πππππππVANESSAMy body shuddered violently against the cold wall, and my hips moved faster against James' ministrations, every muscle in my stomach tightening and flexing. James paused, lifted his hands, and gripped my hips. "Keep still.""Are you kidding me? That's like asking me to stop breathing.""Then stop breathing. I don't care what the fuck you do, but you keep these greedy hips of yours still so I can eat you the way I fucking want to.""Oh, God." I moaned, leaning my head back against the wall.His thumbs were back between my legs, opening me wide for him, his tongue working every inch of me. The urge to move my hips was so strong, that it took every ounce of control I had left to stop myself. A few quick flicks of his tongue forced me hard and fast toward the orgasm threatening to erupt up my spine, and my insides were twisted tight with the need for release."You have no idea how fucking good you taste. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. I'd feast on you e
πππππ JAMESIt took a few uncomfortable moments before Vanessa moved, covering her eyes with her palms as she whispered, "Not tonight, please, James. I already had to relive it when I told Antonio. For now, I just want to try to forget."There was desperation in her voice, and even though I was the world's biggest prior, I decided to not push it. Something told me she had been pushed enough during the last few days."Okay," I conceded-for now. Something deep and painful happened to her. And lord knew that I was going to make sure I got to the bottom of it, even if it killed me. After agreeing to let the question go, I put my elbows down above Vanessa's shoulders and placed my hands on her head, wiping the hair out of her face. Our gazes met, and then it happened. A moment. One of those moments you read about in books or saw in a movie, a moment between lovers where something shifts. You didn't know what it was, what was happening, all you knew was it was happening. She blinked,
πππππ JAMESVanessa tilted her head, dark curls falling over her naked shoulder. "Who says I'm leaving?" She winked and slipped off the counter, sliding her body down against my cock. I groaned. "Fuck, you're killing me, you know that?" "Yet I'm the one needing a break?" She chuckled and walked down the hall. All I could do was keep my eyes glued to her naked ass, her hips swaying seductively. "Minx," I called after her. She glanced over her shoulder. "That makes you one lucky son of a bitch, then, Detective." I tipped my beer in her direction. "Oh, I fucking know it." I took a large gulp while watching her until she disappeared around the corner. "Fuck me," I muttered and rubbed the back of my neck. It was too damn insane, what was happening between us. It was more intense than I ever could have anticipated. I grabbed a second beer from the fridge and made my way to the bedroom, deciding she'd had a long enough break. My cock was aching and swearing at me. When
πππππππVANESSAI took a sip of my Negroni cocktail at β I glanced at the old grandfather clock in the corner β two in the afternoon. Lucky for me, my family owned this damn restaurant, and no one who worked in Biloxi would question my motivation for drinking a cocktail this time of day. "It's a bit early for you, isn't it?" Except for Daniel. I shrugged. "I don't know. According to whose standards, mine or yours?" He took a seat next to me at the bar and eyed my cocktail. "Negroni. Gin. That's some hard liquor." I ignored him and took another sip. "Everything okay?" "Why wouldn't it be?" "Oh, I don't know." He held up his hand, signaling to the bartender to give him one of his usualβbourbons. "Maybe it's because you're not a big drinker, and you hardly ever come down to the restaurant." I placed my empty glass on the counter. "Or maybe I'm just not a big drinker according to you, and maybe I finally realized my life isn't family-orientated enough, so I decided
πππππ JAMESWant to know the true meaning of a clusterfuck? When the daughter of the man you'd investigated for years storms out of your apartment while you can still smell her perfume on your goddamn sheets. And then your commander calls you two days later saying you're no longer suspended, but now have to work with your partner on a case in which the brothers of the woman who managed to get your balls in a twist were the prime suspects. Yeah, that had been my life ever since I last saw Vanessa. Normally, I was so damn focused when it came to my job. Catching the bad guy was my only goal. One would think I'd be fucking ecstatic when I heard my suspension had been lifted, and I'd have a huge chip on my shoulder knowing the commander thought my insight into the Bologna family would be beneficial to the case. But not so much. All I could think about was her like I was betraying her somehow by taking on this case. Why would I feel that way? I was just a man determined to do his
πππππ JAMESThe moment those words left my mouth, Vanessa froze, which was a tale-telling sign that she was nervous or uncomfortable. "Oh, I heard about that," Daniel immediately replied and I frowned as I watched him. I was expecting him to freeze not Vanessa. But instead, he seemed to relax a little. "Can't say I'm surprised, though," he added and my suspicion turned to curiosity. "Why do you say that?" I couldn't help but ask, I wanted to know what his answer would be. "The guy was a crook, owed a lot of people a lot of money." "Did he owe you money?" Daniel laughed. "God, no. I know better than to do business with someone like Rio." Vanessa was slowly moving closer. I knew this because I was hyperaware of her presence, feeling that familiar crackle of electricity between us with every step she took. We were drawn to each other, and judging by the look on her face, she was trying her best to fight itβand so was I. Focus. Back to Daniel. "And your brother? Any cha
