Violet“What do you expect ?” I turn towards him .“I’m escaping “"Not having much success, are you?" He prowls over to me, pauses on the ramp near the motorboat which has begun to drift away from the ramp. "Come back to me," he orders. "Now.""No." I shake my head, "No, I will not.""And you?" He glares at Carlos. "I trusted you," his jaw hardens, "my brother, my second in command, The man I believed in all these years.""Excuse me while I play the violin for your woes." Carlos laughs."What’s gotten into you Carlos ?" Alessio tilts his head, "This is not you. This bitter, cynical man, who is betraying me, This is not the brother I know.""You don't know me very well then, do you?" Carlos’s lips turn down in a sad smile, "You only ever saw what you wanted; you always believed that you knew what was best for all of us.""What are you talking about?" Alessio frowns,"My entire life, to date, has been devoted to protecting all of you.""If only that were true," Carlos says in a low
VioletI can’t believe I did that ,I felt horrible ,What was I thinking"Alessio !" I scream as his head disappears under the water, "Oh, my god, Alessio !" I spring up, ready to dive into the water, but Carlos catches me around my waist."Let me go," I yell. "Alessiol! No! I have to go to him.""If you jump into the water now, you know what he’s going to do to you, right? He’ll not only imprison you, he’s going to kill you, and then you’ll never be able to see your sister again."Not my sister Nina .My breath hitches.I need to get out of here so I can return to her. It’s what I want, right? It’s why I had first stabbed Alessio, then run away from him when he'd been occupied with fixing food in the kitchen. I swallow but my chest still felt heavier .But what if Alessio drowned ,I will never forgive myself . I stop struggling and Carlos releases me. He focuses on steering the motorboat.I stare back at the receding jetty as the boat pulls away. The wind whips my hair into my face and I
"We have to hurry ,Violet before one of his guys finds us."Right. I take his hand and he helps me onto the jetty.Two hours later, we draw up in front of his safe house on the outskirts of Bagheria. Someone had been waiting for Carlos with a car at the jetty.He’d glanced at me, and had seemed surprised. Following a flurry of conversation in Italian with much gesturing from the other guy, he’d finally seemed pacified and had left. Carlos had driven us here.I follow him inside and he scans the space, then points me to one of the bedrooms at the end of the corridor. "That’s yours. Why don’t you shower and see if you can find some extra clothes in there, left by some of the other guests before us?” I glance at him and he shrugs. "May as well get comfortable because I am not sure how long we’re going to have to stay here."I strip off my clothes and the Alessio Knife falls to the ground . I stare at it and tears prick my eyes again. I pick up the knife, still in its sheath, press it to
I stare at him, trying to process his words, trying to make sense of what he said. "What do you mean he didn’t make it?" I throw the covers off, jump out of bed. "Who did you speak to? Maybe they are lying. He made it out of the water. Of course, he did. He had to… You, yourself, said that he’s not easy to kill, that he had a hard head, remember? He has to be alive. He can’t be dead."Carlos shakes his head, "I’m sorry," he murmurs, "Fab announced it at a meeting of the family. He is taking over temporarily as Capo.""No," I shake my head, "no, no, no, it can’t be true." The world tilts and my vision narrows as black spots creep into my periphery. I blindly reach behind me, find the edge of the bed, and sink back down. "Please, no. Not A…Alessio ." My voice breaks and tears flow down my cheeks. I cover my face in shame.I killed him .How could this have happened? How could I have killed my…own husband…the possible father of my child? The only man who’s ever touched that part deep ins
Violet I stare at the window of the car thinking to myself that I am actually attending my husband funeral ,I can’t believe I was a murderer. In front of me are the steps to the church and next to it, and tucked a little to the side, is a small chapel, which is where the wake is being held, apparently.I toy with the wedding ring on my finger ,then cover it with my palm,It’s the last piece of Alessio and I am never letting it go . "You don’t have to do this, you know." Carlos’s voice cuts through my thoughts. I turn to find him staring at me, a concerned look on his features. "I do." I bite the inside of my cheek. "Thanks for bringing me here." "I would have come in with you…but—" "No, that’s fine." I clutch at the edges of the thin black veil that covers my face. "This is something I need to do myself." He looks as if he is about to say something, then stops himself. "Good luck," he murmurs as I push open the door of the car and step out. A gust of wind whips my hair about my
Alessio "Hello, Beauty." I bare my teeth, and her body trembles .Her gaze widens and color drains from her face. "No," she shakes her head, "No, no, no." "Yes." I allow my smile to widen, "Oh, yes, my darling wife." "It can’t be." Her voice wavers and her chin trembles. She looks like she has seen a ghost, which of course, is what I am to her now. It should be almost comical. I should enjoy just how terrified of me she seems to be, except…The throbbing pain at my temple where she had smashed the oar into me insists that she is real, and standing in front of me, arm outstretched. Tears glisten on her cheeks. She opens and closes her mouth, grows even more pale. She pulls back her arm and I swoop my hand out and grab her wrist. She sways; her eyes roll back in her head. Her legs seem to give way and she slumps toward the floor."Che cazzo!"I growl as I sit up, then leap over the side of the coffin. I catch her before she hits the floor, then pull her into my arms as I sink to the f
