    My heart rate kicks up as I sink to my knees. What the hell is he doing? He grips my jaw in his hand. "You want to stare at people, sunshine. Maybe I should show you how that feels."


    I open my mouth to speak but close it again. No talking.


    "Oh you''re going to want to open that mouth again." He unzips his fly. "Because it''s going to be full of my cock in a few seconds."


    I quickly nce around the room, noting the growing crowd, but I''m not surprised. Lorenzo Moretti is a big deal in these circles. And he''s about to teach his new sub a lesson on her first night here. I want to tell him that I wasn''t staring to be rude, but I can''t, and I guess it doesn''t matter because it was kind of rude. But now I get to be the one who''s stared at while I suck Lorenzo''s cock. Holy bananas! I''m not sure I can do this. Not here in front of everyone.


    "Eyes on me," he orders as he reaches inside his suit pants. "You look at anyone other than me while you''re sucking my cock and you''ll be spanked in front of all these lovely people too."


    I swallow the thick knot in my throat and nod faintly, keeping my gaze fixed on his.


    He palms the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair. Then he leans close, lips dusting over the shell of my ear. "And you know I''m looking for any reason to spank you, sunshine." "I''ll be-" Crap!


    "And there it is." He chuckles wickedly, sitting back and pulling his cock from his pants.


    My entire body trembles and my eyes brim with tears, but I keep my gaze fixed on his. Searching my face, he leans forward again and cups my chin in his strong hand. "I should have reminded you that your safe word still works in here, Mia," he says, his voice low. "Anywhere. Anytime. No matter what the rules are. You understand me?" I stay quiet, my stare fixed on the side of his head.


    "You have permission to speak."


    "I understand, Sir."


    Seemingly satisfied with that response, he leans back again and I train my eyes on his. I can do this. No matter who''s watching or what happens, I trust this man in front of me more than anyone else in the world. I see him squeezing the base of his shaft in my peripheral vision. "Show all these good people how well you suck my cock."


    I nt my hands on his thighs and dip my head, dropping my gaze to his beautiful cock, weeping with precum. Swirling my tongue over the crown, I collect it all before I wrap my lips around him. He keeps his fingers tangled in my hair, pushing down and forcing me to take more of him into my mouth. Lorenzo stays silent but the people around us murmur appreciatively. I don''t know if I can do this. All I have to do is say that one word and all this will stop. But then what happens? We go home and maybe nevere here again?


    "You''re doing so well," he groans.


    I am? I focus on him. His scent. The power in his body. His taut thigh muscles beneath my palms. Then the soothing sound of his voice as he goes on telling me how well I''m doing. Pleasure and warmth wash over me as I suck him harder, taking him deeper until he''s inside my throat. I swallow, and his groan rumbles through him and into me. Yeah, I can do this.


    "You got yourself a wonderful new sub, Lorenzo." I recognize the soft purring voice. It''s the woman Lorenzo introduced me to in the lobby of the James''s building.


    Lorenzo tightens his grip on my hair. "Sure fucking did." Close to losing control, he grunts thest word.


    Wetness floods my panties at the thought that they''re watching him as much as they are me. This is actually kinda hot. I''m about to make the most powerful man in the city lose control in this room full of people. How many women can say they get to do that? Just one. Me.


    Spurred on by that realization, I inhale through my nose and swallow again, squeezing his thick cock in my throat. "Holy! Fuck!"


    I look up to see him gazing down at me, eyes dark and full of so much love and desire for me that my heart almost bursts with happiness. Now there''s nobody here but me and him. This is all about us and no one else.


    "You suck my cock so fucking good," he groans, holding my head still as he drives into me. I keep my eyes on his and open my throat, epting every drop of the cum that he feeds me. Trailing my tongue along his shaft as he slowly slides out of my mouth, I lick him clean.


    Saliva drips from the corner of my mouth and he wipes it away with his thumb. The woman who spoke earlier sits on his left. She leans close to talk to him, but his attention remains on me. "You did so good, sunshine."


    I gaze up at him with adoration. I love him so much, love that he knows exactly how far to push me.


    "Don''t forget her spanking, Lorenzo," the woman says with a darkugh, and my heart sinks. I''d forgotten about that. How did she even hear what he said to me? Has she been here the whole time?


    Lorenzo tucks his cock back into his pants and zips himself up. Then he takes my hand and pulls me up from the floor and onto hisp.


    "Mnie, you remember Mia?" he says to the woman on his left.


    Ah, yes. Mnie.


    "I certainly do. And I don''t think I''ll be forgetting her any time soon." She arches an eyebrow, and my cheeks flush in response.


    Lorenzo skims his hand over my ass. "She is unforgettable." He winks at me, and I practically melt into him. Then he gives me all his attention. "Let''s go find our booth."


