Covet (Beautiful Sinner Series Book 2)

by Elena M. Reyes

  Casper crosses the tub, silencing me with a finger over my lips. “Breathe, sweet girl. Breathe.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just that I don’t understand how you can make a change so grand when my own father abandoned us over duty.”

  “That’s a simple answer.” He leans toward me, kneeling by my feet and with his face inches from mine. If I shift just the slightest bit forward, our lips will touch once more. “Focus, Aurora. I’ll fuck you after if you behave.”

  My eyes narrow. “I can always head inside and take care of myself.”

  “But you won’t. You want me to touch you...make you come.” He accentuates his point while running his strong hands up my thighs, kneading the pliant flesh until he has my hips once more in his hands. Then, I’m straddling him in the water, my core over his throbbing cock.

  “You’re cheating.” I pout.

  “And I need you to pay attention to what I’m going to say.” The seriousness in his tone grounds me and I stop, no more teasing or messing around. Instead, I scoot back an inch and closer to his knee, creating some distance.

  “Go on.”

  “Thank you.” Casper takes one of my hands in his and brings it to his chest, right over his heart where it pumps fast beneath my palm. “A man in love can do some crazy and stupid things. Sometimes it’s a combination of both. Your father does care, Aurora, but circumstances put him in a position where he didn’t have a choice. I’m telling you this because when the time comes, I need you to listen to what he has to say. Really listen and try not to judge too harshly when there was more than one player involved.”

  “What do you know that I don’t?”

  “That it’s time for you two to talk without anger or guilt. For him to tell you the truth.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “There’s no need to be scared. I swear that it’ll bring you peace and help you heal...and while I want to tell you, that’s a conversation best had between the two of you. Trust me.”

  “I do.” My heart knows that this man won’t let me down or put me in a position to be hurt. That I can trust him if nothing else. “Should I just pop up for a visit or call first?”

  “How about we call his secretary after we talk to someone else.”

  “Who?”

  “It’s time you meet your new family, Gem.”

  He had it all set up.

  Sneaky, sneaky man.

  After getting out of the tub, I rushed inside and straight for the shower without contemplating one very important factor...

  I have no clothes here.

  Nothing but the dress I wore for the wedding and that’s the last thing I wanted to wear when meeting the important people in his life. Which is how he found me forty minutes later inside the bathroom near panic and trying to get ahold of Aliana to come and drop something off.

  Problem is, she isn’t answering her phone. Two rings and it goes straight to voicemail with that generic recording that most of the population uses for their inbox.

  “Pick up, chica. For the love of all things holy...pick up,” I hiss into my cell, cursing my luck for getting stuck like this without a backup. Being that the wedding was local, and I was taking an Uber home with Ali, we left our Athleta wear in the dressing room at the church. The priest’s secretary told us to do as much and to just come pick it up the following day. Today. “Dammit. Where are you?”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Jesus!” I grab my chest, holding the towel covering me tightly. “You scared me.”

  “And you look like you’re having a heart attack. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “That’s all?”

  “What do you mean that’s all? I’m not meeting your family in the nude.”

  “Fuck and no. No one sees you but me.”

  “Possessive much?”

  “And?” The man has no shame, even shrugs at me as if to say so what. “But to help you with the first part, I already had something brought up. Just come and grab it when you’re ready. My cousin already called and should be here in twenty minutes or so.”

  “You know what? I’m not even going to question a thing.” I drop my towel, turn him around, and push the man out the door. “Just lead the way and I’ll get dressed.”

  “You’re naked and that’s not fair.”

  “Neither is my freak-out.” Reaching down, I pinch his butt hard.

  He yelps and swats my hand away. “That hurt.”

  “Don’t be a baby.”

  “I’m going to fuck that sassiness right out—”

  There’s a knock at the door followed by a very loud Oi that blocks him from any form of retaliation. Serves him right, and I pinch him one last time after grabbing the bag on the bed and running back to the safety of the bathroom.

  We’re sitting in the penthouse overlooking the Chicago skyline and silence hangs in the air. Casper just told them his plans. His desire to move to the States and help me run the soon to be renamed Cancio empire. It’s the one thing I will go to war over.

  What’s fair is fair, and it won’t just be my father anymore. It’ll be a mixture of the two; the Jameson name will be just as attached and none more important than the other.

  We will be one.

  He didn’t make some long-winded speech or gave them multiple reasons why either.

  Not at all. Casper is a straight-to-the-point, take-him-or-leave-him kind of man, and I appreciate that if no one else does.

  Callum is across from us, his face impassive and eyes on me. “And how do you feel about this, Miss Conte? How do you feel about my cousin coming to live in the States? Why won’t you move to England?”

  “Watch it, Callum. Don’t get ballsy on me—you more than anyone should know I won’t hesitate to shoot.”

  “Let her answer.”

  “She doesn’t need to.”

  “I’m right fucking here,” I hiss out, standing from my seat beside Casper and moving to the center of the room. “Callum, watch the condescending tone. All right?” Then I shift my eyes to the man I love. “Casper, I’m not a child nor do I need to be spoken for...let me say my piece.”

