“From Dumpling House?” I squealed, throwing myself in his arms.
“Of course.” He gave me a quick squeeze before setting me back on my feet. “It’s your favorite after all.”
“I think he’s my favorite of the bunch,” Landon whispered in my ear, one of his hands slid down my back while the other stretched out to shake Gabe’s hand.
I did quick introductions, pointing everyone out to him before I followed my nose and headed into the kitchen. The counter was covered with dishes piled high with dumplings, all kinds of them. Pan fried and steamed. I hugged my mom and dad, grabbing a plate as soon as I stepped away because I couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Where’s the hubby and kids?” I asked Willa before stuffing half a dumpling in my mouth.
“At home. I’ll bring them with me when I come back in the morning.”
“Same with me,” Devin added, stealing a dumpling from my plate and earning himself a glare.
“Oh, you have a husband now too?” I teased.
“The wife and kid,” he grumbled around a mouthful of food.
Landon plopped a replacement dumpling on my plate for the one Devin had stolen. My dad patted him on the back and smiled approvingly as he walked past.
“You sure you want to eat all that?” Devin asked, trying to steal another one.
“She needs to eat more,” Phoebe defended. “She’s breastfeeding Tallie so she’s still eating for two.”
Gabe covered his ears, glaring at my older sister. “Shh! My precious ears don’t need to hear anything about Zoe’s body parts.”
“Stop teasing your sister,” Mom chided.
“Yeah.” I stuck my tongue out at Devin and handed him an empty plate so he’d get his own and stop stealing mine. “If you don’t want to watch me eat, then you’d better head home because I’m going to raid Mom’s freezer for ice cream next.”
“Ice cream?” Landon echoed, staring down at my plate of dumplings. “And Chinese food?”
Crap! He’d figured it out faster than I’d intended.
“Isn’t that what you craved all the time when you were pregnant with Tallie?” my mom asked.
You couldn’t put much past my mom, either.
“Well, shit,” Devin grumbled. “We better not hurt him too badly if they have another baby on the way.”
It looked like the cat was out of the bag. I turned to Landon, pulling out the little stick I’d tucked into my jacket pocket before we’d left the house that morning. His eyes lit up when he saw the two pink lines. He pulled the plate out of my grip and handed it over to Devin. Then he tugged me into his arms and hugged me tight.
“I’m sorry I waited to tell you,” I whispered. “I figured this would probably be the only time it would work out so I could share something like this with my whole family too.”
“No apology needed, baby. I’m just so damn happy you’re pregnant again.”
I didn’t know it then, but I was wrong about it being my only chance to share this experience with my family—we found out I was pregnant the third time around a couple years later on another visit to my parents’ house.
Continue reading for a bonus book—Pursuit (Mafia Ties: Brandon & Carly #1)!
Pursuit
Mafia Ties: Brandon & Carly #1
Brandon DeLuca’s relentless pursuit of Carly O’Reilly after she flees New York isn’t really due to the orders of his mafia boss cousin. The feisty redhead is his, and he’s done trying to pretend otherwise. Now that he’s admitted the truth to himself, he just needs to convince her to put her life in his hands—and her body in his bed.
Please note: Brandon & Carly’s romance is a three part story, but there are no relationship cliffhangers. Their story can be read as a standalone separate from Nic & Anna's books.
You are the love that came
without warning.
~Obvious, Westlife~
Prologue
Brandon
I sat in my car and stared at the quiet, unassuming house across the little residential street. It was dark, the inhabitants out for the night or already in bed. I happened to know it was the latter. After a couple of months of searching, I’d finally caught up to my target and I wasn’t about to let her get away again.
Still, I continued to sit there and watch, taking no action. I told myself I was simply being cautious; I didn’t need any more trouble. But, Nic had asked me to keep her safe. I was obligated. It was my job. It was complete and utter bullshit, that’s what it was.
The phone I was holding up to my ear began ringing, and I waited until the recipient picked up.
