Zandra Franco POVGreggy slams his fists against the table, his grim expression made much more bitter by the harsh light overhead.“I lost an eighth of my men last night to those Bernardino dogs!” he seethes. “And they’re disrupting my businesses. I’ve seen an almost fifty percent decrease in profit since this war you started.”I let the old man finish, frankly too irritated to trust myself with a responsible follow-up. The family heads and I am gathered today in the private backroom of one of my family’s restaurants—a front for smuggling weapons in and out using the clever disguise of food crates—for an emergency meeting. My uncles and even Dad are here to sit in on the meeting, a testament to how serious things are getting. We’re all flabbergasted at the amount of progress Xander has made in such a short amount of time, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.“This is your fault,” Greggy continues, the vein in his temple popping as he points an accusatory finger at me. “Why d
Zandra Franco POV“I just want to make you proud.” My voice comes out as nothing more than a pathetic squeak. “I just want you to be proud of me, Dad.”He hugs me a little tighter. “Alessandra Franco, you’re my daughter. One of the greatest gifts I’ve ever had. I will always be proud of you.”My father’s kind, wholesome encouragements only make me feel worse. After everything I’ve done, how could he possibly say that? If he ever finds out the truth, I’m sure he’ll feel differently. That’s why it’s a secret I’m determined to take to my grave.“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home. I’ll ask Natalya to come and check on you.” Whatever inkling of energy I thought I had suddenly left me. I’m too tired to argue, and instead, allow Dad Leonardo to help me to my feet and usher me out to our waiting car.“It’s most likely stress and exhaustion,” Aunt Natalia says as she stands up from the edge of my bed. “You should be fine with an aspirin and some much-needed rest.”I shake my head, strug
Alessandra Franco POV“Fine,” he grumbles as he pulls his gun from his holster. Cassandra is just about to scream again when he steps forward and quickly places his weapon in my hand. Xander’s grip on my wrist is firm but not painful as he holds the tip of the gun against his chest.“What are you doing?” I stutter, trying to pull away. He won’t let me move.“You don’t trust me. That’s fine. If you think I’m going to do something, pull the trigger.” “Why are you doing this?”“Because I’m serious, Zandra. I just want to talk. I need you to listen, and if this is the only way you feel safe, then so be it.” There isn’t any room left between us. He forces me to jam the gun against his chest over his heart. One wrong move on my part and he’s dead.“Xander, stop it!”“I don’t have a lot of time.” His breath ghosts against my cheeks. It takes all my strength not to claim those lips for my own. “I didn’t order a hit on your twin brother Zandro. I didn’t instruct any of my men to attack you. S
She rolls her eyes. “Yes, because it’s always complicated when it comes to love.”“We’re not—”“Oh, please, Juliet. I saw the whole damn thing. Be safe. You, too. God! That was so romantic I think I’m going to puke.”“Keep this to yourself for now, Cass. I’m begging you. We’ve… got a lot to work out.”Cassandra stares at me for a long minute, her expression impossible to read. “Fine, I’ll keep your secret. But on one condition.”“What?”She smiled mischievously. “You have to tell me everything about him. And I will tell you mine. Pinky promise?”“Promise twin sister.”Xander Mancini POVFor a man who works in law enforcement, Detective Rossi sure knows how to hide like a criminal.I’ve scoured every inch of Italy for even a whisper of the man’s whereabouts. There’s a chance he might have left the city altogether, but my gut tells me he hasn’t. Rossi was so determined to see the Mafia shred itself to pieces. Wouldn’t he want to be nearby to watch the madness unfold? He has to be here s
Xander Mancini POVI pause at her use of the word. Do I love Zandra? No. No, that can’t be. Things between us are much too new and fragile, balanced on the edge of a knife. All it would take is a single misstep from either of us and the results could be catastrophic. But I do care for her. Probably more than I care to admit. More than I ever realized possible. I’m not sure when it happened, or how—only that it’s the truth.When I don’t answer fast enough, Cassandra continues. “The way I see it, this can only end in two ways: heartbreak or death. And I swear to God, if you end up getting my sister killed, there won’t be a corner of this world where I won’t hunt you down and make you pay.”Huh. Maybe there’s a little bit of a Mafia princess in her, after all. “I’m not going to hurt her,” I vow firmly. “I would never deliberately hurt her.”“Deliberately,” Cassandra scoffs. “Can you understand why that isn’t good enough? I don’t understand how either of you think this is going to work.
