by Rose Harper
Since he knows exactly who I am and what I’ve done, he should know better than to believe that would ever work with someone like me.
I’m not one who gets conquered. I do the conquering.
Slapping his hands away from me, I step out of reach, never bothering to right my dress as I turn around the face him. My face is a mask of anger as I glare daggers at him, fighting to keep myself from attacking—at least for the moment.
“You think you can force someone like me? You honestly believe I would ever allow that to happen?”
“You wouldn’t have a choice,” he replies, cockiness exuding from his voice in waves.
Growling, I lower my head and look at him through my lashes. “Oh, really?”
He almost had me—almost made me forget what my true purpose is here. Instead, he turned my body against me, like only a manwhore can do to his latest conquest.
“Yes,” he quips, straightening his suit. “Really.”
“I almost allowed you to get away with everything you did to me since I came here. I was even this close,” I fume, pinching my thumb and forefinger together, “to giving into you, but you just had to go and be a little bitch ass punk that thinks he’s a goddamn king.”
“I am the king, kitty.” He tosses a smirk my way. It grinds my gears enough that I make my way toward him until my naked chest is firmly pressed against his. “This isn’t a game. The only rules everyone has to abide by are mine.”
My chest rises and falls rapidly as I try to keep my cool. I’ve never met someone who could jerk on that one nerve I have more than Mateo, and he does it with a sense of finesse I find, again, infuriating.
He says this isn’t a game? Oh, how small minded he is. His entire goddamn life is nothing but a game—a game he’s not privy to.
“I’m going to ask you a serious question, and I want a serious answer.” If he mouths off again, I’m liable to kick him in the scrotum and laugh as he sings tenor.
“Ask away, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”
“When playing chess, which piece protects the king?” It may seem off topic, but he’ll soon realize our lives are nothing but a sick and twisted game of chess before this is all over with.
“No clue. Enlighten me.”
I can tell he’s getting a big kick out of this, and he’s simply humoring me. But what he doesn’t understand is this: he needs me more than I’ll ever need him, and one by one he’s cutting all ties keeping us together.
Releasing a maniacal smile, I retort, “The queen, and you just seriously pissed her off.”
7
MATEO
I don't know whether to kiss her, fuck her, or kill her. Maybe do all three in chronological order.
Carina is the only woman I have ever let push my buttons, and I have no clue why that is. If it had been any other woman, she’d already be pushing up daisies.
Having a backbone is hot.
Having a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude and a filthy mouth—even hotter.
But she better get something straight right now: there’s a time and place for all that, and now is not the time, nor the place. I couldn’t care less what she says or does to anyone else in this house, but I demand respect, and I’m damn well going to get it.
Grinding my teeth, I run my fingers through my hair, slicking it back into place as I glare over at Carina, seeing a smirk lining her lips. “I don’t give a fuck who you think you are, but your little quips are lost on me, princess. I don’t cower to any-damn-body, least of all a little slut like yourself.”
“Trust me when I say this, any man who thinks he’s worth getting into my panties better never cower to anyone. I need a man, not some pussy that’s licking that silver spoon his dad slipped into his mouth when he was a baby. When I find the man that doesn’t, he better watch it, because he isn’t going anywhere.”
See what I mean about kissing her, fucking her, or killing her? She has no idea saying things like that fucks with my head more than her body ever could. If she knew, I have no doubt in my mind she wouldn’t say that shit.
“Get the fuck ready. We have a few things we need to do.”
“Fuck you,” she seethes, narrowing her eyes.
Smirking, I eye her swaying breasts and taut nipples before bringing my eyes up to hers. “Maybe later. Get ready.”
“Suck a cock and get glad, asshole. I don’t have to go anywhere.”
Do not kill her. Do no kill her. Do not kill her.
“Carina,” I growl in warning, my hands clenching at my sides.
