Hers to Take

by Talia Ellison

  “Princess, we need to know what happened to you. How did you escape?” my father said, his eyes full of concern. “I know it might be difficult for you to talk about that, and if you prefer to talk to me and your mother in private...”

  “No, I just... Aaron let me go. He helped me destroy the shipment,” I said. “When he caught me in his apartment, he offered me a deal to help him take over his father’s business, and I agreed. He didn’t hurt me in any way. Destroying that shipment was a huge setback for his father, and that was exactly what Aaron wanted, so he let me go. He even stopped the assassin who Roberto hired to kill one of you.” I looked at my brothers.

  “She’s got Stockholm syndrome,” Jason said. “The Viteris are monsters! Who knows what they did to her! Maybe she’s been brainwashed somehow and they sent her back to us to get information out of us.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” I glared at Jason. “I wasn’t brainwashed to do anything. And Aaron helped Katya escape, just like he helped other girls. He’s not like his father.”

  “See what I’m talking about?” Jason said. “She’s defending him. And we’ve all seen what he’s capable of.”

  I groaned in frustration. “I don’t care what you believe, brother! I know what happened.”

  “Honey.” My mom came over to me and placed her hand over mine. “I know a nice and discreet doctor who can talk to you and maybe...”

  Wonderful. “Mom, please. I didn’t invent a different story to protect myself from the horrors of whatever you think happened to me. But sure, I can go talk to your doctor. I killed a few people, so yeah, I could use some therapy, I guess.”

  “What?” Dylan’s mouth fell open. “You actually shot someone? Like a real person?”

  “It was me or them. I had no choice.”

  “I’m so sorry.” My mom’s eyes welled up with tears. “We never wanted this life for you.”

  “You wouldn’t have had to kill anyone if it wasn’t for Aaron Viteri,” Jason said. “See, I told you there’s no reason to defend him.”

  “Jason, just shut up. It was my choice to find the files and I was aware of the risks,” I repeated for God knows how many times. I was getting really tired of this whole thing. “Can we talk about something else other than me? I’ll tell you everything later. I’m just not in the mood right now.”

  “Yeah, take your time,” my mom said. “We’re here for you.”

  “What are you planning to do now?” I looked up at my father. “Are we at war with the Viteris?”

  “They are laying low and I don’t think we can draw them out or surprise them. We lost a lot of good men, and I don’t think it’s in our best interest to pursue them now.”

  “But this is our chance!” Jason yelled, balling his fists. “They’re weak! We can take them and show them who’s the boss. We can take control over the whole area.”

  “Not yet. We don’t have enough forces to spread across the whole area, and there are two cartels waiting to come and get us if they see we’re vulnerable.”

  “So we’re just going to let them get away with what they did to Octavia and to us?” Jason asked.

  “No, we won’t, but we’re not going to stupidly rush into a fight that we might be able to win, only to weaken ourselves and leave ourselves open to an attack as a result,” my father said firmly. “I forbid you to go after the Viteris without my permission.”

  “But...”

  “No buts, Jason. I love you and I understand how you feel, but attacking wouldn’t be the best choice for our family and someday you might realize I was right.” My father’s eyes softened as he looked at Jason, whose anger faded a little.

  “This is all so boring,” Tony said. “Sis, why don’t we go play a game? Take your mind off this shit?”

  “Sure. Just no shooting games.” I got to my feet, glad I could find some distraction. Too bad there wasn’t anything that could take my mind off Aaron. What was he doing now? Did he miss me? Did he even think about me? One part of me hoped that he did.

  Chapter 26

  Three months later

  I threw the book I’d been reading across the room and wished I could just scream. My family fussed around me and tried to make me happy, all the while keeping me trapped in the mansion for my own safety. They’d also convinced everyone who knew me as Cassandra that I’d gone with my mother to take care of a sick aunt and was too busy working at my aunt’s bar to contact them, and that I’d let them know when I returned. Even my brothers didn’t really go out much and took a whole lot of security with them when they did. I understood that they were just worried, but I didn’t know how long it would take until they stopped thinking it wasn’t safe for me to go outside alone because someone could be looking for me.

