I dropped onto a counter barstool and sighed. “I don’t know, Lucy, but her meddling definitely doesn’t help.”
“It will get better, trust me. One day soon, you’re going to figure out what you want from your life, and everything will change.” She smiled warmly and came over to pat my arm.
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
Lucy yipped and chuckled while crossing herself, making me giggle.
After dinner with my family, I made the hour drive back home to my quiet apartment. I mulled over what Lucy had said and the fact that both she and Alessia suggested I should make some changes. I was somber by the time I got home and ready to lose myself in some mindless television and binge eat my weight in ice cream. However, before I even had a chance to change into comfy clothes, a knock sounded on the front door.
If Maria wants to install more damn cameras, she’s got another thing coming.
I charged to the door and flung it open only to find him waiting on the other side. My mystery man. He wore a dress shirt, the cuffs folded back, and his hands resting casually in the pockets of his navy slacks. He was ruthlessly handsome, annihilating a woman’s senses with his masculine grace. His hair was combed back but not in an overly harsh manner. Just like before, he looked deceptively casual—calm and relaxed in a way a leopard might appear right before it pounced.
His quicksilver eyes watched me with unnerving patience as I took him in. Defined cheekbones, perfect nose, and full lips all came together to form a vision of unnatural beauty. He was spellbinding, and the shock of seeing him stole my breath. Seized my lungs and summoned an inky blackness at the edges of my vision.
“You’re here,” I breathed. The sound of my voice cleared the fog from my brain, allowing me to recall how annoyed I’d been for the past two days. Regaining my composure, I crossed my arms over my chest and took a calming breath. “I wasn’t sure I would hear from you again.”
His chin lifted infinitesimally. “I said I’d be in touch.”
“That was three days ago. I figured you’d changed your mind.”
His lips curved into an icy, feral grin. “Impatient,” he tsked as if to himself. “I had work to attend to.”
“It’s fine. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m just surprised you’re here.” I waved my hand in the air nonchalantly, but I wasn’t fooling anyone.
He stepped forward, one small but purposeful step at a time until he invaded my personal space, forcing me to retreat backward into my apartment. He swung the door shut behind him, his gaze never leaving mine. The blistering heat in his eyes held me captive. Commanded me with delicious coercion like the sweet melody of a snake charmer’s flute.
He lowered his face, bringing us within a breath of each other. “I’m here now.”
“And that means I’m supposed to drop everything?”
His eyes cut to the side, lips quirking up. “You don’t exactly seem busy.”
Ugh! Men. That wasn’t the point.
I re-crossed my arms. “Maybe you’re just not very perceptive.”
He grabbed my wrists and wrenched my body against his. “Fuck, that mouth makes me crazy.” He slammed his lips down on mine, pressing inside me with unrestrained savagery.
Lust, raw and demanding, dug its claws into me, addling my brain and melting my resolve. I’d been struck by lightning, a bolt of heady pleasure firing straight between my legs and pooling in my belly. His hands dug into my waist, holding me immobile and recklessly affected. A supple piece of clay to be molded by an erotic artist. He was a god of seduction. How did this man wield such power over me?
“Wait … wait.” I panted helplessly, fighting to think clearly. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t even know your name.” I shook my head, eyes on his chest so I didn’t fall victim to his hypnotic stare.
He leaned in, using his tongue to trace the line of my upper lip. “My name is Primo, and I’ve been waiting for this for three days. No more stalling.” Deep, predatory, and unapologetically lustful, his voice purred across my skin.
I was lost. A paper boat drifting on his sinful ocean of promised pleasure. It was only a matter of time before I sank beneath those dark depths. I surrendered any hope of survival. I needed his turbulent waves more than I needed to breathe.
Primo lifted me in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, and devoured me in a kiss. He carried me effortlessly to the bedroom, leaving the lights off so the ambient glow of the city was the only illumination.
