The Skull King

by Penelope Sky

  27

  Cassini

  Lucian was silent on the drive home.

  He sat beside me in the back seat, his injured hand resting on his left thigh. He looked out the window, his sour mood filling the air as we headed to his estate outside the city. The shadows obscured his countenance from view, but it was obvious he was insanely pissed.

  His hand had just been burned with a cigar, and he’d been schooled like a boy.

  Couldn’t blame him for being pissed.

  I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t say anything at all.

  We returned to the compound—and that was when Lucian lost his shit.

  He executed a few of his men.

  I stayed in the car and refused to look. I’d made the mistake before, looking into the eyes of a dead man. It was so haunting that I couldn’t look away, and now that memory followed me forever.

  The sound of the gunshots was the worst.

  “Balto has snuck up on me six times now.” Lucian paced around the driveway, looking pathetically short compared to the men he employed. “If he does it again, I’ll kill all of you—and your families.”

  We entered the house, and Maria steered clear of pleasantries because she’d already heard the news. She took his jacket in silence then pulled out the first aid kit to dress his burn, putting a glass of scotch on the entryway table for him.

  Lucian yanked his hand away. “No.” He snatched the drink then walked into his bedroom. The door shut with an audible thud because he’d probably kicked it closed.

  I stared down the hallway before I turned back to Maria.

  She looked at me with pity. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Salazar. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, but you’re also the saddest.” She patted my arm before she carried the first aid kit back to the cupboard.

  At least I didn’t have to deal with Lucian for the rest of the night. If things had gone this way, he would have pinned me down on my stomach and fucked me. But since my stomach was still in serious pain, that would have been worse than usual.

  I walked to my bedroom and undressed.

  When I saw my body in the mirror, I cringed at the sight. My stomach had already darkened from the bruises. My fingers felt the skin, and just the simple touch made my body recoil in pain. I let my expensive gown fall to the floor, and I grabbed a t-shirt from my drawer.

  Once I lay in bed, I pulled out the phone Balto gave me.

  I wanted to call him. I had so many questions that needed to be answered. Now I knew this man was as powerful as he claimed. He wasn’t afraid to provoke Lucian anywhere, and he wasn’t afraid to drive a cigar right into his skin. He killed two men without making a sound and groped me in the dark.

  Fearless.

  I called him.

  It rang twice before he answered. “Baby.”

  When he left, he’d referred to me by my married name, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It was a name I never wore with pride. It was a name I’d been trying to shrug off since it was shackled to my shoulders. “How long have you known?” He knew exactly who my husband was, but he never told me. He must have dug into me at some point.

  “I found out the moment I saw you.” There was no noise in the background, so it seemed like he was at his building. Maybe he was in bed the way I was. Maybe killing those men would put him fast to sleep tonight. “Lucian Salazar…I thought you said your husband was powerful?”

  “You know he is.” The man was the biggest terrorist in this hemisphere. He was the best chemical engineer, making explosives that were untraceable. He could get any job done if you paid him enough. It was unfortunate a brilliant man used his intelligence for evil rather than good.

  “He’s got his merits, but he’s still a boy in a man’s game.” His deep voice was just as sexy even after all the drama. He was calm, borderline bored. “He’s definitely not powerful enough to handle a woman like you.”

  He’d handled me well when he slugged me twice in the stomach. I didn’t mention it to Balto because I suspected it would make him livid. “What does he owe you?”

  “Lucian and I go way back,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t want to bore you.”

  “Tell me.”

  The smile was in his voice. “So bossy…I like it. A few years ago, we made a deal. He would give me one of his top-of-the-line explosives, and in exchange, I would give him one of my skull diamonds.”

  I immediately thought of the necklace Lucian wore. It was a flawless diamond—and so unique.

  “His reputation suggested he was an honorable man, but I never trust anyone. So I came prepared. We had the deal go down at his place…and he crossed me. He took the diamond without providing the explosives. In retaliation, I executed his only brother right in front of him. I shot him in the back of the head and let his blood fill the driveway. Then I drove off.”

  I turned silent, knowing Lucian had been disturbed over his brother’s death since I met him. He was worked up every year on the anniversary of his death. His brother had been the only family he had left. But he’d never told me how he died.

  “I thought paying for his brother’s life with a diamond was punishment enough. At the time. Ever since then, I’ve been catching him off guard, slowly circling in before I finally finish the job. I know he won’t sell the diamond because it’s too valuable. I know he won’t move against me either, not when I’m so powerful. So now he has to suffer the consequences of his actions. I call it a slow torture.”

  I realized I was in the middle of a war between two very powerful men. It was personal on both sides, and neither man would let this go. “Then why haven’t you finished him off?”

  “Because I’d rather witness his humiliation. He knows he’ll never be truly safe until he finishes what he started. He can either return the diamond or become my exclusive supplier. Either way, it’ll make him look like a pussy in the eyes of our world. And I’ve got all the time in the world…”

  I pulled the covers to my shoulders and kept the phone pressed to my ear. I didn’t have a lock on my door, but if I heard Lucian’s footsteps coming, I would just shove the phone under my pillow. Listening to Balto’s voice somehow comforted me even though his power exuded through the phone. “How long ago did this happen?”’

