As we walk downstairs and out the front door, I start talking about the people I know so well and who she's been told hate her."Well, you met Roberto, my twin. He lives right there," I tell her and point to his house, which is not far away from mine. "He's two minutes younger than me and is an underground prize fighter. You can usually find him working out or drinking protein shakes. I hope it wasn't a mistake sending him to get you.""What do you mean?""I don't want you trading me in for him," I say ruefully."I'd never," she assures me with a little smile. "When he came to get me. I knew within five seconds that he wasn't you."I arch a brow. "But we're identical twins. Well, for the most part," I murmur and squeeze my left hand into a fist, hiding my missing finger. "He's a little bulkier, but...how did you know so fast?""Your energy is different," she immediately states. "And your voice is gravellier."Hmm, interesting. "How is my energy different?" I ask, beyond curious. Rober
Watching Connor walk away, knowing what he's about to deal with, hurts my heart. I know he's strong, though, and will handle everything that comes his way.Within a matter of hours, I met Connor's twin brother and now his baby sister. They seem kind and genuine-like people I would be friends with or have in my life in some capacity. It's so strange to think about how I've been conditioned to fear and hate them just because of their last name.Now that I've had an inside glimpse of his family, I look forward to meeting his mother, Maeve, and his younger brother Rylan. From what I've seen, the Mennettis are very much like my own family in so many ways.A part of me can't help but wonder if it's a good thing that I won't be meeting Nolan Mennetti.As sad as I am for their loss and as selfish as it may sound, it's almost like a blessing in disguise for me. If he was anything like my dad, then it's for the best we didn't meet because he'd never give his blessing in regard to me being here.
There's a knock on the door and my head jerks up, heart pounding harder as it opens. The guard whose name is Sully steps aside and allows someone to enter. I instantly recognize Finley.After Sully closes the door again, Finley hesitates and says, "I hope you don't mind me stopping by."I stand up and walk over to her. "Not at all. I thought you were going to the hospital."She shakes her head, then brushes her red-gold hair over her shoulders. "I started crying and that made mom start crying and Connor told me I should stay here. They're going to go handle everything and he said they didn't need me there. It's hard because...I've never lost anyone before.""I'm so sorry," I tell her. The next thing I know, Finley is hugging me and sobbing. At first, I'm not sure what to do. I barely know her. But I embrace her back and, suddenly, it doesn't feel very strange anymore. Finley Mennetti is one of the sweetest, most sensitive people I've ever met. In so many ways, she reminds me of Sofia.
When Connor returns later that night, I'm already in his bed and trying to stay awake for him. The moment I hear him enter the bedroom, my eyes pop open and I sit up."Connor?"He walks over and leans forward, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Shh, it's late. Go back to sleep.""Are you okay?" I ask, trying to read his expression, but it's too dark."As good as I can be," he murmurs. "I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll be back shortly."I nod and snuggle back down into the warm sheet and blankets that smell fresh and clean-just like the man I'm falling in love with.There's no point in denying it. I have no idea how we're going to make this work or if he even still wants me, but I'm willing to try.It bothers me that he hasn't called me by his special endearment since our fight. But he's being so kind and thoughtful.I'm going to tell him about the baby tomorrow, I think sleepily and begin to doze off.When Connor returns and slips into bed, I'm on the verge of falling as
Having Trish by my side while I buried my father meant the world to me. She infused me with strength and no words can express what it meant to me. But I'm not oblivious to the looks and judgment being sent our way.The last thing I want is a confrontation in front of my mother after she just said goodbye to her husband. Besides, she doesn't know who Trish is exactly yet. Same with Rylan.They deserve a proper introduction and I plan to do that back at the house.After the funeral, we're walking over to our cars when Sean moves up beside me and, in a low voice says, "The men are not happy.""I don't care," I growl."They want a meeting and they want Roberto to be there, too."I immediately stop walking. "Trish, go over with Roberto, okay?"I can see she is about to argue with me, so I press a kiss to the back of her hand, lock eyes with her and add, "Please, cara mio."Trish nods and heads over to my brother as I face off with Sean."Roberto isn't interested in running the organization
Shoving my door open, I see Roberto watching me put the gun in the back of my pants, letting my jacket fall back down to cover it."Let's not use that, okay?" he says under his breath as we walk to the large door.I don't say anything and hope I won't need to, but there's no way I was going to leave it back in the car. Not when I'm about to face an unpredictable pack of wolves.Pulling in a deep breath, we walk into the large warehouse and there are only ten men and Sean Flannigan present. Looks like we lost a couple more. Good."Shall we sit?" Sean asks and points to the large table where the others are already seated and waiting.Roberto and I walk over and I sit down at the head of the table while Rob sits in the empty chair on my right.Folding my hands on the scarred tabletop, I look at the men and say, "What seems to be the problem now?"Beside me, I hear Roberto let out a little sigh. For someone who likes to fight so much, he hates verbal confrontation.Sean immediately starts