    He sets me on my feet, and Mnie watches us intently. I can tell she wants to ask why he''s not spanking me like he promised, but I doubt she-or anyone, for that matter-would challenge him so openly. He squeezes my hand tightly in his and we weave through the crowd once more until we reach the private tables at the back. A bouncer shows us to our booth, and I slide along the plush suede bench seat with Lorenzo immediately following me.


    "You can speak freely in here, Mia," he says as soon as we''re seated.


    "That was super hot." I blurt the words out before he changes his mind about the speaking thing.


    His eyes narrow. "You like being watched?"


    "I didn''t think I would, but..." My cheeks flush bright red. "I loved that everyone was watching us. That they ..." I trail off, suddenly self-conscious.


    A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. "That they what, sunshine?"


    Biting my lip, I stare into his dark eyes. "They would know I belonged to you."


    His smile widens and he brushes his fingertips over my cheek. "Yes you fucking do. Is that all you enjoyed about it?"


    Damn! He knows me so well. "No," I admit with a shy grin. "I also loved that they were watching youe. I bet a lot of them would have loved to have been on their knees for you, but I''m the only person who gets to do that." Without warning, he crashes his lips against mine, palming the back of my neck and holding me in ce while he tongue fucks my mouth. When he breaks our kiss, I gasp for air. "I think more people wanted to be me," he says, his voice low and husky. "Because you are the perfect little sub. The perfect woman."


    Heat pools in my core. "Sir." I breathe out the word.


    "But you''re still owed a spanking. Over my knee, now."


    "Here?"


    He smirks. "I can take you back out there and do it in full view of the entire club if you''d prefer?"


    "No, no. Here is good." I shuffle onto the seat and lie over his knee, resting my elbows on the soft suede bench with my ass in the air.


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    He pushes up my short dress, tugging on the soft fabric until it sits snugly around my waist. He rubs arge, strong hand across my ass, and I purr in contentment. Then he ps me hard, four times over my panties. I yelp when thest onends, just as a couple walks past our booth. I freeze as my cheeks burn with shame, but they don''t linger.


    "People aren''t allowed to stay and watch up here unless they''re invited," Lorenzo assures me, and I rx again. He pulls my panties over my ass cheeks and rolls them halfway down my thighs. "How many times should I spank this beautiful ass tonight?" he asks me.


    I think of the appropriate number. Too high and I will have given myself an unnecessarily sore ass-at least more painful than I would have had. But too low and he''ll double the amount as further punishment. "Fifteen?" I suggest. "That''s a little harsh, sunshine," he says with a darkugh. "But if you insist."


    Dammit!


    I brace myself for the first blow, and he brings the t of his palm down hard over the meaty part of my butt cheek. Ow! I press my lips together and wince as he spanks me again.


    "Your ass looks beautiful when it''s red from a spanking." He slides a finger into my pussy and I whimper shamelessly. "Jesus, fuck, Mia, are you this wet from sucking my cock or from being spanked over my knee?" "Both, Sir."


    He spanks me again while he gently finger fucks me, and hot pleasure coils in the pit of my stomach, making me achy and needy for him. "Sir," I moan.


    "My needy little sub. So desperate for a fucking."


    He goes on spanking me, making me wetter with every blow. I had no idea pain could cause this kind of pleasure, but the brand of pain that Lorenzo Moretti doles out is nothing short of exquisite.


    Lorenzo makes thest p the hardest. The sound of his palm hitting my flesh is so loud, even in the noisy club. It stings like a mother too and I flinch, but then he rubs his warm hand over my sensitive reddened skin and I arch into the pleasure.


    "You take my spankings so well, sunshine. Such a good girl for me."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    He tugs my panties all the way off my legs before pulling me up and spinning me around so I''m straddling him, my red ass on disy to anyone who might walk past.


    He grazes my jaw with his nose, inhaling deeply and making my organs melt like chocte in the sun. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight, tesoro?" "Yes, Sir. Before we left the house."


    He slips his hands beneath the fabric of my dress, rubbing his fingertips over my lower back. "I do like this dress on you."


    "Thank you," I whisper. Joey helped me choose it. It''s short and form-fitting and ck. It seemed like the perfect choice for my first visit to the club.


    "I still prefer your yellow one though," he says with a smirk.


    "Is that so?"


    He nips at my jaw and a shiver runs down my spine. "Yes. You''re going to wear that and nothing else the next time wee here."


    He slips a hand between my thighs and drags two fingers through my dripping center. "With no underwear?" I whimper, rocking my hips against him. I need him inside me so bad. "That''s right. I want to be able to slide my hand under your dress while we''re walking through the crowd and feel my wet pussy." He slips a thick finger inside me.


