Her lip quipped at that. “I love how you included Peter.”
I shrugged. “The annoying little rodent is growing on me.”
“I think you secretly love him,” she taunted.
I secretly love you I thought then blinked a few times at where my mind was going. “I wouldn’t use the word love, more like . . . like. I secretly like your bunny.”
“Is that code?” she asked suspiciously, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She sensed that I might have a bit of worry about this meeting, and I appreciated that she was trying to talk to me and distract my mind.
“Do you want it to be code? I can come up with a lot more creative words than just bunny to describe your body parts.”
“Oh?” She shifted in her seat, and I could only hope that this whole conversation was affecting her like it was affecting me. “Like?”
I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “For instance, if I had to pick my favorite body part on you, I think it would be called your electron.”
I slowed down and pulled up to a gate. “What would my electron be?”
I turned to face her. “Well, your electron is . . .” There was a knock on the window and I turned to face it. The man looked vaguely familiar, and when I rolled down the window, he leaned onto my car to talk.
“Do you remember where the main hall is, Russo?”
I had to think about it for a moment. “I do. Following the road, correct?”
He nodded. “Correct. Shaw and Roman should be there with Dot and Emma. Most of the boys won’t file in until tonight.”
“Emma?” The name peaked my interest. As long as I had known Roman, it had always been all the men and his mom on his compound. Sure, they fooled around, fucked some women, but nothing that would require his men to know the woman’s name.
His man just smiled at my inquiry. “You’ll see.”
“I’ll be damned,” I muttered.
“We are all a little baffled,” he admitted before tapping the side of my car and pointing to the road.
I drove forward and when we were through the gate, I tried to remember where our conversation left off. Bianca watched the gate’s keeper curiously as we drove by. “Why the gate and guard?”
“They live a different life than we do. Less secure. There is a lot more rivalry here, maybe more violence. He likes to keep the people in his circle safe. I don’t blame him. If I lived in an area like his, I probably would, too.”
“It’s the middle of nowhere. How dangerous could it be?”
Remembering my hand was on her thigh, I stroked my thumb in circles. “It’s what you don’t see that’s the danger, Amore.”
“Why do you never act afraid? You always go into a situation certain everything will be fine. Do you not play out every possible outcome? Think of everything that will go wrong instead of assuming it will go right?” I felt her thigh tense at the thought of everything that could go wrong. She overthought everything.
“If you’re asking if I assess the situation before jumping in? Always. I always know my chances, and I always expect the worst but hope for the best. But, despite the worst in a situation, I don’t let the fear hold me back. If I did that, I would have never met Greta. Or Roman. Or Shaw. Hell . . . or even you.”
“I’m pretty sure you met me out of necessity.” I glanced at her as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked so angelic that I had to fight to keep my hand steady instead of traveling higher up her leg.
“Maybe you’re right, I did need to see a dentist. Badly. I put it off too long and that caused a necessity. But, it was my decision to make a deal I never had before and take you as an offering. Keep you as my own.”
For once, she didn’t even tense when the deal was mentioned, and that little bit of acceptance had me releasing the tension I hadn’t known I was carrying. “Why did you?”
“Why did I what?”
“Make the deal to trade for me?” This time when she moved, she turned her whole body toward me, waiting intently for my answer.
“I didn’t know it was you, you know. When I first saw the picture. I just saw an old photo of someone who looked vaguely familiar, but when I saw you that evening, I knew I had to have you. If I’m honest, and as my wife, I hope you always let me be, I was lonely. You know, most of my men have spouses . . . a family, and it's all they can talk about. They walk around like lovesick fools and after a while, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell I was missing.”
I paused as my vehicle rocked over a particularly rocky piece of road.” I can have anyone, Bianca, but that gets old. Being used for my money and looks and status, it wasn’t pleasing. Then your father came and offered what I wanted, what I so desperately craved, and all you had to do was say yes. I know I can be a strict man. But I never wanted to kill your father. I never enjoy killing anyone. But when people borrow money, they are under contract. If I let everyone slide, I’ll be broke and lose everything I’ve ever worked for.”
“You did it out of principle, then? To prove a point that you get what you want and people can’t fault on a contact?” Her giant green eyes were watching me, making me feel weak and exposed.
I parked the car and watched as the door opened to the building in front of us. “Make no mistake Bianca, I may have fallen into this situation out of contract, but that was a convenience that worked in my favor. I made the contract because I wanted you. The moment I saw you in person, I knew no other truth and unless I made the threat, I would have never gotten a chance to prove I can make you happy.”
I didn’t wait for her to answer. Hell, I didn’t care much for what she had to say. Her questions made me feel exposed and raw at a time when I should have my guard up and be completely alert. I opened the door and got out, allowing myself a few moments to calm down before jogging to her side and opening her door, gesturing for her to join me.
CHAPTER 29
ROYAL
There was a moment where I suspected I would get a heap load of shit for lugging an unannounced wife along to our business meeting, until their brown-haired beauty came into the room, setting a plate loaded with sugary treats in the middle of the table. Both Roman and Shaw eyed the girl like she was the treat they wished to devour and I couldn’t hold in the chuckle.
