King of Hearts: An Arranged Marriage-Mafia Romance (Rake Forge University Series Book 2)

by Ashley Munoz

  My cousin left, shutting the patio doors behind him. Once I set Taylor down, I walked over and shut the curtains, which transitioned the bright room into gloomy darkness. With Taylor standing in the center of the floor, waiting for me…it was brighter than ever.

  “What’s your plan, Mr. Hernandez? You going to punish me?” Hips made for sin rotated as she stepped closer, dragging a finger down through the center of her cleavage.

  I inhaled a silent breath, watching her draw near.

  My resolve snapped.

  I stepped forward, keeping my eyes on her. “I can’t punish you the way I’d need to in order to properly teach you a lesson.”

  I smirked, but suddenly Taylor faltered…as if she’d just run into a glass wall.

  “What…what did I say?” This was just like the last time, when I had said something wrong and she shut me out. I stepped forward until my hand cradled her elbow and drew her closer. She ducked her head, shaking it back and forth…and I fumbled, trying to figure out what it could be. Then suddenly I remembered what she’d said after her father had shown up.

  “My father used to teach me lessons.”

  “Shit, I’m so sorry…that was the wrong thing to say.” I rubbed my hands up and down her arms.

  “No, it’s okay…it’s just sometimes that word hits me like a sledgehammer in the chest. I’m never fully prepared for how it will feel.”

  I kissed her hairline, gathering her in my arms. “Don’t shut me out…I’m sorry I said it.”

  Suddenly she tipped her head back, giving me those ocean eyes.

  “I won’t. I want to do what you brought me in here for.”

  I chuckled, running a finger up her back, trailing close to the edge of her bikini bottoms.

  “I brought you in here to watch you strip, then to see how much you’d let me get away with while I touched you.”

  “Why don’t you do it then?” she whispered, carefully placing a kiss to my chest. My heart was beating intensely behind my skin.

  Bringing the finger that was trailing down her spine up to her neck, I tugged on the black string until it fell away, leaving her tits bare and those rosy, pink nipples peaked and primed for my touch.

  “Beautiful,” I whispered, tipping her head back to capture her lips.

  She wrapped her hands around my neck, clinging to me while she melded her mouth to mine, allowing our tongues to dance to an angry beat of conquest and obsession.

  I moved my hands down to her hips to bring her against my erection. Of course, her belly made that trickier than normal, but I still tried it, which ended up making Taylor laugh as she kept her lips against mine.

  In response, I shoved her bottoms down, holding her hand to help her step out of them. She in turn lowered to her knees and tucked her fingers into the waistband of my shorts. My erection strained against the material, popping free the second she tugged them down.

  “Glorious.” She let out a heavy sigh. “You have the most perfect cock, Juan. I haven’t ever told you this, but it’s a work of art. The perfect length, all dark veins, and that head—my god.”

  I inhaled a sharp breath, looking down at the top of her head, watching as she stroked me up and down and then leaned forward until she was taking me in her mouth. The groan I heard wasn’t mine; even though I wanted to let a sound loose, it was the girl on her knees deep-throating me who was groaning like it was the most pleasure she’d had in her entire life. It was so fucking hot that I had to concentrate on something else so I didn’t blow my entire load down her throat.

  She let up until she was sucking on just the tip, swirling her tongue around the head a few times until she was lifting my cock and pulling on my balls, opening her mouth to fit one in fully.

  “Fuck!” My hips jerked forward with the sensation. No one had ever done that to me, and damn…it felt really good.

  She continued to suck then moved to the next one, repeating the process while precum leaked down my shaft.

  “You weeping for me, baby?” she murmured with hooded eyes. Sitting up, she released my dick, licking up the precum that coated it and then took me in her mouth again.

  I rocked my hips to match the rhythm she’d picked back up, until I pulled completely out and gripped my shaft, pumping it until ribbons of white shot out, landing all over Taylor’s chest.

