Stealing Iris: A Dark Mafia Romance (Blood Ties Book 1)

by Sahara Roberts

  Conrado picks up the keycard then hesitates, dropping it on the scarred wood. He puts two fingers to his lips and taps them on the TV screen before heading to the door. “Iris?” I ask, pointing to the bathroom, where the shower has just started.

  “Agh, she’ll make it home.” He waves a hand dismissively. Pulling the door open, he checks to see if I’m following. I toss my keycard next to his and trail him out to the walkway. “Hey, man,” he says, starting down the stairs in an excited rush. “I hear you got something coming up.” He talks out loud, as if nobody else is around.

  “Not here.” I manage to cut him off before he says too much. While the nearest person is downstairs and a few doors over, the walls are thin, and the parking lot is filled to capacity.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” His head is moving so fast you’d think he had a jolt of electricity running through him. “How ’bout Chili’s? We can grab a bite, too.”

  “Yeah. The one on the loop.”

  “Yeah,” he confirms, tripping over himself to get into his car, a sensible little Camry that doesn’t quite fit his persona.

  I keep going, pulling my phone as I reach the SUV. I stare at the screen, frowning, as if news of finding a lost hiker in California is the end of the world. “Something’s come up.” I feign anger, clenching my jaw for effect.

  “Everything okay?” he asks, his hand hovering at the door handle.

  “Yeah, but I need to cancel.”

  His eyes nearly bug out of his head.

  “Postpone, not cancel,” I correct. “Tomorrow.” Unless things go really well. “Nah, Sunday. This might go on for a while.”

  “Not tomorrow?” he whines, as if someone took his favorite toy.

  “Too many people around for the weekend.”

  “Ahhh, yeah.” He taps his index finger at his temple. “I get it.”

  “Sunday at nine.” We both get in our vehicles, and I wait until he’s ready to hit reverse before I pull out. I open the window while he does the same. “Bring Iris along.”

  He gives a thumbs-up and laughs. I drive ahead, not pulling into traffic until he backs out of his spot. I head north, seeing a chance to kill some time at the light, while he goes south. Within a minute, his car is lost in a sea of brake lights.

  Perfect. Taking a quick left, I park at the strip mall next door. Minutes later, I’m walking out of the motel office with a new keycard and a box of condoms. While it’s not an ideal location, I’m not up to waiting if she’s willing to stick around. It’s enough that I was able to maneuver the situation to my advantage.

  I take the steps two at a time, shoving the card into the slot as my cock stirs, urging me to hurry the hell up. It’s quiet on the other side of the door. Did she turn off the TV? Did she leave? Disappointment hovers around me, urging me to hurry. With one quick turn, I make it in the door at the perfect moment.

  Iris is standing by the bed wearing nothing but a thin motel towel, her brown eyes open wide in surprise, a wild cascade of curls draping around her shoulders like a cape. She’s the picture of innocence, an image I’d love to frame and hang in my bedroom. I’m fascinated. Something about her arouses my lust and a strange desire to know more about her.

  “Turns out we’re not done after all,” I say, closing the door behind me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  IRIS

  Dante. My pulse pounds as I stare at him. He’s waiting to see what I do, and somehow I know he won’t force the issue if I say no. For a few seconds, I consider that I’m able to refuse him. But honestly, it isn’t Conny’s anger that keeps me silent. I want this man. My body is responding to him of its own free will as a small flame of desire sparks deep inside me.

  I try to process what I’m feeling, anticipation where there should be dread, desire replacing revulsion. For the first time I have a choice, the chance to experience sex on my terms. I get to explore his body, those strong arms I imagined around me earlier. My shoulders relax; my lips part softly as I drop my defenses. His answering smile is breathtaking.

  He steps close and leans down, bringing me up on tiptoe with a hand at the back of my neck. My palm is high on his chest. The other climbs until my fingers are curving around the thick muscles of a full, rounded shoulder. His gaze roams my face. The minute his lips touch mine, my mind goes blank. I haven’t kissed anyone in a long, long time. And even then, it was nothing like this.