  Both men sit back and look at me while I turn my attention to Jameson Sr. He’s an older version of his son with a sweet face, but I see the pain that lingers in his eyes. The sadness.

  “I’m going to take this moment to extend my condolences to you, Mr. Jameson. What happened to your wife is horrible, and I’m truly sad that I will never get the chance to meet Casper’s mother and tell her that I love her son.” From his side of the video screen, he swallows hard and nods. The first hint of a smile appears on his lips since the video call began. “Now, as for Callum’s question, which was rude by the way, my answer is simple...I cannot leave the Conte House. That place is all I have left of my own mother—her legacy—and I will continue it. As for Casper moving here? When he told me, I was shocked, happy, confused, and so on. I still don’t fully understand how he could leave your family to come and help me take over the reins here, but I appreciate it more than you could ever understand. I also hope that this will be the start of a strong alliance between the two families and we can work as one to grow as an empire. Because make no mistake, I might not want to be involved in the day to day, but I will have a seat at the table. I will be made aware of important decisions and my vote will count...will be higher than anyone’s outside of Casper. Is that clear enough, or do I need to say a little more?”

  “No. That’s enough.” Callum stands from his seat and walks over to me, extending his hand. “Please accept my apologies if I offended you. I love that bloke and just want him happy.”

  “Accepted and forgotten.”

  “Well, I guess there’s only one thing left to say after that.” His father gives me a nod full of respect and then claps his hand once. All the men stand at that and look at me. All wearing the same shit-eating grin on their faces. “Welcome to the family, Aurora.”

  32r />
  IT’S LATE IN THE evening when the arsehole leaves and I’m alone with my Gem once more. Callum has plans he’s not divulging and to be honest, I’m not worrying over it. When he’s ready, he’ll come find me.

  Until then, I’m going to enjoy the next few days with Aurora before leaving for London. Because while Callum accepted the position to take over, I still have a few things to deal with, the main being our contracts and having a meeting with certain suppliers.

  This merging of families will work for all involved and could be very profitable. Matteo has a lot of businesses, legal ones like the real estate firm where his main office is located.

  The man is good with the housing market, but more importantly moves a lot of money each month through it: bonuses, client gifts, and the cocaine he peddles through those same avenues.

  I’ve done my research, and the arse is smart.

  While he does buy, flip, and sell a lot or properties—he also has a high turn-around for failed negotiations. While to most that would be a red flag to never work with him, it’s the opposite, really; those checks that go through his bank account with large sums and fall through are how he moves his product.

  Those home showings are nothing more than a pickup and delivery.

  And the businessman in me likes that. A lot.

  Easy and once learned could be implemented across the globe through different partnerships, Miami and Vegas being the main two that come to mind outside of the Boston/London union. One is a large-quantity buyer and the other transports across state lines and into Mexico for me.

  And while her father isn’t retiring this very moment, it’s never too soon to start putting your ducks in a row when it comes to a change in power like that. There are things Gem needs to learn. That she can only understand from a hands-on approach.

  “You’re thinking awfully loud in there,” Aurora says, giggling as she taps the top of my head with her small fist. “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “No. Not at all.” Turning my head, I meet her eyes beside me on the bed. She’s fresh out of the shower and as naked as I am, scent sweet and feeling like the softest silk beneath my hand. I can’t stop myself from reaching out and caressing her arm and lower to her hip where her hand lies. “Just planning. Figuring out in my head how to make this merger happen quickly and without incident, because there’s always some wanker that has a problem with change.”

  “You think we’ll have some resistance?”

  “Possibly, but I’ll be bringing half of my men back here with me. Including the one that works for you.”

  Her brows do that adorable pucker in the middle that makes her look grumpy. “What are you talking about? I don’t have anyone—”

  “I put a bodyguard on you the very day you tried to sneak out of my house after the night we met.” Gem looks at me like she’s not understanding, and I lean over to kiss her cheek. “Sweetheart, just because I haven’t been around doesn’t mean I left you alone. You’ve always had someone there ready to intervene if necessary and he quite likes you, so it works out.”

  “He likes me. You’ve been watching out for me?”

  I nod, happy that she’s not screaming at me. “His name is Alexander, and he’s the older gentleman that drove you to the hotel where you later met with your father.”

  “So then you know about Dominic and the weird detective who came to my—”

  “I do. Does that bother you?” Turning onto my side, I bring her thigh over my hip and pull her close. Her naked flesh is against mine, though this time it’s in a comforting gesture. This is something she needs to know and accept, more so as she steps into her new role. Aurora might not want to be the head of the soon-to-be-renamed Cancio family, but her role will bring just as much attention.

  People who’ve always wondered about her affiliations with the mob will now have concrete proof and will come forward, looking for a handout. It might be money or a connection for something they want...but the rubbish always comes to the surface when it can bring them a gain.

  “It should, but it doesn’t,” she says, her nails tracing the pattern of my chest tattoo. “And I was going to tell you about them. Especially Dominic’s behavior. The guy is an asshole, but I’m not afraid of him. He’s just another pompous jerk.”

