by Reilly, Cora
It was a hot May day with the sun shining down on us. Ryan was dressed in a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and suit pants but no jacket or tie, and I had chosen a short, sleeveless wedding dress with a high neck. The material of the skirt was smooth like silk but the body had beautiful embroidery. Ryan had asked me to wear a short skirt and no sleeves because he loved the lean muscle I’d worked hard for. Of course, the main reason why was that I could show off my two tattoos that way. They weren’t anything like his but Ryan still loved the splashes of color on my skin. Over the last six months I’d gotten two beautiful watercolor tattoos, red poppies across my ankle and lower calf, as well as a hummingbird in flight on my shoulder blade. They were pops of color against my white dress and pale skin. To my surprise, it hadn’t caused any kind of stir in the Famiglia. Maybe because Ryan and I were regarded as misfits anyway, or maybe because Gianna had joined me during my first tattoo session to get inked as well. Her much smaller tattoo had been the scandal of the last few months. Even Mom had hardly said anything about my body art, even though I knew she hated seeing me inked.
“You may kiss the bride.”
I smiled up at Ryan and he bent down. When our lips met, I knew everything that had led us to this point had been worth it.
Maximus and Primo chased each other through our small yard. At two and four, they were almost unstoppable, which was why Ryan and I would take them to an adventure playground in the afternoon. I did a quick workout on the patio as I watched them to make sure they didn’t injure themselves seriously.
Daisy and Buddy, our rescue pit bulls, slept on the lawn, between where the boys played and me, so they could protect us. We’d saved them from a fight-dog breeding factory at only four weeks old three years ago. Coco and Bandit had died only one week apart from each other mere weeks before the raid of the fight ring. Despite our sadness, Ryan and I had seen it as a sign. Not to mention that we didn’t want to live without dogs. Taking care of the tiny puppies in the beginning had been a twenty-four-hour job, which wasn’t easy considering Max had been a toddler and I had been pregnant with Primo, but Ryan and I had succeeded together and our dogs thanked us with utmost loyalty and love.
“Primo, no!” I called when he hit his brother. Max, of course, hit him back. Ryan was the only one who called our son Maximus. He had chosen both boy names. People had always looked down at him as a child and he wanted to make sure our boys didn’t suffer the same fate. For him a proud and strong name was a crucial key. When I’d seen how important the matter was for him, I’d given in under the condition that I’d choose a possible girl name, but I knew deep down that our family was complete with Max and Primo.
“Don’t make me come and get you,” I warned. They slanted me a look to see if I was serious. I was.
They started chasing each other again, almost stumbling over Buddy’s huge white body. Primo climbed on top of him. Buddy barely lifted his head but I had enough. I went over to my boys and they trotted toward me, knowing what was coming.
“The dogs aren’t toys. You can pet them and throw their ball, but you don’t climb them, don’t tug at their tails or ears, and don’t tease them. Understood?” My voice was stern.
They nodded. “Okay, Mommy,” they said as one, their amber eyes guilty.
I tousled their brown hair and sent them off again. Instead of continuing my workout, I sank down beside Buddy and Daisy. They both immediately put their heads on my crossed legs so I could pat them.
Max and Primo stopped and looked behind me. With huge grins, they dashed toward what they saw.
Growl
I’d spent the day dismembering a Bratva spy, had relished in his screams. Adrenaline still rushed in my ears like static when I got out of my pickup in the driveway of the small house Cara and I had bought shortly before Maximus had been born. I’d never much cared about a place, but this house, our home, held a special place in my heart.
Both our boys had been born here and Coco and Bandit had enjoyed their evening of life on the soft lawn. I had buried them in the soil of their favorite spot with my own hands.
I paused on the porch. I’d never cried over someone’s death as an adult, never mourned someone but to this day my chest ached when I remembered the summer my loyal friends died. The memory of that day crashed down on me as it did often on days of inner turmoil.
Bandit and Coco were thirteen years old. When I returned home from work, I found them in the yard in their favorite spot close to a maple tree. Cara grabbed my arm, Maximus asleep in the baby sling against her chest. “I don’t think it’s going to be long now.” Tears brimmed in her eyes.
I followed her gaze toward my furry friends who had both lifted their heads and were wagging their tails. Bandit had been diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago. We’d done everything we could. Now we made sure he wasn’t in pain.
I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I’ll stay with them. I won’t leave their side until—” I couldn’t say it. I didn’t have to.
I strolled toward them and sank down beside them, patting their old bodies. Bandit met my gaze and deep down I knew Cara was right. It was only a matter of hours, maybe less. Bandit had waited for me to return home. I lay down on the warm lawn, my arm wrapped around Bandit and Coco, who hadn’t moved from his side in days.
The sun soon set and the temperature began to cool, but I didn’t stir. My own needs seemed irrelevant as I stroked Bandit’s side. Cara had only briefly come over to give him a big piece of sausage with pain meds.