    "S-Sir," I moan loudly, rolling my hips and riding his finger.


    "What is it, sunshine?"


    "Please ... fuck me."


    "A demanding little sub tonight, huh?" Heughs darkly.


    I drop my hips, sinking deeper onto his finger as he works it inside me. "I always need you, Sir."


    "You want me inside you here at this table?"


    "Yes, please." Hot pleasure tingles in my thighs.


    "Then take my cock out," he orders while he goes on finger fucking me.


    With trembling fingers, I work his zipper down and reach inside his boxers. He''s as hard as stone, his skin hot and smooth as I wrap my hand around the base of his shaft and squeeze. "Fuck," he mutters. "You have any idea how much I love your hands on me, tesoro?"


    "Not as much as I love yours on me, Sir."


    He slips his finger out of me. "Slide onto my cock, Mia. Take me all the way into your sweet cunt. I''m gonna fill your pussy with my cum like I did your pretty throat."


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    He tucks my hair behind my ears and stares into my eyes. "Maybe I''ll fill you with something else too, huh?"


    Molten heat sears in my core, and my breath hitches. I had my coil taken out a few days ago. No more birth control for me. "I would love that, Sir."


    His eyes twinkle with mischief and delight. "So what are you waiting for, sunshine?"


    I shift my hips, angling myself so that the crown of his thick cock is pressing at my opening. Then I look into his eyes, smiling as I sink onto him and see them roll back. Every solid inch of him fills my pussy. My walls ripple around him. I''m so close to the edge already from all the things he''s done to me tonight. "Fuck me," he says with a throaty growl. "I''m gonna lose my mind if you don''t stop squeezing me like that."


    I press my forehead against his, wrapping my arms around his neck as he snakes his around my waist, taking control of my movements. "I''m sorry... can''t help it...you feel so good inside me," I pant out each word as warm pleasure rolls through my body, threatening to overwhelm me at any given second.


    "I''m going to fuck you like this out there for everyone to see next time wee here. Would you like that?"


    "Y-yes," I mewl as white-hot pleasure sears between my thighs.


    "Yeah?" He rolls his hips and sweeps his crown over the sensitive spot deep inside me.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Please, Sir."


    "Say my name, Mia," hemands, the deep timbre of his voice rolling through my body and settling into my bones, soothing my very soul.


    "Lorenzo!" My climax washes over me in a long undting wave.


    He pulls me tighter and fucks me through every second of it, his mouth hot against my ear. "I got you, sunshine."


    I rest my head on his shoulder,pletely spent. He nuzzles my neck, mming into me one final time while he groans my name.


    I pant for breath, and he rubs soothing hands down my back before pulling my dress down to cover my bare ass. "You good?" he asks softly.


    I lift my head and look into his handsome face. "Yes." I smile contentedly.


    He smiles back at me. "You''re so fucking beautiful."


    I curl my fingers through his thick dark hair. "Thank you, Sir. You''re very beautiful too."


    He kisses me softly, slipping his tongue into my mouth and making me moan again. I cannot get enough of this man and the things he does to my body. His hands coast up my back, fisting one in my hair as his kiss grows deeper and more passionate. I grind against him, and he breaks the kiss and lets out a darkugh. "You''re insatiable, my little sub."


    I bite my lip and flutter my eyshes. "For you I am, Sir."


    He looks down at the crotch of his pants, stained with our cum, and I blush. "Your lovely suit," I whisper.


    "There isn''t a suit I own that you haven''t stained with your sweet juices." He trails his lips over my neck. "And that''s exactly how I like it."


    "Can I ask you something, Sir?"


    "Anything."


    "Why didn''t you spank me out there in front of everyone?"


    "I told you I''d spank you in front of everyone if you took your eyes off me when you were sucking my cock. You didn''t. Your spanking was for talking without permission, and I never said where I was going to do that." "Well, I''m d you did it here instead."


    He runs his nose over my jawline. "I know."


    Warmth settles into every cell in my body. He knows. That was why he punished me in our private booth instead. "Sometimes I think you can read my mind, Sir."


    "Not your mind. But I can read your body. The look in your eyes. Every single movement you make. Every shaky breath. Every tremor and tremble. Every flicker of emotion on your face tells me exactly what I need to know." "I wish I could read you like that," I say with a soft sigh.


    "I''m pretty sure you read me better than anyone else I know. You always know what I need. You''re always what I need."


    "You''re all I need, Sir. I love you so much. I can''t believe this is my life now, when for so long it was so..." A sob wells in my throat and a single tear rolls down my cheek.


    He wraps his arms tightly around my waist, pulling my body flush against his. "You deserve it all, sunshine. I''d hang the moon for you if you asked me to."


