Ink (Hounds of Hellfire MC #6)

Chapter 10

10

INK

I was just about to take Annika back up to our room when Kevlar popped his head into the clinic. His gaze met mine, and he jerked his chin toward the hallway.

“Need to talk to Kevlar for a second, dolcezza . You good?”

Annika sighed in exasperation, but there was a little humor in her ice-blue depths. “I’m more than fine, Matteo. Stop worrying so much.”

“Not gonna happen,” I muttered before giving her a quick kiss and following Kevlar out of the room.

Rebel was waiting for us in the hallway, and his expression was furious.

“Show him,” Kevlar grunted, and Rebel held up a bullet.

“You found it?”

Kevlar nodded. “Found the casing in the woods, too.” He opened his fist to show it to me, and my eyes narrowed.

“Are those fucking custom?” I growled.

“Yup,” Kevlar replied.

“Son of a bitch.” More than likely, this meant we were dealing with a professional. “How the fuck did they miss?”

Rebel handed Kevlar the bullet, then shoved his hands into his pockets as he leaned back against the wall. “Wooded area around the compound is tough to navigate, and we patrol it regularly. Probably couldn’t find a decent perch.”

“So we got damn lucky.”

Rebel nodded.

Which meant we probably wouldn’t be so fortunate a second time.

“I don’t recognize the style.” Kevlar took a closer look at the components. “But my connections in that world only go so far...”

He left the rest of his thought unsaid, knowing I’d understand.

Scowling, I muttered, “How have I become even more involved with The Family since I left them behind?”

I yanked my cell phone from the inner pocket of my cut and pulled up Rafa’s number.

“Matteo,” he greeted when he picked up.

“Need a favor,” I grumbled.

“You already owe me,” Rafa replied smoothly, not bothering to hide the smugness in his tone.

“Debatable. We can get into that shit later. Someone is trying to kill my woman, and you’re better equipped to find the bastard than I am.”

“How can I help?” All traces of humor were gone now.

“Pretty sure it’s a pro.”

“And that’s more my world than yours,” Rafa concluded.

“Fair assumption,” I agreed.

“What makes you think it’s a hitman?”

“Custom ammunition, mostly. But more specifically, the style of it,” I explained.

“You don’t recognize a signature?”

“No.”

“ Capisco . Text me photos, but I’ll send a soldier to collect it for closer examination,” he offered. “If they’re local, Domenico might know of them.”

Domenico DeAngelis had been my first thought as well. He was one of The Family’s best assassins.

“ Bene. Apprezzo il tuo aiuto ,” I murmured, thanking him for his help.

“ Sicuramente . I’ll be in touch.”

After hanging up, I filled in Rebel and Kevlar, then returned to the clinic exam room.

Wizard watched me curiously, and I thought about his earlier comment. Club business versus what Annika should be allowed to know.

“Think it’s a pro,” I grunted. “Rafa is on it.”

“The Family?” he asked, his brow shooting up.

I nodded sharply. “Whatever it takes.”

He glanced at my girl before meeting my eyes again. “King gave approval to tell her whatever you think she needs to know, as long as it doesn’t compromise club business. He suggested you start with The Family.”

“Your family?” Annika asked.

Wizard clammed up and jumped to his feet. “Gonna leave you two to talk.” He walked to the door, but he slowed as he passed me and murmured, “If she can handle club life, she can handle knowing about your blood ties.”

He was right, but that didn’t make me feel a fuck of a lot better about telling my sweet, innocent Annika that her man was technically a member of The DeLuca Crime Family.

“You need to rest, dolcezza .” I held out my hand, and she grabbed it, allowing me to help her to her feet. “Let’s go back to the room, and we’ll talk.”

She frowned but didn’t say anything as we walked back to my quarters.

I waited until I was seated on the couch with Annika in my lap before starting, “You know I live my life in the gray area. My hands are dirtier than you’ll ever know the full extent of. And there will be many times when I can’t share things with you.”

Annika smiled softly, then laid her head on my shoulder and slipped her arms around my torso. “I know. But I also know what a good man you are.”

She gave me a gentle hug, and I sent up a prayer to Santa Rita da Cascia that knowing about my connection to The Family wouldn’t tip the scales in the wrong direction.

