ARI’s POV
The third button came undone with a quiet pop, and Cross's eyes gleamed with victory. He was relentless, his fingers moving to the next, and the next, until my shirt hung open, revealing my bra. His gaze traveled over me, lingering on the swells of my breasts, and I felt a flush spread across my skin. He was enjoying this, savoring every moment of my discomfort. When he reached for the zipper of my jeans, I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back a whimper. He was going too far. But as much as I wanted to fight him, his weight was suffocating, and my body was frozen with fear. He unzipped my pants, his knuckles brushing against my stomach, and slid his hand inside. My eyes widened as I felt his warmth against my skin. He chuckled darkly when he found that my panties were already wet. "You're so easy to read," he murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction. He inserted one finger, just the tip, into my wet pussy. I gasped, my eyes flying open in shock and embarrassment. "You can't do this," I managed to say, though my voice was barely more than a whisper. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my neck. "Oh, but I am," he murmured, his voice a seductive promise of what was to come. "And from the looks of it, your body seems quite eager." With a wicked smile, Cross slid another finger into me, stretching me slightly. His movements were slow, deliberate, as if he was savoring every bit of resistance my body gave him. He watched my face, his eyes dark with desire, as he began to move his fingers in and out of my wetness. My hips jerked upwards, betraying me despite my mental protests. It was a twisted game, one of fear and unwanted arousal that had me trapped in a prison of my own making. He pulled his hand away, the sudden absence of his touch leaving me gasping for air. Before I could say anything, he had hooked his thumbs into the waistband of my jeans and panties, yanking them down roughly. I felt the coolness of the room hit my exposed flesh, and I shivered. He didn't bother to remove them completely, leaving them tangled around my ankles, effectively trapping me on the bed. With a wicked grin, Cross spread my legs apart, his eyes dark with desire as he took in the sight of me, laid bare before him. His hands gripped my thighs, his fingers digging into my skin, and I felt a strange mix of fear and arousal. He leaned in, his breath hot and humid on my sensitive folds. I tensed, my heart hammering in my chest as his tongue traced a slow, deliberate line along my slit. He took his time, savoring every inch of my trembling flesh. His tongue was firm yet gentle as he explored my most intimate areas, the sensation making me squirm beneath his touch. I felt my cheeks heat with a mix of shame and unwanted pleasure as he parted my labia with his mouth, his tongue delving deeper into my warmth. He licked and lapped, his movements becoming more insistent as my body responded despite my mental protests. Cross's hands were like steel bands around my thighs, holding me in place as he pleasured me in a way that was both terrifying and exhilarating. I could feel the roughness of his stubble against my skin as he buried his face between my legs, his breaths coming in short, hungry gasps. His tongue swirled around my clit, flicking and teasing it until I couldn't help but arch my back, my nails digging into the bed sheets. The feeling was overwhelming, a maelstrom of sensation that I didn't know whether to crave or despise. As his tongue danced across my sensitive flesh, I felt the pressure building, the heat inside me growing until it was a raging inferno. His fingers curled around my thighs, holding me open for his feast, and I knew I was powerless to stop him. He was playing my body like an instrument, each stroke and lick a deliberate note that sent shockwaves through my core. My breath hitched as he slid a finger inside me, curling it in a way that had me gasping. The fabric of my jeans and panties were torn away from my ankles, the sound of the material ripping echoing through the room. He spread my legs wider, his gaze never leaving mine as he bent his head once more to my exposed pussy. His tongue darted out, tracing the slick path he had created before delving deep into my folds. He tasted me, explored me, as if he owned every part of me. Cross's touch was masterful, his tongue flicking and swirling around my clit with a precision that had me biting my lip to hold back the moan that threatened to escape. His hands, meanwhile, moved to cup my breasts, his thumbs circling the sensitive peaks. He pinched and rolled my nipples between his fingers, the pressure building with each twist, until I couldn’t help but arch into his touch. The sensation was unbearable, a delicious agony that had me writhing on the bed. His mouth moved from my clit to my inner thigh, kissing and nipping at the sensitive flesh before returning to its previous target. He sucked my clit into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the engorged nub as his fingers slipped into my wetness, pumping in and out with a rhythm that matched the beating of my heart. With every stroke, every lick, every suck, I felt the tension inside me coil tighter. