by Nikki Ash
When I click on the photos I just took, I notice a tattoo I didn’t see before. Glancing from the phone to Kostas, I spot it on the side of his ribcage. “That’s new,” I point out. Dropping the phone onto the blanket, I step toward him and bend so I can get a better look at it.
“I got it a few months after you disappeared,” he says. The tattoo is of a grenade, cracked open at the seams, and inside of it are bright red beads…no, not beads. Seeds. From a pomegranate. “I thought you left me,” he admits, and I stand back up.
“What?”
“We were fighting that morning and then you disappeared. I thought you left me.”
I glance back down at the tattoo. I’m almost positive the seeds symbolize Proserpina—me—being forced to stay in the Underground, but… “What does the grenade mean?”
“My world being blown apart.” Kostas swallows thickly. “The day you went missing my entire world exploded.” And just like that, I fall even deeper in love with my husband.
The day is spent playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean. We order lunch to be brought down, and only when Zoe is so exhausted, she can’t keep her eyes open, do we go back up to our villa.
After laying her down in the new crib—yes, while we were at the beach, my crazy husband somehow had an entire nursery of furniture brought in—I find Kostas on the phone in his office. It reminds me of the time he fucked me on his desk, and that thought has me wanting him to take me there again. We’ve lost so much time together. All I want is to spend all my time with him. Create new memories to push away every memory that was created this past year.
When he spots me in the doorway, he abruptly ends his phone call.
“That was rude,” I joke. “Won’t whoever you were talking to wonder why you hung up on him?” I saunter over to him and he spreads his muscular thighs to let me in. He’s still in his swim trunk sans shirt, and I take a moment to memorize every hard ridge, every tattoo on his body, including the tattoo he got while I was gone.
“I’m the boss,” he says, running his hands up the sides of my hips. “I answer to no one.”
“Do you answer to me?” I ask, my voice flirty.
His fingers find my pebbled nipples through my thin bathing suit top and he pinches them roughly. Waves of pleasure shoot through my entire body.
Kostas lifts me up and sets me on his desk. Papers crinkle under my weight, but he doesn’t seem to care. “You and me aren’t business,” he says, pushing the material aside. He leans in and wraps his lips around my nipple, and the coolness of his breath sends a shiver straight down my spine. “But yes, zoí mou, I answer to you.” He bites down on my nipple, then darts his tongue out to lick it, as he continues to pinch and pull at the other one. When I let out a low moan, tugging on his messy hair, he glances up at me with a wicked smirk. “I may not know a lot about this whole marriage thing, but I do know one thing…”
He pulls my bottoms down my legs, dropping them onto the floor, and I spread my legs so I’m completely exposed to him. “What’s that?” I prompt, needing him to get to his point before I lose all my focus.
“Any smart man knows his wife is in charge.” With his hands pushed against my thighs to keep me open, he dips his face down and swipes his tongue up my center.
“You’re wrong,” I tell him through a moan. He sucks my clit into his mouth and bites down playfully. “You do know a lot…” Kostas pushes two fingers into me, and I arch my back, craving more. Always more. “You’re a really good husband…” I breathe. He adds another finger, stroking my insides in a way that has me squirming in pleasure. With every touch, every lick, every stroke, he works my entire body into a frenzy, until I’m coming all over his face and fingers, screaming his name.
“You only think I’m a good husband because I make you come.” He smirks playfully as he stands and pushes his swim trunks down. I can’t help but laugh. I love when my husband is playful.
“That’s not the only reason.” I reach forward and grip his hard cock. It doesn’t need any preamble, but I stroke it a few times just because I want to.
Kostas watches for a few seconds before he loses his patience. With my hand still gripping his shaft, he steps closer, allowing me to guide him inside of me. As he slowly enters me, his thick, long length stretches me until he’s buried to the hilt. “Fuck, moró mou.” He groans. “I’ve missed your sweet cunt so fucking much.” His hands land on either side of me, and with his strong arms caging me in, he fucks me hard and deep.
