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

by Sahara Roberts

  Gonna go back to figuring out what to do with the piles of money I’m gonna be making. Just gotta wait for Sunday night to work out the details with my new partner.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  IRIS

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Dante’s wrapped around me, his arm coming down across my belly as the unasked question grows louder. He doesn’t move, may not have even taken a breath over the last few seconds. Conny didn’t tell him? Because he sounded shocked when he broke through.

  Darker implications flash into my mind. If Conny offered me to Dante, he must be part of the big score in the planning stages. And I played right into his hands. Instead of offering some kind of protest, I go stupid and let him fuck me—even wanted it. Worse still, I enjoyed everything he did to me. Inside, the little girl who planned to marry in white squirms over what I just did. But then my father, who was supposed to walk me down the aisle, is nowhere to be found. My mother’s dead after a long, punishing bout with cancer. The only thing I have now is a threat that will take away my freedom if I don’t give in to whatever Conny wants. Tears spring to my eyes, tumbling onto the pillow before I can stop them. I blink rapidly, getting rid of the moisture. After the first time, I swore nobody would see me cry ever again.

  What will losing my virginity mean to my future? What will Conny do now that I’ve been with a guy? Am I free? Is there more?

  My stomach churns. He’d gone on and on about me being a virgin. Once, he called it his golden cherry and said I would change his life forever. I just had to keep my legs together until he got ready for me to give it up; then I’d be of no use to him. At the time, I thought he meant I’d be free, but what did he say earlier? Iris needs to practice giving head… He can’t think this will keep happening, can he? What if he plans to offer me to two guys at a time? I shudder, struggling to keep my tears in check.

  Dante’s lips touch the back of my head, startling me. His arm tightens, pressing me into the planes carved into his abs. “You’re not okay.”

  No, I’m not. I’m wandering, alone, across the desolate space in my mind that offers no answers and no direction. Swallowing hard, I admit, “I’m not sure what to do.” Which is as honest as I can be. I should be grateful my first time was with someone I find attractive. Someone I would have chosen to be my first.

  Is Dante the one who can give Conny this new life? If so, who is he? What kind of power does he hold?

  Dante rolls away, cool air taking the warmth of his skin from me. I shudder and hug myself. The loss of his touch shouldn’t affect me so deeply, but it does. Squeezing my eyes shut, I push my feelings aside and focus on my reality. I can’t let myself get comfortable with having a man around. Not that one has ever really been there for me. If my own father wasn’t there when Mom and I needed him most, why would anyone else stick around?

  “Iris?” Did he say something? My mind races. I’ve been so deep into my pity party I haven’t been paying attention. Before I can figure out what to say, he’s pulling me around to face him. My heart’s beating hard enough for him to feel it. He leans down, dropping kisses along the side of my face until he reaches my lips. He’s kissing me, taking his time, making parts of me wake up and take notice. Pulling back, he looks down at me with such tenderness, tears threaten again. “I would have—should have been, more careful with you,” he says with conviction.

  “Don’t,” I reply, shaking my head. “Just please, don’t.” Part of me doesn’t want to know what the deal is with him and Conny. The other part of me knows right now I can’t handle what it would mean.

  He goes silent. The tenderness is gone now, if it was ever really there. “Let me go clean up, and I’ll bring you a damp towel.” Throwing back the covers, he gets out of bed without the least bit of hesitation or embarrassment. He’s heading to the bathroom, his muscles rippling with every step, sending a wave of awareness through me. I had actual sex for the first time, with a man who looks like he stepped out of a fantasy. Even from behind he’s impressive. That body’s been next to mine, bringing me alive in ways I can’t even describe in my head.

  He’s thought about me needing to clean up. Heat rushes across my face as I press my thighs together. “I-I can wait,” I stutter, sitting up with the sheet held tight against my breasts. He goes on without slowing down. Oh jeez. The towel. Reaching down, I snatch up the bath towel I used earlier. The piece on top didn’t hit the floor, so I can hold it against me without getting anything from this nasty carpet on me. The rough edge on the threadbare towel scrapes across the swell of my breasts. It’s like a thousand tiny fingertips moving over my skin, tightening my nipples and sending an unexpected shock straight to my core.

