by Piper Stone
“Okay.” I honestly wasn’t prepared for what I was about to hear.
“Wallace has been arrested.”
“What?” I whispered, a knot forming in my stomach. What the hell could that mean?
“Yes. That bastard is going to prison. I have a source who tells me that for some reason the police started looking into his background finally realizing what a pig he truly is. And...” she faltered, taking a deep breath as she turned her head back in Rafael’s direction. “He’s being charged with Lily’s murder.” Her eyes darted back and forth across mine as she waited for my reaction.
I could feel Rafael tensing, his breath coming in scattered pants. My God. He’d actually listened to me.
Tears instantly sprang to my eyes, a tightness in my throat forming. I knew instinctively that instead of having Wallace killed, Rafael had decided on a fate quite frankly worse than death. Cops never lasted long in the prison system, especially dirty cops. I was pitched into another state of fantasyland, although this time there was a warrior in the background, one who’d slain the dragon.
Rafael...
“Don’t cry, sweetie. That bastard is going to get what’s coming to him,” Lucia said as she gripped my shoulders. “You can be free of the demon, finally living your life, enjoying the man who so obviously loves you.”
“You think he loves me?” I asked as I wiped my eyes.
Aunt Lucia shook her head. “I know his reputation, my sweet girl. I’ve lived here long enough to realize who truly controls the country. Don’t allow all the propaganda you hear on the news to fool you. While the world sees the Galicia mafia as bad seeds, I know there is always another side, especially for a man in love.”
My skin was extra sensitive, my mind foggy. “What about the galleria?”
She wrinkled her nose. “You always have a job working with me. I could really use you. Elena is leaving so I truly need help.”
“I’ll think about it,” I half whispered.
She kissed my forehead, easing a strand of hair from my face. “You remind me so much of your mother. She had such a wonderful spirit, a quiet strength that allowed her to follow her heart. Don’t allow your stepfather to take that away from you.”
I gripped her arms, squeezing as I thought about her words. “I won’t.”
“Whatever you decide, come see me. We should all have dinner. My treat.” Aunt Lucia winked at Rafael. “Take care of my niece. She deserves happiness.”
“That I can promise you,” he said, his statement sounding so official.
A sly smile formed on her face, her beautiful green eyes sparkling. “I think spending time around my art did you some good.”
“Meaning?”
She merely nodded toward the kitchen before walking to the door. Even as the warm flush crept up to my cheeks, every part of me tingled all over again. She’d seen the implements.
“Remember, both of you, that life is short.” Her final words were cathartic.
Rafael trailed behind her to the door, no doubt arming the security system. When he walked back, his beautiful blue eyes bore into mine. “She is very... interesting.”
I laughed as I inched closer. “The complete opposite of my mother.”
He took me into his arms, pulling me against his chest. “When are you leaving?”
The question was so out of the blue, his voice rippled with such anguish that I didn’t want to formulate an answer. I didn’t want to face what had been agonizing for days. “You know this can’t last. You don’t need a weakness.”
“That’s not what I asked you.” There was no emotion in his voice, merely a matter-of-fact question. He was so cold even though the sizzle of his body, the way his hard cock pushed hard against my belly was the same. The armor had been locked down, the key pitched away. I’d stolen a part of his heart that he would never recover from.
“I... I don’t know.”
Rafael closed his eyes, lowering his head very slowly.
I lifted mine, wanting nothing more than to feel the touch of his lips, the taste of him. When he merely kissed me on the cheek, breaking our connection and walking toward the back door, the loss was tremendous, gut-wrenching. I reached out, wanting nothing more than to call out to him, but I had no idea what to say.
Or how to make this work.
I felt shattered inside, incapable of processing anything else.
I watched as he leaned over the railing, studying the ocean as if it were a lifeline. I wanted to be that lifeline. Gathering what courage I had left, I walked outside, moving to within a few inches. The view was perhaps the most incredible location I’d ever seen. Could I make this my home? “I’m sorry, Rafael. I love you with my entire heart, but I know that your business is what you have to concentrate on and I respect that. I refuse to be a burden or a distraction.” I studied his pensive face, even wondering if he’d heard a word.
After a few seconds, he still remained quiet, his eyes never blinking.
Tears were the bane of my existence. I’d promised myself that after Lily’s death I’d never shed another one, but this man had broken through all my defenses. He’d seen me at my worst, a woman almost crumbling under the pressure of trying to be someone she wasn’t. I was such a fool.
I slipped away from the rail, biting back the deep sorrow.
“When I was younger, I truly believed that my father was a prominent businessman. He came and went from work every day, bringing home flowers for my mother and toys for his sons. He provided for us without question and I always felt his love. When I learned the truth, I was devastated. I hated him. Loathed him. I also couldn’t stand being a part of the family. I did everything I could to distance myself, but in the end, I realized how valuable family was. He never stopped loving me, although I made certain he knew every day how much I detested him.”
His words were frank, said with more emotion than I’d ever heard. I inched closer, my heart racing.
“He even allowed me my freedom to choose what I wanted out of life. I honestly hadn’t thought about that until you reminded me that we all have choices. You were right and I’m not sorry for making the ones that I did, which is why I want you to have a choice whether you want to stay or go.”