  Even though they didn’t want to say it in front of me, I believed that they thought Aaron wanted to kill me because I knew too much. Even though I insisted on the lie that he didn’t know who I really was because I trusted him not to reveal my secret, my family probably assumed Aaron thought I was under their protection, because where else could I have gone after destroying the shipment if I hadn’t sided with the only people who could protect me?

  All the good things that Aaron had done to help me seemed to fall on deaf ears no matter how many times I repeated them, and I knew that if I told my family the truth about Aaron and me, Jason would probably ignore all my father’s warnings and go shoot Aaron to make sure he didn’t say anything about me to anyone, or maybe he’d kill him just for being a Viteri and tricking me, because my brother would never believe Aaron didn’t have an ulterior motive and hadn’t lied to me about everything. Jason had lost too many people he cared about to the Viteris, so his animosity didn’t surprise me.

  Pushing myself up on the bed, I looked around the room. The guard was just right outside the door, but the window... I tilted my head. There was a balcony on the floor below mine, just under my window. If I could lower myself down to there, then I could climb down. I knew all about the guards outside, so it would be easy to bypass them and get to the car. All I had to do was leave a note to my family so they wouldn’t freak out.

  Well, they’d freak out anyway, but I needed to see him. Even if it was just once. Despite all the risks. Of course, I could tell my family I wanted to go out on my own, and maybe they’d let me, but then they’d follow me to make sure I was safe, and while I appreciated the idea, I couldn’t allow them to see me meeting with Aaron. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from my nightstand and scribbled down a note, in which I insisted that I just wanted a little freedom without everyone hovering over me and that I’d be back soon. They’d forgive me eventually. I’d take a gun with me just in case.

  ***

  I strolled down the street, my hands in the pockets of my black coat. Keeping my head low, I entered one of the clubs Aaron frequented after everything went back to normal, at least according to the information my brothers had. This was actually the fourth club I’d been to tonight. I was chewing on the inside of my cheek and wondering if I’d missed him somehow.

  Maybe I’d gone out too early or too late, but this was still the area controlled by the Viteris. An area my family didn’t really want because it was too much trouble. I pushed through the people who were singing and dancing. Careful not to turn my head toward the cameras, I headed to the bar.

  My heart did a little dance in my chest when I saw a familiar figure hunched over the bar. Aaron was sitting on one of the high stools and staring at the almost empty glass in his hand. I took a seat on the empty stool next to him and he didn’t even look up.

  “Will you buy me a drink?” I said, not being able to contain my smile. He looked up at me, his eyes wide, and blinked as if he couldn’t believe I was really here.

  “You shouldn’t be...” he started to say, but I brought my finger to my lips to shush him.

  “Then let’s go somewhere else,” I offered. There were way too many eyes and ears here, but if we went somewhere private, then we could ac
tually talk and... My gaze fell on his mouth, and I bit my lower lip to stop myself from grabbing him right here and now and kissing him until we were both breathless, but that would have to wait.

  “Yeah.” Aaron jumped to his feet, swaying a little, but he took me by the arm and led me toward the back exit. Once we were out in the alley, he pulled me into a nearby building and we passed through it and got onto the rooftop, the wind blowing my hair and making me laugh. Aaron smiled too, and then we crossed onto another rooftop and headed downstairs. Pulling a key out of his pocket, Aaron opened one of the blue doors in a large hallway with white walls, and I raised an eyebrow at him. This had to be one of his many apartments, and despite having an old feel to it, the building seemed quite nice and clean.

  He just took my hand and tugged me inside, and when the door closed behind me, he wound his arms around me and his lips crashed against mine. My back hit the door and I let my hands roam up and down his back, wanting to touch every inch of him and make sure that he was real; that this wasn’t just another one of those dreams that had been plaguing me for the past three months and that would leave me angry once I woke up. His tongue danced with mine, starting a fire inside my veins. Oh God, he was so real and so... He broke away the kiss and just watched me, trying to catch his breath.

