Obsession (Sinners of New Orleans #3)

Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

Adrian

T here’s an ache in my head as I enter my home, probably from the hour I spent staring at a blank legal pad, trying to come up with ideas on how to get Sam Costello out of the picture without dirtying my hands.

“Evening, boss.” David, the head of my security team, nods at me.

I scrub a hand over my head. I’m exhausted, and the idea of needing to handle Sam Costello, whatever that means, is weighing on me. I didn’t get into this family so I could murder, I came here for revenge. I feel like I’m losing the target.

On cue, my phone buzzes with a phone call from my brother, probably wanting to know where I’m at with coming up with a plan. I silence it, not wanting to explain how I’m getting more wrapped up in the Costello family. More wrapped up in my wife.

“Where is she?” I ask David.

“Kitchen. And one thing.” He stops me before I can stomp off to the kitchen to see my bride. “Your grandmother is here.”

That pauses me. “Why? Did you tell her I was out?”

David shakes his head. “She came for the girl.”

Interesting. Nervousness racks my body. Nonna isn’t in on my plans. I can only imagine the displeased look on her face when she learns the truth. And Madi has no reason not to tell her that I forced her into this charade. In her mind, I’m the monster of this story.

Dropping my briefcase by the door, I head for the kitchen. I can feel the sweat dripping down my neck as I loosen my tie. As soon as I swing open the door, I’m hit with the smell of home. Madi’s smiling as she stirs a pot of sauce, and from the smell alone, I already know it’s my nonna’s Bolognese recipe. My mouth waters, and no words come out as I take in the sight of her wearing an apron and cooking in my kitchen. I could get used to this.

“ Il mio ragazzo!” Nonna smiles when she sees me, dusting off her flour-covered hands and giving me a tight embrace. She pulls back and looks me over like she always does, as if she’s assessing for some kind of damage that might have happened since the last time she saw me. Sometimes I swear she can see past my outer appearance, straight into my soul.

“Nonna.” I kiss her cheek. “What are you making? It smells fantastic.”

“I’m teaching Madi all your favorites.” Her smile is warm and bright as she gestures to the counter. “ Ragu alla Bolognese tonight. Madi made the noodles.”

I can tell by the excess flour on the counter. Nonna makes her way back to the stove right as a timer dings, signaling her to drain the fresh pasta. When I look back to Madi, she’s watching me, spoon stalled in the red sauce.

“Now, I think I should leave you two lovebirds alone for dinner, si? Pasta’s done, sauce is done. Can you plate everything, Madi?”

She snaps out of her stare and looks back to my nonna with a smile. “Of course. Thank you so much for teaching me.” Something warms my heart as she hugs my nonna and they share their goodbyes.

“So,” I start once my grandmother has left the kitchen. “You made me dinner?” I like seeing her like this — in an apron, looking domesticated.

Madi’s smile drops from her face, and once again, she looks at me with disdain. “No,” she says curtly, then walks over to the trash can, taking her time as she drags it across the floor to the stove. First, she takes the pot of boiled pasta, tilting and dumping the entire thing into the trash. Next, she takes the large stock pot of sauce and does the same, dumping the contents, splashes of red sauce flinging from the container and staining the cabinets as she goes.

“What are you doing?” The question comes out harshly as I watch my nonna’s cooking go to waste. It doesn’t help that my stomach was growling as soon as I smelt the sauce.

When Madi’s done, she drops the pot back onto the stove and wipes her hands on a dish towel. “Let’s be clear, you may have forced me to marry you, but I will never be your wife. And cooking for you, that’s a very wifely thing to do. Don’t you think?” She tosses the towel onto the counter like she’s dropping the mic and moves to make her way past me.

Animal instinct takes over, or maybe it’s pure anger that she wasted all that food, but I grab her before she can pass. All my restraint must have been tossed away with the food, because my grip is tight as I slam her against the wall. Her pretty pink lips part, the air rushing from her lungs.

“What did we establish happens to little brats in this house, hmm?”

A devilish spark lights up her eyes. Fuck me. I think she likes this. I bet if I unzipped her shorts and stuck my hand into her panties, I’d find her wet again.

“What are you going to do, spank me?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

“Oh, princess, I can do much more than spank you.”

Her tongue darts out, wetting those tempting lips in a way that makes my cock ache.

“Do your worst,” she says defiantly.

