by Mae Doyle
Telling him that he won’t have to see me again makes me feel sick, but I don’t have time to worry about how I feel about him right now. My energy needs to be focused on getting out of here. I don’t know how, but I have to convince him that I’m not a threat. If he thinks that I am…well, he may never let me out of here.
“See, Eva, I’d like to believe that, but I don’t know that I can.” He turns back to me, his mouth a hard line, his dark eyes murky. He looks exhausted, but that doesn’t make him any less terrifying. “If you leave here and tell someone what’s going on then you could ruin everything, do you understand that?”
I nod furiously and force myself to my feet. He has to know that I’m serious. I don’t know how to convince him that I’m not a threat, but if I don’t…
I could die. He could kill me. Even though I don’t want to, I can’t help but imagine his large hands wrapping around my throat and squeezing until I can’t breathe. Or maybe he’d shoot me. Without meaning to, I glance down at his shoes, looking for drops of blood. How in the hell would he kill me?
Or would he have someone else do it for him?
The thought of young Johnny killing me makes my head hurt and I feel the burning of tears at the corners of my eyes.
“Get some rest, Eva,” he tells me, turning away. “I’ll send Johnny in with a book.”
“Wait, Roque!” Stumbling forward, I grab his arm and pull him so that he has to turn around and look at me. “I promise you, I won’t say anything! Just let me go! Let me out of here, I have to get to my apartment. I have to talk to work, I have to – ”
He cuts me off. “You’re not doing a good job making your case, sweet Eva.” When he peels my fingers from his arm, I feel my heart drop into my chest. He doesn’t believe me. Even though my apartment is shitty and my job sucks, there’s no way that I want to give them up.
“No, wait – ” I begin, but I don’t get anything else out.
Before I can make him another promise, he’s gone. The door clicks locked behind him and at the sound, my heart sinks. I really can’t see a way out of this right now. I’m really and truly screwed, and if I can’t get him to see that I’m not a threat, then I’m dead, too.
Chapter 14
Roque
Fuck. As soon as I close the door on Eva’s pleas, I lean against it, trying to control my breathing. I don’t know what it is about her that’s gotten under my skin so bad, but now that I’ve had some of her, I don’t know that I’m going to be able to survive without her.
I just don’t know how the fuck to get her to shut up about what she’s seen and experienced with my family. Even though I’m willing to do anything for her, I can’t imagine that the rest of the family will be.
They’re great people, but they’re not willing to put up with her bullshit, especially if there’s even an inkling that she’s going to do something that would get any of us in trouble.
But I can’t worry about that right now. I find Johnny, who has passed out in a chair in the living room and shake him awake before stumbling down the hall to find an empty bedroom for myself. After a quick nap, I really want to get back to my own place today. A shower and a fuck sound amazing, and I can’t help but grin to myself as I pull a blanket over me.
The thought of Eva’s sweet little cunt is always going to make me smile, but first I have to figure out how to keep her from running her damn mouth.
By the time I wake back up, my stomach is rumbling, and when I look at the clock, I see that it’s after lunch.
“What the fuck?” I ask the empty room, flipping my blanket back. There’s no reason for the family to let me sleep this late, especially not when we have so many things to deal with. I stumble out of the bedroom, rubbing my eyes, and walk down the hall to the kitchen. It’s the heart of the home, just like it is for any real Italian family, and I know that I’m going to find Ma there, at least.
Sure enough, when I turn into the kitchen, she looks back at me from the stove, a smile on her face. “There he is. Roque, you’re hungry, I can tell. Have a seat and let me make you something to eat.”
I want to argue and find out where everyone else is first, but my stomach gives me away and I slide into the chair she’s pointed to. Ma knows best, and there’s no reason to argue with her.
She doesn’t speak again until she slides a plate with huge meatballs and pasta across the counter to me. The sauce smells amazing and is still bubbling a bit when I cut my meatball with my fork and spear a piece.
“You need to eat something, Roque. Everyone else already has, but Pop wanted you to get a little more sleep. He said that you needed to be able to think clearly if you were going to make good decisions.” This is the most that she’s said to me about any business with Eva, and I don’t push her. She and I both know that I’m not going to get any more information out of her. She’s said her piece and is going to move on.
“Thanks, Ma,” I tell her, taking a drink of the water she hands me. I don’t know how she does it, but even when everything feels like shit, she somehow makes things not as terrible.
To my surprise, she pulls out the chair next to me and sits down. We’re alone in the kitchen, without anyone to hear us, but I still kinda feel like this is something that we could both get in trouble for.
“Listen to me, Roque. She seems like a nice girl. I met her and I like her, but you don’t want to do anything stupid. Your family loves you. I love you.” It’s uncharacteristic of her to talk this openly and I pause, mid-chew, and eyeball her.
“What has Pop said?”
She shakes her head, her lips pursed, and I know right away that I shouldn’t have even asked. The only reason that she and Pop have made it this far without major problems is because she knows to keep her mouth shut and look the other way when necessary.
Ma may not know all of the things that we do, but she knows that being quiet is key to keeping her family alive. And as we all know, family comes first.
