by Penelope Sky
“We need to figure out what to do about Maddox too. Have you considered what I said?”
“Yeah…a bit.”
“I think we should keep going. When he comes for us, we come for him harder.”
I didn’t like that idea, but I didn’t know what else to do. Letting my company fall apart would affect every other part of my life. It would even affect my clients with the bank. If I looked like the pussy that got bested, I would never reclaim my reputation.
“Let’s get all our resources together and prepare for war. We take him out once and for all.”
“If it were that simple, we would have done it already…”
“But we’ve never really tried. We’ve been avoiding it for years because it’s too challenging. But if we do, put everything on the table, we could get everything we’ve ever wanted—”
“Or lose it all.”
I was in the car on my way home when Sofia called.
I answered in the back seat, watching the ancient buildings pass as we drove down the narrow streets. “Hey, baby.” I lifted my wrist to look at the time. It was almost nine, so I was much later than I usually was.
“I haven’t heard from you all day…wanted to see if you were alright.”
I liked it when she checked up on me. Made me feel like she loved me…even if she didn’t. Now that I knew she was my soul mate, I was much more patient about the situation. Maybe she couldn’t give me what I wanted right now, but she was the woman I was meant to be with, so I would bust my ass until I could free her mind from this mental cell. “I was at Damien’s, talking about work.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Looks like shit. Nothing new.”
“Will he be okay on his own?”
“He wants the privacy.” Couldn’t exactly bring hookers to my place, especially when my bedroom was so close.
“Yeah…he mentioned that.”
“I’ll be home in less than ten minutes.”
“Alright. See you soon.” Her dreamy voice disappeared, and the line went dead.
I kept the phone to my ear even though she was gone. I loved the sexy noises she made, the way she pronounced every word like she was making a speech. She was a woman of class, full of elegance that had been ingrained in her DNA. I finally dropped the phone from my ear, wishing I could tell her about everything…but I couldn’t.
My back was against the wooden headboard with my knees apart. My hands gripped the backs of her thighs, and I helped her rise up and down even though she seemed athletic enough to do it on her own. She rode me from the crown of my cock all the way to the base, pushing white cream around my balls before she rose again. With her shaking tits and bouncing hair, she was a fucking fantasy.
I kept coming…over and over.
Her tight body was covered in sweat because she was working hard to please me the way I pleased her. She never took a break or asked for a new position, as if she were trying to prove something to me.
Like she needed to prove anything.
The sweat coating her skin made it shine, made her tits glow. Her nipples would harden and soften over and over again as her desire reached critical heights then softened after a climax.
I never wanted this night to end because the sex was so damn good. We could go nonstop, so hot for each other that this flame could never burn out. We both ran on an infinite fuel tank, always ready to burn.
When I came inside her again, I couldn’t go any longer. It was my third load, and no matter how sexy she was, I needed a break. My arms wrapped around her waist, and I pulled her closer to me, my face moving into her neck and the top of her tits. My cock softened, so the come dripped out of her entrance and smeared across the both of us.
After she caught her breath, she pulled away and looked at me. “I want to know something.”
“Then ask.” I couldn’t get over how beautiful she was, how perfect she looked even after a hard workout. Her makeup was washed away and her hair was oily, but she still looked like the sexiest thing in the world. If I hadn’t fought for her, she could have married someone else…my soul mate could have ended up with another man. The thought made me sick to my stomach, especially when I could see how perfect we were together. We were two pieces that fit together like we were made for each other. Ever since the first moment I saw her, I felt something. She felt something too. Now it all made sense. Other women never meant anything to me…but she meant the world.
Because she was my soul mate.
I would fight for this if it killed me.
Her hands slid down to my chest. “What’s your real name?”
I didn’t expect a question so personal. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because it’s your name…”
“It’s not anymore. That’s my past. The only man you’ve ever known is Hades…so that’s who I am.”
Her hands continued to rub my chest. “Why are you so ashamed of it?”
“It’s just not who I am anymore.”
She pressed the argument with her intense eye contact.
“I don’t want to be called by my birth name, so it doesn’t matter. Let it go.”
“Could you at least tell me why?”
I dropped my gaze. “If I answer you, will you let this go?”
“I’ll let this go whether you tell me or not. I just wish you felt comfortable confiding in me.”
“That’s not the problem. You know I’m transparent.”
“Then I don’t understand…”
“Alright, I’ll tell you. But I don’t want you to ever call me by it.”
“Okay, I promise.”
“Andrew.”
Her eyes softened. “Andrew…that’s a good name. But you’re right, Hades does suit you a lot more.”
I would hope so. “Is the conversation over now?”
“Yes. I didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable.” She moved to her face to mine and kissed me, remorse in her lips.
I forgave her instantly. “Now I have a question. A very personal question.”
“Uh oh. Maybe I should have kept my curiosity to myself.”
“After we broke up, did you ever think about me when you were with someone else?” I missed her when we weren’t together, and sometimes I pictured her face on a different body to get off.
