I have no idea why Matthias wants to see us, but ever since we saved his life, he hasn't tried to kill us. So, I'm taking this as a good sign.When we arrive at the brownstone, the door is immediately opened by Anna, Matthias's wife. She often sneaks over to visit her daughters and Griffin, so we've gotten to know her a bit better."I'm so glad you came," she says, ushering us inside. "I'm not exactly sure what is going on, but Matthias was determined to see you. Which tells me he has a plan and wants the three of you involved."Anna guides us to the master suite then presses a kiss to each of our cheeks."Tread carefully," she whispers and pushes the door open. "Matthias, they're here."We walk into the bedroom and the man who I once thought was so formidable looks small and harmless in the huge bed. But I know that looks can be deceiving.Matthias sits up taller against his pile of pillows and motions for us to come closer. He's flanked by two guards and we have Sully at our side.J
One Month Later...Marrying Roberto is the best decision I ever made. He is my best friend, my lover and my soulmate and I couldn't imagine living this life without him.Currently, we've decided to stop hiding. My dad moved back into the small apartment we used to share and he's cleaning it up and packing. His plan is to find a better place and start a new job helping out the Mennetti family which Maeve finagled through Connor. Everyone has noticed how close he and Maeve seem to be getting and I'm happy for them. For the first time in fifteen years, my dad is smiling again and that makes me so very happy.While Maeve and Finley are living at the hotel still, Roberto and his brothers have moved us all into their city digs. They have constant security watching their places at all times, so I feel safe staying above the fight club. Besides, it's nice to have our own little place.Though things are still up in the air with Desmond, Roberto told me that their relationship with Matthias Vol
When the ongoing rivalry between the Volkanov and Mennetti family comes to a head, sweet, feisty, and sassy Finley Mennetti is given to brooding, aloof Luca Volkanov in a sham marriage to bridge the gap between both families, and stop her power-hungry uncle from destroying their lives.—Twenty-one-year-old Finley Mennetti is the youngest daughter and child of the Mennetti clan. Sweet, sharp-mouthed and quick-witted, she's the darling gem of her three older brothers, and mother.When their power-hungry, wicked uncle Desmond comes home from Ireland and upheaves them from the quiet, serene life they were settling into, Finley finds herself caught in the crossfire.The Mennetti and Volkanov families have been at loggerheads for ages, but Desmond's return threatens the stance of both families. In order to successfully stop Desmond and his ploys, both families must come together and present a united front as one by giving Finley to the Volkanov's youngest heir, Luca in a sham marriage.Luc
A lot has happened with Desmond and he wants us all eliminated. The idea of him sending enforcers to gun down my brothers, mother and nephews is gut-wrenching. And he would do it, too. Without a doubt. Desmond is an evil man who is power hungry and bitter because my dad ran everything while Desmond was sent to Ireland to look over our business interests there. Exiled is a better word because the two of them had a falling out and couldn't get back on the same page. I have no idea what happened exactly, but Desmond was sent away and my dad continued to run the kingdom here in Chicago. It was a slap in Desmond's face really.Something he obviously never forgot and still harbors ill will about.The last thing I want is for anything bad to happen to the people I love. At the same time, I can't promise myself to Luca Volkanov without ever having seen or met him. It's crazy.With a big, very weary and resigned sigh, I hold up a hand. "I can't make any promises, but I will meet Luca." Once ag
My father has officially lost his damn mind. There is really no other explanation to account for the words coming out of his mouth. Because they don't make any sense to me. Not even a little bit."I'm sorry, what?" I ask blankly.Matthias Volkanov shifts in his office chair and winces slightly. He's still recovering from several gunshot wounds and I can tell it still pains him somewhat. Truthfully, I think he should retire and take it easy. My family has more money than we'll ever be able to spend, and it's not necessary for him to continue working as hard as he does. But I suppose he likes bossing people around and playing the role of don in our Italian family."I think you heard me," he says, dark gaze focused intently on me. Like two sharp points of obsidian. "But let me say it again, just in case. I'd like you to consider entering into a marriage of convenience with Finley Mennetti.""You want me to marry a complete stranger? And our mortal enemy? Why?""Don't be dense, Luca." His
I resent my father for several things but mostly because he never paid me an ounce of attention, and I even confronted him about it once. A long time ago. I told him that I felt invisible in his eyes. And do you know what he said? My chest tightens as his icy words flood my head."You may as well be invisible, Luca, because you don't matter when it comes to the business side of things."All because I'm the youngest son and Gio is the one who our father put all of his energy into grooming. I love my brother and it's not his fault Matthias Volkanov is such a cold-hearted asshole. But I never forgot that and I've always hated him for saying such a terrible thing to me.Needing to clear my head and have a good, stiff drink, I stomp down the street, heading for the nearby corner pub. I'm going to pack my stuff back up and get out of here. Maybe I'll head back to Europe. Or, maybe I'll go to some exotic and tropical destination. A place with palm trees and the ocean. I can lay on the beach
The next day arrives far too fast and I'm not sure if I've ever been this nervous before in my entire life. I wipe my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans and try to listen to what Trish and Solana are telling me about their youngest brother as we drive over to the Volkanov brownstone together.But I'm not going to lie—I'm having trouble focusing on anything but the nervous flutter in my stomach. And I know it's silly to be feeling so anxious. It's not like we're actually going to get married. The whole thing is silly and probably nothing more than a waste of my time. His time, too. Because I'm willing to bet anything that we're both going to be on the exact same page.The only reason I'm doing this is to appease my brothers. Of course, I can't help but be a little curious, too. Especially after Solana describes what Luca looks like. I've always been a sucker for tall, dark and handsome, and it sounds like Luca is sporting all three in abundance.When Trish pulls the car up to the
"Why don't we leave them alone," Anna suggests, backing out of the room."Yes," Trish agrees. "Let them get to know each other a little bit.""I need a hug first," Solana exclaims and throws herself into Luca's arms."I missed you, Lana," Luca murmurs in a low voice that makes my toes curl. It's ridiculous, but a part of me is jealous at the way his eyes light up when he's embracing his sister. Then he looks over her head and extends his arm to Trish. "C'mere."Trish joins their hug and the three of them all start talking at once. The girls told me they haven't seen Luca in two years, so I know they're excited. And who could blame them? I know I'd miss him, too. Although in a much different way than a sibling would.Luca is lighting a fire inside me and right now it's simmering at a very hot temperature. And there's no denying the possibility it could build into a scorching inferno if I let it. Physically, he's everything I've always found attractive in a man. The question is does he
"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.