I just can’t help but think that maybe Eva could be my family. I mean, I know that it’s stupid to think that, she’s just a piece of ass that I’ve buried myself in twice, but there’s something about her. She’s got a fighting spirit that makes me think she could be a good match for me.
But first we have to make sure she’s going to make it out of here alive.
Even though I’ve only eaten half of my plate, I suddenly lose my appetite, and I push back from the counter. “Thanks, Ma,” I tell her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. She doesn’t respond, and I turn away, back down the hall. Eva’s in there, alone, and she and I need to have a fucking heart-to-heart if we’re going to make it through this.
Just the thought of her not being in my life squeezes my heart, and I shake my head at myself. When did I get so fucking soft? She’s just a broad, but for some reason it feels like there’s something a little more special about her.
Johnny’s sitting in a chair outside her door, just where he should be to keep an eye on her. She put on a show earlier trying to get out the window, he told me, but hopefully by now she knows that the only way out of here is through me. Or with me. Her choice.
I don’t bother to knock before opening the door. Eva probably knows that she has no privacy here, and I don’t want her to get the wrong impression that she’s some kind of special guest. The thought of walking in on her naked makes my cock hard and I grin as I swing open the door.
She gasps as the door swings open and sits up from where she’s stretched out on the bed. Grinning at her, I stroll in, my arms full of the bags that were left outside the door. That was one thing that I’d asked before I took a nap – someone needed to go shopping for Eva.
Gina and Kelly were all too happy to take the black Amex and hit the stores. I have a distinct feeling that any of the clothes I’m about to offer my sweet Eva are going to be a hell of a lot nicer than what she has hanging in the closet.
“Roque?” Just the way her mouth puckers to form my name makes it hard for me to walk. I
don’t bother hiding the way my cock is pressing against the front of my pants, though. I want her to see what she does to me. Eva deserves to know how hard she makes me, even though I can’t take her right now.
“What is all of that?” She scoots to the edge of the bed, her eyes locked on my face. I love that she’s looking at me, not at the bags of clothes, which is where most people would look. But my sweet little Eva isn’t like most people.
“I sent some wives out shopping for you. You wanted to shower, so we’ll do that and then you can get changed.” Tossing the bags so they land next to her on the bed, I reach out for her hand. She hesitates and then takes it, slowly standing up.
“Thank you. I promise you, I’ll pay you back when I’m out of here. I just have to work some more shifts and I know that I’ll be able to pay you back, okay?”
Now I can’t help but laugh. There’s no way my sweet little Eva could ever pay me back working as a waitress. “You’re kidding, right?” I ask her. “Look at it, sweetheart.”
She turns and I watch as her eyes grow wide and her face pales. The top bag is from Chanel. Under it are bags from Burberry, Hermes, and Gucci. I’d told the wives to pick her up some makeup and other toiletries as well, and I can guarantee that they didn’t come from Walmart.
“I can’t accept this,” she says, turning back to me. “There’s no way that I can take all of this, because there’s no way that I can pay you back.”
I ignore her and scoop her up into my arms, pulling her close to my chest and heading out the door for the bathroom. She can protest all that she wants, but she and I both know that this stuff is for her and there’s not a damn thing that she can do about it.
“Roque, I’m serious,” she says as soon as I put her down in the bathroom. “You can’t think that I’m going to be okay taking all of that from you, right?”
“Eva, I don’t care if you’re okay with it or not. You need to shower and you need to change clothes. We’re going to do that now and then you and are going to talk. Don’t you think that it’s time we get some things figured out?”
She juts out her chin and crosses her arms, looking the world like a petulant teenager. “I just want to go home.”
I laugh, but it’s hollow, and her eyes widen at the sound. “Darling, listen. You’re under my protection now, and you need to understand that going home is possibly the stupidest thing that you can do. You think that the guy last night wasn’t watching us? You think that he wasn’t relaying information back to the person who hired him. I guaran-fucking-tee you, Eva, they know everything about you.”
“What?” She steps back and grabs onto the edge of the sink. Even though she’s still favoring her hurt ankle, I notice that when she’s really stressed out it’s almost like she doesn’t realize how bad the pain still is. “You can’t keep me away from my apartment.”
Yeah, I did research on her apartment building. There’s absolutely nothing there that she could possibly miss. “Eva, I’m going to do whatever I have to do in order to keep you alive, and right now that means that I need to keep you the fuck away from your apartment. Is that too hard for you to understand? You want to be tied back up on the bed?”
Part of me is hoping that she does want to be tied back up, but only because I love the thought of my sexy little Eva tied down with no way to get away from me. My cock hasn’t stopped throbbing since I burst into her room, and I wouldn’t mind getting it wet right now.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” she says, backtracking quickly. Her eyes dart around the bathroom before landing back on me. She sighs. “Okay, Roque. I trust you.”
I raise an eyebrow. That’s the first time I’ve heard her say that and I can’t help but wonder if she’s trying to pull something over on me. If I can get her to trust me then I can keep her safe. She may not realize that yet, but that’s my only goal.
Well, that and to have her to myself.
