Roman Pinching the bridge of my nose, I felt irritation prick at the surface of my skin. She was playing dumb. She had to be.One couldn't be the child of a mob boss and not know a thing about it. She was withholding, and that needed to change."I have a hard time believing you are this ignorant of your family's scheming. The meetings we conduct are kept between us, and there is no chance your father could find out about it without there being a rat in the middle. You are going to tell me who that is."Teresa glanced between the two of us nervously, still with a look of constant confusion. "I don't know anything, I swear."Tilting my head at her, I narrowed my eyes. "You're lying.""I'm not!" she said, raising her voice slightly. It was the most emotion I had seen from her. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about.""I think I've made myself abundantly clear, but if you need a reminder, then so be it."Motioning toward the bag we grabbed on the way out of the pizza place, I sil
AriaThe heat lingered in my cheeks, burning at the fact that the intimidating men in front of me had rifled through my things and read my notes. Hearing him mention any of it made me wish a hole would open up beneath me and swallow me whole.But while it was mortifying, I was more lost than anything else.The two huge men exchanged a look through the deafening silence, and a grave expression consumed the one questioning me. The quiet one swallowed hard."You're not Teresa Esposito?" the one asked, brows stitched together.Teresa. They thought I was Teresa.I shook my head, eager to get it all behind me. "No, I'm Aria Carlisle. I just graduated from university, and I work two jobs: at a cafe and the pizza place...""...you're telling me you don't know anything about the Espositos? You have no other association with them?" he asked, pressing further into his questions with disbelief."No, I just work for them," I reiterated, hoping they wouldn't think I was lying.He said Teresa's fat
RomanI’d messed up beyond anything I could've imagined.The task was so simple. Hit the pizzeria, get the girl, and question her. I couldn't even make it past step two.I could already hear Nikolai in my mind, screaming at me for fumbling something that simple.My only defense was how similar they looked. The pictures we had of the real Teresa made her hair look short and dark like the girl in front of us, but upon further inspection, it seemed the photos were so poor that it was a missed detail. Her hair wasn't short at all. They looked enough alike to use it as an excuse, but I knew my brother wouldn't be quiet long enough to hear it.It was my head on the chopping block next. Valentin's days of scrutiny were behind him, yet it seemed mine were only just beginning."We have to get rid of her," Dimitri said, only sparing the girl a glance.I looked at her from the short distance between us, not afraid to truly look at her. She was captivating even with her wrists bound and fear visi
AriaRoman—that was his name. The one leading the operation that apparently didn't go according to plan.We were alone, left to sit in silence within the ridiculously nice house. My wrists were still bound, yet the chair was more comfortable than I had expected. It seemed Roman had good taste.There was no escaping the intensity of his eyes. I felt under pressure beneath his gaze, fully aware I was left with the heavily muscled man before me. His voice was laced with a faint Russian accent—the very thing I found irresistible.He was a walking wet dream and the exact type of guy I had been writing about. From his strong jaw to those stormy eyes and his somewhat longer black curls, he was…gorgeous.I would give anything for a night with someone like him, but with Roman standing in front of me in all his domineering glory, that didn't feel like an option at all.My spine stiffened the moment those fantastical thoughts dissolved and I came back down to reality. Fear sent a shiver down my
AriaHis heavy tone grated down my spine, and I nodded. I understood. I didn’t want to die, and I certainly didn’t want to because of not following his rules.I could be careless and dysfunctional at times, but not enough to question his sincerity.He didn’t strike me as someone who said things without meaning them.Shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, I tried to remind myself of the severity of the situation I found myself in. For whatever reason, I couldn’t find it within me to be as terrified as I should be for becoming a prisoner in a stranger’s home. Perhaps I was too desensitized. Perhaps I was too trusting.But he could’ve done as his brother initially suggested. He could’ve gotten rid of me. He could’ve killed me. Instead, he vouched for me and chose to keep me in his home.That was a risk he was taking as well, it seemed.“My men will grab your things and you can take the guest bedroom.” Roman turned his back to me and vaguely gestured in the direction he faced. “Follow me.