  “Missed me that much, huh?” I chuckled.

  “You have no idea,” he said, his eyes filled with desire and warmth. “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”

  I shook my head. “I had to come see you.”

  “You shouldn’t have.” He suddenly turned away from me, his shoulders tense.

  “Why?” I placed my hand on his shoulder, forcing him to face me. “Because we’re still supposed to be enemies? You know full well that’s not what we are.”

  Aaron licked his lips. “But my father and yo...”

  I put my finger over his lips. “Who cares? I know what I want. I want you. No one has the right to stop me. Except you. If you don’t want me, then I’ll just leave.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply. “You know I want you, but if something happens to you because of me, I’ll never forgive myself. And how would our relationship even work?”

  “We can run away, or just see each other in secret.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll find a way. All that matters is that we both want to give ourselves a chance to figure out what this is and what we have... I want to know the real you, and I want you to meet the real me. No secrets. No lies. If you don’t think you can trust me because of whose daughter I am, then it’s best for us to go our separate ways. But if you feel about me the same way I feel about you, then we owe ourselves this chance. I don’t want to wonder for the rest of my life what could’ve been. It’s worth the risk.”

  He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes flashing with so many emotions that I couldn’t keep track of them. “Okay,” he finally whispered.

  “Okay what?” I held my breath for his answer.

  “We can try. But I have to stay here and keep an eye on what my father does. And if it gets too dangerous...”

  “If it gets too dangerous, I’m going to kidnap you and take you with me far, far away from here.” I grinned at him.

  His shoulders finally relaxed, and a smile broke out on his face. “Should we go on a proper date or something? I don’t really know what to do with relationships. I never had one.”

  “Me neither, but let’s consider this a proper date.” I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him back until he fell on the king size bed with white covers. Climbing on top of him, I pinned his wrists down and flashed him a devilish smile. “I’ve got you. You’re mine now, Aaron.” I could feel his erection through his pants, which only made me happier. “I need to get you out of these clothes.”

  “Then do it.” He gave me a challenging look.

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “You’re going to do it yourself. In fact, why don’t you put on a little show for me?” Letting go of him, I rolled over on my side and gave him an expectant look. “Don’t be shy.” I ran my finger across his shirt, then slid my hand into his pocket and snatched his phone.

  “What are you doing?” His mouth fell open.

  “We need some music.” I brought his phone to life and found the music folder. A frown line creased my brow as I searched through the files. “How did I not know you have a weird taste in music?” I finally found the song I liked and turned toward Aaron. “You’re still here. Still overdressed.” I snapped my fingers. “Come on. Take your clothes off or I’ll never take off mine.”

  He got to his feet and shrugged out of his jacket, throwing it to the floor. As his fingers undid the first two buttons on his shirt, I raised my hand.

  “Slowly. I want to enjoy this, and I want you to enjoy it, too. Move your hips a little.” I sat up, taking off my coat and folding it on the bed.

  “I feel silly,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.

  “That’s because you’re overthinking it.” I swung to my feet. “Let me help you.”

  I came to stand behind him and wrapped my arms around him, pressing him against me and moving us both in the rhythm of the music. Aaron gasped as I ran my fingers up and down his chest, and he leaned into me as I planted a soft kiss on his neck.

  “You can do this.” I let go of him and threw myself on the bed. He gave me the hottest look through his eyelashes as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his toned chest. I licked my upper lip and watched his muscles ripple as he took off the shirt. With a smile on his face, he threw the shirt at me and I caught it, bringing it to my face and inhaling deeply. It smelled like pine, musk, and him.

  Aaron unzipped his pants, but he didn’t tug them down, just hooked his fingers into the belt loops and rolled his hips. “Why don’t you take off that shirt first?” he asked.

