by Bella J
“Tell me about the cop.” He kept on pushing. He knows that I’ll crack eventually…like now.
“It just happened, Dante. We couldn’t stop it.” My words came out flat and broken.
“Damn.” He leaned back in his seat. “I saw it at Vertigo.”
I looked up at him. “Saw what?”
“The intense chemistry between you two. You’d have to be a special kind of idiot to miss it. I think that’s why Enzio got a little carried away.”
I scoffed. “Why, because he’s jealous?” The thought alone was ridiculous.
Dante’s dark gaze met mine. “Yes, because he’s jealous.”
“That’s insane. Enzio is incapable of feeling anything.”
“You don’t get it, do you? Us Italian men are insanely possessive over what we deem ours. Once we decide something belongs to us, there is nothing we won’t do to keep it.”
I finished the last of my cocktail and got up from the chair before placing my hand on his shoulder. “Well, in that case you can be assured that Enzio is not jealous because I’m not his.”
“In his eyes you are.”
A chill slowly spread down my back when I noticed the grim expression on Dante’s face.
“No, in his eyes I’m nothing but a little lamb, remember?”
“He took your virginity, Karina. He claimed you that night, promising that he would collect one day. What do you think it is he plans on collecting?”
The sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears while I felt ice spread through my veins. “What?” I asked hesitantly, knowing all too well that I’m not going to like the answer.
Dante stood up next to me, his gaze suddenly sympathetic.
“You.”
Before I even have two seconds to digest what Dante just said, the restaurant door got flung open in such a way that it demanded everyone’s attention.
The second I lay eyes on the man storming through the door, my heart stops and I suck in a breath.
“Lorik.”
Chapter 18
LORIK
Want to know the true meaning of a clusterfuck? When the daughter of the man you’ve investigated for years storms out of your apartment while you can still smell her perfume on your goddamn sheets. And then your Commander calls you two days later telling you that you’re no longer suspended, but now have to work with your partner on a case in which the woman who managed to get your balls in a twist’s brothers are the prime suspects. Yeah, that has been my life ever since I last saw Karina. Normally I was so damn focused when it came to my job. Catching the bad guy was my one and only goal. One would think that I’d be fucking ecstatic when I heard my suspension had been lifted, and that I’d have a huge chip on my shoulder knowing that the Commander thought my insight into the Valenti family would be beneficial to the case. But not so much.
All I could think about was her, like I was betraying her somehow by taking on this case. Why would I feel that way? I’m just a man determined to do his job. It’s not my fault her family didn’t give a shit about the law I swore to uphold. If her family had made a decent living just like the rest of us, instead of breaking the law every goddamn time they got the chance then I wouldn’t have to be doing this. Then I wouldn’t have to be investigating them, and I wouldn’t have that goddamn cabinet in my bedroom—and then she never would have stormed out. And then I probably never would have met her. Motherfucking catch 22, suck my balls.
I haven’t seen or spoken to Karina since she left that night. I’ve lost count of how many times I sat with my phone in my hand, staring at the chat screen with her picture on the side wanting to say something—anything just to establish some form of contact again. On Monday I basically wiped all the battery life from my phone by typing message after message, then deleting it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. But I just couldn’t seem to find the right thing to say.
Sorry for investigating your criminal father for the bulk of my detective career.
I never thought I’d end up fucking you while I was stalking you and taking all those pictures without you knowing it.
Forgive me for only doing my motherfucking job, and then having the best sex of my life with you.
I’m such a fucking asshole, and my cock hasn’t stopped hating me ever since you left.
Fuck!
In the end I didn’t send any messages. What good would it have done? I’m still a cop, and she’s still the daughter of Lorenzo Valenti. No matter how we tried to look at it, this thing between us had ‘complicated’ written all over it from the start.
So I guess it was only natural that my heart was currently pounding like a fucking jackhammer against my ribs. I was sitting in the car right outside of Paradiso with my gun and badge, about to walk into the restaurant and start questioning the Valenti brothers in regards to Gio’s murder.
And naturally, my friend Murphy’s-law also decided to join us since Karina’s silver Mercedes was parked right outside the damn restaurant. Now wasn’t that just my fucking luck. For the last two years she’s only been at this place like three times that I know of. But of course she would be here…now…today…right this minute…when I’m about to flash my badge around. Suddenly the gold detective badge felt like it weighed a damn ton. And as for Lucy? Well, for the first time in my career I hated the fact that she was tucked so damn tightly against my side.
“Something just doesn’t add up,” Anderson muttered next to me. “It just doesn’t make sense that the Valentis would execute the guy and then leave such a huge chunk of evidence on his chest.”
“Yeah, I feel ya.” I rubbed the back of my neck, frustration causing the muscles in my arms to twitch. “But like I said, the Valentis knew Gio. At Vertigo I distinctly remember Antonio addressing him like he knew him.”
“Oh come on, everyone fucking knew Gio.” Anderson was just as frustrated as I was. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t know him.”
