Bought by the Badman

by Hayley Faiman

  “You don’t,” I grind out.

  She squeezes my arm then quietly walks away, making her way toward the passenger seat. Once the kids are all buckled in, I start the SUV and we finish the last leg of what was supposed to be a short trip. With four kids nothing is ever short, and I’m appreciating the slower pace as we head toward our destination.

  The last leg of our trip is in silence. The kids fall asleep, but Giovanna is awake and just staring forward. I don’t know what’s going through her mind, and I want to ask her, however, my own head is a jumbled mess.

  Not that I want Fallon back, because I know that I don’t, I also don’t know what she’s up to. I do know that she won’t give up quite that easily, and the fact that I’ve mentioned another woman will just keep her moving forward and put her devious mind working overtime. I honestly don’t want to fucking deal with it.

  Glancing over at Giovanna, I wonder if she would go back into hiding, if she would live separately again. Then I shake my head. I can’t and won’t ask her to do that. We’re going to get through whatever the hell, Fallon tries to pull.

  The ring in my pocket, the love that shines in her eyes for me, and for my children, there is no way in fuck I’m ever going to push her aside or give her up. Not after what we’ve both lived through in our lives.

  We deserve a piece of happiness, a slice carved out just for us. I’m never going to give that chance up, no matter what is hurled at us.

  Pulling into the hotel valet, I’m not surprised to see Mannix and Nora waiting for us with big smiles on their faces. Apparently, they’re excited to take on the four extra kids for the weekend. We file out of the SUV and I watch as the bellhop transfers all of our things to a baggage cart.

  “You ready for a semi-adult weekend?” Mannix asks as the kids and women go inside to the waiting area.

  I shrug, running my hand through my hair. “Fallon called me on the way over,” I admit.

  Mannix frowns. “And?”

  “Says she deserves a second chance. Made it clear she wasn’t going to leave it alone, even after I told her that I met someone. I think saying that just invited her to try even harder,” I say.

  Mannix lets out an exhale. “You think? You know how competitive she is, you shouldn’t have even said anything,” he frowns.

  Lifting my hand, I rub the back of my neck, squeezing to relieve tension. “I know. I couldn’t stop myself. I have a ring in my pocket for Giovanna. I’m fucking happy with a woman for the first time, ever, and I really don’t give a fuck who knows it,” I smirk.

  “But you do, because Fallon isn’t just anybody, she’s a fucking cunt and she’ll make you miserable,” he points out.

  I chuckle. “Yeah, she’ll fucking try. Not sure she could succeed though. What do I do instead? Hide Giovanna’s existence? I can’t do that to her, not after everything we’ve been through,” I say, worry obvious in my tone.

  Mannix shakes his head. “You’re fucked, there’s no way around it.”

  My shoulders fall. “No shit.”

  The valet hands me my ticket, and I shove it in my pocket, turning to go inside of the hotel and check-in. Making my way to the reception desk, I go through the process of checking in, wishing that this shit with Fallon would fucking go away. She’s the last person I want on my mind this weekend.

  GIOVANNA

  I watch Aidan move around our suite. Something is wrong with him. I don’t know what it is, and honestly, I’m afraid to ask. We have to meet everybody downstairs for dinner in two hours. He’s putting his things away, his eyes never once looking at me. Something is terribly wrong, and I’m too chicken to ask him.

  “You want me to order room service for a snack?” he asks as he hangs his suit for the wedding up next to my dress.

  I shake my head. “I’m just going to freshen up for the rehearsal,” I whisper. He only grunts as I gather my things and walk into the bathroom.

  I don’t bother locking the door behind me, if he needs in here, I don’t want to have to open the door for him. I wrap my fingers around the edge of the countertop and let out an exhale. Lifting my eyes to the mirror, I look at myself.

  There’s something he’s not telling me, something that has changed since we left this morning. I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling it’s about to affect my life tremendously. The way he’s acting, I wonder if he’s having second thoughts about me—about us.

