She narrowed her eyes at him. “You promise?”
Shane cupped her chin awkwardly, since his arm was still around her. “I’m a lot of things, Mia—a criminal and a murderer—but I’m not a liar. Got it? I give you my word, and you have no reason to doubt it.”
Staring into his eyes, it was easy to see his sincerity, and she nodded. “Okay.” Staring at him, it was also easy to see his exhaustion, and she wriggled away. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
His eyes sparkled, and he stood up with more energy than she’d expected, judging from his pallor. “Ready for round-two, love?”
She rolled her eyes. “I think you mean round-three for you, love.” The endearment felt strange on her tongue, but resonated with her in a way she couldn’t deny. “At your age, another round is asking too much.”
He smirked. “Wanna bet?”
She couldn’t help sneaking a peek at his cock, surprised to find it was already half-mast again. Mia forced aside thoughts of pleasure and put her hand on his uninjured arm. “Maybe later, stud. Right now, you need rest, so get in that bed.”
He scowled, but didn’t fight too hard as she urged him to cross the room and slip under the comforter. Mia was surprised by the whirling emotions filling her. Tenderness, passion, concern, and even a hint of nurturing were an emotional maelstrom inside her as she pulled the covers over him and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
“What, no bedtime story?” he mocked, though he seemed to be as puffed as a peacock under her gentle ministrations.
“Shut up and go to sleep before I muzzle you.” She cast a glance around his room. “You claim there’s no Red Room around here, but I’ll bet it wouldn’t be too hard to dig up a ball gag in this place.”
He laughed softly, even as his eyes closed. His lashes were dark smears against his pale skin, and she worried he had exerted himself too much. She couldn’t regret their reconciliation, but she feared they had done too much too quickly.
She curled up beside him in the bed, finally letting herself feel her own aches and pains from Wallace’s abuse, followed by the somewhat rough passions from Shane. Her bottom ached with a hint of tenderness, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. Most of her discomfort would quickly fade, and she knew she would be ready for lovemaking the next time Shane was up for it.
And wasn’t that a strange turn of events, to discover the word lovemaking really applied to what they were doing, at least when they weren’t fucking like lusty animals? Admitting her love had been humbling and terrifying, but hearing he felt the same way had the opposite effect. It was reassuring to know he was just as freaked out by the intensity of his emotions as she was. Their relationship was a train wreck to anyone examining it critically, and she didn’t doubt others would be horrified if they knew the full truth.
How had she fallen in love with the man who had abducted her? Even now, knowing she felt that way, Mia still questioned how it had happened. It wasn’t normal or natural, and she supposed she should still try to escape. As she snuggled closer to Shane, content with the warmth of his body against hers, she wasn’t even tempted.
Did it matter if anyone could understand the complexity of their relationship? Did she care if society approved of her loving such a dark and dangerous man? Mia tried to count the fucks she might give and decided it was zero. All that mattered was if she could accept all of him, both the light and the dark. She wanted him badly enough to love a bad man—especially knowing he wasn’t fully a terrible man. Doing bad things didn’t make you a completely bad person anymore than doing good things made you a saint.
Her stepbrother was a perfect example of that, with his twisted games. He funded domestic abuse charities and contributed to a shelter for abused children while sexually abusing an underage girl under his power. He donated to a group dedicated to helping freed sex slaves rebuild their lives, all while running multiple brothels and strip clubs staffed by enslaved men and women. He was the worst person she knew, with a core of pure evil, and she didn’t believe that was an exaggeration.
She wasn’t trying to fool herself into thinking there was a tarnished halo under Shane’s horns. He was still a wicked devil, but it didn’t matter. He made her feel too good for him to be all bad. A brief flash of Wallace falling to the ground invaded her memories, but she blinked it away. He had deserved it, and she would have gladly killed him herself.