His mouth finds my neck and he suckles on my flesh. I can smell myself on his breath, and it sends me over the edge once again. Kostas’s head lifts, and his eyes meet mine. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he vows. And with one last thrust, he finds his own release.
His movements still momentarily, and then he pulls out. Glancing down, I spot his cum dripping out of me and onto the desk. “Kostas,” I breathe. We were too wrapped up in each other last night, and then again just now… “I’m not on birth control.”
Kostas smirks, his gaze focused on the mess that’s now dripping onto the floor. I try to close my legs, but he grips my knees, forcing them to remain open. He swipes at the liquid, gathering it onto his fingers, then smears his cum along the hood of my clit, as if he’s claiming me all over again. The thought has my insides clenching in need. “Kostas,” I repeat breathily. “I could get pregnant…”
“That’s good, moró mou,” he says, looking me dead in the eyes. “Because I intend to knock you up again as soon as fucking possible.”
Kostas
I flick through the screens of the various cameras on my app. My newest obsession. Nothing. Nothing is better than something. It’s been nearly a week since I got Talia and Zoe home, but we’re on edge. Not Zoe, of course. She’s cute as fuck and learning the lay of the villa. I didn’t know babies could be so goddamn fast. I’ve been tempted to build her a little cage to keep her safe from furniture and decorations and tiny things she seems to find on the floor to put into her mouth. Talia says no to cages.
My phone rings, and I answer Adrian’s call on the first ring.
“Anything?” I grunt out. I swivel around in my chair to glower at the rain. My beach babies are restless stuck inside. Thank God Melody and Stefano showed up yesterday. Otherwise, I’d never get any work done. Now, they can visit and catch up with Talia while I hunt down the motherfuckers who hurt her.
“There’s some chatter…”
I stand abruptly, nearly crushing my phone to my ear. “Spill, Adrian.”
“With Estevan’s body turning up, his people are pissed. They’re not loyal to Aris like Estevan was. Estevan kept them in check because Aris’s dime insured that. Now that he’s gone, the roaches have scattered. Basil and Bronn have been following one of his men named Gutter.”
“Gutter?”
He snorts. “Rats. Roaches. They’re all pieces of shit. Anyway, Gutter seems to be planning something. Rallying his troops.”
“To do what?”
“Not sure. I’ve been fed information that maybe they’re waiting for you to fly out to Thessaloniki again. Might try to take out the private jet or put a hit on you while you’re there.”
“Why not here and now?”
“You’re vulnerable there because you travel with minimal security. Here, at the hotel, it’s a fuckin’ fortress.”
“Is Gutter calling the shots or is Aris still pulling strings? Aris is a sneaky sonofabitch.”
“Aris is a ghost. But…”
“But what?”
“I got a tip about an older man who fits Niles’s description staying about thirty minutes from here.”
My entire body tenses. “What the fuck, Adrian? You could have led with that.”
“It’s just a tip. Nothing’s confirmed. I was going to check it out. Didn’t want to leave the king of the fortress unprotected.”
I smirk. “The king can handle himself. Plus, security on the hotel is extra beefed. I’m about to head back t
o my family. Call me if you get Niles. Bring him to the cellar. Tell Basil and Bronn to keep me informed.”
“Later, Boss.”
We hang up and I stride through the hotel. It’s pouring down rain and I hate to get out in it, but I miss my wife and our precious little angel. I grab one of the hotel umbrellas and pop it open as I step outside into the nasty weather. Wind hits hard from the west, soaking my slacks with rain. I grumble as I stalk along the pathways toward my villa. When I arrive, Melody and Stefano are just leaving.
“The weatherman said it’s only supposed to get worse,” Melody says in greeting. “Stefano and I are going to call it an early night. Maybe order room service. Breakfast tomorrow, though?”
“Pomegranate has an excellent brunch menu. We can meet there in the morning,” I agree. “Stay dry.”
Stefano holds the umbrella over her as she leans in and hugs me. I’m stiff as I accept her embrace.
“You two made a beautiful baby,” she says. “Thank you for being such a wonderful husband to her. I knew you had it in you.”