I worked at the buttons on his shirt as he walked, resting my palms against the hard plains of his chest beneath. His skin was warm and smooth, hair-free and taut over sculpted muscle. The feel of him sent another greedy command whispering darkly through my core.
This man made my body respond as no other man had before him. Just his presence sent a sledgehammer of sensation rocketing through me, rendering me mute and dumb. A mindless creature consumed with only one thing … him.
I wasn’t in the habit of giving men that power over me, but with Primo, there was no choice. The pull between us was greater than logic or rational thought. I didn’t think I could say no to him if I wanted to.
Everything about it was dangerous. Irresponsible. Maddening.
And so very right.
Primo set me down gently, then wrenched my shirt up and over my head. I pulled his button-down out of his pants just before he ripped the remaining buttons off and dropped the shirt to the floor without a second thought. We raced to rid ourselves of our clothes, each taking in an eyeful of the other in the dim glow of the bedroom.
When nothing was left between us, he bent down and slowly pulled his leather belt through the loops of his discarded slacks. A fissure of fear skated down my spine, cinching my nipples into rock hard pebbles.
“Give me your hands.” His coarse, devastatingly deep voice caused a relay of electricity to light up my nerve endings.
The intoxicating nature of his command made me want to comply, but my questioning nature gave me pause. I hadn’t exactly been safe with him in that storage closet in the club, but I felt even more vulnerable isolated here in my apartment. He’d told me he didn’t hurt women, but words meant nothing when they came from a stranger, especially one who might be a stalker. Allowing him in my apartment and letting him strip me was as far as my trust would go, and that was more than most women would have given him.
I shook my head. “No. I can’t … I’m not ready for that.”
He didn’t argue, tossing the belt back onto his pile of clothes. “On the bed, clasp your hands together and raise them above your head.”
I did as I was told this time, crawling onto the bed and reveling in the feel of his hungry eyes on my backside. I rolled over onto my back, entwining my fingers and lifting my hands above my head before soaking in the vision of him towering over me.
His body was masculine perfection, all hard angles and rigid contours honed for conquering. And his cock, sweet Mother Mary, his cock was a gorgeous specimen of male arousal. Thick and lined with angry veins, his erection pointed heavily toward me as if pulling its master in my direction.
He prowled toward me on the bed, nipping at my flesh and grazing his teeth along my most sensitive areas. “This shouldn’t be happening,” he murmured. “I told myself not to come here, but you’re like a fucking drug. Getting inside you is all I can think about.” He pressed back on his knees, then spread my legs wide, holding my gaze for a pregnant moment before dropping his eyes to drink in the sight of me. “I have to get a taste … just one taste,” he breathed before diving in to lap at my slit.
I arched against his irresistible mouth. Moaned at the stampede of pleasure coursing out to my farthest extremities. He didn’t just taste me; he devoured me. Licked and sucked and teased until nothing remained of my sanity. And just before I slipped into an abyss of pleasure, he pulled away.
“Oh, God. Please, I need more,” I whimpered.
Primo ignored my plea, coming closer to place two pil
lows behind my head and neck. Once he had me positioned to his liking, he moved up my body, his knees on either side of me, and his throbbing cock nearing my face. He placed his thumb on my lower lip, slowly swiping along its surface. “I know you use that sharp mouth of yours as a weapon, but let’s see how sweet it can be.” He leaned in, the scalding tip of his cock bouncing against my bottom lip, commanding entry.
I was only too happy to oblige. To taste his masculine essence and feel the thick ridges of his veins glide against my tongue. I devoured as much of his hard length into my mouth as my position beneath him would allow.
Something was irrepressibly erotic about the vulnerability of my position. Knowing I was helpless beneath him, I sensed the voracious intensity of his restrained hunger. His painfully careful movements, rocking himself inside my mouth without choking or scaring me, spun the delicate fibers of trust. It was empowering. Elating. I felt precious and coveted. Wanton and ravenous.
“Christo, viborita.” The words were wrenched from him, shaky and unbidden.