  “Two years ago.”

  Then it was shortly before Lucian claimed me as his.

  “Are you going to kill him?”

  “Depends on his behavior. I would much rather keep him as my little bitch.”

  I pulled the pins out of my hair so the strands could come loose against the pillow.

  “Do you want me to kill him, baby?”

  After tonight, I wanted Lucian buried six feet under. He’d treated me like a dog and struck me like I was one of his employees. I was supposed to be his wife, but he didn’t care about giving me any serious medical conditions. If he wanted me to have his baby someday, he was damaging my chances of conceiving.

  “Because I will.”

  Now I was tempted to find a way out, even though my promise kept nagging at me.

  “You want me to come over?”

  The idea of being with Balto sounded like the nicest thing in the world. Tonight had been painful and terrifying, but if he did come over, he would see the bruises on my stomach. I’d rather hide that as much as possible. “I think we should wait a few days…he’s storming around the house right now.”

  Balto didn’t question me. “A few days, then. Nothing more.”

  “Nothing more.”

  He turned quiet as he listened to me breathe over the line. “You looked beautiful tonight.”

  “Thank you…”

  “I almost ripped that dress off you and fucked you then and there.”

  I wouldn’t have resisted if he did.

  “And made that asshole watch.”

  I would have to pretend not to enjoy it so I wouldn’t be punished later.

  “But I have a better idea. I’m going to fuck you harder than I ever had before. I�
�m going to fuck you deep, fuck you right. I’m going to pump so much of my come inside you that I’ll leave a mark. My come will drip from your pussy and your asshole. So every time your husband tries to fuck you, I’ll be there first.”

  28

  Cassini

  Lucian was in a grave mood over the next few days.

  Anytime he was home, it seemed like he wanted to burn his own home down. The scar on his left hand was impossible to miss, and with every passing day, it seemed to be getting worse rather than better. The color deepened, as if the burn had become infected.

  He went to work every day, and when he was home, he pretended I didn’t exist. He obviously wasn’t in the mood for sex.

  That worked out for me. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep with him after he’d slammed his fist into my stomach—twice. The bruises had faded over the course of the week, but they were still slightly noticeable.

  Balto didn’t call.

  I had no idea what he was doing.

  When the weekend came around, Lucian didn’t go out of town like he usually did.

  That meant I was stuck with him, stuck with his brooding, sour attitude. He was probably too ashamed to operate business as usual. Word had spread that Lucian had been outsmarted and burned by his enemy. He was too humiliated to show his face.

  Since he was home, I couldn’t sneak out of the house. I wanted to run to Balto’s building and do what we did best. After watching him treat Lucian like a stupid boy, I was hotter for him than ever before. But with my dictator husband lurking around, I had no choice but to stay put.

  Later that night, the house went to sleep, and I went to bed.

  I laid the phone on my chest as I stared at the ceiling. I was in bed, tucked under the sheets in the dark. It’d been a while since Balto and I had been together, and my body was writhing in withdrawal. But there was no way for us to be together at the moment, so there was no point in contacting him.

  Balto texted me, like he’d been thinking about me just as I’d been thinking about him. Baby, why aren’t you on my dick right now?

  The crass message wasn’t the least bit surprising coming from him. He’s home this weekend.

  Too much of a pussy to show his face?

  Something like that.

  He didn’t text back for a while. The three dots didn’t appear on the screen.

  It seemed like the conversation was over. If there was no possibility of sex, our conversation had no purpose.

  Then his message appeared. Leave your bedroom window cracked.

  My eyes widened in shock. Balto, you can’t be serious.

  Do as I say.

  There are at least fifty men guarding the property.

  That’s all?

  I rolled my eyes. You are going to kill them all?

  No. They’re a bunch of idiots. I’ll sneak right past them.

  It’s suicide.

  For them—if they see me. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

  This is a really bad idea.

  Good. I like bad ideas.

  I didn’t hear from him again. The dots disappeared, and I walked to the bedroom window to crack it just a bit. Summer was officially over, and fall had arrived. The nighttime air had a slight hint of coolness. I stared out into the darkness for a moment, wondering exactly how Balto would pull this off. But now that I’d seen him in action, there was no doubt in my mind he could make it happen.

  He could sneak on to his enemy’s property—and fuck his wife.

  Gunshots didn’t sound in the night, and he arrived within fifteen minutes like he promised.

  Sneaking on to the property must have been as easy as he said it would be.

  His muscled form appeared as a shadow as he emerged in front of the window. His large palms slid under the crack in the window, and he opened it silently so his large form could enter my bedroom. He shut the window behind him then stepped inside, wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. He pulled a gun from inside his pants and set it on the dresser.

  I only stared at him because I was surprised he’d pulled off that stunt so easily. This man was lethal, so lethal that he killed those two guards at the opera in dead silence. He’d managed to lose Lucian’s men as he made them follow him outside the opera house. This man wasn’t just a killer, but a skilled evader.

