The Skull King

by Penelope Sky

  “Good girl.” His face tinted red as the arousal flushed his cheeks. The lube was enough for both of us to enjoy it, and my arousal kept me open wide enough to take him good and deep.

  My head rolled back, and my tits shook as he hit me like an earthquake.

  He scooted closer to me, getting every inch of his dick inside me with each thrust. He was making me take it all, swallow his dick whole. “Fuck…I can’t decide which I like best.”

  I grabbed on to his hips and yanked him inside of me, wanting him to fuck me even harder.

  His eyes narrowed at my enthusiasm, like he couldn’t believe a delicate woman like me would want my ass stuffed with his dick.

  All I knew was that I wanted him—in any way I could have him.

  His fingers moved to my clit, and he rubbed me aggressively, stimulating the part of my body that his pelvis usually touched. Right from the beginning, he was rough, rubbing my clit in a circular motion.

  The penetration from his dick and his fingers was enough to give me a high greater than any other. I bit my bottom lip and felt my body explode in several places. His fingers made my clit throb with ecstasy, and his dick caused my nerves to fire with powerful pleasure. My nails clawed at him as I came, my body feeling joy in two completely different areas.

  “My baby likes it in the ass…” He gave his final thrusts before he finished, coming inside my ass just as I finished my climax. He dragged me farther onto his dick as he exploded, like he wanted every single inch inside me as he finished.

  His chest was slick with sweat, all the individual muscles gleaming as if he was under a spotlight. His abs were so tight right after he finished, his entire body working together as he brought us both pleasure. Slowly, he pulled out of me, a sleepy look in his eyes.

  Once he was gone, I felt his absence. He’d stretched me so wide apart, and then he wasn’t there…and I missed it.

  He walked into the bathroom to clean off, so I helped myself to his shower to rinse. As long as I kept my hair dry and reapplied my makeup, Maria wouldn’t notice anything unusual. I stood under the warm water and closed my eyes, so satisfied that I could fall asleep where I stood.

  Balto joined me, his muscled mass looking sexy as the beads of water fell down his fair skin. His skin tone was much paler than mine, like fresh snow on the front lawn. He had a light tan that indicated he was outside once in a while, but he probably did his business under the cover of his darkness, so he rarely came into contact with the sun’s rays. I spent most of my time by the pool, so all I ever got was sun.

  He tipped his head back and let the water soak his short hair.

  I watched him, noting the way he was so sexy and masculine without even trying. My hair was pulled back in a hair tie so the water could run down my shoulders without getting my hair wet, but as I watched him, I stopped caring about keeping my hair dry.

  His eyes focused on me. “Look who has a staring problem now.”

  “I like what I see.” My hand reached to the bottom of his sternum, where the origin of his abs was located. Slowly, my finger dragged down, following the river until I found his thin happy trail. He didn’t have a hairy chest like Lucian, and he was built like a brick house. Lucian was skinny but fat at the same time, with loose skin and no muscle tone. He was fifteen years older than me so it wasn’t surprising, but I could tell Balto was older than me too. “How old are you?”

  He grabbed a bar of soap and rubbed it across his chest. “Thirty-two. You?”

  “Twenty-five.” There were few questions I could ask him without delving too deeply into his personal life. There weren’t a lot of questions he could ask me either. But I wanted to know this man deeper, especially when I knew this would be over very soon.

  He rubbed the soap up and down his arms and his stomach before he handed it to me.

  I did the same, washing the smell of sex from my skin. My need to be clean didn’t outweigh my need to be close to him. I just wanted to look at him, to admire this sexy man. “You fuck a lot of women in the ass?”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smile as he lathered the soap into his skin. “Jealous?”

  “Curious.”

  “Yes,” he said without shame. “I fuck a lot of women in the ass.”

  And they probably all enjoyed it—because he was gorgeous.

  “But I usually pay for it.”

  I did a double take at his admission. “Pay for it?”

  “Yes. I pay for sex.” As if he hadn’t just said something shocking, he stepped under the water and rinsed the soap away.

  I couldn’t hide my surprise because it was so surprising. Lucian was slimy and gross, so of course, he had to pay for pussy. He had to force me to be his wife. But this man…didn’t need to pay for anything. He could get ass and pussy on his own—without paying a single euro. “Why?”

  “Why does any man pay for sex? It’s convenient.”

  “But you don’t need to pay for sex. Look at you…”

  His grin widened. “I know I don’t. But like I said, it’s convenient. Sometimes picking up a woman feels like too much work. All the talking, all the attachment. The random texts in the middle of the night. When you pay a woman, she leaves the second you’re finished. She understands her place and runs off to her next client.”

  I knew this man made his living dishonorably. I knew he was a creature of the night. He was sleeping with a married woman and didn’t bat an eye over it. He had a small army outside his compound at all times. Paying for sex was probably the least of his crimes. But I was still surprised because he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. The second I spotted him in that bar, my thighs squeezed together tightly, and my pussy clenched like he was already inside me.

  “You judge me.” He stood under the shower for a moment, the water cascading through his grooves of muscle in rivers.