Stefano nods at me as she pulls away. Then, they disappear into the rain. Once on the front stoop of the villa, I close the umbrella and prop it against the wall. I mash in the code and then push through the door. It smells like coffee and Talia. Two warm, comforting scents.
I kick off my rain-soaked shoes and then walk through the villa on a hunt for them. I find Talia in Zoe’s bathroom, running her a bath. Zoe splashes from her little seat inside the tub. With Talia’s blond hair curtaining her face as she looks down at the little angel below her, I can’t help but think she looks like an angel herself. And Daddy is from the depths of the Underworld. Somehow, our opposites attract. When she sees me, she grins, and her brilliant blue eyes glitter with love. It’s a punch to the chest every time she knocks me over with her intensity. There’s no questioning our feelings anymore.
“Someone is soaked,” Talia says, smiling. “Why don’t you go grab a hot shower and we’ll eat after? I’ll preheat the oven to cook a frozen lasagna once I’m done with her bath. It won’t be homemade, but it’s better than getting out in that weather.”
I walk over to her and kiss the top of her head. I ruffle Zoe’s dark hair. “I’ll make it quick.”
“Any news?”
“A lead on Niles. Maybe some other shit, but I won’t know until Basil and Adrian check it out.”
She purses her lips together. “Are we safe?”
“Of course.”
Her brows pull together as though she doesn’t believe me. It makes me bristle, but I don’t let it get to me. After the hell she’s gone through, she’s allowed to have anxiety. One day, hopefully, it’ll fade completely. I quickly shed my soaked clothes and breeze through a shower. Since we’re not going anywhere, I pull on a pair of gray sweatpants, some socks, and a white T-shirt. Talia likes it when I’m dressed down. With my hair still wet and messy, I pad through the house to find her in the kitchen, Zoe propped on her hip.
“Here, hold her,” she instructs.
I take my baby, who now smells sweet and clean, bouncing her in my arms as Talia peels the plastic film away from the lasagna and sits it on a tray. She then busies herself with making a salad while the oven preheats. Zoe and I walk over to the window where the storm seems to worsen.
Boom!
Thunder crashes loud and hard enough the windows rattle.
“That was intense,” Talia exclaims from behind me. “This storm—”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
My blood runs cold. Thunder doesn’t sound like that. It doesn’t hit that quickly either. What the fuck?
“Get in the closet,” I bark out, grabbing Talia’s arm and rushing her through the villa as the booms continue.
“Kostas,” she cries out. “What’s happening?”
“We’re being attacked.”
“W-What?”
“Turn the lights off. Hide in the closet,” I bellow as I grab my phone from the bedroom. I dial Adrian and he doesn’t answer. When I call Basil, he picks up. “We’re being fucking hit.”
“We’re five minutes out and I have Caymon on the other line. He says Aris’s Porsche is at the front. Explosives are going off near the front entrance. Bold ass motherfucker,” Basil huffs. “Want me to take him out, Boss?”
“No kill shot. He’s mine. I want him in the cellar,” I bark out.
Basil says something to Bronn and then grunts, “Bronn says Caymon’s men have the Porsche surrounded.”
“I’m on my way.” I hang up and shove my phone into my pocket.
I stalk into the closet to find Talia and Zoe watching me with wide eyes. I shove my feet into a pair of tennis shoes and shove my suit jackets aside to get to my gun safe. After punching in the code, I pull out a Glock, check the magazine, and then hand the weapon to Talia.
“Shoot first, ask questions later,” I hiss before turning to pull out my AR-15. “They have Aris’s Porsche surrounded.”
“Be careful,” Talia cries out. “Please.”
I rush over to her, planting a kiss on her lips and then one on Zoe’s soft head. “Shoot anyone who walks through that closet, Talia. I have my phone. Call me if you need me. I’ll be back as soon as we have that motherfucker detained.”
As I leave, I turn off all the lights, to keep them safe under the cover of darkness. The doors are all locked and I slip out the front into the pouring rain. Wind violently whips at me, slashing me with rain and soaking me to the bone. I sprint through the downpour, racing toward the front of the hotel under the cover of shadows and between buildings. I’m not letting my guard down for an instant.
