Jude POV“As your wife, I deserve the truth. I don’t deserve to be tricked and spied on. What was the purpose of this charade? Did you think I’d throw myself at the first attractive man who smiled at me?”Jude narrowed his eyes. “So, you find him attractive.”I had enough. I walked up to him and glared up. “Are you serious?” Jude didn’t deign me with a reply. He unbuttoned his shirt with infuriating nonchalance.“Look at me.”He raised his head, but his eyes were hard. There was no sign of guilt. Did he think his actions were okay?“I can’t believe you used Elia as a trap to see if I’d cheat on you. We’re married.”“Marriage never stopped anyone.”“Is that so?” I asked curiously, trying to figure out if he was referring to himself.“I’d never cheat.”“Oh, so I’m supposed to take your word on it, but you can use my bodyguard to test me? Don’t you realize how wrong that is?”“I do what’s necessary.”“Necessary? So, you admit that you ordered Elia to flirt with me to see how I’d react? Y
Jude POV“You could start by telling me what happened with Josephine, and why Daniele acts the way he does.”I shook my head. “That is the past, and it’s got nothing to do with us.” Isadora smiled sadly. She knew as well as I did that it had everything to do with us, but the past with Josephine wasn’t something I’d share with her. It wouldn’t serve any purpose but to destroy whatever tentative bond that was forming between Isadora and me. She was young. Maybe that was why I was willing to try at all. I didn’t want to be the one to destroy her loveliness.“Okay.” It wasn’t. Isadora’s body language made that clear.“What else?”“Spend time with the kids and me. Family time. Be home for dinner, be home on Sunday. I want to get to know you, what you like to do in your free time, what you enjoy doing.”I tried to remember the last time I’d done something I enjoyed doing that didn’t involve my line of work. I couldn’t.“Don’t tell me there’s nothing you like to do except work. There must b
WARNING ⚠️⚠️⚠️THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EROTIC CONTENTS.Jude POVShe threw a triumphant smile over her shoulder. I wouldn’t have it. I pressed my mouth against her pussy, my tongue fighting her fingers for dominance. She moaned loudly, which died when I pushed her mouth back down on my cock, my fingers tangling in her silky hair. I thrust up, deeper than before. She struggled to take me in but didn’t back down. Her fingers pumped into her pussy and my tongue teased them and her folds, her clit, every delicious inch I could reach. She started to spasm on top of me, moaning around my length. I kept thrusting into her mouth. I wanted to prolong this, but with her body coming apart on top of me, her fingers chasing her orgasm, her taste on my tongue, I couldn’t hold back.I tightened, my fingers on her neck twitching and my thrusts becoming jerky as I came harder than ever before. The feel of her hot mouth around my cock as she tried to swallow was perfection. Isadora slumped down on top of
JUDE POVIsadora leaned over the crib and lifted my adopted daughter up, cradling her to her chest. I was always the one who took her out of bed when she cried.Simona fell silent and was staring up at my young wife. I waited for the inevitable outburst—an even worse crying fit than before—but Simona only let out a small cry. “Shh. You’re the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen.” And then Isadora bent down and kissed my daughter’s left cheek, then her right. “With the cutest chubby cheeks that I can imagine.”My heart thudded in my chest, an uneven staccato I could feel in my ears. I couldn’t move. Simona reached for Isadora’s bangs and tugged, but my wife only laughed and blew out air, sending her hair flying up, causing Simona’s eyes to widen. Then she giggled.Simona giggled.Isadora looked up and smiled, unguarded, happy, and hopeful. I turned around and stalked out. “I’ll prepare the bottle,” I pressed. Even though I wished she wouldn’t, Isadora followed me downstairs. She watched
Isadora POV My eyes widened. Jude bit down on my throat, then lavished the spot with his tongue. “What about Sybil?”“Gone.” His growl vibrated against my skin. Holding me up with one muscled arm and the pressure of his strong body, he slipped his hand between our bodies. The hiss of his zipper sent a shiver down my spine a moment before he shoved my pants aside and entered me in one hard stroke. I arched, half in pain, half in pleasure. It was the first time he took me without much preparation.His mouth pressed against my ear. “Didn’t I tell you to stop wearing those over-the-knee socks and ridiculous dresses?”I met his gaze, grinding myself against him, chasing the pleasure even as my body fought to accommodate Jude’s length. “Is this my punishment?” My lips teased up into a challenging smile.Jude’s grip on me tightened as he thrust up again, driving me against the wall. I dug my heels into his lower back. “No, honey,” he rasped, and that word warmed me like hot cocoa. “It’s a w
Jude POV I held the hat out to her, and she took it with a sweet smile. “Quick reflexes are required to survive if you have as many enemies as I do. But I don’t know why I caught this thing. It’s ugly.” Isadora had once again chosen an outfit I decidedly hadn’t chosen for her. Cowboy boots, black shorts with suspenders, a bright pink sweater, and an oversized coat would have fit me as well. It was a fashion nightmare.Worry tightened her face, her hand frozen on the door. “How many attempts at your life have you survived?”I tried to remember. It was difficult to say. There had been so many.Only a couple had gotten close.Isadora shook her head. “Never mind; if you have to think about it this long, I probably don’t want to know. Just promise to be careful, okay?”I walked around the car and opened the back door, then lifted Simona out. Isadora and I had already fallen into a sort of routine where my children were concerned. She handled Daniele, and I handled Simona. It made our live
JUDE POVDespite the cold weather, we took a stroll along the beach the next day. Simona was strapped to Isabela’s front in the sling while Daniele and Cherry jogged along the edge of the water. The dog barked at the waves, trying to snap at the frothing water.What a stupid thing, but it made Daniele and Isadora smile, so it could stay for now. Seagulls soared over our heads. Isadora held out her hand, and I linked our fingers after a moment of hesitation, worried about Daniele’s reaction, but he didn’t seem to care. His attention was on the dog and the ocean.My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out to find a message from Felix.Call me ASAP.Frowning, I pushed the phone back into my pocket. The wind roared too loudly for a phone conversation.“What is it?” Isadora asked.“We need to head back to the house. I need to call Felix.”Her face fell, and for half a second, I considered ignoring Felix’s message, but I’d told him not to bother me unless it was important. “Oh, sure.”I
Isadora POVAfter Jude was gone, I grabbed my phone and sank down on the sofa. Simona was busy with a picture book that simulated animal noises, and Daniele sat on the blanket beside her, only half focused on his game while he kept throwing glances toward his sister’s book.Cherry curled up beside me, and I began stroking her soft fur at once, hoping it would calm me. Since Jude had told me about my uncles, my heart had been beating faster than usual. In the mob, falling from grace usually meant your death. I wasn’t sad about the death of my uncles. They had been bad men, even by our very twisted standards, but I was worried what it meant for Jude, for us, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my poor cousin, Kiara, who was now an orphan.I called Dad’s number. He didn’t pick up after the first few rings, which was unusual for him. He always made time for me. What if Luca had decided to get rid of him too? It wasn’t a secret that Dad wasn’t his favorite. Marrying me off to Jude was suppo