by Sunniva Dee
“I should feel honored, Master di Nascimbeni, but you see, I have my own plan.”
“You do, now, do you?” She’s damn cute when her irises sparkle with purpose the way they do right now. “And what is that plan?”
“I’m going to Italy. I have a meeting there on behalf of Bishop Ronstedt. Since you’re going by private jet, I’m assuming you’ll have room for me too?” She juts her lip out. “I promise I won’t take up too much space. Worst case, I’ll sit on your lap. I’ll be quiet. Only squirm if it gets… bulky.”
I bend down so I can slide my hands up her thighs. She tenses at first but hides it quickly. “Oh, no, you aren’t. See, there’s nothing for you in Venice. Anything your clerical daddy figure has asked you to do, you’ll simply have to take off the table.”
“And what would be my reason for that?” she purrs back. “That my mafia daddy figure has decided to kidnap me and put me away? I don’t think that will fly. And here’s the thing, baby.” She leans forward, her long brassy lengths sliding between us and tickling me.
“You’re not the only one following people. I’ve got a tracker—for my safety. And if I don’t go where I’ve agreed to go, my employers will be following me. You see a mystery in me, and I assure you, you’re not wrong. Mr. di Nascimbeni junior: there’s a lot more to me than you see, and the apparatus running what I’m a part of is a tad bigger than your little mafia vendetta.”
She lets out a small sigh as she lowers to the bed on her back. Slowly unbuttoning her shirt, she reveals creamy skin that makes me swallow. “But one thing at a time.”
“Oh Tatiana, Tatiana,” I whisper, grabbing her by the waist and dumping her higher up on the bed. “You think it’s so easy? You think you can tell me what’s happening next, that you can decide where you’re going and what you’re doing?”
I kneel around her, pressing her wrists into the mattress, before I begin to suck on her lips. She arches under me, wiggling to get free, but she’s not dumb enough to complain out loud.
“I know you’ve been seducing me. You’ve done a damn good job of it too.” I press her into the bed with the weight of my body. The air gushes out of her lungs, and I smile when her eyes finally widen; that, right there, is the concern she needs to feel. Tatiana has spent too much time feeling comfortable in my presence. “I think you need a reminder of who’s in charge around here.”
I take her mouth again, forcing my tongue inside it. I groan as I rub myself over her in a deep, long, needy wave. Her lips slide apart, neck arching. She wants to speak, but she can’t think of what to say. That’s fear-mixed desire right there.
“You have no idea what I can do to you,” I growl as I rip the rest of her shirt open. Her bra doesn’t lock in the front, but when you’re about to OD on testosterone, that’s not an obstacle. She squeals when I rip the thing apart, the entrails of black lace flapping to the side of quivering breasts.
“Be careful,” she whispers.
I don’t answer. I flip her up from the mattress, wringing the sleeves of her shirt to her back. When you don’t have rope, it’s a good alternative, and in seconds, I’ve got her arms tied.
“What are you doing?”
The panic in her voice makes me harder.
“Let me go immediately,” she grits out. Her chest heaves, and if stares could kill…?
“Do you remember what you told me outside the St. Tatiana the night I followed you?” I drag her skirt down her legs, and my rough touch leaves pink streaks along her skin. What a beautiful sight.
“Whatever I said, it was true,” she pants. If I’m all testosterone right now, she’s all adrenaline. I fucking feel her tremble beneath me, and it’s perfect.
“You thought I was trying to scare you.” I kiss her again. She jerks to the side, not wanting to enjoy it, but lust already coats the fear in her eyes.
“You were!”
“You’re right, bella. I was trying to scare you, and I thought you’d learned your lesson. But see, if you play with fire and you don’t treat that fire right, it’s going to burn”—I peck her lips—“the shit”—I peck her again—“out of you.”
She’s panting in earnest, now, her legs tensing against me while I try to spread them. The little spitfire is strong. She gets one in against my groin, causing me to oomph.