“Have something to say, Russo?” Roman asked, his dark eyes pinning me down trying to intimidate me as if he could.
I shook my head, still fighting laughter. “I see your treats extend past the plate in front of us.”
He reached over, grabbing a cookie in the shape of a rabbit, decorated flawlessly. No doubt the influence of my wife helping their little lady in the kitchen. He bit the head off the cookie, and I fought a cringe, images of Peter hopping about flooding my mind. Ugh, Bianca was ruining me. I didn’t even hate it, in fact . . . I loved her taunting a little too much.
“I’ve not touched her,” he admitted.
I reached forward, grabbing a perfectly frosted cupcake. “Yet.”
“It’s not like that, she’s our employee.”
I swiped my fingers through the frosting. “She’s your employee. Not Shaw’s.”
His hand came down harder than it needed to. “Sharing a woman with Shaw isn’t something I’m a stranger to; you know that. We share, we fuck solo, we don’t fucking care. But that girl, I forbid him to touch her when I am not around.”
“So, he can touch her when you are around?” I asked.
He scrapped his hands over his face. “She’s making me weak, man. Look at her.” Shaw hummed his agreement. “She’s flawless and so damn innocent all I want to do is leave my handprints on her skin while I dirty her up.”
I nodded knowingly. They couldn’t get anything past me, not with a friendship as old as ours. “Are you going to make a move?”
“I can’t do it, man. Shit, just being around all of the men here is corruption enough.” He broke off another piece of cookie and shoved it in his mouth. “Bianca, huh? Want to talk about that?”
�
��The real story or the summarized version?”
“Give me some of both.” He leaned back, crossing his arms, mimicking Shaw’s stance.
“She was a debt I collected. Her father traded her for the amount of money he owed, she agreed, I kept her.” There, quick little summary.
His knowing eyes assessed me. “I feel like there is more to the story.”
“Isn’t there more to every story?” I sighed. “Look, I’m getting old and tired. I hate to admit it, lonely. Then I saw her, and I wanted her, and I did what I had to to get her.”
“And now?” he prompted.
“And now what?” Now I still had to have her. I spent every damn second of my day dreaming about her and that damn tattoo on her fucking thigh. Just the thought had me licking my lips. “When did we get so grown up where we wanted a single woman instead of three or four at our call?”
“I wish I knew,” they both said in unison.
Roman tapped the table. “This meeting, it’s about Emma, just so you know. Apparently, Krank had his eye on the girl, and he’s mad that we got her first. Her father owed us both money. She’s living here to help work off the debt while also working at her father’s bakery.”
“Sounds familiar.” I snorted. “Why do girls get stuck with such shitty fathers? How serious is the issue with Krank?”
“He’s threatened Emma’s life and our compound. I—I think,” he paused as he worked through his thoughts, “I am positive one of my men is a traitor and assisting him. I need new eyes, help from people I can trust that wouldn’t immediately send warning bells that I’m onto the situation until the situation is handled and under control.”
I rubbed my hands together thoughtfully. “I can help with that. Do you know how long?”
“As long as it takes. I don’t care about the compound, Royal. It can all be rebuilt, but I don’t want a single strand of hair touched on her head. Not one.”
“Understood.” I couldn’t even imagine what they were going through. The thought of anything happening to Bianca, of anyone pushing her into something she feared, caused fury to course through me. Her happiness lay in my hands, and I imagined that the boys felt the same about the little wisp they were lusting after.
After the situation was laid out, we discussed the plans in further detail until everything of importance was worked out, and a deal was made. I would send ten of my guys down to the compound on a volunteer basis. Each one would regularly report with Roman, but have daily contact with me. They would stay on the grounds free of charge, and when it was all said and done, if they wanted a permanent spot, it would be discussed then.
I wasn’t delusional. I knew once my men got a whiff of the life up here, the peace and quiet the country could offer, they wouldn’t want to leave. Hell, half the time, I didn’t want to leave. But I knew that despite the peace, they still had their own set of trouble and violence to worry about.
Roman and Shaw, they liked to get body deep into fights, and there was always a fight to be had. But they were softer than me. They may break bones and spirits, but they didn’t take lives when needed. Having some of my men could be beneficial to them and more of a reason for me to be out here on more occasions.
It had been a few hours of talking and working out details when Roman’s mother, Dot, appeared to let us know that the food for the masses had been made and his men were filing in. We abandoned the small table in his office in search of our women. Well, my woman and their potential one.
I found her in the kitchen, stirring a giant pot of sauce, a frilly little apron covering the green lace dress that she had changed into at one point. Fuck me, Troy was right about the dress. I watched her from behind, each little movement making the hem flutter and my heart pound. Her tattoo, that fucking floral leg piece poked out and I was torn between putting her on the tabletop and fucking her right there or forcing her upstairs to our guestroom to change out of her fuck me heels and lace mixture.
I walked up behind her, and she still hadn’t noticed me. Touching her side, I said, “Are you wearing the fruits of your shopping spree under this incredible dress?”