πππππππVANESSAMy heart was about to crawl its way up my throat along with the lie that just came out of my mouth. James knew it; I knew it. I was a liar. But I'd be damned if I stood there and did nothing while they insinuated one of my brothers was a murderer. If anyone knew my family's doings were far from legit, it was me. But I also knew neither of my brothers killed this Rio character. James' eyes narrowed, scrutinizing my face, and I was convinced he was seconds away from calling my bluff. I felt the sweat run down my back, my gut on the verge of twisting upside down. But then he took two steps back and looked at my brothers. "Okay, then. I guess we're done here." I exhaled and allowed my shoulders to relax, even though I knew this entire situation was far from over. If I knew James at all, I knew he wouldn't let this lie go so easily. "Thank you for your time." James walked toward the door, and I wanted to punch myself for feeling disappointed. I didn't like th
πππππππVANESSAThe hand James had on my waist began to travel down and over my hip, making its way down my thigh. I was so overwhelmed by the sensation that I struggled to breathe normally. "Tell me you remember when you wrapped your legs around me, permitting me to fuck you bare. When I impaled you with my cock and you begged me to keep still while your body adapted to the feeling of having a real man inside you." God, I remember. I remembered all of it. I remembered how my body was on the edge of bursting into flames. How the pain and the pleasure mixed into the most intense decadence my body had ever experienced and threatened to burn me into embers of desire. He leaned closer, his spicy scent giving life to all those memories. "Tell me you remember coming around my cock. Tell me you remember how I pulsed my orgasm all over your warm, sweaty skin." Oh, sweet baby Jesus. There was no way in hell I could have stopped myself. I jerked forward and pressed my lips ha
ππππππ DANIEL Antonio took a seat beside me, his eyes fixed on Luca chasing the birds. "You two have been spending a lot of time here lately." "Yeah. Luca loves the garden." Antonio placed his hand on the bench and then glanced around. "I love what you did with it. You know," he waved around, "the whole re-doing of the back garden." I snorted. "Re-doing?" "You know what I mean." "Yeah, well. You should thank our little sister for that. She did all this." "Our sister will make a good mother someday." "She sure will." Vanessa was a godsend through all this. Luca had immediately taken to her, and even though she couldn't fully take his mother's place, she had done a fine job being a substitute while he adapted to his new surroundings. New family. "How is he doing?" Antonio asked while watching Luca play. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. "He misses her." "That's to be expected." "I just wish I knew how long it was going to take." Antonio placed his hand on
ππππππ DANIEL "Dad!" Antonio yelled. "Dad, no!"Thunder. Lightning. Gunshots. Mayhem.All I could do was watch as my father let out his last breath, life being ripped out of him within a single moment. And then I howled. I fucking cried out as reality slowly started to infuse me with the excruciating pain of watching my father die. This was not how it was supposed to go down. My father dying was not part of the fucking plan. I was the one ready to die for the people I loved. I wasn't ready for anyone else to die except the fuckers who thought they had the power to play God with all our lives.I looked up, sound starting to return, the chaos and mayhem pulling me back to the here and now. And then I saw her. Layla. Her limp body was being dragged by the man who is about to die by my hand."Mato!" I roared, and then I was on my feet, running toward them.He struggled to get Layla in the car, and when he aimed his gun in my direction, it was too late. I was already there, knockin
ππππππ DANIEL The sound of an approaching car momentarily grabbed my attention, and I bit down on my cheeks as I watched it near us. Even though my attention was on the car, I was hyperaware of every man currently taking part in this standoff.Stefano righted himself and straightened the sleeves of his jacket. "It seems you're having difficulty accepting that Layla has moved on with my son. Maybe he can convince you."The car stopped, and my heart beat wildly inside my chest as I watched Mato get out. If hate had a moment in time, this would be it.The sight of his ugly motherfucking face made me want to rip out his goddamn spine through his throat. It took every shred of self-control not to end him right there and then.My hand itched, the weight of my gun at my back making me aware of how much I wanted to put a bullet in his skull. And the smug grin he had on his face as he got out of the car made the urge to kill him even stronger.Matteo inhaled deeply. "Ah. There's nothin