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, but my body had a mind of its own. It was a traitor, responding to his skilled touch despite my protests. His teeth grazed my sensitive skin, the slight pain sending a jolt of electricity through my body, making me moan despite my resolve to remain silent. Suddenly, Cross pulled away, his mouth leaving my throbbing flesh feeling cold and abandoned. He stood up, his eyes never leaving mine, a dark smile playing on his lips. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing my wetness across his stubble. The sight of it, of him standing over me, his eyes gleaming with triumph and hunger, had me panting with need. I stared at him, my eyes wide and desperate. The hunger in my gaze was unmistakable, and he knew it. He knew how much he had affected me, how much he had made me crave him despite the fear. He was the predator, and I was his willing prey.ARI’s POVCold rage spun through me at the sight I was witnessing.I'd just gone to the restroom for a break. It had been less than 10 freaking minutes since I left.Yet now, Jonathan, my boyfriend, was openly flirting with the waitress on our seat, ogling her while she accepted his advances.He was cheating on me so openly, and on my birthday dinner no less.I'd seen the flirtatious messages on his phone on occasion, heard his apologies time and time again, but this?This was the last straw. I was done.I strutted back to the table, receiving their startled looks. Jonathan looked stricken as if he'd forgotten I existed.“Baby-” I cut him off before he could say anything more. Staring at the number on the napkin, no doubt from the blonde waitress a bitter smirk crawled up my lips.“We're done.” I snapped. Grabbing my purse I stormed out of the restaurant, meeting the cold evening air.I didn't bother carrying a car here because he was driving me. Now I was left to walk the streets alo
ARI’s POVAs I rushed to my home, to change, the aches followed me. Heat rushed to my cheeks knowing the reason why.The memories of last night were fuzzy, but not gone. I was in control of my actions. The pleasure and aches that swam around me back then was something I'd never felt before.I shook my head frantically. I couldn't think about that right now. Not when there was something important going on.I quickly got dressed in my gear before leaving home. Terra Street wasn't too far from where I was and I wasted no time in getting there.The moment I was near I could already hear the gunshots from a distance.I moved into action, managing to tackle one of the thugs from behind and knock him out before anyone could notice. Sneaking in through the other side, I shot at them from behind, fighting the ones that came near before knocking them out. Any pains from before were numb as adrenaline pumped through me.By the time the rest of the team spotted me, I managed to take down a few o
ARI’s POVShocked was an understatement as I gaped at the man from last night.He looked calm and collected, like it was normal to be here. It made irritation and questions rise, the most visible one being;What was he doing here?His gaze seemed to rove over me before his lips quirked up into a smug looking smirk. It was like a kick to reality.Had I been staring this whole time?My heart hammered in my chest as I turned away. Maybe I'd gone far enough for today.“Going somewhere?” he said, stopping me before I could leave.I clenched my jaw defensively.“What are you doing here?” I demanded,“Is it a crime to relax in a back alley?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Irritation crawled up my veins.“It does when it involves stalking.” I said.Instead he leaned in, a smile on his face.“Very presumptuous of you…Detective,” he purred. A shiver ran through me at his words.“Maybe it's a coincidence that we met again. Maybe I am a stalker. Maybe I've gone crazy after the night we had.”A gas
