by Dani René
A cry of pure pleasure breaks free from her mouth, and I steal it with my own. Our tongues dual as we kiss, it’s violent, it’s filled with passion I never once found with anyone else.
And when we both still with our releases, I realize she still hasn’t answered me.
12
Scarlett
When I wake up, Lycan is sitting on the bed with his back to me. His elbows resting on his knees as his head hangs down. I wonder what he’s thinking, but I don’t interrupt him. I don’t speak.
He must know I’m awake, because I move, rolling over to really look at him. His body is perfectly beautiful. Thick corded muscles tense from whatever is racing through his mind. His shoulders wide, strong, a promise of a man who can look after himself and me.
My husband.
He fucked me again last night, and still the question hung between us like a heavy weight in the room. My answer non-existent, but I owe him the truth. I do. Never once have I wanted to lie to him, and this time will be no different. He is the man I love, and he needs to know that. I chose him. But then, his doubt is not unfounded.
“Yes.”
He doesn’t turn to look at me, but I notice how he stiffens at the whispered word that falls from my lips. His muscles in his back tense, and release, and I take in just how beautiful his smooth, tanned flesh is. There isn’t a blemish in sight.
“One night.” Is all he says before he stands and walks to the en-suite bathroom, leaving me alone in bed. My head hurts. My heart hurts. And my body thrums with the need to make him see just how much I love him.
He still doesn’t believe me.
Even though I told him, honestly, how I felt. Even though I married him without being coerced. Can he not see the guilt I feel? Or is he ignoring the fact that I care for him so deeply that I didn’t want to answer his question last night.
Stepping into the bathroom, I find him already under the warm spray. I join him, allowing my hands to trail over his strong back. Even though he’s disappointed in the answer I gave, honesty is always the best path to follow.
I learned that by watching my parents. They were never honest with each other, and that’s where they were wrong. They hurt each other with lies, and I don’t want to be like them.
“I’m sorry.”
Lycan spins at my words, and I gasp when his cock presses against my stomach. He’s tall, and the thickness of him against my soft belly throbs as he pulls me closer. His strong hands grasping my hips in a vice-like hold.
Like this, he seems like a wild animal. One that’s about to lay claim to his possession, which is me. And my blood heats at the thought. I want to be his, every part of me screams for him to take me. Never before have I craved such violence, such volatile possessiveness, but with Lycan, it makes me hungry for more.
“Never apologize for needing something, for craving it,” he growls, the words feral and animalistic. “When you just admitted it, I wanted to fuck you so hard, you’d be bruised, I wanted to make you hurt, and scream, just loud enough for him to hear you.”
Lycan’s hands trail to my ass as he lifts me against him. My core at the tip of his cock, and slowly, ever so gently, he impales me on this erection. The thickness of him opening me, making me gasp as pleasure zips through every nerve ending in my body.
It’s as if electricity has been shot straight into my veins, and I’m alive. He turns us until my back is flush against the cold tiles. The heat of the spray thrums against my chest as Lycan pulls out and slams back inside me, sending my pleasure into the abyss of darkness while he grips my throat with one hand and my thigh with the other.
It’s a punishing hold. He steals my breath with a pulse of his fingers, and I realize he can feel my erratic heartbeat as it thrums against his thumb. “You’re mine, but I want you to find the most euphoric pleasure you can,” he informs me as his lips tease mine. I want him to kiss me, but he doesn’t. “He and I will take you, we will fuck you to within an inch of your life,” he promises with a dark vow, “and when you come, it will be my eyes you look into, even though my brother will be fucking your pretty little ass,” he grunts this time as he fucks me against the cold wall, sending shivers of pleasure and pain through me.
“Please, Lycan,” I plead, as he slowly pulls out of me. He lowers me to my feet before spinning me around and bending me over.
“Palms on the wall,” he orders, with a spank to my ass. Both cheeks zing when his large palm lands on the fleshy globes. And then he grips me, opening me to his gaze, and I can’t stop from blushing when I realize what he’s about to do.
