by Bianca Cole
I slip him back into my throat, breathing through my nose. His cock is so fucking huge, I can’t get it all down my throat, but I get a good seven inches down. He grunts and groans, thrusting himself deeper. “Fuck, Ellie,” he growls. His fingers tighten in my hair and he pulls me off his cock, panting slightly. “You almost made me come.”
I moan at that, trying to close my lips back over his cock.
He keeps hold of my hair, stopping me from going down on him. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to cum down your throat?” he asks.
I nod my head, keeping my hands tight around the base of his cock. “Yes, sir.”
He groans, releasing my hair. “ You are a dirty, naughty, little thief. Take every drop and swallow it, Bella.”
I love it when he calls me Bella, closing my lips around the width of him, I do as he says. First, I tease him, swirling my tongue around him three times slowly. He groans above me, fisting my hair and forcing his cock down my throat. He fucks my throat, making thick saliva spill all over his cock and his pants.
“I’m going to come,” he growls, pumping one last time and unloading every drop of his delicious, salty seed down my throat.
I swallow it all, relishing the way this man makes me feel. Once he’s finished, I pull off of him, making sure I lick him clean. He groans, keeping his eyes on the road. “You are perfect,” he mutters, making my heart rate accelerate.
It’s the first sweet thing he has said to me, and I can feel myself melting. This is not good. Leo Romano is definitely not the kind of guy I should feel all warm and fuzzy about. He’s bad news.
I wipe my mouth, fixing his cock back in his pants and zipping them up, before sitting back in my seat. It’s only once I’m sitting upright that I notice where we are. We’re no longer on a road, but a long winding driveway.
The Romano Mansion, that’s where we are. I know it even though I can’t see the house yet. It means there’s no escape, no matter how much I might want to get away from him. Deep down, I don’t want to, but I know that’s a bad thing.
“Why are you taking me here?” I ask, glancing over at Leo.
His grip tightens on the steering wheel and he doesn’t reply, making my stomach twist with nerves. Maybe he has decided to kill me after all and do it somewhere private. Oh God, I’m not sure I can face him killing me. The guy has got under my skin, and the thought of him ending it all makes my throat constrict.
He slides his hand onto my thigh and squeezes gently, making me glance at him. The pain floats away as he smiles at me kindly, shaking his head. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. You’ve got nothing to fear from me, I promise.”
I relax into my seat, feeling relieved that he’s not intending to kill me.
“Who were those men?” he asks.
I swallow hard, feeling unsure about telling him the whole sordid story about me and my douchebag of an ex-boyfriend. “They know my ex, and he’s trying to find me,” I say, keeping it brief.
His hand tightens around my thigh and his jaw clenches. I wonder what an earth is going on in that mind of his.
“Why did you save me from them?”
He glances at me briefly and then back at the drive. I can tell he doesn’t intend to reply. The house has just come into view, and people weren’t kidding about it being a mansion. It’s a huge stone built palace with expensive cars lining the driveway. I knew the Romano Mafia were rich, but this is something else.
“No more questions,” he says, turning to that cold, commanding tone he normally uses. Leo pulls around the back of the house and shifts his car into park. He says nothing as he turns off the engine and gets out, walking around to my side.
My phone buzzes and I pull it from my purse, glancing at it.
Ashley: Seriously, what the fuck is going on?
I quickly type her a message to say I’m okay and I won’t be home tonight. Then, I turn it off, knowing she will blow my phone up over it. It’s a asshole move, but if I tell her I’m with Leo Romano she will freak out. Not to mention, the fact I tried to steal from him. I wait in my seat, trembling in anticipation.
Maybe Leo will turn me into his sex-slave, which isn’t the worst thing I could imagine. He can let me stay in this lovely home and use me whenever he wants. The problem is, the more time I spend around him the more I feel something for him. I don’t know the guy, but I’m addicted to him already.
