The Throne of Fear: The Romano's

by Stella Andrews

  “If I am, you made me one. After all, isn’t that what you intended, use me to settle your gambling debt? I hate you, Drew, I just want you to know that.”

  Quickly, I rip the ring off my finger and throw it at his face and say with disgust, “I saw everything; the poker game, the line of cocaine, the pathetic way you bargained away your fiancée to repay a debt. I despise you, Drew, and I never wanted to marry you in the first place. It was my parents who made me, so how does that make you feel, bunny, darling?”

  Suddenly, he draws back and then slaps me hard across my face. My head hits the window and a sharp pain stuns me for a moment before I hear him scream, “You don’t get to talk to me like that, you fucking bitch. You will pay for that.”

  To my horror, he pulls on my hair and pushes me back in the seat and hisses, “You want to be treated like a whore, then let me oblige.”

  He starts to fumble with his trousers and then pushes up my dress and I open my mouth to scream as I realize what he’s intent on doing. I’m not sure what happens next because suddenly, Drew is plucked from his seat and I hear a thump as something hits the car and makes it rock. Then a familiar face looks inside and says softly, “It’s ok baby, you’re safe now.”

  Romeo leans in and takes my hand and helps me from the car, and I fall against him. His arms wrap around me and hold me gently and he strokes my hair and whispers, “I’ve got you.”

  I don’t even register the number of black cars that surround Drew’s at first and then as I blink in the sunlight and adjust to my surroundings, I see Romeo’s men standing silently by, looking on with ominous expressions as Drew kneels on the ground with his hands tied behind his back. He has been gagged and the look on his face is one of fear. Romeo ignores him completely as he traces my cheek and his eyes glitter dangerously as he hisses, “He hurt you.”

  My face throbs and I blink away the tears, saying in a whisper, “It’s fine, it will heal.”

  I don’t think I will ever forget the look in his eyes as he stares at me for the longest moment. Then he smiles and says softly, “Come, I’m taking you home.”

  As we walk past Drew, still bound and gagged on the ground, I don’t even see him. The door to Romeo’s black car is held open by Richie, who smiles warmly as we approach. “Welcome home, Miss Thompson.”

  It all feels a little surreal as I watch another guard retrieve my bag from Drew’s trunk and toss it into the back of the car we step into and then I hear the threat in Romeo’s voice as he says darkly, “Take our guest to the warehouse, make him uncomfortable.”

  Richie nods and closes the door, and Romeo pulls me into his arms and kisses me so fiercely I almost can’t breathe. He groans against my mouth, as he whispers huskily, “I love you, Ivy, you know you’re mine now forever, don’t you?”

  “I’m yours, Romeo, and you’re mine, we always have been.”

  Chapter 28

  Romeo

  As soon as the car left Governor Thompson’s house, we were on it. We followed at a safe distance and radioed the waiting cars to head him off a few blocks from Ivy’s home. Drew was always intended to be Ivy’s insurance policy if her parents showed up. An acceptable escape from their clutches right into mine.

  As it happened, they stayed away, but when they study the security cameras, they will only see their daughter leaving with her fiancé

  Once they had cleared the block, it was always my intention to rescue her from the bastard, but even I never saw coming what happened next. As soon as he laid one hand on her, he was dead as far as I’m concerned and my men knew instinctively what to do. Drew is now trussed up in my warehouse waiting for a visit from the devil himself. There will be no mercy from me because the sight of him hurting my beautiful flower signed his death warrant.

  It feels good having Ivy beside me and if I have any lingering fears, it’s that she won’t accept who I am, the life I lead and the shit that surrounds my family. Being a Romano is not an easy cross to bear, and I’m not sure if she can handle it. However, I’ll worry about that another day because she’s here now and I’m keen to do everything I can to make her happy.

  She sits beside me as close as possible and whispers, “You saved me again, you’re always there when I need you.”