Zandra Franco POV“We’ll get him. And then we can put this all behind us.”My throat closes, my stomach flipping. Us. I both love and hate it when he uses that word. “And then what?” I ask. “After we’ve dealt with him, what happens next?”Xander is silent. Contemplative. I don’t think either of us has an answer.No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t thinking about him. It’s so weird how he’s managed to occupy every crevice of my brain. Day and night, I can’t escape him. I don’t want to escape him. Our time apart has only proven to me just how much I need him.And that, in and of itself, is a frightening thought.“Is the grounds keeper in?” he asks instead, just as unwilling to sit in the uncomfortable air as I am.“I’m not sure yet.”“Should we head over together, or is your dog going to bite me in the ass?”For the first time in what feels like forever, I manage a genuine smile. “He’ll behave as long as you do.”Xander snorts, but there’s no denying the grin
“Oh, definitely. I got all dressed up. Took you somewhere fancy as best as I could afford on a taxi driver’s salary, anyway. And by the end of the night, I’d already be asking you about a second date. And then a third, and then…”His smile is so sweet and hopeful it tears my heart in two. A sob bubbles past my lips. Before I know it, I’m sniffling softly against his shoulder as he holds me tight, hushing me gently while brushing his fingers through my hair. I don’t understand why I’m so emotional. I don’t get why the thought of a normal dinner date in an alternate reality makes me want to bawl my eyes out, yet here we are.“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he murmurs against my cheek, kissing me sweetly. “Don’t cry.”I wipe my eyes and take a deep breath. “We should really keep searching.”“Right,” he mumbles, eyes flicking up to the shelf. He reaches out and pulls out a file. The file. “I found it five minutes ago.”I gasp. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”Xander shrugs. “I wanted a bit more t
Logic tells me it’s a bad idea. The current situation is too precarious. But I can’t seem to bring myself to say no. Xander helps me step out of the window and onto the roof. The evening air is a little chilly, but altogether endurable. I take care with my footing, determined not to slip on the roof shingles as we use the branch of a nearby tree in the backyard to climb down.“You’re right,” I whisper with barely contained glee. “All this sneaking around does make me feel like a teenager.”“Told you.” He takes my hand, our fingers locking together with ease. “Come on. We’ll slip through here. I’ve got a taxi parked about two blocks away.”“You drove here in a taxi?”“It’s smart. Nobody ever bats an eye.”Slipping past the patrol guards is a far easier feat than I expected—which, I’ll admit, is both alarming and a relief. I’ll have to sit down with Dad first thing in the morning to come up with a better perimeter strategy, but for tonight, I’m going to use it to my advantage.When we
She nodded to Damon, ready for anything they wanted.Damon worked the engorged head of his cock against her as Daniel sank her fully over him. And then Damon was pushing inside her. Filling the tight little cunt with his massive, cum soaked cock and making her breathe so heavily stars danced in her eyes.The girth of his shaft felt different to Daniel’s, yet just as filling. Stretched over two massive cocks she began to rock her hips, needing to fill them both and move inside her.Damon pulled out and drove back in as Daniel did the opposite, setting a rhythm. Damon claimed her pussy with every stroke and when he pulled out this time her channel clenched around his shaft, eager for the orgasm they teased from her.A low, strangled cry dragged Damon’s attention to her mouth. He devoured her lips and her moans. Took control and she passed it over.She buried her hands in his hair. “Not yet, baby, not yet hold that climax. We’ll tell you when you’ll give it to us.” His ragged order serve
“Here’s your chance to run, Anya.” Damon rested his large hands on her ankles and his gaze on hers. Long wisps of hair played at his temples lending a dark, dangerous vibe to the man she loved.Her heart rate spiked.Run?Daniel growled long and low and the vibrations fed into her soul.“Anya,” he whispered.Her breath caught at the intense look in his eye.Did she dare? Three steps past the threshold they would have her pinned in their arms and making sure she knew she wasn’t getting away. No way she’d make it back to Manila, that was for damn sure.Hot molten stares followed her every move as she uncurled her legs from Damon’s touch and glided to her feet. Her leg felt better, stiff, but not enough to keep her from walking.As predicted, she managed three steps before her fingers entwined with hers. Gentle but firm. Warm lips caught her knuckles pulling a heavy sigh from her lips. From beneath hooded eyes, she watched Daniel sidle up to her and wrap an arm around her middle as Damon
An hour and a pile of papers the size of a small cat later, Damon slipped the key in and stepped aside as Daniel carried her up the back stairs.“You know I could have walked, right?”“Where’s the fun in that,” he scoffed. “Besides, I have to get practice in for when we put a ring on that beautiful hand of yours.”She laughed. “So who’s name did I get to carry?” She knew for a fact she couldn’t marry them both.Damon kissed her forehead as he held the door open for them. Her smile widened and her heart swelled with so much love. Love for both of them and she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact she had a tiny, innocent baby inside her. She splayed her hand over her stomach.Daniel pressed his lips close to her ear. “You’re going to look gorgeous when you’re plump with our baby.”She smiled. “I guess this is going to be home for a little while yet.”“If that’s okay with you? We can look for a bigger place once you can move around without any leftover pain.”Staying here couldn’