In one motion, I swoop her up and over my shoulder. She yelps as I do so, her fists pounding against my back.

“Let me down, asshole!” she shouts, but it doesn’t stop me.

She wants to act like a brat? Then I’ll punish her like a brat.

I deposit my new wife on the bed, watching as she scurries backwards to get away from me. There’s no fear in her eyes, though; she’s not scared of me. She still looks angry, but now it’s mixed with something else. Excitement? Lust?

I can tell by the devilish glow in her brown eyes that she’s provoking me just to get a reaction.

“Here we are again. Bratting off just to get punished. I think you like being spanked, princess. Is that right?”

“Not at all.” She shakes her head, but I can tell from the breathiness of her words that I’m right.

I chuckle, the sound reverberating through the room. “Get undressed,” I order.

“Fuck you,” she spits back hastily.

Inhaling deeply, I slowly shrug off my suit jacket, folding it neatly over the chair. “Madi, get undressed or I’ll undress you myself.”

Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, she chews on it, watching me intently.

“Madi,” I coo in a low voice. “You have five seconds.”

Those dark eyes only stare at me, testing me to see if I’ll actually deliver on my promise.

“Five.”

She seals her lips together and presses her back against the headboard as if that would stop me.

“Four.”

“You’re not actually-”

“Three.”

“Adrian-” I like the sound of my name on her lips with that slight bit of fear in her voice.

“Two.”

A touch of anticipation has her swallowing audibly.

“One.” I don’t wait before I’m on the bed, dragging her body so it lies flat beneath me. “Such a little brat,” I murmur.

Madi gasps. She didn’t think I’d do it. That was a mistake on her part. “Adrian! Wait-”

“Uh uh, princess.” I tsk. “I offered you a chance to do this yourself, and you declined. Now it’s my turn.”

I tug at the strings on her apron, pulling them loose so I can rip the material from her body. Underneath, she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt and a tight-fitting pair of black shorts. I move to the t-shirt, not bothering to pull the material over her head. Instead, I grip it in my fingers and pull, relishing the sound of the cotton tearing.

Those pretty pink lips form the perfect O shape. “Adrian!” She presses her palms against my forearms, trying to push me away.

“You could have taken it off yourself, but you chose not to.”

When the t-shirt is completely torn, I pull the fabric from beneath her and toss it to the side. Next are the shorts, which I’m about to make the same mess of, but Madi’s hands reach to her waistband, frantically tugging the material down her legs. I can’t help but grin at her finally following my orders, even if it’s a bit late. Not that it matters. I’m still going to punish her ass until it’s a bright shade of red for her antics in the kitchen.

“There you go,” I praise her, taking the black scrap of fabric from her and tossing it with the rest of her clothes. “Look how pretty you are, princess.” Seeing her sprawled out naked in front of me has my dick hardening in my pants. She’s stunning, especially like this. With her pert pink nipples on display and the way she’s squeezing her thighs together, as if that would ever be enough to keep me out of the heaven resting between her legs.

I dip my head down, flicking my tongue over one of the tight buds while using my fingers to pinch the other. She squeals, her back arching, thrusting her tits into my mouth. I run circles over her nipple before moving to the other, reveling in the way her body reacts to me, as if it was perfectly made for my touch.

A soft moan leaves her lips, and she writhes beneath me. “Oh, sweet girl…” I lift myself so I’m kneeling on the bed with her body still trapped beneath my thighs. “This isn’t a reward. This punishment is meant to hurt.”

Madi’s eyes are glassy already. I can see the haze of lust drifting over her. She licks her lips. “What are you going to do?”

Reaching for the nightstand, I grab a length of silk cord from the drawer. I’ve been waiting for this moment, dreaming about the next time she acts like a little brat.

Without saying a word, I take one of her hands, using the cord to secure it to the headboard before moving to the other one.

“Wait-” She tries to pull her hand away from me. “Are you tying-”

“Yes, princess,” I say, holding her tightly as I secure her second hand.

When I’m done, she yanks on her limbs, finding no give, no room to escape the bindings. I see the concern rise on her face. “No! Undo these!”

I press a kiss ever-so softly to her forehead. “Not until you’ve learned your lesson.”

Now that she’s secure, I stand from the bed, making a show of pulling my belt from my pants. Once free, I fold the leather in half, snapping it loudly and enjoying the way Madi jumps at the sound.

