by CR Robertson
I mapped the entire complex out in my head while I prowled around, every detail noted and stored. We were here to observe only; each man chosen for the abilities they possessed. We travelled the globe together, casing out different places, returning later to claim the prizes that made our organisation possible.
The ghost fleet.
We specialised in jewels and artwork, building up an exclusive buyers’ network of rich people around the globe who happily wanted to secretly own priceless treasures they hid from the world.
“Next time they boot up their internet connection, I’ll be up their asses like a colonoscopy probe,” Kris said as he reached my side.
I touched the device in my ear. “Five minutes to out.”
Shadows moved out of the estate toward the perimeter. I didn’t want to walk away from this threat in my neighbourhood. I needed to tear it apart brick by brick and destroy every last person in that building until there was nothing left.
The night Matt and Doris died, the control switch to my rage died with them. The monster that used to be caged broke free to pace restlessly inside me. Occasionally, I was able to control him, but every so often, he took over and death ensued. It was the reason that people feared me and why I kept myself isolated from emotion.
I learned a long time ago that emotion made you weak. Tonight, emotion had found me again. For the first time in ten years someone touched that cold, hard lump in my chest and made it beat again.
Sofia was the only reason that I didn’t blow this place to pieces. I needed to know what the threat level was to keep her safe.
Kris and I made our way back to the jeep. “You need to talk about it?” he asked.
“Nah, you know how it is. All I want to do is kill them all, but we need to know how deep this rot goes.”
His hand landed on my shoulder. “I hear ya, man. Fuckers been sitting here under our noses, disrespecting us. I’ll happily cut every one of their throats.”
“Give it time, Kris. None of them are getting out of this alive, believe me. We came here to get away from all that shit, and the fact they’ve followed is really fucking me off.”
His fingers touched the knife sheath at his waist.
My dark thoughts surrounded me on the way home. I killed a man tonight. He wasn’t my first and wouldn’t be my last. What singed my nerves was that he was one of my men. They were who I trusted to keep everyone under my command safe, and they sold us out for fucking money. The men on my team could defend themselves, but Maria and her daughters worked on the estate.
Then there was Sofia. She screamed innocence with every movement and word she spoke. Lucas knew our way of life, hell, he taught me how to live in this world. If he couldn’t keep her safe, what did he expect from me?
It was the way Sofia reacted when she was around me that made me want to protect her from the man I’d become. She trusted me when others feared me, but she had an expression that I only saw when she looked at me. It made my gut clench and calmed the beast inside. The way she touched me made me want to be a better man. Now there was a threat on our shores, and I had to be the cold-hearted killer her father sent her to.
Only a man like me could keep her safe.
My team dispersed when I got home. The incinerator in one of the outbuildings was humming in the background, which told me that Sam had taken care of the bodies.
The atmosphere was subdued—the men who remained disappeared when they saw me. It fucking sucked to be in charge right now. I grabbed a bottle of rum and sat beside the pool, staring at the stars that filled the skies. There was no star watching like this back where I grew up in Edinburgh.
Part of me wanted to drown my thoughts in a sea of rum until they were silenced. The other part of me wanted to go up those stairs and lose myself in the arms of the woman who was driving me insane.
Sofia Black was going to be the death of me.
***
Chapter Eleven
Sofia
Papa taught me how to fire a gun when I turned sixteen. He told me ladies were to be protected, but his daughters needed to learn how to defend themselves because a day might arrive when he wasn’t there to do that.
From an early age, I’d been taught self-defence by Xavier’s friend Jordan. It finally came in useful when that guy had grabbed me back in Aberdeen. It was the difference between being caught and escaping.
There was no doubt in my head that the bang I heard had been a gunshot. I hid behind the curtains in my room for a moment, only moving to the patio when I saw Nic coming out from their meeting. For a moment, panic had made my heart stop at the thought of someone harming the man who’d given me a home without question.
He stared up at me, his eyes haunted. I knew his wave was an order to get back inside. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want me involved in it. So, I continued to watch from behind the curtains. After he left, two bodies were carried across the courtyard and down toward the outbuildings. The second man’s left arm trailed the ground.
“You should be asleep.” I jumped at the sound of Maria’s voice behind me. “It is best not to know what happens in the darkness.”
She set a tray on the dresser.
“Is Nic okay?” I wasn’t sure if he was in trouble because of me.
“Nicklas is a survivor. He is the only one who brings order to this chaos.”
Nicklas? In a strange way it suited him more than Nic, which made him sound like the devil.
Maria gave me a long assessing look. “We need to get you some other clothes to wear. You are bigger than my daughters, so we’ll need to go into town.”
That was the story of my life. Catarina and Lucrezia could interchange their clothes, but my hips and breasts refused to cooperate.
“You’re safe here, Chiquita. None of the men will defy Nicklas.”
“And who does Nicklas obey?”
Maria laughed and shook her head. “That man is a law onto himself, he tortures himself more than anyone ever could. He answers to his own strict moral code. He is the reason me and my girls sleep safe at night. Nicklas gave me a home when I had nowhere else to go. There is a difference between a villain and someone who had to adapt to the life they were given.”
