Thieving Hearts

by Nikita Slater

“Katie Pullman,” Katie said with a smile. “International art thief and two-time kidnap victim of Roman Valdez. Nice to meet you.”

  Lana’s mouth opened slightly. Then she took Katie’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, the corners of her lips twitching up. She studied the beautiful blond with a critical eye. Even tousled from sleep she was stunning. Cleaned up and dressed to kill, she would be irresistible. It was easy to see what had kept Roman Valdez in the United States for all those years and away from the local girls this past year. His heart clearly belonged to this one. If they wished to keep his insane blood-thirst reigned (a trait inherited from his crazy papa), then they’d best keep his precious treasure safe under lock and key. Lana would have to have a conversation with Jorje about ensuring security around this one. Sometimes women’s minds worked a little differently than men’s.

  “Come, niña,” she said softly, clicking her tongue in sympathy when Katie stepped away from the bed still clutching the blanket and Lana caught sight of a red stripe across her back. “Let’s get you fed and bathed. You must be starving after your ordeal yesterday.”

  “Oh, yes,” Katie moaned as she approached the breakfast tray that Lana had set on the vanity table. She sat in the chair and began eating as fast as she could get the bites in her mouth. Between her usual nerves at doing a job and Roman’s punishment, she eaten almost nothing the day before.

  Lana drew a bath for her while Katie ate and gulped down the delicious coffee prepared just how she liked it. She eyed a small crystal bowl of strawberries with longing. She knew Roman had added them because he knew how much she loved them. What next, popcorn? The bastard knew the way to her heart was through her stomach. She briefly considered not eating the strawberries. But the childish gesture would harm no one but herself. So, she took the bowl and pushed the tray aside, keeping them for a snack. She would savour them at her leisure.

  Lana encouraged Katie to drop the protective barrier of the blanket when she entered the washroom. She left for a moment so Katie could have some privacy, which Katie was very grateful for. She wasn’t used to having anyone in her space, though she had to admit she was happy for the company this morning. She didn’t want to be alone with her confused thoughts and emotions. She didn’t want to have to think at all if she could help it. Not about how Ivan had so cold-heartedly handed her over to Roman. Or how Roman’s love for her had turned into such a twisted, bitter thing that he’d gone and restarted a long dead cartel just to get her back. Nor did she want to think about how her body betrayed her into responding to a man that had beaten her so viciously…

  “Katie, niña, are you okay in there?” Lana’s voice drifted worriedly through the partially cracked door.

  Katie flicked away the tear she hadn’t even realized had fallen and called back, “Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

  She stepped into the warm water and sat down in the big ceramic tub, hissing in pain as the water enveloped her abused body. The painful reminder of Roman’s anger brought a fresh bout of tears to the surface. Her sound of distress drew Lana quickly through the door. The older woman was quick to sit on the edge of the tub and take Katie’s face in her hands. Anger flickered in the dark depths of her beautiful eyes as she looked over Katie’s naked body. As always, Katie felt self-conscious when she was exposed to anyone. It was not her old scars, however, that drew Lana’s wrath.

  “That man loves you very much, but this is too much I think,” Lana said shaking her head. She gently wiped a tear from Katie’s cheek. “Ah, poor niñita, you miss your people?”

  Katie nodded, more tears spilling from her eyes as she thought about her family and friends back home. Would she ever see them again? Or would Roman keep her locked up in the hacienda forever, punishing her over and over for daring to leave him?

  “Come, come, there is nothing to be done for now. Perhaps he will relent in time,” Lana said gently. “Let us wash your lovely hair and then we will soothe the pain of your marks.”

  They spent the next few hours getting to know each other as Lana took care of Katie much the same as her mother would have if Katie had been sick or having a really bad day. Lana blow dried and brushed out Katie’s hair until it shone pale golden in the light filtering through the bars of the window. Then, she insisted Katie take her robe off and lay back on the bed where she applied a soothing cream to each welt. The only ones that had actually cut into her skin were on each thigh. The last two. She sucked in her breath as Lana applied the cream to them.