Violet Anger rolls off him in waves, and the hair on the back of my neck rises. I stare up into his blue eyes and shiver. There is no trace of the man who had fucked me. Or of the man who had married me.Who had made pancakes for breakfast for me. This man is closed up and hurting. He is furying at me . At the world. He is wounded, and not just from the physical hurt I had caused him. It’s the fact that I had run away from him. That I had taken the little bit of empathy he had begun to show me, and turned it against him. I had left him…had insulted him, had ground his ego underfoot as I had run away from him… With the help of his brother, who had also betrayed him. It probably convicts his brother doubly in his eyes.I chew the inside of my cheek, "I… I know you are angry with me Ales, but—""You know nothing." His voice is low, so hard… So harsh that a shiver runs down my spine. He is shutting down, taking any emotions that he may have once shown me and shoving them so deep down that
Violet I stiffen, turn to stare at him over my shoulder. He holds my gaze as his features take on an impenetrable look. I have come this far. I can do this. If this is the only way to get through this, then I am going to let him screw me in the arse. I wince, then steel myself. Tip up my chin, and shake my head. "No," I say in a firm voice, "I want you to take my arse. I want you to buryyourself inside my—" He pumps his hips and breaches my backhole. Oh, bloody hell. I dig the heels of my palms into the ground, grit my teeth against the strangeness of the sensation. I won’t lie, it’s painful, and weird…and feels unnatural… It feels like… I have something up my arse… Which I do. I swallow down the stupid giggle that bubbles up. Jeez, that’s what comes of having a stupid sense of humor. It takes me by surprise at the most inconvenient of times. He grips my hips, and I sense him stay still as he allows me to adjust to his size. Then he reaches around and cups my breast. He tweaks my n
VioletAt least, last night, he had come to bed at midnight, and I had woken up enough to wrap myself around my husband and fall asleep. He’d kissed me tenderly, had run his hands down my body, aroused me to fever pitch, only to slip my nightgown and my panties aside and slide his fingers into me. He’d slid down my body, eaten me out, then he’d risen over me and pinched my clit as he’d commanded me to come. And I had. I had shattered right there, and then, promptly fallen asleep, sated.It was almost noon when I woke up to find a letter on his pillow, asking me to peek out of the window. I had, and had cried out when I had seen a car… Not just any car, a Maserati. A twin of his…but in black, with a red line running across its side, and wrapped up in a bow. It’s my car. My car! OMG! I had showered, changed, eaten a late breakfast, then rushed down to examine my new toy.It is beautiful, with sleek lines that remind me of him, a color dark enough to hint at his growly personality, and a
Violet It’s six days to the Christmas party, and I am almost done with the projects I have undertaken. My dress is done. So is the other outfit I have been working on. My morning sickness is also almost gone. And if I have to stay another day cooped up in here, I am going to go stark, raving mad. Clearly, the lack of sex is getting to him. Since our tryst on the terrace, I have not seen him at all. If he does sleep at night… It, clearly, isn’t in the bed next to me, as his side of the bed remains untouched when I awake in the mornings. He hasn’t been in the room, as far as I can tell. Which means he is sleeping somewhere else. Likely, in his office atV enom. Is he also sleeping withsomeone else there? But he said that he wasn't screwing anyone else. He wouldn't lie to me, would he? I tighten my fingers and Andy yowls in protest.He flicks out his baby claws and I yelp as he scratches me. I release him and he jumps down to the floor, then walks away with his tail high in the air. I
AlessioI draw in a sharp breath, glance at him. "What are you trying to say, Alessandro?" I say in a soft voice."Just that you are no longer Alessio, the Capo of the Cosa Nostra.""I’m not?" I frown.He nods, "You are a husband and a father-to-be, too… Roles which you, clearly, place a lot more importance on than just being the leader of our clan."I blink, "If you mean I am neglecting my duties as the head of the clan—""I mean that you are taking a bigger picture into view. You are looking to the future, and for the first time, you are planning with peace in mind, rather than a short-sighed chance to gain the upper hand."I rub the back of my neck, "Is that a backhanded compliment? If so—""It’s not a compliment. It’s a fact." He folds his arms across his chest. "You want to ensure that you neutralize any possible threats against your family. It’s understandable. It’s why you went ahead and met with two of our fiercest rivals. It’s why you didn’t breathe a word about it to anyone
