Shades of Desire: 10 Sweet & Spicy Romances

by J. A. Coffey

  The steam was a deep fog in the small space and enhanced the scent of her shower gel. Her wet clothes were in a pile on the floor, her brush with a few strands of her dark hair sat on the counter. A toothbrush waited on the other side of the porcelain sink. Unlike the bathroom at his own home, the room looked lived in; the way it should be. He reached into the shower and twisted the knob.

  A muffled sob came from the bedroom. He needed to check on her, to make sure she was okay. Maybe she had fallen and had hurt herself. That could've been easy to do in the dark and a good reason to scream. Or was she scared?

  The mattress sagged underneath his weight as he sat on the side of the bed. She faced the opposite direction, giving him the opportunity to rub her back through the thick quilt. She slowly began to relax underneath his touch and the sobs started to subside.

  "Gabi?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

  "Mm hm." She slowly straightened her body out from the ball she had been curled up in. "A little better now."

  He kept his voice low. "The generator has a bad motor, but I brought a candle in here for you."

  Her fingers appeared first as they wrapped around the very top of the blanket. She slowly pulled it down until the top of her head became visible. A mass of wet dark hair contrasted against the white pillow. Next was her dark brown eyes opened wide with fright. She pulled the blanket down until her bare shoulders were showing.

  It hit him then that she was naked. One blanket served as a barrier between him and the full strength of her nudity. One small flip of the cloth would reveal everything he'd always wanted to see. The tension growing in his pants forced him to shift away from her even though he wanted to get closer. "Do you need to get dressed?"

  "Yes," she said, her voice soft, her gaze not wavering from his face as if the dark changed the situation between them.

  He glanced down at her flushed cheeks. "I'll just... uh... step out then." After a nod from her, he got up from the bed, and walked to the bedroom door.

  "Mik?"

  He stopped with his palm on the wood. "Yes?" He tossed a glance back in her direction.

  "Can you leave the door open, please?"

  "Of course." He had never in his life seen her look as fragile as she did at that minute. He wanted to make everything better but still had no idea what had spooked her so bad. Maybe she had found something? They were in a Mafia owned cabin, making it hard to tell what exactly could be hidden. First thing in the morning he planned on searching the place for sure so there wouldn't be any more surprises.

  He stood right outside of the bedroom door and waited for her to call him back inside the room which only took a minute or two at the most.

  A tight tanktop fit snugly over her breasts and dipped low enough to grant him a great view of the swell of her breasts. A pair of shorts clung to her hips and did their best to show off her long legs. "I... um..." she started to say as she climbed onto the bed.

  "What, Gabi?" He sat back down next to her on the bed but did his best to keep his hands folded in his lap and his eyes on the window, watching the snow falling.

  "I don't want to tell you."

  "Why not?"

  "It's stupid, really." She turned her back to him as she moved the quilt. The butt of her pink shorts read "sexy" in glittery letters. Boy, was that ever the truth. She slipped under the covers, cutting off his view of her ass.

  "I would never think such a thing." He put his elbows onto his knees and folded his hands over his face.

  "Can I ask a favor then?" She glanced over her shoulder at him.

  "Anything."

  "I'd really like it if you'd sleep in here with me, but if you don't want-"

  "Shh." He put his hand on her shoulder. "I want to."

  She whispered, "Thank you."

  He broke the contact with her long enough to slip underneath the blanket and scooted over to her, knowing he wouldn't make it through the night without holding her, so he didn't even want to fight the urge at all. He wrapped his arm around her waist, hugging her close. The sensation of her nestling herself against his body shot him to the moon. He had waited so long for this. "Are you okay now?" he whispered against her ear.

  "Yes. I got scared, but I feel better now." Her words were soft and a few minutes later her breathing slowed. She relaxed in his arms enough to fall asleep. He boosted himself up on an elbow, leaned over her, and blew out the candle, leaving them in darkness.