She gave me a wave and disappeared out the door. The key sounded in the lock outside.
I picked through the food and contemplated what she said. Papa was cast from the same mould as Nicklas. Why else would he have sent me here? I opened the patio doors to let a breeze flutter through the room and alleviate the oppressive heat.
A while later, the sound of car engines woke me from the light sleep I was in. The men all disembarked, and I watched from the shadows as Nicklas settled himself with a bottle in his hand. He seemed detached and alone, lost in the darkness. There was no one else around, so I didn’t perceive any risk. I crept downstairs and across the courtyard, sitting on the wooden lounger beside him.
He slid me a look and let out a deep sigh. “You should be in bed.”
“I gave up bedtimes when I turned eighteen.”
He rolled his eyes and took another mouthful of amber liquid from the bottle.
Feeling brave, I took the bottle from his hand and swallowed a mouthful. It burned going down, but I refused to cough and splutter. My lips pursed, even as my eyes watered.
“I’m not in a good mood tonight,” he said. “Your disobedience doesn’t help.”
Heat from the alcohol warmed my stomach. “I couldn’t sleep after hearing a gun shot and watching two bodies being carried out.”
“Maybe I should put you in a room with no windows,” he muttered.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a woman. We’re curious.” I took another sip from the bottle.
He deliberately looked me over. “I noticed.”
I flopped back on the lounger to stare at the stars. “I miss the sky every time I leave Tuscany. I used to try to count the stars at night when I couldn’t sleep.”
He snatched the bottle from me and put i
t to his lips. “Why don’t you sleep?” he asked in that deep tone that sent shivers down my spine to settle in my stomach. “Your light is on during the night, and I’ve seen your shadow standing at the window in the early hours of the morning.”
I wasn’t sure what he expected me to say to that. Was he watching over me like my own avenging angel? I held my hand out, and he handed me the bottle. I sat in silence for a while, each sip warmed me and took the edge off the pain my memories brought.
“I have two younger sisters. They don’t remember our Mama, but I do. We used to sing in the kitchen together while she taught me to bake. I sat at her bedside and refused to leave when she got ill, holding her hand until the end and reading all my favourite stories to her. I’ve slept with the light on since she left me. It was one of the last things she said to me, that I was to leave a light on for her, so she’d be able to find me. I just got out of the habit of sleeping because I used to watch over my sisters at night in case anything happened to them.”
Nicklas stared at me for several moments. He lifted the bottle from my hand and took a drink. “I watched my foster parents be murdered because of me. It isn’t easy to see the death of a loved one.”
“Papa says I remind him of her.” I laughed bitterly. Mama was a gorgeous woman. “My sisters are on the tall, beautiful end of the gene pool, and I’m on the opposite. So, I’m guessing my personality reminds him of her.”
Nicklas turned onto his side, watching me with his head resting on his hand. “I’ve seen your sisters.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t impressed.”
Men fell over themselves for Catarina. She had all the security patrols wrapped around her little finger. My cousin Xavier’s friend Ash watched Lucrezia when Papa wasn’t around.
I smiled and laid back to study the sky. “You’d be the first man that wasn’t smitten with them. My sisters are smoking hot.”
My head swam a little. How much of that bottle had I drunk?
Nicklas loomed over me, his hands landing on either side of my head as he widened my legs so he could kneel between them. “You don’t think much of yourself, do you?”
“I know that I tend to be the consolatory prize when someone can’t get my sister’s attention.”
He shook his head. “You’re fucking crazy.”
“Mmmm. You smell nice.” I sniffed his shirt, and he laughed.
“Don’t drink often, do you?”
“Mario didn’t allow me to drink. He only allowed me to go out on certain nights if he checked out the location, and I had to pretend he was my boyfriend even though he didn’t want me.”
Nic’s eyebrow lifted fractionally. “Sounds like he had control issues.”
I wanted him to touch me, he felt too far away. My fingers traced down the centre of his chest. “Do you have control issues?”
His lips twitched. “Yeah, I don’t seem to have any around you.”
My eyes met his. “I have no idea what that means.”
He leaned down until his lips moved against my ear. “It means that you are driving me fucking crazy. My dick is about to start a rebellion if he doesn’t get inside you.”
My mouth fell open. No one ever talked to me like that.
He kissed a trail down my throat. “My guess is that Mario pretended to be your boyfriend to scare everyone else away and keep you for himself.”
“I think Mario’s dead because of me.” Suddenly I felt sad. “I didn’t get to say goodbye, and he died trying to save me.”
“Did you see a body?” Nic looked up from where he was, pushing my top up my tummy.
I shook my head.
“Then he may not be dead.”
“What are you doing?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Trying to get into your pants.”
“I don’t have any panties on. I ran out of clean ones.”
Nicklas sat back on his knees, his fingers buried in his hair. “Are you fucking kidding me? You can’t say things like that to a man!”
I sat up, my legs on either side of him. “Why not? It’s true.” I pulled the top of my leggings down slightly to prove my point.