ππππππ DANIEL Harbawo wasn't a place I visited often. One thing my grandfather used to say was you never shit where you ate. Something the Morellos had no idea about. They still had a lot to learn.Our shipments never came through Harbawo Harbor. In fact, we never used the same port twice in a row. It was always scattered around. Different ports. Different shipping lines. Different times of day or night. And different routes.We'd never claimed to be saints. To some people, there was no such thing as a big or small sin. Wrong was wrong. But in my opinionβ¦ who in the name of ever-loving fuck thought that way? How could one argue there was no scale when it came to wrongdoing? That was like saying a rapist had done equal wrong as the man who cheated on his wife. Bullshit. No matter who said what, I believed sin could be measured. And it was because of this I knew the Morellos were far higher on the wrongdoing scale than we were.Yes, we bought illegal firearms.Yes, we sold illeg
πππππLAYLAI watched as Mato's smug grin turned arrogant. "See, I helped you, and I was smart about it too.""What did you pay him?" I glared at him. "What did you pay my father to write that fucking letter?"He cocked his head, his gaze sweeping from my neck, to my lips, to my eyes. "I paid him more than he would make in two lifetimes." He licked his lips. "And it was worth every cent because now you're mine. Mine to take care of, and mine to defile."Bile crept up my throat, and my chest burned with equal parts disgust and craving. "All you know how to do is destroy lives.""Sometimes the strong need to eliminate the weak to thrive."I almost laughed in his face. "Strong? Do you think you're strong? What, by turning an innocent woman into an addict? By taking her son away from her? Are those the actions of a strong man? An honorable man?"The corners of his lips twitched, a malicious sneer forming on his ugly motherfucking face. "Who said anything about honorable?"Disgust fil
πππππLAYLAMato and I sat silently as we drove to the Morellos mansion. The very thought that I was going back to that hell hole made me feel sick to my stomach.For the last three months, I had been held there against my will. None of this was my decision. I didn't want any of this. But my forced addiction hadn't given me any choice. Mato had dangled that needle in front of my face like a goddamn red cloth to a bull. And by the victorious smirk plastered on his face the entire time, he knew he had the upper hand."You knew I was with him." I didn't look at him."I did.""Why didn't you come for me?"He huffed out a laugh. "Oh, my dear Layla. I knew you'd come back." He removed a pouch from his jacket pocket. "I have what you need."My heart pounded against my ribs, every vein in my body swelling, craving, burning with the need for the toxin. I licked my lips as I stared at the pouch, sweat trickling down my back. The painful stomach spasms intensified, and anxiety made it incre
ππππππ DANIELMy heart was in my throat as Antonio swallowed as if the words were struggling to come out. "While he held herβ¦""Well?" I was growing impatient. "Spit it out!" "While Mato held herβ¦ he got her addicted to heroin." I thought my heart had stopped before, but I was wrong. Now I knew what it meant to have a heart eruption. I could feel the blast through every fiber of my being. "I don't understand," I whispered. My voice sounded broken. Kat stood. "My sister is now an addict, Daniel. He forced her to take the drugs so he could control her." For a few seconds, I allowed the words to sink in. I allowed it to settle in the pit of my stomach, to stew with the rage I had been feeling all morning. And then I grabbed the first thing I could find, a glass decanter, and threw it against the wall. The sound of my scream together with the shattering glass hit the roof with excruciating resonance. "Daniel, you need to calm down." I shot a warning glare at my brother. "Do n
ππππππ DANIEL My heart almost stopped at my father's words. "Is Layla hurt?""No. No, it's not like that."I scowled. "Then what?"The old man stopped and looked up at the roof. "Your brother and Lucio had a run-in with some of the Morellos men." He turned to face me. "It didn't end so well.""Meaning it turned into a bloodbath." It wasn't a question. When things didn't end well, it usually meant someone died. "Antonio and Lucio okay?""Yes. They're fine."Nothing about his demeanor gave me the impression that everyone was fine. The grim look on his face, the way his shoulders were slumped forward said to me that I wasn't going to like the next part of this fucking story."What happened?"He took a deep breath. "I think it best you wait for Antonio to get here."What theβ¦? "Are you telling me Antonio is on his way back here? Jesus Christ, the fucker has balls, I'll give him that." I stormed to the bedroom door. "He better has Layla with him if he wants to live to see another d
πππππLAYLAAntonio scoffed at my words before replying, "As my brother said the other day, we've been at war with the Morellos for years now." I turned in my seat, determined to get my point across. "If I don't go back, Mato won't stop until he's destroyed everyone I love." "But this isn't about you, Layla. It's about Daniel. About us. It's never been about you. You are just a pawn he's using to put our family in checkmate. It's Daniel they want to destroy. It's our family they want to wipe out. Even if you go back and give your life in order to stop all of this, it won't. It will never stop." "I know this war between you and the Morellos will probably never end, but I will no longer be used as a weapon to torture Daniel. You and I both know that Daniel will put himself in harm's way as long as Mato has me. Your brother will never stop, and I've been the cause of Daniel's pain for too long." I shook my head as tears welled up. "No more. No more, Antonio. I can't do it anymore