  This wedding will be our first public appearance together. I know his immediate family, but the invitation list includes their higher-ranking men, politicians, and assuredly Russians as well, along with other big players in the community. Showing up with a whore on his arm could be something that he’s regretting as the clock ticks closer toward the event.

  Hurrying through my shower, I wash my face, careful not to wet my hair. I quickly shave and then turn the water off. I rub lotion everywhere before applying my makeup for the evening. Aidan prefers me clean faced, but since this is a semi-formal event and at night, I decide to wear a little eyeshadow, liner, mascara, and tinted lip gloss. It isn’t much, but enough that I feel a bit more put together. With the towel wrapped around my body, I head out into the room to begin putting my dress on for the evening.

  “Giovanna,” Aidan calls out as soon as I open the bathroom door.

  My head snaps over to where the voice came from and I’m surprised to see him on the balcony. He’s got the sliding glass door to our room open, but he’s sitting on a chair outside. “Aidan,” I reply softly.

  “Out here,” he demands, though his tone is gentle.

  I don’t argue, I don’t tell him that being outside exposed to the world with his children somewhere in the hotel probably isn’t a good idea. I walk toward him. When I arrive in front of him, he spreads his thighs and I close the distance between us. I gasp when he reaches up and tugs my towel off, letting it fall to my feet.

  He reaches forward, wrapping his hand around the back of my knee, gently tugging me toward him. Without instruction, I straddle his lap as his hands slide up my thighs and wrap around my ass.

  “Aidan,” I rasp.

  “I had plans to do this the right way. Then, I said fuck it,” he announces.

  I hold my breath as he takes my hand and lifts it up. Without so much as a word, I watch as he slides something onto my finger.

  The stone is large, but it looks like a big, semi-clear rock nestled in a rose gold band. “Aidan?” I breathe.

  “It’s a raw diamond. If you want something different, just tell me. It looked like you, though. Raw and beautiful at first glance. Sure, it could be polished and cut to be more flashy, but it doesn’t need it. Just like you. I think you’re the most beautiful in your natural state, just like this stone.”

  I don’t speak. I grab ahold of his shirt, and I lean down. Pressing my lips to his, I kiss him hard.

  My badman, my sweetman.

  His fingers grip my ass as he kisses me back, his tongue sweeping into my mouth and taking over. I allow him, always. After a few sweeps from his tongue, I whimper into his mouth. I need him, I need more from him. I’ve been empty so long, and only Aidan knows how to fill me.

  “After the rehearsal. I want to take my time with you, A rùnsearc,” he moans against my mouth.

  I whimper but give him a nod as I lift from his mouth. “I love you, Aidan. It’s absolutely beautiful. More beautiful than I deserve, Caro,” I admit.

  He chuckles, shaking his head. “Nothing is more beautiful than you deserve, Vanna. I would give you all the diamonds in the world if it was what you wanted,” he murmurs.

  “It isn’t what I want. This is perfect, just this, it’s all I need,” I breathe.

  He smirks, his lips tipping up at the corner. “I know, A rùnsearc, which is why you’re the perfect woman for me.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  GIOVANNA

  Aidan waits by the hotel suite door. I smooth out the skirt of my dress one last time before I slip into the five-inch gold high hee
ls. My dress is royal blue, capped sleeves, and a deep v-neckline that hits me just above my belly button. The rest of the dress is tight and to the knee with a generous slit up the back.

  “A rùnsearc,” Aidan’s voice rumbles as I make my way toward him.

  Lifting my gaze from my feet, I connect with his, and my breath catches. His eyes look like they’re on fire, heat blazing through them.

  “Aidan,” I breathe.

  He shakes his head once, holding out his hand for me to take. I quickly close the distance between us and slip my palm into his. Without skipping a beat, he lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses the ring he slipped on just an hour ago.

  Aidan grins. “Let’s get this shit over with so I can bring you back here and make you mine again, Vanna,” he grunts. His voice is hoarse, and I can hear the need in his tone.

  I whimper at his words, unable to mutter even a single word back to him. He grins and squeezes my hand before he gently tugs me closer toward the door. Together, we walk down toward the party. It isn’t a real rehearsal since they decided not to have a bridal party.

