King of Hearts

by C. A. Szarek

  “Jamie? Your sister?”

  She nodded, but it was terse, obviously uncomfortable.

  A knock on the door interrupted them, and she popped to her feet as if she’d been shot.

  “Pizza.” Maddie all but ran to the door.

  Gio grabbed paper plates from the kitchen counter, and met her back at the couch, but the woman’s movements were still stiff and unnatural.

  What had he said this time?

  “Your sister’s moving in with you?” he asked. Anything to break the tense silence.

  She dropped a slice of pepperoni and cheese on his plate. She nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “Is something wrong?” he ventured after his first bite. He wanted to close his eyes as the flavors burst on his tongue, but he didn’t look away from Maddie.

  He loved Papa’s Pies. It was a small chain with a few stores in the Vegas area, and there was one right down the street.

  She shook her head, and reached for her beer.

  A few more quiet seconds passed, and she frowned. “Yeah, actually.”

  “What?”

  “Something is wrong.”

  “What?” Gio repeated, glancing at her face after two more bites. He needed another slice.

  “Who the hell is Marco Fratelli?”

  He groaned and dragged his hand down his face. “Mads—”

  “I ran his name and only came up with a little boy who died a long time ago. From a heart condition. He’s the son of the accountant for the Falcone crime family. Cesare Fratelli, the guy the FBI snagged, and sent me down here.”

  “Shit.” He should’ve known she’d be able to discover the same information he had in about two seconds.

  “Gio?”

  “I believe he’s the person responsible for the money laundering at The Giovanni.”

  Various emotions dashed across her pretty face at his confession.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but had to try more than once. “Why the fuck would you not tell me about the person you suspected committed the crime, to make your sister and father look guilty?” Her face was red again—part anger, part two beers—and all he wanted to do was claim her mouth.

  Gio made his smile lazy. “I thought you were tired, and didn’t want to talk about work? No case talk? Pizza and relax?”

  “Gio.” His nickname was all warning, and Maddie glared harder.

  “I needed to find out who he was first.”

  Which I still don’t know.

  “What the fuck for?” She punctuated her demand by bristling, and pushed to her bare toes. Her fists her at sides, but the movement made her breasts bounce. So distracting.

  His tongue was flooded with the memory of her clean skin and his cock went from half-interest to zipper bitten in a few seconds.

  Why was she so hot when she was mad?

  “You said I could prove my dad was innocent, so I was doing it my way. You knew I’d do that. I told you that this afternoon. Don’t act all shocked.”

  She narrowed her eyes so hard, if she’d been Superwoman he would’ve been incinerated on the spot. She had lasers, they just didn’t have murderous power.

  Thank God.

  For some reason, he wanted to cover his balls with both hands.

  “Why do you always make me want to kick the shit out of you?”

  “Why do you always make me want to kiss you?” Gio retorted.

  Maddie froze, and her gaze burned his again, but the desire that flared gave him hope she wouldn’t rip his junk off after all. “Gio.” His name was breathy on her lips, but her expression said she hadn’t wanted it to come out that way.

  He stood and took her hand, never breaking their eye contact. “Please, Mads. You said it. We can’t figure out the book tonight, and we can’t delve into who my sister’s fiancé really is until we go back to work. Do you want to do that tonight?””

  “No,” she admitted. Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip.

  He’d been so driven to discover the truth, hadn’t he?

  Why was he pushing her away from the case?

  Was Gio letting his dick do all the thinking?

  He sure as hell wanted it to do the acting, at least right now.

  He dipped down and took her mouth until she moaned and ground her hips against his.

  Then Maddie twined her fingers with his and dragged him to her bedroom.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Oh. Fuck.”

  Maddie’s fingers wandered down the goosebumps on his abs, and Gio trembled under her touch. “Do you want me to stop?” she whispered. A sharp intake of air next make her smirk.

  “Hell no.”

  “Damn good thing tomorrow’s Sunday.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’ve kept me up all night the last two days.” She gripped his cock, marveling at how he hardened against her palm. “So much for relaxing my first weekend here.”

  “You don’t find…this, relaxing?” He didn’t open his eyes as he asked, but the fact he was already panting from her touch made desire curl low in her belly.

  “Not exactly.” She grinned and started to pump him.

  They’d spent two blissful days in her bed, only leaving to seek fast-food, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  Then there’d been the takeout, since Maddie hadn’t made but one quick trip to the grocery store the day after she’d moved in. She only had the bare minimum in the cupboards and fridge. Coffee, sugar, creamer and some junk food. She’d need to do full food shopping before Jake and Jamie came into town, but she could do that…tomorrow.

  Jamie. Jake.

  She’d almost blurted it when he’d teased her about the TV being unplugged.

  Jesus.

  That would’ve been a nightmare.

  She buried her face in her pillow as the now-familiar guilt scorched her ass, because she still hadn’t told him about their seven-year-old. Time was ticking, and she was ignoring all manners of clocks.

  Gio and sex wasn’t how she’d seen herself spending her first weekend back in Sin City, ever, but Maddie couldn’t regret it.