Alessio "I hear your wife’s throwing a Christmas party?" JJ Kane, the head ofThe Kane Company, tilts his head, "That’s the thing with women. They have to make their presence felt, don’t they?"I curl my fingers into fists at my sides. How dare he talk about her? And how the hell does he know about the Christmas Party? Invitations had only been extended to my brothers, my father and my Nonna. And yeah, Beauty had insisted that Isabelle and Aurora be included.Initially, I had refused her and she had pleaded with me. She had batted those big, green eyes at me and I had been a goner. Of course, I had agreed. Isabelle is loyal, no question. And Aurora? She knows better than to open her mouth about anything she sees and hears. There’s no way either of them would have spoken to anyone about the event. My brothers wouldn’t have breathed a word to anyone… Nor would Nonna. As for the Don... Well, much as I don’t trust him, given he knows that Violet is pregnant with his grandchild, not even
Violet We didn't get to the dessert, after all. After I came, he'd taken off his shirt and made me wear it over my torn dress. Then he'd scooped me up into his arms and carried me to his bedroom. We hadn't encountered anyone on the way. Not Isabelle, not Pablo. Apparently, his staff knows when to make themselves scarce. And, yep, he broke his own rule for us to have separate bedrooms. I had fallen asleep promptly. When I woke up, he was gone. I had spent the rest of that day working on my dress, with Andy for company. Oh, also I'd moved my things into his room, and he hadn't said anything. It might be because I didn't see Alessio all that day, or for that matter, on any of the days that followed our reconciliation. Isabelle mentioned to me that he has been deep in negotiations with rival clans to restore some semblance of peace in the country. This means that the security around the house has been tripled… Or so she tells me. Not that I can tell the difference. For all practical
AlessioThis woman... The things she says... She never ceases to surprise me. I grip her shoulders to pull her up and she wraps her arms around my neck. "I mean it, Ales," she murmurs, "I want you inside me, one way or the other.""I don’t want to hurt you." I wrap a strand of her gorgeous hair around my fingers, "Right now, your comfort is more important than anything else to me.""And I already told you that I want you."I peer into her face, take in her flushed features, her gaze wide with anticipation; those green eyes stare back at me and in them is a look of feverish need. I wrap my fingers about the back of her nape and bring her forehead to mine, "Any other time, if you weren’t pregnant, I’d not deny this to you, but right now, given your condition, it’s not something I can give you.""Alessio," she pleads, "this is no time for an attack of conscience."I laugh, "Trust me, if it were up to me, I’d be inside you so often you wouldn’t be able to walk straight, but this is not ju
Violet "Dessert?" I blink rapidly. "Is Pablo going to serve us dessert?""He offered to make dolce for us, but I told him to wait. We’ll have it after.""After?" My cheeks heat, "After what?""After..." He lifts me up onto the table, then pushes my legs apart. The dress I’m wearing is pushed up to above my knees. He slides his fingers up my thighs, and I try to squeeze them together."Relax," he murmurs, "I am going to make this so good for you."That’s what I am afraid of.I peer at him from between my eyelashes. "I thought you weren’t going to shag me?""Doesn’t mean I can’t pleasure you," his eyes gleam, "while I feast on you."A pulse flares to life between my legs. It mirrors the beat of my heart, the thud-thud-thud of the blood roaring in my ears as he rises to his feet. Without taking his gaze off of mine, he leans over and shoves the rest of the crockery aside. The dishes and remaining cutlery hit the ground with a crash that sweeps through me. He eases me onto my back, then
Violet "This is where we’re having dinner," he murmurs as he lowers me into a chair. I take in the crisp white table cloth that covers a table that has been set with silverware for two. The alcove is sheltered from the breeze by a screen on one side. The view itself is undisturbed though, and I glance out at the sea that stretches out into the distance. A cool breeze tugs at my hair. I tuck the strands behind my ear, turn back to the table arrangement. There’s a vase in the center of the table with one single perfectly formed black rose, the edges of the petals a blood red. It’s a perfect bloom, unlike anything I have ever seen. He reaches for a blanket that has been placed on a stool by the side. He places it over my lap, then tucks it at the sides. "How does that feel?" "Good," I murmur. "Not too cold? Not too warm?" He nods toward the patio heater, "Should I turn that off?" "No," I pat the edge of the blanket, "I am comfortable, as is." "Good." He reaches for a napkin, shakes
Alessio I walked into the room to find beauty and fabian glancing in my direction, and the expression on her face is laced with guilt. I prowl toward her and she tips up her chin. "Were you talking about me, Beauty?" I murmur and she huffs."My every conversation is not about you.""What were you two talking about, then?""None of your business.""Everything about you is my business," I pause in front of her, "and you’d do best not to forget that."Fabian clears his throat, and I shoot him a sideways glance."We were discussing the Christmas bash," he explains."Is that right?" I turn to her, "That what’s got you tied up in knots, huh?""Exactly," she snickers, "Iam the one tied up in knots." She exchanges a glance with Fabian who chuckles."She’s been worried about finding a DJ for the party. It’s why I offered my services.""You’re going to DJ?" I scowl."Sure," he raises a shoulder, "it’s no biggie. I did it at many of the parties during my university days.""And here I thought y