“Okay. Good. Now strip down and let’s get you clean.” She squeaks out a protest but I ignore her and lean into the shower, turning the water on high. It’s a huge walk-in shower, with a seat in the corner, so she’ll be able to easily sit under the spray and wash herself. She peeks in at the space but doesn’t move to strip.
I sigh. “What’s the problem, Eva?”
Color floods her cheeks and I love that I have that effect on her. “I don’t know that I want you to see me naked.”
This time, when I laugh, it’s full and loud. Thank God Ma is the only other person in the house right now, or I’m sure that my laughter would bring them all running, and I don’t want anyone else to get a peek at my naked girl.
“I’ve cum in you twice, Eva, and you’re worried about me seeing you naked? Here, I’ll help you.” Before she can stop me, I grab her shirt and pull it over her head. It’s been through a lot since her shift last night and it tears off easily, leaving her naked and panting.
“Hey, no!” She cries, making a feeble attempt to grab the shirt from my hand. When I hold it in the air above her head she smiles.
For fuck’s sake, she’s smiling.
God, I think I’m falling for this broad, and I don’t know how to stop it.
Chapter 15
Eva
Sometimes, when I’m really tired and unable to think straight, I think that things are funny even if they’re not. I laugh when I’m uncomfortable, and I tend to smile to make myself feel better.
But sometimes, even when things are shit, I manage to find something funny in the situation, and I think that that’s what’s going on right now. I mean, I’m naked, standing in a steamy bathroom with the sexiest guy I know, and apparently his captive?
Geez, none of the romance novels that I read when I was younger have prepared me for this, but I can’t help but admit that it’s kinda hot.
Okay. It’s really hot. I don’t know what this means for me, and I sure as hell don’t know what it means for the two of us – if there even is a two of us – but I do know that out of all of the people in the world, Roque is the only one who makes me feel safe.
And not just now, when apparently I may be on the hit list of someone who wants to hurt him, but in my entire life. My ex certainly never made me feel safe like this, and my dad wasn’t really around to take care of me, but Roque?
Well, if I didn’t know that he killed people and had me tied to a bed, he’d be my knight in shining armor, but we all know that they’re not real.
So what is he?
Whatever he is, the way he’s looking at me right now is making it really hard for me to concentrate. As I watch, he drops my shirt to the ground. It flutters down, and I have plenty of time to reach out and grab it from the air, but I don’t want to.
My core is heating up and I feel myself getting wet. Last night, there was a ton of his family in the house, and I have no idea if they’re still here or not, but I don’t care. I want Roque.
That’s not entirely true. I need him. I need him to make me feel safe, and whole, and cared for, and if his entire family hears us doing that in the bathroom then I honestly don’t care.
What has happened to me?
Locking my eyes on his, I slide my hands across my stomach and rest them on my hips. He raises an eyebrow, but his eyes are locked on mine and he doesn’t move. My hands feel like they’re on fire. My skin is so hot that just touching myself is almost enough to make me scream. All of my nerves are begging for Roque to touch me.
Even though the steam from the shower is warm, it’s still cool enough in the bathroom that my nipples immediately harden. I can feel how wet I am when I shift my legs, and my core is burning up for Roque to touch me.
What is he waiting on?
He still doesn’t move, although I see a flash of interest cross his face, and when I glance down at his pants, I can tell that he’s really interested. I swear, my mouth waters a little at the sight of his cock pressing through the front of his pants.
I’ve never wanted anyone the way that I want Roque right n
ow, and the fact that he’s not touching me is killing me. Without thinking about what I’m doing, I reach out and take his hand, drawing it between my legs. He sucks in a breath as his fingers stroke my folds, but he doesn’t move.
It isn’t until I step closer to him, hobbling on my bad ankle, and press my body against his that he really responds. It’s like I break down a barrier when I do this, and he suddenly reaches out and grabs me by the hip, pulling me closer to him to kiss him. His cock presses into me through his jeans and he plunges his fingers into my wet heat, making me gasp and then moan.
“You hungry, little Eva? Your cunt need a good deep fucking this morning so that you can really concentrate on what’s important?” His voice is a low growl in my ear and it makes goosebumps pop out on my body, but I nod for him.
God, yes, I want him, and I hope that I’m not going to hell for wanting to fuck the guy who’s holding me captive. My wrists are still sore from being tied to the bed, but I don’t even care right now. All I can think about are the way his hands feel as they travel up and down my body.
It’s like my skin is on fire. Wherever he touches me, there’s a sharp bolt of electricity and I wiggle closer to him, wanting to feel all of him. When I reach up and start to unbutton his shirt, he stops, pushing me away.
“Do you not want me?” My face is burning as hot as my core. If he doesn’t give me the release that my body is crying out for, then I don’t know what I’m going to do.
When he grins at me and starts to unbutton his shirt, I feel myself relax. I’m all twisted up inside, but each button he unbuttons makes me come a little more undone. My clit throbs for him and I reach down, softly rubbing myself as I wait on him.
His eyes widen and he sucks in a breath. “Listen, Eva, that’s for me to do. You just stand there and wait like a good girl, do you understand?”