I fisted the fabric at her side, trying not to ruin it but fighting the urge to tear it off. She dropped the spoon and held her hand over her heart. “You scared me.”
I hummed as I rested my chin on her shoulder. “So are you?” I saw a bit of color take over her cheeks and she nodded. “Do I get to see it?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” she confessed, and it wasn’t an outright no, so I’d take it. I’d noticed her resistance to me had begun to thin and satisfaction warmed my stomach at the thought.
I gave her another hum against her neck. “Did you like helping out in the kitchen today?”
It wasn’t something that was required of her when she joined me, but she did volunteer when we arrived. “I really like Emma. But, can I confess something to you?”
She turned in my arms, so she was looking directly into my eyes, and she didn’t try to pull or put space between our bodies. I licked my lips, trying to keep my thoughts appropriate, at least for now. “Sure.”
“She doesn’t belong here,” she blurted out.
Well, I mean, I knew that, but I was curious as to why she thought so. “Why is that?”
Her eyes shifted down for a moment as she bit her lip. I had to fight the urge not to drag my thumb over her lower lip and pull it from the assault her teeth were giving it. Her eyes came up to mine again. “Nothing against your friends, they seem very nice. Completely opposite of you and there is nothing wrong with that. But, they are a bit rough around the edges. Even I can see that just by the people I’ve met in the short time we’ve been here. I don’t think she fits in here. She’s so sweet and wholesome.”
I agreed. “I think the boys know that. But, she’s here because of a bigger picture.”
My wife quirked an eyebrow. “What type of a bigger picture?”
“Think Bianca style.”
Her nose scrunched up in the most adorable way as she tried to figure out what I meant. When the pieces finally fell into place, she pushed my back with a bit of a struggle. “You don’t mean one of those men forced her to be their wife, do you?”
“First off, I didn’t force you, it was a mutual agreement.”
Her hands went to her hips, and she may have been a little annoyed or even a tad angry at me, but that didn’t stop me from checking out the way her stance pushed out her breasts, almost presenting them as an offering. “With the only other option being my father’s death.”
“But, you had options,” I pointed out and she huffed.
“Not fair ones.”
“You like to concentrate on the small details, don’t you, Amore?” I reached up and tapped her nose once with my index finger. “No, she’s not married to any of the men. She is working off her father’s debt by helping out around the compound when she isn’t working for her father. She’s living on-site, so she’s here when she’s needed.”
I didn’t tell her that part of the reason Roman wanted her close was that the other man her father owed money to was threatening the innocent girl’s life. Bianca held her stance for another solid minute as she stared me down before finally letting her arms fall loosely to the sides. “Fine, I believe you.”
“I would never lie,” I promised.
Her face showed her skepticism. She pushed past me, grabbing one of the trays off the table to bring into the hall. Right as she got to the doorway, she stopped, turning back toward me. “Oh, and Royal . . .”
I grabbed a big serving bowl of salad. “Hmm?”
“If you ever boop my nose again, I’m chopping off your finger in your sleep.” If my hands weren’t full, I would’ve been adjusting my cock. I should hate that I was rubbing off on her, despise that she looked at me and didn’t see the sunshine and rainbows she deserved. But, the mere mention of bloody violence that fell from her mouth brought my agitation to a scorching level and blurred my vision. Fuck, she was hot. The spicie
r her words, the harder I fell for her . . . every. Single. Time.
CHAPTER 30
BIANCA
It pained me to admit it, but Royal wasn’t so bad. I mean, yeah, he was sort of a jerk, but after we talked in the car, I felt like I understood him more. I was fully aware that I was a game piece in his life. Something he could move about and manipulate, not that he really did. But, what I got from his confession the most was that he was lonely. A man of power, starved of real attention, and I pitied him. Not because he couldn’t get everything he wanted—because he most certainly could—but because he had no faith in how genuine a person could be that he assumed a contractual marriage was all he would ever get.
I could prove him wrong, show him that you didn’t need to force someone to love you just to have a fraction of what everyone else had. I could actually consider dating a guy like him. Well, if I looked past the murder and blackmail. He actually made good marriage material.
“Your dress is taunting me. I’m torn between wanting to rip it to threads or have you wear it daily.” His husky voice whispered in my ear as he snuck up behind me, handing me a drink.
I reached for the drink, turning my head toward him. “You like green?”
“Blue. But on you, I like every color of the rainbow. This dress was made for you.” His palm not holding a drink smoothed down my side and latched onto my hip.
I should shy away, and for a moment, I was tempted to. But why resist him just to fight, when I was almost positive at this point embracing him would be so much better? I leaned back into him. “You’re mighty complimentary.”
“You leave me no choice.” His palm squeezed my hip. “Are you having a good time? Do you need anything?”
I looked around. “It’s fun enough, I suppose. I almost got married . . . again to that big guy in the corner. Also, that blonde,” I pointed to the man grabbing a beer, “said he will willingly challenge you for ownership of my assets.”
I felt his back stiffen. “It seems like I will, in fact, be killing some people this evening. It’s a shame, I thought of this as a little mini vacation.”
Resisting Royal (The Repayment Series) Page 15