ARI’S POV“You again?” I spoke incredulously, my heart hammering in shock.Once could have simply been a coincidence, but meeting him twice?“Hey, wait-”Uncaring of everything else, I tore my hand away from him and brought out my gun.“What the hell do you want from me?” I stood on guard.It would have been better if he'd gotten angry but all he did was chuckle.“I don't think such drastic measures are necessary cara,” he said. Again that word. I had taken basic Italian lessons to know what that meant.Darling.And the way it rolled off his tongue…‘No.’I couldn't lose my guard, no matter how attractive this man was, this was bordering on stalking.“Not when you've been stalking me.” I spat out.“Would you believe me if I really did say that I found your location through legal means?” he said, stepping forward.I backed away, still on guard as he pulled out something from his pocket.“You left this at the hotel.” he said,I looked down cautiously to find my office ID card. I'd never
ARI’s POVNever would I have imagined that one day I would end up in a situation like this.My gaze narrowed to the third one in view, the same man I recognized.Joe Kanner, one of the perps who had escaped my custody, punching and spitting on me before leaving.‘Karma is a bitch now,’I took one last look at the Stranger. He was propped on the other car end, gun raised.The moment we made eye contact I felt a synergy between us. It was an unspoken contact.I nodded in a silent signal before turning back.It was time.I stepped out of the other door of the car and didn't hesitate to start shooting.I was good at close combat but my best feature? My aim.Without hesitation I shot at everyone in my vicinity, starting with the man from before first along with two others.The other half scattered and tried to shoot, leaving me to run and duck down against the nearest building to avoid it. Another gunshot followed by the sight of Cross told me he'd taken another one down.‘Five more to go
ARI’s POVMy hands trembled as the weight of the truth crashed down on me. The Stranger—the man I had kissed, trusted, and even helped—was Cross Margiello. The infamous Mafia Don who had evaded the police for years. My stomach churned as I remembered his warm smile, his teasing words, and the trust he claimed to have in me.How could I have been so blind?“Ari, are you okay?” Gina asked, touching my arm lightly. Her voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.“Y-yeah,” I stammered, my voice barely audible. I forced a weak smile, but my mind was racing. I couldn’t let anyone know what I had done. Not yet. I needed time to think, to process everything.Gina’s eyes narrowed. “You look pale. Are you sure you’re alright?”“I just... I think I left something important at home,” I said quickly, grasping at the first excuse that came to mind. “I need to go back and grab it.”Her brows furrowed. “Now? Ari, this is huge! We’ve been chasing Cross for years, and you’re leaving?”I nodded, keep
ARI’s POV The apartment was silent except for the occasional creak of wood or the faint hum of the fridge. After the day I had, all I wanted was peace. Yet, my mind was a storm. Cross. The mafia don. The man I’d kissed. The man I had trusted—even for a moment. I couldn’t shake the feeling of his hands on me, his lips, his voice. Every word he said earlier now felt like a riddle. How could I be so blind? I’d been trained to recognize danger, yet here I was, entangled with the most dangerous man in the city. I paced my small living room, biting my nails. My ID sat on the coffee table, mocking me. I needed sleep, but my thoughts wouldn’t let me rest. Eventually, exhaustion won, and I collapsed onto my bed. **************************************************** The room was pitch-black when I woke up, but something felt off. The weight. It was suffocating. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and panic gripped me as I realized there were arms wrapped around me. Strong, unyielding arms. I
ARI’s POVThe weight of him kept me pinned to the bed. My breaths were shallow, my chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes bore into mine like he could see every thought running through my head.“Relax, cara,” Cross whispered, his voice like a dark melody. “You’re trembling.”“I’m not,” I said, my voice shaky.He smirked, his expression dripping with arrogance. “Lying doesn’t suit you.”Before I could retort, his fingers moved—tracing a line down my stomach. I flinched, my body reacting involuntarily to the light, deliberate touch. His hand was warm, rough, yet he moved with such precision it was like he was playing a game only he understood.“Shall we have fun, cara?” he murmured against my ear, his lips brushing the sensitive skin there.“Get off me,” I snapped, trying to push against his chest.He chuckled, low and dangerous. “You keep saying that, but you don’t sound convincing.”His fingers traveled lower, skimming the edge of my thigh, and I felt my body tense. I hated how he
