Alpha’s Sun
Page 14
“Love you, too, sunshine.”
“Oh my goddess, I just threw up a little,” Foxfire mutters.
“I’ll get the door.” Tank stomps off.
I cock my head. “I didn’t hear the doorbell ring—”
The doorbell rings.
“Super senses.” Foxfire taps her ear. “Speaking of which, how long are you guys gonna shack up here? It’s not that I don’t love your gluten-free pancakes, Sunny, it’s just that with our shifter hearing we can hear you through the walls.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, darling, were we talking too loud?”
“It’s not the talking that bothers me.”
“Ooooooh.” I look at Titus and giggle. “Well, you know how these wolves are. So virile and—”
Foxfire slams her hands over her ears and chants, “La la la.”
Titus gently pulls her wrist away long enough to tell her, “We’re putting an offer on a house tomorrow. Tonight we’ll get a hotel.”
“Thanks, Mr. T. You don’t mind if I call you Mr. T?”
“I mind,” Titus deadpans, but winks at me.
Foxfire chuckles. Tank sticks his head through the doorway. “They’re here.”
“Ahhh,” my daughter squeals, and runs to hug a familiar-looking red-headed woman with a splash of brown freckles across her nose. A hulking man hovers between the redhead and Tank. He gives Titus a suspicious look before jerking his chin up in greeting.
Foxfire grabs the woman’s hand and drags her over to me. “Sunny, this is Jordy. She’s—”
“Johnny’s sister,” I say. “Oh my dear, he told me about you. You were just a little thing, but you look so like him.” I wrap her in a hug.
“Careful,” Jordy’s bodyguard warns. I loosen my arms and draw back to study Jordy.
“And you must be Grizz,” Foxfire greets the big guy. He grunts hello.
“Wait a minute.” I narrow my eyes. Jordy’s aura is soft and glowing, pulsing with two heartbeats.
“Grandbaby,” I shout. “Grandbaby! Titus, we’re having grandbabies.”
“Well, actually,” Foxfire says. “Jordy is my father’s sister so that makes her my aunt and her baby your niece…”
“Grandbaby,” I coo, hugging Jordy gently. “Oh, I’m so happy for you.” I turn and throw my arms open to Grizz. He looks mildly alarmed as I give him a big Sunny hug. “Welcome to the family.” I smile up at him.
“Thank you.” He pats my back once. I’ll get him there.
“Oh, I’m so happy.” I wave my hands at my face to dry my tears. “Titus, isn’t this wonderful?”
“Sure is, sunshine.” Titus pulls me in for a kiss.
“Ewwwww,” Tank and Foxfire groan in unison.
“Oh stop it, you two. You’re pretty loud yourself. Big Daddy.” I bug my eyes out at Tank.
Foxfire pretends to retch into a potted plant.
“Beer?” Tank offers Grizz.
“Soda. For both of us.” The big guy fusses over his mate, pulling out her seat and making sure she has a cushion.
“I’m fine,” she whispers and smiles at him so sweetly I tear up again. When he leans down and kisses her freckled forehead, I have to wipe my eyes.
I lean against Titus and watch them with hearts in my eyes. “I’m so happy, Titus. Are you happy?”
“I’ve got my sunshine.” He wraps an arm around me and keeps grilling. “Of course I am.”
* * *
Thank you so much for reading the Bad Boy Alpha series! It’s been a fabulous ride. We have two new spin-off series planned for you—Shifter Ops, featuring the black wolf pack up in Taos, and another top secret one—to be revealed soon!
If you enjoyed this book, we always, always appreciate your reviews and recommendations. It’s readers like you who make it possible for indie authors to get their books out to the world. Thank you!
--Come meet Renee and Lee in person at Shameless Con.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to our beta readers Aubrey Cara, Claire G. and Hayley for their help.
Thank you to the members of Lee’s Goddess Group and Renee’s Romper Room for your support and love (if you’re not a member and you’re in Facebook, please join!). Thanks to our ARC readers and to Ardent Prose PR and the bloggers who support our releases. You are all amazing!
Read All the Bad Boy Alpha Books)
Bad Boy Alphas Series
Alpha’s Temptation
Alpha’s Danger
Alpha’s Prize
Alpha’s Challenge
Alpha’s Obsession
Alpha’s Desire
Alpha’s War
Alpha’s Mission
Alpha’s Bane
Alpha’s Secret
Alpha’s Prey
Alpha’s Blood
Alpha’s Sun
About Renee Rose
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over a half million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking Romance Reviews' Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical, Erotic, Ageplay and favorite couple and author. She's hit the USA Today list five times with various anthologies.
