The Amalfi coast of Italy is scattered with medieval villages that seem impossibly draped from the cliffs over the coast. That view only became increasingly dramatic as the dome of the sky darkened overhead. Riding through the winding streets was a thrill on its own. The scene through the windows was a photographer's dream.Our driver pulled up to a staggering villa under the cover of night. Smooth sand-colored walls with multiple floors built on the hillside took my breath away. Over the ledge of the front driveway, one level down, a soft back door light revealed a covered terrace. On the level below that was a private pool and a small garden, all built on the cliff side to face the ocean scenery.In the morning, I knew the sunlight would reveal the vast ocean view below us. For now, I couldn't see where the twinkling stars in the night sky ended, and the glittering black waves of the ocean began.Aleksander's voice startled me out of my reverie. "Tomorrow, we'll have a private chef
"Alright." A wicked gleam rose to life in his eyes.My hands traveled from the chair to his chest. Aleksander relaxed his shoulders and settled back into the seat when I placed my palms on his warm skin. The toned muscles beneath tensed under my explorative touch.The sight of Aleksander always made my blood burn. Standing between his thighs and skimming my hands lightly over his powerfully built chest and stomach almost made me abandon my idea. A fluttering between my legs encouraged me to straddle him right there.I curled my hands over his shoulders. Aleksander's lips parted as I leaned down. At the last second, I angled my face from his. I rubbed my cheek over the short scruff along his jaw. "Tonight, you're going to make up for what happened at the reception."Aleksander jerked in the chair. His eyes burned into the side of my face. "You know I'd do anything for you. Tell me what you want."Warming confidence flowed through me. I stood taller, rising to my full height. A salaciou
ALEKSANDRER'S POV I tore free of the fuzzy belt shortly after Rhea buried herself under the blanket. My wrists were red and chaffed from struggling. Not that I cared about that. The white-hot fury burning a hole in my chest persisted, regardless.Watching Rhea's sensual writhing on the bed as she made herself climax repeatedly drove me wild. Like a feral animal that needed to be put down before he could harm himself or others. My blood pounded through my body with each intense beat of my heart. Fire burned my skin because of the tension in my muscles from keeping my anger under control.Rhea's pleasure belonged to me. Her body, her heart, her soul. If anyone was going to make her toes curl, it was going to be me.I wished someone could tell me why I deflated like a popped balloon when I approached her sleeping form on the bed. Seeing her pink pouty lips parted, softly breathing as she slept, and the slight crease between her brows took the fight out of me. Every ounce of my fury blew
My hunt through the city didn't take nearly as long as I imagined. It only took a few searches on my phone to get me in the right direction. I had most of the tools I needed to get my revenge packed in a suitcase, but there was something larger I could only find in the city.Wispy white clouds streaked across a vivid blue sky as if some divine entity had painted them there. The golden orb of the sun pressed down on earth with warm waves. A cooling breeze whisked through the winding streets of Amalfi.Since Rhea and I had slept in, it was already the afternoon by the time I finished my errands. Only two hours had passed before I made my way back toward the villa. A merchant selling flowers on the side of the road delayed my arrival by a few minutes. The bright assortment of varying shades of pink would delight my wife.The black SUV pulled up to the villa. Narrow trees topped with crowded chunks of rich green leaves swayed in the wind blowing up from the calm ocean below.When I steppe
RHEA'S POV Relenting to Aleksander's request, I showered and dressed myself for dinner. He slipped into the bathroom too and washed himself while I focused on doing my makeup for the evening. It was nothing heavy since it was the two of us dining alone near to the shore. I didn't want it to melt on my face with the slight humidity in the air.That didn't stop me from picking out one of my more revealing dresses. In fact, it encouraged it. The thin material of the forest green dress I slipped on clung to my frame like a second skin. With the hem right below my ass and a cut-out showing off the bottom swells of my breasts in the front. It seemed the right choice for the night. I wore nothing underneath.As adorable as that darkly vicious man appeared this afternoon, I didn't believe it one ounce. Aleksander's act of innocence didn't fool me. He might have held me close and cuddled me through the night, but I knew my husband. And I knew he would fulfill his threat."You better count eve
"I love you so much, Aleksander. I'm happy that I get to see this side of you." His thumb rubbed the side of my hand before turning it over to have the dominant grasp. His large palm engulfed my smaller hand easily. "These are the sides of me I want you to see. Away from the crowded city and every stress that comes with it. My job and yours. The people around us. Even the annoying tabloids and paparazzi that want to insert themselves into our daily life.""That magazine that we were both featured in last year had a field day with our engagement announcement." I chuckled at the memory. "The youngest billionaire in the city and their Prima Ballerina. That turned heads for a while.""It did," he ruefully agreed. Part of him enjoyed the attention, though he'd likely deny it. "But this trip is important for us. To get away from life pressures and solely focus on each other. Right now, I want you to see that I can be a good guy."I paused with my glass mid-air. His statement halted me from