  She waited for Lana to ask about the old white scars littering her skin, but she never said a word. Katie wondered if Roman had warned her not to. It didn’t seem like him to discuss something so private. He was very possessive when it came to Katie. But then, he also seemed somewhat able to set that possessiveness aside when it came to her ultimate welfare.

  “Thank you,” she whispered when Lana finished and helped Katie back into a lightweight robe.

  Lana gave her a genuine smile and said, “You are welcome, my dear. Most of your wounds probably feel much worse than they actually are, I am relieved to say. You must be one brave chica. I think I would have fainted at the first sight of that whip before it even touched my skin.”

  Katie shuddered as she remembered the bite of the whip against her flesh. She smiled weakly and admitted, “It’s definitely not something I want to experience again. Lana, I’m still very tired. Do you think I could take a nap? Or… or is R-Roman expecting me soon?”

  She could barely say his name. A flood of emotions hit her when she thought of seeing him again. Excitement, fear, anxiety. Fear. Lana must have read some of the crazy going on in her head, because she checked her phone discreetly, looking at the time, before turning back to Katie with a kind smile. “Yes, of course. I will come wake you when it is time.”

  Katie chose not to ask the obvious follow up question. She was a firm believer in ‘what you don't know can’t kill you.’ Instead, she lay down, stretching out on her back, which hurt less than her front, though the cream helped sooth away most of the pain. She watched through eyes that were already closing with fatigue as Lana knocked on the door. It was opened for her and she was escorted out by a burly guard before the surprisingly heavy sounding door slammed shut and a lock engaged. Wow, these people were serious about keeping her locked in.

  Well, lucky I’m a master escape artist, she thought as she drifted off.

  Just as she said she would, Lana woke Katie after letting her rest for a few hours. The older woman was standing over her with a garment bag and a smile on her face. Confused, Katie sat up and shoved hair off her face. She blinked sleepily at the woman and asked, “Are you wearing more make-up than before? And jewelry, you’re wearing earrings and bracelets.”

  “Si niña, I have dressed up for the occasion. Now it is your turn to get that beautiful butt out of bed and get yourself ready,” Lana said with a laugh.

  Katie closed her eyes and pressed the heel of her hand against her eyebrow for a moment before opening her eyes and giving Lana her best glare. It was hard because she genuinely liked this woman, despite knowing her for less than a day. She was beginning to think there was a conspiracy going on within the household, with all this ‘let’s take care of Katie after torturing her first’ bullshit. Nope. She wasn’t having it. Time to ask the question.

  “And what occasion would that be exactly, Lana?”

  The other woman gave her a big, bright smile.

  “Why your wedding of course!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “She did what?” he asked incredulously.

  Roman looked up in surprise at the woman who was standing in front of his desk wringing her hands worriedly. The ice around his heart melted slightly over the fact that she was not concerned for herself at having to bring him the news that his soon-to-be bride wasn’t cooperating. No, she was worried for the woman on the top floor, locked away in the tower room he had specially built for her. A concrete and reinforced steel cage meant to hold her. Keep her f
orever if need be.

  “She threw strawberries against the wall,” Lana answered in hushed tones, as if saying it quieter would take some of the violence out of it. She clearly did not want to get her charge in trouble. Good, the women were bonding. He wanted Lana entirely loyal to Katie. “Then she threw whatever else came to hand. She was screaming and crying, too. I… I was afraid she may hurt herself, perhaps tear one of the wounds open so I had to ask Miguel to come in and restrain her.”

  At the look of barely restrained rage that flickered across Roman’s dark features over the thought of another man putting hands on Katie, Lana was quick to reassure him. “I was in the room the entire time and made sure he touched her as little as possible. She is handcuffed to the bed, Mr. Valdez, and unable to harm herself. But I am afraid she refuses to get ready for the wedding.”