His fingers taunt me, teasing the ring of muscle as he dips inside my body. He continues his ministrations, using my arousal to slick his fingers as he scissors me open until my knees are trembling. I shake as he teases me, the strange feeling sending both pleasure and pain through me. It’s different, nothing like I’ve ever experienced, but it’s what Lycan does to me. He takes me down new paths I never expected to enjoy. I do. I enjoy every moment with him, everything he does to my body, I find euphoria. He plays my body like a musical instrument, and he brings out a melody of pure ecstasy from me.
“Before he gets this,” Lycan says, his voice low and menacing. “I’m going to fuck you hard.” And then, slowly, ever so fucking slowly, he inches himself into my ass. I cry out as he sinks inside me, deeper and deeper. I claw against the slippery tiles as he claims me from behind. The pain zips up and down my spine, a promise of what’s to come.
Lycan reaches around, his fingers taunting my clit as he thrusts into my ass. It’s not gentle, but he’s holding back. I realize he’s grappling onto his restraint the same way I’m grasping onto the smooth tiles before me.
Once he’s fully seated, he stills. His body looming over mine. “This is mine. Every fucking part of you, is mine. Your holes, those pretty fucking holes, are mine.”
The truth in his words sends me soaring as he pinches the hardened nub between his fingers, and I scream his name, losing myself in the pain, in the pleasure, in Lycan’s control over me.
I feel him pull out. I feel a splatter against my back. He lifts me gently, and I don’t miss the wince on his face.
“Put me down, you’re still hurt.” I insist, but he cleans me under the shower before turning off the taps.
“If I want to hold my wife, I’ll do it.” He ignores any more debate about him in need of rest as he lifts me in his arms and carries me out into the now foggy bathroom. But the moment he tries to pick me up again, I step back, giving him a stare that he doesn’t argue with. Once I’m wrapped in a towel, he embraces me for a long, silent moment before we move into the bedroom where he watches me climb on the mattress.
“Get some rest. I have a meeting with Darius,” he informs me as I curl into the blankets. I don’t care that my hair is still wet, all I need is to sleep. “And when I return, we’ll play.” There’s a promise of something even more pleasurable in his tone, and I smile as he leaves me in bliss as my lashes flutter.
I don’t know how I’m going to deal with them both, but if he is willing to let me, I’ll most definitely try.
13
Lycan
When I step into the living room, I find Darius staring out at the garden. He looks so much like our father. I wonder if he realizes. Even in a torn t-shirt and leather cut, he’s got his coldness from the man who raised us to be emotionless, yet strong.
He turns his attention to me, offering a glimmer of a smile. “Brother.”
“I thought we should talk,” I tell him, hoping that this doesn’t go down the fucking drain like every other time we’ve tried to be civil with each other. When I reach his chair, he rises. “And before we talk, I have something to say.” My fist rears back and quickly makes contact with his jaw, sending him stumbling back. The chair he’d been sitting on falling on its side with a loud crash. When I see blood dripping from his lip, I smile. “Next time you go near my wife without my permission, it will be worse than that.”
&nbs
p; I pull out another chair and settle in, waiting for Darius to seat himself once more. A chuckle leaves his lips before he swipes away the blood with the back of his hand. Once he’s sitting, he looks me over and nods. “Fair enough. I didn’t expect you to come at me, but then again, I did get a taste before asking for your permission.” He shakes his head. “Did you hit me because you’re jealous, or because she admitted to wanting it?”
I don’t even fucking know how to answer him. Yes, to both. But also, I don’t blame her. She’s new to this life, the same life I brought her into, and I cannot be angry with her. She needs to explore, to experiment. Hell, I did so much of both. I wasn’t sure I’d ever settle down, or even have an inkling to settle down.
Yet here I am.
“Business first?” I say finally, needing to change the subject before Darius and I end up sprawled on the floor, ready to kill each other.
