The Laughing Assassin [Assassin's Diary] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Jennifer Willows

  Which one would catch her eye?

  It was then he noticed the spine of one book protruded past the others on the highest shelf nearby and walked over.

  It was a thin bound volume of Shakespeare, complete with illustrations. The book was worth at least a thousand, but not much more than that, as the reproduction was turn of the century and just under a hundred years old.

  When he tugged the book away he noticed the title. The Merchant of Venice. He would bet his entire fortune that was where she was headed. It took him two days before he could get everything settled enough to leave. He didn’t know where she was staying. His woman had decided to make his search a bit more difficult when she opted to use a third faux identity to book her stay in the country.

  But black women were well appreciated in Italy, so he was easily able to find several people who had seen a woman matching her description. There were more men than not that described her to him as he wandered the floating city. He finally found her earlier that day as he saw her hail a gondola for a ride from the dock at beside a canal side hotel.

  She must have gone into a market, as when she returned there were several bags with her. He watched as the gondolier refused to let her carry her own parcels, and she made several denials before she relented. The male carried the bags into the lobby to Jonah’s ire. But he was satisfied when the man crossed over the threshold Jaden refused to allow him to carry her belongings any further.

  Good.

  Jaden was his woman, and every Italian man on Earth could try her, but they would have her over his dead body.

  She was his, and once she was back inside her own room, he contacted his hotel to have his luggage brought over by messenger. Anything of value was already on his person. The concierge at the hotel seemed perturbed at the fact he was cutting his stay short, but he hadn’t planned on being there but another day or so anyway. Jonah had to reassure the man that everything was fine with his stay and that there were no complaints about the quality of his room or services provided.

  Then he went upstairs, and he heard the water run through the pipes even from where he was in the hallway. He called the room and waited for Jaden to answer. When her voice confirmed that he was in front of the right door, he slipped the ring onto his middle finger and knocked.

  Jaden seemed…happy to see him, albeit surprised. He knew she assumed it would take him much longer than it had. She had forgotten who she was dealing with. He was no mere boy masquerading as a man. He was the real deal, and she was about to find that out. Again.

  He had the entire proposal planned out, down to what he was going to say. He initially wanted to propose to her on the gondola. But when he heard her voice, Jonah no longer found that he had the patience to wait even long enough for that to have concrete proof that she was his.

  But when he knelt at her feet, all of his practiced speech flew from his head, and his hands shook. There was a part of him that knew that she wasn’t the marrying kind. But he hoped that if she loved as much as he was certain she did that she would be willing to take the risk of matrimony with him.

  She was one of a kind, and like a wild lioness, she would take care of the man in her life, but she was still untamed and half-wild even with the domestication.

  Once she had unwittingly agreed to his not-proposal, he rejoiced inside, but he tried not to let his elation show on his face.

  Jonah listened, but what Jaden told him was no surprise. He had heard most of it already, but there were some snippets that she hadn’t told Kris. The version he got included more gruesome aspects of the story that the younger woman hadn’t gotten. But he knew that Jaden was a strong individual, even more than he. Jonah had lived and seen much, but nothing as hard as what Jaden had gone through before.

  He couldn’t imagine living through what she had and at such a young age. At ten, he was still playing with toys and had a full belly at night, along with two doting parents. Jonah had been given anything he could ask for and a few things that he hadn’t requested either. Like the Audi he was given for his birthday at sixteen, or the house his parents had given him for his birthday when he turned thirty.

  Even though he had made his own way up the ranks of the military before retirement, he knew that being a member of the Whitmore family made certain that he was given unasked-for preferential treatment, unlike the woman he loved, who had fought for her very life as he was halfway around the world and at peace. The wildly diverse manner of their upbringings shouldn’t have made a difference though.

  He had no problem sharing everything God had gifted him with her. His name, his wealth, his seed, his life, anything at his disposal was hers.

  She turned to him, and he could see the love he’d longed for with her in her eyes. Jonah kissed her, the taste of her sweeter than anything he’d ever had, even when he had kissed her before. But he attributed that to the fact that he could taste the love she felt for him from her lips.

  There was a knock on the door. Jonah broke the seam of mouths.

  She chuckled. “I ordered room service.”

  The knocking resumed, and then he heard the male outside call out. “Room service, bella!”

  Jonah picked the robe up that Jaden had shrugged onto the floor just a few minutes prior. He pulled on the soft terry material and walked over to the door. But as he tugged at the handle, the waiter called out again. “Bella…is room service!”

  “Bella is busy,” Jonah said as the other man took stock of him with a glance south then back up again.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know bella was married. She doesn’t wear your ring. Take a word of advice. Be sure that you take care of that.”

  “Already done.” Jonah took the covered tray and slammed the door in the presumptuous man’s face.

  When he turned back to the bed with the platter in his hands, Jaden laughed so hard tears fell from her eyes.

  “What is so funny?”

  “Well, first off, your dick is hanging out.” She started laughing again, and the mirth was almost contagious as he sat the tray down then looked south.

  Well, hell. His dick was out and at attention.

