Violent Beginnings : A Dark Enemies To Lovers Mafia Romance

by J. L. Beck

  39

  Fallon

  Since the moment he walked out that door, I’ve been sitting on the couch staring at it. I’m afraid he won’t come back, afraid I gave up the chance to tell him I want more, need more. The minutes tick away, but the ache in my chest never eases.

  “He’s coming back,” Amelie says, walking into the living room.

  “I know he is.” I try not to sound as desperate as I look and feel.

  “Then why are you staring at the door like he isn’t?” She lifts the cup of tea she just made to her lips. Amelie knows some about Markus but not everything, and even though she was held captive by Timothy and his men, she doesn’t know just how bad this could go.

  Markus isn’t invincible. He is human. A bullet will kill him just the same.

  “I’m not,” I lie. I already know that she thinks Markus and I are dating, even though I’ve told her many times it’s not like that. The last six months have been a whirlwind, and when he got the phone call this morning, I almost sagged to the floor.

  “Whatever, you can lie to yourself but not me.” She walks away, shaking her head and leaving me alone with my thoughts. So much still hangs in the air between us. I haven’t told her I’m adopted yet, and she hasn’t told me what happened to her while in confinement. I do know that someone had to be protecting her or caring for her. Otherwise, she would’ve been dead.

  I stare down at the paperback on the coffee table. I’ve tried reading the thing three times, and I just can’t focus.

  Markus didn’t tell me where exactly he was going, and I have no way to contact him. I just hope he didn’t go face Timothy alone. Running my fingers through my hair, I tilt my head back and rest it against the couch. I stare at the ceiling, wondering how I’ll move on from him if he doesn’t return to me.

  The sound of the lock disengaging has me bounding from the couch, and by the time the door opens, I’m standing in front of it. Markus appears in front of me, and I can’t stop myself. I lunge for him, wrapping my arms around his middle while burying my face into his chest. He smells of sweat and gunpowder.

  “Well, hello to you too.”

  “You’re back.” I sigh and pull back a bit, so he can come inside.

  “Did you honestly think I would lose in a gunfight?” He raises a thick brow.

  I shake my head. “No, but things happen.” I do my best not to frown or show how sad this moment makes me. He is back, and after tonight, nothing will ever be the same for us. This is where we go our separate ways, where we stop pretending and move on.

  Can I end it, or do I try…

  “They do, but today they didn’t.”

  I nod and untangle myself, walking backward toward the couch. “Is he… dead?”

  “Yes. It’s over. You and your sister are safe now. No one will ever try to hurt you again.” Knowing his next set of words, my chest tightens, and I swallow around a grapefruit-size knot in my throat. “You can go back home, back to your life… if that’s what you want.”

  I look from the floor and into his steely gaze. Is that what I want? Of course not. My home is here. My life is with him. There is nothing for me out in the world anymore.

  “What would you say if I told you I didn’t want to leave… that you’re my home now, and that the last six months have been incredible. I’ve seen a side of you I never expected to see and…” I want to say the words, but they stick to the roof of my mouth. I’m so scared of his rejection, but I force myself to say them anyway, “I love you.”

  Markus crosses the space separating us in a flash. His mammoth hands reach for me, and he cups me by the cheeks, pulling me closer to him and into his face. I have to crane my neck back to see his whole face, but it’s worth it. Even in the aftermath of bloodshed, he is gorgeous beyond measure.

  “These last three months have shown me how wrong I was. I dreaded this day and prayed that my brother would never call, and not because I didn’t want Timothy to die. Because I knew the day he called was the day everything between us would end. I would have to let you go, even if it’s the last thing I want to do. I love you, Fallon. I never thought it was possible that I could love again after losing Victoria, but you opened my eyes. I want you here with me. Want you to stay and be mine, and I yours.”

  Tears form in my eyes, and when I blink, they fall, sliding down the apples of my cheeks.

  I feel… whole and full of love. I knew he felt different, could feel it in the way he cared for me. He made love to me, pampered me, and made me his equal. Not once did I feel like I was his captive, not since the day we rescued Amelie.

  “You mean it?” My voice cracks.

  “Yes, every fucking word. I want you, Fallon. To be mine. Forever. As my other half. We didn’t start things out in the most conventional of ways, and I’m an asshole on even my best days, but I want you. All of you.”

  “Yes!” My lips are trembling, my thoughts swirling. “I want to stay. I want you too.”

  Pressing his firm lips against mine, he steals the air from my lungs. Fire and passion encompass us. I part my lips, and his tongue slides inside, tangling with my own. He tastes like sin and mint. I crave his kisses, his touch, every single thing about him.

  I run my hands through his dark hair, tugging on the strands. If we don’t end this, we’ll end up fucking right here on the couch, where Amelie could come out at any second. As if he’s thinking the same thing, he pulls back, his nose grazing mine, and his chest rises and falls at a rapid rate, matching the tempo of my own.

  Our breaths are ragged, our lips aching.

  “We’re doing this?” he finally says, his voice thick.

  Does he not believe me or think I am serious? I’ve already fallen for him. There is no undoing what’s already done.

  “Yes?”