“Brandon?” Nic answered, his question implied.
“I found her.”
“Great. I’ll send—”
“No!” I snapped, cutting him off and shocking the fuck out of myself. “She’s mine.”
Chapter 1
Brandon
My best friend and cousin Nic, who also happened to be the new head of the Deluca crime family, was silent for a moment. Just the thought that he might disagree with me had possessive fury bubbling to the surface.
“Your call,” he said with an odd inflection in his voice. Relief flowed through me until I realized ... he sounded weird because he was trying not to laugh.
“What the fuck, Nic?” I growled.
The laughter burst free, and I heard a female voice admonishing him. Thank you, Anna, I thought, figuring it was his new bride. He said something back, but it was muffled, his hand clearly over the receiver. She yelped and he laughed harder. I mentally banged my head against the steering wheel. I didn’t want to know.
“Gianna says it’s rude for me to say ‘I told you so,’ so I’ll just say, good luck, man.”
I hung up to the sound of more laughter. Jackass. Nic had seen the sparks flying between me and Carly early on. She’d been our inside source in the New York City Irish mob and when things got dicey, Nic asked me to make sure she stayed safe. The moment I saw her tall, lithe body, her long, lush red hair, emerald eyes, and creamy skin, I was doomed to walk around with a constant erection. It was impossible to deny; she was fucking gorgeous. She was also a major pain in the ass. Her stubborn streak was a mile wide, almost rivaling my own. Following orders wasn’t a talent of hers, and I tried to convince myself the package wasn’t worth the trouble. Yeah, I was in complete denial.
The night stretched out before me, dark and silent, but my mind and body were having a shouting match. Then my heart decided to join the game and with two against one, my mind never stood a chance.
Not wanting to alert her, I kept my car parked where it was and climbed out, shutting the door soundlessly behind me. She’d been raised in the mob and had learned a lot of useful skills; some by design through training, and some through necessity. She clearly knew how to run. Even so, the fact that she’d been able to stay one step ahead of me, someone known for their tracking skills, was a hit to my ego. Until I cut off communication with everyone and went dark. No one knew my moves, which meant there was no way for anyone to alert her.
I went through every trick in my arsenal to unbury where she was hiding. Within a week, it paid off and there I was, circling the house where I knew she was holed up, looking for a weak entrance point. It was locked up tight. Good girl. Only, there has never been a lock I’ve come across that I couldn’t pick. I chose the back door since it only had one deadbolt and while it was under a motion-activated alarm; the door itself wasn’t connected to the security system.
I’d cased the house. I knew the alarm system and was well aware of its blind spots, allowing me to sidle up to the door and go to work. It only took me fifteen minutes before I was slowly cracking the door open. I only had three to four inches of room to slide my arm in and shut off the alarm panel. Any wider and it would set off the motion sensors. Carefully, I reached in and set a special little gadget on the security panel. Thirty seconds later, it shorted out and the whole system powered down.
I slipped inside and shut the door
, making sure to reengage the deadbolt. It was only a one-bedroom house, so I didn’t have to search very hard. Finding the bedroom door open, I stood there, taking in the scene before me. Carly was on her stomach, sprawled out on the bed with the covers kicked away, showing off her spectacular ass in tiny, pink panties. The T-shirt she was wearing had ridden up and revealed the smooth skin and toned muscle of her back.
I’d finally admitted to myself that she was mine, so I took my time, like I had never allowed myself before, and admired her beautiful body. Her long red hair was splayed over the pillow, begging for my hands to run through it. My cock was hard and aching, ready for me to claim my woman. I gave in to what it wanted, since the caveman inside me demanded the same thing.
After removing my shoes, I silently approached the bed, stripping as I went. Since it was Carly, and I knew better, I removed the gun from under her pillow, putting it in my bag. She was bound to be pissed when she realized she’d slept through my breaking and entering, removing her gun, and getting into bed with her.