  Her lips twisted into a seductive smile while she rubbed the mess into her skin, over her nipples, and then took my seed and rubbed it in between her legs. I was already ready to fuck her, but that image had me hard as stone, nearly in pain from how badly I needed to be inside her. Taylor reached her hand out for help up, and as soon as I lifted her, she let out a pleased sigh and walked past me to the bathroom.

  I turned to watch as she cleaned up, curious what on earth she was doing.

  “It’s really weird…getting you off felt just as good as if it were me getting off, and now I’m sleepy. Come lie down with me.”

  I smothered a laugh, because how could I say no to that?

  An eighty-inch television displayed some TV show while we crawled into the massive bed, and Taylor pressed her cheek into my chest, closing her eyes.

  My hand went to her back, my fingers trailing down her smooth skin while a cool breeze came in from the oscillating fan.

  “What do these mean?” She ran her fingers down the black numbers along my forearms.

  “Seven-one-seven means perseverance…a long time ago, someone decided those numbers would outline the parameters of our family, along with the black heart. So, when people see those digits with the black heart, they know who we are…where we come from.”

  She sighed, running her finger along my throat. Sometimes I wondered how she viewed me, how she viewed my family. There was a small speck of pride over what my family had built, but it was minuscule. My overwhelming hatred for it smothered the feeling. I didn’t need her approval or her understanding, or for her to know that the tattoos had been forced on me at the age of thirteen by my father.

  “What did that guy mean, about being claimed? I saw a few guys with black hearts inked on their chests…does that have something to do with it?” Taylor asked with a yawn.

  I smiled, wrapping a few of the loose strands of her hair around my finger.

  “In El Peligro, our calling card is the king of hearts, and on each one is a black heart.”

  “The leaking ink heart, right?” She yawned again.

  I smirked, trying not to be affected by the way her naked skin felt against mine.

  “Yeah, it means someone is waiting for them at home. In a way it’s like a wedding ring. If one of the guys comes up dead or missing a few fingers, at least we know there’s someone waiting back home. When you ink that heart onto your chest, it’s for life. It’s as close to claiming a mate that we get.”

  She smiled against my chest. “Like animals?”

  I laughed. “Guess so. It’s also a way that men know to back off…if someone has a black heart inked onto their skin and is seen with a woman, socially or physically, everyone knows she’s completely off limits.”

  “So, I’m technically still fair game, because there’s no ink stain on your chest?” She was smiling again, like this was a joke.

  “Yeah, pretty much.” I hated that we were talking about this. I hadn’t told her that getting that inked meant your loyalty to El Peligro, that once you committed to the black heart, you’d essentially agreed to give away the rest of your body and soul to the gang, and I wasn’t ready to do that. I was still planning a way out of this shit.

  “Poor you, you’ll just have to deal with guys hitting on your fake fiancée.”

  I reached down and pinched her ass. She gave a little yelp while giggling.

  “Or I can make you moan my name so loud no one out there would question it.”

  She laughed, and the sound was like sunbeams breaking through storm clouds.

  “You finally ready to fuck me, Juan? You seemed so reluctant…” Her blue eyes held a challenge. She
knew I had been holding back and for good reason. I wasn’t ready to hand it all over to her yet. When I fucked her, I wanted her to be mine.

  Giving her a wicked smile, I said, “No, just ready to make you come so hard you see stars.”

  “Baby, you make me see stars regardless of what we’re doing.” Her confession was soft, but the words landed like boulders in my stomach. That felt a lot like it was real, real enough that it made my breath hitch.

  “How would you have me take you, hmm?” I moved until I was hovering over her.

  That blonde hair splayed out on the pillow beneath her, and her pink lips twisted into a smile she kept trying to fight.

  “Any way you want to. I mean, pretty much any position is safe…that’s what one of the on-call doctors said.”

  “Is that so?”

  Pink invaded her neck and face as she ran her fingers along my chest. “I’ve actually kind of been dying to know what it feels like to…um…”

  “Um, what?”