“You’ll pay for that,” I murmur.
I kick my pants off and watch her squirm to get to her feet with that small black triangle as a traffic light in front of me. I pull my belt out of the loops. Watch her stare sink to it and back to my eyes. I know what she’s thinking. She thinks I’m going to whip her with it.
“You can’t get out of here, you know.”
Tatiana is on her feet at the side of the bed, arms tied behind her back and her entire alabaster-smooth body heaving with fear and desire.
I hit my palm with the belt. Slip out of my t-shirt. She retreats toward the window, not the door. Smart girl. She wouldn’t get far with three of my people at the bottom of the stairs.
“You’re not that cruel,” she whispers.
I don’t answer. I press her flush against the wall with my bare chest, the frame of a mirror stabbing between her shoulder blades. She’s uncomfortable, as she should be. It will never be comfortable to disobey Isaias di Nascimbeni.
I use my mouth on her. Crowd her with my body. She jolts, letting out that involuntary whimper I crave when I slap the belt into my palm. I do it so hard I feel the sting myself. It skyrockets my lust, my anger, and my fucking need for her.
“You know nothing about me, and that’s okay. The one thing you need to know, I’ll reveal right this minute: when I tell you to do something”—I jostle her up on my hips—“you do it.”
Her body tips to the side, but I straighten her, pressing her hard against the mirror again. She whimpers, those beautiful eyes full of worry, free of obstinacy at last. I hoist her up just the last inch I need, and press inside her in one hard jab until I’m in to the hilt.
I groan out my relief, my eyes shutting briefly at the incredible sensation. This isn’t about her pleasure. It’s about domination, about making sure she’ll never take chances on something that can put her in danger again.
“You’re so fucking wet,” I growl. She opens her mouth to respond, but I press my fingers around her throat and start to fuck her. Hard, fast, and raw, I slam us into the wall with each thrust. Her pants become little squeals.
“Isaias, they’ll hear us.”
“Really? That’s what you’re worrying about right now?” The belt lands on the floor behind me. My punishment is this, hard, fast, more. “You’re never disobeying me again.”
Tatiana’s squeals become screams. “Please!”
I rock her so fast, we’re vibrating. Her screams are constant, now. I stop to rip her arms free of the binding. “If you try to get away before I’m done with you, I’ll fling you on the bed and take your ass.”
She throws her arms around me. Her knees fly up, around my waist, and I back her to the bed and fall on top of her.
“You. Are so fucking difficult.”
I get no answer, just heaving breath against my ear while I pound her.
“You. Need to remain safe. I can’t have you do whatever you want. Fuck that.”
She tenses around me, bowing off the sheets, fingers clawing around my shoulders and keeping me as deep inside of her as she can. “Crap! I’m…”
“Take that.” I spurt inside of her, giant globs of you’re-mine-and-don’t-ever-forget it.
I don’t roll off her afterward, and she doesn’t ask me to. Fear smells differently, and the warm sugar scent of her sweat has a lingering trace of it. We lie here, staring at each other. I can’t stop staring, watching her look deep into my eyes. She’s not afraid of me anymore. No, she’s sated and still, her demons, the ones wanting to run away from me and do their own thing, h
ave been quieted.
“You know, you might think you have it all figured out. That you can live separately from what’s going on in my life, but that’s not the case anymore. Your life is now a part of mine. That happened the minute I saw you, and whatever you do, only death can change that.”
She wants to shake her head and disagree beneath me, but she’s smarter than that. Only the slight change in her gaze gives her away. What can she do when I’m still deep inside of her, keeping my life-givers in her uterus? Swim, soldiers. Fight those birth control pills.
I lay my head down to the side of hers. She turns her face toward me, and we keep staring at each other. Downstairs, McRoy is getting antsy. He’s pacing like he always does when he’s on an incomplete mission.
“Baby,” she murmurs. The studious seduction she used on me earlier isn’t there anymore when she continues, “I know. I feel it too. It’s you and me. We’re in each other’s lives. We can’t live separately from each other. Which is why I need to come with you to Italy.”