  My eyes widen, and my heartbeat quickens. What the heck is this? Does having sex flip some switch inside a person? Will I go from zero to horny every time I hold something to my chest?

  The towel barely reaches my thighs, but I’m not as daring as he is when it comes to walking around without any clothes on. My inner muscles tighten involuntarily, making me relive the moment I moved while I was straddling him. I never imagined anything feeling like that, much less that a man would make that happen.

  I know Conny’s been killing something inside me, I just didn’t realize how much damage he’s heaped on me with his blackmail. Being with Dante, having him touch me with such tenderness, brought something out in me. It’s like only he’s been able to see the real me, the me I wasn’t aware I’ve been hiding.

  *****

  DANTE

  Iris is waiting, her bottom lip caught in her teeth and her attention somewhere far away. My conscience weighs on me as I curl my fingers into the warm, damp towel I brought. It’s inadequate. A poor substitute for what I’ve become accustomed to. “Are you okay?”

  Blinking, she snaps back to the present, pressing her arms a little tighter against her breasts. “Yes.” Her focus stays at chest level while her cheeks turn pink. “I just need to get to the bathroom.”

  I hold out both towels, which she takes before sidestepping around me. The door shuts in my face, as if she’s eager to get away. “You don’t need to wait on me.” Her voice filters through the door, and damn if she doesn’t sound hopeful.

  This is a little much, considering I couldn’t know her…condition. I snatch my clothes off the floor and drag on my briefs and jeans. When’s the last time anyone dismissed me like that? Never. At least I can’t remember it happening. Yet this woman can’t get rid of me fast enough.

  To add insult to injury, I’m missing a damn sock. If I wasn’t wearing boots, I’d leave without it. Reaching down to check under the bed, my gaze is caught by the faint pink blotch stretching out past the covers. Iris… The tension along the back of my neck ratchets up. Lost sock in hand, I plop down on the edge of the mattress, exhaling in a rush.

  I stare at the bed. Part of me wants to bundle up the sheet so no one else will see it, but I don’t want her to think I’m ashamed of what we did. I can’t regret what happened because she’s fucking incredible. Though I wouldn’t choose a place like this, surrounded by dingy walls and cheap artwork, for her to remember her first time.

  “Oh, you’re still here.” She’s standing in the doorway, hand lingering on the doorknob. She must be used to Conrado taking off after a quick hookup. My first instinct is to trash talk him for disappearing, but I’ve done that, too, and it never bothered me…until now. It’s disturbing to think there’s even one area where we’re similar. But I can change that, right here, right now.

  “I’ll walk you to your car then I’ll be gone…it’s not the best neighborhood.”

  The evasive turn of her head shows off the length of her neck now that she’s pulled her hair up. Hell, I’m perfectly fine with her staying wrapped in a little towel. Sitting back, I cross my arms, taking in the view. She’s beautiful, classic, real.

  If she’s going to get dressed, she has to walk over here because her clothes are right behind me. She realizes the situation within seconds, I know it fr
om the slow exhale while her shoulders droop in resignation. Not exactly a great shot to my ego, but she’s caving.

  Padding over, she gives me a sideways glance. “You really don’t have to wait on me.”

  “I’m walking you to your car.” At this point, my stubbornness is getting the best of me.

  “Then you’ll be waiting a long time,” she says, going by with a more self-assured swing to her hips. “Because I don’t have a car.”

  I clamp down, grinding my molars. “So I’ll drop you off.” Yanking on my socks, I give her the opportunity to take care of the basics.

  “Are you watching through the mirror?” The words slam down between us, a challenge I’ll enjoy toying with.

  “No,” I assure her, shaking my head. “You’re too far out to see you in the mirror,” I tack on with a shrug.