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www.reneeroseromance.com
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Other Titles by Renee Rose
Vegas Underground Mafia Romance
King of Diamonds
Mafia Daddy
Jack of Spades
Ace of Hearts
Joker’s Wild
His Queen of Clubs
Dead Man’s Hand (coming soon)
More Mafia Romance
The Russian
The Don’s Daughter
Mob Mistress
The Bossman
Contemporary
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette
Fire Daddy
Black Light: Roulette Redux
Her Royal Master
The Russian
Black Light: Valentine Roulette
Theirs to Protect
Scoring with Santa
Owned by the Marine
Theirs to Punish
Punishing Portia
The Professor’s Girl
Safe in his Arms
Saved
The Elusive “O”
Paranormal
Bad Boy Alphas Series
Alpha’s Temptation
Alpha’s Danger
Alpha’s Prize
Alpha’s Challenge
Alpha’s Obsession
Alpha’s Desire
Alpha’s War
Alpha’s Mission
Alpha’s Bane
Alpha’s Secret
Alpha’s Prey
Alpha’s Blood
Alpha’s Sun
Alpha Doms Series
The Alpha’s Hunger
The Alpha’s Promise
The Alpha’s Punishment
Other Paranormals
His Captive Mortal
Deathless Love
Deathless Discipline
The Winter Storm: An Ever After Chronicle
Sci-Fi
Zandian Masters Series
His Human Slave
His Human Prisoner
Training His Human
His Human Rebel
His Human Vessel
His Mate and Master
&nb
sp; Zandian Pet
Their Zandian Mate
His Human Possession
Zandian Brides (Reverse Harem)
Night of the Zandians
Bought by the Zandians
Mastered by the Zandians
Zandian Lights
Kept by the Zandian
The Hand of Vengeance
Her Alien Masters
Regency
The Darlington Incident
Humbled
The Reddington Scandal
The Westerfield Affair
Pleasing the Colonel
Western
His Little Lapis
The Devil of Whiskey Row
The Outlaw’s Bride
Medieval
Mercenary
Medieval Discipline
Lords and Ladies
The Knight’s Prisoner
Betrothed
Held for Ransom
The Knight’s Seduction
The Conquered Brides (5 book box set)
Renaissance
Renaissance Discipline
Ageplay
Stepbrother’s Rules
Her Hollywood Daddy
His Little Lapis
Black Light: Valentine’s Roulette (Broken)
BDSM under the name Darling Adams
Medical Play
Yes, Doctor
Master/Slave
Punishing Portia
Excerpt - Dead Man’s Hand
Please enjoy this excerpt from Dead Man’s Hand - Book Seven in Renee’s Vegas Underground Series
Chapter One - Dead Man’s Hand
Marissa
Some things you can’t forget. You can’t unsee. Can’t unhear.
Blood all over these floors. The sound of gunshots. The way my heart stopped when Junior Tacone pointed that gun at me, deciding whether to let me live or die.
I hate this time of day when the customers thin out, business gets slow and I only have time to remember.
It’s been six months since the battle between the Russian and Sicilian mafia went down in Caffe Milano and I’m still jumpy as hell. Still examining every customer who comes in, praying he’s not Russian mafia come for revenge. Or to shake me down for information on how to find the Tacones.
But they haven’t come. No one ever came except the Tacones with their window repair guys and a large enough amount of money to upgrade our whole kitchen. Which was good because our walk-in cooler was inches away from dying and this place hasn’t had a remodel since my grandparents opened it in the 1940s.
There once was a time when this deli was the cornerstone of Cicero. And in a way, it still is. Especially with the old-timers. But we don’t make the kind of money it takes to keep up with rent increases and modernizations. My grandparents were in a world of debt when I took over the business-end of things, and I’ve definitely improved the situation a lot, but there isn’t money to do the kinds of things I dream about doing here. And I have to work a second job just to pay my own bills.
Of course I like that job much more than this one.
Sometimes I almost wish the shooting had put Caffe Milano out of business. Ended my obligation to grind out this familial obligation.
But that’s mean of me. My grandparents raised me and I owe them everything. This deli is their entire world and they’re getting too old to run it. Which means until they die, it will be my entire world, too.
I pull a bowl of pasta salad from the deli case to put in the walk-in overnight. When I come back, I freeze.
At first I think it’s Junior Tacone standing at my deli counter. I’m not afraid of him, exactly, but he’s the man who haunts my nightmares. He’s the guy who went gangster on my place and gunned down six guys. And who am I kidding, I am downright terrified of the man.
It’s not Junior, though. It’s Gio Tacone, the one who took a bullet out on the sidewalk. The man I thought was dead.
“Mr. Tacone!” I curse myself for sounding breathless.
“Gio,” he corrects. “Marissa. How are you?”
He knows my name!
That’s more than I can say for Junior, the current head of the family. And I wish it didn’t do fluttery things to my insides, but it does. Gio rests a forearm on the counter and pins me with a hazel gaze.