Was Shane turning her into someone she didn’t recognize or simply helping her strip away the layers of bullshit and self-deception she had used to convince herself she was a morally upright woman who just had the misfortune of being a mob boss’s daughter? Had he been the catalyst for negative changes or blasted away her mask of naiveté?
Casting a glance at him, she decided she didn’t have any fucks to give for that either. Whether he had transformed her or just peeled back layers, she found her new state liberating. Mia wasn’t about to start digging into the mafia lifestyle or waving around a gun. She had no plans to become a player in the criminal underworld or orchestrate illegal activities. She was just at peace with her history and her choice of men for the first time ever.
* * *
Shane’s ringtone woke her sometime later. Mia stretched across the bed to grab it before it could wake him. Without looking at the caller ID, since she wasn’t likely to recognize anyone’s number, she said, “Hello,” in a husky rasp.
“Who’s this?”
“Mia.”
“Ah.” The deep male voice was rich with recognition. “You’re the thorn in my side, huh?”
She frowned. “Since I don’t even know you…” Leaving the rest of the sentence unuttered, she tapped her fingers against the bedding in an attempt to rein in her impatience.
“Let me talk to Shane, honey.”
She glanced at her lover, able to see him easily in the dim lighting provided by the lamp she hadn’t turned off before falling asleep. He slept deeply, a soft snore escaping him periodically. “Sorry, but he’s sleeping.”
There was a brief pause before the man spoke again, sounding stunned. “Then wake his ass up.”
She scowled at the person on the other end of the line. “He’s recovering from a gunshot and needs his rest.”
“The gunshot is why I need to talk to him, Miss Kasilli.”
“It can wait.” She spoke crisply, firm in her resolve not to waken him.
He made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a laugh. “Do you know who I am?”
“No.”
“Patrick Murphy. I’m Shane’s boss.”
“Oh.” She almost bit her lip before remembering the sore spot. Mia softened her tone. “I’ll let him know you called when he’s up to dealing with it.”
“Are you seriously going to—”
“Thanks for calling.” Before he could finish his sentence or launch into an angry tirade, she hung up the phone and switched it to silent.
After dealing with that annoyance, she curled up next to Shane again. As he slept, an idea bloomed in her mind until she was chuckling aloud, albeit softly to keep from waking him.
Propping her chin on her hand, she looked at him, noting his pallor was gone, and his face looked less angular. He was probably up to what she had in mind, as long as she was careful.
Chapter Sixteen
Shane woke abruptly due to a twinge in his chest. Before he could fully open his eyes, Mia was bending over him. He opened his mouth automatically when she stroked his lips, and a bitter pill hit his tongue. Grimacing, he took the water she held for him to swallow it down. “What’s that?”
“Your pain pill. I read the instructions on the bottle.”
He frowned. “I hadn’t planned to take anymore of those things.”
Her expression came into focus as she bent nearer, and she looked like a cross between a nurse and a drill sergeant. “Tough. You need to recuperate, and you’ll heal faster if you control your pain levels.”
He chuckled. “Bossy little wench, aren’t you?”
She lifte
d a shoulder. “Besides, I figured you might need one after certain vigorous activities…and what’s waiting for you.”
Intrigued, he started to sit up and froze when his hand refused to move from the bed. Turning his head, he was shocked to see his good hand fixed to the headboard with one of his own ties. He tugged lightly, and then forcefully, but remained bound. “What the hell is this, Mia?”
“A reminder.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Of what?” Her grin was playful, but with a hint of naughtiness that made him a bit…nervous? Anxious? Excited? He wasn’t sure.
“Ownership.” Her fingers were soft as they stroked down his cheek before flitting across his lips. “Specifically mine over you.”
He tugged at the tie again. “This isn’t funny, Mia.”
Her grin widened. “Really? Because I’m enjoying myself immensely.” Her hand was firm on his arm when he tried jerking away from the silk binding him. “Just calm down before you hurt yourself again, love.”
Uncertainly, he stopped fighting the tie, eyeing her warily as she bent over him. Her fingers pressed lightly against his lips, and he parted to let them inside.