“The money I demanded from Horatio has cleared in the offshore account. But he doesn’t need to know Scarlett is safe, not yet.” A sly grin curls his lips, but then he turns serious. “Also, I want to bring down the Bardots, Grace specifically. She had our father killed when he wouldn’t give up on their relationship. She forced him out, he married Mom, and yet, after all those years, when Mom died, he went back to Grace who had her cunt of a husband kill him.”
“And you have proof?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to show you for years.” He lets out an exasperated sigh. But this is all fucking news to me. Yes, I knew my brother believed in something, in someone coming after our family, but he never had proof. I’m a man who doesn’t take things at face value. I need it in black and white before I realize it’s the truth.
“And I need your help,” I tell him. Kahn mentioned the rumors that had been sifting through the underground that an informant of Lorenzo’s was brought here, to this house. On our way to the compound, the call came through. That was the other reason I was ready to finally sit down and talk to Darius.
“Well, it seems we have no choice,” he says, settling back as the door swings open and a beautiful young woman I’m certain is only here to get my brother’s attention sidles in with a tray. The aroma of coffee, along with her sickly sweet fragrance wafts by as she sets the items down on the table and offers Darius a long look before leaving us.
Perhaps his world isn’t too different from mine.
“Someone I should meet one day?” I challenge, taunting him because he’s not a one-woman man. He never has been. Settling down is not something Darius would ever do. At least, that’s what I think.
“No. Like you said, business,” he says finally, before pouring two steaming mugs of java and sliding one over to me which I gratefully accept. Last night was long, after I made sure Scarlett remembered just who owned her, I fell asleep holding her.
“I have been helping Alexei Carnevali, one of the capos from New York. He’s been looking into a string of girls disappearing. It led us to a convent on the outskirts of New Orleans. I’m not sure—”
“Father Lorenzo?” Darius arches a brow as he regards me, and I nod. He must’ve gotten the name from the bastard he brought here. “Just learned about him a couple of days ago. What’s your connection other than Alex?”
My brother and Alex’s twin, Atreo, spent many nights in my club before Darius left. They’ve been best friends for a long while, but Atreo is one of those men who kills first and asks questions later, which is why Alex is the one who took over their father’s organization.
“Kahn’s sister disappeared a few years ago.” I sip my drink before I look at my brother. “She was fifteen.” I note his jaw clenching and his fists tightening as he ponders my words. “He’ll want in on this, and I promised him that. Carnevali just wants the girls freed. I didn’t get into why. My guess is they have mafia princesses in their latest haul.”
“Do we have a location?”
I nod. “Kahn has it. We were on our way here, wanting answers because we learned one of Lorenzo’s men was brought to your compound. I needed to know you weren’t involved.”
“You think I would do this shit?” Darius is fuming, and I don’t blame him. If he brought that same thinking to me, I would’ve probably killed him.
“No, but I had to know why you had an informant here,” I tell him, swallowing back the last of the strong liquid before refilling my mug. “So, can we put our differences aside and work together on this?”
It’s been far too long since we could have a civil conversation. Where we could sit like this in one room without being at each other’s throats, and I have to say, it feels good.
“Yes. Call your men, I’ll get my guys, and we’ll strategize. We have to do this properly.”
“Careful, brother, you’re starting to sound like me,” I taunt. A smile plays at my lips as Darius pins me with a glare. But he knows I’m right. He’s the one who acts first, I’m the one who plans.
“Once Lorenzo is taken care of and the girls are free, we go for the Bardots.” Darius won’t let it go. And after learning about what Grace did, I’m on board one hundred percent.
“Have you contacted Horatio?”
“I have,” he tells me. “The money he transferred to me will set the club up for the next ten years. He needed to pay one way or another. This way, I get my club financial security which means a lot to me.” There’s pain in my brother’s words, and I wonder if there’s something he’s not telling me. I should ask, force him to come clean about everything, but right now, our focus has to be on finishing this job for Alex, and for Kahn.