He opens the door and stares down at me. Powerful and unmoving with no emotion in his eyes. “Get out,” he commands.
His tone sends a shiver down my spine for two reasons. It’s that dominating and alpha tone that makes me weak at the knees, but it’s also dangerous and full of threat. Would Leo hurt me if I disobeyed him?
His fingers entwine with mine and he yanks me toward a back door. “Come on,” he mutters.
I follow him, enjoying the warmth of his hand around mine. He’s quiet and careful, searching the corridors before stepping out into them. This place is as opulent inside and it is out. The floors are paved in expensive cream marble and the walls are lined with paintings from ridiculously famous artists—Picasso to name one.
I swallow hard. This place is the biggest temptation for a thief like me. I’ve been thieving since I was sixteen years old. It’s what I turned to when I dropped out of high-school. Leo should know better than to bring me in here, as it’s in my blood to make off with pretty things.
We climb what I can only assume is a back staircase up to the third floor. Leo keeps me behind him, as he glances into the corridor. After a few beats, he steps out, dragging me with him. He stops in front of a door, unlocks it, and then drags me inside.
I can only imagine it’s his bedroom. The room is as opulent as the rest of this place. A four-poster king size bed sits proudly against the back wall, draped in expensive gold silk bedding. “This is my room and you will stay in here,” Leo says, watching me carefully.
I nod my head. “Thank you.”
The side of his lips quirks up, but he doesn’t smile fully. “For what?”
My cheeks heat and I shrug. “Saving me from those guys.”
He steps toward me with that dark look in his eyes. “Strip,” he commands.
My heart beats faster at the command and I freeze. Leo hasn’t seen me naked yet. We’ve fucked with my dress on both times, and I’m not sure I want him to see my scars. The thought of his face twisting in disgust makes me sick to the stomach.
“I said, strip. Do you need me to come and help with that?”
I swallow hard, shaking my head. I unzip the back of my dress and slowly peel it from my skin, feeling more vulnerable than ever under his dark gaze. My eyes remain on the floor as I take it off entirely and shove it to one side, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Who did this to you?” Leo growls, forcing me to meet his gaze with the ferocity of his tone.
His eyes are wild with rage as they take in the scars over my tummy and chest. He hasn't seen the ones on the center of my back, yet. Bruce has been a rather brutal partner the past five years, and before that my drunk dad was as bad.
It wasn’t until Bruce accused me of stealing those drugs I decided enough was enough. It makes me feel so weak and ashamed. I couldn’t tell anyone the truth of what he’d been doing to me all these years.
Leo steps closer and grips hold of my chin in a firm grip, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Who did this to you, Bella?”
Pain constricts around my throat as I try to speak, but can’t. Tears prickle at my eyes and the thought of letting them fall in front of Leo Romano scares me half to death.
I try to fight against them, but he’s dredging up the pain of my past. They flow down my cheeks. Leo wipes them away more gently than I’d expect and pulls me into him, holding me close.
I cry into his suit jacket, but he doesn’t seem to care. He has stopped pushing me for an answer and instead, lifts me up and carries me to the bed. He sets me down gently, moving the covers over me and then strips down to his boxers.
I can barely see through the tears blurring my eyes. It is bizarre that I’m bawling my eyes out in front of one of the toughest Mafia bosses in the country.
He shifts into the bed by my side and then wraps me in his arms, holding me close. I try to still the tears and focus on the man holding me.
He kisses my forehead gently and mutters soft words in Italian, “Andrà tutto bene tesoro. Ti Proteggerò sempre, qualunque cosa accada.”
He probably thinks I don’t know what he’s saying, but my grandfather was Italian. Before he died, he used to sit me on his lap and say the same thing.
He died when I was five years old, leaving me with my abusive father and alcoholic mother. He was the only man I knew who didn’t harm me in my life.
I feel my heart ache in my chest, as he used to say it to me in Italian and then repeat it in English to me every single night.
Everything will be fine, honey. I will always protect you, no matter what happens.
