by Anya Nowlan
River pulled a blanket from his backpack and set it on the damp grass, breathing in and then out with a sigh.
“I found this spot about a month after I moved into the townhouse and was exploring the nearby areas. It’s quiet, so I come here to think sometimes, when I need to get away. No one knows about this place, so I know I won’t be bothered.”
Kate joined him as they sat down on the blanket, staring up at the stars. They both kicked off their shoes. It wasn’t too warm, but with River by her side, she had all the heat she needed.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, River pulled her closer, and she didn’t mind one bit. His warmth seeped into her skin, sending a tingle down her spine.
This was a private place he was sharing with her and yet another side of him she wasn’t expecting to see.
Star-gazing with a mobster? I guess I can tick that off my bucket list.
River continued to be somewhat of a mystery. Tense and threatening when challenged, yet cheeky and sincere when alone with her. She had pegged him as one-dimensional when they first met and he had been proving her wrong ever since.
So much for first impressions. Then again, the one she had left on him couldn’t have been too rosy either.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, staring at the dark, cloudless sky above them. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“You’re the only one I’ve wanted to show it to. And I thought we could both use a break.”
That much was true. It seemed their days together were filled with one surprise after another, most of them unpleasant.
Caged in her room, Kate had little else to do but worry and overthink things. She was used to always being on, planning a mission, thinking up different exit strategies. Never letting herself just be in the moment had probably been intentional, if she were being honest with herself.
Sometimes she didn’t like the thoughts that popped into her head, so she silenced her mind with work.
Tonight, I want to do what feels right.
Thirty
River
His tiger had settled on a soft purr as he sat next to Kate, wearing a gentle smile as she seemed to ponder something. The silence between them was comfortable as they spread themselves out on the blanket. She was all but glowing under the moonlight, with passing shadows accentuating her cheeckbones and making her grey eyes look as black as the night.
Gorgeous and lethal, what a combination.
When she turned from the stars to him, there was a gleam in her eye and a wryness to her smile.
“I’d love to know what you’ve been thinking about,” he commented, as her scent became tinged with the sweet smell of arousal.
“Everything. And then nothing at all.”
Her smile was as cryptic as her response, but her body was already telling him a story as old as time. She rolled onto her side and he followed suit, until they were face to face, resting their heads on their hands.
River could feel a pulse start deep within him as the length of her body edged closer to his, their feet tangling together, toes tickled by the grass encroaching onto their blanket.
His hand reached out, fingertips brushing against the soft skin of her legs, moving up until they reached the edge of her dress. Hooking his fingers behind her thigh, he pulled her leg over his waist. Her whole body followed suit as her hips pressed against his, until they were glued together.
So soft yet so tough. A woman of contradictions.
“You do things to me I can’t understand,” Kate said, her voice breathy as she gripped his bicep and arched against him. “You make me lose control.”
River’s cock twitched against his jeans as she ground against his growing erection, licking her lips and sighing softly.
“Control is overrated,” he replied, sliding a hand under her dress and pushing it up to cup her ass as his hips bucked against hers.
The scent of her was overwhelming now, hot and heavy with lust, filling his senses. A small moan slipped past her lips and he snatched it up with his lips, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Her hands moved to twist roughly in his hair as she sucked on his tongue, filling him with searing need.
Mine. Now and forever.
“Are you wet for me, baby?” he asked after pulling away, his hand sliding up her inner thigh and towards her pussy.
“Yes. Come play with your favorite toy,” she grinned, spreading her legs for him.
The sight of her, laid out in front of him, squirming under his touch, so ready to be his, made a growl run through his entire body. The throb in his cock turned into a demanding ache as he pulled up her dress even further and ran his fingers over her soaked panties.
He pulled them off her, admiring the slick, pink skin that came into view. All he could think about was being inside her, feeling her tight pussy all around him. But he wanted to tease her a little first. If for no other reason than as gentle punishment for being so damn difficult with him up to now.
Softly biting her neck, he started to circle his thumb around her clit, hot and wet under his touch. Kate’s head fell back and she started to tremble along with his movements, her body jerking against him as she rode his fingers.
Just as she was at the cusp, he slowed down, easing her off the edge he had been pushing her towards.
“How do you like this game?”
Her hands came down on his shoulders and he was suddenly pushed onto his back with her kneeling next to him, looking as dangerous as ever. Shrugging off her leather jacket, she kept her eyes on him, the heat swirling in them making his insides clench.
“My turn to play,” she said, her hands moving to undo the button of his jeans.
His breath caught when she slid the zipper down and ran the palm of her hand down his shaft, her gaze hungry and her eyes glimmering. This was his fiery Katie, the one that wasn’t afraid to let loose and take exactly what she wanted, consequences be damned.
He lifted his hips so he could yank his pants down. River sighed as his erection sprang free, no longer straining against the thick fabric of his jeans.
