I nodded as I watched her. Her hazel eyes glinted under the low lights. I saw it when the knowledge hit her. "The surveillance." I nodded again. "That's what you meant that day. About having something to tell you." She slapped my chest. "That was none of your business. Still isn't."I leaned down, pushed my nose to hers. "It involves you. That makes it my business."She opened her mouth. I sealed my lips over hers. It was pretty effective. Until I remembered I couldn't stress her lungs. With a snarl, I moved to her neck. Nibbled my way up to her ear. "You're mine, Cricket."A low mumble floated from her lips as her hands lifted and she threaded her fingers through my hair. She pulled me tighter against her body. Pressed up harder against me. "As soon as you're healed, I'm going to take you so hard your entire body screams."She shivered. Laughed a low, sexy chuckle that felt like velvet against my skin. "As soon as I'm healed, I'm going to make you scream my n
I woke up after what felt like a week. But a glance at the alarm clock told me it was right around ten hours. This bed was amazing. And it was inside a freaking mountain. I was going to have to ask Turo what kind it was so I could get one for home. I did my full body stretch, winced as that sharp pain in my side attacked again. I grabbed up the spirometer as I slid my feet over the edge of the bed so I could sit up straight. I blew into the little device. Focused on keeping my breaths slow and even. That damn coaching indicator mocked me as it bobbed up and down in its little sleeve. I coughed after each rep. Thanked the universe when I made it through ten reps. The last cycle I actually got the indicator to stay between the two arrows. I considered that a win. I got up, walked to the natural stone shower. If I hadn't known this place was literally inside a mountain, I wouldn't have guessed it from the rooms. Done in a white stucco that was soothing and calm, it looked more li
I saw her push the statement away. Saw her twist it somehow in her brain. She either didn't or couldn't believe me. Not right now, anyway. But I would show her. I would tell her every day that I chose her. Let her see the evidence she relied so heavily on. She was mine. It was time I started showing her that. "So Lily Sterling ordered the hit on me?" she asked quickly. I let her have the small buffer for now. I'd pushed her far enough today. Nodding, I said, "Apparently so. Foster and Ryker found some emails on Bitchcock's system. They need your help for any deeper hacking, especially into the Sterling system."Like putting a well-watered plant out into the sunshine, she came alive. Her cheeks flushed slightly as her eyes twinkled. "Damn right they do."Smothering the chuckle, I wondered at this woman. Tough, but sensitive. Solid self-esteem, but still insecure. She was a kaleidoscope of surprising contradictions. And I intended to find each and every one. "So, we ne
His warm hand on the base of my neck should have felt stifling. Instead, I felt a curious sense of belonging. I wasn't going to tell him that. The contrary man would probably remove it. So I would enjoy it while it lasted. Headed back to the rooming section of the mountain facility, I let my eyes take in everything around me. It really did remind me of a seaside town on the sparkling edges of the Mediterranean sea. Soft-looking stone in blinding whites and beiges. Crisp blues and greens that had been painted or glazed to create visual interest and the appearance of the outside world. It was truly a wonder. "How the heck did you guys build this inside a mountain?" I looked up at the man who was taking me to the gates of Valhalla with the promises of coffee.He smiled, his white teeth bright in his burnished face. "According to family legend, the original Amatucci came here in the mid-1880s with the original familial migration. They bought land here in Upstate New York. Since the
"Shut it down," I snapped. I wasn't going to question her on it. The woman had probably forgotten more about computers than the whole of the people in this room had ever learned. Combined. I walked over to her. "Why do you think they're trying to hack us? We have no outside signal or terminal."She smiled at me like I was the stupid kid in class. "Turo, you've got a live feed camera that not only takes pictures, but uploads those pictures directly to your system. Of course you have an outside access point. And signal." She tapped the operator's shoulder. Jerked her chin at the computer he was working at when he looked up at her. "May I?"He got up without me having to demand he do it. I made a note to give him a bonus. I appreciated people who didn't create hassles for me. Cricket sat down at the computer. In moments, she was into a screen I'd never seen before and probably never would again. Her fingers flew over the keys like barracudas on fresh meat. At one point, sh
I slipped into one of the chairs in the courtyard section. Silently fumed at myself. Why not just lay down and expose your belly, you idiot? It would make it easier for him to slide the knife in. A warm palm engulfed the back of my neck. Immediately that stupid feeling of belonging swamped through me again. Asshole. I tried to shrug him off. He tightened his grip. "You're driving me crazy. Do you know that?" He took a seat next to me without letting me go. Pulling my face forward, he crashed his mouth to mine. I sank into his heat. My hands came up, gripped his shirt. And he was claiming I was driving him crazy? It was the other way around. As if he could read my body, he pulled away right before my lungs started aching. His pupils were dilated as he sucked in air through his nose. A slight flush rode his cheeks. "I need to taste you. Every single part of you. These kisses are doing nothing but whetting my appetite." My ovaries sat up and started dancing. Finally. I n
Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up. Don't-for the love of all that's holy-screw this up. I chanted it to myself as I sipped and sucked at her lips. The taste of her mixed with the essence of her. I was rock hard and trying not to think about her naked body stretched out underneath me. The beckoning heat of her cunt. The tightness of her pussy after her orgasm. The dripping wetness that sang a siren's song. They all urged me to claim her. Take what was mine. This woman-all of her-was mine. Now I just needed her to stop freaking out long enough to believe me. Conscious of her healing body, I eased back after a long count of ten. I wanted to ravage her, destroy her world and body. But I needed her to be healthy to do that. I couldn't get her healthy if she couldn't use her lungs. Fucking Lily Turner Sterling. She would die. Soon. By my hand. Nik's eyelids fluttered open as a bemused smile tugged at her delicious mouth. "If you think kissing me into silence is going to
My stomach churned even as my blood raged in hate. They hurt him. The sweetest man on earth and they bloodied him. I started tracing the call, even as Peter and Bentley came rushing back in. With my free hand and part of my brain, I followed the familiar path to initiate communication with my collective. Five new pictures popped up on the main screen. "Who the fuck is this?" Turo demanded. I'd never heard his voice so cold. I wanted to cuddle him. Offer some kind of comfort. You will. Find this fuck and kill him. I nodded. Yes, I would. For Papa. For Turo. For me. These assholes were messing with my people now. My family. They shouldn't have even tried. I've got a video call live in my location. I need it tracked and traced with highest accuracy as quickly as possible, I typed out over the collective's secure channel. On it, four of them typed. I'll get the backend, Hamster responded. Do not engage. They have two hostages. At least one is beaten. The other is
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