It confuses me more than I can explain. Leo doesn’t know me, so why would he protect me? Perhaps, it’s just something soothing to say, but the words have meaning.
I listen to his soft voice, and slowly my eyes grow heavy and flutter shut. I fall asleep in the arms of a dangerous criminal, feeling safer than I have for years.
10
Leo
My heart pounds hard in my chest as I watch Ellie sleeping peacefully in my bed. I never have women in my bed. Normally I visit a hotel when I’m hooking up. It keeps it less personal, but everything with Ellie isn’t normal. We didn’t even fuck last night.
What on earth has gotten into me?
The tough thief who loves being punished is broken, vulnerable, and homeless. She has such a tough exterior, but I saw through it to the true woman beneath it all last night. It’s clear people in her past have broken her badly. Probably her ex-boyfriend she mentioned. The moment I find out who he is, I will kill him.
The scars on her tummy, chest and back have a harsh beauty to them. A reminder of the pain she has survived and everything she’s been through. Her eyes never betray the pain and hell she has endured in the past, they are the only signs.
I held her last night while she cried, kissing her forehead. I kept my arms tight around her and muttered words I shouldn’t have said. It’s clear this woman I barely know is everything to me. It felt natural and right to tell her I’d protect her, because it’s how I feel. At least she doesn’t know Italian.
I got her in here with no one noticing, but I can’t keep her in my room forever. No matter how much I want to wrap her up in cotton wool and never let her out of my sight.
My father taught me not to care. He’d instilled that sentiment in me from a young age. He used to tell me women are for fucking and discarding.
It was something I’d struggled with, considering my father had married my mother. Rick still remembers her pretty well, but I was four years old when she died. Kane and Rick are convinced our father killed her, but I’m not sure.
Ellie makes a soft groan and rolls onto her side, opening one eye. She startles and sits straight at the sight of me, staring at her.
“Buongiorno, Bella,” I say, smiling at her.
She licks her bottom lip. “Morning, sir.”
I chuckle at that. It’s amusing how she’s always so obedient. It’s as if she was born to please me. “You don’t need to call me sir all the time. I like it when we fuck, but you can call me Leo.”
She raises an eyebrow and nods. “Okay, Leo,” she says, innocently.
I don’t know what it is about her saying my name, but it makes my balls tingle. I shift toward her and slip my hand behind her neck, forcing her lips to mine. This woman tastes amazing. I suck on her tongue, making her moan. Her fingers claw at my chest as she shifts to sit in my lap, letting me kiss her hard.
I can’t push this though, not after last night. The guilt I feel over bending her over my desk and slapping her ass after seeing those scars made me sick to the stomach. She doesn’t need pain, even if she has grown to love it. The woman needs loving and nurturing, something I’m not sure I’m capable of.
Feelings have never come naturally to me. I’m closed off and unable to feel after all the shit we went through growing up. I wasn’t exactly brought up in a loving environment. I find it hard to show that I care for people, but this thief turns up and opens me up like no one ever has. It makes no sense.
I break the kiss and peck her on the lips. “Have a shower, and I’ll bring you up some food.”
Her eyes widen slightly, as if she’d expected me to fuck her. After what I saw last night, I can’t bring myself to treat her the way I did when we first met. Tying her up and slapping her—it feels wrong. It is mad.
Normally, I don’t give a shit what someone has been through in their life. I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a selfish son of a bitch at times, but Ellie makes me stop and think.
I shift from the bed and throw on a t-shirt and pants. “I’ll be back shortly.”
She gives me a nod and watches as I leave the room. I rest my back against the door and let out a long breath. I can’t work out what I'm going to do. It’s not like I can keep her a secret from everyone.
I’ve got to act fucking normal, even if it is hard. I walk down the corridor toward the stairs and head for the kitchen.
Two men are muttering about something, and I overhear my brother’s name. “Kane has lost the plot,” he says.