I've never been so nervous in my entire life and all I can do is pace back and forth across Connor's living room, praying that he and Roberto are okay and come back home soon. I don't trust Sean Flannigan or any of those enforcers.They were all giving me the evil eye at the funeral and I didn't appreciate it.When the front door finally opens and Connor walks inside. I run straight into his arms. He catches me and I bury my face against his chest. "Thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried."His hands run up and down my back. "I need you," he rasps.I pull back and look into his blazing blue eyes. They're swimming with uncertainty and desperation, and I can feel the tenseness in his frame."I need you, too," I whisper. Our mouths collide and we begin devouring each other. Then Connor scoops me into his arms and carries me up the steps and down to his bedroom. We kiss the entire time and I plunge my hands through his hair while drinking deeply.Once he sets me back down, we star
I watch him walk over to the bathroom, my gaze dipping to admire his firm ass that flexes with each step.Mmm. The man is utterly delicious and I'm already wanting him again. But first, I'm going to tell him my last secret.As scary as it is, I know its time and I pray he will understand.When he returns with a warm washcloth, I watch as he gently cleans between my legs then tosses it back into the bathroom.The moment he slides back in bed with me, I sit up, gathering the sheet beneath my arms. He's expecting me to come lay on his chest and when I don't, his questioning blue gaze meets mine."What's wrong?"The unexpected sting of tears burns my eyes.Alarm fills his face and he bolts up, "Trish? Talk to me.""There's something I have to tell you. That I've been wanting to tell you, but I've been too scared. Our situation is not exactly normal and the fallout of what I'm about to say could be huge."He doesn't say anything, just waits for me to continue."I'm sorry for keeping secret
"Welcome to the family, Luca. Officially," Connor adds, his champagne flute extended, and we all chuckle. The toast makes my heart happy because for the first time, what's happening between our families is genuine.Looking down the table, I take a moment to soak in what I see—endless smiling faces and a fierce love that brings tears to my eyes. Except for Matthias, Anna and Giovanni, everyone is here and it's amazing.We're at the hotel, celebrating in the attached restaurant. My brothers sit with their wives and my two nephews are being held by their glowing mothers. Trish and Connor are incredible parents and I hope to follow in their footsteps one day. Same with Solana and Rylan who is healing up quite nicely and being fussed over constantly by his adoring wife. Roberto and Adeline will be having their own little one soon enough and the way he looks at her makes my heart tumble.My mother sits beside Harrison Shepherd who's been welcomed into our dysfunctional chaos with open arms.
The intensity of her sucking increases and even though I'm trying to be good and not blow, it's getting damn hard. "Fuck, Finley," I swear. It's all too much and the moment she hums and those little vibrations skate up my aching length, I grab her shoulders and pull her up."I wasn't done," she says with a frown.Fighting for control, a muscle flexes in my jaw as I turn her toward the tub and help her step inside. "I want to come inside that sweet pussy, baby girl. And you're going to take my cock deep inside you and ride it hard. Can you do that for me?"She licks her lips in answer and I nearly blow my wad.Lowering myself into the tub, I guide Finley down to straddle me, and rest my arms along the porcelain edges. She takes a moment to get situated then shifts forward, spreading her legs wider. I drop a hand into the warm water, grasp my throbbing cock and push at her entrance. "Take it all," I encourage her. "Every last inch."With a soft moan, Finley starts to sink down, her body
After losing the assholes enforcers, the drive back to the city is uneventful. And that's fine by me. I've had enough adventure to last a lifetime. From this point forward, all I want is to focus all of my attention on Finley and make her the happiest woman in the world. I know I have some more apologizing to do, but right now, I just want to make it up to her.And my plan is to start with multiple orgasms. Butter her up a little first then pour my heart out and beg for her forgiveness. Hopefully, it's a good plan.I've lost what little faith and trust I had in Matthias, so I tell Roberto to drop us off at the hotel where their mother is staying."But I want to stay with you," Finley murmurs softly. She's curled up on my lap and my mouth edges up."You will. Don't worry, I'm not letting you out of my sight. I just don't want to go back to the apartment my father gave us. I'll never trust him again and we'll get our own place soon, tesoro."When Roberto finally pulls the Jeep up to the