RomanThe sound of Nikolai’s booming voice reverberated off the walls, confined to the meeting room in one of our clubs. No matter how much I hated being under fire, forced to take each word without complaint, I couldn’t weasel out of it. The mistake was mine, along with the punishment.I put all of us in jeopardy, and I had to be the one to fix it.Fortunately, being a Lantsov meant having thick skin. It was the only thing that minimized the sting of his shouting.My brothers sat awkwardly in their seats with eyes averted while I was personally handed my scolding.At the very least, they didn’t have the minds to chime in and make matters worse. Nobody wanted to face Nikolai’s scorn. We all knew better.He was the one who guided our family. He was the head who kept us safe to the best of his ability. He fought tooth and nail to turn us into something, and he was the one who pushed us all to be great.Even if I could’ve gone without the screaming and the red hue his skin turned while h
Roman Our brother tipped his head in acknowledgment. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already had that information in the works.“Very well,” Nikolai said, downing the rest of his whiskey. The weary look dissipated from his eyes. “If you feel that is the best way to handle it, then I trust you know what you’re doing. But remember these words. Don’t make matters worse for yourself.”My brows furrowed, not understanding what he meant by it.“Keep to yourself. She might be your unexpected guest for a little while, but don’t let yourself get attached. Letting her become something to be used against you would be your undoing.”A crack of something hot moved through my chest as I took offense at his warning. I wasn’t one to get attached. The prospect of relationships and feelings was a natural deterrent for me, and I had no desire to find myself in such a position. My brothers knew that. Surely he was mistaken.Pushing through that slight irritation, as it felt like Nikolai had no faith in m
AriaSunlight warmed the bedsheets while I lay there, staring up at the ceiling.I slept better than expected, and I quickly chalked that up to the bed being far more luxurious than anything I had experienced before. The guest bedroom was leagues better than any of the rooms I had in the past, and I couldn’t help but linger beneath those silk sheets.Plus, I was delaying the inevitable. Part of me didn’t want to get up and face my accidental captor. I didn’t know what to do or what to say.Thank you for the comfortable bed? And for choosing not to kill me?The thought of eating breakfast near him was unbearable, even if he was easy on the eyes.All of it made my skin crawl, and staying in bed was enough of a bandage to keep me there.Once my bladder was too full to ignore, I eventually hauled myself out of bed and made my way to the ensuite. It was ridiculously nice as well and was certainly the most extravagant place I had ever done my business in.Wiping the sleep from my eyes as I
AriaI couldn’t take the mortification any longer and brought my lips to his, wanting to get the hard part over with. Our lips melded eagerly as he inhaled sharply, gliding his palms up and down my back.Wiggling my hips above his, I tried to find that rhythm from before, grinding against his cock. But my hips were stilled by his strong hands.With a rush of movement, I was scooped up and laid out across the couch, left confused as he moved down my body, pressing kisses down my stomach.I took in a sharp breath as his tongue glided down my skin, fingers hooking into my panties. In one sweep, they were removed, and nothing was left between the two of us.Roman kept going until he was level with my core, and that teasing tongue continued.Black rimmed my vision once he flicked it against my clit, immediately making me arch away from the couch. His hands secured my hips down, making sure I didn’t move too much.A throaty moan fell from my lips, overcome by his impeccable skill. He focuse
AriaHis lips were hasty in their movements, devouring mine like he was trying to get nectar from them. His palm traveled around, resting on my hip as he poured everything he had into the embrace.I did nothing but comply, so overcome by how amazing it felt. He moved with such precision that I was rendered useless, silently begging for more of him.There were other men I had kissed before, but never like that. Never with such fiery passion that it was almost tangible. The whiskey made it easier to stomach just how overwhelming it was to be so close to him, to feel him, and to taste that electricity between us.Roman was intimidating in many ways, but from how he kissed me, there was nothing left to fear. It was a side of him I had yet to discover, and it was unbelievably worth it.His tongue flicked against my lower lip, sparking pleasure through my sensitive skin. I shivered, caught off-guard by it, yet eager to part my mouth for him.Our tongues clashed as I gripped his black tee a
Aria Color flooded my cheeks upon hearing that he could so easily recall what was in my notes after having read them, but I pushed it down and nodded, paying close attention.Roman ran me through it, showing me parts of the weapon and how it worked. He did so with expert precision, letting me know that he clearly had a lifetime of experience with it all.His fingers did nimble work, somewhat splicing my attention away from the demonstration. I swallowed hard and silently told myself to focus, even if my mind began to wander, thinking about how close we were standing to one another, or how I could feel his arm brush against me from time to time.I felt depraved for even noticing it.Remembering myself, I followed along as Roman showed me more of the armory, picking up the occasional weapon and going on to describe it for me. It seemed like second nature for him to ramble on about the family business while pride gleamed in his eyes.It was clear that he loved his family, and he cared d