A warm flush spread under my skin, painting a rosy, pink blush across my cheeks. My heart palpitated at the erotic sight waiting for me.A chair, but so much more. Aleksander tore out the cushion of the chair and had the black and gold vibrator jutted up through a hole in the seat. Restraints for my hands dangled from the sides while he'd secured leather cuffs to the front legs of the antique wooden chair for my ankles.A torture device or a contraption for pleasure?In this case, it was both.Aleksander stalked around me. The back of his hand skimmed over my shoulder. A gruff demand snapped out of him. "Take your dress off."My breath lodged in my throat. He caught the sound and narrowed his predatory gaze at me. Aleksander roughly grabbed my chin, pursing my lips. "Oh, don't look at me like that, baby girl. Don't pretend to be shy now."Pulling me by my face, Aleksander urged me onto my tiptoes. My hands flew up to grab his wrist while his fingers dug into my cheeks. His hot breat
ALEKSANDRER'S POV A sadistic delight came over me while punishing Rhea. I can't deny that. It's a sick need to hurt her in an erotic way, but it's an instinct she reciprocates. She wouldn't have tied me down and masturbated in front of me if she wasn't fully aware of the repercussions she'd face.My darling wife knew me, and she knew herself. This was the game we played. Rhea was aware of the limits and frequently crossed them. As innocent as she appeared on the inside, she relished the pleasure of my punishments-she craved them.Some days Rhea would purposefully roll her eyes and in the night, I'd make her orgasm until she cried. Twisting her climaxes into something a powerful and mind melting experience. Exhausting her with euphoria to the point of madness.However, it took excruciating patience on my part. Waiting on the sidelines as Rhea met out her punishment was agonizing. Taking the time to dismantle her grip on reality as she slipped into a submissive haze tested my willpower
EPILOGUE RHEA'S POV Three wonderful years came and went. Each one became a new chapter in my life that I'd never forget. I couldn't when I had otherworldly love pouring through me every day. More than I ever thought I'd experience in my life.Trudging through the grief of losing so much family ate a hole in my heart. Aleksander came along and slowly threaded the chasm together, healing me with each delicate touch and sensual kiss. An unlikely love formed from that illicit contract, and through turmoil and pain, we forged our story.Glowing, floating on top of the world, I swept into the kitchen. A delightful buzz from champagne left a rosy flush across my cheeks. I poured myself a glass of water, listening to precious laughter drifting from upstairs as I did."Rhea!" Annika's excited coo made me whirl around from the sink. I came face to face with her, waving her red nails, gesturing for a hug. I stepped into her arms. Annika shimmied against me. "How did the event go?""It was great
The technician broke the silence first. "Your chart says that you're estimated to be about eighteen weeks along. Is that correct?""Yes," Rhea swiftly answered. Her smile widened. "The size of a bell pepper this week.""That's right," the technician chortled. She glanced between the three Makalovs in the dimly lit room. One hand clicked a button on the ultrasound keyboard and the monitor flickered on. With the probe hovering over Rhea's navel, she asked, "Are you interested in knowing the gender?"Rhea's throat bobbed. Her fingers twitched in mine. Simultaneously, we locked gazes. It was an important question, and one we hadn't discussed nearly enough."I'm going to love them, regardless." Her bottom lip trembled as she studied my face. "As long as they're healthy.""Do you want it to be a surprise?" I whispered in my wife's ears alone. Leaning closer, I nuzzled into the side of her face. "Whatever you want, baby. Just say the word."Despite her nerves, Rhea giggled. She turned her he
ALEKSANDER'S POV A month passed, and we returned home.Keeping my promise to Rhea, I relinquished the reins over to Nikolai to close the loose ends with the Genovese crime family.My aunt and uncle understood and approved of my wish to keep my hands clean for my wife's sake. Nikolai didn't bat an eye when he proclaimed the Genovese would accept a deal and leave our family alone if we did the same.Antonio recovered from his injuries from the car accident. After two weeks in bed, he returned with renewed vigor. The incidents of that day wounded his honor, and he stated he needed to make up for it. As much as I argued, he needed to take time away. He continued showing up in uniform.Rhea had a checkup with her doctor. That was an appointment I wouldn't miss for the world. I held her hand through the follow-up tests, using her as my lifeline through the stress. I'm sure I was the same for her.The thumping sound of a heartbeat lifted a weight off my chest. Rhea cried from the sweet tast