    I sink my teeth into my lip, staring into his deep brown eyes. "Well, every girl deserves a man who looks at her like he would hang the moon for her."


    I seal my lips over his, kissing him softly until he groans into my mouth and his cock stiffens between us. I roll my hips, taking control while he''ll allow it, which I know won''t be for long. But that''s the man I love. Lorenzo Moretti is my partner. My lover. My Dom. My best friend. My everything.

 157

    NINE MONTHS LATER


    My sneakers squeak on the wooden floor as I creep along the hallway, but the sound is drowned out by the noise of the TV. The game''s on. Patriots vs. Colts. Ten more paces until I reach the den. This isn''t the first time I''ve been here. I know the kind of tiles used to decorate the bathroom, and I know the brand of whiskey the owner drinks and how frequently he drinks it. He downs at least half a bottle during every Pats game. I know that the ss coffee table he uses to hold his bottle of Jameson is from Ikea. I had one just like it in a warehouse yesterday, before it got smashed to pieces and tossed in the dumpster of a local Turkish restaurant by one of my men. Wrapping my gloved hand around the thick shard I kept, I pull it from my pocket.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    Slipping into the den, I see the half empty bottle of whiskey on the table and the empty ss sitting beside it. I swallow a knot of regret. I wish I could drag this out. Oh, the pleasure I would take in peeling the skin from his bones while listening to the music of his agonized screams. I''d gouge out his eyeballs and force them down his throat. Let him know who''s responsible for every agonizing second of his death while I draw out his pain for as long as I can. Sadly, this needs to look like a suicide.


    I quietly step up behind him, although he''s too drunk to even hear me. A part of me hopes that he has good instincts and will spin around and confront me because then I could legitimately beat the fucker to death with my bare hands. But his eyes remain glued to the screen, and he curses the Patriots'' receiver for dropping the ball.


    I''m so close I can smell the whiskey on him and see the strong pulse in his neck. Grabbing his jaw, I tilt his head back before he can process what''s happening.


    I pull his head back far enough that I can look into his eyes. "Remember me, you sick fuck?"


    He makes a grab for me and I don''t flinch back. I''m wearing all-ckbat gear, the kind that doesn''t leave fibers behind. He can struggle and pull at my clothes all he wants. It won''t change the oue of his night. "This is for Mia and Micha, you evil fuck." I snarl as I slice the shard of ss across his carotid artery. "You''re going to die just like your piece-of-shit brother."


    He makes a final grab for me, then clutches at his throat, sputtering and coughing. A river of blood pours down his neck, soaking his football jersey, and I hold onto him as every drop of life drains from his body. Once he''s dead and his eyes go dull, I let go and he falls forward.


    Taking the shard, I position his hand around it. Then I grab the bottle of whiskey, raise it high and drop it onto the coffee table. It crashes through the ss, shattering it into pieces. I don''t have a note, but I do have the unredacted sealed files and Micha''s permission. I ce them on the sofa beside the brother who made her life a living hell. Hopefully he''s about to spend the rest of eternity in his. Between his family history and the presumed guilt over what he did to his little sister, I have no doubt his death will be ruled a suicide. But if the detectives suspect even the slightest hint of foul y, I''m covered. I happen to know the new Superintendent of the Boston PD-Pete Hayes.


    LORENZO


    Hands stuffed in the pockets of my suit pants, I stand in the hallway watching her. So fucking beautiful.


    "You know this is supposed to be girls only, right?" Max walks up beside me, bumping my arm before he stops and stares too, watching my sister the same way I watch Mia. We stand here in silence, each of us transfixed. I swear Mia''s smile could light up the entire city. My sunshine.


    "I knew this is where you two would be," Dante says with a roll of his eyes as hees up on my other side, cradling his sleeping son in his arms. "Can''t stay away, huh?"


    "Well, you might be an old hand at this, but it''s kind of new for us," I remind him.


    "Never gets old though, bro," he replies with a genuine smile as he stares at his wife.


    Max turns and looks at my younger brother, cocking one eyebrow. "Surely you''re not going to make that poor woman have any more of your giant babies after this one?" Dante shes him a grin. "I want at least one more."


    "You want five kids?" I ask.


    "I want six, but Kat says five, so..." He shrugs.


    "What about you, Loz? Will this be the first of many?" Max asks me.


    I stare at Mia. Her face glows with such joy that I wonder how I ever got so lucky. Pregnancy looks good on her, but we''ve already agreed on our number. "One more," I reply. "Joey says she''ll wait to see how much of a tiny demon our first one is before we decide on more." Maxughs.


    I nce at my sister, hand resting protectively on her swollen belly and her eyes shining with joy. "She may change her mind. She''s young."


    Dante snorts. "If your daughter is anything like her though..."