  “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

  “And you’re jealous.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? You’re beautiful, Jaden, and I know that most men have perfectly good vision. But that doesn’t mean that I want them looking at you.”

  She chuckled and smiled. “But, Jonah, baby, you know that doesn’t matter, right? I don’t want anyone else, just you.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Jonah pulled the sheets back and climbed in bed with his fiancée.

  * * * *

  Jaden couldn’t help herself when she laughed at Jonah. He was jealous? Shoot, she was planning to smack any woman that looked at him halfway and challenge them to pistols at dawn. So the idea that he felt the same way she did was classic.

  Jonah had wormed his way into her heart, and he was hers. When he settled the tray down and realized his dick was hard, their prior mirth took a serious turn. As he settled between the sheets next to her, Jaden had resigned herself to eating room-temperature antipasto and cold linguine with pesto much later.

  But just a moment later, none of that mattered. Jonah’s hands cradled her jaw and kissed her. The sweetness of his lips was too much to deny. Their hands were everywhere at once. She reached down and stroked the soft skin over his member as she clutched his nape with the other hand. He rubbed her hip with one hand and used the other the prop her breast toward his mouth.

  The heat between them grew more quickly with every moment that passed by. It seemed that she was wetter and hotter than she had ever been before. The newly acknowledged emotions between them made everything so much more. Each sensation was magnified by a thousand, and every caress was effectively tripled.

  It was as if she had never been touched before. As if every part of her was virginal, despite the fact that they had done this before in many ways and positions. This was the first time
that she lost herself completely, as if she were nothing more than a vessel for him to fill. As if she were only made for him and he was only made for her.

  Is this what love feels like? The emotions were almost too strong, almost more than she felt she could hold inside and not explode. She was close to crying, the tears seemed to burden her eyes, and she could barely keep them at bay.

  “I feel it, too. So much better than before,” Jonah whispered.

  Then he splayed her legs wide and kissed her again, just before his cock slid home within her wet walls of cunt. The first stroke was magic, and every thrust thereafter was bliss. The light of the sun filtered in on them, and she saw the entire world in minute detail. The tiny hairs scattered on his skin, the fall of his lashes when his lids fluttered closed. She let her eyes follow suit as the sight of him taking possession of her was too much to bear.

  But when she saw only darkness, she felt so much more. She could nearly taste each stroke of cock and cunt mingled from liquid friction and lust. His hands gripped her, and held onto her as if she would disappear if his grip wasn’t strong enough. Her hands clutched him just as tightly. Her short nails bit into his shoulders and hip angrily, goadingly.

  He took the bait and increased the pace of their lovemaking. It didn’t take much to make her come. Anything he did to her was enough. After the first orgasm, the rest of their lovemaking was only icing on the cake as the peaks seemed endless, ceaseless.

  “Shhhh…” he whispered in her ear. “Or someone will think I’m murdering you.”

  “I–I’m not.” But she was. When she finally paid attention to the soundtrack their bodies gyrated to, she screamed shamelessly.

  She groaned and moaned as he moved over her, and nothing could get in between them. Not breath, self, or light could get in the way as she gave Jonah everything she had. Everything she was.

  Jaden wanted to feel more of him and greedily wanted to feel him even deeper.

  “Please, Jonah!” she cried out as she clenched his hips.

  “What do you need, baby?”

  “You deeper…” Jaden gasped as he wish-boned her legs apart and pressed her knees into her chest. “Ohhh Jonah…gonna come again!”

  “Good. Take me with you.” She could barely move, but she did have extensive control over her PC muscles. There had been many an occasion that as she was in the midst of answering nature’s call and had to stop on the drop of a dime or give her position away.

  Those were the same muscles she called to her will, pulsing her cunt walls at first rhythmically, then erratically as she grew closer and closer to yet another orgasm that threatened to steal all of her good sense. He grunted and winced as if he were in pain. She knew he skirted so close to his peak that if she just—

  Jaden nuzzled the dip of his shoulder with her nose and bit him firmly, roughly.

  “What the fuck, Jaden!” Jonah picked up the pace to jackrabbit squared, as he moved so quickly that she could only feel the effects of his cock on her swollen snatch. She couldn’t even quite see the ratcheting of his hips through the veil of pleasure.

  It wasn’t until he came that she finally realized what was missing. A condom. She could feel Jonah’s seed inside of her with no safeguards from pregnancy. Their mingled cum leaked out copiously, sluggishly, and still warm from the source.

  “You tryin’ to make a baby, Whitmore?” They were still breathless and giddy from the afterglow of lovemaking several minutes later.

  Jonah chuckled hoarsely. “God knows, I love you, woman.” He stopped speaking as he looked at her tenderly. The emotions in his eyes unnerved her, but stirred something deep inside also. “We would make beautiful babies together.”

  He rolled over until Jaden was on top, and he stroked over her supple skin with work-roughed fingertips.

  “Good, ’cause I love you back.” His chest was her extra-firm pillow, her legs splayed wide over his hips, and she had no plans of moving. At all. She was sleepy, and the exhaustion overtook her once her eyes fluttered closed.

