112. Part of her wanted to draw out this intense seduction, while another part of her wanted to beg him to fuck her right then. She knew her body would offer no resistance to his possession, and her mind was falling in line with that idea. To her surprise, Shane put his arm around her waist and led her to the bathroom. As they got closer to the shower, she tensed up, remembering their first time. “What are you doing?” “Giving you a better memory.” He paused to turn on the water, fiddling with the panel of buttons until the light was a dim pink, and the steamy haze smelled of vanilla. “That’s an impressive shower control system.” Her stomach clenched with nerves as she hovered at the entrance. Shane stepped into the marble stall, holding out his hand. She didn’t know if he would accept her refusal if she turned away, but she enjoyed having the illusion of choice. Hesitantly, she took his hand and allowed him to take her into the space that had been the scene of their firs
113. Her body hummed with arousal as the sharp blade slid over her skin, made slicker by her own juices. Turned on beyond known limits, Mia cupped her own breasts and started massaging her nipples. She could have sobbed with relief when he put away the razor and rinsed her newly bared flesh by redirecting one of the shower nozzles. A loud moan escaped her as the water hit against the bundle of nerves beneath her clit, almost making her climax. She glared at him when he diverted the water. “Bastard.” Shane chuckled. “Sorry, baby, but that orgasm belongs to me, not the showerhead. I want you to fuck my face, to spill your juices in my mouth as you come.” “Oh.” He grinned. “Just oh?” Mia shrugged. “What can I say to that, besides get to it?” Looking delighted, Shane grasped her thighs and pulled her ass to the edge of the bench. He folded her legs back and pushed them wide, leaving her completely open to him. Mia had no fear in that vulnerable position. Her only thought
114. Surprisingly, it left her feeling content and replete, rather than shamed or debased. He had succeeded in supplanting the memories of that first horrific shower encounter with something much better and far more memorable. He saw to the task of cleaning them both and drying her off, apparentl realizing his combination of gentle and possessive lovemaking had left her a languorous mess. Mia couldn’t summon the energy to do much more than shuffle her feet as he led her to the bed and tucked her in. When he started to stand, she surprised both of them by reaching out for him. “Stay.” He frowned, as though debating something with himself, before sighing in a way that suggested surrender. A second later, Shane joined her on the bed, pulling the blankets over both of them. Mia snuggled against him, feeling no guilt for enjoying the embrace and the sex that had preceded it. His lips against her forehead was the last thing she remembered before slipping into a deep sleep. *
115. The shadows in his expression stilled her breath, but she couldn’t say it was from fear. He was mesmerizing in his darkness, and she couldn’t find fault with his actions in light of the circumstances. After a brief consideration, she decided she would probably happily rid the world of her own father, and she certainly would if she had the chance to get rid of Aldo. “So Cormac saved you?” “I saved myself and my family, baby, but he helped me hide the body. The world just assumed that drunken fucker had finally shambled off into obscurity, and the neighborhood breathed a sigh of relief.” He smiled, loosening his hands around her head to brush her cheek gently. “My sister and mother breathed a helluva lot easier, and life improved when I started working with Cormac.” “In the mafia.” She couldn’t hide her disdain. “Your improved life came at the expense of others.” At his careless shrug, she asked, “Did you have to kill other people?” He nodded, making her teeth set on
116. The only problem was the head of the Murphy family would expect him to keep it under the radar of the authorities. A highly public escalation in hostilities wouldn’t be appreciated or condoned. That didn’t mean Shane wasn’t going to do exactly what he wanted to serve Aldo Peretti’s head on a fucking plate. Turning to Bruno as the other man joined him, he said, “Find his drug dens and whorehouses. I want to know his moneymakers, and then I want to tear them down. Burn out the bastards and leave nothing but destruction in your wake.” As Bruno nodded, Shane thought of Mia, knowing on an instinctive level she wouldn’t approve of his plan. Feeling a shred of something he wished he could ignore and didn’t want to label as compassion, he added, “Try not to harm any innocents. Clear out the whores and the low-level addicts if you can. I want to harm his profits and him personally, but without a lot of collateral damage.” If Bruno was surprised by the caveat of mercy, he did