I wanted to scream out that I didn’t want to leave, but another round of fear was paralyzing. I stood silently, tears streaming down my face.
He turned to face me, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. “I am not an easy man to love nor am I am a good man. I’ve done some terrible things in my life and more will occur. While I can shield you from much of what I do and the people I work with, there is always a chance that you will be targeted or that you will see and hear things that are disturbing. I can’t lie about that nor will I apologize. That is my life and one I’ve chosen. But you need to know this, my sweet Savannah. You’ve given me the only true joy I’ve felt in my life for so long. You are the reason I enjoy waking up in the morning. You’ve reminded me how amazing it is to feel the sun on my face and hear the roar of the waves. Every glass of wine is sweeter, every food richer, every scent more incredible. You did that. You are responsible for showing me what life and love is all about.”
I was shaking, unable to stop the flow of tears. “Rafael.”
When he opened his eyes, there were tears in them, but there was also hope.
And love.
“I love you, Savannah, and I want you to stay, to be my wife. I want you to stand by my side through thick and thin, death and birth, including our children. I want to honor you, shower you with everything your heart desires. Without you, my life means nothing.”
Choices.
He’d given me the greatest gift of all—the ability to make my own decision. There were no perfect people or lives. There were no easy roads and money and power certainly couldn’t buy happiness. In this case, there were no rose-colored glasses that could be worn to hide what I could face or the horrors that might happen.
But I realized at that very moment that none
of it mattered. I didn’t care about perfect. I wasn’t afraid of the future.
I was simply a girl in love with a boy.
And I wanted more.
I wanted to become his wife.
“I love you. I need you. You are my everything.”
The look on his face was one of surprise melding into the dark volume of passion that electrified every part of me.
He cupped both sides of my face, pulling me onto my toes, his breathing scattered. “Are you certain?”
“Absolutely. There is nothing I want more.”
An array of emotions crossed his face, as if he was reliving his life, slowly allowing the armor to fall. When he crushed his mouth over mine, it was as if nothing could ever stand in our way. We were much stronger together, our hearts beating as one.
He growled as he pulled me closer, his fingers digging into my skin. As he thrust his tongue inside, the passion erupted, a fire that would never end.
Every part of me tingled as I pressed my palms against his chest, his heartbeat thudding against my fingertips.
The kiss became manic, his entire body shaking as he slid one hand down my back, cupping my buttocks. I wanted him inside of me. I couldn’t wait any longer. I moved my hands to his jeans, fighting until I was able to free his cock, refusing to take no for an answer. He might be in control, but on this day, I would have my way.
As I wrapped my hand around the base of his cock, he broke the moment of intimacy, throwing his head back and roaring. I stroked his shaft, twisting my hand until I created a wave of friction. I could tell he was on the edge, ready to devour me.
And I wanted nothing less.
His breathing continued to change, becoming more ragged as his mouth twisted out of frustration. When he lowered his head, the expression on his face was carnal. “You are mine. Forever mine.”
“Yes. Sir.”
“My sweet, beautiful Savannah.” There was no hesitation, no romantic prelude as he pushed me against the railing, using a single finger to rip off my panties.
Whimpering, I watched as they floated out toward the beach, skipping across the sand. As he kicked my legs apart, I took a deep breath, prepared for his savage touch, a man taking what belonged to him.
Lifting my dress, he gripped my hips, plunging the entire length of his cock inside. I closed my eyes as he powered into me, the strokes exactly like I craved.
“You’re still required to obey me,” he whispered huskily.
“Yes. I know, sir.”
“And you’re not getting out of your spanking. Not now. Not ever.” A dark chuckle slipped past his lips as he issued several hard strikes against my bottom.
Pain coursed through my system, delicious and tantalizing, further fanning the flames. With every brutal snap of his hand, every ravaging thrust of his cock, I felt more alive.
And home...
My mother had told me that there is no such thing as a perfect prince, that there was always a dark and mysterious side, but if I trusted my instinct, I would know true love.
And she’d been right.
My dangerous stranger, not only a man who’d saved my life but one who’d opened my heart.
The End
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More Stormy Night Books by Piper Stone
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Scarlet hid from the disturbing truth about herself, her family, and her town for as long as she could, but now her grandmother’s death has finally brought her back home to the bayous of Louisiana and at last she must face her fate, no matter how shameful and terrifying.
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If you’re forced to come to an arrangement with someone as dangerous as Jagger Calduchi, it means he’s about to take what he wants, and you’ll give it to him... even if it’s your body.
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Since her career was knocked off track in retaliation for her efforts to expose a sinister plot by high-ranking government officials, reporter Danielle Carver has been stuck writing puff pieces in a small town in Oregon. Desperate for a serious story, she sets out to investigate the rumors she’s been hearing about mysterious men living in the mountains nearby. But when she secretly follows them back to their remote cabin, the ruggedly handsome beasts don’t take kindly to her snooping around, and Dani soon finds herself stripped bare for a painful, humiliating spanking.
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I thought the Cenzan invaders could never find me here, but I was wrong. Three of the alien brutes came to take me, and before I ever set foot aboard their ship I had already been stripped bare, spanked thoroughly, and claimed more shamefully then I would have ever thought possible.
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