“You did all this for financial gain?”
He shrugs as if it means nothing, but I can see the truth shining in his stare. “I didn’t think you’d help. To be honest, I thought you’d send me away like Dad did all those years ago.”
Guilt settles in my gut like a poison. “I’m not Dad. I may have loved him, but I never wanted to be him.” My assurance has Darius nodding. “Also, I’m not returning my wife to her father,” I inform him. “If he thinks that’s happening, he has to think again. I’m not cowing to the bastard; I don’t give a shit what he says. She’s mine now, the contract was signed.”
“How did you get him to sign his daughter’s life to you?” There’s a smile gracing my brother’s face as he regards me with pride for what I did. It’s something he would’ve done. In the past, I would’ve been nicer about it, given Horatio the benefit of the doubt, but after seeing what he can do to women, to the submissives and slaves in my club, I knew I couldn’t let him get away with it.
“I learned some secrets he’d rather I keep hidden,” I tell Darius. “And because he fucked up, he agreed to give me his daughter. All for me to shut my mouth about his underhanded dealings, along with the abuse women suffered at his hand.”
“Bastard.” It’s a whisper, but I heard it. Familiar eyes meet mine. “Ready to get this show on the road?”
“Definitely.” Nodding, I push to my feet before pulling out my cell phone and hitting dial on Kahn’s number. “Oh, and I hope you didn’t kill too many of my men yesterday,” I tell Darius before turning away and heading for the patio. The bombs that went off when we returned were heartbreaking, but then, I expected nothing less from Darius Shaw.
“Boss,” Kahn answers.
“Have the men here in thirty minutes. Get them ready for a strategy session because we’re heading to take down Lorenzo. I want everyone here.”
“Consider it done,” Kahn responds before hanging up, and I sit back, resting my left ankle over my right knee as I refill my coffee. I should go back up to Scarlett and let her know we’re okay—me and her. But I need to consider my strategy. She wants to be with Darius and me, and I wonder if I give her one night, will it be enough?
It has to be because I can’t share long term.
Not with her.
14
Scarlett
With my back against the headboard, I sigh when Lycan doesn’t return. Thankfully, they’ve brought clo
thes for me, and I was able to change into some comfortable shorts and a floppy sweater. Another thing Lycan brought along was my cell phone. Having my device back is a saving grace. I hit dial on Aelin’s number and hope that she doesn’t hate me. When she finally answers, she’s out of breath, as if she’s been running.
“What the hell, bitch?” she gasps through the speaker.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. I’ve… I don’t even know how to explain it.” Looking around the room, I try to find the words to tell her what’s been happening.
“Well, since the wedding that went horribly wrong, I’ve been worried about you. But Kahn told me you’ll be okay, and he said not to worry.”
“He did?” This is a shock to me because I didn’t expect him to even know about Aelin. Well, I suppose being Lycan’s right-hand man, he would know everything about me.
“Yes, I went to the hospital after the shooting to see if Lycan was okay. That’s when I met Kahn,” she informs me, but her voice is far too dreamy, which confirms she’s got the hots for the man. “Anyway, he said you’re with Darius?”
I sigh. “Yeah, I was. Lycan and Darius had this massive family feud for years, and he was trying to anger Lycan by taking me.” I don’t even know how the hell I’m supposed to live with the two brothers who turn me inside out. “I just needed to know you don’t hate me for just disappearing.”
“Fuck, girl, it’s not your fault. I mean, if it weren’t for Kahn sending me updates, I would’ve had a goddamned search party out. I heard your dad telling mine you’d been kidnapped, but they didn’t seem all that perturbed. Why is that?”
I don’t know what to tell her. There’s so much I still don’t know, so for now I reply, “I’m not sure. Lycan is working on finding out what’s going on with my dad. I mean, he basically gave me to Lycan, but there’s a lot more to the story.”