  “Just making sure because after today, I’m never letting you go. I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me and tie you to the damn bed if you try and escape on your own. This is your only chance to leave for the next however many years we have together.”

  I smirk, feeling like I’ve won the lottery. “Then so be it because I’m not going anywhere.”

  Markus grins and grabs me by the back of my legs, hiking me up his firm body. I let out a small squeal that he silences with his lips. He kisses me with so much passion, he steals the air from my lungs.

  Caught up in his touch and the fire he stirs in my belly, I don’t even realize we’ve made it to the bedroom until he places me down on the mattress. He releases me and goes to the door, closing us inside.

  Those full lips of his turn up at the sides, and it’s such a seductive grin that my nipples harden at the sight of him. Pulling his shirt over his head, he tosses it to the floor. By the time I’ve gotten my leggings off, he’s already naked and stalking back toward the bed.

  “I can’t even describe how much I need you right now.” His lips brush against mine, and his hand snakes beneath my back. He lifts me, cradling me to his chest while his thick cock swings like a sword between our bodies.

  “I need you too, so shut up and fuck me,” I order, wrapping my legs around his middle and digging my heels into his ass cheeks.

  I’m wearing a thin cotton T-shirt and no bra since I’ve spent the entire day lounging around waiting for him to return home. Of course, I’m bare from the waist down, and Markus uses that to his advantage, brushing the head of his cock against my entrance.

  “Are you ordering me around?” His lips trail down my throat and over my throbbing pulse. My blood hums in my veins, and I lift my hips, seeking the pleasure I know only he can bring me. One of his hands moves beneath my head, and it’s like he’s cradling me in his arms. His fingers move through my hair, and he fists the strands tightly, causing a sting of pain to radiate across my scalp. “Are you?” A deep growl emits from his chest.

  My core tightens at the deepness. I want him to fuck me already, to show me who is in control.

  “Yes.” I curl my lip and lift my head, pressing
my nose against his. “Now fuck me like you claim to love me.”

  Without warning, he slams into me, all the way to the hilt, his hips kissing mine. Our bodies connect, bringing a jolt of pleasure mixed with pain.

  He fucks me brutally, and not like he loves me but hates me. It’s raw, powerful, and consuming.

  The air in my lungs wheezes out past my lips, and my toes curl with each thrust. I dig my nails into his shoulders, dragging them down his back.

  “Fuck, yes. Make me bleed,” Markus grunts and bares his teeth, the corded muscles in his neck tighten, and he looks like a wild animal about to dig into his prey.

  The hand that was cradling my head moves to my throat. Staring into my eyes, he gives my slender throat a tight squeeze, and I feel lighter—like I’m flying. It’s an adrenaline rush to know he holds all the power, that he could hurt me if he wanted to, but knowing that he won’t.

  With that single hand, he pins me to the mattress and fucks me like a savage beast. While his other hand moves beneath my shirt, finding my tit and tweaking the hard peak. Each stroke makes me hotter, and soon I’m ready to combust like a shooting star in the night sky.

  All the muscles in my body tighten, and I become as straight as a board.

  “I’m…” I sink my nails harder into his skin. “I’m coming.” I finally get the words out just as my orgasm crests, and the world around me fades. My entire channel convulses around Markus’s cock, and he lets out a hiss as I bear down on his length.

  Waves of pleasure still lick at my sensitive flesh as he pulls out of me. I whimper and give him a displeasing look because I know he didn’t come yet. Before I can voice my concern, he flips me onto my stomach. The drawer on the nightstand opens, and the sound of a bottle opening meets my ears.

  I feel the cold lube between my ass cheeks a moment later and shiver at the contact. Markus climbs back onto the bed and moves, so he’s right behind me.

  With two fingers, he spreads my ass cheeks and groans. “Your ass was made to be fucked by me.” Landing a harsh slap on my ass, he slips a finger into my tight puckered hole at the same time.

  I whimper into the mattress and claw at the bedsheets at the intrusion. My ass tightens around that digit, and Markus places kisses across my shoulder and neck, helping to loosen the tension. As soon as he can start to move, he does. Very slowly he fucks my ass with his fingers until I’m a writhing mess.

  “I-I need you.”

  “Now you need me,” Markus replies cockily.

  “Markus.” I groan, feeling like I might die if he doesn’t fuck my ass soon.

  He chuckles and replaces his fingers with his cock, slowly slipping into my tight hole. I breathe deeply through the transition, and once he’s fully seated, I sigh as delicious pleasure ripples through me. His hand ghosts over my backside, and then he moves, his thrusts shallow at first. Over time, he moves faster and faster, his balls slap against my clit, and like a match being lit, I burn up in the flames of pleasure, my orgasm grabbing me by the throat.

  I can’t breathe, can’t see. All I can do is feel. Feel the love Markus has for me. Feel the intense pleasure. Feel our connection, growing, becoming deeper.

  Markus lets out a roar that rattles the walls, and I feel him still behind me. I’ve barely just caught my breath when his release floods my asshole. I’m content, joyful, and happier than I’ve ever been. Timothy is dead, my sister is safe, and Markus is mine.