ARI’s POVThe third button came undone with a quiet pop, and Cross's eyes gleamed with victory. He was relentless, his fingers moving to the next, and the next, until my shirt hung open, revealing my bra. His gaze traveled over me, lingering on the swells of my breasts, and I felt a flush spread across my skin. He was enjoying this, savoring every moment of my discomfort.When he reached for the zipper of my jeans, I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back a whimper. He was going too far. But as much as I wanted to fight him, his weight was suffocating, and my body was frozen with fear. He unzipped my pants, his knuckles brushing against my stomach, and slid his hand inside. My eyes widened as I felt his warmth against my skin.He chuckled darkly when he found that my panties were already wet. "You're so easy to read," he murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction. He inserted one finger, just the tip, into my wet pussy.I gasped, my eyes flying open in shock and embarrassment. "You c
ARI’s POVThe weight of him kept me pinned to the bed. My breaths were shallow, my chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes bore into mine like he could see every thought running through my head.“Relax, cara,” Cross whispered, his voice like a dark melody. “You’re trembling.”“I’m not,” I said, my voice shaky.He smirked, his expression dripping with arrogance. “Lying doesn’t suit you.”Before I could retort, his fingers moved—tracing a line down my stomach. I flinched, my body reacting involuntarily to the light, deliberate touch. His hand was warm, rough, yet he moved with such precision it was like he was playing a game only he understood.“Shall we have fun, cara?” he murmured against my ear, his lips brushing the sensitive skin there.“Get off me,” I snapped, trying to push against his chest.He chuckled, low and dangerous. “You keep saying that, but you don’t sound convincing.”His fingers traveled lower, skimming the edge of my thigh, and I felt my body tense. I hated how he
ARI’s POV The apartment was silent except for the occasional creak of wood or the faint hum of the fridge. After the day I had, all I wanted was peace. Yet, my mind was a storm. Cross. The mafia don. The man I’d kissed. The man I had trusted—even for a moment. I couldn’t shake the feeling of his hands on me, his lips, his voice. Every word he said earlier now felt like a riddle. How could I be so blind? I’d been trained to recognize danger, yet here I was, entangled with the most dangerous man in the city. I paced my small living room, biting my nails. My ID sat on the coffee table, mocking me. I needed sleep, but my thoughts wouldn’t let me rest. Eventually, exhaustion won, and I collapsed onto my bed. **************************************************** The room was pitch-black when I woke up, but something felt off. The weight. It was suffocating. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and panic gripped me as I realized there were arms wrapped around me. Strong, unyielding arms. I
ARI’s POVMy hands trembled as the weight of the truth crashed down on me. The Stranger—the man I had kissed, trusted, and even helped—was Cross Margiello. The infamous Mafia Don who had evaded the police for years. My stomach churned as I remembered his warm smile, his teasing words, and the trust he claimed to have in me.How could I have been so blind?“Ari, are you okay?” Gina asked, touching my arm lightly. Her voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.“Y-yeah,” I stammered, my voice barely audible. I forced a weak smile, but my mind was racing. I couldn’t let anyone know what I had done. Not yet. I needed time to think, to process everything.Gina’s eyes narrowed. “You look pale. Are you sure you’re alright?”“I just... I think I left something important at home,” I said quickly, grasping at the first excuse that came to mind. “I need to go back and grab it.”Her brows furrowed. “Now? Ari, this is huge! We’ve been chasing Cross for years, and you’re leaving?”I nodded, keep