AriaSomething was eating at Roman, but I didn’t know what.Everything seemed to be going well between us, and I couldn’t help but wonder where things had gone wrong.Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Did he regret telling me more about the mafia?Unable to keep it to myself, I peered over at him and watched how indescribable thoughts moved through his eyes.“Is everything alright?”He met my gaze once more and swallowed, looking like he’d rather not say. But he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s just…family business things. My screw-up was a big problem that landed me in some hot water. How I fix this will determine what my brothers think of me.”My face softened at his words. “That sounds like a lot of pressure.”“That is correct,” he managed, staring off into some part of the room. It seemed to be bugging him, and it made me feel bad.I didn’t know how he managed to make me sympathize with him so easily, yet I just couldn’t help it. Despite how strange our circumsta
Something flickered in her eyes as she waited for an answer, seemingly vibrating with anticipation.For some unknown reason, a part of me didn’t want to tell her the truth lest she think I was some sort of monster, someone who couldn’t wait to shoot at any given time.I wasn’t some bloodthirsty goon, but I had taken my fair share of lives for my family. I couldn’t hide from that fact.“Yes,” I managed to get out, gauging Aria’s expression. “None were senseless. Everything I’ve ever done has been to protect my family, and if anyone gets in the way of that, we have our means of dealing with it.”Aria swallowed hard, studying my face closely. While she had tensed at my answer, she eased back into place. “That sounds like a difficult thing to stomach.”“It can be,” I said with a sigh, thinking back to the lives I had claimed, and the ones my brothers had taken as well. “But in the moment, when your brothers’ lives are on the line, it’s easy to forget you’re all human and fighting that sam
RomanTwo Weeks LaterIt had been a long day of work, and all I wanted was to become one with the couch.Having swapped my usual attire for comfortable joggers and a black tee, I was more than ready to forget about everything else. I walked into the living room, not surprised to see Aria already curled up on the couch and balancing the laptop on the side of her propped leg. She was completely focused on the screen, lost in her writing.She had come out of her shell a bit more in the few weeks that had passed, straying from the guest bedroom to linger in the living room. The laptop was never far, which was a relief. I was glad to see her getting good use out of it, even if she had been reluctant to at first.My attention went straight to the lavender sleep set that clung to her curves and accentuated her skin beautifully. The thin straps left little to the imagination, but I wasn’t prepared to complain about it. Half of her dark hair was held up with a clip, leaving her looking comfor
Aria That struck me harder than seeing all those bags on the floor.Immediately, guilt swam in my chest. I didn’t want to let that money go to waste, but it felt strange to accept. My financial struggles and difficult relationship with money made me consider how devastating it would be to let all those things go to waste due to my pride.I didn’t come from much and fighting every day to have enough in my account to cover everything had always been my reality.The thought of the laptop being tossed because of my inability to accept the gift made my stomach turn.Finally wrangling my mind into giving in, I sighed and hooked a finger around the handles. “It’s really too much, you know. Especially the laptop.”Roman chuckled to himself and leaned against the counter behind him, long legs crossed. He looked even more intoxicating than the day prior.“You seem keen on writing. Focus on that for now while I fix the mistake I made. And I won’t hear any complaints about it.”The sincerity in
AriaSunlight warmed the bedsheets while I lay there, staring up at the ceiling.I slept better than expected, and I quickly chalked that up to the bed being far more luxurious than anything I had experienced before. The guest bedroom was leagues better than any of the rooms I had in the past, and I couldn’t help but linger beneath those silk sheets.Plus, I was delaying the inevitable. Part of me didn’t want to get up and face my accidental captor. I didn’t know what to do or what to say.Thank you for the comfortable bed? And for choosing not to kill me?The thought of eating breakfast near him was unbearable, even if he was easy on the eyes.All of it made my skin crawl, and staying in bed was enough of a bandage to keep me there.Once my bladder was too full to ignore, I eventually hauled myself out of bed and made my way to the ensuite. It was ridiculously nice as well and was certainly the most extravagant place I had ever done my business in.Wiping the sleep from my eyes as I
Roman Our brother tipped his head in acknowledgment. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already had that information in the works.“Very well,” Nikolai said, downing the rest of his whiskey. The weary look dissipated from his eyes. “If you feel that is the best way to handle it, then I trust you know what you’re doing. But remember these words. Don’t make matters worse for yourself.”My brows furrowed, not understanding what he meant by it.“Keep to yourself. She might be your unexpected guest for a little while, but don’t let yourself get attached. Letting her become something to be used against you would be your undoing.”A crack of something hot moved through my chest as I took offense at his warning. I wasn’t one to get attached. The prospect of relationships and feelings was a natural deterrent for me, and I had no desire to find myself in such a position. My brothers knew that. Surely he was mistaken.Pushing through that slight irritation, as it felt like Nikolai had no faith in m