117. Emboldened by her actions, giddy with the success and sheer fun of taking charge, Mia slid to her knees on the bottom of the tub. The second step pressed into her tummy as she stretched forward. “There’s only one way to be sure.” He arched a brow. “How’s that?” “A taste test.” Mia’s stomach clenched with nerves as she lowered her head. His cock twitched in her hand where she grasped him at the base. Feeling a bit faint, she looked up when he put his hand on her head. “If you aren’t ready, that can wait.” She nodded. “I know, but I want to.” Oddly enough she did, and not because of some self-delusional bullshit that she was currying favor with him to lull him into relaxing his guard. For the first time ever, she wanted to take a man into her mouth. He made her feel safe enough to try, and wasn’t that the most fucked up thing ever, considering how he had taken her from her life a week ago? Her breathing went shallow as she neared the head, and she closed her eyes. F
118. If he wasn’t gone or doing whatever business a gangster handled—and she couldn’t imagine it had much to do with marketing or public relations, but probably involved some accounting—he had her on the bed, in the tub, on the couch, or against the wall. Once, he even took her in the solarium in the middle of breakfast. She’d offered a token protest at the ability of anyone to see them, but had soon forgotten her objections when his hand traveled under her skirt to stroke her bare mound. Forgoing panties had been her idea, but he’d loved the discovery so much that he’d forbidden her to wear them at all after that. She’d pretended to mind and had argued, but had acquiesced fairly easily. Mainly because she enjoyed the sensation of different (or no) fabrics against her bare lips, and also because there was something deliciously naughty about teasing him with the knowledge that she wasn’t wearing underwear—especially when he was about to go somewhere and had no time for se
119. It wasn’t because he was afraid of missing the ballet. He just felt better when Mia was in sight, and he knew she was safe from Peretti. His house was a fortress that Peretti would find almost impossible to breach, but he couldn’t help feeling she was safer with him than anyone else. He shifted into fourth and snorted with amusement at the thought. After the things he’d done to her, it was fucking amazing she considered herself safe with him. Did Mia understand she was safe from Peretti, even if not safe from Shane himself? He was just as driven to possess her as he had been. The more he had, the more he wanted. Shane squirmed, thinking he wasn’t sure he could ever get enough of her. When he was with her, it soothed the beast inside him that wanted to completely consume her so she’d always be with him. His feelings for his little Russian doll would have sent her into a panic if she really grasped the intensity. They certainly freaked him out. He’d never wanted anyone
The doorman said. I don’t think it was the same one that had been here when I’d skulked out on Saturday morning…thank God. “Good afternoon,” I told him. “I was hoping that you could call up to Mr. Romo Romalatti’s penthouse and let him know that Alana is here to see him.” “Yes Miss, I can do that. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back with you.” I took a seat on one of the plush, off-white couches in the lobby. They were arranged around pretty glass tables with expensive looking vases full of flowers. I sat there and watched all the designer clothing clad people bustle back and forth while I waited. Suspiciously, I wondered how many of them were linked to the mob. “Miss?” The doorman brought me back to reality. “Yes?” “Mr. Romalatti asked me to send you up. He said that he’s in a meeting in the conference room next door but you should make yourself comfortable in the suite.” “Okay, thank you so much.” The doorman put me in an elevator that he said
He was a passive-aggressive son of a bitch. Shooting someone in the eyes meant, “I’m watching you,” in our world. I honestly had no idea who it could be that wanted to send me a message so desperately that they would kill my best friend to do it. “Sit down, Sammie.” Tony told me. I took a seat at the table with the others and Tony said, “Does anyone know of any beefs against us?” Everyone looked around the table and when no one said anything I asked, “Why are the Gambino’s absent?” “Carmine is still put off by the fact I won’t consider that fat fuck christopher for boss. He sent word that he couldn’t make it, made up some stupid fucking excuse so I couldn’t accuse him of disrespect, but we all know why he’s not here,” Tony said. Tony’s voice was getting raspier and he seemed like he had a lot harder time breathing every time I saw him. He was dying of throat cancer….but only he and I knew that. The Christopher he spoke so disdainfully of was the son of Carmine Gambino. Carmine ha
129. I wanted to punch him for calling me sweetheart. What was with all of these suddenly over-familiar men? I picked up the photo and underneath it was another…it was one of Sammie and I walking arm in arm into the Glass Towers. It was stamped with Friday night’s date. The elevator Nate and I were riding in stopped and the doors slid open on my floor. I felt like my heels were glued down and I couldn’t move. To my horror, Nate had to take me by the arm and lead me out of the elevator. I think I was in some kind of mini-shock state. I found myself standing in the hallway, still gaping at the photos in my hand. Feeling sick to my stomach, I picked up the next photo and the last one was the best. It was a photo of me in Friday night’s clothes and a flagrant case of bed-head, getting into the back seat of Sammie’s limousine. The photo was clearly stamped with Saturday morning’s date. “What—Where---Why are you having Sammie followed?” I finally spit out.