  She was correct in assuming that she would dine on cold Italian later on that day as two and a half hours after they had passed out from lovemaking, they ate together. Plus, they ordered another when the first one was finished. The good, albeit lukewarm meal was forgotten once they found rehydration with a bottle of wine and guzzled straight from the bottle gluttonously and with nary a care if errant droplets spilt.

  Epilogue:

  The Start of Something Beautiful

  The days spent in Venice were perfect, magical, and only if they were married, a honeymoon of sorts. But when they were back in the US, Jonah was so determined to have the wedding take place immediately that he helped with the plans. Along for the ride, his mother, grandmother, sister, and Kris all pitched in their two cents. By the time the last week of preparations was completed, Jaden was nearly at her wit’s end. There were way too many cooks in the kitchen, and they nearly spoiled the sauce with additions.

  Jaden wasn’t one for the idea of planning a wedding, so she didn’t personally care who did it, as long as she didn’t have to. But having too many opinions was annoying in the extreme.

  After she finally put her foot down, Jaden took some of the proffered suggestions and made her own choices for the rest. She wasn’t going to wear the dress that his mother offered her. The style wasn’t going to work for the island theme, and the item would require so many alterations that she was practically starting over with the fabric anyway. His mother didn’t take offense, but Jaden knew that Jonah’s mom wanted to have something of her in the wedding. So as a concession, Jaden “borrowed” a pair of earrings from the family jewels.

  Once everyone saw that Jaden wasn’t going to be pushed around, life was so much easier. Until the wedding day that was. Jaden already was nervous. She’d never envisioned herself as a bride, not since she was a little girl who played with dolls. But she loved Jonah enough that she would allow him this stamp of ownership, although it was no hardship to be with the man in every other way, and she hoped their marriage would be the same.

  Jonah’s family was well known, and with the Whitmore wealth and prestige, numerous doors were opened without even asking. The venue Jonah wanted was normally booked solid and didn’t take anyone without a six-month wait minimum. But for Jonah, the owners were willing to bend over backward and make an opening for a private ceremony at five thirty p.m.

  Jaden was sure when Jonah proposed to her in Italy that his family would find a way to make the wedding difficult. But surprisingly, his mother had accepted her and his father actually appeared excited about the prospect. She had no idea where the change of heart came from, though she wouldn’t be taken aback if Jonah had threatened to leave the fold.

  He promised her during their impromptu vacation in Italy that he would show her a few bondage tricks that they didn’t get the chance to play with during the training sessions. And they both loved the punishments that were part and parcel of the D/s lifestyle. Jaden knew she was a bad girl, just as she knew Jonah loved the naughty parts of her the most.

  Although, he refused to utilize his newfound knowledge until their honeymoon, and no matter what she did or how she begged for it, he wouldn’t budge. But now that she was honest with herself, Jaden was no longer surprised at how the idea of being at his mercy made her cunt wet. And she had a few tricks of her own that she planned to use on him, also.

  The only issue was their mutual retirement after they completed this mission. Jonah had no problem with her cupcakery, but he wanted to quit espionage altogether. That was a major sticking point. Jaden knew she would have to quit the game eventually, but she hadn’t thought that far into their future until he forced her to acknowledge it. It took a few arguments, and a few punishments, before Jaden conceded that they would retire.

  She did get him to relent and they could assist the team Jonah had crafted on select occasions. But he made her promise that neither of them could give more than a sum total of two months a year. After t
hey started their family, that little time would be cut back to one month. She chuckled at the memory of how he offered the concession.

  “Two months a year. For now. After you have our baby, one. Take it or leave it.”

  Jaden punched him with an open fist. “You going to lock me up? Cause that’s what it would take to stop me.”

  “I can. If I have to.” He grinned, but she knew he was serious.

  That was more of a turn-on than she would ever admit aloud.

  But she knew he was right, they had to stop rolling the dice at some point, especially if they wanted to live long enough to see grandchildren, and that was something Jaden was definitely not ready to think about yet.

  Hell, she was only thirty.

  The day of the wedding the only real clouds on the horizon were the ones that she made for herself. It was just two hours before the ceremony, and Jaden wandered into the garden where the wedding was to be held. Jonah had pulled one of the numerous strings at his disposal to rent a section of the outlying beach owned by a local businessman.

  Jaden watched as the workers scurried about and placed the final touches on the décor. The people conversed in the local patois, a hodgepodge of English and Creole.

  “What do you want?” Jaden heard over the din of chatter. She looked around, curious as to who was talking to her.

  But when she turned there was no one there. She walked closer to sound of the voice.

  “I want you.” The male responded to the female query, and Jaden was extraordinarily curious. She knew that she should be more concerned about getting dressed, but she refused to walk away without finding out who exactly the two people were.

  “I don’t want you.” Just a few more feet should do the trick.

  “Yes, you do. Krisliva… Believe me, if anyone should know what you want, it’s me.”

  Who in the hell dared to speak to her surrogate daughter and best friend that way?