  Tonight is just another excuse to throw a party, and I, for one, love the idea. I’m not so sure about tomorrow still, but tonight will just be family, and I’m excited.

  Aidan’s thumb keeps rubbing my new engagement ring, and each time it does, my smile widens. I didn’t think I could be happier with this man, I didn’t realize how much a ring meant until now.

  Once we walk into the room, we’re bombarded with a noise level that is deafening, or in other words, the O’Neils’ normal noise level.

  “C’mon, Vanna,” Aidan chuckles.

  “Oh, my,” Nora gasps, almost immediately. I look around, but her eyes are on me. She holds out her hand. “Let me see,” she demands.

  I kind of stare at her, confused as to what she’s asking, then she takes my hand and brings it up to look closer. When I realize what she’s doing, I blush.

  “What is this then?” she asks, her brows knitting together.

  I open my mouth to speak, but Aidan is first. “A raw diamond, Nora.”

  “Holy shit, I’ve never seen anything like it,” she gasps. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

  The rest of the evening, several other people, including Keanna, admire my ring as well. I apologize to her for taking some of her wedding spotlight, but she brushes me off.

  “It’s nice to have some of the attention off of me, actually,” she whispers in a slur.

  “Yeah?”

  She nods, leaning in a bit closer. “This wedding was a fun idea when I started planning it. But I’m regretting it every second. We should have run off to Vegas or something. I’m terrified of what’s coming tomorrow. All those eyes on me,” she shakes her head.

  “How many guests are you expecting?” I ask, my eyes widening in surprise at her confession.

  She hiccups as her eyes water. “Two thousand. We couldn’t cut anybody out in fear of offending someone.”

  Lifting my hand, I place it over my mouth in surprise. “Whatever you need from me, I’m here to help,” I offer, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

  “Thank you,” she says with a watery smile.

  Almost instantly, as though he can sense his future wife’s panic, Shaughan appears seemingly out of nowhere. He gives me a wink as he slips his arm around Keanna’s shoulders and together they walk away.

  “Are you ready to head up for the night?” Aidan murmurs in my ear, his chest pressing against my back.

  I hum, tipping my face back slightly, and brushing my lips along the underside of his jaw. “I’m ready,” I rasp.

  Aidan grunts, slipping his hand around my waist, pressing his palm against my stomach. I turn around almost instantly, his hands splaying against my waist. Then he tips his chin and his lips are almost against mine when he speaks again.

  “I’m going to rip this dress off of you when we get upstairs, A rùnsearc,” he growls.

  My breath hitches. “What’s wrong with my dress?” I ask, pressing my thighs together.

  “It’s so tight every man in here can see what you’re going to look like when I strip you naked upstairs. And it’s cut so fucking low I haven’t taken my eyes off of you all night, afraid your tit was going to pop out. Then I’d have to kill my own family members for seeing what’s mine,” he growls.

  Tipping my head back farther, I smile. “Are you jealous, my Aidan?”

  He growls, his eyes flashing with fire before they calm back to their blue color. “It isn’t as cute when I’m jealous, Vanna. People die when I get jealous, remember that.”

  “Take me upstairs, Aidan. Rip this dress to shreds if you want, I don’t care, I just want you,” I beg.

  We don’t say goodbye to a single person. Aidan wraps his hand around mine and practically drags me out of the party. A wide smile forms on my lips, and I can’t keep it away, not that I want to. I’m happy, deliriously so, and soon we’ll be complete again, me and him.

  Once we’re in our room, Aidan slams the door, flipping the locks and the privacy latch before he turns to me. I take a step backward until my knees hit the side of the bed, and I freeze. Aidan has a predatory look on his face. He’s not only been a man teased all evening by my dress, but he’s been a man starved.

  Aidan has been so patient while I’ve dealt with not only the physical damage from Lucian Blackburn’s abuse, but also the emotional damage. What he did to me wasn’t anything he’d never done before, but somehow it was different this time.

  Being with him, it wasn’t my job anymore, and he took what I did not freely give. It felt wrong, and I’ve reflected on that, and talked with Aidan about it multiple times. I feel better now, but there is a part of me still missing.