Keeping one hand on his cheek, our lips a hair's breadth apart, I hooked my other arm around his neck. Chest to chest except for his hand on my breast, I breathed my promise into him. "I love you, Aleksander. Forever."A relieved shudder rushed through his body from head to toe. The stuttered sigh past his lips tickled my mouth. I repeated my vow to him, again and again, accompanied by each primal thrust of his hips. "I love you. I love you. I love you."Lush warmth blossomed in the center of my being. It rose from a taut coil in the depths of my core. All at once the carnal pleasure of Aleksander making love to me exploded through my body, rushing in waves from between my thighs to each of my limbs.Quaking against him with searing pleasure wracking my body, Aleksander couldn't hold back. My pulsing cunt forced him into the throes of his climax, following the heels of mine. He painted me from within, claiming me in the salacious way that I enjoyed.He caught my cries on his tongue, s
He seized me in his hands, tenderly stroking them over my fevered flesh. I didn't notice when the gloves came off, but I savored the sensation of his skin on mine. Aleksander explored every dip and curve of my body as if discovering me for the first time.His scruff tickled my throat as his lips tasted me from my chin to my collarbone. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and Aleksander grabbed my hips. In one swift motion, he lifted me off the floor. My legs curled around his waist.The stiffness of his growing erection slipped against the wet center of me. A groan escaped from his mouth into mine. We shared a brief moan at the sweet moment of friction.Aleksander's lips clashed with mine in a passionate frenzy. He moved forward, marching us under the hot spray of the shower. We didn't stop until my back met the tile, crushed between the shower wall and Aleksander's perfectly sculpted frame.I grasped the back of his hair in one hand, tugging slightly as Aleksander's teeth nipped at my
RHEA'S POV Every ounce of my consciousness slipped from my grasp the moment Aleksander freed me. While all the world moved around me, my thoughts stayed still within the pit of darkness consuming my mind. My awareness stayed on my pulsing veins, coursing with cold blood and the rough pounding of my heart throbbing through my limbs.Each breath cleaved through my lungs, strained and burning. Only the heat of Aleksander's hand on my arms kept me on my feet. He was my anchor to reality during a turbulent car ride, and as he swept me through the blinding lights of a semi crowded lobby.A hotel, I thought, somewhere downtown. My eyes couldn't focus on anything, from the onlooking strangers in the shadows to the overly bright glow of opulent lighting. Aleksander and Nikolai's hushed voices brushed against something inside my head. I knew they were with me, but I moved on autopilot.My body floated on a cloud. Up an elevator. Several turns down hallways that felt like a damn never-ending ma
Men screamed. Blood and brains splattered the walls and floors as they went down.A figure popped out around a corner. I fired one shot at his head, and he descended to the ground like an axed tree falling in a forest.Another came behind him. Too close to shoot from afar. My left arm shot out and blocked his. I used the momentum to force his aim up. My opponent shot and missed, bullets lodging in the ceiling. With my left hand, I pointed the gun at his stomach and fired two rounds.The last shot went into the side of his skull as he stumbled to his knees. Then he dropped like a stone on the filthy concrete.An arm emerged at the end of the corridor I passed through. I pulled the trigger, yet nothing left the chamber.Regardless of my unloaded pistol, I grabbed the arm in front of me. One twist of the wrist forced his weapon from his hand. The gun clattered away on the floor.The man grunted. When I jammed the butt of my gun into his face, breaking his nose, he screamed. As he fell, I
ALEKSANDER'S POV Nikolai burst from the front doors of the Makalov mansion. I followed hot on his heels, rushing toward the line of awaiting cars parked around the massive fountain at the end of the driveway.The very last thing Nikolai and I expected was to receive a call from an anonymous contact who worked for the Genovese. Someone in their organization vehemently opposed a potential war. Enough to give away Luca's location.Rhea was the one thing in this world I wanted more desperately than my body needed air. Luca Genovese stole her from me. Now betrayed by his own, I would take his life.The fiery glow of dusk settled itself over the horizon. A brisk wind whipped up the edges of my coat. My fingers twitched, itching for a cigarette to relieve my bristling nerves.Leaving Annika safe at the mansion, I joined my uncle in the backseat of the first car. Personal guards accompanied us. All well-trained and armed with the same pistol I carried.Savage anger writhed like a serpentine
"I'll handle it." The snarky response pulled me from my thoughts. Then the door at my back pushed open with a grating creak of metal on metal. I slammed back into reality, where I sat handcuffed to a chair in some semi-abandoned building.Every breath I took burned my chest. My body tensed with the fear running in my blood. As Luca's shadow rose ominously over the opposite wall, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move a muscle as each sinister thump of his shoes carried him closer.Luca appeared in front of me with an eerie aura. His disturbing grin slashed wider upon finding me alert.I tried maintaining my gaze at first. He lasciviously ogled every inch of me with a malicious sneer, twisting his features. The threatening glint in his eyes forced my gaze down to his expensive leather loafers crunching on bits of broken glass beneath us."You're finally awake," Luca announced, cocking his head to the side. "The accident was unfortunate, but I didn't think your driver knew any defensive ma