    Max''s eyes widen with horror. "Fuck. I''m never gonna know a second''s peace again, am I?"


    "You wouldn''t have it any other way," Dante replies with a grin. Kat is pregnant with their fourth child and despite our father being a monster, my younger brother has taken to fatherhood like he was born for the role. I only hope that ites as naturally to me. "So, which baby do you think is going to arrive first?"


    Mia, Joey, and Kat fell pregnant within weeks of one another, hence the three-way baby shower currently being held in our mansion. Our dining room is full of thirty giggling, excited women and my fianc¨¦e outshines every single one of them. "Mine and Joey''s," Max replies instantly. "She''s due first."


    Danteughs. "First babies never arrive when they''re supposed to,pagno."


    "They don''t?"


    Dante shakes his head.


    I blow out a breath at the reminder that I''m going to be a father in a few weeks. And an uncle to two more babies. Joey and Max have their own wing in the house now too. And call me sentimental, but I like all of us Morettis being under one roof. "We''re gonna have three newborns under one roof."


    Dante puts an arm around my shoulder, cradling his son with the other. "You''re going to be an amazing dad."


    "What if I''m not?"


    Max bumps my arm again. "When have you ever not been good at anything?"


    At that precise moment, Mia looks up and catches my eye. She shes me one of her beautiful smiles, the kind that she reserves only for me. Love you, she mouths.


    I swallow the words on the tip of my tongue. She knows I love her. Everybody knows. Max wraps an arm around my shoulder now too. "I''m so fucking proud of you," he says quietly, but loud enough that Dante hears him and he squeezes my other shoulder.


    I''m proud of me too. After Anya died, I thought there was no life for me at all. I certainly didn''t imagine I would experience any of this. There was no doubt in my mind that there could be no one else for me. And then I met my Mia. A woman who''s impossible not to fall in love with. There''s only so long you can stand in the sun before sumbing to its heat. I''m not sure anyone else could have melted my ice-cold heart the way that she has. And now she''s giving me a son too. She is fucking everything.

 158

    MIA


    I lie back on the bed, running my hands over my swollen belly. "Did you have fun today?" Lorenzo asks, opening the buttons of his shirt.


    "I had such a wonderful time! It still feels strange to have so many genuine friends..." I swallow down a knot of unexpected emotion. I was always a very sociable and confident person when I was younger-prom queen in high school, president of my sorority in college. But Brad never allowed me the luxury of friends. It might have ruined his good guy image if they got too close and saw one too many bruises or cuts. But Lorenzo encourages me to do whatever it is that keeps me true to my real self, and that includes making friends through work, at The Peacock Club, in my prenatal ss. He supports every single thing I do, even encouraging me to start up my own aromatherapy business when I wasn''t sure I had what it took. Now the business is thriving-I''m thriving. With his love and support, I can conquer the world.


    He stops undressing and lies on the bed beside me, brushing his fingertips over my cheek. "You have lots of friends because you''re a beautiful person, inside and out, tesoro," he says softly, so perceptive to any change in my emotions. "Thank you. For everything," I whisper, a tear pricking at the corner of my eye.


    "No." Shaking his head, he slips a warm hand over my swollen belly. "Thank you, sunshine. I could live one hundred lifetimes and never repay you for what you''ve given me."


    This man has no idea how incredible he is. He is perfect for me in every single way. "Well, you could start by taking that shirt off. I was kind of enjoying the show before you stopped."


    His eyes narrow as they lock on mine. "You were?" His voice drops an octave, bing a deep growl that rolls through my core.


    "Yes, Sir."


    "You want to y, sunshine?"


    My heart rate kicks up a gear. Hell yes, I want to y. Being heavily pregnant has not hindered our activities even a little and Lorenzo is very creative when ites to thinking up new ways to tease, punish, and pleasure me. "Please, Sir." He drags his bottom lip through his teeth, a wicked glint in his eyes as they roam over my nearly naked body. His hand on my belly dips lower, slipping beneath the waistband of my panties. "What the hell should I do with my needy little sub tonight?"


    I rock my hips, leaning into his strong hand and silently begging him to slip it between my thighs. "Shall I make you work for your pleasure?" he asks, low and husky, before he trails his lips over my breasts. He sucks a sensitive nipple into his mouth, biting gently on the hardened bud and making me whimper. I curl my fingers in his hair.


    "But I''ve been good, Sir," I whine.


    "Mmhmm." He releases my nipple from his sinful mouth. "Did you ept all of thepliments you were paid today?"


    I roll my lips and screw my eyes closed as he directs his attention to my other breast. So many people told me I looked beautiful and glowing today, and I epted their kindness with a smile and a thank you, resisting the urge to brush off or refute their assertions. "Yes," I breathe out the word. "I promise."