He is pure man-candy. With those chiseled good looks, he could easily have been an actor or model and he has the charming personality to match. I never heard if he made it. I checked the newspapers and Googled his name after the shooting, and there weren’t any reports of his death, but I saw him take a bullet with my own eyes.
I tried to warn Junior, but it was too late. The ambush happened.
And I’ve been sleepless with guilt ever since.
“You’re alive. I mean, you made it. I’m so glad.” I wave my hand and sound like an idiot.
Gio catches my wrist, stilling my hand in the air. My fingers tremble in the space between us. “Why are you shaking, baby girl? You scared of me?”
“No!” I pull my hand away. “I’m just jumpy. You know—since… what happened. And you startled me.”
His gaze penetrates, like he knows there’s more to it than that and he wants to know it all. A curious shifting happens in my chest.
I tuck an errant strand of hair behind my ear to cover my mounting discomfort.
“You have nightmares?” He guesses, like he’s read my mind.
I give a single nod. Then it occurs to me how he knows. “Do you?”
I don’t expect him to admit it if he does. I come from an Italian family. I know the men don’t admit weakness.
So I’m surprised when he says, “Fuck, yeah. All the time.” He touches the place where the bullet must’ve gone in.
“Wow,” I say, like I’m surprised.
He flashes a panty-melting grin. “What, you think real men don’t have nightmares?”
“Maybe not the men in your line of work.”
He arches a brow, suddenly the stern enforcer, and my heart starts to thump.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, I guess.”
He gives a half-shrug, like he’s agreeing but letting it go. “I didn’t come here to ride your ass, I came to check in on you. Make sure you’re okay.” He blinks those dark curly lashes that would be feminine except for the manly square jaw and aquiline nose. “Sounds like you’re having a hard time.”
The danger bell starts tolling in my head.
Never accept a favor from the Tacones. You’ll pay for it for the rest of your life.
That’s what my grandfather used to always lament. He’d borrowed from Santo Tacone’s father to start his business back in the forties and it took him sixty years to pay off. But pay it off he did, and he was damn proud of it, too.
“I’m fine. We’re fine. But I’d appreciate it if you’d hold your business meetings somewhere else in the future.” I don’t know what made me say it. You don’t piss off a mob boss by insulting him or making demands. I definitely could’ve found a nicer way to make my request.
“Agreed. We didn’t expect trouble. Junior was real sorry about what happened to this place.”
“Junior pointed a gun at my head.” I didn’t mean to say that, either, but the words tumble out and crash between us.
“Junior would never hurt you.” He says it so immediately I know he believes it’s true. But he hadn’t seen what I saw. That moment of hesitation. The murmuring of his man beside him that I’m a witness.
He thought about killing me.
And then decided not to.
He catches my hand again and holds it, stroking the back of it with his thumb. “That’s why you’re jumpy, huh? I’m sorry you got scared, but I promise you, you’re safe. This place is under our protection.”
“Maybe it would be better if it wasn’t. You know, if you just left us alone.”
If I didn’t know better, I would say my words hurt Gio rather than pissing him off. But he just shrugs. “Sorry, baby girl. You can’t get rid of us. And y
ou’re on my watch now. Which means you’re perfectly safe.”
I want to tell him I’m not his baby girl and he can take his protection and fuck off, but I’m not insane. Also, some traitorous part of me wants him to keep stroking my hand, keep studying me like I’m the most interesting person he’s seen all day.
But I know all that’s a lie.
Gio’s a player. And my body’s response to his presence is dangerous.
Gio abandons my hand in favor of cupping my chin. “You’re mad. I get it. I’ll let you show me a little claw today. But we paid restitution to your family and will honor our commitments to this neighborhood and to Caffe Milano.”
His touch is commanding and firm, but still gentle. It makes the flutters in my belly grow more wild.
“Gio,” I murmur, turning my face away from him and out of his hand. My nipples are hard, rubbing against the inside of my bra.
He pulls a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and drops in on the counter. “Give me two of those cannoli.” He points to the case.
I obey wordlessly and tuck the hundred in my apron pocket, not bothering to offer him change. I figure if he used a hundred, it was because he wanted to throw his money around and I’m going to let him do it.
He smirks a little as he takes the plate with the cannoli and sits down at a table in the caffe to eat them.
Fuck. I am so screwed.
Gio Tacone just decided to make me his pet project. Which means the chances of him ending up owning me just shot sky high.
Coming soon! Please join Renee’s newsletter for word on its release. If you haven’t started the series yet, try
King of Diamonds.
About Lee Savino
Lee Savino is a USA today bestselling author, mom and chocoholic.
Warning: Do not read her Berserker series, or you will be addicted to the huge, dominant warriors who will stop at nothing to claim their mates.