I wanted to see him come apart at my ministrations, but it wasn’t to be. He pulled away and grabbed a foil packet from where he’d tossed it on the bed. I watched raptly as Primo tore the wrapper from a condom and rolled the rubber sleeve over his shaft. He then lowered himself, his breathing shuddering as our bodies aligned. His jaw flexed and rippled with restraint, eyes sparking with electric need.
He lowered his lips to my nipple, tugging at the taut peak, then soothing the sting with his tongue and repeating the delicious torture on the other side until I writhed beneath him. While I was lost in the sensation, he surged inside me, catching me unaware and stealing the air from my lungs.
I gasped, and he moaned, our bodies moving in sync as we both arched into one another. A rhythm developed, our bodies moving in perfect harmony as if we were two parts of a whole. The room filled with the sounds of pounding flesh and heaving breaths.
Before I knew it, my body hummed with a chaotic energy threatening to overpower me. It built between my legs, spreading up into my stomach and reaching out to the tips of my fingers. It sizzled and sparked until it caught fire and incinerated within me. My body shattered into millions of tiny pieces, transforming me into sharp points of brilliant white light.
Primo roared his release, rocking into me one final time and dropping down on top of me. I was too ruined to worry about his weight on me. I was lifeless and limp, without a care in the world. Fortunately, he eased to the side seconds later, and I sucked in a deep, rejuvenating breath.
Way to stay strong and demand answers, G. You sure showed him.
What the hell had I just done? I was insanely attracted to Primo, and I didn’t want my father to kill him, but I also shouldn’t have screwed the man. Not yet, anyway. Not before I had some answers.
“How did you figure out who I was and track me down?”
Primo slowly rolled onto his back beside me. He let the question linger as we both stared at the ceiling. “I confirmed you were staying at that hotel. The rest was simply a matter of money. You can accomplish anything with the right amount of money.”
“You know this isn’t normal, right? That guys don’t normally track down girls like that?”
He turned his head toward me, his eyes catching mine. “I’m not normal.”
What did that mean? A jittery sense of trepidation pricked down my arms and legs.
“Should I be scared of you?” I asked in a whisper, the words catching in my throat for fear of the answer.
His eyes darkened in shadow. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 8
Primo
Giada’s face grew wary. She was looking for reassurance I couldn’t give. I couldn’t tell her she was safe with me because she wasn’t. Not entirely. I was a danger to her, whether I wanted to be or not.
“What does that mean? I need to know what’s going on here.” Courage. She possessed such strength and courage. It was good because she would need it.
“I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for.” Frustration ignited a nervous energy inside me. I rose from the bed and went to discard the condom in the bathroom.
Coming here was a fucking mistake, and I’d known it even before I arrived at her building. I’d tried to stay away. I’d told her I’d been working during those three days, but that was a lie. I hadn’t contacted her because I’d never be able to have her and let her go. It was best for everyone if we didn’t go down that path. But the longer I stayed away, the more insistent the craving. I’d been nearly feral with the need to see her by the time I arrived at her door.
Now that I’d been inside her, there was no turning back.
But what did that mean? I had a job to do and a life that didn’t have room for a woman. I needed time to consider my options, but that was one luxury I didn’t possess. I would have to return home in a matter of days, and I was growing more convinced that I couldn’t leave her behind. Taking her with me would be dangerous and beyond stupid. She might even hate me for it. Yet the compulsion in me insisted it was the only way.
I walked back to the bedroom and dressed. “I need to finish up some business while I’m in town.”
“When will you go back home?”
“A few days.”
“Will I see you before you leave?” Though her words were straightforward, the vulnerability in her voice drew my attention. I hadn’t known her long, but it didn’t take a genius to know it wasn’t like her to show a softer side. To peel back those protective layers and allow an outsider to see what was beneath. It was a gift of trust, and though it was sorely misplaced, I consumed it greedily.