  He gritted his teeth in an effort to bring the anger back under control. Only Katie could do this to him. She fucked with his head in a way no one else could, made him unpredictable. She’d been doing this to him since she was a long-legged, gangly 13-year-old with braces on her teeth. She would be doing this to him when they were in their eighties, if God were kind enough to allow them that much time together. Now it was up to him to ensure they were bound together so they could pass those years as man and wife.

  When the rage passed, he glanced up at Lana. She was a lovely woman. Perhaps ten years older than Roman, she was a combination of old-fashioned homey and sultry. Jorje, his second-in-command, was a lucky man and he knew it, nearly as possessive of his hermosa Lana as Roman was of Katie.

  Roman’s lips twitched in humour. “She really threw a tantrum?”

  Eyes wide, Lana nodded. “It was like watching a dust devil in action, Mr. Valdez. I had no idea she had such a temper!”

  He chuckled, startling the woman. She couldn’t remember hearing him laugh before. Certainly, none of his men had ever heard such a sound from him. The blond beauty brought out myriad emotions in their cartel boss. It would be both unsettling and magical to watch their love unfold. Like one of those Spanish telenovellas she loved to watch.

  “I have known Ms. Pullman for almost two decades and have never known her to get as angry as you’ve described. She is usually manipulative and sneaky when it comes to getting what she wants. This is good, Lana… this tells me she is finally running out of options.”

  Lana stared at him like he was crazy. But he was the boss. What could she do except nod and go with him when he beckoned for her to follow him out of the room, back up the winding stairs and into the fortified tower holding his reluctant fiancé. He nodded coldly at Miguel as they approached the door to her cell. Miguel was a huge man, ideally suited to the job of watching over Katie. He was fiercely loyal to Roman, having pledged allegiance as soon as he’d found out there was a new Valdez in residence. He was also much faster than he looked, and just as strong. And just as cunning as his lovely charge.

  He unlocked the door and stepped aside, keeping his eyes wisely averted from the beautiful blonde restrained to the bed. She’d twisted and turned until her robe had given way, opening to reveal one creamy, pink-tipped breast, her nearly hairless pussy and one long leg. With a curt instruction for Lana to wait outside until he was ready, Roman entered her room and slammed the door shut behind him. Her head jerked around in surprise, her wary gaze clashing with his.

  Any amusement he’d felt earlier fled to be replaced with blazing fury. What if she’d needed help while she was tied up like this? Miguel would have had to enter the room and he would have seen her like this. Miguel was loyal and well trained, so he would have looked away and done his job professionally, but Miguel was still a single, heterosexual man and Katie was a stunningly beautiful woman. If Miguel had to put hands on Katie while she was in such a state, well, it was more than Roman could handle. He needed to convince her to settle down and accept her situation before he left a trail of body parts in the wake of their fiery love affair.

  He approached the bed, his hands going to the buttons of his shirt. He’d dressed in his finest suit for the occasion of their wedding day, but had left off his jacket since he expected to work until the ceremony. Her gorgeous blue eyes burned with fear and defiance as she silently watched him remove his shirt, baring his chest. Those eyes of hers, so full of emotion, turned his dick to stone more than any other gorgeous feature she had. Her gaze strayed to the large, ornate tattoo of her name, scrawled across his pectoral muscle. He’d had some embellishments added to it over the past year.

  She licked her lips and lifted her chin defiantly when he reached the edge of her bed. “I won’t marry you, Roman,” she said in a voice shaking with emotion.

  “You will,” he said simply, his hands going to the buckle of his pants. Her eyes followed the movement and she flinched, thinking perhaps he meant to beat her into compliance. His poor mujer had been through a lot in the last twelve hours.

  He unzipped his pants and pushed them along with his underwear down his legs. Her chest heaved in relief when he simply placed them neatly over the same chair he’d set his shirt. He didn't want his outfit to wrinkle before the ceremony. He turned back to her, fully naked and erect, ready to anticipate his vows before they were made. But then, he and his little fiancé were anything but conventional. He would fuck her before the wedding and she would stand at his side and become his wife with his seed wet between her legs. A reminder of whose property she was.