Alarm bells ring at her words. She’s looking at it from a side I haven’t considered. I don’t like it.
“No, Tatiana. This is the only exception. You have to stay here with my family, be safe until I’ve sorted things out. Okay? I can’t have you on the loose too, ready for them to pick like fruit.”
“No, Isaias. I need to be there with you. Put yourself in my shoes: what if you were the one forced to stay behind? Would you not try to find a way to get there, to be at my side? Wouldn’t you want to help?”
“Of course, but that’s different.”
“I need to go there.” She thinks before she continues, unsure of how much she should say. “I have a message for the Vatican. It... can change the lives of a lot of unfortunate people.”
I frown, sitting up on my elbow to watch her. “What are you talking about?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll tell you everything on the plane.”
“I can’t let you. I can’t. As much as I’d love to have you with me,” I admit. Yes, there’s a big egoistic need in me to have her by my side.
Tatiana sits up too. With our bodies still joined, our torsos slide apart enough for both of us to have an edge as we assess each other. “I promise you this right here, Isaias: if you don’t let me come along voluntarily, I will find a way out of your father’s bunker. The people I work for are—”
“Not the Orden of St. Catherine,” I finish the obvious.
“No. And they’re very, very resourceful. Your famiglia is not what they’re after. They’re after much bigger fish, and I’d hate for the Nascimbeni clan to end up as casualties, especially since I’m in deep myself.” She shrugs under me. “I never planned this, and it’s damn impractical to have fallen in love with you.”
Long, tight, black pants. Not jeans, but some type of fabric that’s stretchy and soft to the touch. Probably not velvet—I don’t know. Definitely sexy as hell when they cling to the legs of a woman you can’t get enough of. Her top is tight and black too, with long sleeves and a zipper that’s open halfway down a beautiful cleavage.
I miss her even though she’s sitting right in front of me, long coils of hair collected in a ponytail that rolls over one shoulder. Lips bright red and daring, her makeup is warpath-ready. She’s got color shadowing her eyelids too, and it fades off discretely where it meets manicured eyebrows. Her irises sparkle, giving off a feline vibe my dick twitches to.
“Ready for the kill, aren’t you?” I flick her my wolf smile across the table we’re occupying on the plane. It’s a six-seater, a so-called star jet, specifically engineered to entertain impulsive celebrities and politicians who’re easily bored.
Tatiana lifts the corner of her mouth. She pats her thigh, showing me where she’s strapped her gun. “If I have to, I have to.”
Did I mention she’s no nun?
It’s been eight hours since I heard my cousin’s voice on the phone. Four hours since we got on this plane. We’re halfway across the Atlantic, and I can’t wait to set foot on Venetian soil and hunt down the men who kidnapped Gabriela. They haven’t contacted us yet. This could mean several things, the worst being that they’ve already…
The second worst is they’re pressing her for information. I can’t go there right now. Not to their methods; this is Santa Colombini, where nothing and no one is sacred. Not to the information she could leak, because holy fuck.
Behind us sit Bully, Fritz, and two of Felix’s guys, my core four while we’re in Venice. Together, they constitute a star team, with Marty, a skinny blond guy renowned for his speed and accurate aim—and Carlos, an experienced gunman with additional hand-to-hand combat and throwing star expertise. With the Nascimbeni clan and our loyals—the Nero, the Terra, and the Casaconti, we’ll be strong.
“Another drink?” The flight attendant lowers her tray to the table.
“Sure, give me a couple fingers of Yamasaki. Tatiana?”
“Please.” She nods toward the Meiomi, her favorite pinot noir.
My beautiful ice queen. My father and I are in disagreement more often than not, but I believe him in one thing; once a man’s heart is tagged by a woman, it’s hard to remain objective.