Allowing silence to envelope us, I never once back down. Hatred rolls off her in waves, but I pretend it’s another day in paradise, infuriating her even more. I never once blink—never shuffle my gaze away from her. I silently stand my ground, knowing eventually she’ll relent and do what I say.
It’s like breaking a wild filly. If you keep at them, they’ll eventually do what you want them to. Carina is the same way. Her mannerisms are that of a wild animal, and it’s going to take a lot of work on my end to tame her.
Rolling her eyes, she fixes her dress with a huff before barreling in the direction of her closet. I can't help the triumph I feel, knowing this is one point in my favor of winning this war between us.
She may be a cold-blooded killer, dead set on keeping me as far away from her as possible, but my level of crazy matches hers and that shit is rare to find in a world like this. Carina knows it. I know it. Hell, the entire goddamn compound knows it.
We may hate each other, but we hate each other so good, it’s addicting.
“You roll your eyes any harder, and they're going to roll to the back of your head.”
“Just shut your cunt-muffin!” she yells from the closet as I hear clothing slap against the carpet.
Smirking, I blaze right back at her, “Shut your cocksucker and maybe I’ll think about it.”
Hearing a soft growl drift through the open doorway, I can't stop my smirk as it turns into a full grin. I don't personally know this version of Carina, but I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine.
“You're really pushing it, Mateo.”
“Then do something about it, kitty,” I volley, a huskiness dropping my voice an octave.
By the time she comes out of the closet, she's blazing mad and looking for another fight. Her fiery eyes flick toward mine, warning me to try something. If only she knew what her little looks did to me. Goddamn! They light me on fire. Just seeing the menace and death shining in her eyes makes me harder than I have ever been before. Makes me want to take her, hard, instead of getting to the bottom of the shitstorm brewing around us.
There are answers to questions roaring through my head, and the only person that’s going to make those answers come to fruition is the lovely spitfire standing a few feet away from me. I want to know if my father knew who she was before saddling me with her. And if so, why the fuck he thought he needed to lie to me about her true identity. Nothing is making any sense right now, and until things do, I have to play nice with little miss get bad.
Waltzing over to the door, I open it with a flourish. She’s still standing next to the bed, staring at me with devilish intent glimmering in her gorgeous eyes. Her dark hair cascades down her clothed back as her body is now encased in tight-as-fuck leather pants, and a shirt that can make a man praise God for such an invention.
Just from the way she’s looking at me, I know she wants me to try something. I can feel it. If it’s been one thing I’ve come to realize since everything clicked in place for her—she thrives on conflict. Thrives on spilling blood and snuffing out the life in her target’s eyes. But she’s about to be in for a rude awakening because that's not about to happen today. Not today. I need answers.
“You're burning daylight. Ticktock,” I say, tapping the expensive Rolex donning my wrist.
Cursing under her breath, she moves across the floor with a subtle sway to her hips. Just before she exits the room, she turns toward me with a serious glower resti
ng on her face. I begin to ask what her problem is, but she beats me to it by saying something that seriously hits me in the groin and causes my cock to turn rigid. Can this woman get any sexier?
“If that bitch crosses me, she's dead. I don't kill anyone unless I'm supposed to, but I will gladly end her life and lick her blood off my fingers for dessert if she so much as looks at me wrong.”
Goddamn! This bitch is crazy as fuck. I love it!
Keeping my stoic mask in place, I eye her up and down before replying, “Duly noted.”
Nodding once, she leaves me to trail after her. I can't help it when my eyes drop down to watch her plump ass sway back and forth. It immediately makes me want to take her back to her room and finish what we started, fuck each other ragged until we’re so sore we can’t move.
When a chuckle falls from her lips, leading me to believe she knows exactly what I’m doing and can feel my gaze burning into her ass, I still can’t bring myself to give a shit. She already knows I want her. Where the hell is an excuse going to get me? Abso-fucking-lutely nowhere, that’s where.
“Nice ass,” I growl, rearing my hand back.
“If you slap my ass, I’ll cut your balls off.” How did she know what I was going to do?