  “No, Roman!” she protested when he kneeled on the bed, knocking her legs apart. “I won’t be forced into marriage this way. You can’t keep doing this to me! You can't keep kidnapping me, beating me and fucking me and then expecting me to forgive you. I don't want this!”

  He pressed one long finger into her wet heat while dropping a kiss on top of the worst welt he had given her, a long thin stripe that had bled a tiny bit. His tongue snaked out to lick the line. He could see the moment that heat, pain and pleasure merged as he curved his finger into her g-spot and massaged her. She moved her knees back restlessly on the sheets, giving him better access to her sweet pussy. He moved to her other leg, treating her other wound to similar care, apologizing with his lips and tongue until she was writhing underneath him.

  “You think I can’t force you into marriage, Katerina mia?” he growled, forcing another finger into her slick passage until she was panting and pressing her hips up into the incredible heaven he was promising. “This is my land, baby girl, my laws. You just have to show up, I’ll do the rest. Now, I want you to come on my tongue and then beg me for more.”

  He flicked his tongue against her clitoris, teasing the tiny flushed nub from its hood until she was squirming and begging underneath him. He had to hold her down with one hand on her belly so she wouldn't buck him off with her wild movements. She jerked so hard on her arms, the handcuffs Miguel had used to secure her to the bed frame rattled over her head. Roman hoped she wasn’t damaging her wrists even more than he had the night before. His poor mujer was having a rough first day in his care. After she settled down, he would make a point of giving her the princess treatment she deserved. He would only bring his dark side out to play when she was bad.

  “Oh god, oh my gooooood, Roman!” she shouted, gushing all over his mouth and hand as she came hard, her hips jerking against him.

  He frowned as she screamed loud enough for the occupants in the hallway to hear. He had chosen not to soundproof her tower room in case she ever needed help. At the time of its building he had made the choice, knowing her guards would hear them having sex when he visited her room. He hated the thought, but he didn't see a way of reconciling. He could have given her an intercom, but if she ever hurt herself and couldn’t get to it in time to receive help, he would not be able to forgive himself. Ultimately, he chose the lesser of two evils in the hopes that one day he would trust her enough that her tower room would no longer be necessary and she could join him in the master suite.

  He moved over top of her, caging her face with his palms and taking
in the dazed post-orgasmic expression on her face. He loved the soft glow she emitted after he made her come. She became his mindless wanton when she was like that. She lifted her hips and wrapped her gorgeous, long legs around him, pressing herself up.

  “You want me to fuck you, baby?” he growled, sinking his teeth into the edge of her lip.

  “Yes… yes,” she moaned, arching her neck back so he could nip his way down her throat, giving her the stinging bites of pain she craved. “Please, Roman… I want you inside me so much!”

  He reached up and gripped her wrists where they were shackled to the bed, squeezing them hard, enjoying the feel of her shackled with steel. He loved knowing she couldn’t run from him this time. He had complete control over her and she was begging him to fuck her anyway. He gripped her thigh and pulled it up high so he could plunge into her at a tight angle, throwing her headlong into another orgasm.

  She screamed as she came, her pussy clamping down on him like a vice. It was everything he could do not to come right along with her, but he wanted to stroke her higher until she was mindless with pleasure. Forcing his way through her spasming channel, he ruthlessly fucked her while she screamed and begged for him to both stop and keep going. Placing her ankle on his shoulder, he reached between their bodies and swirled his thumb over her clit, enjoying the jerk of her hips.

  “No, no, stop, it’s too much!” she gasped, her eyes wide as she begged. She was helpless to stop him though, with her arms over her head and her legs forced wide. He continued to plunder her clit and thrust into her slick channel until she was once more coming apart underneath him.

  “Mine, Katie,” he grunted, dropping her leg and pressing his body into hers, crushing her against the mattress while he continued to thrust his cock deep inside her body. He came while she was still shuddering from the intensity of her orgasms. He roared in her ear while pumping hot jets of semen against her cervix, “I’ll never let you go!”