  Chapter Ten

  Mikolas didn't even knock and wait for the person to answer as all good visitors would. He quickly twisted the knob and pushed the front door of the apartment open with his black leather boot then stepped inside. His Glock was loaded, cocked, and ready to snuff out a life. It was the first hit he'd been assigned and he had a hell of a lot to prove not only to his crew, to the rival Family, but most of all, to himself.

  The Mark sat on the couch in the living room with a 40 ounce bottle of Old English beer in one hand and an overflowing sub-sandwich in the other. A glob of mayo looked like jiz against the black fabric of his t-shirt. Mikolas didn't know the man's name nor did he care. Wide, surprised eyes with the skin in between the Mark's eyebrows wrinkling as he stared at Mikolas. His jaw flexed as he chewed the bite he'd taken right when Mikolas had entered unannounced. "Who the fuck'er you?" the man asked around the chunk of sandwich in his mouth before swallowing.

  "The bad guy your mother warned you about when you were two." As soon as he pulled the trigger everything went into slow motion. The bullet whizzed out of the barrel and straight to the guy. It tore at his chest as if it was an animal, hungry for his flesh. Blood sprayed while Mikolas smiled with triumph. He'd done it. The Family would be proud.

  He turned toward the door just as the little girl walked into the living room. She stared up at him with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen and knew he had washed all of the innocence from them in one second.

  "What's wrong with my daddy?"

  Gabi slept next to him with her hand resting on the bed next to them. Glad she was sleeping peacefully, he slid his hand over hers for the comfort she seemed to always provide him now, and let his eyes drift shut again until the scratching intruded into the small bedroom.

  Mikolas lay still on the bed, careful not to wake Gabi, listening for signs of it being human. It certainly didn't sound like the wind. The scratching moved to the other end of the window. He turned his ear toward the noise.

  Gabi stirred beside him. "What's that sound?" she asked in a sleepy voice as she turned toward him.

  "Where's my Glock?" he whispered as he let go of her and climbed out of bed.

  Her eyes widened, but she kept her voice low. "I'm not telling you." She let out a yawn and shoved the blanket aside. Her nipples puckered against the flimsy material of her shirt. Mikolas almost forgot about the noise at the window while he stared at them. "Mik? What time is it?"

  He snapped his attention up to her face as she hastily covered her breasts with her arms. "I need the gun," he hissed, ignoring her question.

  "But I-"

  He turned toward the door. "Fine. Get it and follow me outside to the asshole scratching at the window. Be my guest." He didn't wait for her to decide what she was going to do. Leaving her sitting alone in the bedroom, with not even a candle to light the way, he slipped his shoes on.

  She moved behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder before he had a chance to touch the door knob. "Here's the gun," she whispered.

  "Thanks." He took the Glock from her, relieved she'd placed enough trust in him to allow him to protect her. He would've used his knife if she hadn't given him the firearm. Knives were okay in a fight if nothing else was available, but a gun provided a better execution. Plus, the powerful steel felt familiar in his grip.

  "Mik-"

  He held his hand up as he slowly opened the door. The cold air blasted into the cabin. He tossed one more glance at her as he said, "Wait in here."

  "But I-"

  "Wait in here!" He walked out and shut the door be
fore she had a chance to respond.

  The night air felt like he was sticking his face flat on a slab of ice. He fought against his instinct to turn his face downward to shield it from the whipping wind as he stepped carefully down the steps. Keep your head up, eyes forward, and be on guard. Wind blew up harder, feeling like a million pin pricks on his skin once he reached the snow-covered ground.

  He crouched down low as he had been taught in the police academy and rounded the porch to the first bedroom window. Nothing waited for him at the window. He continued to the edge of the house and paused. One glance around the corner and he'd find the source of the noise. The sound came again followed by something solid hitting the ground farther off to the left.

  He held the gun up in front of him as he went around the corner. Nobody was there. If anyone had ran to the woods, he would've spotted them before the culprit had a chance to reach the tree line. "What the hell is going on?" He walked over to the window. No trees, bushes, or other vegetation were close enough to the window to scratch against the glass.