I debated whether to leave my boxers on but decided against it, knowing there was no way I could get into bed with Carly and not seduce her. Lying down next to her, I winced at a slight twinge of pain in my leg when I lifted it off the floor. It reminded me that she’d earned herself a spanking.
The night she ran, she’d come to warn me about her father’s nefarious plans. I could admit, in my desperate bid to fight my attraction to her, I may have said something that could have been construed as me accusing her of not being loyal to the DeLucas. Seeing her outraged and riled up was hot as fuck, and I wasn’t able to control myself anymore. I’d kissed the ever-loving fuck out of her. It was such a sudden action that she didn’t have time to react and her body melted into mine. Unfortunately, rational thought caught up with her and she shoved out of my arms. I’d let her go, giving her some space to process what had just happened, and preparing myself to apologize. Until I realized she’d taken my gun from the back waistband of my pants. I knew it was stupid to wear it there, but I’d wanted it hidden, yet easily accessible when I answered my door.
A few seconds later, we were startled by a noise heard through the open window by my back door. It was immediately followed by a gunshot and a searing pain in my leg. The woman had fucking shot me. Despite the pain and blood, I’d raced to my back door, pointing back at her and growling, “Don’t move.” Grabbing a backup piece from a drawer in the kitchen, I’d taken the safety off and was about to open the door when I heard a voice shout my name. Glancing back, I saw Enzo, one of Nic’s hitters—yet another cousin because we are Italian, after all—rushing in.
“It was that little shit, Darby,” he snarled.
Shit. Carly’s brother was a little weasel and he would surely run right back to Daddy and tell him he’d seen Carly with me. Most likely, he saw me kiss her. Enzo didn’t know about Carly’s actions as our “inside woman,” and I knew I’d have to come up with a damn good explanation. I’d turned to face Carly, only to find she’d cleared out.
“Motherfucker!” I was going to wring her pretty little neck. I would have run after her, but Enzo swore and shouted at the guy with him to come inside.
“You’ve been fucking shot, Bran. Why didn’t you say anything?”
The truth was, in the adrenaline high, I’d forgotten all about it. They took me to a place where our family doctor could patch me up, then I took off after her. The injury had created just enough of a window for Carly to get completely off my radar. I still didn’t know how she’d done it. She was good, but I was better.
I sighed and settled onto the bed. It hardly mattered now. Her face was turned toward me, soft and sweet in sleep. It was an expression I’d never seen there before. When she looked at me, she was usually scowling. Rolling onto my side, I propped up on an elbow and leaned over. I brushed her hair off of her cheek and softly kissed her pale skin. I continued with my kisses all over her face before ending at her lips. I brushed my mouth over hers and paused when she sighed and shifted. I leaned back and waited for her to wake up, but she seemed to fall back into her dreams. This time, when I kissed her lips, she moaned. Moaned my motherfucking name.
If that wasn’t an invitation, I didn’t know what was.
Chapter 2
Carly
I might have physically gotten away from Brandon, but I couldn’t seem to get him out of my head. He’d been seared into my brain from the moment his lips crashed down on mine. Or more likely, from when I saw him for the first time. Brandon DeLuca was a man most women would find impossible to forget. At six-foot-three with an athletic, muscular frame, he made me feel downright tiny next to him. His dark, tousled hair made my fingers twitch with the need to touch. The thick, long lashes, surrounding brown eyes so dark they almost looked black, evoked a ridiculous amount of envy.
I’d mentally undressed every inch of his swarthy skin more times than I could count. But, I hadn’t taken it any further. It was the worst possible timing for me to be attracted to anyone, let alone a DeLuca. Even though I’d caught a hint of attraction in his eyes, he hadn’t acted on it either. Not until the night my already precarious position was blown to smithereens, and I’d had to run.
I tried pushing him out of my mind, but he haunted my dreams every single night. There was no escape from him, probably because part of me wanted him near instead of hundreds of miles away. A very particular part of me, if the pulsing sensation in my pussy was any indication.