My knees give out and I drop down to the rooftop patio, shaking so hard. The sound of pounding boots fills the air and I immediately tense—until I see Luca. He sweeps out onto the terrace, pulls me up and I sag against him."Thank Christ," he murmurs, pressing a string of kisses against my temple. "C'mon, we need to go."We lace fingers and jog back through the storage room then down the three flights of steps."How did you get away? Where are my brothers? Rylan? Is he okay?" I manage to ask."We overpowered some enforcer scum," he tells me. "Rylan was grazed by a bullet, but he's okay, and your brothers are loading him up into the Jeep right now.""I-I killed him," I murmur, still feeling a little shell-shocked."Don't think about it," he says, sliding an arm around my shoulders and holding me close. "You did what you had to do."I send up a little prayer that Desmond's twisted body is lying on the side driveway and not here in the front because I don't ever want to see it again. Luc
Luca seems to be on the same page. "Do you really think you can get away with this?" he asks. "Matthias is coming for you and there isn't a soul more ruthless than him. He won't rest until you're no longer a threat.""He's right," I add. "Matthias will fight you until his last breath.""You think I'm scared of Matthias?" Desmond scoffs. "After I take care of you, he's next. I've already hired the hitman to take him out."Luca and I exchange a quick look. Is he telling the truth? I have no idea, but it's definitely possible. We need to get away from Desmond, but how? Suddenly, two huge enforcers appear and Desmond motions to us."Grab them," he orders.My heart sinks as I'm yanked away from Luca and the enforcer forces me to walk toward the house. I have no idea what Desmond is planning, but I'm really starting to worry about my brothers. Where are they?I find out the answer as soon as we enter the house. Connor and Roberto are each sitting in a chair, tied up, and it looks like they
My eyes snap open and I carefully move my arms and legs. All good, no breaks. I have no idea how I'm still in one piece and all I can do is thank my lucky stars. Then I call out for Luca."Luca..." Turning onto my side, I look for him, but my eyes are still trying to focus after being knocked silly. Coughing from the smoke, I struggle to pull myself up into a sitting position, squinting through the thick billows of ash and black clouds. Finally, I spot Luca a hundred or so feet away from me.He's lying on the grass and not moving."Oh, God, no." Is he hurt? Or worse? Heart in my throat, stomach dropping in dread, I pull myself to my feet and stumble over to him. Falling down beside him, I lay my hands on his chest and lean down. "Luca?"When he doesn't respond, everything in me sinks hard and fast. Panic sets in and my fingers curl, grabbing hold of his shirt and shaking. "Luca!" I hiss.This can't be happening. He came to rescue me, told me he loved me and would never leave me...and
"We have a big fucking problem!" Luca snaps into his comms unit. "Stay away from here. Desmond has the barn rigged with explosives and I need to get Finley untied! Stall him!"My heart plunges. Connor and Roberto abruptly stop walking after Luca warns them that they're heading straight into a trap. Which, of course, is going to let Desmond know that something is up. But, thank God, Connor seems to play it off smoothly as he reengages Desmond in conversation.But, I know my brothers will only be able to stall for so long before Desmond realizes something is going on. He's too damn smart and ruthless.Luca stays low, working frantically on my bindings and I'm twisting, pulling and turning until my scraped wrists start bleeding."Fuck!" Luca glances up and I see fear and worry flash through his molasses eyes. Connor and Roberto have turned back around and continue talking to Desmond again, still stalling, and I don't see Rylan anywhere.Suddenly, chaos erupts up by the house and we look
By the time we get to the compound, I'm on the edge of my seat and ready to get this done. I want my woman back in my arms where she belongs and I'll do anything to make it happen.Roberto drives around to the rear of the property and lets me and Rylan out. We're splitting up so we can keep an eye on things better. I slide the tiny communications unit into my ear and we test them quickly. Everything appears to be in working order and Roberto gives us a salute."Stay in touch," Connor says."Roger that," Rylan responds and I give a sharp nod.The Jeep drives away and Connor and Roberto head to the front gate. The plan is for them to meet up with Desmond while Ry and I will stay under the radar, keeping a close eye on things. If Desmond deviates from the plan or tries to be sneaky in any way, we'll be ready."Ready?" Rylan asks."Let's do this."We move through the woods and sneak onto the property. From here, the plan is to split up and move to opposite sides of the large rear yard."S
Sweeping around the corner, our plan foremost in my brain, we walk straight into two enforcers and immediately jump them. They aren't expecting us and we use the element of surprise to our advantage. It's four against two and, even though the guys are big, they don't expect us to come flying out of the blackness and attack like wraiths.Roberto and Rylan quickly overpower the guard on the left while Connor and I take down the burly guy on the right. I tackle him at the knees and he drops hard while Connor slugs him with a fist to the face. We work well together and I pop up, lift my gun and slam it down against the base of the enforcer's skull. He drops like a brick and Connor gives me a nod.Glancing over, I see Roberto just finished doing the same thing.Once the guards are taken care of, or at least momentarily out of the picture, I stalk over to the cell and see Sean Flannigan cowering in there like the weasel he is and always will be. Looking down, I see the cell door is locked.