“Wow. You weren’t kidding about it being personal.”
“No. Now answer me.”
She ran her fingers through her hair as she stalled. She even dropped her gaze because the contact was too much.
“I’m not gonna let this go, baby.”
After a deep sigh, she lifted her gaze. “Yes…”
“How often?”
“You’re really going to grill me, huh?”
“How often?” I repeated.
She shrugged. “It was more common than uncommon…” She ran her fingers through her hair again. “Truth be told, you were the best sex I’ve ever had, so all my lovers were disappointments.”
Then you should have married me.
“Not that I didn’t enjoy them. They just weren’t…the same.”
An invisible crown was on my head, and I tried not to smile in victory. I didn’t need to be jealous of the men who came after me because they never erased me. I’d always been there, always lived between her legs.
“What about you?”
“You already asked a personal question, and I answered.”
“I can’t ask another?”
“Then I get to ask another.”
“Alright,” she said. “Did you ever think about me?”
All the fucking time. “Yes. And not just when I was with other women…”
Her eyes narrowed in understanding, and then a red tint came over her face once she understood my meaning.
And I was fucking devastated when you left me. “Now I get another question.”
“Alright…”
“Did you ever regret saying no?” Neither one of us had mentioned our previous relationship sin
ce we’d gotten married, but I broke our unspoken rule.
Her eyes immediately turned guarded once I mentioned the night everything turned to shit. I asked her to marry me, and she left me. “Sometimes. And now that I’m with you, I realize how lucky I am to be your wife. It’s exactly what I needed…even though I was too stubborn to understand it at the time.”
I’d asked her to marry me because I loved her—not for convenience. But I let it go. “I’m leaving tomorrow for a couple of days.”
As if I’d slapped her across the face, she looked stunned by the announcement. “You just got home.”
“Something came up.”
“Where are you going?”
“Rome.”
“Why?”
“I have to talk to my brother about a few things…I might be gone a couple of days or a week.”
“Really?” she asked in disappointment. “That’s a long time.”
“I’d never leave you unless I knew you were safe. And you can call Damien for anything, and he’ll be at your beck and call.”
“That’s not the problem, and you know it.” Her attitude started to flare, the sassiness coming into her eyes.
“I’m sure you have stuff to do at the Tuscan Rose.”
“But I don’t want my husband to be gone for weeks at a time. I don’t want that kind of marriage.”
“What kind of marriage is that?”
“When the guy takes off and has mistresses and whatnot.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “You think I’m leaving to have an affair?”
“No, but that’s the kind of lifestyle you’re talking about. You didn’t even invite me to come with you.”
“Because I know you have shit to do.”
“The hotel survived before me, and it’ll survive if I’m gone for a week.”
“Two weeks,” I corrected. “You missed this week too.”
“I doubt the people running it would start slacking when they know Hades Lombardi could walk in at any moment.”
I narrowed my eyes, feeling the rage start to ignite my temper. “Do you really think I’m looking for an excuse to sneak off and fuck around?” Her punitive mind had no idea how hard I was working just to keep her. It was fucking insulting.
“I didn’t say that—”
“That’s literally what you just said.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her off me.
“Look, I was just upset about you leaving, and I blurted that out. I didn’t mean it.”
I pulled on my boxers, burned by the insinuation I would do anything like that. “If I wanted to fuck around, I would do it right under your nose. I wouldn’t be a coward and run off to sneak around behind your back. I’d do it right to your damn face.”
She leaned against the headboard, frustrated by the way this fight was unfolding. “I take it back, okay? I know you wouldn’t do that.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.” I moved to the patio doors and looked outside, repulsed by the image of her face.
“I just don’t want you to leave, alright?” she whispered. “Or at least, let me come with you.”
I didn’t have a problem with her coming with me, but I didn’t appreciate the way she went about it. With my arms crossed over my chest, I looked at the city with blind eyes, not taking in a single thing I was staring at.
When I ignored her, she got to her feet and came up behind me. Her fingertips stroked my back, feeling the muscles with her feather-like touch. “I’m sorry, okay? My mother told me my father had mistresses all his life and she never cared about it…but I don’t believe her. He would go on these bullshit business trips—”
“I’m not your father.” I turned around and faced her, the anger tightening all the muscles in my face. I wished I could tell her how I really felt, that I loved her too much to even think about another woman. That all I wanted was for her to tell me she loved me and couldn’t live without me. If only she knew the depth of my feelings, she would understand how ridiculous her insecurities were. “I would never do that. That’s not the kind of man I am. End of story.”
Remorse flooded her eyes. “I’d still like to come with you…if you’ll have me.”
I’d leave her at the hotel while I spoke to my brother. She’d be safe there, my men watching her. At night, I would have a place to unwind, to vent all my frustrations by fucking her senseless. “All you had to do was ask.”
“How long will you be gone?” Damien asked in the entryway while my men packed the vehicle with our luggage.