  “You’re such a…man,” she sputters.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” This time I turn. Her arms are stretched back to clip on a thin bra that outlines the crown of her nipples. The offering is temptation itself. A smile plays at my lips as I let my gaze trail down her body to the towel around her waist. The ends split to show her thigh at the widest part of her hips. Damn, she looks good, despite the disapproving twist at the corner of her mouth.

  “They tend to be jerks.” She yanks a scrap of purple fabric from the sheets and glares at me for a second before giving me her back. Stepping into the panties is enough to send the towel sliding.

  Reaching out, I grab an edge and hold it up. She stiffens, checking behind her. I slip around and shake out the makeshift cover to give her some privacy. “Can’t argue that.” I didn’t mean to be a jerk, but I’ve done things my way for too long to avoid the label. A nice guy would look away, but I can’t seem to force myself to do so. “I’m a man. One who can appreciate the beauty of a woman’s body.”

  That gets her to pause as she reaches out to pick up her T-shirt. Holding it tight, she lets her gaze drift across my chest.

  “In this case, I know how yours feels against mine.” I bring the towel down and gently hold her forearm, urging her closer until she’s standing in front of me. “I know how soft your skin is,” I say, wrapping my hands around her waist. My mouth is at her chin, nuzzling the underside, out to her neck, until she’s pressed against me. “And I know how you taste when you come.”

  “Dante.” The blush is immediate. I’m close enough to see the change in her coloring. But she doesn’t move away. In fact, she puts her hands on my shoulders.

  While I want to seduce her out of those purple panties, I can’t be that much of an ass, knowing she may be hurting. “I need to know you’re okay with what happened,” I explain, pulling away to search her face.

  “I’m fine.” Taking a deep breath, she makes some sort of decision, and her body relaxes. “I never planned to die a virgin.” She shrugs. “It just hadn’t happened.”

  Until I pushed the issue. The words hang between us, unsaid. “All right.” I slip down to cup her ass again. “If you’re ready to go, we can get dressed.” Neither one of us moves to put anything on, and my cock is onboard with whatever happens next.

  “I, um, I open in the morning.” So she has to be up early to go to work. But she isn’t exactly rushing to leave, and I’m not about to hurry her along.

  Strange, but I don’t want her to go. I’ll see her in a couple of days, yet I’m not ready to call it a night. “Come to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Her body tenses again. “I can’t.”

  Irritation shoots through me. Though I don’t need confirmation, I hear myself add, “Conrado.” Why should it piss me off? Not like I didn’t know shit’s going on with them since I walked in on it.

  “It’s complicated,” she explains in a tiny voice. Taking a step back, she flips the T-shirt and sticks one arm into the opening.

  I should let her finish getting dressed, pull on my own shit, and leave. But I’m not one to let things go easily. I grasp the shirt, bringing it down like I have all the time in the world. It’s all I can do to give her time to react and make a decision on what happens now.

  Big brown eyes meet mine, searching my face, and ending when she gets to my mouth. The room is filled with the sound of her breathing, or maybe it’s mine. If she looks up, she’ll have the same heat in her eyes I saw earlier. Leaning in to wrap my arms around her, I kiss her lips, and her hands are on me again, holding on. In the next breath, I’m bringing her on the bed with me as I pop open the clasp on her bra and drag it down. Her bare breasts are on me before we hit the mattress.

  Things are about to get even more complicated.

  *****

  DANTE

  “Turn right at the corner,” Iris instructs, stifling a yawn. After spending most of the night at the motel. I find myself in an unusual situation, driving through a quiet, middle-class neighborhood that, just a generation ago, was the place to buy. If her parents lived here then, they must have been well-off.

  “The gray brick house coming up.” We pull up to the curb, and she jumps out.

  “I can wait while you go in and change,” I offer.

  She bends down, wetting her bottom lip while taking a quick glance over her shoulder. That evasive move tells me she’s avoiding something, but I don’t know what. “I can change at the store. Let me just grab some clothes off the line, and we can get going.”