128. After about an hour of that, I made myself a pot of coffee…it was going to be a long day. It had been three days since Alana had walked out. I had made a grave mistake by allowing myself the pleasure of making love to her when she was too drunk to have the capacity to consent. I truly hadn’t meant for that to happen. I tried to tell myself that I was beyond the point of rational thought as well, but truthfully I wasn’t drunk, at least not from the alcohol. I was intoxicated by her. I’d been researching her and watching her for so long…every fantasy I’d had for the past year had been wrapped up in Alana. I had just completely lost my mind the moment I was actually allowed to touch her. The fact that she was allowing me to, and even encouraging it had really sent me over the edge. It was wrong though…I was wrong. I knew from the time I’d spent watching her that she wasn’t a big drinker, and she definitely didn’t sleep around. I should have had more respec
127. Sammie had stood there looking at me after I’d pulled back. I remember that he had this really sexy grin on his face and instead of being angry, I was turned on. I had smiled back….I think and then I’d put my hands around his neck again and pulled myself back up to continue the kiss. I slid my tongue back into his mouth and that time he sucked on it. It was erotic. His hands were all over me and as I washed my body and slid my palms along my sides and across my breasts I shuddered at the memory. We started stripping each other at that point, a little at a time while we kissed. I could feel his erection pressed up against my hip and I remember that when I moaned he had whispered in my ear so close that I felt his hot breath: “Just you wait, Bella. I’m going to make sure that it’s the best you ever had.” The sound of his voice and the feel of his breath against my ear sent me into another frenzy. In the shower, my hand drifte
126. “We would act as a couple so that no one wondered about my meetings with a reporter, and we could avoid the fear of getting caught if we tried to sneak around and communicate secretly. You could also be a part of “family” events and get to see and know the people that we’ll be “talking” about first hand. This won’t be a week-long process, Bella. This organization was hundreds of years in the making. It’ll take years to break it open.” I was glad I had finished my meal already…I would have choked on it. Years? This guy was nuts if he thought I would agree to be his fake fiancé for years. I stood up and picked up my purse. Sammie stood up as well. For a second, remembering where I was and who I was with, a dagger of fear stabbed me in my chest. He must have seen it on my face because he stepped to the side, clearing my path to the door. He wasn’t going to force me to do this. I was ashamed of myself for putting myself in a position where t
125. “With clothes on,” she said. I laughed and said, “Yes, I’m going right now to get dressed, then I’ll order breakfast.” She only nodded, but she hadn’t let go of the doorknob. I half expected her to be gone when I got back, but to my delight and relief, she wasn’t. I found her sitting on the sofa looking out the window. I sat down in the chair across from her and smiled. She shot me a look that should by all rights have set me on fire. “Was this all some big pick-up game to you?” she asked. “A pick-up game? No, Bella. We both had too much to drink. I’m not normally a heavy drinker and last night I was looking for some liquid courage. Once you report what I have to tell you, life as I know it is going to implode. I wouldn’t have had the audacity to expect that a woman like you would ever want to be with a man like me.” She raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. I wish she could see inside of my head because I meant every word. I know what I am. I’ve known sinc
124. I woke up in a strange place, in a strange bed, next to an extremely hot – and gloriously naked – strange man. …What happened last night? My mouth tasted like cotton and I had an icky sweet taste in my mouth that literally made me want to vomit. My stomach felt bloated, my head was pounding and I couldn’t hold my trembling hands still if I tried. There was light streaming in from the giant windows that surrounded the bed and it was doing nothing but making my head pound worse and darkening my already foul mood. I sat up slowly, not wanting to wake the strange bedfellow next to me. I tried to shake out my hair, but it was a tangled mess. The motion of sitting up had made me nauseated and once again I had the feeling that I was going to throw up. I looked around me, wondering where the bathroom was. I was humiliated enough just waking up here, the last thing I wanted to do was hurl all over hot guy. I needed to get the hell out of here. I slipped out of the bed and st
123. Even not knowing exactly what Shane had planned for her, Mia was still relieved to see him when he entered the basement two days after Wallace had taken her from the street. Her first thought was he looked like hell. His normally robust tanned skin was pale, and his face looked gaunt, though he couldn’t have lost much weight in the four days since she’d seen him, even with a gunshot wound. Her gaze darted to the sling encasing his left arm, where she could see the bulky bandage covering most of the left side of his chest and clavicle underneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt. It was insane, but she had to physically bite her tongue to keep from asking how he felt and fretting over him being out of the hospital already. The reality of her position and situation made it easier to rein in the concern. She lay on the cold concrete, naked as the day she was born, with her hands cuffed to her ankles, which were spread by a metal bar. It was an obscene, undignified pose, b