He groaned. “Why not? Because I’m rock hard and want to fuck you even more now.”
I blinked, then looked somewhere to my right. “I don’t see anyone objecting.”
The guy was fast for his size. He had me pinned under him in an instant, the tip of his nose touching mine. “Do you have any idea the restraint it takes not to peel those tight leggings off and bury myself so deep inside that you’ll still feel me tomorrow? I promised your father I’d look after you the way he would.”
“Papa can’t keep me hidden behind the high walls of his home forever. At some point, I need to claim my own life.”
“I’m not good enough to even be in the same room as you.” His forehead pressed to mine, and our breaths mingled.
“Is that not my decision?” I tilted my head back, so my lips met his. He groaned, one of his hands gripping the back of my neck.
Two days ago, I had no clue how to kiss. Nicklas had changed that, and I met his mouth with an eagerness to explore his.
Someone walked past us, causing him to curse under his breath. When I giggled, he narrowed his eyes at me. He stood abruptly and hoisted me over his shoulder. His hand on my ass made me feel safe. It sounded dumb, but it did. He didn’t stop until he reached my room and threw me on the bed.
He pointed at me. “Stay here, Princess. No more wandering after dark.”
I sat up, my hands resting on his hips with my head pressing against his rock-hard stomach. “Stay with me,” I whispered. The only time I felt safe since the attack was when he was close.
“You’re drunk and don’t know what you’re saying.”
I stared up at him. “Please, Nicklas. I can’t sleep. Stay with me.”
His head canted to the side for a moment, before he trailed his top over his head and dumped it on the floor. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. No funny business, this is purely a sleeping arrangement.” I caught sight of elaborate tattoos across his body but didn’t have time to study them.
I crawled up the bed and settled myself on the side that I tended to sleep on. Nicklas snuggled himself behind me, his arm warm and reassuring around my waist. “Go to sleep,” he commanded.
Unconsciously, I snuggled back into his chest and sighed. “Thank you.”
“This is not a fucking good idea,” he muttered.
“Shut up and sleep.”
I swear I felt his lips kissing the top of my head when he tugged me closer.
No one had ever held me before, and the feelings that were swirling around inside me, I blamed on the alcohol. I’d only known him a few days, and I felt more than I had in years. There was something about Nicklas that was addictive, and every kiss only added to my addiction, leaving me drunk and craving more.
***
Chapter Twelve
Sofia
Glorious heat surrounded me as soft lips kissed their way down my stomach. Light poured in through the slats on the windows to form patterns across the ceiling and walls. If this was a fantasy, it was better than any I had before.
“You awake?” Nicklas asked in a husky, only awake voice.
“Mmmm-hmm.”
His fingers tugged my leggings down my legs, pulling them off my right foot. His lips found my core between my thighs, his tongue doing what I’d only ever read about in books.
“Oh god…” My hips tilted up and he gently bit down on my clit, his tongue flicking it rapidly. He slipped a finger inside me far enough to find that spot I heard so much about. His mouth and finger moved together in a rhythm that had me writhing under him. His other hand landed on my stomach to hold me still.
Pressure built low in my stomach with every touch, perspiration coating my skin. My legs widened and my back arched. He pressed hard inside at the same time he sucked my clit between his teeth, and I exploded into a symphony of muscle spasms and nerve pulses.
It was bette
r than I ever anticipated.
Nicklas crawled over me and that was when I realised my top was missing. My nipples touched the ridges of his chest. “Good morning.” He pressed a kiss to my open lips.
I felt his erection rubbing between my legs and glanced down. Holy moly, he was enormous! There was no way that thing was fitting inside me. His fingers hooked under my chin as he lifted my face up.
“You don’t need to be panicking this morning. I just wanted to taste you.”
My eyes flew to his. How had he known?
“Your father makes his views very clear on his daughters.” He gave me a lop-sided grin. “No looking or touching without showing your portfolio.”
“I think you’ve looked and touched,” I pointed out. His massive cock was still touching me.
“And tasted.” His grin was impossible to ignore and soon echoed on my face. This situation could have been awkward and embarrassing, instead he made it feel natural.
Tentatively, I touched his cock. His teeth dug into his bottom lip and his eyes closed. “I have no clue what I’m doing,” I confessed.
His hand covered mine. “Squeeze it a bit and stroke.”
I tried for a few strokes, but it felt awkward, so I pushed on his stomach until he was lying on his back. My legs straddled his, and I tried to stroke him again from on top, my hand moving up and down his length.
He pushed my hair over my shoulder and rubbed my nipple between his fingers.
“You’re going to make me lose concentration,” I said.
He pushed himself up the bed, so he was propped up and had better access to my breasts. Nicklas dragged me up and his head lowered to take my nipple between his teeth. My back arched to give him better access.
“Stroke,” he commanded.
My hand moved, but I wanted more. When he released my nipple, I scooted back and leaned down to lick his cock from root to tip, my hand grasping the base. This could be a total disaster, but the only way to learn was to try. I took in as much as I could, sucking the way I had read women did in my extensive book collection. My cheeks hollowed, and I used my tongue to massage the underside.