  I need to put my pieces back together, and this is the last missing link. I need to take ownership of sex again, of sex with my fiancé. A title that I didn’t think I needed, and I was so freaking wrong.

  Aidan’s hands fist my dress at the center of my chest and I let out a sound between a moan and whimper as he rips the fabric completely in half. “I love you, Giovanna. I know you’re sexy as sin, but please, for my sanity. Do not wear anything this revealing again, yeah?”

  I try to hide my smile as I give him a nod. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you?” he asks, trailing his index finger down my stomach, stopping just at the waistband of my panties.

  “I want to say no because I want to please you, but dammit if that wasn’t sexy as hell,” I admit.

  Aidan grins. “I have a feeling I’ll be ripping dresses the rest of my entire fucking life.”

  Leaning forward, I press my lips to his. “Yes, please,” I coo.

  Aidan leans down, wrapping his hands behind my knees before he picks me up and flips me onto my back on the bed. He fits his hips between mine, his fingers digging into the sides of my panties and I let out another moan when he rips my panties off of my body.

  “I’ll rip everything off, A rùnsearc,” he growls. “I was going to go slow, make love, but you’ve fucked that all up.”

  “I did,” I pant, watching Aidan unbuckle his suit pants.

  I lick my lips when he shoves his pants and underwear down, then he rips his shirt off, exposing his chest, abs, and cock for me. God, I want him inside of me, and I’m not sure I can wait for even a second longer.

  Aidan wraps his hand around his thick cock, and I let out a whimper as he begins to stroke himself. Fuck, it’s too much. My thighs start to shake and my pussy aches, needing him inside to fill that empty void that’s been here for so long.

  He leans forward, rubbing the head of his cock against my center, then my clit before he moves it back. I let out a shaky breath, anticipating him entering me, filling me with his hard dick. When he doesn’t immediately, I frown.

  “Tell me you want me, A rùnsearc,” he groans, holding the base of his cock, the head just penetrating my entrance but going no farther.

  I sit up a little, wrapping my leg around his thigh, t
rying to take him farther inside of me. “I not only want you, Caro, I need you,” I purr. It’s the truth, too, I feel like I’m going to go insane if he doesn’t fuck me right now.

  I gasp when his hands move as fast as lightning, wrapping around the backs of my upper thighs and forcing them back. My knees are on either side of my face, and he finally fills me in one swift move.

  “Yes,” I cry.

  Aidan doesn’t speak, he only growls when he’s completely inside of me. His fingers tighten their grasp and he pulls almost all of the way out of me before he slams back inside. The sounds of my gasps and Aidan’s grunts, along with slapping skin, fill the room.

  My eyes slide closed as I take everything that he’s giving, enjoying each slap, and each burn of slight pain—it’s never felt better.

  I reach forward and start to touch myself, knowing that I’m already close, but Aidan growls, making me freeze. “You come this time by my cock and my cock only, Giovanna,” he barks.

  Moving my hand away from my clit, I wrap it around his wrist and I keep my eyes on his. He dips his chin, watching our connection, watching the way his cock fills me over and over again.

  Something about the slack-jawed look of awe on his face sends my body spinning closer toward the edge. He is in complete wonderment of the way we fit together, and it’s sexy as fuck.

  I whimper, my body heating, on the edge. I need a little nudge, or at least I feel like I do. That is until his face moves, his lips wrap around my nipple and he bites down. It’s all I need. He tugs my nipple and my back arches as my climax washes over me.

  “Christ, yes, squeeze my cock, Vanna,” he murmurs against my breast.

  His hips move faster, his thrusts harder as he pounds into me. I feel his cock grow and then he twitches. He doesn’t stop fucking me, I hear him roar, as he fills me with his release, his hips losing their hard thrusts. They’re replaced with slow fluid movements instead until they stop and he buries his face between my breasts.

  I thread my fingers through his soft hair, holding him to me as I attempt to catch my breath as well. His breaths come in short pants for a few moments, and I enjoy just lying here together, quiet and sated.