  “I always will be, you do know you have nothing to fear, don’t you, Ivy? I may be a monster to others but never to you.”

  “I don’t think you’re a monster, you’re better than that.”

  She smiles sweetly and kisses me so gently I stop breathing. Ivy is like the purest form of pleasure. No airs or graces. No practiced seduction techniques, no agenda. Just a woman so sweet it makes me crave more. Her beautiful eyes are shining with happiness, despite the fact her face is turning purple after Drew’s attention. The beast inside me stirs as I picture the treatment he will receive, but not now. Now I’m taking my woman home to meet my family, and that feels good.

  Ivy snuggles in even closer and says softly, “I found the journal, I hope it gives you what you need.”

  “I have what I need, Ivy, and if that journal has blank pages it wouldn’t matter. You see if they try to take you from me, I have many other ways to bring them down. Don’t think for one moment that journal is our only hope.”

  “What will you do?”

  I listen carefully to her tone because they are her parents after all and I’m not sure if our brand of justice would sit well with her and so, I say carefully, “It’s not just me, this concerns my entire family.”

  “Why?”

  She sounds confused and I picture my brother’s idea of revenge and say darkly, “Family is everything to a Romano. We may hate each other most of the time, but we are the only ones we can count on. When you live our life, you make many enemies. Most of the time we deserve it, after all, we don’t play by the rules and that brings a certain kind of heat to our door. But hurt one of our own and we promise the blackest revenge. An eye for an eye, you know how it goes. When our mom came to your parents for help, she must have been so desperate she forgot that, or thought it still a risk worth taking. Your parents must have been her last hope because she was prepared to risk her life for something she feared so much. When they turned her away, she was left with nowhere else to go—in her mind, anyway. I’ll never forget the sadness in her voice when we left your house. She felt lower than any person should feel because your parents made her feel worthless and not worth saving. So, she took the easy way out and left her children to be raised by the biggest bastard that ever lived. So, you see, baby, we—my family, hold your parents responsible for that and so whatever ink is scrawled on the pages of that journal, it won’t change a thing. It’s an eye for an eye, we just need to work out which one deserves it the most.”

  She pulls away a little and her voice shakes, “You’re going to kill them?”

  “Not them, Ivy, maybe not even one of them. What we need to understand is what would destroy them the most. Sometimes death is the easy way out and altering someone’s life for the worse can be a living Hell. Much better when you think of it.”

  She falls silent and I take her hand and squeeze it gently. “You should know how we operate. It’s not pretty and not right most of the time. I will understand if you prefer not to learn what that means first-hand, but one thing I do want you to know is that I would never hurt you. My brothers enjoy the pain. Their women enjoy a different kind of pain, but that’s not what I want for you—for us. I just want to love you and see that gorgeous smile wrapping me in love. That’s all I want from you, and if you can’t deal with the life I lead, I would give it all up for you.”

  She takes me by surprise by pulling me hard against her and kissing me so fiercely it stuns me for a moment. She presses against me and whispers, “I don’t want you to ever change because I kind of love the bastard in you. I would never ask you to give up your family, or your way of life for me. I will love every part of you and that includes the people in your life. It may take me some time to understand it, but I’ll get
there. As for my parents, I owe them nothing because the only thing they gave me is a lifetime of abuse and painful memories. I never want to see them again, do whatever the hell you want.”

  I don’t need fancy words to show Ivy what she means to me, instead I look deep in her eyes and see the love shining from hers. Leaning down, I taste the lips of the rarest form of pleasure and love the way her soft moans soothe the storm inside me. Just thinking of the many ways I will love this woman makes me impatient to begin, and as we kiss, I promise the world to my beautiful flower and whatever secrets that journal holds, fade into the background as more urgent business needs attending to first.

  Bringing my woman home.