“No idea. Depends on his reaction.”
“So, you’ll be there for a while.”
Sofia walked behind me and gave one of the men her purse.
Damien glanced at her. “She’s coming with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“She asked. I didn’t see the harm.”
When she was out of earshot, he spoke his mind. “You sure she doesn’t love you?”
She just loved my dick. “It’s fun to pretend sometimes.”
He chuckled and clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll take care of everything here. Fix this shit with your brother. If you need help, let me know.”
“Thanks.” We said goodbye then headed to the car.
“You sure you want to spend all week with this guy?” Damien asked as he hugged Sofia on the sidewalk.
“He’s my husband…so yes.” She was in denim jeans and a white blouse, her hair pulled back in an elegant but sexy look.
He leaned toward her. “Between you and me, I don’t know what you see in him. I’m much better looking.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And I’ve got a bigger dick too.”
“Then that must be uncomfortable,” she countered. “Because if Hades were any bigger, he wouldn’t fit.” With her head held high, she got into the back seat of the SUV and shut the door behind her.
Damien’s eyes were wide with shock, and he shifted his gaze to me, his mouth agape.
I winked before I opened the back door. “She’s got a mouth on her, doesn’t she?”
After a short flight, we landed in Rome then drove to our hotel.
A hotel I’d acquired through marriage.
Sofia examined every inch of the lobby, watching the employees behind the counter, checking the freshness of the flowers, and going over everything with a meticulous gaze.
After we checked in, we were given the biggest suite in the place, the presidential suite at the very top of the hotel. We didn’t need five thousand square feet of space, especially when we would only use the room for sex.
We entered the room, and our luggage was placed in the walk-in closet. Then we were left alone, admiring the expansive view of the city from the top of the building. Sofia opened the back doors and stepped outside onto the enormous patio, walking by the private pool and hot tub to the iron railing. It was past noon in the city, so the sun was high in the sky and people flooded the sidewalks as they lived their lives. The Colosseum was visible in the distance.
I came up beside her. “Ever been to Rome?”
“A few times.”
“Beautiful place.”
“Yeah…” A slight breeze moved through her hair, pulling at the loose strands that didn’t stay pinned back.
Rome was one of my territories for my operation. Or at least, it had been until I’d made that deal with Maddox. I’d been thinking about my dilemma every single day since I’d agreed to it, tempted to do exactly what Damien advised. But it was so dangerous…and could blow up in my face. I wanted to fight for what was mine, but I didn’t want to lose everything either.
“What now?” she asked.
Nothing happened during the day, so I’d make my move this evening. I didn’t have a concrete plan for when I approached my brother. No matter what I did, he would be livid to see me, might even shoot me. But that was a risk I had to take. “We could go to lunch. Do some shopping.”
She pivoted her body toward me, her head tilted to the side. “Hades Lombardi shopping? I can’t pic
ture that.”
“I wouldn’t be the one shopping. I would be the one taking you shopping. Buying you pretty things and holding your bags.”
“I can buy my own things, and I can definitely hold my own bags.”
“But why bother when your husband can do those things for you?” She turned me into a weak man, a guy who wanted to bend over backward to give her the world. I could pay someone to escort her around town, but I wanted to be the one to do it.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me. “Because I want my husband for other things.”
We had lunch at a small bistro then walked the streets to window-shop. It was the first time we’d spent the entire day together under the sun, doing something normal couples did on a daily basis. I watched her examine clothes and jewelry, rarely buying anything because she was selective in her purchases. Whatever she did buy, she held the bag and never asked for my help.
When we headed back to the hotel, I grabbed her hand and held it in mine.
Her fingers squeezed mine back.
A thrill went up my spine when I touched her, when I felt the pulse of her fingertips. Sometimes I forgot that this was real, that I really had the woman I’d wanted since the moment I saw her. Now that I knew she was destined to share half of my soul, I cherished her even more.
I’d been dreading this confrontation with my brother, but when I held her hand like this, I remembered what I was fighting for. “Still think I came here to have an affair?” I couldn’t keep the smartass remark inside my mouth even though we were having a good moment.
She sighed beside me. “I told you I didn’t mean that.”
“I’m still going to make you regret saying that.” We crossed the street and approached the entrance to the hotel.
“Well, I already do regret it.” She tugged on my hand and made me stop in front of the large doors that led to the hotel. She looked up at me, her bag resting in the crook of her elbow. “I’m sorry, alright?” Sincerity shone in her eyes, and that apologetic look made her even more desirable.
My eyes shifted back and forth as I looked into hers, a suffocating feeling choking me. My heart had grown so much over the last few months. My hatred for her had been replaced by a love so deep that I would die for her without thinking twice about it. It was a secret that was getting more difficult to hide. I was tempted to tell her how I felt, even if she didn’t feel the same way, just because I was her husband and had the right to say whatever the hell I wanted. “I know.”
