I leave the room and head downstairs where I spot Connor already waiting at the bar. When I reach his side, he stands and we give each other a half hug and thump each other on the back."Damn, it's good to see you, bro," Connor says.Pulling out the stool beside him, I sit down. "I know. It feels like forever, doesn't it?""It really does. I can't tell you how good it is to be back, but I'm not happy to hear what's been happening.""Fucking Desmond," I growl.The bartender walks over and sets a couple of frothy Guinness beers in front of both of us and we nod our thanks."I want to see that paperwork he has which makes him think he's entitled to the family business.""Sean Flannigan doctored up something. I'm sure it's all bullshit, but when he pulled it out and started waving it around, I had no idea what to even look for.""I'm going to demand they send it over.""There's no way it can be legit, right? I mean, Dad left everything to us. And then for him to kick mom and Finley out li
While Roberto is down meeting with Connor, I lie in bed for far too long, still wrapped in the fluffy, white towel, and think over everything that has happened between us. It's been an incredible whirlwind. An adventure like I've never experienced before.My thoughts turn into daydreams of "what if" and even though I know that's dangerous territory to tread, I can't help it. Roberto Mennetti is the most amazing man I've ever met and he's treated me with more kindness than anyone ever has before. Plus, he's insanely handsome and makes my pulse leap every time he's close.Maybe I don't have anyone else to compare him to, but I have a feeling that even if I did, Roberto would still be better in every department by leaps and bounds. And, yes, he's gorgeous, but it's so much more than that.It's the way he's always making sure I'm taken care of and asking if I'm okay; it's the way he protects me; it's the way he makes love to me. Because what happened earlier was so much more than sex to m
Suddenly, my heart feels sick and worried. I know he has a lot going on, but he did before his meeting with Connor, too. What changed his attitude toward me so drastically? Did Connor say something? I've never even met his twin, so I have no idea why he'd say anything bad about me.There's also the possibility that he's just being a moody man, unhappy because he has no control over what's happening.Either way, my feelings are hurt and I need to get out of here. Go for a walk or something. Anything that'll give me some space from grumpy pants here.Covering the rest of my pasta, I snag a cookie and tell Roberto I'm leaving."What do you mean you're leaving?" He pops up out of the chair, but I head straight for the door. "Adeline!"Pausing, I glance over my shoulder and meet his frown. "Yes?" I ask innocently.He crosses his big arms, not looking happy at all. "Where are you going?""For a walk, Roberto. I didn't think I was a prisoner here.""Don't leave the hotel," he grumbles.I'm n
The elevator door closes, too, and I squeeze my eyes shut as sadness washes over me. It feels like whatever amazing thing was happening with Roberto just ended. Ignoring the pang in my heart, I try to shut my emotions down.But that's always been a hard thing for me to do, especially since I wear my heart on my sleeve. And, after two minutes in the suite, I'm clearly not doing a very good job hiding how upset I am because the woman with dark hair who'd been sitting with Solana comes over and I see the sympathy in her eyes."I'm Trisha," she says, shifting Griffin to her opposite hip. "Connor's wife. But you can call me Trish."I look up, trying to smile, and it comes off as shaky and probably insincere. "Nice to meet you," I force out. "I'm Adeline."Just Adeline. I'm no one's significant other or very important in any way. If I disappeared right now, I don't think anyone would even notice. My dad is too busy with Maeve and the Mennetti's all have each other.Well, I suppose Roberto w
I feel bad about what happened between Adeline and I, but maybe it's for the best. When I said she was a distraction, it wasn't meant to hurt her feelings. She's the best kind of distraction there is, but I can't afford to have that right now. Being on my A-game and completely aware of the situation at hand is my top priority because keeping my family safe is most important.Well, my family and Adeline.The idea that she could be my family one day—my wife—hits me out of nowhere. I have no idea where the thought came from, but these are the kinds of diversions I'm talking about. Adeline with her golden eyes and hair, so pure and sweet, is enough to drive me to my knees and give her anything she asks for.Later, I scold myself. Right now, it's better if we don't stay in the same room. As much as I want her here, I tell myself it's a good thing she went upstairs. She should be in the suite with her father, anyway.I don't like her so far away, though. Even if I keep trying to convince my
I didn't see Adeline before we left and as we walk up to the dimly-lit restaurant, I'm regretting that decision. What if something happens? What if I never see her smiling face again?Shoving the dark, foreboding thoughts away, I push my shoulders back and look over at my brothers. "Ready?" I ask and they nod. Lifting my fist, I knock on the locked door and the rat fink himself comes to answer.Sean Flannigan is the worst kind of scum and he has the nerve to give us an oily smile after basically fucking us up the ass after running to Ireland and starting this whole shitshow."Come on in," he says and three huge enforcers walk over and begin to pat us down for weapons."Merely protocol," Sean states.Once we're declared clear, Flannigan ushers us to a backroom.We're the first to arrive and I instantly tense up. "Where's Desmond?""He'll be in shortly. And hopefully Matthias will be arriving at any moment, too."There's something smug about the look on Flannigan's face and I don't like
I didn't see Adeline before we left and as we walk up to the dimly-lit restaurant, I'm regretting that decision. What if something happens? What if I never see her smiling face again?Shoving the dark, foreboding thoughts away, I push my shoulders back and look over at my brothers. "Ready?" I ask and they nod. Lifting my fist, I knock on the locked door and the rat fink himself comes to answer.Sean Flannigan is the worst kind of scum and he has the nerve to give us an oily smile after basically fucking us up the ass after running to Ireland and starting this whole shitshow."Come on in," he says and three huge enforcers walk over and begin to pat us down for weapons."Merely protocol," Sean states.Once we're declared clear, Flannigan ushers us to a backroom.We're the first to arrive and I instantly tense up. "Where's Desmond?""He'll be in shortly. And hopefully Matthias will be arriving at any moment, too."There's something smug about the look on Flannigan's face and I don't like
"Anna tells me my daughters are happy," Matthias says in a low voice.Holy shit. My attention snaps over to my brothers. As far as I know, Matthias has never acknowledged their marriages or his grandchild in any way. Ever. This is huge and my pulse speeds up as I wonder where the conversation is going to go."Despite being seduced and kidnapped by the two of you," he can't help but add under his breath.Here we go, I think.Rylan jumps up and points an accusing finger at Volkanov. "You're the one who locked me up, had me beaten and then dragged Solana back and threw her in that fucking cell!"Matthias, looking somewhat pained, begins drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "I was upset."I nudge my brother, motioning for Ry to sit and calm down. But I suppose if we were talking about Adeline then I'd be equally upset. But this is as close to a normal and civilized conversation as we've ever had with Matthias. I don't want things to blow up completely yet."You said your daughters no lon
"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.