The slightest downturn edged her sexy as fuck mouth when I accepted her gratitude. I wasn't giving up the mission to get her in my bed, but I knew bulldozing her wasn't going to get me where I wanted to be. Under her. Over her. Inside her. It might not be tonight or even next week. But I would wear her down. I could give her what these Amatuccis were too fucking scared to give her. I don't know how they held out against her begging. Domenico and I had walked in, joking about something stupid when Rafe had yelled fuck like his soul was being ripped from his chest. I'd pushed both Amatuccis away as I ran for her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her voice quavered as she asked them to save her. They'd shaken their heads and denied her mercy. They claimed to love her, but would only love her in ways they found acceptable. Regardless of what she actually needed. Actually hurting her, knowing I caused her physical damage, did something to my heart and soul. But I wasn't willing t
"Hey sleepy head. Time for dinner," Tali called sometime later. The last thing I remember was going to sleep after I cried myself out in Rafe's arms. Dom and Ryker had left as Rafe and I talked. I pushed myself upright and slid back into the arm of the couch. My lower body still ached. My right leg definitely more than my left. I still wasn't angry that Ryker had done it, though. I'd gladly suffer the extra pain to keep the mental demons away. I was still a little hurt that Rafe or Dom had been unable to help me. Or rather, unwilling. I knew I shouldn't be. Knew they just didn't understand. But their lack of understanding killed something inside me. Slowly. So freaking slowly. "What are we having?" I asked as I pushed the morose thoughts away. "Lemon garlic chicken and asparagus," she announced as she turned from the stove. "Sleep well?"I was in the middle of stretching when she asked, so it took me a hot minute to answer. "Yeah. Pretty well. What time is it?""A littl
I knew I was dreaming. But even knowing that didn't help ease the terror that held me captive. My body was stuck as my brain raged. I came to already strapped down and immobilized. The tube in my mouth forced air into my lungs. He stood over me, his handsome face stretched into polite lines. "You have to do better this time, Willow. She'll die if you don't. Do you understand?" Just as I was getting some feeling back in my fingers, I saw him depress the plunger on the syringe that he'd inserted into the IV line he'd set up in my arm. "-ease don do is," I said, my words garbled around the tube in my mouth. I knew any begging was futile before he started. I had about thirty seconds before everything shut down again. "You know why I'm doing this, Willow. I'm going to save lives. It's you who are causing all of the failures and errors. How do you think it makes me feel when I have to throw another subject away just because you can't get your mind in the game? All of these deaths
"Penn," I mumbled into the phone. "Hello Mr. Penn, I have a Mr. Rafael Amatucci and guest here at reception. I'm calling to verify your connection," a pleasant feminine voice said down the line. My eyes popped open. I turned to see the glowing numbers of the clock on my side table. "It's four-fucking-thirty in the morning."The woman laughed softly. "Indeed, it is. Can you verify the relationship, please, sir?"I got my head out of my ass. "Yes. Rafael Amatucci is a friend and I'll vouch for him." It was the second time in as many days that I'd claimed a closer relationship to an Amatucci than I'd ever thought possible. "Thank you, sir. Enjoy your day." "Wait! Is the friend with him a female in her early thirties?" I asked before she could hang up. "I can't answer that information request, sir. If you would like to speak with Mr. Amatucci or his guest, you need to provide the correct name or visit during regular business hours. Have a good day." The line went dead.