  We’re close, his body making my insides vibrate from my chest down. We’re moving back, until the back of my legs bump against the bed, but then he stops. “No, not here.” He means this bed, the one we were on before with Conny. “There.” He guides me while pulling his shirt over his head then tossing it aside.

  His chest is a mass of hills and valleys, with a well-defined arrow of hair starting along the muscles that ripple across his stomach with every move. I follow the path with my fingers, dipping down past his belt to cover the area creating such a big bulge under his zipper. I’m touching him, yet the results have my body releasing moisture in a way I’ve never experienced.

  The rough towel is tightening on my nipples with each breath I take. “Beautiful,” he says in a husky voice. The way he’s running a finger along my cleavage makes me want more. He kisses me again, pulling me close, like I’m the one thing he wants more than anything in the world. Then the corner of the towel comes loose. His body pressed against me holds it there, but Dante isn’t willing to wait. The heat of his palm sears my skin, his hand going over and around my breast, holding the weight, like I’m his for the taking. He tugs the towel away from my body and drops it into a heap at my feet. As he explores my nipple with his thumb, I can feel the pull all the way down to my core.

  “Get in bed.”

  I force my wobbly legs to climb in, stretching out under cool sheets. I’m not sure what to do next, so I roll onto my side, waiting for him. His eyes never leave mine as his jeans go down. Can I take his length? He’s big. I know exactly how big. Part of me knows it’ll hurt, but I want the memory of an experience I won’t want to stuff into a dark hole in the back of my mind and slam a cover over it.

  The mattress shifts as Dante gets in beside me, coming closer, claiming most of the bed with the sheer size of him. He’s everywhere. His mouth, his hands, his chest, and even the leg he has between mine gives me an unexpected thrill. I moan, low in my throat as his lips move along the side of my neck.

  “You didn’t come last time,” he says, looking down between my legs where he’s slipping two fingers. I’m wet, embarrassingly so, but I like how it feels when he touches me there. “Iris.” His voice comes out slow and thick.

  He lays me back, tasting the underside of my breasts. His heated mouth burns a trail across my stomach, licking under my belly button before moving lower. Setting a knee next to mine, he makes room between my legs. I tense as he settles at the bottom of the bed, positioning my calves over his shoulders. “You don’t—”

  His cheek, a smooth plane, slides along the inside of my thigh, the tip of his tongue tracing a path on my skin. The air between us is charged with a force stealing away all the oxygen.

  Reaching the middle of the V he created, he runs his mouth over my swollen flesh, and I can’t help but cry out. My breath rushes out with each sound. He tastes and licks, dropping kisses down my folds then pushes the tip of his tongue into my slit and rides up and over my clit. I come up, bracing on my elbows, but he doesn’t stop.

  Seeing him between my thighs, his arms wrapped around my legs, sends shock waves through me. He’s relentless, centering on my most sensitive spot, the one making me squirm and has him holding onto me so tight. There’s so much pressure inside me, and every stroke adds more. What he’s doing to me is more than I can take and, within a few more passes of his talented tongue, I splinter. “Dante!” My legs tighten around him, my hips moving toward him then away with a loss of control I can’t fathom. I swear he’s torn me open, letting everything inside me escape in a vibrant rush.

  My arms give out, dro
pping me back to the firm mattress. I need a bit to catch my breath. I’m boneless, every limb melting into the bed. My first real orgasm. God. I’m in a million little pieces that will never come together again.

  Dante reaches for the box and rips open a foil package. He’s huge, beautiful in the way only a man can be. The condom goes on, unrolling over and over until it covers the length of him. He stretches an arm, shifting his weight to move up my body. I push up on an elbow, turning away while preparing myself mentally to take his size.

  “You like it from behind?” He palms the curve of my ass, moving across in what can only be called a caress.

  “Conny does,” I reply, focusing on the skin he’s covering. I have my knee up, trying to concentrate on where to plant it when his hands wrap around me. He pulls my leg over to straddle him then brings me down hard, tearing through my cherry in a single thrust.