  She rushes to the chain-link gate, opens the lock then goes through and scrambles up the drive. I pull the car forward to the edge of the empty driveway and watch her go past the extended carport. They have an actual laundry line. I smile, putting the car in park as I take in the rest of the place.

  The house is older but well maintained, though the yard could use some attention. Will her father be out here later this morning, pushing a mower around to make the lawn look presentable? It’s a sobering thought. Iris is a nice girl, living in a house belonging to a typical family. A place with parents and brothers and sisters. Not a place I belong, or that I’d willingly step into—ever.

  I don’t know what to expect from this moment, never having driven a girl home, much less bringing her by the next morning. Will the lights flip on any minute? Will her father come out with the proverbial shotgun, asking where I’ve had his little girl all night? Or is he expecting her to be with Conrado? Do they know the extent of their involvement? Will he guess I just took his daughter’s virginity?

  The house remains dark and silent, like the rest of the neighborhood. I blow out a breath. I’ve been in actual dangerous situations that haven’t felt this tense.

  She rushes back to the gate, taking a quick, if not nervous, check of the surroundings as she passes through. The morning breeze catches her curls, still damp from her shower. She transfers her clothes from her arm to her shoulder then locks up behind her. I reach across, pushing open the passenger door. When she ducks to get in, there’s a slight smile on her lips.

  “Thanks for waiting on me.”

  Totally worth it.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  DANTE

  Sunday night took forever to get here. The restlessness won’t go away, no matter what I try. It’s dominated my time so I can’t even get the second run done on the workups for this weekend’s guests. And that’s a necessity if we’re going to meet their needs.

  Iris and Conrado should be here soon. The last fifteen minutes could well have been an hour. Every car turning into the strip mall has me cursing Conrado for not being the one to arrive. Damn it. Why didn’t I go by the store? If Tino wasn’t driving me, I would have.

  “You okay? You seem anxious,” Tino asks without turning around.

  “Yes. This guy’s just taking his sweet time to get here.” I should have checked the time because it’s still seven minutes to nine. While Tino doesn’t reply, he knows something’s up. He’s been with me too long not to be suspicious. Though he’ll never guess I’m after a curly-haired prize.

  Six minutes to go and there’s still no sign of him. I run my
hand through my hair at the temple. This is stupid. I can’t believe I’m sitting here anxious for the sight of a woman I met just a couple of days ago. One I’ve only known for a handful of hours.

  Five minutes.

  Four. A Camry comes down the feeder road, the turn signal blinking his intention. I sit up.

  “That him?” Tino asks.

  “Yes.” But a search as he drives by to get to the parking lot entrance shoots my blood pressure into oblivion.

  “He’s got someone with him.” Nobody needs to tell me that. I can see the guy with my own two eyes. “Yeah. It’s not who he was going to bring.” Still, I sit here waiting, in case she’s in the back seat. But as the two wannabes get out of the car, I know she’s not here. Anger boils up inside me, pushing to be released like a geyser at its peak.

  “What’s the plan now?” Tino watches as the two morons draw near.

  Damn Conrado. Only he could fuck up what should have been a quick discussion and a long dinner. One where I might be able to steal Iris away for the night. Now I’ll need to take control of the situation, and I’m not in a generous mood. “Bring him here. Alone.” Tino slips out from behind the wheel; his long strides get him to Conrado within seconds. I flip the overhead light off so I can watch his back then reach over and crack open the back door before sliding across the seat to the passenger side.

  “Come with me.” Even at a distance, I can feel the dangerous promise in Tino’s voice.

  Both guys hesitate. “Who’re you?” The little weasel’s voice holds a satisfying note of fear. If he knew half of what’s in Tino’s vast resumé, he’d be scared shitless. Tino backs up, opening the passenger door across from me as he goes by, but nothing happens.

  “Now,” Tino barks out. Footsteps. “Just him.” Tino doesn’t reach for a weapon, so things are going my way.