by Bella J
My heart and stomach are both fighting for a way up my throat as I continue to listen and look at him.
He placed his arms on my shoulders. “But let me tell you this,” he locked his gaze on mine, “while I had my cock inside you, none of that shit mattered. You weren’t Karina Valenti, the Mafia princess.”
“Then who was I?”
He bit his bottom lip, and glanced to the side before looking back at me. “You were Karina Valenti, the woman I know I’m never going to be able to get enough of.”
I struggled to swallow as my chest tightened, loud warning bells sounding inside my head. “And who am I now, Lorik?”
He removed his hands from my shoulders and took a step back, his eyes never leaving mine. There was a long, awkward pause before he finally answered, “I don’t know.”
I can’t say that his answer surprised me, but it did send a heavy wave of disappointment through my chest. Why, I didn’t know. It wasn’t like I expected anything from him after what we just did—twice. It’s not like he owed me anything, or vice versa. Like I told him earlier, what happened wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place, so why would I feel disappointed?
I straightened, steeling myself against any unwelcome feelings. “Well, don’t waste your time trying to figure it out, okay?”
Deciding that I needed to leave I turned around and stomped down the hall, leaving him behind in the bedroom. Now, I would have loved to be able to just pull my dress on and leave, but after what just happened—twice, I was in desperate need of a clean-up.
“Can I use your bathroom?”
“Sure. It’s—”
“I know where it is.” I noticed it when he was carrying my horny ass to his bed.
After a quick clean-up, I’m dressed and walking into his living room. He was sitting on the couch, his elbows on his knees, clutching his hands in front of him.
“Don’t look so grim, Detective.”
He took a deep breath before rubbing his hands up and down his thighs. “I’m everything but grim.”
“Well good then.” I sauntered past him, and just as I reached for the door handle, he came up behind me, reaching over my shoulder and pushing his hand against the door.
He leaned closer, his breath skidding across my neck. “Tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?”
He pushed his body up against mine, and I closed my eyes struggling to breathe.
“I want to see you tomorrow.”
I grabbed the door handle. “You’re insane.”
He wrapped his hand around mine keeping me from opening the door. “Tell me I’ll see you tomorrow.” His lips grazed against my naked shoulder, and I shuddered.
“Technically,” I started, sounding out of breath, “it’s already tomorrow. So you’re asking if you can see me later?”
“Are you a smart ass?”
“Far from it. If I was smart I never would have come here in the first place, and we never would have done this.”
“But you did, and we did do it—twice.”
“Yes…we did.”
I leaned my head to side, giving him more access to kiss up my neck until he reached my ear. “And we’re going to do it again,”—he takes my earlobe and sucks it into his mouth before letting it go—“very soon.”
I gasped at the promise of being with him again. My body was already craving it, hanging on to the anticipation of having him inside me again. Apparently this man had the power to turn me into a little tramp.
The second he let go of my hand and stepped back, I was out the door. I couldn’t risk giving him half a chance at seducing me again. The first two times happened too fucking easily, and I had this daunting feeling in the pit of my stomach that the third time would be even easier…and the fourth, and the fifth…
Chapter 13
LORIK
I was leaning with my forehead against the door.
Karina left about ten minutes ago, but I just couldn’t tear myself away from that goddamn door. It felt like I had the worst goddamn hangover ever. The only difference between this hangover and the one I had last weekend was that this one had nothing to do with alcohol. Or maybe it’s not a hangover, but more like a craving, a withdrawal. Yes, that’s what it was, a withdrawal. The more I thought of that damn Italian woman naked and spread in front of me, the more it felt like I was about to claw my own skin off.
I took a deep breath and I swear to God I could still smell her vanilla and honey scent around me…on me. Instantly my cock hardened. What the fuck? It’s like it suddenly had the capacity to come out and play every damn ten minutes. How many times in my goddamn life have I wished, prayed to have an ever-ready cock? And here he is…ever-ready, it seemed, for the one woman who I definitely wasn’t supposed to fuck in the first place. She was right, it never should have happened—twice. But it did. And it was the best sex of my life. My cock would be thanking me for this experience for a very, very long time.
My phone started ringing somewhere in the apartment, and I turned searching the living room for the damn thing. I don’t have a clue where I put it down. Honestly, everything that happened during the last few hours was a little hazy—except for the part where I was buried balls deep inside Karina Valenti, the very well-known Boston Mafia princess. God, I’m such an idiot.
The damn phone continued to ring and I started tossing shit around looking for the thing. Finally I found it under the couch, and I have no idea how it got under there.
I lifted the couch and grabbed my phone. It’s Anderson. Why the hell was he calling me at—I glanced at my watch—four in the morning?
“It’s a little early for a booty call, don’t you think?”
“Stone, cut the crap. Where were you last night?”
I frowned. “I’m sorry, but how is that any of your goddamn business, partner?”
“Were you at Vertigo?”
Instantly there was a prickle of warning in the back of my skull. “Yeah. Why?”
Silence.