Releasing a bark of laughter, I weigh the pros and cons of doing just that while keeping my hand reared back behind me.
Will she cup check me? Probably.
Will it be worth it? Hell fucking yes.
Shrugging my shoulders, I decide to live dangerously. I mean, there's no greater thrill than living on the edge. Am I right?
Putting all my weight into it, I swing my arm forward, hitting her in the middle of her right cheek, feeling the toned piece of meat jiggle in my hand. A girlish squeal releases from her throat as I tighten my hold to the point of bruising and cup her under the swell of her ass, lifting her off the ground, while wrapping my arm around the top of her chest. Never easing my hold, I come up behind her, amused, as I press my face into her hair, smelling the cherry blossom shampoo she uses.
“Don’t tell me not to do something, kitty. We both know I’ll do whatever the hell I want to anyway.”
“You savage.” She’s trying to be mad right now, but I can see right through that hardened exterior. Her words are breathy—her body melting, and her hand is clutching her thigh for all it’s worth.
Chuckling, I pull her back into me. “You can pretend you don’t like it all you want, but we both know the truth.”
“And that is?” she asks, panting.
Skating my hand down her stomach, I feel her inhalations pick up as I rest it over her clothed core, cupping her. My adrenaline spikes when I hear her sharp intake of breath and feel her melt into the front of my body, all fight seemingly leaving her. “On the outside, you’re nothing but a frigid virgin, but on the inside, you’re a raging slut just begging to be set free.”
“Is that right?” Tilting her head, she rests it on my shoulder as she looks up at me, our lips within millimeters from each other. “It’s just too bad you won’t be the one to see it.”
Smirking, she steps out of my arms, and I allow her, letting them fall to my sides. I stand there silently watching her walk away, keeping my indifferent mask in place when she glances back over her shoulder, shooting a wink toward me.
Is she being playful right now, or just making another move in our game?
Either way, I couldn’t care less. All I know is this: I’m most definitely going to tear that pussy up the first chance I get. She just better be ready when it happens because I’m taking no goddamn prisoners. I’ll fuck her so thoroughly, only I will be enough to quench that hunger inside her. I’ll bore her out, make it so only my cock is the one that snug little cunt fits.
No one else will be good enough because I’m going to fucking ruin her.
8
CARINA
A grin widens my face before I can stop it, the feeling more foreign than the emotions raging through me. Why is it only Mateo draws this out of me? What’s so special about him that he’s able to accomplish what others have not been able to for years? The last time I felt this … much was before my father took me down into the …
Squeezing my eyes tight, I will the thoughts to leave me as I continue making my way toward the stairs that lead down to the first floor. I’m too lost in my own mind and thoughts of my brother to appreciate the opulence of the décor strewn throughout the hallway. Too lost in myself to stop and gawk at the priceless, breathtakingly gorgeous stained-glass windows that piece together a story of victory and the bloodshed it cost to get there.
It isn’t until I hear scuffling on the foyer floor that I stop in my tracks, glancing down at the commotion. Resting my hand on the balcony, I lean over, my eyes catching on Vinny’s as he stares up at me with … fascination? Intrigue? I can’t say that I can properly decode how he’s looking at me right now, but it causes a shiver of unease to work its way up my spine.
“What’s wrong?”
Leave it to Mateo to notice my vibes. “I … I don’t know,” I retort, turning my head to catch a glimpse of the worry shining through his dark orbs. “Your brother is looking at me like I’m … like I’m some treasure or something.”
Everything slows down to a snail’s pace around us, as a genuine smile tugs at the corner of Mateo’s lips. It’s the most transfixing sight I’ve ever beheld in my life. It causes him to light up, where too much of the time, he spends in nothing but pure darkness.
“That’s because you are,” he whispers, his hand coming to rest on my lower back.
Scrunching my features, I keep my eyes trained on him, trying to figure out what he’s playing at. How can this be the man that treated me so harshly when he first brought me to his home? How can this be the man who’s caused me nothing but painful emotions?