I’m taking Tatiana further into danger. Chances are, I’m even taking her to my only one, my deepest secret, the one I love more than my life. How can I keep Ariadna to myself if that happens? All these years of shrouding her in my mind.
These years have been Hell. These years have been Heaven. For Ariadna’s protection, the years to come need to remain the same, with kernels of light for each photographic snapshot I can devour of her living her life. She’s my blessing, a love like no other, and the insistent longing for her can keep grinding against the roots of my heart as long as she’s safe. If I have to meet her with Tatiana present, the consequences could be devastating.
Problem is, I’m hooked, and by now it’s fucking hard to say no to Tatiana. I should’ve stopped what’s developing between us as soon as I realized Tatiana is hiding as many secrets as I do. I could’ve pressed her harder for info. If I hadn’t already spread my resources thin, I could’ve had her surveilled on a whole different level too, but now, it all boils down to this: I chose to bring her with me.
Tatiana might not be my lover. She might not my ally. Maybe she’s the hottest enemy anyone could attract. Heck, she could be the fall of the Nascimbeni dynasty. My instincts are rarely wrong though, and this woman doesn’t want my family as casualties in what she called “the big picture.” What picture might that be? A Vatican picture?
We have a few hours before we land. The guys are watching film with headphones on, and if there’s ever a good time for a chat with my ice queen, it’s now.
Once the stewardess leaves, I slide past the table and onto Tatiana’s couch. She raises her lashes and runs her gaze over me, starting at my hairline and ending on my lips. The way she does it is imperial, a queen indeed, allowing her underlings to entertain her. That’s funny considering how only hours ago I had her panting on her back. I ruled her. Subdued, dominated, sexy as fuck, her will was mine.
“Who is Ariadna?” she asks, tipping my world on its axis with three little words. I close my eyes until I can sift all emotion from them.
“No one.”
“Ariadna Santa Colombini. Didn’t sound like no one to me. Your first love? The one you couldn’t forget?” She tilts her head. “Were you the star-crossed lovers forever separated by your families’ feud? Very Shakespearian. And it’s even in Italy.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“Is it?” She leans back against the upholstered leather, sinking into it like she belongs there. “One thing I’ve learned is that what a man says in his sleep tends to be the truth.”
“Interesting. I always thought people rambled. Then again, I don’t speak in my sleep
.” I match her posture but lean into the upholstery with one shoulder so I face her.
“You did last night, sweetheart.”
“I didn’t sleep last night. We got on this plane,” I remind her.
“Oh, you slept in Malibu, after… everything. You were talking to her. You told her, ‘Ti amo tanto.’ I looked it up.”
“I commend you for your memory.” I nudge her nose with mine. “And you still wanted to come with me? What does that make you, a masochist?”
“You’re a cruel man, Isaias. Has anyone told you that?” She nuzzles me, dark fringes eclipsing her bright-bright greys.
“Now’s not the time for this. Just know you’re it for me.”
“Yeah?” She nips at my lip, suckles on it, pulls it into her mouth. It’s exquisite, the scent of warm sugar growing heavier. “Maybe I’m smarter than you think.”
“Maybe I know you’re plenty smart. Maybe I think you’re too smart for both of our goods.” I kiss her back, working her mouth, pressing harder with each kiss, causing her head to rock against the headrest with each mini-attack.
“So maybe I’m so smart that I get it. You love someone far away but enjoy your second-bests at home. Am I that to you, sweetheart, a second best?”
She smirks, and my eyes dart to the lipstick smudged around her mouth. Is there anything hotter than knowing that’s your doing?
“Can we talk about this later? I don’t want to lie, and I can’t tell you the truth right now without putting lives in danger. For now, just know that you’re my all.”
“I’m your all. That doesn’t make any sense, Isaias. You hear yourself, right?” Her eyes flash, and I swear it’s jealousy in their depths.
I get to my feet and take her hand. Hesitant, she stands with me. I pull her out on the floor, step in behind her, and turn her body so she faces the back of the plane. “After you.”
“To where?”