“Anderson, what the fuck is going on?”
“Get your ass down to Vertigo…now.”
“What’s going—”
He hung up. I stared at the phone thinking that the fucker actually hung up on me. As if it’s possible that I could dislike the man even more.
Within ten minutes I’m showered, dressed, and on my way out the door. God, it’s awesome being a man.
On my way out the apartment building, swinging my keys around my fingers and whistling…yes, fucking whistling like a sixteen year old boy who just lost his virginity—I paused, that uncomfortable feeling moving down my back.
I looked over to my blue Chevrolet Colorado truck parked in front of the building, then glanced down the street. There was a black Bentley parked a few cars down, and as I walked up to the sidewalk, it turned onto the road and slowly drove in my direction.
Out of instinct I reached for my side, but realize that I’m no longer an on duty cop, which means I don’t have Lucy with me anymore. Fuck, I miss Lucy.
The Bentley cruised down the road and then stopped in front of me. It’s still dark and immediately I’m on high alert as I watched the back window slide down slowly.
“Detective Stone.”
Why the fuck am I not surprised? I squared my shoulders. “Mancuso.”
Enzio studied me from top to bottom before he looked me in the eye. “Have a good night?”
“Awesome. What’s it to you?” My instincts were sounding like loud fucking horns inside my head.
“Looks like you didn’t get much sleep.”
“I didn’t.”
Enzio snorted, but that arrogant smug grin was still coating his ugly fucking face. “I should warn you, Detective Stone, that I’m a man who gets very possessive over what’s mine.”
Unable to stop myself, to back down from the threat, I stepped closer toward the car, even though I have nothing to defend myself with. “And I should warn you that I’m a man who really doesn’t give a fuck.”
>
“You should.” And there it was, the menacing warning, the threat that I saw on his face at Vertigo. And even though I was one of those students who failed miserably at math, I was intelligent enough to know that the threat currently pulsing like a disease between me and this fucker had everything to do with Karina.
“She’s not yours, Mancuso.”
He smiled, glanced in front of him, then back at me. “We’ll see about that.” He started to roll up his window. “I’ll see you around, Detective Stone.”
“Sure. You know where I live. Pop by for a beer sometime,” I said as the wheels of the car started turning and he drove down the road.
A breath escaped me and I pulled my hand through my hair thinking that I just opened up a whole new world of shit for myself. Last night was like an epic festival of fuck-ups. First I couldn’t manage to leave Karina alone at the club, and I pursued her like she was open game, in turn risking my entire fucking case against the Valenti family. Then the Mancusos walked in and all of a sudden I started acting like a jealous boyfriend by pinning the ugly fucker’s face against the wall. And as if that wasn’t enough, I had to go send Karina a message which was completely dictated by my uncontrollable cock, and invited her over…for what? A nightcap…or two?
And then of course the fucking stars were on my side by sending Karina to my front door, allowing me to end the night with a bang…twice.
Now I had the pleasure of having Enzio Mancuso threaten me in front of my apartment building, and it wasn’t even dawn yet. Motherfucker. Talk about a shit storm.
My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket, and I pull it out.
“Anderson?”
“Where the fuck are you?”
“I’m on my way. Keep your damn pants on, Mary Poppins.”
This time I hung up before getting into my truck. Starting the ignition, pulling into the road and driving to Vertigo all went down in record time. I’ll probably get a speeding fine in the mail soon, but right now that was the least of my fucking worries.
I drove slowly down the road where Vertigo was. There were police cars, red and blue lights, an ambulance, and an abundance of spectators in the area.
“What the fuck?”
I parked my truck, jumped out and made my way through the crowd until I reached the yellow tape.
Monroe stopped me by placing a hand on my chest. “Sorry, man, you’re not permitted behind the yellow line.”
“Seriously?” With a slanted head and a cocked eyebrow I glared at the idiot. “Are you seriously going to be an even bigger dick right now?”
Monroe opened his mouth, but then Anderson walked up.
“Let him through, Monroe.”
Monroe looked at him. “But Commander said—”
“Shut the fuck up. This is my scene and I’m telling you to let him through.”
Well, well, well. My partner just managed to score himself some major points in my book.
I walked underneath the yellow tape and fall in step next to Anderson. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve got a huge problem.”
I’ve known this guy for some time now, and even though I’ve never experienced him being anything but a sour puss, the look of worry and concern on his face was making me feel uneasy.
“What’s the problem?”
We rounded the corner to an alley that ran behind Vertigo. Anderson stopped and pointed ahead. “That’s the problem.”
A few officers scattered out of the way and that’s when I saw a huge ass motherfucking problem lying in front a green dumpster.
“Gio,” I muttered, unable to take my eyes off his lifeless body.
“Yeah. Seems like he pissed off the wrong person this time.”
With his hands tied behind his back, his body awkwardly lying on its side, half of his skull blown away and splattered against the dumpster behind him, it was obvious this was an execution.
“Motherfucker.” I rubbed my palm down my face and scratched my chin. “Gang related?”