“These lips are mine.” Mia pressed gently against the sensitive skin inside his mouth before darting her fingertip across his tongue.
It was surprisingly sensual, and he grasped the digit between his teeth gently as he sucked. Her eyes closed, indicating she enjoyed the sensation, and he couldn’t deny the view of her breasts heaving as she sighed with contentment made the endeavor more appealing for him.
She leaned closer, pulling her fingers from his mouth as her lips brushed against his. “If I want to kiss them, that’s my right.” With firmer pressure, she deepened the kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth.
Shane tried to control the kiss by pinning her tongue against his cheek. Sharp pain prickled his scalp when she tugged on his hair in a punishing manner. He glared at her, not letting his amusement show at her unrepentant expression.
“If I want that tongue inside me, that’s my right too.”
“Anytime, baby,” he said meekly. “Untie me, and I’ll show you.”
She rolled her eyes, clearly not fooled by his quick acquiescence. Her mouth moved from his, and he shivered when she drew her tongue down his chin and across his chest. Shane’s breath hissed between his teeth when she raked her nails across one of his nipples.
“That’s mine.” She flicked the other one gently. “That one too. This chest and stomach is mine.” Her hand splayed across his abdomen, which fluttered under her fingers. “If I want to run ice over your skin before covering it with hot wax, I will. I own every inch of you.”
He transmitted a warning with his gaze as he said, “Try that, and you’ll be sorry.”
Mia stuck out her tongue at him before drifting lower.
It felt like electrical jolts shooting through his body wherever her mouth touched. He groaned when she paused less than an inch above his cock to lick an abstract pattern on his flesh. “Mia, don’t tease me.”
She looked up at him with an expression that was somehow innocent and seductive at the same time. “This spot is mine, and I really like it. I think I might spend a long time here, hovering just above your penis.”
He gasped when she took his erection in hand, lifting his hips to feel more of her velvet grip.
“Or maybe not. This cock is mine, and I will have access whenever I want. That’s my right.” She squeezed him before bending her head to run her tongue across the slit in the tip. “I won’t let you keep me from what’s mine.”
He groaned as she took him into the depths of her mouth, both from the pleasure and recognizing the paraphrasing of his own words now turned against him. Fuck, she was trying to kill him.
His eyes widened when she slipped her hands underneath him to cup his buttocks. “Don’t even—”
Mia laughed. “Or what, love? You’re at my mercy, and this ass is mine.” She squeezed his cheeks. “I own every part of you, including your sweet bum.” Her thumb dipped lightly between his cheeks, and she seemed to thrill in the way he clenched his muscles to try to block her out.
“Stop right now, Mia.”
She ignored his warning as she squeezed his cheeks again before whacking him across one with enough force to sting. “Since this ass is mine, I’ll do what I want with it.”
His eyes widened with a frisson of anxiety when she held up one of his belts. “You will pay for whatever you do to me, baby girl.”
She grinned, looking unconcerned. “Maybe, but it would be worth it. If I want to stripe my property and leave my mark on this taut ass, that’s my right.”
“When I get loose, I’m going to spank you and then fuck you.”
She dropped the belt. “Oh, that sounds like a good idea.” In seconds, she had shifted so she was above him, her pussy hovering at the tip of his cock. “This is my cock, and I can have it whenever and wherever I want. If I want you to take it out and fuck me on a table at the most crowded restaurant in town, that’s my right.”
He groaned, both from exasperation and the mental image her words produced. “You can have my cock whenever you want, Mia.”
“Now’s good.” She slowly sank onto him, her eyes squeezed shut, and her hands gripping the dusting of hair across his chest. “I take care of what’s mine, you know.”
Shane groaned at the liquid silk enveloping him, thrusting his hips upward as she circled her pelvis and grinded against him. He could never get enough of her sweet cunt. Even their role reversal, where she thought he was at her mercy, was a game he didn’t mind playing if the payoff was being buried inside her as she rode him.