ARI’s POVNever would I have imagined that one day I would end up in a situation like this.My gaze narrowed to the third one in view, the same man I recognized.Joe Kanner, one of the perps who had escaped my custody, punching and spitting on me before leaving.‘Karma is a bitch now,’I took one last look at the Stranger. He was propped on the other car end, gun raised.The moment we made eye contact I felt a synergy between us. It was an unspoken contact.I nodded in a silent signal before turning back.It was time.I stepped out of the other door of the car and didn't hesitate to start shooting.I was good at close combat but my best feature? My aim.Without hesitation I shot at everyone in my vicinity, starting with the man from before first along with two others.The other half scattered and tried to shoot, leaving me to run and duck down against the nearest building to avoid it. Another gunshot followed by the sight of Cross told me he'd taken another one down.‘Five more to go
ARI’S POV“You again?” I spoke incredulously, my heart hammering in shock.Once could have simply been a coincidence, but meeting him twice?“Hey, wait-”Uncaring of everything else, I tore my hand away from him and brought out my gun.“What the hell do you want from me?” I stood on guard.It would have been better if he'd gotten angry but all he did was chuckle.“I don't think such drastic measures are necessary cara,” he said. Again that word. I had taken basic Italian lessons to know what that meant.Darling.And the way it rolled off his tongue…‘No.’I couldn't lose my guard, no matter how attractive this man was, this was bordering on stalking.“Not when you've been stalking me.” I spat out.“Would you believe me if I really did say that I found your location through legal means?” he said, stepping forward.I backed away, still on guard as he pulled out something from his pocket.“You left this at the hotel.” he said,I looked down cautiously to find my office ID card. I'd never
ARI’s POVShocked was an understatement as I gaped at the man from last night.He looked calm and collected, like it was normal to be here. It made irritation and questions rise, the most visible one being;What was he doing here?His gaze seemed to rove over me before his lips quirked up into a smug looking smirk. It was like a kick to reality.Had I been staring this whole time?My heart hammered in my chest as I turned away. Maybe I'd gone far enough for today.“Going somewhere?” he said, stopping me before I could leave.I clenched my jaw defensively.“What are you doing here?” I demanded,“Is it a crime to relax in a back alley?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Irritation crawled up my veins.“It does when it involves stalking.” I said.Instead he leaned in, a smile on his face.“Very presumptuous of you…Detective,” he purred. A shiver ran through me at his words.“Maybe it's a coincidence that we met again. Maybe I am a stalker. Maybe I've gone crazy after the night we had.”A gas
ARI’s POVAs I rushed to my home, to change, the aches followed me. Heat rushed to my cheeks knowing the reason why.The memories of last night were fuzzy, but not gone. I was in control of my actions. The pleasure and aches that swam around me back then was something I'd never felt before.I shook my head frantically. I couldn't think about that right now. Not when there was something important going on.I quickly got dressed in my gear before leaving home. Terra Street wasn't too far from where I was and I wasted no time in getting there.The moment I was near I could already hear the gunshots from a distance.I moved into action, managing to tackle one of the thugs from behind and knock him out before anyone could notice. Sneaking in through the other side, I shot at them from behind, fighting the ones that came near before knocking them out. Any pains from before were numb as adrenaline pumped through me.By the time the rest of the team spotted me, I managed to take down a few o
ARI’s POVCold rage spun through me at the sight I was witnessing.I'd just gone to the restroom for a break. It had been less than 10 freaking minutes since I left.Yet now, Jonathan, my boyfriend, was openly flirting with the waitress on our seat, ogling her while she accepted his advances.He was cheating on me so openly, and on my birthday dinner no less.I'd seen the flirtatious messages on his phone on occasion, heard his apologies time and time again, but this?This was the last straw. I was done.I strutted back to the table, receiving their startled looks. Jonathan looked stricken as if he'd forgotten I existed.“Baby-” I cut him off before he could say anything more. Staring at the number on the napkin, no doubt from the blonde waitress a bitter smirk crawled up my lips.“We're done.” I snapped. Grabbing my purse I stormed out of the restaurant, meeting the cold evening air.I didn't bother carrying a car here because he was driving me. Now I was left to walk the streets alo