“Boss,” Caymon hisses from between a building. He stumbles out, holding his side. “It’s a fucking—”
His head explodes in front of me as he collapses to the dirt. I lift my AR and turn toward the direction the bullet came from. Spraying bullets into the trees, I try to mow down the attacker. This isn’t Aris’s style, which means he has his men doing his dirty work. Someone grunts from the trees and I charge after them.
I tackle the man and lay a hard punch to his kidney. He groans, attempting to roll away from me, splattering us with mud, but I’m stronger. I flip the man and shove the barrel of my AR against his Adam’s apple, making him gag and cough.
Niles motherfucking Nikolaides.
The urge to shoot his head right off his spine is strong, but I need answers. I kick him hard in the stomach, making him howl.
“Get the fuck up and walk,” I bellow.
He groans and unsteadily makes his way to his feet.
“Turn.” As soon as his back is to me, I poke the gun in between his shoulder blades. “To your left.” My phone buzzes and I quickly answer it. “What?”
“It’s Adrian,” he barks out. “Where are you?”
“Walking Niles to the goddamn cellar. Where are you?”
“Standing behind the Porsche. We can see them inside. A man and a woman. Call it and I’ll put a bullet in their heads.”
“No,” I growl. “I want my brother alive. I’m going to tie down this fucker and then I’m on my way.”
“Hold on,” he bites at me as he talks to someone. “No fuckin’ way. Basil has Phoenix.”
That traitorous motherfucker.
“Tell Basil to bring Phoenix to the cellar to keep his daddy company and to watch them both. You keep Aris there.”
We hang up just as I storm into the groundskeeper’s house with Niles leading the way. The groundskeeper sits on the sofa, soaked to the bone, holding pressure to his stomach as blood blooms over his hands. He gurgles out something to me, but it’s too late. Hot pain slices through the back of my arm, just as I’m turning. Whoever nearly stabbed me in the goddamn back, missed a deadlier hit when I moved at the last minute, but it still hurts like a motherfucker. With my gun still trained on Niles, I swing out with my leg, taking down my assailant. They hit the ground with a loud grunt.
I sling the AR to the guy’s face and pop him right in
the mouth with three bullets. Niles tries to run, but I crack him hard in the back of the head with the butt of the AR. He falls hard on his knees but doesn’t go completely down.
“Get your ass down those stairs or I’ll kick you down them,” I roar, shoving the barrel into his back. “Move.”
He groans and curses all the way down to the cellar. I force him into the chair and tie him tight enough around his wrists, his hands turn purple. I’m about to head back upstairs when Basil and Bronn manhandle Phoenix down the steps. His face is beat all to hell, but he’s raging like a beast. Not taking any chances, I stay until they get him subdued with an elbow to the face and tied down.
“I’ll be back soon with my brother and his bitch. Don’t let them go anywhere.”
Basil and Bronn both nod as I take the steps up two at a time. My arm hurts like a motherfucker, but I’m high on adrenaline. I’ve thirsted for vengeance for what feels like forever. I’m finally getting it. Fucking finally.
I run through the rain toward the front gate with my AR raised and ready to fire. My staff are trained in the event we’re ever attacked, so the guests should be fairly safe, although it’s going to be a helluva PR nightmare. I’ll have Josef pissed as fuck having to cover our shit, but there’s nothing money won’t buy—even the Minister of Public Order’s compliance.
When the Porsche comes into view, flashes of light can be seen in conjunction with pops of gunfire. My men are shooting into the vehicle against my orders. What the fuck!
Racing toward them, I nearly mow down Adrian in the process.
“They shot him against direct orders—”
“Something isn’t right, Boss!” Adrian barks out.
I shove past him toward the Porsche. Pushing a guy out of my way, I fling open the door. A man and a woman are slumped over, the entire interior splattered with their blood. The guy is an older man with his hands tied behind his back. The woman has gray hair and her arms are bound too.
Fuck.
Fuck.