“Have you ever been belted before, princess?”

Lips sealed shut, she shakes her head.

“Use your words.”

“No,” she answers, her voice barely above a whisper.

I lean in closer, ghosting my lips over hers. “Be a good girl and I’ll take it easy on you.” Her throat bobs as she swallows. I can see the tip of a retort on her tongue, but she presses her mouth closed, not saying a word.

Pulling back, I step off the bed and grab her ankles to flip her over so her ass is on display.

“Are you comfortable, princess?”

“No!” she hisses.

“Good. We’ll go to five, remember to count.” Without warning, I deliver the first strike. Madi’s entire body shakes from the contact, and I hear her hiss out a breath before she says, “one.”

I’ve never thought myself to be a sadist, but I love how Madi’s ass turns a shade of pink from my punishment and the way she whimpers through each strike. I deliver three more, enjoying each one more than the last.

“Four,” my sweet girl whines, her body tense and her legs shaking.

“Last one, princess,” I tell her before pulling my arm back to strike her bottom with the belt one last time. I want to keep going, but her ass is bright red, and this is only her second spanking. I don’t want to be too hard on her.

“Five!” she shouts, and I can hear the tears in her voice.

“Shh,” I tell her, crawling my way onto the bed. I use the palm of my hand to soothe the flush while my other hand brushes the hair from her face. She turns her head to the side, and I can see the wetness that trails down her cheeks. “You did so good, princess.” I lean in, clearing her tears with a swipe of my tongue.

Slowly, I let my hand drift lower to cup her pussy.

“Wait-” Madi doesn’t get the word out before I slip my finger through her folds, finding her pussy wet for me.

A grin widens on my face. “Oh, princess. You liked that, didn’t you?”

“No. No, I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie to me, Madi.” She wiggles beneath me, trying to escape, but it’s futile with her wrists still tied to the bed. “This is the second time I’ve found you wet after a punishment. You say you hate me, princess, but your pussy tells me otherwise.”

“Fuck you.”

I chuckle deeply. “Not yet, princess. But if you ask nicely, I can make that ache between your legs go away.” I emphasize my words by running my finger over her clit in quick circles. I can hear her wetness with the motion, and Madi inhales a sharp breath.

“Say it, baby,” I urge her. “Say, please husband, make me come like a good little slut.”

“Absolutely not.” Her voice is a whiny breath. She doesn’t want to beg me, but she still wants to come, that much is obvious. I pull my hand from between her legs and use it to spank her sore ass instead.

“Fuck,” she hisses.

“Oh, baby, I can make this so good for you.” I drag my hand back between her legs, finding her clit again to continue my ministrations. “All you have to do is ask.”

Madi keeps her mouth closed, but I can feel the change in her body as she relaxes into the pleasure I’m giving her. I flip her over, wanting to see her pretty face when she finally relents and asks me to make her come.

She gasps from the motion, and my free hand finds her neck while I bring one of my fingers to her virgin hole and push inside of her, my thumb running over her clit in slow circles.

“Mm, baby, I told you I could make this good for you.”

That pretty mouth opens, but nothing comes out before she snaps it shut again. I know she’s so close, to both coming and asking me to make her come.

“Say what I want, baby, and I’ll let you come.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m not asking you that.”

“Then I guess I should just stop now.” With one more flick to her clit, I withdraw my hand. Bringing it to my lips, I lick her juices from my fingers while she watches with wide eyes.

“Wait,” she hisses, pausing for a moment with a tight expression. “Please, ugh, please make me come.”

I smile, pleased that she’s giving in. “That’s not what I asked you to say. Please, husband, make me come like a good little slut.”

Embarrassment rises on Madi’s cheeks in a beautiful shade of red.

“Please, husband , make me come like a good little slut.”

“Of course, wife.”

I move back to her pussy, this time bringing my mouth to her cunt while I use two fingers to drive inside her. It doesn’t take long for her to get close to the edge, her legs squeezing around my head as I suck on her clit.

“Fuck!” she screams. “Fuck, Adrian.”

I love the sound of my name on her lips as her orgasm washes over her. She pants her way through it, her pussy twitching as I drag it out.

Finally, I rise from between her legs, licking her cum off my lips.

“Good girl,” I tell her. “Next time, if you’re a good little slut, I’ll fill you up.”