Damon’s dark head tilted, his mouth turning up into a wide grin. “Which is another topic we’ll need to discuss. I’m going to miss the quiet time we had up at the cabin. Just the three of us.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed the tips of each of her fingers. “We had planned on fucking you long and hard by the waterfall.”Daniel turned from the window. “Which we did.”Wow. What was it about these two men that left her breathless? She smiled at them both. “I remember.”“Then we’d planned on tying you up to our bed and covering every part of your body in our milk.”“Tits, ass, and pussy. You would have been dripping with our cums.”Her mouth fell open a little. Wow. Her body thrummed with an instant rush of need.“Mr. Castillo. Mr. Santillan. Be glad that part of your ‘plan’ failed or your day would have turned out completely different.” They all turned to the door and the newcomer to the room and Anya wanted to melt into the floor. Red. Her face, neck, and every other part of h
She pushed out of Daniel’s arms and stood then regretted it immediately as she fell forward. Rupert, moved to steady her, looking pointedly at her leg where the fire had left a small burn and her head where blood trickled down from her temple.“You’re men are lucky to have such a determined, loyal woman by their side.”Water welled behind her lashes. “Thank you for being here today. I don’t know how you knew, but I’m glad you arrived when you did. I’m not sure Daniel would have held back much longer.”“John and Rene called. Don’t shed any tears for that old man. He is a horrible person as I am sure your men will tell you if you haven’t already seen it for yourself.”She nodded.The fire of anger and pain that ate at her ebbed. “You’re right.”Daniel and Damon stood to either side, their body heats a balm to her nerves.She wobbled forward as her men supported her on either side. She reached for Rupert’s hand, holding his gaze. She turned to look at Damon and Daniel. “I think I can spe
Water blasted from the tip of her hose and she started watering down the dry grass. Damon did the same beside her while Daniel started digging a huge fire line through the grass. Given the strength of the wind, she didn’t hold out much hope but it was something.Dry grass crunched underfoot and cinders scattered through the weeds, causing small pockets of fire to spread along the empty field. She caught as many as she could but the fire was jumping.They worked together moving as a team trying to save as much of the property as possible. Over the ledge of small hills, a blur of dust kicked up about a mile out.“Oh thank God! Look! The cavalry is here.”John and Rene pulled up in a rolling tumble of dirt, their red rig a beautiful sight. Another one pulled up beside them filled with water from the looks of it.Smoke boiled low across the field like a thick fog and burned her lungs but still, her heart soared and she smiled.“Where’s Damon?” Daniel called out coming in from the field, e
“Who knows, maybe Rupert has a hand in this. Maybe he decided he didn’t like going against the grain after all.”They bounced along the back road, Daniel finding every damn pothole there was in the dirt road and slamming into it. If they made it to the house without breaking an axle it would be a miracle.She couldn’t say she knew any of the men they spoke about personally. The class had kept her busy during the days, and then waiting tables in the afternoon for extra cash only left her with the time she spent with her men. Damon threw an arm out in front of her when Daniel took a dip in the road too fast.“You remember what Ethan and Remy said, Daniel. We heard it too. Rupert is looking for allies, not enemies. Looking to clean up his family name.”“How the hell can you be so sure? Can you trust him?”“Daniel’s right, Anya. We can’t measure a man by his family’s bad deeds. He has to earn his reputation on his own merits. So far, he’s done nothing to us but help when we needed him.”D
Damon reached around and rubbed her clit with soft, gentle strokes as they both stretched her tight channel around their thick girths. She gasped, muscles shaking. The feeling of being stretched beyond anything she had ever felt before consumed all her senses. Her walls clenched, making both men groan. The deeper they sank the tighter the fit until she could feel their every pulse, every throb of need in their cocks.A pinch of pain followed the burn of the pressure as they stretched her hot, greedy pussy.She panted, and every muscle in her body shook. She clawed at Daniel’s shoulders. The pressure. it was too much.The burn. Fire tore through her, so delicious and torturous. A pain she wanted but never thought possible.She splayed her hands over Daniel’s broad chest and his heartbeat hammered against her palms.“Breathe, baby. If it’s too much, tell us and we’ll stop.”She nodded to Daniel’s words. “No,” she gasped. “No.” She pressed back. Slowly. Wanting them to fill her, stretch
Her lips parted and she moaned around his thickness as Daniel buried his dick in her mouth until he tapped the back of her throat.“Breath in, baby, I want to feel that throat on the tip of my cock every time I sink in.”She gagged around him and pushed him deeper, tears watering her eyes.He pulled out giving her time to catch her breath then did it all over again, this time she took him deeper for longer.“You’re fucking perfect, baby,” he whispered, cleaning her face of the few drops of tears that had spilled down her cheeks.Leaning in she gathered his balls in her hands and sucked each of them into her mouth gently while working his length from base to tip.“Fuck, that’s it. Grip his cock harder, work him faster.”Behind her, Damon delivered a series of sharp smacks one after another until her whole body tingled and hummed with a wave of pleasure she’d never known before. She cried out around her mouth full of Daniel’s balls letting them slip from her mouth on a whimper.She coul