  In no time we pass through the entrance of our family home and Ivy’s eyes are wide as she takes a look at a place that is breath-taking in its beauty. She looks around silently and takes in the splendor of a home that provides more luxury than most people ever dream of. The mansion itself is absolutely huge and sparkles like the largest diamond in a golden setting. Set on the water’s edge, it shines in the sunlight surrounded by the most beautiful of flowers and the finest nature can offer.

  Ivy gasps with delight and her eyes shine as she turns to me. “Your home is beautiful, Romeo, you must be very proud.”

  “I am.”

  It’s not my home I’m proud of though, it’s that she’s finally here, which makes me the proudest man alive.

  As the cars stop at the entrance, she squeezes my hand a little tighter. “I hope your family like me.”

  “They will love you.”

  Richie, as always, opens the door and I step out before helping Ivy from the car. The rest of my men stand silently waiting for us to go inside before they head back to their stations and wait for instruction. The most important thing right now is settling Ivy in and so I take her hand and say gently, “Come and say hi to nonna, she is dying to meet you.”

  As we walk, I say in a low voice, “Nonna is our grandmother and raised us when mom died. She is like a mother to us and the most important person here. If you need to know anything about the life we lead, she is the perfect person to tell you. There is nothing she hasn’t seen, or done, so learn from her, Ivy, don’t be afraid, she would never wish you harm. Sometimes she’s a little fierce, but usually for good reason. Mainly because she has a lot to deal with, namely the four of us and the shit we heap on her most of the time.”

  Ivy shakes her head and laughs softly, “She deserves an award by the sounds of it.”

  “She does.” I wink and feel a lightness to my spirit I can’t ever remember being there. This feels so good. I never really thought it would, but bringing Ivy home is something I never thought possible. Now it’s happening, I can’t stop grinning like the village idiot.

  Once we are inside, it doesn’t take long for nonna to head toward us looking curious but happy.

  Pulling Ivy forward, I say proudly, “Nonna meet Ivy, she’s moving in.”

  Nonna smiles and her eyes sparkle as she approaches Ivy, who I can tell is intimidated and in pure nonna style, she pulls her in for a gigantic hug. “Welcome, Ivy, I am pleased to meet the woman who has made my grandson grow up at last.”

  She pulls back and winks, and Ivy grins as I roll my eyes. “Don’t listen to her, in her eyes I will never grow up.”

  Nonna shakes her head. “I can only hope for a miracle. Now, Ivy, it appears you need feeding up mia cara ragazza, come with me, I need to know everything about you.”

  Ivy looks a little awkward, and I take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly. “We’ll both go, I could use some of nonna’s brand of fattening up myself.”

  Chapter 29

  Ivy

  Romeo’s home feels so different to mine. There should be fear here, but there’s only a certain kind of warmth and so much love I know I’ve done the right thing. Betraying my parents is something that doesn’t sit well with me, and yet I feel empty inside when I think of them. They have raised me to live in their shadow and become a carbon image of my mom, without any regard for my own wishes.

  Nonna is everything Romeo said and more. She’s kind, welcoming, and yet I see the steel edge of a woman who takes no shit. She is magnificent and I know I can learn a lot from her.

  After we’ve eaten, Romeo takes me on a tour of his palatial home and I fall in love with it. I also fall in love with him a little more every minute that passes because he is proving to be everything I hoped I’d find.

  Then we stop outside a room upstairs and he grins with a wicked spark in his eye.

  “This will be your room from now on, Ivy, with me. Do you think you can handle that?”

  “I think so, can you?”

  I raise my eyes to his and the look in them makes my soul pant with lust. Romeo is god’s gift to women, and he knows it. Tall, dark, smoldering good looks and a body that creates desire in any red-blooded female. He also has a wicked wit and a sharp tongue, but can be so loving when it matters and treats me like a queen. Now I’m desperate to feel the full force of his love because I think I’ve been patient long enough.

  His eyes flash as he leans forward and pulls me toward him and growls, “I can’t wait any longer, I hope you don’t have plans for today.”