  I cry out before I can cut it off, clutching at his back and shoulder as pain shoots through me like a sharp knife against my skin. After what I’ve gone through with Conny, I brace for a punch or a slap. Instead, Dante freezes.

  Turning away, I bite my lip as realization washes through me. In one quick second, he’s taken what’s left of my innocence, and my only chance at getting my freedom back from Conrado.

  *****

  DANTE

  She digs her nails into my shoulders and, in the back of my mind, I know she’s drawing blood. I more than deserve the paltry wounds, after what I did to her. The rage that burned in me like a flash fire when she mentioned him fizzles out.

  “Iris.” Her name comes out in part question and part accusation. How could she not tell me? How was I supposed to guess, after what we were doing?

  I hold her tight, afraid to move, afraid to shatter this moment and cause her more pain. I’m lodged deep, as deep as my hardened cock can go, and it’s all I can do to keep my control. “It’ll pass,” I assure her. Not that I know how much it hurts, or how long the pain will last, but surely it’ll pass because otherwise, women wouldn’t have been fucking for generations.

  She loses the stiffness in her spine and loosens her hold on my shoulders. I bring my hands up, rubbing her back, trying to offer comfort, though I’m completely out of my element. Virgin. She’d been a freaking virgin, and I took that away from her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she answers in a tiny voice that makes me want to hold her tighter.

  Her face is turned away from me, making my chest tighten. I lean back, trying to see if her expression matches her words. Another time I may pick up on cues and stressors, but right now I’m waging an internal war. It’s all I can do to keep my body from following a natural reaction to a woman’s tight grip on my cock. Fuck. I’ve never wanted something so badly and yet denied myself pleasure.

  She moves, and I clamp her waist. “I don’t want to hurt you…” Again, more, anymore? So, I let the words hang there. Whatever happens from here on is up to her because the one thing I’m sure of, is I’m not letting her go.

  Her gaze meets mine, wariness swimming in the pool of unshed tears. She studies me, swallowing hard as her gaze roams my face. A tear spills, rolling down her cheek until I lean in and brush it away with my lips, taking the salty bit of her pain. We both freeze, and I’m surprised at what I’ve done. I never imagined myself doing something so intimate, despite what happened on the bed earlier. Right this minute, I’m completely out of my element.

  Her inner muscles hug me, sending a shock through my entire body. “Aw, fuck, baby.” Her eyes widen at my words, and she searches my face. Another subtle squeeze makes my fingers curl into her skin involuntarily. I narrow my eyes, but she remains the picture of innocence. We’ll see about that.

  I take her mouth, pulling her bottom lip between my teeth. Her hand comes up to cup my jaw, disarming me. I didn’t bite, the way I planned to. Instead, I let her take the lead and join in one kiss after another. They’re gentle, my mouth moving with hers, enjoying fullness until she opens to me. Now I can finally gain my footing.

  My first taste of her lips is a new experience for me. Her innocent sensuality is hypnotic, as is the tentative eagerness of her kisses. Her nipples pucker against my chest, the dainty tightening buds begging for my hands to cover them, to help them along, providing the pleasure she seems to be seeking.

  I cup the sides of her breasts, working my thumbs under each, curling my fingers over the top, and refusing to pull away. She shifts, gasping against my mouth, her back arching with the sensations she creates. I press my eyes shut to keep my balls from emptying. This woman kisses with her whole body.

  I push up from a seated position, taking her with me to stretch out on the bed. Still kissing her, I press our bodies together, drawing out another gasp. I pull out, stopping with the protest coming from deep in her throat. Concern holds me still. “Did I—”

  “Dante, please…” Her fingers dig into my back as her hips try to follow. Relief flows through me, along with a healthy dose of self-satisfaction.

  “I’m right here,” I murmur, sliding back into her welcoming embrace. As much as I enjoy this, I have to move, my body’s demanding it. “Don’t follow,” I mutter. “Meet me halfway.” She’s quick to understand, enjoying the long, measured strokes, if her heavy-lidded eyes are to be believed.