I turn to them. “Why? What has he done now?”
The guy pales, eyes wide. “Nothing, sir.”
I cross my arms over my chest and step closer. “Tell me what Kane has done.”
He bows his head. “Last night he came bounding down with his mattress and ran to the side of the building, apparently he was trying to save the girl he got from Alex Cavino.” He shakes his head slightly. “Even though she was trying to escape out of the window.”
Shit.
My brother has lost the plot. I know the guy cares about her, but he’s not supposed to let anyone know that. Rick will kill him when he gets back. He’s had to fly out of Philly for two days.
As soon as he hears what Kane did, he’ll be pissed. To be fair, if Ellie was escaping out the window, I’d probably do the same damn thing. This house wouldn’t be easy to climb down.
Last night, once Ellie fell asleep, I heard my brother and Jasmine getting pretty fucking loud in their room down the corridor. Our men would have heard them too, which means they know he didn’t punish her. Either that or she’s as much of a sucker for punishment as my beautiful little thief.
I nod my head. “Thanks, Carl.” I carry on walking toward the kitchen.
Kane is cooking pancakes, whistling to himself.
What the fuck?
I have to stand there and blink a few times, making sure I’m seeing right. Kane never whistles, and he never cooks. Not to mention, he’s never in a good mood in the morning.
I step into the room and take a seat at the table. “Why are you in such a good mood?” I know why, I just love teasing him.
He spins around and glares at me. “Mind your own business.”
I raise an eyebrow and smirk at him. “Does it have anything to do with the rather loud screams coming from your bedroom last night?”
Kane growls, spinning on me. “Don’t be an ass, Leo.” He’s holding a plate of pancakes and he has extra in the pan. “There’s extra if you want some.” He nods toward the pan.
Works for me, since I’m going to have to take Ellie something and pancakes are probably better than Lucky Charms.
“Cooking her breakfast after she tried to escape.” I tut. “What do you think the guys will think?”
His face pales and his shoulders dip. “Who told you about that?”
“Everyone is talking about it this morning, Kane.” I shake my head. “Rick will be pissed when he gets back.”
Kane lets out a long breath. “What else was I supposed to do? Let her fall to her
death.”
I nod my head. “If she was trying to escape from you, that’s what a Romano should and would do, yes.”
Kane runs a hand through his short hair. “Fuck, I know I fucked up, but this girl has got to me, Leo.”
I know exactly what he means. Ellie has got to me too, I’m just being more fucking cool about the whole thing. It’s not right of me to scold my brother over something I did literally the other day. Ellie tried to steal from us and instead of ending her like I should have, I fucked her.
“You need to try to cool it around her though, keep it under wraps.”
He nods in response, looking a little lost.
I stand from the table and clap him on the back. “I’m sure it will all work out. Take her those pancakes before they go cold.”
He nods. “Thanks, bro.”
I watch him as he walks out of the room, shoulders tense. It was bad of me to spoil his mood, but he has to realize the danger he places that girl in. Everyone knows he cares about her now. It’s the exact reason I’m keeping Ellie in my room. I have to keep her locked away, so no one will get to her.
I grab two plates from the cupboard and load up the rest of the pancakes, placing them on a tray. I grab a bottle of maple syrup and some cutlery. All the reward of cooking her breakfast, without the cooking—suits me.
I head back to my room and open the door. Ellie’s sitting up in bed, waiting for me.
“Colazione a letto,” I say, finding I’m less self-conscious when I speak Italian.
She shrugs. “I don’t know what that means.”
I set the tray down on the bed and settle in beside her, kissing her lips gently. “It means breakfast in bed.”
“You cooked this?” she asks.
"Not exactly, Kane cooked too much and let me have the left overs.” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip. “If it wasn’t for him, you’d be eating a bowl of Lucky Charms.”
She laughs, and it’s fucking beautiful. The first time I’ve heard her laugh. “Lucky Charms are my favorite.”