  He swung around toward the woods surrounding the cabin. Nothing moved around the shadows. Only darkness. There would be evidence if there'd been a person out there. He glanced down at the white snow and wished for a flashlight. In all of his searching, he hadn't found a single one.

  Mikolas walked slowly over the snow, shifting his gaze from the ground to the woods, searching for a sign of... anything. Nothing. Not even footsteps.

  He was about to turn back to go inside when small circles dotting the snow caught his eye. He took off to follow the pattern in the snow and quickly found a place where the circle pattern turned into another shape. This time it looked as if something had been dragged behind the house but still no footsteps. He raised his gun again as he rounded the corner and stared down where the line ended. The brightest cerulean eyes stared up at him.

  *****

  Gabrielle paced back and forth over the wood floor with a lit candle clutched in her hand. She kept glancing at the door as she listened for any sign of a struggle out there or the sound of a gunshot.

  She kept her gaze swooping around the room as she walked back and forth. Please come back, she silently begged, hoping Mik would somehow hear her thoughts and grant her request. Darkness swarmed around her like a thick curtain. Chills crept up her arms and down her spine. She crossed one arm over her chest while the other gripped the candle as if it were her savior.

  Footsteps on the stairs brought her to a halt. Her eyes stayed focused on the door as she prayed it was Mik out there instead of an intruder. She sucked in her breath when the door knob turned.

  *****

  Enrico held the green and white coffee cup in one hand and his face in the other. Leon's painful moans in between the soft snores were like bullets in Enrico's stomach. Actually, he'd almost prefer something to happen to him instead of his best friend, but he'd been the one to order the men to switch places, so Enrico could get some fresh air. Now his friend lay in the hospital bed in pain.

  And Enrico should've been gone by now. Now with this accident, things were getting a little weird. Being away from Vegas probably would be the safest bet. At least Maura and Gabrielle had left with their friends. If they hadn't, he would've had to force them to stay in a safe house until things calmed down. Going up to the vault offered two things for him; safe goods, and the escape of a potential hit.

  It wasn't the first occasion someone had tried to kill him but the other times hadn't bothered him like this. His age hindered the task of keeping his wife and daughter safe while watching over the Family. Enrico didn't know what he'd do without Leon and still couldn't find Mikolas which stirred up an entirely new concern.

  A snore turned into a groan as Leon's eyes flickered open.

  "Eh," Enrico said.

  "I feel like hell." Leon tried to laugh then clutched his right set of ribs. He let out a grunt from pain and pressed the palms of his hands over his eyes.

  "What happened?" Enrico took a sip of his coffee, plain coffee and not some of that nasty chocolaty shit his daughter always seemed to order for him. He didn't even have sugar or cream in it. Plain, strong, and black.

  "Rif swung the door open and hit the shelves which collapsed on me." His knee hung in a sling attached to a pole bolted to the bed. A white cast matched the rest of the colorless room, making his shirtless chest covered in purple splotches appear a lot worse than they probably felt. Leon's gown had been tossed over a nearby chair and a blanket covered him from waist down. He looked like he'd been run over by a truck and probably felt twice as bad.

  "Broken ribs?" Enrico nodded toward Leon's chest before taking another sip.

  "Mm hm. Give me a drink of that." Leon held his hand out for Enrico's cup.

  "Here you go." He snapped the lid off and poured half of it into a clean cup that had been sitting on the bedside table. He handed the cup to Leon.

  Leon's face scrunched as he lifted his arm to drink the coffee. "Doc says I can't have my ribs wrapped."

  "Why not?"

  "Better chance of getting pneumonia. It'll heal on its own, I guess. My knee though- it's fucked up pretty bad. There's a pin through it right now. I'll need physical therapy too." He drank some of the coffee, meeting Enrico's gaze over the rim. "This wasn't an accident."