  They hadn’t talked about the case much, either. They’d gone over the little book a bit more, but Marco Fratelli hadn’t been mentioned. They were in a little pheromone-filled cocoon until Monday. Somehow it was a relief she needed. Keeping reality at bay for as long as fate would allow.

  It was an odd sensation, going from case-obsessed to having it on some backburner she’d not known she’d possessed. How could she “not care” about it so suddenly?

  The man in her bed was going to ruin her.

  Gio’s laugh was cut off by a gasp. “Who’s…keeping who…up?”

  Maddie giggled. “Up is another one of those good words.”

  He didn’t speak, but then again, she didn’t blame him, since she slowed her pace, varying her grip.

  Tingles raced all over her body as his thick tip disappeared and reappeared in her hand.

  How she could be aroused when she was giving him pleasure was a wonder, because she’d never wanted to do what she was doing to any man other than Gio. Especially the next part.

  She scooted down the bed, lying across his long legs, resting her breasts on his thighs.

  He pinned her with those sapphire orbs. “Mads, you don’t—”

  Maddie sucked him into her mouth.

  “Shit, Maddie,” Gio panted. His powerful chest heaved as he struggled to breathe normally.

  She didn’t want him reined in.

  Maddie flexed her hand on his impressive erection and dragged her tongue around the underside of his tip.

  “Fuck. Me,” he gasped.

  She smiled against his shaft and glanced up. “I’m trying to make you feel as good as you made me feel with your mouth. More than once.” She squeezed him and tugged once for good measure.

  “You…are.”

  “Good.” She licked his entire length before taking him back inside her mouth.

  “Mads…” He cupped t
he back of her head, burying one of his huge hands in her hair and pulling. The tension on her scalp wasn’t painful, but just enough force to invigorate her attentions. He tangled his fingers in her locks, and his sac tightened. She loved it; all evidence he was losing control.

  She wanted him unbridled.

  Scream her name like he’d made her.

  Maddie moved up and down, taking all of him, rubbing her tongue on his most sensitive part—the underside of his thick head.

  He shifted his ass and tilted his hips as if he couldn’t help it, and she smiled again.

  “More, Gio,” she whispered against his dick, nipping at his skin. “I want all of you.”

  Her lover threw his head back in answer, and lifted his pelvis off the bed.

  She gripped his thighs and took all of him in her mouth, sucking hard as she moved up and down. Cupped his heavy sac and squeezed gently.

  Gio gasped and grunted. He grabbed one of her hands. “I’m close, Mads. You can stop.”

  Maddie shook her head and gripped the base of his erection. Squeezed and pumped harder. Ran her tongue around his tip again, and tasted the salty preview of his release.

  He grabbed at her shoulders, but she didn’t stop.

  His body went stiff, his muscles taut. He gripped her wrist almost painfully, but yelled her name as the warm rush of his orgasm filled her mouth.

  She swallowed every drop, stroking his thighs with one hand, and entwining their fingers with the other when he reached for her again.

  He’d barely popped free of her lips, when he yanked up to his chest, jarring her.

  Gio crashed his mouth into hers, pinning her to him and kissing her breath away.

  Maddie’s head spun, but she clung to him, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with all her might.

  When he ended it, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Damn, you blow me away.”

  She smiled and cupped his cheeks, thumbing his stubble, remembering the scratchiness against her inner thighs. It’d been heaven, heightening things. A tremor shot down her spine. “Good. I wanted to.”

  Gio kissed her again, and held her closely, wreaking havoc on her emotions.

  The oral sex had happened a few times this weekend. This was the first time she’d gone down on him, but he’d done it to her after they’d had phenomenal sex so many times she’d lost count. She really was going to be sore as hell, but she didn’t give a shit.

  It was after three a.m., and words regarding Jake still didn’t seem as if they would surface.

  Maddie told herself for the hundredth time to do it.

  She’d convinced herself after she rocked his world, she’d tell him.

  Now, as she looked at Nico Giovanni with his eyes closed and satiated contentment all over his gorgeous face, she couldn’t muster the whole truth.

  Guilt swirled low, jumping up to take a bite out of her heart.

  The feelings she’d had for this man from eight long years ago came slamming down so fast she couldn’t return them to the vault where they’d resided since he’d broken her heart.

  When he’d said the word ‘love’ in regards to going down on her, that first night he’d shown up at her place, she’d wanted to order him gone.

  It didn’t matter he’d been referencing oral sex, or a physical act in general. It’d hurt, because of how he’d said it.

  What it didn’t mean.

  Now I’m thinking crazy. I owe him the truth.

  Contradictory thoughts were bound to make her brain hurt.

  “Mads?”

  “Yeah?” When the word came out a croak, she cursed.

  Gio cracked one eye open. “You okay?”

  “Better than okay.”

  The truth was the truth, even if she hated it.

  Still not the truth I need to tell him.

  She couldn’t.

  That just made her feel guiltier.

  “You’re not kicking me out, are you?” Now both of those incredible eyes were open and pinning her with sincerity she wanted to ignore.

  “No. It’s late, why bother now? Besides, you stayed last night, why would tonight be different? We don’t have to work until Monday.”

  “No case talk, remember?”