  I moved, casually pulling her hands together until her wrists were pinned in place above her.

  “Uh…I want to know what it feels like to ride you…like, if it’s too big, or just…I don’t know…how it would feel, I guess.”

  “Hmmm.” I held her captive at the base of the headboard and trailed down her body with my lips and tongue, sucking on her hardened nipples, then over her belly button. “Let’s see how wet you are.” I moved my free hand down until I was gently pressing into her slick entrance. Letting out a hiss, I shook my head. “You’re wet, but not quite wet enough. I’m going to need to fix that.”

  I released her with a lingering press into her skin, hoping she knew it was a veiled promise for future fun. Then I moved down her body, carefully lifting her knees until I pushed on the backs of her thighs and her left leg was thrown over my shoulder. My tongue darted out, sweeping through her core.

  “Oh god.” She cried out as I repeated the process, swiping up and down her cunt.

  I pressed my tongue flat against her. “So perfect, so fucking delicious.” I sucked her clit into my mouth before pressing my thumb against her asshole.

  “Juan.” She moaned, tugging on my hair.

  That was probably enough foreplay for her. She was likely going to be too sensitive if I made her come then tried to fuck her.

  Giving in, I turned until I was lying flat on my back. “You win. Take what you want.”

  A fire lit in her eyes as she scrambled to her knees.

  “You sure?”

  My dick jumped at her eagerness. “Fucking positive, baby.”

  “Um…are you, uh…have you been with anyone?” She hesitated while rubbing her hand up and down my shaft.

  I chuckled. If she only knew. “No, I haven’t had sex in over a year, and it’s entirely your fault…but I’m clean.”

  “Yay, me too. Okay, here we go.” She bypassed my comment about it being her fault, which was fine; that would lead to a conversation we likely weren’t ready to have.

  Narrowing her eyes on my dick, she sat on her knees, seeming a little lost.

  “What’s the problem, babe?”

  “I’m trying to figure out how to get it to fit.”

  That made me laugh again, a full one that made my chest ache. Before I could respond, she was doing some kind of low squat, hovering over my dick while trying to guide it into her pussy. She went slow, pushing the head up and down her entrance, coating it with her arousal. She hummed and moaned while she slowly lowered herself onto me, inch by inch, stopping every few seconds.

  “Is that too much?” I tilted my head, watching…nervous that I might hurt her.

  She shook her head, a pink flush working its way up her neck. “No, you’re just big, and that’s perfect, but it’s a lot of sensations…I want to make sure the baby is okay.”

  That freaked me out. “You said the doctor approved.” My tone sounded strained as I lifted my head to watch her mount me.

  “She did. She said this is good for me, as long as it’s comfortable. I’m just making sure it is.”

  I watched in horror as she kept lowering herself, sliding down my dick, each spare inch of skin disappearing inside of her. Finally, there was nothing left. She was completely full, and I was holding my breath.

  The sensation, being bare…I’d never gone bareback with anyone. I hissed, my hands going to her hips as her eyes went wide, and before I even had a chance to adjust, she was rotating her hips forward.

  “Oh my god, Juan. This is…” She gasped, putting her hands on my lower abdomen while she fucked me. “This is more than I thought it would be. Oh god.” She threw her head back, rocking forward.

  I was careful, jutting my hips up, but just a little bit. I was terrified of hurting her, so I just let her grind against me as needed while moving as much as I could without fucking her into oblivion. This must have been some cosmic joke, to finally have this girl and have to show restraint.

  “You have to go harder than that, Juan. I need it harder.”

  “The baby…” I gasped as she moved. “I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

  “You’re not going to, I promise you. It’s okay, please just move. I’m begging you.”

  Fine. Fuck. I let go jutting my hips up to meet hers, letting out a groan as ecstasy pummeled through me like liquid heat. My movements increased in speed while her hips rocked faster and faster, her hands moving to her tits, pinching her nipples while her eyes watched the ceiling and her mouth gaped.