  “He’s a dead man walking.”

  “You could just fire him?”

  “Or I could shoot him.”

  “We’ll revisit him later.” Her pointed look only makes my cock twitch and she notices, rolling her eyes. “What about the woman?”

  “My hacker tapped into the BPD mainframe and pulled her file. She is a detective and has two years of experience under her belt. However, her quest for fame is your father’s case.”

  “Samantha told me about it, but I didn’t want to believe her.”

  “Samantha?”

  “His ex-wife. She came to see me while I was in Boston.” Gem is pensive and I don’t interrupt her. Anything she remembers could help us get to the bottom of this bloody mess sooner. “It just doesn’t make any sense to me that out of everyone, I’m the one she tries to interview. What about Samantha or Lucas? Associates and that one senile brother he has that is around from time to time?”

  “Uncle? Matteo has a brother?”

  “Half-brother, and the guy is weird. Has been put on a seventy-two-hour hold more than once.”

  “This didn’t show up in the police file Ezra has been working on for days. None of those people you just named do.” Tapping her thigh, I wait until she moves and I grab my phone, sending a quick email to Ezra with the new information. Something isn’t right. More so when the only name that repeatedly shows up is hers.

  That, and we are missing the identity of their informant. I have a feeling this is an inside job.

  “What do you mean it was seized?” I hiss into the phone, pacing the length of the penthouse terrace. I’m furious. Wanting to break something, but Gem is inside sleeping, and I don’t want her to worry. “When did this happen?”

  “A few hours ago.” Thiago’s voice is gruff, thick with sleep. It’s barely seven in the morning there and he’s been at the Port of Miami since six thirty. “Don’t worry. We got the motherfucker responsible and he’s being taken to his room as we speak.”

  Running an agitated hand down my face, I close my eyes for a moment and think. Analyze the situation.

  Transporting through state lines isn’t my usual mode of delivery, unless it’s a pickup from Mexico to the US and I have a courier for that, but this is different. The product is already sold, and Thiago’s buyer is waiting.

  This client has already paid him half of its street value and needs it for a week-long party he’s throwing in the Bahamas. CEOs of Fortune 500 companies imbibe more than your average citizen and harder. They want to get high, have sex, then repeat the cycle all over again and for long periods of time.

  Hell, look at the little blue pill industry. Who buys that?

  Old men with money and in large quantities so they can fuck their newest wife like the pool boy can.

  “I’ll be there soon,” I say after a minute, feeling her near but I don’t turn around. Not until I get hold of my anger. “Please send a car to take me straight there.”

  “Not a problem, Jameson.” The sirens of a cop car become louder on his end, and then it shuts off. “How’s it looking, Officer Alejos?”

  “It’s hot, Thiago. You shouldn’t be anywhere near here, especially if you just got out.”

  “And I’ll stay out. Luna will kill me if I go back.”

  “She talking to you yet?”

  “Since when have you known your niece to be anything but hardheaded.” The man laughs at Thiago’s statement, but quiets just as fast when his radio goes off. There are a few codes that come through, a woman letting him know there’s a robbery in progress and units are needed.

  “I’m out, Rivera, but I’ll let you know. The initial report should be ready by tonight and it’ll show what they know. You
’ll have the upper hand, but the window is small. Act fast.” The siren blares a few seconds later and then quiets as he drives away.

  “You heard him?” he asks as my girl wraps her arms around my midsection. “We need to move fast while they’ll be preoccupied. Question is; how are we replacing? How long will it take?”

  “Buy me a few days.” My fingers entwine with hers, holding them tight against my midsection. “There’s enough in Chicago thanks to a gift from Asher and it’s here in a warehouse. I’ll have it driven down.”

  “Perfect. Shoot me a message with your flight info.”

  “Will do.” I hang up and turn around to look down at Aurora. “Did you hear?”

  “I did.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault.” Rising onto the tip of her toes, she bites my chin. “Now, let’s go back inside and book your flight so I can take you back to bed before you leave. I’m thinking you owe me that wicked tongue between my thighs as an apology.”

  “Done,” I growl, throwing her over my shoulder and heading back inside. She wants me again and I’ll give her my mouth, fingers, and cock.

  It’s time for my breakfast.

  “Rise and shine, arsehole,” I say, kicking the man responsible for all of this. He stirs, grunting a little as he comes to, but I don’t have time for slow awareness.

  My next blow comes from a closed fist straight to his jaw, causing a piece of tooth to fly out.

  We’re in the Rivera home in Miami. They own an entire street, no neighbors, and have a small building where they hold detainees for transport to Cuba. It’s away from the main house, their adorable mum, and completely soundproof. I’m really loving the space.

  It gives me ideas for my future home with Gem.

  The punch to the face catches his attention and he comes to, searching for the culprit. Those muddy brown eyes land on me and widen, and as blood rushes down his lip and chin, he looks to his left and finds Thiago. “What’s going on?” he asks, fear radiating from his every pore, more so when he takes in Ivan to the right and Callum behind him.