I eyed the sleek Mercedes thinking about that night at Vertigo, the night everything fucking changed. I should have let her walk away. I should never have pursued her, but I did—hence the giant fuck-up my personal life was currently in. I just can’t let her go. My mind refused to not think of her, to not remember what it felt like to be skin on skin with her. If it were any other woman I would have been able to walk away without fucking blinking. But I can’t, not with her.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Anderson got out of the car, and I remained seated for a few seconds longer. I’ve faced hardcore criminals, stared death in the face a few times, yet I’ve never been this fucking nervous. There’s a huge chunk of me that doesn’t want to do this because I know it’s going to hurt her. She might not like being a Valenti, but she loves her family—especially her brothers. How the fuck am I going to walk in there, stare into those dark brown eyes and not feel anything other than motherfucking regret?
Anderson tapped against the window. “You coming, or are you planning on jerking off the rest of the day?”
“Fuck you.” I opened the door and got out, straightening my leather jacket and trying my best to hide the gun on my side as much as possible. There’s no warm blood flowing through my veins, just ice. My stomach felt like it had been caught in a fucking bear trap, the sharp teeth puncturing every goddamn nerve in my body.
“You know,”—I stop about three steps from the restaurant door, and Anderson turned to me—“I can’t help wondering why the Commander had such a quick change of heart.”
“You and me both,” Anderson admitted. “I couldn’t believe it when he told me your suspension had been lifted and that he wants you on the case with me.”
My eyebrows almost touched my hairline. “Real smooth jackass.”
Anderson shrugged. “What? I mean, I was shocked because everyone knows he was looking for a reason to get rid of your ass, and then all of a sudden he wants you on one of the biggest cases of the fucking year. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. I’m telling you, man, my spidey senses are tingling.�
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“Your spidey senses? What the fuck, are you twelve?”
“Funny enough, you are not the first person to say that.”
Anderson shook his head. “Let’s just get this over with before I develop a migraine.”
I walk first. Even though I’m nervous, I’m also really fucking eager to see her again. When I opened the door my heart suddenly went apeshit, beating so damn fast it felt like it was about to explode into tiny little pieces of muscle.
I walked in and my gaze immediately found her. It’s like every instinct I have zeroed in on her, revolved around her. She’s standing over at the bar next to Dante, and the moment our eyes meet my chest constricted, forcing all the damn air out of my lungs. God, is it possible that she had gotten even more beautiful during the last few days?
Her dark, captivating eyes seemed like they’re beaming, her long curls framing her face perfectly making her look like a goddamn angel. My angel of sin and temptation.
She’s wearing a sleeveless buttercream colored mini dress that hugged those flawless curves of hers like a second damn skin. And those legs? My God, those motherfucking legs would surely mean the end of me, especially when she’s wearing those damn sexy black heels.
Images of me on my knees in front of her eating her pussy like I’ve been starved for it my entire life bombard my mind. Her moans, her taste, and the way she fucked my mouth, desperate to find her release against my tongue was fucking euphoric—and I can’t stop myself from wanting to experience that again…with her.
“Karina.” Her name rolled off my lips like it belonged there, like her name was only mine to say, to speak, to whisper…to scream. There’s no use denying it, this woman has captivated me, demanding all my attention without even trying.
Dante walked up to us, and I’m instantly annoyed since it means I have to break eye contact with the woman that currently has my balls in the palm of her hands.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?”
I hold up my badge. “We have a few questions.”
Dante straightened and placed his hands on his hips, pushing his jacket to the sides. “In regards to?”
I glanced from Dante to Karina, who has stepped closer to listen to the conversation. “Gio Boroni’s murder.”
“Oh, I heard about that.” Dante relaxed a little. “Can’t say I’m surprised though.”
I peel my gaze from Karina and turned my attention to Dante. “Why do you say that?”
“The guy was a crook, owed a lot of people a lot of fucking money.”
“Did he owe you money?”
Dante laughed. “God, no. I know better than to do business with someone like Gio.”
Karina was slowly moving closer. I know this because I’m hyper aware of her presence, feeling that familiar crackle of electricity between us with every step she moved. It’s like we’re drawn to each other, and judging by the look on her face she’s trying her best to fight it—and so am I.
Focus. Back to Dante.
“And your brother? Any chance he had some business with Gio?”
Dante’s eyebrows curved down on the inside. “Antonio? Not a chance.”
I turned and glanced around the restaurant. The place was packed with locals enjoying good, old-fashioned, Italian food. I’ve had my fair share of lunch in this joint, and I have to admit that their pizzas were the best in town.
“Where is Antonio? Is he here?”
Anderson shoots me a sideway glance, and I can see he’s trying to figure out what I’m planning. Good luck with that pal, ‘cause not even I know what the fuck I’m doing right now.
“He’s in the back office,” Dante replied. “You gentlemen want me to go get him?”
“That would be great.”
As soon as Dante turned his back my gaze finds Karina again. For the entire ten minutes I’ve been there it felt like she hasn’t taken her eyes off me once.
Dante walks off and disappears around the corner when Anderson muttered something to me before he stalked off toward some guests. I have no idea what he said because I was too busy getting lost in Karina’s big, brown eyes while my groin felt like it was on fire with my desire to have her again.