“Brandon,” I moaned.
My hand slid across the rumpled sheets and slipped into my pink panties to ease the need my dream had caused, yet again. Only this time, I didn’t even make it to my clit before fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist and stopped my progress. The tiny bite of pain made my eyes pop open, and I found myself staring straight into the chocolate brown orbs I’d just been dreaming about.
“Fuck!” I gasped, pushing up with my free hand until I was on my knees.
“Sounds like an excellent suggestion to me,” Brandon drawled.
To me, too, but I wasn’t about to admit to it. “How in the hell did you get in here?” I asked, yanking on my hand in an attempt to get him to release it.
He didn’t let go, his hold tightening until I stopped. My chest heaved, drawing his attention to my tits. My nipples beaded under his gaze, poking against the thin shirt I’d worn to bed. Brandon froze, staring with such intensity. I gripped the sheet in my free hand and pulled it up to my chest.
“Your hands are going to get you into all sorts of trouble tonight, kitten.”
“Kitten?” I sputtered in indignation, even though hearing Brandon call me a cute nickname made my heart melt a little. “Trouble?”
“You hiss and claw at me like an angry kitten would,” he explained, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “And I caught your hand touching what I consider to be mine, only to be followed up by you using the other one to cover up more of what’s mine.”
“If I want to touch myself,” I purred, dropping the sheet to trail my hand down my body. “I damn well will.”
“The fuck you will,” he roared.
The crazy bastard grabbed my wrist and yanked it above my head as he shoved me onto my back. He lifted my other arm, crossing them together to hold them down with one hand. I tried to buck him off me, but his heavy body pinned me to the bed.
“Brandon,” I growled.
“That’s right. Brandon,” he bit out. “I’m the one you come to if you want an orgasm.”
“What?” I shook my head, certain I wasn’t hearing him right. “Why in the world would I do that? The last time I saw you, you accused me of double-crossing the DeLucas.”
“Yeah, I acted like an asshat,” he admitted. “But I figure I’ve already paid for my mistake since you shot me.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “I did you a favor, shooting you the way I did. My brother had you in his sights, and if I hadn’t acted, he would have aimed for your head. It’s what our father taught us to do. At l
east I went for your leg.”
“It’s a lucky thing for both of us you didn’t hit anything vital.” He ground his hips into mine, and I felt the heat of his hard length as it slid against my panties. “Then again, I’d just have to figure out other ways to keep you satisfied if you had.”
He lifted my shirt up, and his mouth took possession of one of my puckered nipples. My hips bucked upwards, and his hand slid down to hold me in place while he licked and sucked at my tits. Each tug of his lips sent a shock of feeling straight to my core, making me writhe in need underneath him. He whipped my shirt over my head, giving him better access.
“Brandon,” I moaned, trying to squeeze my thighs together to gain enough friction to set me off.
He didn’t move from between my legs, so I couldn’t find the pressure I needed. But, he seemed to know what I was looking for because his hand moved down my belly to cup my pussy. I squirmed, widening my legs and his hand dipped inside my panties. His fingers glided between my wet folds, and I arched up. When he slipped a finger into my pussy, I almost wept with need. I was already on the edge of an orgasm, and it exploded when his thumb swept over my clit.
“Brandon!” I screamed, convulsing around his finger as he continued to nip and suck at my nipples.
“That’s right, kitten. It’s my name you’ll call each and every time you come from now on,” he growled against my skin, licking his way down my belly while he tore my panties from my body.
He yanked my knees over his shoulders and his tongue was on my pussy before I’d had the chance to come down from my orgasm. The flick of his tongue against my clit triggered another, making me scream his name again.
“One more,” he ordered, pinching my clit between his thumb and forefinger as he thrust his tongue into my pussy.
I gave him exactly what he wanted, screaming as I came again. By the time my heart stopped racing and I could see straight, Brandon was right above me. “I can’t wait to feel this tight, little pussy wrapped around my cock.”
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