  My temple is against hers, my pulse echoing against her profile. I’m fighting my instincts to quicken my pace, to take her with the hard edge I enjoy. In the next second, she brings up her legs to hug me, nearly destroying me. My hold on myself slips, just for a second or two. No. Next time, next time we can fuck to the farthest extent of the word.

  Her lips are parted. I can hear every breath she drags in, every tiny noise in the back of her throat. I’m reveling in it, knowing I’m the only one to make her feel that. “Oh yeah,” she says in a breathy voice then a quick sound of protest before she clutches at my back. Her legs tighten, barely giving me a warning before she arches against me. Her cry fills my head, flowing into my senses, but her pussy tightens, rippling along my cock, blasting me into a fierce, muscle-straining orgasm that nearly drags the life out of me.

  Holy fuck. It’s the only thing going through my head as I come down from one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever known.

  Iris is wrapped around me, breathing as hard as I am. My face is buried in her hair and my arms feel like they’re made of gel. It’s the reason I haven’t moved…at least that’s what I’ll tell myself. I should be cleaning up so I—we can get going, yet I don’t want to move. Instead, I’m curious to find out if I kiss the spot by her belly button, will her skin smell like me.

  Aw fuck. I’m so damn screwed.

  *****

  CONRADO

  I’m in. Man, I can’t fucking believe it took this long to happen. But he showed up at my place, so he must be impressed. I grin and blast the tunes on the shitty little stock radio on the car.

  Iris is my ticket to the big time. That pussy is gonna open all the doors for me. I just have to wait for the right chance. Who knows, maybe Dante will want more once he gets a taste of her. He might even be interested in putting together a stable with me. High-class bitches, not some bunch of five-dollar hood rats.

  I stop at the light, rolling business ideas through my mind. Dante and me, surrounded by hot bitches. Everyone stops what they’re doing to look at us when we walk in. They want the chicks. You can see it in their faces as they watch us take over the room. They’re imagining fucking them in every way possible. Something scratches at the back of my mind. Dante, at the store, checking out Iris. Then again when we were in the motel. He wanted to fuck her. I frown, thinking back. Dante’s a player…but he didn’t want more. He walked away without thinking twice. Doesn’t make sense. Unless… What if he decided to go back for more? Iris wouldn’t let him take her virginity, would she? Damn, she just might.

  I can’t afford to take the chance. I pull around the corner, tires screeching, and haul ass back the way I came. He woul
dn’t double-cross me, someone he wants to work with, would he? I speed up, blasting through a light just as it turns red then cutting around other drivers. Damn people think they have all the time in the world to fuck around.

  The parking lot is still packed; one car can’t even find a place to park. There’s a red Mitsubishi sitting in the spot I left and a pickup in Dante’s. There’s a bunch of small cars, some pickups, a van, and even a lowrider. But I don’t see the silver BMW he was driving or the dark SUV he was in earlier. I slouch back into the seat. Maybe I was wrong. But the light in the room on the second floor is on, and there’s two shadows. I pull up to the end of the lot, past the office, and get out of the car, still staring at the window.

  “Hey.” Benny, the guy at the counter, sticks his head out the doorway. “The room’s already rented.”

  “Gotcha.” Doesn’t surprise me. This place is popular on the weekends for a quick hookup. If you know how to play things right, you can get a discount for taking the room as soon as the previous customer leaves and using the other bed, as long as you pay cash. That way they don’t need to clean up before renting again. I figure Benny pockets the money for all those deals. It’s what I’d do.

  “Sorry, man. Got an empty coming up in about fifteen minutes,” he offers. “But it’s full price.”

  “Nah.” I brush him off with a wave. “It’s all good.”

  Dropping into the car, I back up and head out to the street. Guess I worried for nothing. Dante canceled because he was headed out for an emergency. I gotta learn how to play it cool, like he does. He’s a big man, with lots of stuff going on. The kind of boss I’m gonna be now that I’m in the game with him.