KillianIt was the middle of the night, I had just fucked the only woman I’d ever love, and we were plotting her father’s death.I worried that Sera or Caterina would try to stop me from making any move against Andre, but it seemed, based on Sera’s unflinching response, neither woman would have any qualms about it.There was a coldness in Sera’s eyes. I knew that look. It was the look of someone who’d been hurt too many times to care.She’d handled Niccolò’s death with a scream of surprise and a glass or two of wine. She was glad he was dead for the crimes he’d committed. Did she have a thirst for blood now?Downfall of Men. I had a feeling she’d like that title.I’d called her love. That wasn’t a title. Sera was intelligent. The gears would be turning and it was only a matter of time before she brought it up.Sera wanted us to be an official couple. Did I?Coming down from the high of sex, taking in the curves of her body, losing myself in her vengeful expression.Damn, maybe I fucki
Sera“My office is open to both of you when you’re ready,” Killian said.My heart skipped a beat. It was an obvious invitation into the lion’s den where the Hand of Death planned all operations. He was letting me into his world. I would be included in his dastardly schemes. It shouldn’t be exciting, but it was, because he wasn’t going to keep me in the shadows any longer.His fingers brushed mine, and I wanted to hold his hand so badly, but the poisonous glare Mom gave us prevented it.I clenched my jaw. “Killian, mind if I talk to my mom alone for a second?”He dipped his head and slipped out.Inhaling to gather my courage, I looked my mother in the eye and said, “I’m an adult, Mom, and I’m in a relationship with Killian. I know we’re just getting reacquainted, and the last thing I want to do is lose you again, but—”Mom suddenly crushed me in a hug. “Involving yourself with Killian Ricci is a death sentence, Serafina. This life is dangerous enough as it is. I don’t want you in the t
KillianI had murder on the mind when Sera knocked on the doorframe, still dressed in her silk slip. I invited her in without looking up from my phone, hearing her close the door behind her—and lock it.The next thing I knew, she was slipping the phone out of my hand and climbing onto my lap. Automatically, my hands went to support her backside. I was delighted to discover that she wasn’t wearing underwear, but that didn’t stop me from pointing out,“Mia amore, it’s nine in the morning.”Her arms rested on my shoulders, and she subtly ground her hips against mine. Her look was purely innocent. “What, can I feel frisky only at certain times?”I hardened underneath her and gritted my teeth. “Absolutely not.”Sera scooted closer until we were flush against each other, and our lips met slowly, lingeringly at first. My arms circled around her, crushing her against me without force, melding us together. Her fingers ran through my hair as she moaned, slipping her tongue into my mouth.I was
SeraThe day after desk sex, I was still rattled by my behavior. I had no idea what came over me when I woke up and my core started to pulse when my first thoughts were about Killian.Maybe I needed a bigger buffer between normalcy and the chaos of Niccolò’s death. Maybe it was because I promised he could lick me anywhere. Maybe it was because I wanted to explore less “vanilla” acts. Maybe it was because I wanted to butter him up to ask him if I could throw a Christmas party.Well, I didn’t get to ask him because Riccardo Marino just had to throw a wrench in the mood. I had no idea what was in that email, but once Killian received it, he went straight back to work, and I could do nothing to draw him away.And whether he allowed one or not, I was going to do it anyway, starting with one of the best Christmas traditions: baking cookies. But the best part of that was being able to do it with my mother.Considering I was seven years old the last time we’d spoken, I never got the sex talk
KillianUsually, when a family member dies and their relatives go through their belongings, they don’t find human trafficking records. But that was normal families. In mafia dynasties, this uncovering wasn’t surprising.Riccardo went through all the shit Niccolò left behind and found more records of his illegal dealings. More sales, lists of girls he traded, sold, and bought, and lists of girls who never made it to the auction.The numbers were goddamn repugnant.Tommaso, Patrick, and Adrian pored over the records with me. I knew Tommaso was searching for information or evidence of Paige Bruno, and he didn’t hide the disappointment on his face, but the gritting of his teeth proved he wasn’t going to give up. He was willing to fly all the damn way to Egypt to follow breadcrumbs.“This is similar to the shit Leo Bianchi was running,” Patrick noted grimly.I huffed in agreement. “No doubt.” If killing my father wasn’t justification enough to kill Leo, what he had been up to was. It was h
SeraWith nothing else to focus on, I had plenty of time to plan a party before Christmas Eve. Killian had plenty of time to plan the cull of a syndicate.The staff was thrilled to be allowed to add joy and color to the old mansion. Even though it was already decorated, Killian gave the green light (aka his black card) to go and buy whatever we needed. A few days after that, snowflakes hung from the ceiling, mistletoe from doorframes, wreaths on every door, fake snow tucked into corners, hallway tables had diorama scenes, and every single stair railing was coiled with garland. It looked like something out of a Hallmark movie.The only one complaining was Giuliana. “Too many lights! That’s not where that goes! That Santa looks gouache!” But no one listened to Giuliana because there was magic in the house, for the first time in a long time.Late one night, after everyone had gone to bed, I was still wired from the hard work of the day, so I convinced Killian to cuddle and make out in my
Sera“What are you thinking about?” Killian asked softly.I blinked out of my daze. “Have you ever thought of being something else? Besides a racecar driver. In a different life, what could you be?”His brow creased in confusion, rightfully feeling like he missed the first half of a conversation, but answered, “I’ve never thought about it. What is, is. There’s no point in trying to be someone I could never be.”It was a bleak response, and maybe I’d been expecting the secret romantic to answer, not the mafia king. But I didn’t press it if I would only get the blunt realist.“So you…want to be a Don until the day you die?” I whispered, suddenly overcome with desperation.Real worry entered his gray-blue gaze, and he gripped my waist as if to ground me from drifting away. “What’s come over you, Sera?”“I don’t know,” I croaked. “I’m a little afraid, I guess.”“Of?”My mother’s well-intended but misconstrued words of warning echoed in my mind. Her stories, too. Love was rare in these fam
SeraI groggily opened my eyes, blinking sleep away as I stretched out luxuriously and rolled onto my side. “Tesoro?”Killian was gone. But that was okay. He needed to review the last few details of the Andre mission, and I needed to focus on preparing the last few details for tonight’s party.I danced across the room with an invisible partner, humming “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, fizzy with excitement. A party! A ball! It was any girl’s dream to have a princess-movie celebration with big dresses and upbeat music, imagining the perfect man falling instantly in love with you and waltzing you to your happily ever after.Princess movies didn’t have mobsters, but everything else was mostly obtainable.I got ready to go downstairs and start preparing, not putting too much effort into my hair since I would be running around half the day, and hurried to the kitchen.I skidded to a halt when I saw what a raging storm it was. Pepper and Rosemary were forces of nature as they cooked and plate