Anderson nodded.
After the discussion Anderson and I had in my apartment a few days ago, one name popped into my head. “Mancusos?”
“I don’t think so.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You have any leads on who did this?”
He motioned with his head toward Gio’s body, and I followed him. There was so much blood and brain matter, it was a good a thing I lost my capacity to be grossed out by scenes like these or I’d be spilling some serious stomach content on my new Caterpillars right about now.
The scene was swarming with uniforms, f-bombs sounding all around while everyone tried to keep the scene intact until forensics did their job.
We stopped two steps away from the body and I noticed his head was forced back from the blow, his mouth open, and the gold filling glinting as the sun started to rise behind us. Goddammit. Sure he was a criminal with shit for brains, but the poor son of bitch didn’t deserve to die this way.
Anderson took his pen from his shirt pocket, crouched down and pushed Gio’s blood stained shirt to the side.
“Jesus Christ.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at Gio’s chest. There was a carving in the flesh just below his throat on his chest, the blood already starting to dry up around it. “Is that what I think it is?”
“I think so.” Anderson got up while I continued to stare at Gio’s chest.
“That’s a symbol,” I stated, my heart slowly creeping up my throat. “It’s a wolf.” I looked at Anderson. “The Valentis.”
Chapter 14
KARINA
The trip home should have taken me no more than twenty minutes. I left Lorik’s apartment almost an hour ago and I’m still driving because I keep on taking detour after detour. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t know where I wanted to go. All I knew was where I’ve been, and that I possibly made the second worst mistake of my life. But by God, it was a mistake that felt so damn good, which was probably why I made the same mistake twice in one night.
“Dammit!” I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. I’m frustrated as hell. One would think after the sex I just had with Detective Big-Cock I wouldn’t be feeling so wound up. But I do, because I have to go back to a house full of Italian mobsters and pretend that I didn’t just have the best sex of my life with a damn cop. As if Antonio wasn’t pissed off enough with me last night, I had to go fuck a cop too, which was completely against the rules.
Again, whose rules? Their rules. My father, my brother, my whole damn family.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Every muscle in my body was achy, especially between my legs. Lorik made doubly sure that I would remember what we did with every move I made. That I would remember every thrust, every touch, every grunt. My body was so aware of what it had been through, I was afraid that everyone would read the truth right off my face once I got home. Especially Dante. He had the gift to see right through me. I’ve never been able to hide anything from him.
Deciding that I needed to stop being a coward and face my family, I drove home thinking that I’m a grown-ass woman who was old enough to make her own decisions. So if I wanted to have mind blowing sex with a cop, I could. If I wanted to move away from home and become a big shot lawyer, I could do that too. They might be my family who I cared deeply for, but they needed to realize I’m my own person and they can’t dictate my life anymore.
After parking the car in the garage, I took a deep breath before finally gathering the nerve to get out and face the music.
“Where the hell have you been?”
And the music started with Antonio’s judgmental glare in my face.
“I was out.” I try to shove past him, but he reached out and grabbed my elbow.
“Where have you been, Karina?”
“I told you, I was out.”
Antonio scowled at me and tightened his hold around my elbow. “We need to talk about last night.”
I jerked my arm free from his grip. “No we don’t. I don’t owe you any k
ind of explanation.”
“Yeah, you do.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a goddamn adult. So stop treating me like a child.”
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
He placed his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor before he huffed out a breath. “I’m just trying to protect my little sister. Is that such a bad thing?”
Instantly my little sister heart strings get tugged by how defeated he sounds. Antonio and I have never had a really close relationship, mainly because he always seemed to want to play boss whenever it came to me. When I wanted to jump on the trampoline, he would make up a lame excuse why we couldn’t play anymore. When I wanted to dive into the swimming pool like him and all his friends, he would somehow crack a joke about the bathing suit I was wearing and I would run back into the house crying like an idiot. And let’s not talk about when I wanted to go to parties, or to sleepovers how he would fill Dad’s head with lies and bullshit stories so that I wouldn’t be allowed to go. It’s like he always tried his best to ruin my fucking life, and this hindered our chances at having a great brother-sister relationship. But the way he’s standing in front of me now with tired eyes and his shoulders slumped forward actually made me feel sorry for him.
“Antonio,” I stepped closer. “You don’t have to protect me all the time.”
“Yes, I do.” He looked up and now that I’m this close to him I can see the dark circles underneath his eyes. “I’m supposed to protect you, and I thought that’s what I was doing…until last night.” His voice trailed off, no longer carrying the confidence and weight it always did. It was softer…sadder. “Tell me what he did, Karina, so that I can make it right.”
I knew it. I knew he wouldn’t let the whole Enzio thing go, but I don’t know if I’m ready for him to know everything. It was okay that Dante knew because he didn’t judge. Antonio, on the other hand, I’m not sure what to expect from him if he knew the truth. And with this whole war going on between us and the Mancusos for years now, I really don’t want to add more fuel to the fire—which is exactly what I’d be doing if I told him.