  They’d agreed the weekend would be about them.

  His cell vibrated from her nightstand. Gio grabbed it, and silenced it without so much as a peek at the screen.

  He’d done that tons of times.

  “Are you sure you don’t have to get that?”

  “Nope.” He lifted the device again. “It’s off now.”

  “But it’s late, so it might be important.”

  “Don’t care.” His smile was serene, as if he’d really put everything on the back burner.

  Again, it swirled in her mind. How could she have not only agreed to put the case aside for a few days?

  Gio had agreed, too, even though his sister looked so guilty, and they hadn’t been able to figure out what the little book meant.

  It was still her case, her work. She’d always been driven to see things to the end. Without distraction.

  “Maybe I can talk you into letting me inside you once more?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  It wouldn’t take more than a simple kiss, but Maddie couldn’t admit that. “Don’t get cocky.”

  Gio winked. “No other way to be.”

  Her heart raced all over again, as if she was running a race.

  I’m so screwed.

  ****

  The buzzing sound repeated and Gio rolled over. He blinked to orient, but the unfamiliar sound didn’t click in his brain.

  He caught a whiff of something sweet on the pillow next to him. Something that’d been gone from his life for nearly a decade.

  Maddie.

  His Mads.

  He was in her bed.

  The woman who’d fled from him. The woman he should’ve chased.

  Flashes of the weekend danced across his memory and his dick jumped. He wanted her again, would always want her.

  Memories of her whirlwind arrival back into Vegas, and his life all seemed to coalesce, starting with that kiss in the storage room, to him showing up on her doorstep that first night, to serving the warrant and finding the book, crushing his sister.

  He wasn’t supposed to be thinking of the case. The pair of them needed the weekend off. Especially him, to quiet his headfuck. He’d needed her.

  She’d agreed without much protest, but then again, he’d always been great at distracting her. They’d looked at the little leather book to distraction and frustration, but had set it aside for carnal pursuits.

  They’d pick all the emails, phone calls, and demands back up on Monday. It would all hit—when it had to.

  He’d had two days in her bed, inside her body, but it was far from enough.

  This time…Gio wasn’t going to let her go.

  Had he made a decision to keep her in his life? How could he even go about it?

  Maddie had said her sister Jamie was going to move in with her, but other than that one mention over pizza Friday night, she hadn’t mentioned her again, and there’d been something weird about it. She’d stiffened as if she’d said the wrong thing. Or it was a secret.

  Why?

  Did Jamie at her place mean Maddie was staying in Vegas?

  He really should ask. They hadn’t had much time for talking.

  Damn…she’d been exquisite.

  Every. Single. Time.

  Better than he remembered. Made his balls ache with the mere recall; especially with her mouth on him, but he’d always had a great memory where Madison Granger was concerned.

  Maddie had shown him how a woman wanted to be touched, tasted and kissed. It’d always come naturally with them.

  Then again, the fire, the drive, the desire to possess each other had always been there.

  Gio had never had a lover like Maddie since then, and like that old Garth Brooks song, it wasn’t often he hadn’t thought of her, even whe
n he was having sex with someone else. Could be mid-act, as shitty as that made him.

  The infernal buzzing repeated, this time it was intermittently short and long, like someone was laying on a—

  “Fucking doorbell,” he spat and swung his feet over the side of Maddie’s bed. “Mads?” he called. He paused, but didn’t get an answer.

  She wasn’t in bed.

  Gio could hear water running from her bathroom. Why had she showered without him? They could’ve had fun in there.

  Over the last two days, they’d showered together several times. This was the first one she’d taken solo. Then again, they’d had sex under the steamy spray every time. Maybe Maddie just wanted to get clean. She’d always been a girly girl who’d loved a long session with hot water.

  Her cell on her nightstand vibrated madly, and at the same time, the doorbell buzzed again.

  The phone quieted only to start the routine over again.

  He did the math and cursed. Whoever was calling was likely at the door, but he didn’t get nosy and peer at her screen.

  Gio scanned the room to locate clothing. He whipped his jeans off the tan carpet and shoved his legs into them, not bothering with his boxers, but he made sure to tuck his boys in to avoid the zipper. Haste could make for ouch on the frank and beans.

  He didn’t bother with a shirt or shoes. “Guess I’ll get the door,” he muttered and stomped his way there, running his hand through his hair.

  Two turns of a deadbolt and doorknob’s lock, and he whipped thing open, prepared to bark at whoever dared bother her on a Sunday. The inconsiderate ass.

  Eyes that matched Maddie’s went so wide the whites showed. The girl’s arm drifted away from her face, going limp with a cellphone in her grip. This had to be Jamie, the younger sister.

  She was blonder than Mads, but he didn’t think it was from a bottle. Pretty, with a youthfulness to her cheeks that put her under twenty-five. Despite the multiple mentions even back then, they’d never met. She was the younger version of Maddie.

  “Uhhh…” she said.

  Gio’s urge to yell dissipated. Movement behind her caught his attention.

  A little boy regarded him, head tilted to one side, staring with eyes just as wide.

  Jamie’s presence made sense, since Maddie had mentioned her sister was moving in, but who was the child?