“Take off your shirt. I want to see all of you,” she ordered, wrapping her fingers around his cock.
“Bossy,” he remarked, but did as he was told.
She could ask me to do a handstand right now and I’d do it.
Kate’s eyes widened as his bare chest came into view, and he reveled in the appreciation evident in her gaze. Without another word, she moved to straddle him, her palms resting on his pecs. Her wet slit slid across his hard cock, making the world fall away.
“Katie…” was all he could say, lost to the electricity sizzling between them.
She slowly guided him inside her warm, tight pussy, lowering herself to take it all. River gripped her hips as she started to move on top of him, tight and wet and all his. She gasped as she slowly took his length, and he gave her all the time she needed to get accustomed to his size. This time, they were in no hurry.
Looking up at her, she looked like a goddess, her blonde hair tumbling down her back as she arched her spine.
Her nails raked across his chest as she rolled her hips, taking him even deeper. He could feel her stretch around him as he filled her up, moving his hips in time with hers.
The soft rustle of leaves in the wind mixed in with their moans as a cool breeze flowed over their hot skin. With her eyes squeezed shut, Kate whimpered as they picked up the pace.
The fire inside River engulfed him whole when he lifted his hips and slammed into her. Kate’s body stiffened as a cry tore from her throat, sending a shockwave through her that he could feel clearly. Her pussy tightened around him, drawing him deeper inside as she moaned and writhed, River having to put some strength into keeping her in place on his cock.
She was so gorgeous when she cummed, he could keep watching her forever. But when she slammed down on him one more time, he couldn’t control himself any longer.
That was the last straw for River as the pressure inside him snapped, flooding
his body with an indescribable sense of release. With a growl on his lips, his hot seed pumped into Kate, his fingers digging into her hips.
With a lazy smile, she opened her eyes, the lids heavy. He kept her there for a moment longer as she bent over to kiss him. Only then did he release his grip on her hips and allow her to slide off of him.
“I think we both won this game,” she sighed, climbing off him and settling into the crook of his shoulder.
“It’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had.”
He could feel her smile against his skin as he held her close, wrapping her up in his protective embrace, thinking of how he wanted to stay like this forever.
“Maybe one of these days we’ll even try it indoors,” she remarked, chuckling.
They arrived back at the townhouse around midnight and drove the bikes back into the garage. He put the helmets and jackets back in the locker as she walked around the room, inspecting the motorcycles she hadn’t gotten a good look at before.
He loved seeing her appreciate what he felt so passionate about almost as much as he loved seeing her naked and on top of him. Almost, but not quite.
“I can’t wait to try out more of these beauties,” she murmured under her breath.
Once she was done looking around, they walked upstairs, hand in hand. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, having her by his side. It seemed she was finally accepting there was something meaningful and undeniable between them, in addition to great sexual chemistry.
She wasn’t watching her every word anymore, speaking freely and without the bite of sarcasm dripping from every word.
Yet fate didn’t let him bask in the warmth emanating from Kate very long, as a familiar scent hit his nose even before they entered the living room. Kate could immediately sense from the change in his demeanor something was wrong.
“What is it?” she asked, tensing up.
“Smells like my brother has come over for a visit.”
Something tells me he’s not here for a beer and a friendly chat.
Thirty-One
Kate
Dyson was spread out on a sofa in the living room, with an ankle thrown over his knee. He looked distinctly impatient and his eyes immediately locked on to her hand in River’s.
While the two Royce brothers were similar in many ways, Kate couldn’t see him as anything other than a rodent in comparison to River. The more times she met the man, the more prevalent that feeling became.
“So it’s true,” Dyson remarked dryly. “I almost didn’t believe father when he told me, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve been off your game for a while.”
“Why are you here?” River asked, sounding annoyed and ready to pounce. “You’ve never doubted father’s word before, so why the need to show up and confirm what you already know?”
“I needed to see it for myself, I guess,” Dyson shrugged. “How the great River has gone soft over a piece of ass.”
Kate couldn’t help but bristle at that.
“I have a name, you know,” she commented dryly, quirking a brow at Dyson.
“I’m aware,” he replied, not even looking at her.
This arrogant son of a bitch…
Her feet seemed to move on her own as she sprang forward, only stopping at River’s arm on her shoulder.
“Now, now,” he chided softly. “If anyone’s going to punch my little brother’s lights out, it’s going to be me.”
Crossing her arms in front of her with a huff, Kate took a step back. No matter how badly she wanted to put Dyson in his place, this was still a family matter. She had to let River deal with his brother himself.
It didn’t help that Dyson could probably turn her into minced meat within seconds without the right weapons by her side.
“I heard about Talon,” Dyson announced before River could say anything else. “Are you going to kill me too, because I disrespected your little pet?”
Talon’s dead? Kate wondered briefly, remembering the blood splatter she had seen on River before. So that’s what he was out doing.