“You know my last name is DeLuca. Like the crime family.”

“I already assumed you were distantly related or something like that,” she replied, raising her head so we were face-to-face.

“Not distantly, dolcezza . The boss, Nic DeLuca, is my cousin. His father, mine, and Rafa’s—the underboss here in the south—were brothers. I was born and raised in New York until I was ten.”

“You’re a member of the Mafia?” she clarified with a double blink.

“No, I’m a member of the Hounds of Hellfire. But I have blood ties to the Mafia.” I went on to give her a brief summary of my background, my connections to the DeLucas, as well as my history with the Silver Saints and now the Hounds.

To my relief, she listened quietly, seeming to simply absorb the knowledge rather than recoil from it.

When I was finished, she chewed on her lip for a moment, then asked, “What you said about a pro? You meant a hitman?”

I nodded.

“And you thought it was more likely that your cousin would be able to identify a hired killer than the MC?”

I nodded again.

“That was really smart, Matteo. I wouldn’t have thought of that.” She chuckled. “But then, these worlds are all new to me.”

Part of me was glad she seemed to be in full acceptance of everything I’d told her, but the other part…

“I hate that you’re being exposed to such ugliness,” I admitted. “But it’s my life, and I’m too selfish to let you go. I promise to shield you as much as I possibly can, though.”

Annika frowned and placed a palm on my cheek. “I know there are plenty of things I can’t know, but I don’t want you to treat me like some angel on a pedestal. I want to be your partner. For you to be able to be vulnerable and honest with me, just like you asked me to be with you.”

“You’re so fucking incredible.” Sighing, I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. “How did I get so damn lucky?”

“You must have done something redeemable,” she teased with a giggle.

My body was on fire, and my gaze was heated when I raised my head and met her gaze. “Maybe, but wicked is all that’s left, baby.”

I surged to my feet and tossed her on the bed, then proceeded to prove just how sinful I could be before we fell asleep in an exhausted heap.

When I woke up from our nap, Annika’s warm, soft body was pressed against me, and I buried my face in her silky, dark blond tresses. Damn, she was amazing.

It seemed impossible that she had accepted me for who I was and wanted to be with me despite knowing that my hands would often be dirty with more than just tattooing ink.

Even though it had only been a few days, I couldn’t imagine going to bed without her in my arms. Annika was the shining spot in a life filled with a lot of darkness. She had already become more vital to me than oxygen. She was the love of my life, and I was gonna make that official the second we’d taken care of the shit hanging over us because of her bastard uncle.

However, considering I hadn’t used protection even once since I popped her cherry, I could already have accomplished one of my goals. Still, I should up my chances…and even after it happened, we’d need plenty of practice for the next one.

My arms closed even tighter around Annika, cuddling her incredible curves closer to me. I fucking loved that she wasn’t so tiny that I felt like I might break her. She was soft and strong at the same time. And fuck, her tits, hips, and ass were sexier than I’d ever imagined a woman could be. I practically walked around with a permanent semi because she was never far from my thoughts.

She stirred in my arms and shifted around to face me. Her lids lifted slowly and she looked up at me with adorable, sleepy eyes. Her pale blue orbs looked like ice, but they were filled with warmth.

“ Ciao, dolcezza ,” I mumbled before burying my face in her neck and taking a deep breath. Something about her sweet scent soothed me every time I inhaled it. I glided one hand up from her hip to rest just below her tits as I placed tiny kisses on the sensitive skin of her throat. She shivered, and I grinned, loving how much I affected her.

“ Ciao ,” she replied in a shy, breathy tone.

I brought my head back up and gazed down into her face. “I get it,” I told her as I stared at her perfect mouth.

“Get what?”

“Why you think it’s so fucking sexy when I speak to you in Italian.”

A pretty blush stole across her cheeks, and she giggled. “You’ll have to teach me more.”

“Happy to, baby. As long as you promise to never speak Italian in front of another man.”

She laughed, but it trailed off when she clocked my serious expression. “Never?”

I shook my head. “They’d try to steal you, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you away from me.”

“But what if?—”

“Annika,” I growled. “I’m warning you, baby. That would be the fastest way to earn yourself a cherry-red ass.”

When her expression turned intrigued, I groaned. “The threat is ruined if you’re hoping for a spanking, dolcezza .”