    He lifts his head and stares into my eyes. I would never lie to him, and he knows it. "That''s my good girl."


    My cheeks flush at his praise. I love Lorenzo''s punishments and his teasing, but when he rewards me for being good-well, that''s a whole new level of ecstasy. His lips trail higher, skating across my corbone and up my neck. He nips at the skin around my cor, making me mewl and writhe beneath him.


    "You like wearing my cor, Mia?"


    "Yes, Sir. You know I do."


    He drags his teeth over the delicate skin of my neck. Then his hand finally slips into my panties, and he circles the pad of his middle finger on my clit. "You like the whole world knowing you belong to me?"


    I arch my back as pleasure warms my core. "Y-yes."


    "You have any idea how hard it makes me knowing that you''re mine to do with as I please?" He sinks a thick finger inside me and I cry out, pushing my head back against the pillow. "Do you, sunshine?" He adds a second. "Yes, Sir."


    "I wonder what part of you I should fuck tonight, huh?" he asks, smiling against my skin as he works his fingers deeper.


    "Every part of me," I tug at his hair, desperate for more of him.


    "A greedy little sub too."


    "Greedy for you, Sir."


    "Damn fucking right you are," he grunts, rubbing his palm over my clit and massaging my pussy walls with his skilled fingers. Epilogue


    THREE YEARS LATER


    Stretching my neck, I stare at my reflection in the mirror.


    "You look handsome, Daddy," Luca says. My eyes find his in the mirror. His are deep pools of brown-full of happiness and trust. Three years old and, along with his two-year-old sister, Raven, the apple of mine and his mother''s eye. "Thanks, son," I say, shing him a smile in the mirror that makes him giggle. "Not as handsome as you though."


    "And not as beautiful as Mommy," he adds with an assured nod.


    "No, definitely not as beautiful as your mommy."


    The door bursts open and Max walks through it, carrying the three-month-old Maximo Junior in the crook of his arm. "You not bolted yet, Loz?" He gives a wickedugh and ps me on the back.


    "Fuck you," I mutter quietly so Luca doesn''t hear me.


    Max smiles at my reflection. "You look good,pagno. You okay?"


    I slide my finger beneath the cor of my shirt and roll my neck again. "Why does everyone keep asking me if I''m okay?" He''s the third person in the past half hour who''s asked me that. "Because it''s a big day." His eyes meet mine in the mirror.


    I know what they''re all thinking. It''s taken three long years and a hell of a lot of red tape to get us here. Who would have thought that getting a divorce from a dead man could be so difficult? Before I can reply to Max, Dante bounds through the door with two kids in his arms and another six scurrying around his feet. My daughter runs to me, mbering up my leg until I lift her and pull her close. She squishes my cheeks together and I press a soft kiss on her perfect little nose. Max rolls his eyes. "How did we wind up with all the tiny demons in here?"


    "They followed me," Dante says with a shrug. "I''m like the Pied Piper or something. Besides, there are blow dryers and perfume and way too many people fussing around in that room. The kids are better in here with us, where there''s a giant ass TV."


    I ce Raven on the floor to y with her brother and cousins. Maximo nces around the room, still holding onto Maximo Junior while his daughters, Be and Jess, take control of the TV remote. "How in the hell did we end up with all these kids?" he asks with an exaggerated sigh. "I mean they outnumber us by far too many for my liking."


    Dante looks around the room at all of our kidsughing and ying together and a smile spreads across his face. Ten cousins all growing up in one house-it can get rowdy. They adore one another, and although they fight and squabble constantly, they fight for each other as much as against. They''re going to rule the fucking world together once they''re all grown. And nobody knows besides us yet, but Mia and I are about to add one more to the brood. We didn''t n a third, but I spend so much time inside her, those odds were never going to be in our favor.


    "So, how you doing, brother?" Dante asks.


    I roll my eyes, but before I can snap at him for asking that fucking question, the door opens again. "Jess, please don''t take off your dress, sweetheart," Joey says, spying her daughter about to pull her beautiful yellow dress off over her head. "I hate dresses, Mommy," Jess whines. "I want to wear a suit like the boys."


    "I know, baby, but it''s only for a few hours," Joey replies sweetly.


    "You should have let her wear whatever she wanted." My niece is every bit as headstrong as her mother.


    "She told me yesterday that she wanted to wear a dress!" Joey throws her arms in the air. "The child is aw unto herself."


    "Sounds like someone else I know," Dante says good-naturedly, giving our sister a kiss on the cheek.


    "Hey!" Joey yfully swats his chest.


    Max wraps an arm around her, their son drifting off to sleep cradled against his chest. "You look beautiful, baby girl."


    "Thank you," she says, her cheeks flushed.