  “No. Just surprised. When I saw you in that bar…all I wanted to do was fuck you. That doesn’t happen to me very often…if ever.” I’d never laid eyes on a man I wanted more, even when I was in love with Evan. He was unremarkable compared to the beast standing in front of me.

  “And that’s exactly where the problem is. Women get obsessed. Women get clingy.”

  “I never said I was obsessed or clingy.”

  “I know. But most women are. You’re married, so that’ll never happen.”

  Now I understood why he kept sleeping with me instead of growing tired of me. I was never going to become a bigger problem. I would never ask him for more than he could give. I had an enormous rock on my finger and a multimillion-euro car parked in his parking lot. Another man owned me. “Now it all makes sense…”

  He stepped out of the stream of water so I could have a turn. He stood in front of me, looking down at me, a light shadow on his jawline. His blue eyes were slightly sympathetic. “I’m not fucking you just because you’re married. I’m fucking you because I can’t stop fucking you.” His hands moved up my arms and touched me lightly, his callused fingertips sliding across my soft skin. His hands left my elbows then moved around my waist, gripping my rib cage like he wanted to control my breaths. “And I meant what I said before…that I would help you if you ever wanted me to.” His thumbs moved to the center of my stomach and felt the small line that separated the small muscles of my abs.

  That was a conversation I didn’t want to get into again. It filled me with false hope, and once that was gone, I was only left with depression. “So…have you been paying for sex when I’m not around?”

  He held my gaze without blinking.

  “I’m not asking because I’m jealous. I’m not asking because your answer will make me angry. I’m just asking…”

  “Why?” His deep voice reverberated in the granite shower. “Why are you asking?”

  My eyes drifted to his chest, to the way the beads of water stuck to his muscular physique. “I guess I just want to know more about you…”

  “You don’t want to know anything about me.” He held my gaz
e, his blue eyes serious in their hostility. “If you want to keep screwing me, it’s better that you know nothing at all. You think your husband is a bad and powerful man… I assure you he’s an amateur compared to me. I own the secrets of this country, of the greatest criminals who use Tuscany as a battlefield in broad daylight. I’m cruel but fair. I’m murderous but merciful. All you and I have is this lust…this deep attraction. You should stay away from me because you might get caught. I should stay away from you because you’re a distraction. But when we decide to go our separate ways…we’re too weak.”

  21

  Cassini

  I spent the afternoon with this man buried deep inside me. Afterward, we both fell asleep and took a nap in his bed. I had been at his place much earlier in the day than I would normally have been, so I didn’t have to rush home the second my toes curled.

  When I woke up, he wasn’t beside me.

  The imprint of his heavy body was still noticeable in the sheets from where he’d been lying next to me. My hand reached out to feel him even though I knew he wasn’t there. My fingers grazed the silk sheets before I pulled my hand back.

  I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was seven in the evening.

  I should head home, but I truly didn’t have to. As long as I didn’t walk in the door past eleven, my behavior wouldn’t be suspicious. I’d stayed out that late long before I’d started my affair.

  I helped myself to his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt.

  That was when I noticed the handgun sitting next to his t-shirts. I was nosy when I shouldn’t be, so I picked it up to see if it was loaded.

  It was.

  I put it back then pulled the shirt over my head.

  Guns had always been a part of my life. Both of my brothers had them in the house, Lucian had weapons all over the place, and Balto warned me he was a bad man, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

  I shut the drawer and walked into the open living room, which led to the kitchen. The smell of dinner was immediately in the air, seasoned chicken with some kind of grilled vegetable.

  I hoped he’d made enough for me. “What smells so good?” I sauntered into the kitchen and found him cooking in his black boxers. His back was to me, and it was the first time I’d ever gotten such a splendid view of his backside. His muscles formed a kaleidoscope of strength. All the muscles were so tight it seemed like he worked out each and every one on a regular basis. My nails were already well acquainted with the power of his back, but my eyes were still impressed when I looked at him.

  He scooped the chicken onto two plates and added the veggies.

  “I hope that’s not all for you.” I came up behind him and pressed a kiss to the center of his spine. His skin was warm to the touch, and his muscles were liked bricks against my fingers. With my nose pressed this close to him, I could smell his soap and his cologne mixed together.

  He turned around to kiss me, but he stopped when he spotted the shirt I wore. His eyes moved down and examined the cotton that was at least five sizes too big. He was still as a statue, only his eyes moving.

  “I didn’t think you would mind…”

  “I don’t.” His hand scooped under my shirt so he could feel my bare lower back. Then he pulled me in close and kissed me softly on the mouth. “Looks better on you anyway.”

  My eyes moved to his naked physique. “I think I can agree with that.”

  Like always, the corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “What do you want to drink? Scotch?”

  “I don’t know how you drink that all the time. I’d be drunk out of my mind.”

  “I’ve got an impressive liver.”

  “Water is fine.”

  He cringed. “I’ll make you a martini.” He set the table with the drinks, and then we sat down together. He used his utensils but inhaled his food like a caveman.

  I took my time and enjoyed each bite. “This is really good.”

  He kept eating, picking up a slice of chicken with his bare fingers and placing it in his mouth. He devoured his food like he hadn’t eaten all day, like all the screwing zapped his energy.