She flushed and smiled at me sheepishly.

Unable to help it, I laughed and kissed her softly. I’d meant it to be quick, but heat exploded between us, sizzling over my skin and sending streaks of desire straight to the big, thick rod poking her in the stomach.

I rolled her to her back before covering her curvy body with my own. Electricity sparked wherever we touched. My groin nestled into hers, pressing my hard erection into the heat of her pussy. She was fucking drenched, and my cock easily slid between her folds as I shifted to settle more fully against her. She arched her back and moaned, causing my dick to swell impossibly bigger.

Lazily, I rocked against her, gliding through her juices again, making sure to rub over her clit with each pass. Her needy little noises drove me out of my fucking mind.

“You need to come, dolcezza ?” I rasped.

She whimpered and nodded frantically. “Please, Matteo.”

“ Piacere mio .” I dipped my head down to take one of her fat nipples in my mouth as I increased my pace. The heat of her pussy and slick coating of her arousal on my cock was straining my control.

“Matteo,” she moaned as her head thrashed from side to side. Her legs circled my hips, and she bucked up to meet my shallow thrusts. “More,” she begged softly.

I rubbed harder and switched my attention to the other breast.

“No,” she gasped as I dragged my cock over her clit. “Inside me. Please.”

I let her nipple go with a pop and grunted, “Fuck, baby.”

“That’s the point,” she uttered with a cute little smirk.

I chuckled and dropped a kiss on her lips before pulling back, then shifted as I slid forward so that the tip of my cock teased her entrance. “You want my cock, dolcezza ?”

“Yessss,” she moaned, her hands tunneling into my hair and clenching the strands in a tight grip.

I was barely inside her, but her walls clenched and massaged the tip of my cock, draining all my blood in my body to my shaft as pleasure rocketed through me.

Finally, I surged forward, burying myself to the hilt. “Oh, fuck!” I shouted.

Annika screamed, her head thrown back in ecstasy as she clamped down on my dick like a vise.

“Oh, Matteo, yes! Don’t stop!!” she demanded, turning me on even more.

“ Sì, dolcezza, ” I groaned before withdrawing all the way and slamming back in. “Shit! Oh, baby, yes! Fuck! Love this tight little pussy. Fuck! Oh fuck, yeah.”

After a few more hard thrusts, I withdrew slowly, stopping when only a few inches remained inside her. Then I grasped her legs and untangled them from around me, shifting so I was straddling her. I closed her thighs around my cock, causing her to grip me even tighter.

“Press those legs closed, dolcezza, ” I ordered. “Want you to fight it when I pull out. Keep my cock inside you.”

She stared up at me and licked her lips. Then her walls spasmed, and black spots danced in front of my eyes. I caught her wrists in my hands and laced our fingers together before raising her arms over her head and pressing them into the mattress.

I started to move again, and she obeyed my command, fighting me every time I withdrew. It wasn’t long before we were both panting wildly, our bodies slapping together as we bucked, meeting each other thrust for thrust.

Eventually, my control deserted me, and I pounded in and out of her tight pussy, hard and fast. “Oh, fuck yeah! That’s it, baby. Take me even deeper. Fuck yes! Fuck!”

Annika screamed one last time as her orgasm crashed into her. Her pussy walls rippled, triggering my climax. I shoved in hard, seating myself as deep as possible so the tip of my dick bumped her cervix. Then I bellowed her name as I came long and hard, filling her with my hot seed.

“Damn, dolcezza . If this just keeps getting better, it’s gonna kill me.”

I panted as I released her hands and collapsed on top of her. But I worried about my weight crushing her, so I lifted my body until her arms curled around me and held on.

“Don’t move yet,” she murmured softly. “You feel so good. And with everything…”

She’d averted her eyes, so I gently took hold of her chin and forced her to meet my gaze. “Tell me, dolcezza .”

A pretty blush stained her cheeks. “You...you make me feel so safe like this.”

I took her lips in a tender kiss, then gave her a lopsided smile. “If this makes you feel safe and secure, I’m more than happy to keep you under me as often as possible.”

Annika laughed, and her joy spread warmth around my heart. Those three little words almost popped out right then, but I didn’t want that moment tainted by the threat hanging over her.