    "What are you doing in here anyway?" Dante asks. "Did Mia send you in here to make sure Lorenzo wasn''t having a breakdown?"


    I scowl at my brother in the mirror.


    "Nope." Joey shrugs. "That woman is as cool as a goddamn cucumber."


    Danteughs. "She kinda has to be to put up with Lorenzo."


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    The three of them start talking about the ceremony, but their chatter fades away and bes white noise. I feel a heaviness in my heart that I was expecting, but it rankles just the same.


    "I need to see her," I say, interrupting their chatter and making the three of them stare back at me through the mirror.


    "Who? Mia?" Joey asks with a frown.


    "Yes."


    "You can''t. It''s bad luck," she insists.


    "I need to see her, Joey. Make it happen."


    She blinks at me. "Lorenzo? Are you-"


    "Just do it. Please."


    "Okay. Okay. I''ll think of something." She gives me a reassuring smile, but Max and Dante watch me with concern.


    Five minutester, I''m standing in the pantry with the door open waiting for my bride and under strict instructions from my kid sister that I will, under no circumstances, step out of this tiny room and look at Mia before the ceremony. Her soft footsteps approach and my heart beats harder in my chest. The scent of her perfume makes my cock twitch. I''m so tempted to go out there so I can pull my fianc¨¦e into my arms, but I made Joey a promise.


    "Hey you," she says softly. Her shadow falls across the floor, and I figure she''s leaning against the wall right outside the door.


    "Hey." I reach my hand out for hers, and sheces her fingers through mine. Her skin is warm and soft like silk.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I swallow the thick knot of emotion stuck in my throat.


    She squeezes my hand tighter. "She would be proud of you, you know that, right?"


    Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. This woman has such a beautiful fucking soul, and I don''t know what I ever did to deserve her. How many women wouldfort their husband-to-be on their wedding day because they thought they were thinking about someone else? "I love you," I rasp.


    "I know."


    "You have any idea how much restraint it''s taking to not pull you into this pantry with me and kiss you?"


    "Only kiss me?" She giggles softly.


    "Well, it would start with a kiss at least."


    "And within two minutes I''d be bent over with my beautiful wedding dress around my waist?" she whispers seductively.


    "Don''t be putting ideas in my head, sunshine." Visions of her bent over with my cock inside herter aren''t enough to shake this uneasy feeling I''m carrying though. I lift her hand to my lips and brush them across her knuckles. A deep sigh rumbles through my chest.


    "It''s okay for you to think about her, Lorenzo. I''m thinking of her too."


    "You are?"


    "Yes. I''m grateful to her for making you the man you are today, and I always will be. I''ve been thinking about her all morning. What her dress was like. How excited she must have been to marry you."


    Thinking about my first wedding day, I smile. Me thinking about Anya isn''t an issue for Mia, I know that with my whole heart, but not talking to her about it is. It''s a mistake I made a long time ago and never will again. "She wore a white silk dress," I say, picturing her walking down the aisle toward me. "The corset was tied so tight she almost fainted at the altar."


    "Were you nervous?"


    "Fuck yeah." Iugh. "My father had all but disowned me. Anya''s family did the same to her. But nothing had ever felt so right before."


    "Are you nervous today?" she asks softly.


    "No. Not even a little," I admit, pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles. I''ve never been so sure of anything as making this woman my wife. "You?"


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    "Nope."


    "Kind of feels like every single moment in my life was supposed to lead me right here. To you. To Luca and Raven."


    "And the idental jellybean," she whispers.


    "Yeah, and him too."


    "Him?"


    "I got a feeling." I shrug.


    She chuckles lightly. "Me too, actually."


    The silence hangs between us for a few moments. "I didn''t ask to see you because I was thinking about Anya."


    "You didn''t?"


    My heart sinks and I close my eyes. "No."


    "Then what is it?" she asks, her voice tinged with concern.


    "I have something I need to tell you. But I need you to know that I did what I did for me, tesoro. It shouldn''t stain your conscience."


    "You killed Jake," she says-a statement not a question.


    "You knew?"


    "I suspected it was no ident. I figured you''d tell me when you were ready."


    "I don''t want to have any secrets when I make you my wife. I shouldn''t have kept it from you this long." I squeeze her hand tighter and brush my thumb over her knuckles. "But I didn''t want you to feel any guilt about what happened because it was between me and him, not you. Then a few dayster, Luca was born and, well, there never seemed to be a good time to break your heart."


    "You''re not breaking my heart. I understand why you did what you did. I get now why a man like you can''t let those kinds of things lie. And it''s okay. The way you protect the people you care about is one of the million things I''ve grown to love about you."