Unable to stop myself I walked toward her, and with every step I noticed her chest rising and falling, her skin starting to flush the most beautiful shade of pink. It’s undeniable, we were fucking drawn to each other like water to the earth.
Once I was close enough to smell that enticingly sweet scent of hers I bite the inside of my cheek trying to keep myself grounded. If I don’t I might end up grabbing her right here in front of everyone and fucking her on the goddamn bar counter. Right now I don’t give a shit if everyone watched, all I care about is sating my hunger for her, getting my fix of Karina Valenti.
She crosses her arms defensively in front of her chest and her dark gaze turned into a glare. “Back on the job, I see,” she starts, but I don’t miss the nervous twitch in her voice. “Tell me, detective, are you here to ask questions or to accuse someone in my family of murder?”
“Don’t, princess.”
“I told you to not call me that.” Her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin in a bid to seem confident, but her flushed skin and hungry eyes gave her away. She was nervous, and I knew she felt it too, the intense pull between us.
With another step I was close enough to ensure that no one could hear us. I slanted my head to the side, studying her face like it’s my own personal piece of art. “And I told you to get fucking used to it because I’m going to keep on calling you that.”
She swallowed hard, and my gaze falls to the movement of her throat—a throat I’m dying to kiss, and taste, and lick.
“Calling me anything other than Miss Valenti would be considered highly inappropriate and unprofessional, Detective Stone.”
I leaned closer, her scent and the need to be close to her luring me in. Like every fucking cliché in the book, I’m like that dumbass moth drawn to the flame, wanting to feel her heat all around me. My gaze flits from her eyes to her decadent mouth, and I licked my lips remembering exactly what she tastes like—so damn sweet…and fatally addictive.
“Tell me, princess,” I lowered my voice to nothing more than a whisper. “Would you like me to call you Miss Valenti when I bend you over that dark wood bar and show you exactly how much I’ve craved to be inside you again?”
“Lorik—”
I give another step forward and look down at her. “And would you like me to call you Miss Valenti while I remind you just how fucking good my cock feels inside you? How loud I can make you scream, and how hard I can make you come?”
She sucked in a breath and it just about kills me not to be able to take her and make her mine right here, right now.
I leaned into her, bringing my lips inches from her ears. “I want you, princess, with every goddamn bone in my body. And I’ve been going out of my mind the last few days thinking about what you feel like from the inside, yet unable to have you.”
She sways forward and I can see by her flushed cheeks that I’ve affected her. She wants me as much as I want her, there’s no doubt about it.
“Lorik, stop. Please.” She breathed out, and a shiver moves down my spine when I feel her warm breath against my skin.
“What if I can’t?”
Her dark eyes look up at me pleadingly. “I can’t—”
“Everything okay here?” Anderson stepped up and the tension between Karina and I shattered instantly. I’ve never liked the guy much, but I’ve never had a stronger urge to turn his balls inside out like I do right now.
Unable to ignore the fucker I move back, but I don’t take my eyes off her. Her pink cheeks and flushed skin around her neck look so goddamn enticing, and the thought that it’s because of me thrills me to no fucking end. My cock agrees.
“Everything’s fine,” I replied without looking at Anderson, but then I get nudged in the side and Anderson pulls my attention away from Karina to the two Valenti broth
ers walking toward us.
With their matching gray suits and pitch black hair, they look like a force to be reckoned with. Antonio had enough confidence to make you want to shrivel up and die with a single glance while Dante reeked of testosterone.
Isn’t that just typical? Me coming within seconds of fucking Karina on the bar counter with her brothers in close proximity just proves how hard I’ve fallen—how much I really want this woman. But right now, I’m here to do my job—a job that had the potential to destroy every chance I have with Karina.
“Great,” I started, trying to pull my shit together. “Now that we have all the Valenti offspring together, I’ll make this quick.”
“Great.” Antonio placed his hands in his pants pockets.
“Dante, mind telling us where you were Sunday morning between one and three am?”
He rocked back and forth on his feet. “I was home since my evening was cut short quite abruptly.”
I didn’t miss the hint of sarcasm in his voice, and neither did I miss the way Karina shifted from one leg to the other.
“Do you have someone who can back that up?” Anderson chimes in from the side.
Dante shrugged. “Sure. Ask my parents. You can also check the security footage of the house proving that I never left the house during that time.”
I turned to Antonio, who looks as cool as a guy who just smoked weed. “And you?”
“I was home.” His answer was clipped, but lacked conviction.
Instantly suspicion knocked against my skull. “Will the security footage show that you never left the house during that time too?”
Antonio glanced at Dante, and the entire atmosphere was suddenly laden with tension. Everything about Antonio’s demeanor made me wary.
“Well?” I urged.
He inhaled. “No. Because I wasn’t home between one and three a.m.”
“Mind telling us where you were?”
“I was out.”
“Out where?”
He glanced around the restaurant before roughing his hand through his hair. It doesn’t take a genius to notice that he’s pretty fucking uncomfortable right now.