  "Are you sure?" Enrico hadn't even fathomed the idea of the accident being a setup. It did make sense. His blood chilled in his veins. Enrico had always been the one to watch the money transfer while Leon guarded the front but they'd switched positions at the last second. Without a doubt, this was connected to the hit out on him, not Leon. Guilt gnawed at his gut. He had gotten his friend in this situation.

  The door swung open. A young, bouncy nurse, with a name tag that read Macy, scrunched up her cute face as her eyes focused on the cup Leon held in his hand. "Mr. Russo, hospital food and drink only. Coffee is on the taboo list." She made a beeline for his cup.

  He quickly brought it to his lips, flinching at the pain as he drained it. Putting the empty cup into her outstretched hand, he said, "Drank it all. Sorry. I'll remember your rule for next time."

  Enrico let out a rumbling laugh.

  "How do you expect to get better?" She tossed the paper cup into the trash.

  "My stomach isn't the broken part." Leon tried to laugh again but coughed instead. His face froze with pain as he laid his head against the pillow. His eyes drifted shut.

  Nurse Macy took a digital thermometer out of her pocket and stuck the rubber end into his ear. Her foot tapped the tile as she waited. When the thermometer beeped, she scribbled the numbers on a paper attached to the clipboard. Leon kept his eyes closed as the nurse took his blood pressure and pulse on a machine. She scribbled more notes before turning toward the door.

  "Macy?" Leon opened his eyes a slit.

  She stopped at the door, a flicker of annoyance swam in her eyes. "Yes?" Her mouth turned up in a sweet smile, showing perfect teeth and deep dimples. Not Enrico's type of girl at all.

  "I need something for the pain." His face scrunched up again, his head dropping back against the pillow.

  "Not for another two hours. Sorry," she said with a shrug of her petite shoulders.

  "Just shoot me!" The words came out in one big breath.

  "I don't make the rules, Mr. Russo." She spun on her heel and pulled the door until it softly clicked shut behind her.

  Enrico rubbed his hand over his head where hair should've been. He frowned. "A set up, eh?" The words were more for himself than Leon.

  Leon nodded but kept his eyes closed. "It's one of our men, but not Rif." His hand gripped the bedrail. "Probably not anyone present."

  "They snuck in, killed Wil, and then loosened the bolts. We've been using the warehouse for a while now and this is the first incident." He finished off his coffee, throwing the empty cup into the wastebasket while wishing for more. He'd need all of the caffeine he could get. This was going to be a very long day.

  "Sorry, but you're the targ
et, Rico." He opened his pain-clouded eyes. "Have you heard from my son yet?"

  Enrico shook his head. "Have you?"

  "No. My cell doesn't work in here. Can you try to call him again?"

  "Sure. I'll stop by his house if I don't get a hold of him on the phone. If he's not there, I think we should be concerned." Enrico shifted his body, trying to get comfortable in the hard chair. He hated hospitals and was surprised he had been there as long as he had. "I need to get moving. Do you want me to send anything over to you?"

  "Send over my goumada."

  "What? You're half dead and you want to have your mistress over?" Enrico laughed as he walked around the bed, heading to the door. If the old guy requested pussy, he'd make it through this.

  "Come on. Send one over for me."

  Enrico laughed again. He'd do whatever Leon wanted. "Who?"

  "Zara. She'll be really good at taking care of me while I'm in this condition."

  Enrico poured Leon a glass of water and set it on the bed table. "I'll tell her to come over here before I leave for the vault today."

  Leon's hand holding the cup of water froze half way to his mouth. "You don't want to wait for me to get out of this place?"

  "We need to go before the storm gets too bad."

  Leon tried to shift his weight around on the bed but really couldn't with his leg in the sling. He fiddled with the buttons on the bed controls, raising the top part of his bed. "I'll be out soon."

  "When you are, you'll need to take it easy. We haven't been up there for a while, Leon. I need to make sure nobody has snooped around."

  Leon was one of the few guys who knew where the vault had been set up and both men agreed that very few should have that knowledge. He'd have to replace Leon's help with another one of the captains. Waiting for Leon could eliminate one more person knowing the location. Maybe he would wait.