    "Thank you, and not just for this. Thank you for loving me, sunshine. For giving me Luca and Raven and the new little guy. For bringing me joy beyond anything I could''ve imagined ever having again. And thank you for thinking about Anya today. It means everything to me."


    "She''s a part of you, Lorenzo, and I love all of you."


    I know that she means that too. There isn''t a spiteful, cruel, or jealous bone in this woman''s entire body. "I love you too, sunshine. Are you okay?"


    "I''m perfect."


    "Yes you are."


    Sheughs. "I didn''t mean-"


    "I did." I''m seconds away from pulling her into this room with me. "You''re better than perfect, Mia. You''re fucking incredible. You and our children are everything to me, you know that, right?" "You''re everything to me too, Sir."


    I can''t stand not having her in my arms for a single second longer. Closing my eyes, I pull her into the pantry with me.


    "Lorenzo!" she squeals as her body crashes into mine.


    "I''ve got my eyes closed," I tell her, wrapping my arms around her waist and savoring the heat of her body through my shirt.


    "Me too," she giggles. "I don''t want to see you until I''m walking down the aisle."


    I dust my lips over hers and she shivers in my arms. "We''d better make this quick before Joeyes in here and busts us."


    "So kiss me, Mr. Moretti."


    "With pleasure, Mrs. Moretti." I seal my lips over hers, licking across the seam until she opens wide for me, allowing me to slide my tongue inside.

 159

    Mia


    Apart from the days Luca and Raven were born, this has been the most incredible day of my life. I almost cried when I saw Lorenzo and our son waiting for me at the end of the aisle. And then Lorenzo turned and looked at me, and his face... I wipe away a tear as I recall the amount of happiness and love in his eyes. Since the night he gave me his cor, I have never once doubted his love for me, but to see it so raw and primal today nearly made my knees buckle before I reached him. This day has been difficult for him in some ways. Unlike mine, his first marriage was a happy one. Anya was the love of his life, or at least she was a love of his life, because I know that I am too. He used to feel guilty for loving me, but now he sometimes feels guilty for still loving her and I wish he wouldn''t. His loyalty and passion are two of my favorite things about him.


    Someone ces a ss of champagne in my hand, and I ept it with a smile. As soon as their back is turned, Lorenzo switches it out for his empty one, giving me a knowing wink. At eight weeks pregnant with our third child, alcohol is definitely off limits for now, which is fine at this huge wedding reception, butter, when it''s just close family in the kitchen, it won''t be so easy to hide. Apparently, an intimate get-together in the kitchen with just the siblings, and Max and Kat of course, is a Moretti family wedding tradition.


    Looking around, I can''t help but sigh at the sight of people dancing andughing, Raven and Luca ying with their cousins while Joey, Max, Dante, and Kat keep an eye on them for the evening. Lorenzo Moretti isn''t a dancer, but he happily took the floor with me for our wedding song, and now I''m content to sit beside him with his arm draped around my shoulder. As long as he''s by my side, I''m happy and at peace. It''s hard to believe that a man so dangerous and violent is the man who makes me feel safer and more cherished than I ever have in my life.


    "You feeling okay, sunshine?" he asks, searching my face with narrowed eyes. "Never better," I assure him.


    "Good, because I have a surprise for you." He takes my hand and pulls me up from my chair and the music stops abruptly. Lorenzo grins down at me, but I''m too confused to smile back. Then the opening bars of "Bright Side of the Road" y, and I swear my heart actually skips a beat.


    Lorenzo gestures to the dance floor. "Will you dance with me, Mrs. Moretti?"


    "This... it''s..."


    "Our song." He guides me toward his siblings, our children, and our nieces and nephews on the dance floor and wraps his arms around my waist. I giggle when he dips me, and when he pulls me back up and we begin dancing, a dreamy sigh falls from my lips.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "You hate dancing," I remind him.


    "But I''d do anything for you, sunshine." He gives me a soft kiss on the lips.


    "Daddy!" Raven demands, pulling on the leg of his suit pants.


    He rolls his eyes and scoops her up, keeping one arm around my waist as he rubs his beard against her cheek, making her giggle. Luca sidles up to me, curling his little hand in mine and shaking his hips to the music.


    "He definitely got your rhythm," Lorenzo says.


    "You have pretty good rhythm yourself," I reply with a wicked grin.


    His eyes darken and then he winks at me. We dance to our song, surrounded by Dante and Kat with their kids, and Joey and Max with theirs, and Toni joins us too. When the chorus kicks in, we all sing along, even my Lorenzo. I ce my free hand over my stomach, delighted over our family growing bigger. This must be a fairytale, right? No one could ever possibly be this happy.


    Lorenzo presses his lips against my ear. "I love you, sunshine."


    My smile widens. Yes, a person truly can be this happy. "I love you too."


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