  “Okay.” I gripped my shirt and pulled it over my head, then let my hair spill around my shoulders. Tracing my hand down my stomach, I met Aaron’s hungry gaze. “Take off your pants.”

  Kicking off his shoes, he quickly tugged his pants down and stepped out of them. I had to get up so I could take off my tight jeans, but I slipped my black high heels back on.

  “Now your boxers,” I said, reaching behind me to unhook my dark blue bra. Aaron stared at my breasts as I tossed away my bra. When my attention was back solely on him, he tugged his boxers a bit down and held them very low on his hips, teasing me for a moment, then let them fall down to the floor with the rest of his clothes. He was completely naked in front of me and so damn gorgeous. I waved him over and lay back on the bed as I lifted my hips to slide off my panties. Aaron climbed on the bed, his eyes traveling my body, but he didn’t touch me.

  “Show me just how much you missed me,” I said, settling back on the pillows. Lifting my knees up, I spread my legs, allowing him to come closer. He placed his hands on my legs and ran them gently up my thighs, then lowered himself to give me a slow, long kiss. I let out a small moan as his mouth found my breast and locked around my nipple, nipping and sucking, while he gently pinched and rolled my other nipple between his fingers. The temperature in the room was going up and up, and all I wanted was to take him inside me. I needed him and wanted him more than ever.

  “Fuck me, Aaron,” I said, running my hand through his hair. As he lowered himself down my body, leaving a path of sizzling kisses on my skin, I threw my head back. The bed shifted under his weight as he reached out toward the nightstand, and I heard him tear a condom wrapper. His tongue ran across my slit, making me twist on the bed, then pushed inside and flicked across my clit.

  “Aaron...” I said, the pressure inside me growing stronger. His eyes met mine briefly as he positioned himself at my entrance, rubbing the head against my clit. Then he plunged inside, making me cry out. He pulled out slowly, almost all the way out, then slammed himself back in. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his thrusts became quicker and quicker, and I dug the heels of my shoes into his skin. A gasp escaped his lips, but he smiled a
t me and buried himself deep inside me. I raked my nails down his back, unable to stay quiet as I arched my back. He licked my earlobe, his teeth grazing my skin, and groaned as I met him stroke for stroke.

  My whole body quivered as Aaron’s cock pulsed inside me, and just before he drove me over the edge, I pulled him to me and bit him on the shoulder. My orgasm came on like an explosion, spreading in waves all over my body until I was gasping for breath, and Aaron joined me, panting hard, his body throbbing in sync with mine.

  “You okay?” I asked when I could form words again. He pulled out and rolled over onto the bed next to me a few moments later, still trying to catch his breath.

  He just nodded.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I turned on my side to face him. A bite mark was visible on his shoulder and I gently rubbed my finger against it.

  “Hurt me? Really?” He grinned. “I liked that. And those shoes of yours... I kind of like them, too.”

  “You’re such a bad boy.”

  “You like that.”

  I stuck out my tongue at him and laughed, then lowered my head to his chest and trailed my finger up and down his skin. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head, playing with my hair.

  “Do you really think we can make this work?” he asked softly after a few moments of silence.

  “I don’t know. We can try.” No matter what I wanted, I knew things wouldn’t be that easy. “We’ll have to be extra careful. Did your father ask about me?”

  “Yeah, I told him I got tired of you and sold you off. He didn’t ask anything else. All of Santini’s men and anyone who could recognize you are dead. Marco and I made sure of it. My father blames everything that happened on your family. I don’t think he really cares where I was.”

  “Good.” I snuggled closer to him. “What are you planning to do? Your father’s at his weakest now, even though he tries to make it seem like everything’s back to normal.”

  “Still not weak enough. Too many people are loyal to him and I can’t just attack him. They’d die for him. I have to be careful. There are other lords who would love to take over, but they’re circling around us like lions and biding their time. They’ll attack at the right moment, which means I’ll either have to get in league with one of them or sabotage my father’s new plan to rebuild his little empire.” Aaron’s eyes were distant when I looked up at him.