AMELIA I should have stopped him. No. I didn't want to stop him. I wanted it just as much as he claimed. Just as much as his body showed. His arm went tighter around my waist as he let out a shaky breath past my lips, his fingers entangling themselves in my hair as his hot tongue explored every crevice of my mouth. He pulled my face closer, like we didn't need air. I understood the urgency in his actions because I felt the same way. I felt eager to go deeper into his embrace, to feel him closer…his kiss, his mouth…everything about him in that moment seemed to drive me crazy. His cock was harder, pushing into me with every little movement and I shamelessly rocked against him…wanting more, craving more. Everything else was forgotten. It was the effect of his words, everything he admitted to me…it mass me realize just how much I wanted this man and how fucking afraid I was to lose him. He was more than just a friend to me…admitting it to myself only served to increase my fear.
AMELIA Sure, I knew he wouldn't drop it…no matter how much I tried to distract him. It left me thinking up an excuse, a fake story I can tell to explain my accidental slip up. I was just so overwhelmed…I shouldn't have said those words, not to him…what if he learns of it? Would he still look at me the same way? Would he still declare these words with the same fervor? “Roman…” I moaned, eyes going wide as I felt his finger slide slowly into my wet core, so slow that I felt I would die from the anticipation. My walls immediately clenched around his fingers, a shaky breath left my lips. He pressed his lips against mine, fingers leaving my core and grabbing my ass tightly. I struggled to catch my breath as he smacked my butt cheeks, hard. Then he groaned, lifting my feet from the ground before I could string along a proper thought. The sting from his hit only served to heighten my arousal. His lips never left mine, not once. My back was against the soft mattress in t
“Are you asleep?” I was momentarily startled by Roman's question. I had thought he was asleep as I felt his chest rise and fall steadily behind me. He had gone quiet and led me to believe that we wouldn't have to talk. It was my fault for hoping I would have more time to mentally prepare myself for the conversation he wanted to have. “No…” I muttered after a few seconds had passed. “I can't sleep,” I confessed quietly. Countless thoughts were swirling through my mind in that moment. Firstly, I was naked, so was Roman, and I was in his arms, his chest pressed so closely against my back that I could feel each thump of his heart. I could feel his hot breath in my hair. I could smell his sweat and masculine scent on my skin. And yet, despite it all. I was so fucking comfortable and, at the same time, unable to relax. Maybe he could feel it. How tense I was. “Are you ready to talk?” “I think I need another shower,” I immediately cut in, making a move to sit up. He held
ALEXANDER The ancient hinges creaked ominously as I pushed open the heavy oak doors to my grandfather's bedroom, a sound that had haunted my childhood nightmares whenever I'd been called in for a scolding. The familiar scent hit me first – a complex mixture of Cuban cigars, aged leather, and the subtle undertone of the lavender oil the maids used to polish the antique furniture. It was a scent I'd come to associate with power, with family, with the weight of expectations that came with being a Guerrero. But all of this grandeur paled in comparison to the man sitting in the imposing leather armchair by the window. My grandfather – Il re ombra, the King of the underground world – looked smaller than I remembered from just two weeks ago. The sight of him made my heart clench painfully in my chest. The harsh Sicily sunlight that bathed the room in golden hues did him no favors, casting deep shadows across his gaunt face and highlighting the hollow spaces where his strength used to res
AMELIA “Hey…Vince,” I sighed for the nth time that afternoon, “I haven't heard from you since the exhibition, I've gotten a few calls from potential clients who want customs and quite frankly I'm a bit overwhelmed, so…call me back, please? I need your expert opinion on how to handle this,” I begged, my tone tinged with worry and exhaustion. There was a sound of a beep and the voicemail was sent. I slumped into my chair and let out a heavy sigh. I was in my office, already exhausted before the day had even begun but I just couldn't bring myself to stay alone at home when I knew Roman was busy with the oncoming project with Mr. Henderson and he needed all hands on deck. Aside from the research I've been doing, I've pretty much remembered a few things about the past five years that would help me settle into my role at Grayson Holdings quite comfortably. And…everything had gone to shit without me, until Roman had picked up majority of the responsibility. Still, there was much he c
I stared at the monitor until the words started swimming before my eyes like they were gibberish, but my mind kept drifting back to Roman. The memory of his hands on my skin, his breath against my neck... God, I needed to focus. The stack of reports on my desk wasn't going to review itself, but every time I tried to concentrate, my thoughts circled back to him like a compass pointing north."Get it together, Amelia," I muttered to myself, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. The office felt too quiet, too empty, making it impossible to silence the thoughts bouncing around in my head. What did he want to talk about tonight? What was this gift he mentioned? And why did he always sound so hesitant when it came to having a real conversation about his past?He spoke like it was something to he afraid of and truth be told, I was already afraid. But my curiosity was far stronger than the fear I felt. I reached for my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found Jessica's
The car wound through the tree-lined driveway leading to Roman's mansion, and I couldn't stop myself from checking the rearview mirror every few seconds. The headlights I'd spotted earlier had disappeared, but that did little to calm my nerves. If anything, their absence made me more anxious. Where had they gone? Had I imagined them?I glanced at my driver through the mirror again. Marcus – or at least, that's what Roman had told me his name was – kept his eyes fixed steadily on the road ahead. He'd been my driver for the past few weeks since Alexander's reappearance yet we've barely said more than a few words to each other.Suddenly I realized how little I actually knew about him. Had he always been this quiet? This... watchful?My phone buzzed in my hand, making me jump. A text from Roman lit up the screen:"Running late. Henderson's being difficult. Don't wait up for dinner - we'll talk when I get home. Lock the doors."Lock the doors? My heart rate picked up. Roman had never told
"Hello?" I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. "Is someone there?"Silence answered me. Of course, silence. Because I was being ridiculous, jumping at shadows like a scared child. I was in my own home, with state-of-the-art security systems and cameras everywhere. No one could get in without...Without what? Without access codes? Without inside help? How many people had those codes? Roman, me, Trenton, Marcus, the security team...My phone buzzed again, making me gasp. A text from an unknown number: "Check your email."I blocked the number immediately, but my hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone. Another buzz – another unknown number: "Now, Amelia."My breath caught in my throat. I blocked that number too, but my email app was already open before I could stop myself. A new message sat at the top of my inbox, sent from an address I didn't recognize. The subject line read: "Remember this?"Against my better judgment, I opened it. A photo filled my screen – an o