Stepping over to the bed, I sat on the edge next to where she lay on her side, now draped in a white sheet. “I’ll come to you before I go, one way or another.” I trailed my knuckles down the smooth slope of her arm, unable to keep from touching her, then picked up her phone from the nightstand. “Open it.”
She took the device from my hand and unlocked it, then handed it back. After keying in my phone number, I sent myself a text. “Now you have my number. Text me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll come to you when I can.”
“What if I don’t want you to leave?”
I stilled. “Don’t ask that question with such longing in your voice. You won’t be happy with the result.”
“Are you sure?”
I met her gaze, mossy green in the dimly lit room. “I’ve never been more unsure of anything in my life.”
***
An hour later, I could still smell Giada on my skin as I walked into the home of my boss’s brother. Juan Carlos was twenty years younger than Naz, but no less powerful. If anything, his youth and convincing portrayal of a family man made him even more dangerous because he was easy to underestimate. He was known to most as El Tigre, and his kill tally rivaled my own.
He’d never been my biggest fan, and I daydreamed ways to put him in the ground. Naz figured out early on that it was best if Juan Carlos and I didn’t work together often. Unfortunately, my trip to New York made seeing him a necessity. This was the first time I was meeting him at his home.
I wasn’t surprised to find it was a small fortress. Juan Carlos liked to make a statement, and though he was supposed to be flying under the radar, he had still acquired an impressive home as his base of operations. The perimeter of the property was lined with a stone wall, and while there was no gated entry, a guard met me at the front of the house.
When guests arrived at the home, they were greeted with a Greco-Roman fountain and two gargantuan stone columns flanking the front entry. The place was easily twenty thousand square feet inside, if not more. I had a good size home of my own but saw no need to possess rooms I’d never use. It was just one of the many ways Juan Carlos and I would never see eye to eye.
“Señor Vargas is in his office, Señor Primo. Please, follow me.” The front door guard nodded respectfully and led me back to his boss. As we approached, Vargas’s daughter rushed from the office, hands
balled at her sides and eyes glassy with unshed tears. She nearly walked straight into us before she pulled up short in surprise.
“Oh, excuse me,” the young woman gasped, then ducked her head and scurried past us.
I didn’t imagine living with Juan Carlos as a father was a pleasant experience. I may not have had a stellar childhood, but there was a definite possibility hers was worse. It was unfortunate, but not my business.
“Primo, I was expecting you days ago. Where have you been?” Vargas asked when I passed through the threshold of his office.
“I’ve been looking into a few matters for Naz.” As I spoke, I took in the grand executive office lined with mahogany bookshelves and designed to emphasize the importance of its primary occupant. Like the rest of the house, it was ostentatious for my tastes, but it suited Vargas.
“The Russians? I told him I would handle that. With a little more time, I can get them to back off.”
“Naz has determined that course of action is no longer an option. I’m here to carry out the backup plan.”
“What backup plan?” he bit out, jaw clenched.
I trained my eyes back on Vargas, keeping my features schooled. “If Naz hasn’t told you, it’s not my place to do so. We only have a couple more weeks until that shipment comes in, and we can’t afford to waste any more time. Naz has come up with a new plan to gain access to a port. If you want to know the details, you’re free to ask him.” I would not come between the brothers any more than I already had. Naz knew that Juan Carlos’s dislike for me could lead to him interfering with my efforts, endangering my success. The internal discord in our management was a problem but not my place to fix. Naz needed to keep his brother in check, but instead, he often looked the other way and avoided dealing with his ambitious sibling.
Juan Carlos’s face darkened with a crimson rage, a vein visibly bulging on his forehead. “That’s fucking bullshit.”
“It’s a fucking ten-million-dollar deal and the start of a new trade relationship. That’s not bullshit. Potentially hundreds of millions are on the line here, and you don’t get to fuck it up by insisting on doing things your way.” I usually kept my cool when I dealt with Juan Carlos, but I found myself lacking patience and straining to keep my fists from balling.
Impossible Odds: A Mafia Romance (The Five Families Book 4) Page 6