  He stood at the foot of my bed and stared me down in the darkness, his blue eyes visible because they somehow projected their own light. While keeping his gaze locked on me, he stripped. He dropped his shirt before he moved to his bottoms, getting down to his beautiful, naked skin.

  I stayed in bed, already naked under the sheets. His body wasn’t as visible as it usually was at his place because all the lights had to stay off. We couldn’t make it seem like anything was going on in my bedroom. Otherwise, it would attract notice from Maria or Lucian.

  With his eyes full of possession, he hit the mattress with his knees, and then his body moved on top of mine. His large hand gripped the sheets and yanked them off my body until I was naked underneath him. His muscular thighs separated mine as he lowered himself on top of me, his hard chest hitting mine like a heavy boulder. His hand reunited with my hair, and he gripped it hard as he pressed his lips to mine.

  And kissed me savagely.

  Once I felt his mouth against mine, I stopped thinking about how dangerous this was and allowed my thighs to relax. I widened for him and allowed him to come closer, feeling his fat cock against my clit and stomach. This was so stupid and dangerous, but logic didn’t seem to matter. He was there, gorgeous and naked, and I hadn’t had him in so long, I was losing my mind.

  He pressed his cock against my slit, feeling the slickness that oozed from the entrance. “My baby missed me.”

  My ankles locked together against his back, and my arms circled his neck. “I always miss you.”

  He kissed the corner of my mouth before he sucked my bottom lip between his. His hand tightened on my hair and yanked it a bit as he ground against me.

  Now Lucian could barge through my bedroom door, and I wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop kissing this man, couldn’t stop my nails from piercing his skin. My ankles were locked together, and I would never let him go. I lived for these secret moments, moments where it was just the two of us and my life wasn’t so miserable. Balto gave me a reason to live, gave me something to look forward to. He pleased me so deeply and made me feel so beautiful.

  He even made me feel safe.

  He grabbed his length and guided his head inside me, his crown becoming smeared with my juice instantly. “I missed this pussy…” He slowly pressed inside me.

  My head was in the clouds, but I knew we were missing something important. “Balto, a condom.”

  “No.” He held his head above mine, whispering so only I could hear his words. “Not anymore. I will come inside you as much as I please. You will walk around this house full of my seed, right under his fucking nose. And when he wants you, he’ll have to slide through my come to have you.” He sank farther without waiting for my permission

  “But you might have something. I might have something.”

  “I don’t have anything, and I’ll take my chances.” He thrust hard, shoving his entire length inside me with one swift hit. His bare skin slid past my slickness, sinking inside me easier than ever before because I was so wet.

  I gasped against his mouth because it felt so good. Lucian fucked me without a condom, but I was dry like sandpaper and never enjoyed it. But now I felt this man intimately, felt his hot skin right against my channel. My thighs squeezed his hips, and I shut my lips tightly, doing my best to silence my moans.

  He kept his hand anchored in my hair as he whispered to me. “Be as loud as you want. I hope he walks in and sees me balls deep inside you.” He started to thrust, shifting the mattress quietly as his fat cock moved in and out of me.

  “Do you really want me? Or do you just get off on crossing him?” My nails clawed at his back because his dick felt so good. I could fee
l the thick vein down his shaft, the grooves along his length. I could feel his swollen crown even better than before because there was no latex separating us. Now that I’d had him without a condom, I could never go back. This felt a million times better—and it already felt so good in the first place.

  “Both.” His strokes were even and purposeful, giving me good thrusts without making noise. Normally, he made the headboard crash against the wall, but tonight, he was making an effort to keep our movements quiet. Even with the inhibition, he was still amazing in bed. He still hit me in the right spot, every time.

  His deep breaths filled the space between us, so masculine and sexy. He used his strong body to get his length deep inside me, coated with all the slickness my body produced. My fingertips could feel the muscles in his back tighten and shift every time he moved. He was a collage of muscle, so powerful in every inch.

  “Baby, you’re going to come already.” His hand still hadn’t released my hair, like that was his favorite feature of mine. He used it like reins to control a horse. He was a stallion, and I was his mare. His brilliant eyes looked into mine with desire, a hint of violent possessiveness in the expression.

  “It’s been so long…” My hand between my legs wasn’t good enough, not comparable whatsoever. I could picture him inside me all I wanted, but it was never close to the real thing. Now that I had him, every single inch, completely bare, it felt too good. My body was tightening automatically, and we’d been screwing for barely more than a few minutes. I felt my body snap as it tightened around his, squeezing his length so hard it must have hurt. All I felt was pleasure, and I moved my face into his neck to silence myself.

  He yanked on my hair and kept my head against the pillow. “No.”

  I shut my lips tightly and did my best to stay quiet, but that was so hard when I had the best climax of my life. I said his name, but thankfully, it came out as a whisper. “Balto…” My hips bucked against him, and I was fuller than I’d ever been. Now I was used to getting a huge dick deep inside me, and it made Lucian seem even smaller in comparison.