I much rather would've taken Finley to bed in our new place than see my father and, of course, her brothers. After the wicked things I've done with their little sister...Shit. I'll be lucky if a bolt of lightning doesn't strike me down for lying to them and pretending we haven't been intimate.Because the truth is, I'm beginning to know Finley's body better than my own. I know exactly what she likes, how she likes it and the sounds she makes when she comes. I know how sweet she tastes and the way her hips buck when I'm down between her thighs, worshiping her.I just hope they can't tell or suspect that we've been fucking each other like rabbits. Despite that stupid agreement, she is my wife and we have every right to do whatever we want. Besides, she wants it just as much as I do.Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever get enough of her. And that's why when we were driving back to the city, I was so happy she mentioned bending the rules. Forget bending. I'm about to break them entirely a
Even though I don't trust Ewan, what he says makes perfect sense. Especially when I think about how strangely Luca was acting the day of the wedding. He looked like he was about to bolt at a moment's notice.Something stopped him at the last minute, though, and I can't help but wonder why he didn't go through with his plan to leave me and forsake his father.The more I think about it, the more my heart aches. Is this whole thing just a big game to him? Has he been leading me on while he comes up with a new plan? And, until then, he's biding his time and fucking me?I've never felt like such a fool and I should've stuck to my guns after our very first meeting. After he told me he wouldn't ever marry a stranger. But I didn't. Like a besotted, silly girl, I fell for the man who swept in and rescued me.Apparently, he "rescued" me from his friend.Shaking my head, I hug my arms around myself and think back over everything that has happened between us. It all seemed so real. My feelings we
With a weary sigh of defeat, Luca lets me go. Skirting around his tall frame, I hustle down the hallway, grab my purse and throw the front door open. My feet barely touch the sidewalk before the tears start falling.I'm not sure how far I walk, blinded by tears, before I stop and drop down on a bench. Taking a moment, I collect myself and pull a tissue out of my handbag. After wiping my eyes and blowing my nose, I grab my purse.Who should I call? One of my brothers? Trish? Solana? I suppose my choices are pretty limited. This is when it would be nice to have a girlfriend I could depend on, but that really isn't the case.With a shaky hand, I end up opening the Uber app on my phone. It doesn't take the driver long to arrive and I know this was the right decision. I'm not ready to talk to anyone about what happened between Luca and I yet. And my Uber guy is quiet and leaves me alone for the duration of the trip to the hotel where my mom is staying.Once we get to the hotel, I quietly t
Watching Finley walk away is the worst thing I've ever experienced. The way she refused to talk to me, the cold shoulder she gave me, and the frozen look in her glacial blue eyes felt like a slap to the face.Did I deserve it? Yeah, probably. But do I want my wife back? Yes, definitely.The only problem is I think she might be done with me and our farce of a marriage. And that hurts because I'm not ready to let go yet.Falling for Finley is something that just happened. I didn't expect it, and I certainly didn't want it, but it's been a beautiful ride. I know without a doubt that I'm in love with her. And now being the idiot that I am, I've lost her.But, hopefully, it's only a temporary loss.The question is how do I get her to forgive me and move on? Or, better yet, move back in here with me? I'm wracking my brain, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the situation and move forward.The truth is, I feel awful. But I had to come clean and tell Finley the truth. Lying to her
After crying for an hour, I have the sudden urge to leave. My small room feels claustrophobic, like it's closing in on me, and I need some fresh air. Dragging myself up, I glance over at the clock on the nightstand. It's not even nine o'clock yet.With a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart, I get up, grab a sweatshirt and slip it over my head. The night is chilly, but not exactly cold, and I need to go for a walk and try to clear my head. After splashing some water on my face and puffy eyes, I open the door and peer out into the living room. A wave of relief washes over me when I see that Harrison Shepherd, Adeline's dad, is gone and my mom has retired to her room. Glancing over, I see her door is open a crack, and I hear the soft sound of canned laughter from some sitcom on the television echoing out.Stepping into the main room of the suite, I quickly make my way to the door, quietly open it and pull it shut behind me, all without making a sound. The last thing I want to do is aler
The two enforcers open the car door and I slide out and look up at my home which I've missed so much. I need to get us back here. Desmond may not be willing to negotiate with my brothers, but maybe he'll talk to me.We enter the house and instead of smelling the aroma of the candles my mom used to burn, it smells like nothing special or cozy. It's cold, dark and feels unlived in. Like all the warmth has seeped out. When we reach the office which used to belong to my father then to Connor, I now see Desmond seated at the desk. A fire burns in the fireplace and I'm immediately transported back to the night Luca and I made love in front of the roaring fire at his cabin. Or, maybe love had nothing to do with it. Maybe it was just lust and sex.With a heavy heart, I look from the crackling fire to my Uncle Desmond. He's nothing like the man I remember from my childhood, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. To try and work something out between him and the rest of our famil
My brother is right. I need to go to Finley now, be sincere and tell her I love her.Holy hell, I love her. Those are words I've never said to a woman before who wasn't my family. Technically, Finley is my family, I suppose. But the point is, I have never told a woman I've been intimate with that I love her and want to spend the rest of my life with her.I hope I don't spontaneously combust.But no one ever knocked me off my feet the way Finley has. I told Gio there's no going back to a life without her in it and it's the truth. In such a short amount of time, Finley has become my everything.And now I need to convince her I'm not acting any longer. My feelings are real and there's nothing fake about them. Gio also pointed out a very important fact—when it came time to walk away, I didn't."You didn't leave her. Even if that was the original plan, when it came time to follow through and do the actual deed, you stayed by her side and said your vows."There was no way I was walking out
I give her a terse nod then walk out of the suite. Trying to remain calm and stay positive, I walk out of the hotel, take a deep, steadying breath and try to determine the best plan of action. That all goes to hell, though, the moment my phone rings and I look down and see Connor's name flashing on the screen."Connor?" I answer sharply."We have a big fucking problem, Luca," he growls."What's wrong?""You tell me! How the hell did Desmond get Finley? What the fuck is going on over there and why isn't she safely with you?"Shit. "Desmond has Finley?" I echo."I am going to ask this once more then I'm going to lose my shit. Why isn't my sister with you?""After our meeting, I went back to our place and we argued. She ended up leaving and coming back to the hotel to stay with her mom. That's where I am right now. I came by to talk to her, but she wasn't here. Somehow in the last two hours, Desmond got to her."Connor lets out a string of colorful curses and I squeeze my eyes shut. Fuck
"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.