Soon I felt Bandit’s breathing slow, the fall and rise of his chest under my palm almost unnoticeable now. Coco snuggled even closer to him and then his breathing stopped. I kept stroking his chest, even though it had stilled. Coco let out a low whine. I stroked her ears and neck, trying to comfort her.
Wetness hit my cheek and I looked up, expecting rain until I realized I was crying. Neither Coco nor I moved from Bandit’s side until sunrise. Then I began digging a hole and buried my friend. Coco curled up on the grave and I stayed at her side, stroking her soft fur.
I reduced my workload drastically in the following days and Cara stayed with Coco whenever I couldn’t, but like Bandit, Coco waited until I was home before she too fell asleep forever in my arms on Bandit’s grave. I buried her beside him, so they’d forever be at each other’s side.
Taking a deep breath and dragging myself out of the past, I followed the joyful screams of the boys into the yard. The sight before me quieted the violent vibes in my body. Cara sat on the lawn with our dogs, and our boys played with each other.
They looked carefree and happy, something I’d never experienced as a child. Maybe that was why it had taken some convincing on Cara’s part before I could see that Maximus and Primo looked like me. They had my eyes and sharp features, but Cara’s hair color. My face as a boy had never been filled with so much joy, so recognizing my facial features in them took imagination.
Maximus and Primo spotted me at the same time, and before Cara who was petting Buddy and Daisy.
I opened my arms and squatted. Seconds later both boys flew into my arms, almost causing me to fall back. They were growing so fast. I stood, lifting them up.
Cara glanced over her shoulder and smiled. I walked over to her. Buddy and Daisy wagged their tails excitedly. Cara stood and pressed a kiss to my lips, searching my eyes. The darkness in them wouldn’t completely be gone yet. It took a while, especially after particularly brutal days like today. “Why don’t you play with the boys for a bit? Then I can finish my workout.”
I nodded, grateful that she knew I needed to take my mind off things and didn’t want to talk. With another smile, Cara turned and headed back to the patio with the dogs at her heels. She was dressed in only tight workout shorts and a tank, looking ready to be devoured.
“Carousel!” Maximus exclaimed, drawing my attention back to my boys.
I set Primo down despite his protest, grabbed Maximus’ hands and started spinning. Afte
rward, it was Primo’s turn. I kept playing carousel until I was dizzy and had to lie down, which the boys used to climb on top of me and try to tackle me.
Cara watched us for a long time until she finally went inside, probably to have a post-workout snack and take a shower.
Primo yawned and Maximus, too, looked tired. “Time for your afternoon nap.”
“No!” both cried but I picked them up and carried them inside. Soon they quieted.
Tiredness usually won out after we played together. The boys still shared a room because they slept better with company. Once they were both tucked in, I closed their door and stalked into Cara’s and my bedroom. The shower was still running and when I stepped into the bathroom, everything was fogged up. Cara’s eyes were closed as she let the water rain down on her. I shrugged out of my clothes and prowled toward her, my cock already hardening. Cara’s eyes peeled open a second before my fingers curled around her throat and my lips crashed down on hers for a harsh kiss. I pressed her against the tiles, my tongue thrusting into her surprise widened mouth and my cock digging against her stomach. Her nails trailing over my chest, she sank down. My fingers tangled in her hair and guided her head toward my cock. She took me into her mouth. I braced myself against the tiles, breathing harshly as I watched her work my length.
I pulled her to her feet and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my hips immediately. With a hard thrust, I impaled her on my length as I pressed her against the wall.
I lost all sense of time as I slammed into Cara and soon the violence of the day was nothing but a distant echo. When Cara’s muscles clenched around me and she came with a cry, I let loose as well. Eventually we both stood under the spray, breathing harshly, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Better?” Cara asked quietly.
“You and the boys are the antidote to my rage. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She took my hand and led me out of the shower. We towel dried quickly before we slipped into our bed. Cara stroked my chest. “You won’t ever be without us. You’re stuck with me and our boys.”
The End
Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles:
Luca Vitiello
(Luca’s POV of Bound By Honor)
Bound by Honor
(Aria & Luca)
Bound by Duty
(Valentina & Dante)
Bound by Hatred
(Gianna & Matteo)
Bound By Temptation
(Liliana & Romero)
Bound By Vengeance
(Growl & Cara)
Bound By Love
(Luca & Aria)
Bound By The Past
(Dante & Valentina)
Bound By Blood
(anthology)
The Camorra Chronicles:
Twisted Loyalties
(Fabiano & Leona)
Twisted Emotions
(Nino & Kiara)
Twisted Pride
(Remo & Serafina)
Twisted Bonds
(Nino & Kiara)
Twisted Hearts
(Savio & Gemma)
Twisted Cravings
(Adamo & Dinara)
Mafia Standalones:
Sweet Temptation
Fragile Longing
Contemporary Romance:
Only Work, No Play
Not Meant To Be Broken
Cora is the USA Today bestselling author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, the Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. She likes her men like her martinis—dirty and strong.
Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.