She couldn’t really spare a sad thought at Talon’s demise. He hadn’t made a very good impression and if River took him out, he had to have good reason to do so.
River might be ruthless and brash, but he cares about the people under him. He wouldn’t murder a member of his own organization just for the sake of it. Talon dug his own grave with his disobedience.
The fact that she was thinking like that would have struck her at odd at any other time, but not now. Maybe she’d always been built to live in the world of mobsters after all…
A humorless smile spread across River’s lips at the mention of Talon’s name. He let go of her hand to stride closer to Dyson, who suddenly looked tense.
“That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it? To try and gauge how much Talon told me.”
I feel like I’m missing a couple of pieces here, Kate thought
Dyson tried looking confused, but it wasn’t difficult to see River had struck a nerve. It had to have something to do with that meeting she and River had interrupted when they first got to Chicago.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dyson insisted.
“I’m talking about you making a play for my seat,” River thundered, looking even taller and wider somehow, now that he was angry.
Even Kate took a little step back.
“You really have gone crazy,” Dyson scoffed. “But I already figured as much when father said you refused to marry Diamond.”
“Don’t try and change the subject. And you can stop the concerned brother act, I know what you’re really after.”
Finally getting up from his seat, Dyson faced his brother, looking like he was ready to burst out of his skin. A vein throbbed at his temple with gold starting to swirl in his hazel eyes, which were only a shade darker than River’s.
“How am I under interrogation here? You’re the one that has abandoned the Crimson Claws, and now you’re putting our alliance with the Montgomerys in danger by rejecting their only daughter. Maybe it is time for the Claws to move on without you. You’re only holding us back.”
“I leave you in charge for a couple of days here and there and suddenly you’re the expert on the organization I built? You have some nerve showing up in my home, questioning my judgment and insulting my mate, when your resume consists of being daddy’s errand boy.
“You’re lucky you’re my brother, or I would have snapped your neck already.”
River’s voice was pure snarl and bite as he got in his brother’s face, not pulling any punches. To his credit, Dyson didn’t back down and stood his ground, a growl rumbling in his chest.
This could get ugly.
Kate suddenly had a newfound appreciation for being an only child.
The fact River had called her his mate hadn’t escaped her attention, but this wasn’t the right time to correct him. By the way Dyson glanced at her, it hadn’t escaped his either.
So we had sex again. And I’m pregnant with his baby while he’s supposed to right some ancient wrong and marry a tiger named Diamond to appease his family. And I’m more attracted to him than ever. Sure, all of this is completely normal, she reasoned, all too aware of how insane she was sounding.
“Lucky is not the word I’d use,” Dyson ground out, his hands balling into fists. “I had to grow up in your shadow, and I’ve had enough. I can lead the Crimson Claws into a new era, take it to heights you can’t even imagine. You would only be selfish to stand in my way.”
A bitter laugh rumbled out of River as he stepped back from his brother to stand in the middle of the room. The spacious living area suddenly felt small, filled with the waves of fury and power rolling off of the Royce brothers.
Kate felt like a fifth wheel stuck in the middle of this conversation, but she couldn’t convince herself to leave, either. Whatever was going on between the brothers, it was bound to affect her, as well.
Especially now, when
River had publically declared her to be his mate, whether he meant to or not. Word would spread and people would try to use her as a means to get to him, she could guarantee it.
Kate couldn’t help but glance down at her stomach.
If one of River’s enemies finds out I’m pregnant…
She hoped Dyson couldn’t smell it on her like River had been able to. He didn’t seem to be paying her much attention at the moment, fortunately, and she was bound to be covered in River’s smell after their little tryst on the hill, masking any other underlying scents.
With his lips bared in what was something in between a smirk and a snarl, River pointed a finger at his brother.
“This isn’t about what’s best for the organization. This is all about your own ambition and your need to prove yourself. Don’t try and act like you have some higher purpose here.”
All the growling and raised voices had gotten Gunner’s attention, who Kate suddenly noticed was standing quietly at the edge of the living room. His eyes were sharp, considering the situation. River must have sensed his presence as well, as his head jerked in the guard’s direction.
“Everything alright, sir?” Gunner asked, both his tone and demeanor totally neutral, even if his gaze was unmistakably telling Kate that he was ready to go to blows at the drop of a dime.
Either he was very professional, or very detached, she wasn’t sure. Or maybe those were the same thing? It didn’t really matter. In the end, she was glad Gunner was as reserved as he was.
The last thing we need around here is another temper. We have enough between the three of us.
“Everything’s fine. My brother was just leaving,” River replied, throwing Dyson a pointed look. “Go, and stay out of my business, if you know what’s good for you. I’m extending you the courtesy of not killing you because we’re family, but don’t expect that to sway me again if you don’t change the path you’re on.”
The menace in River’s voice told her this was one warning Dyson had better take seriously. Dyson stared at his brother for a couple of tense seconds before brushing past him and heading to the door with a snarl on his lips.