  He grins as I whisper, “Yes, Romeo, I do have plans and they include spending the rest of the day in bed with you.”

  He kisses me deeply, hard and with a passion that sparks inside me and suddenly the most urgent thing is the most delicious because as we enter Romeo’s room, we enter a different kind of relationship. I think he takes the record for removing our clothes and before I can even blink, he pushes me down onto the biggest bed I have ever seen and looks deep into my eyes. Tracing the contours of my face, he whispers huskily, “You are so perfect.”

  Then he kisses every inch of it before he sucks my lip into his mouth and bites down softly and groans.

  This is a slow, seductive, special kind of love and neither of us are in any hurry to rush things. We explore each other’s bodies as if for the first time, and I love how he feels under my touch. Kissing Romeo is my preferred drug, and he smells so good. Masculine and hot, with an element of danger that excites me way more than it should. His body is perfection and his touch electrifies every part of me and I moan his name as he kisses lower to taste my arousal that only he can create.

  My body responds to his as if it’s been waiting for this moment all its life, as if it was crafted to fit his. Only when two parts fit does anything work perfectly, and that is true of us. We were designed to fit and like a well-oiled machine we work in harmony and it’s beautiful to watch.

  Romeo is a god in every way as he brings my body to the edge of ecstasy with just his mouth and touch. I physically ache to be closer and when I feel him hard and ready to thrust inside, I physically shake with need.

  He stares deep into my eyes and whispers huskily, “I love you, baby, I always will.”

  Before I can speak, he enters me slow and hard and I feel a delicious sensation as he scrapes against my walls. My body opens up like a blossoming flower as it welcomes him where it was always meant to be.

  Feeling Romeo inside me is the most pleasurable experience of my life and I groan as he thrusts deeper, faster, creating an intense heat. I’m not sure if I even know my own name anymore because I see nothing but him. Like a conductor in charge of the most gifted symphony, he plays my body like a master and I gasp and moan as feelings I’ve never experienced before create the ultimate pleasure inside. This is love at its most beautiful, magnificent and amazing. When it wraps two people in emotion, deep feelings and the ultimate pleasure and making love to Romeo will always remain my most favorite pastime.

  The sweat glides between our bodies and oils the machine as we move together in harmony with an ease that proves how right this is. Time stands still as two souls meet and take on the world together because I know deep inside this is how I want to live the rest of my life—with him.

  He pumps faster, harder and I wrap my legs
around him and pull him deeper and his groans are music to my ears. I want to please him, love him, care for him and I shift over so I’m riding him. I lean back and control the pace, loving how sexy it makes me feel and loving the way his expression changes with a desperate need for something only I can give him.

  “You feel so good, Ivy, I never want this to end.”

  He thrusts up and groans louder and the bed shakes as I push forward and back, riding him like a pro. It doesn’t take much before I feel the heat building and know I’m so close to the euphoria only love can bring, and as the pressure releases, I moan loudly and hold my breath as the orgasm takes me on the ride of my life. As I come down from the most amazing high, Romeo lifts me off him and I feel the warm spray of his own release hot against my chest, reminding me we forgot to do something important that would protect us both. As I lie on his chest, his own seed as the glue binding us together, I don’t really care that I had unprotected sex. If we created a life from our love, it would make me the happiest woman alive.

  He strokes my hair and I feel his heart thumping against my cheek and he whispers, “I needed that.”

  “Me too.” I giggle and kiss his tattoo softly and love how he groans. With Romeo, I feel so powerful because he always reacts to my slightest touch. I know he adores me; he has proven it over and over again, and I like to think I have returned the favor. Only time will tell, but for now we have each other and I am excited to see what that means for the future.

  Chapter 30

  Romeo

  Spending the rest of the day in bed with Ivy is something I never thought would happen and I’m in no hurry to move away from doing something that gives me so much pleasure. I need to know everything about this woman inside and out and in between the best sex of my life; I fall a little more in love with Ivy the more I learn about her.