"Seriously though, Will, are you doing okay after the exam?" Rafe asked as he pulled away from the hospital parking lot. "I know you sugar coated it for Penn. But this is me asking."I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Mostly. Steph really did talk to me for the most part. And it did help to not feel like a piece of furniture. I just feel like an idiot all the way around. Nothing anyone can do about it." I looked out my window, my chin in my hand as I leaned against the door. "As long as she didn't make you uncomfortable." He patted my thigh lightly. "You're walking better." He chuckled. "Well, you were before the exam. Right now, you walk like you've got a cob shoved up your butt."I slapped his hand away as I laughed. "Jerk."He chuckled. "What else is on your agenda for today?"I dug my phone out of my pocket. Opened the calendar and bit my lip. "Well, I need to do final walk-throughs of the venues. Get some measurements for the first party on Friday afternoon.""Which party is
I didn't have to see Willow's face to know that I was going to get an earful. The woman practically vibrated with outraged affront. Did it make me a little sick that I was looking forward to it? Maybe, but damn if I wasn't excited to see the flash of her anger fill those pretty mossy eyes.When she'd gotten lost in her mind again, I hadn't thought of anything except bringing her back. To the room. To me. I'd bullied my way forward to grab at her. Grab her hand, bring her brain some soothing pain. The look in her eyes as she'd drifted back into herself had made something deep inside me ache. Made me want something more from her than I've wanted from anyone. I had no idea what that was, but I knew I had to have it. This woman, this bruised and abused woman, was going to be mine. For as long as it took to get her out of my system. She was screwing with my mind and I didn't like it. Not one damn bit. No one shook me, derailed my thoughts. I was driven, focused, and ambitious. None
I woke in the dark. Granted, I had to slap myself in the face to make sure I was actually awake and not stuck back in the hell that had comprised my life before. But I was definitely awake. And someone was about to lose his head. I reached out next to me, checked for Talia. Nope. Cold blanket. Next, I raised my head and tried to turn enough to see the wall clock that was faintly illuminated. It better only be a couple hours later than when I remember falling asleep. "RAAAAAAFE!" I shrieked it. "GET YOUR FUCKING ASS IN THIS ROOM RIGHT FUCKING NOW, YOU FUCKER!" I pushed back the blankets, saw that I was still in my dress from earlier. That was his only saving grace. The door slid open, Ryker stood on the threshold. He raised his hand. "His brothers roughed him up. He's going to be nursing a sore body for a while."I glared up at him. "Did you know he planned to drug me?"He looked insulted. "No. I'm the one who figured it out, actually. Can I come in?"I nodded. I fe
Little Willow wanted to play a game? She was about to find out just what kind of man I was. I didn't lose and I certainly didn't back down. She'd thrown down the gauntlet. I was only too happy to pick it up. I'd have to bide my time a little bit longer. She wasn't ready for what I wanted to do to her yet. But she would be. A small part of me laughed at my arrogance. This wasn't a woman who played with her life. She attacked it. I could see her walking away at the end of this...whatever this was...just as happy as she was now not to be in my bed. My body screamed in denial. She was mine. I had to taste her. At least once. Just one taste and then I could move on. The longer I was in her orbit, the more she consumed my every waking thought. I needed to get her under me and then get her out of my mind. My life. I pushed all of that aside. Nothing was happening tonight except food and making her legs feel better. I had to win this battle first. We made it back out to the livi
I crept along the rooftop. The target was staying in the long term suites across the road. It was our first night, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders the farther we got from New Trenadie. The next moment, I crashed to the roof's floor. "Damn it." She snickered. "Still a sucky spy, Raphael." She slid her body over mine.I sucked in a breath. Nodded. Hell, I practically begged her for it. But without words. When she got that tone, my words were not necessary. She smiled. "I'm not going to beat you to death. Nor am I going to stuff you into a padded room." She bent down, flicked her tongue over my lips. "But I will tie you up, spank you, flog you, fuck you, and then make you do it all over again. My dick went to iron between her legs. Her laugh was husky. "I'm keeping you, Raphael. Do you understand me?"My heart settled. Skipped a beat. "Yes, Mistress."The end.
My phone dinged with a new incoming text message. Considering my phone had been going off since the wee hours of the morning with Willow and Ryker announcing the baby was finally coming, I was tempted to just shut it off. But it could be something important. And since Angelo and I were at home with the other babies, it fell to us to make sure we kept everything running as it should. I grabbed the phone. Unlocked the screen. A video message popped up. Raphael and his girl, Nia. Their heads mushed together to get into frame. "Momma, I have to leave. But I wanted to tell you I love you. And thank you for everything. I will let you know when I get back." Nia smiled. "I'll keep him safe, Momma. I swear it.""Bye, Momma," they said together before they ended the call.I smiled even as tears filled my eyes. Angelo looked up at me from his spot on the bed. He was restrained, a ball gag in his mouth. I held the crop up high. "Our last baby is finally happy, Angelo." I s
Two weeks later I glared at the woman on the table. "I still don't know why I have to be here. I barely know you."Willow snorted. "Because you're scarier than anyone else in my family. And I don't want those doctors trying to get all bitchyyyyyyyy." Another contraction hit her. She clamped down on my hand hard enough that I thought I was going to need surgery to remove the bones from each other. And this little firecracker had more strength inside her than her grip would show. Raphael had told me some of her story. She'd told me the rest of it. A ritual the Amatucci women apparently indulged in was something called Girls' Night. Really it was a bunch of drinking, talking about sex, and watching movies while we ate enough of Willow's confectionaries to give ourselves diabetes. Willow blew out a breath. "Ryker can't handle seeing me in this kind of pain, so he has to stay out in the lobby with the rest of them. You're second chair." She panted. Demanded some ice chips.