Mia cupped her own breasts and pulled her nipples as she bounced up and down his shaft. Each time she flexed her inner muscles, he moaned and increased his pace, until he was almost ramming into her. He knew they would both be sore in the morning, but he couldn’t hold back.
His dick hardened inside her as she came with a small gasp that turned into his name. Shane let go, spilling inside her as his erection twitched with release. He grunted and surged upward as she pressed down against him, the spasms in her sheath urging him to keep coming. He hadn’t had this many orgasms in one night since he was in his early twenties. Back then, he’d had the stamina to reload quickly, but the cost had been a hair trigger. With Mia, he had control and the ability to go again after a brief rest.
“You’re going to be the death of me, babe.” He groaned as she slipped off him and took time to untie his wrist before sprawling beside him. For a second, he was tempted to pin her beneath him and show her he was the one in charge, but he hesitated.
In reality, he was completely at her mercy. She had him wrapped around her finger, and she could do any damn thing she wanted to him. For example, the tie had loosened enough for him to slip his hand free about the time she’d been teasing him with that belt, but he’d played along, deciding to surrender to her and let her have the illusion of ownership.
But it was no illusion. The petite woman in his arms owned him as much as he owned her, and it was both humbling and awe-inspiring to have that epiphany and not want to run away screaming from the vulnerability it imposed. He couldn’t live without her. That realization came before another. He’d never actually spoken the words in return. He’d plotted and planned to get her to fall in love with him, all the while intending to remain aloof and immune.
He had fallen into his own trap. Shane laughed, earning a puzzled look from her. “I just realized something.”
“Oh?”
“I love you, Mia.”
She blinked, her obvious confusion deepening a bit. “Uh, yeah, I thought we established that earlier?”
He pulled her closer with his good arm. “Yeah, except I didn’t say the words, and I hadn’t yet admitted them to myself.” Feeling a bit ashamed, he confessed, “I set out to make you fall in love with me so you’d stay without protest, but I was an idiot.”
“Why?” There was a hint o
f hurt in her voice, but maybe hope too.
“I thought I could remain immune and not love you back.” He sighed, but it was a reflection of his contentment. “I didn’t understand that I fell for you the moment I saw you in that restaurant, baby girl.” He had been a lost cause from the second he set eyes on her, and he was surprisingly at peace with that fact.
“Oh,” she said again, this time sounding much more content as she cuddled closer.
He’d never been a snuggler, or had much use for women to linger in his bed after sex, but it was nice holding her. Shane let his eyes close and surrender to the pull of the drowsiness from the pain pills, now that the post-coital euphoria was fading from his system. A small smile curved his lips as she stretched and put her arm across his stomach. Life was good, even with a gunshot wound and the war with Peretti. She was worth all of it, and more.
Chapter Seventeen
Their idyllic interlude lasted three days before reality intruded. Mia and Shane had spent most of the time in his suite, making love, talking, watching movies, and learning how to be a couple without all the baggage they had each dragged into the relationship.
That morning as they slept in after a late night, his phone woke them a little after ten a.m. Mia intercepted it first, hoping to screen his callers. “Hello?”
“I need Shane. Now. No bullshit this time, Mia.”
Murphy’s voice brooked no argument, and she reluctantly passed the phone to Shane. He had been looking much better, but his skin paled as the conversation progressed, and he looked sick. Shane’s side of the conversation was brief, concluding with, “I’ll be there soon.”
After he hung up, he started to get out of bed. Mia put a hand on his arm. “Do you really have to go?”
He nodded abruptly. “Peretti bombed Kilkearny’s Pub, Mia. Several of our people died in the blast, and there are feds crawling all over the place. We can’t hide this one, or pay off the right people. I have to deal with things.” Shane’s mouth compressed, and he scowled. “Peretti has to disappear. No more of this shit.”
MAFIA: Dark Romance Collection Page 16