  His lack of manners didn’t turn me off. I wasn’t the least bit surprised, actually. “Thanks for making dinner.”

  “Thanks for letting me fuck you in the ass.”

  I rolled my eyes before I took a bite. “I didn’t put out for food.”

  “Then why did you put out?”

  “Because I wanted to.” And I’d let him fuck me in the ass again if he wanted.

  He kept eating as his eyes darkened.

  “I’ll be leaving soon. I know I’ve taken up most of your Saturday evening…” A man like him probably had a million things to do.

  “If I want you to leave, I’ll tell you.” He held my expression as he slowly chewed his asparagus. Once he swallowed, he said, “Trust me. I’m not afraid to hurt someone’s feelings.” Even when he chewed, he was undeniably handsome. His jaw shifted with his movements, all the masculine angles of his face irresistible.

  The truth was looking me in the face even though I tried to ignore it. This couldn’t go on forever, and now that Lucian was calling me and asking where I was, I had a bigger problem on my hands. If I kept up this affair, I would leave a trail. I wasn’t a deceitful person, so I wasn’t good at keeping a secret of this magnitude. Maybe Balto was, but I sure wasn’t. I’d enjoyed him as much as I could that afternoon, but now it was time to say goodbye. I suspected I wouldn’t run into him again by accident, and it was a surprise I’d run into him in the first place. “Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

  He stopped eating, froze in place, and then slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine.

  I immediately stiffened at the hostile look he gave me.

  “Do I look like I’ve had a girlfriend?” His plate was almost clean with the exception of the bones. He left them on his plate like a small graveyard. He rested his arms on the table and examined me, like I had the audacity to ask how much money was in his bank account.

  “I don’t like to draw conclusions.”

  “I think, this time, it would be appropriate. And no, I haven’t.”

  The reason he was so good in the sack was because he had so much experience with many different partners. All he knew was how to fuck—not how to love. Now I wondered that he’d made the right decision to stay away from monogamy. My last relationship had ruined my life. “I’m jealous.”

  “Of what, exactly?” He grabbed his glass and took a drink.

  “Your life. You just do what you want…when you want. If I’d never gotten involved with that jackass, I would have everything you have. I wouldn’t have a husband who keeps tabs on me, I would be able to sleep with whomever I wanted without sneaking around. I let a man into my heart when he only should have made it into my bed.”

  He drank from his glass again, his eyes examining me. “There’s nothing wrong with loving a man—as long as it’s the right man.”

  “Well…he definitely wasn’t the right man.”

  “Not sure if he was a man at all.”

  No…just a coward. “No disagreements there.”

  “I could kill him for you. I don’t see any repercussions to that.”

  My eyes held his gaze, but I could barely process what he’d just said. “What?”

  “I said I would kill the asshole for you. His wife and kid too—if you really want revenge.”

  The suggestion made me sick to my stomach. “That’s not funny.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be,” he said, dead serious.

  “I don’t have any ill will against his wife or kid…they had nothing to do with it. The insinuation is disturbing.”

  “I warned you I was a bad man.”

  “Yes…but I don’t believe you’re evil enough to kill innocent people.”

  He finished his drink and left his empty glass on the table. “I’m evil enough to do anything. There’s no line I won’t cross. There’s no deed too cruel to commit. So, if you want me to make
Evan disappear forever, I will. Maybe his wife and kid don’t deserve that fate, but he certainly does.”

  “But if he’s dead, they’ll lose a husband and a father.”

  He shrugged. “You lost your life. Sounds fair to me.”

  Despite all the anger I felt toward Evan, I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t hurt his family, two innocent people who probably had no idea who I was. I believed in Karma, and Evan would get what he deserved for betraying me. Maybe I wouldn’t be around to witness it but knowing it would happen comforted me enough…for the most part. “No. It would make my sacrifice completely worthless anyway.”

  “It’s already worthless,” he said coldly.

  I finished my dinner and felt his arctic chill from across the table. He was a beautiful man, but he could be hostile when provoked. “Do you have a family?”

  “You’re asking a lot of personal questions tonight.”

  “I’m just curious.”

  He grabbed the bottle of scotch and refilled his glass. “One brother.”

  “No parents?”

  He shook his head. “They’ve been dead a long time.”

  “I’m sorry…”

  “Don’t be. They’re in a better place.”

  I didn’t have any parents either. “My parents are gone too. In a car accident.”

  When I supplied information he didn’t ask for, his hostility simmered. “I’m sorry.” It seemed like a sincere comment, one he really meant. “Were you young?”

  “Just turned twenty.”

  “I’m not sure which is worse. To lose your family when you’re too young to remember them, or to lose them when you’re old enough to know exactly how much it hurts that they aren’t around anymore.”

  Either one was shitty.

  “Do you have any other family?”

  “My brothers.” They were assholes and sometimes so obnoxious I couldn’t stand them, but I loved them with my entire heart and soul. They were the ones who kept me grounded, who gave me a shoulder to cry on when life got too tough. But they were also responsible for making me the strong woman I was today, the kind of woman that never gave in to her fears in front of her enemies.