  “I’m coming. Oh my god. Oh my god. This is…fuck, Juan.” She screamed while I continued pumping my cock. I wanted to flip us, get her up on all fours, get her against the wall, in the pool…but all of that would need to wait.

  I came with a groan and a myriad of muttered curse words. One year without fucking. Well, more than a year. I couldn’t even remember the last girl, but she was blonde, and I had imagined Taylor while I did her.

  Now, here, with my eyes open, watching as Taylor came down from her orgasm, it was making things in my head and heart muddled. I’d been falling for her far longer than I was comfortable admitting, but these last few weeks felt like she’d fallen too, and now at the bottom, there was nothing left but this…us…our bodies finally catching fire after breaking against each other, over and over, like two stones. I couldn’t withstand being away from her, and now that we’d crossed this line, I worried she’d chalk it up to something physical when it was far deeper for me.

  She carefully crawled off, lying next to me while my seed made a mess between her thighs. She held her belly while she worked to catch her breath.

  “You okay? Is she okay?” I gently rubbed my hand down her stomach.

  Taylor smiled at me, brushing her fingers through my hair. “We’re great. I just haven’t had an orgasm like that in…um…I think forever, and it feels amazing. I feel like I’m about to go into a coma.”

  I got up, walking toward the linen closet Taylor had found before, and pulled out a rag. Rinsing it with warm water, I brought it back and carefully wiped between her thighs, cleaning her up. Then I pulled the sheet back over her.

  “Sleep, baby,” I whispered before tossing the rag in the hamper and crawling in beside her.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  November had snuck up on us, giving me mere weeks before the baby came. My routine with Juan felt real, comfortable. The only thing that reminded me that it wasn’t was when I’d see my father’s men lingering around at school, always in places Juan wasn’t or couldn’t see, which was something because Juan made it a point to escort me to every class and wait for me as each one ended. There were messages and reminders sent, and Ivan had even shown up at the house a few times to discuss new terms. Apparently he wasn’t happy with the addendums Juan had suggested after reviewing the contract.

  It was difficult for me to push myself to care. I had to because in the back of my mind, it was the right thing to do—figure a way out of this and free Juan from it. Still, my father was getting ants
y, and Juan was stalling. While my fake fiancé continued to push away more talks and discussions with my father, he’d keep me up late at night with his head between my legs or his dick carefully running through my folds.

  He was careful not to penetrate unless I was the one who initiated the sex. I think he was scared of hurting me, but I didn’t want to seem like I was a tease, or only interested in using him. I wanted him to want it, to want me.

  Even though I wanted him as often and frequently as he’d let me have him…occasionally reality would hit, and I’d remember what Juan was giving up by pretending to be with me. I realized how much time had passed and continued to slip away while he acted as the leader of a gang he didn’t want to be in. Sorrow and selfishness would battle it out for dominance in my soul. Usually selfishness would win, and that was when I’d indulge in Juan’s smiles and touch. This morning, however, I realized sorrow would be a strong enough contender to force my hand.

  I sat at the kitchen island, seeing Juan’s mother and aunt there once again, cooking.

  “Good morning.” Maria smiled at me; her hands were full of cornmeal-like dough.

  I returned her smile. “Good morning.”

  Juan’s mother looked up briefly, her lips twitching before she relinquished a half-hearted greeting. We’d slowly been working on our relationship, if that was what you called it. She saw Juan and me kiss frequently enough that she knew we were into each other, even if it did hurt that she sometimes pointed at his chest and muttered, “Idiot.”

  It hurt. Unfortunately, I had noticed several people asking Juan something in Spanish and pointing toward his chest then shaking their heads. It made me feel strange, like I was a fool, being unclaimed by someone who was obviously taking me to bed. It was like we’d suddenly been transported back to a time where I was obviously the lover, but not the queen.

  “What are you making?” I asked, even though I had heard a few people say tamales. I didn’t want to seem stupid if I was wrong. My stomach grumbled with my question, which I quickly tried to cover with my hand, as if that would work.