Three days laterWalking into my parents house when they didn't know I was alive was a risky thing. A multitude of crappy things could happen. Not the least of which was Momma killing me for real this time. Or Papa crying. Or either of them fainting."Go on," Nia said as she shoved me forward gently. "You're already here. Just go into the kitchen. Nik said she told them to wait for her in the kitchen."I nodded, felt my palms go clammy as my breath backed up in my lungs. This could go terribly wrong. So fucking horribly wrong. Man up, Si, that no longer too small voice said inside me. Since I'd been actively listening to it more, he wasn't so easy to shut up. Even when I wanted to. Thankfully, the nasty bitch who lived inside me was getting fainter. Although he could still throw a temper tantrum to beat a two year old. "I'm right here. And I'll be right here the whole time. They've waited long enough, Raphael." She nudged me again. Even as bile rushed up the back o
We all stood in the kitchen, guzzling water by the gallon. I hadn't been this dehydrated since the last time I got in trouble at Petter Manor. But at least this time it was due to happy tears and reunification. Raphael sat and watched it all. Just absorbed it. But he never got so far away I couldn't touch him. That I even needed to touch him still blew my mind. But I wasn't going to question it. He helped steady me when it felt like everything inside me and around me was bending and flexing too fast for me to catch up. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" Liam asked as he finished his third glass of water. "Tomorrow is the gala. I'm going to string Anders up-the guy who had you kidnapped again. I'm going to tell everyone the Petters have been blackmailing and abusing and paying off that the Petters are dead and gone. That they're all on watch." I studied Liam and Lilly. It blew my mind that they had gone into the government side of this dirty world. That they willingly put t
Nia came over to me while I was helping drag some bodies away. "Hey Raphael, can you come with me, please?"Foster grunted at me as we got the body up on the catering cart. "Go. I've got this." I nodded, turned back to Nia. "Sure, Nia." She took my hand and we walked from the room. Her hand was trembling in mine. It was only the slightest degree, but it might as well have registered on the seismic scale. "You good?" I asked her softly as we walked down a set of stairs. She said nothing, made no movements except to keep walking. I pulled her to a stop. Made her look at me. "Are you good?" I asked again. Her eyes were wide, as if she were trying to stave off the tears. "Amelie and Anton..." she blew out a breath. "They're t-""The only two people you love in this world." I smiled sadly. "I know, Nia."Her eyelids fluttered shut as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled. "I got them away from here. Put them in with a good woman with a hu
Day before the gala "Charlie team in position," the man's voice came through the little earbud I wore in my right ear. I kept a tight hold on my fear. My relief. My heart. All of the planning, all of the tears, all of the arguments. It all came down to this. "Delta team in position," Raphael said through my ear. "Foxtrot team in position," another voice said. I still wasn't quite sure who was who by their voice, but I'd done an okayish job of remembering names and faces. The fact that I had a team full of women with me made me like the Amatuccis even more. They didn't discriminate. If someone had the skill and the drive to join the security teams, they were given a position. "Estrogen team in position," I said. A series of clicks came through the earbud. I'd made a single joke about Echo team being full of vaginas. They called us the Estro team now. Since we were collectively badass, I didn't really care what they called us as long as it wasn't disrespectful. "A
Her babies? She had kids? I shook my head. Knew there had to be a different story, but I needed to get her back with me to learn it. I set her down on the chair. Pushed her head down between her knees. "Breathe, Nia." I made my voice hard. As hard as I dared when all I wanted to do was cuddle her up and carry her away. Nowhere was my fierce and strong Dominant. Right now, she was a broken, hurting woman. I would hold her together until she could find herself again. Ivan came rushing into the room, his gun drawn. He lifted it to the ceiling when he saw what was going on. One of his brows rose in question.I gave him a brief rundown of what I knew. Which was damn little. I shrugged when I was out of information to share. Mas came hopping in behind Ivan. He didn't have a weapon, but he did have concern etched on his face. "Who the hell are you?" a voice said from behind me. I whirled around, putting Nia behind my body as I faced the threat that shouldn't be there. A
After rushing through the shower and the delicious meal that Raphael put together for breakfast, I walked into the space Ivan and Klara had set up for me. Everything was as I left it, but that didn't mean a whole lot. Especially in a place I didn't control one hundred percent. Brushing the weird vibe away, I walked to the computer. Booted everything up. Once it was up and running, I went through my process of accessing my cloud accounts. Jasper had set some up for me that weren't the typical commercial kind. Luckily, I'd memorized the process, or I'd be up a creek with zero paddle at the moment. A ReadMe file was highlighted when I got all the way into my account. I right clicked, read through the metadata how Jasper showed me. Recognizing his signature, I opened the file. Ms. Flower~I've attached all of the information I could find re Cucumber Butt and Pretty Mean. You'll find them in the associated files.I snickered at Jasper's sense of humor. That kid was a genius and