  “I love you, Fallon,” Markus whispers before placing a kiss on my shoulder.

  “I love you too.” I sigh.

  There is nothing that could take the joy I’m feeling away. I’ve got it all. Now, I just have to make sure no one tries to ruin my forever.

  40

  Markus

  I’ve come to care for Amelie, I really have, but the entire time she’s been staying with us, something has been nagging me about her. She is keeping things from us. I can see it in her eyes when she thinks no one is looking.

  The way she flinches at a loud noise. The way she looks over her shoulder like she thinks someone is following her. The way she looks out of the window as if she expects someone to be standing there.

  At first, I was convinced it was PTSD from being held captive, but the more I watch her, the more I think there is something else… something deeper going on. No matter how many times Fallon and I have tried to talk to her about her time in captivity, she refuses to talk about it.

  She shuts down completely and turns in on herself. I think Amelie has been scared for a long time. A lot longer than the time she spent in that cell.

  The fact that she didn’t want to go back to her boyfriend only adds to my suspicions. I just can’t figure out what exactly happened. Was her boyfriend involved in her kidnapping, or was he just an abusive asshole before?

  I know it’s bothering Fallon, not knowing what happened, not knowing how to help her.

  I wait for Fallon to take a bath before I make my way to Amelie’s room. The door is wide open, so I step in. Her back is turned to me, and she is folding clothes and neatly stacking them into her suitcase, which is propped up on the bed.

  “Ready to go home?” I ask, making her jump and drop the sweater she was holding.

  “Jesus, you scared me. You move awfully quiet for a guy your size.”

  “So I’ve been told.” I chuckle.

  “And yes, I’m ready to go back home and be with my mom and dad for a while. I’ve missed them so much.” She picks up the sweater and places it back on the bed.

  “How come you never visited or had them come and visit you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual, so this sounds less like an interrogation. I could easily get the information out of Amelie, have her crying, and telling me everything I want to know, but she’s Fallon’s sister, and whatever happened to her when she was being held captive is something she will talk about when she wants to.

  She shrugs. “You know… everyone is so busy.”

  I know that’s a lie. Her parents have asked multiple times to come over while she’s been here. I don’t doubt that they would have closed the store to fly over to France to visit her. Amelie dropped out of college and moved in with her rich boyfriend. Neither time nor money should have been an issue for her to visit them either.

  Something else kept her from seeing her family, and I’m going to find out what.

  “You know what I do for work, right?”

  Amelie’s body tenses at my question and her next words are hesitant, almost scared, “Yeah, I mean, kind of. Not exactly, but you work for the mafia, I know that much.” She swallows thickly. “If you are worried about me saying anything, I would never.”

  “I know, that’s not where this is going. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anything, you can ask me. I’m in love with your sister, and I’m planning to be with her indefinitely. That makes you family, and I protect my family. I won’t tolerate someone hurting my family.”

  “Um, thanks.” She bites her bottom lip nervously like she is unsure of what to say. I decide to come right out with it.

  “Did someone hurt you? Before you were kidnapped? Maybe your boyfriend?”

  She looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “What if he did?”

  I don’t even hesitate with my response, “Then, I would hunt him down and kill him for you.”

  She shakes her head. “You can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s already dead.”

  “Already dead?” It takes a lot to shock me, but her response does. “Did you kill him?”

  Amelie is a small thing, short with little muscle mass. I doubt she could fight off an aggressor, let alone kill someone.

  She shakes her head again. “No. I didn’t kill him.”

  “Then who did?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this,” she whispers and squeezes her eyes closed.

  “I understand that, but if you didn’t kill him, someone else did. Who are you protecting? I’m not asking you
to tell me your darkest secrets. I just want to know who did it. Maybe I can send him a thank you card or something.”

  Amelie doesn’t laugh, so I figure I’ve missed my chance at convincing her to tell me, but then she says, “It was one of the guys… the men who held me prisoner.”

  She doesn’t continue, but I know there is much more to this story. I try to think of a reason why they would kill her boyfriend, and only one comes to mind.

  “Did he try to come for you?”

  Her eyes flicker away before returning to me. “Yes, that’s what happened,” she explains, nodding her head. I didn’t think it was possible, but she is an even worse liar than her sister. Something else happened, something she doesn’t want to talk about.

  I decide to let it go for now. I’d rather have Felix do some more digging on the boyfriend.

  “Please, don’t tell my sister… about Leon. I don’t want her to be upset. She’s been through enough, and I know she would feel bad.”

  I had to agree with Amelie. Fallon would be upset. The idea of not telling her didn’t sit well with me, but I could always explain later to Fallon what her sister had told me.

  “Fine, but you need to make me a promise.”

  Amelie nods her head profusely. She didn’t want to hurt her sister any more than her sister wanted to hurt her. They were both selfless when it came to each other.

  “What promise?”

  “If you need anything, you come to me. You get into any kind of trouble, you call me. I will destroy anyone that fucks with you. Anyone, do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she whispers and looks me right in the eyes. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”

  I can only hope that’s the truth because if anything happens to Amelie again, I’m not sure Fallon will survive.

  Epilogue

  Fallon

  One Year Later