“Why … how?” I ask.
“What?”
Sighing, I break our gaze and stare back at the man steadily climbing the stairs. “How can you change so drastically in such a short amount of time? Why are you being nice to me when I know that’s not who you truly are?”
“I need—” he starts to say, but he’s interrupted by his brother.
“Teo, I need to talk to you,” Vinny inserts, flicking his eyes over to me. “An updated picture of Marco just came through from one of my connections, and … Jesus, man, you’re not going to beli …”
Just as those words slip past his lips, the sound of a pop and glass shattering force me into action. I’ve heard that sound before. I spent many nights playing it over and over in my mind.
We have a shooter.
My heart kicks up in my chest as I grab Mateo by the biceps, tackling him to the ground. Throwing myself over him, a few more rounds pump through the air, more glass shattering as it rains down on top of me. But, all I can do is focus on the man that’s lying underneath me and his molten chocolate eyes gazing intently into my own, our lips ghosting each other’s.
His chest rises and falls swiftly as he continues to mutely stare up at me with lightness glimmering in his eyes. Just a few centimeters rests between our parted lips. I never knew … Is it supposed to feel this good being pressed against someone?
Taking my bottom lip between my teeth, thoughts of him pressing his lips against mine start barreling through my thoughts. The kiss we shared when I woke up from my coma. The feel of his hands as they roamed across my flesh like he couldn’t get enough of me. Everything that happened between us in that bed blazes through my mind making me want more.
Before we can react to our closeness, someone grabs my arm to pull me off him. Being so in the moment with Mateo, I fight against the person, aiming to do damage. My leg kicks out, connecting with hard, solid muscles, as a soft grunt flows from their lips.
“Jesus jump up Christ!” Dom’s voice yells out, his hands clutching me tighter. “Carina, get off him, so we can get him out of here!”
Just then, the sounds of someone gasping breaks through the thunderous roar of
blood in my ears. I push away from Mateo, and he catches sight of what my eyes are trained on.
Vinny lying in a pool of his blood, gasping as his unfocused eyes stare up at the ceiling.
“Goddammit!”
Fury I’ve never felt before sizzles through my body. Reaching down, I unholster Mateo’s gun, not caring that he tries to stop me. Punting his hand away, I narrow my eyes on his. Something he must see in my gaze causes him to relinquish the weapon to me.
Running over to the window, I don’t take even a moment to second-guess my actions or how wrong this could all end if I make even one misstep. I throw caution to the wind as I jump up onto window seal, kicking the rest of the glass out with my boot. Dropping down into a crouch, I aim my gun, searching for the shooter that dared to shoot a house that’s under my protection.
My protection? Something in my gut churns as it locks into place. I see this, and all the people inside, as my personal mission to protect. Even though one of their men is my intended target, there’s … I just won’t be able to go through with it now. I have to protect them.
Protect them from the vile shit trying to destroy them.
“No! Vinny!” Mateo’s voice, filled with anguish, bellows through the air. I want nothing more than to go to him, to help them. But I can’t take my focus off this right now. I force my eyes to focus, as I bring the gun up, zeroing in on the figure racing through the trees. They’re small in stature, almost feminine in appearance. Who the hell could do this and think they’ll get away with it?
Holding my breath, I focus all my energy in scoping this person out. Settling my finger on the trigger, I inhale deeply and hold my breath, then release it slowly as I pull the trigger. A deafening noise rings out all around us, but I know I’ve hit my target. The wailing scream can be heard by me from where I’m hunched down. And I know, without a doubt, my shot was aimed to kill.
Jumping back down from the ledge, I drop the pistol and race over to the scene before me. I haven’t felt this in so long, as a lump forms in my throat and tears burn the back of my eyes. I see Mateo cradling Vinny to his chest, the rest of his men and brothers standing around him. Feverish tears cascade down his face as it twists in agony.
