Chapter 16
Sixteen
“She called it meaningless. But I can still feel her hand on my cock and her moans in my fucking bloodstream.” – Cyan MacBrady.
Ipress the call button. “Call Johnny.” I listen to the ringing, waiting for him to pick up.
Aria’s words slam around inside my skull.
It means nothing to me. Like I wasn’t the man who just had her trembling under my touch, moaning my name, shattering apart in my hands.
My grip tightens on the steering wheel, the leather creaking beneath my fingers.
The streets blur past me, but I don’t see them.
I only see her. The way she defied me, the way she pushed me away like I was just some passing indulgence.
As if I weren’t the man who marked her in a way no one else ever would.
For a split second, I’m back at the house, a helpless teenage boy, frozen in place, forced to watch as my world rips apart.
No. I’m not that weak, sniveling teen anymore.
That part of me died a long time ago; I made sure of it.
I yank a tissue from the console, scrubbing at the dried streaks of cum from my pants.
The mess of it pisses me off more than it should.
I should have been inside her, have had her writhing under me, screaming my name, taking every inch of me until she understood exactly who she belonged to.
Instead, I let her dictate the pace, and then she had the fucking nerve to act like it meant nothing.
That won’t do. She thinks she can dismiss me and walk away.
She hasn’t learned yet—but she will. Johnny answers.
“Change of plans. Keep more eyes on her. I want every move she makes watched.” Aria Concetta Boschett might think she can escape me, but she doesn’t understand yet. She’s already mine. “Can you keep up with everything else and watch Aria?”
“Yeah, C, I’m ahead with most of the projects and can take my work with me. I’ll call James and get myself an office space in her building so I can work while she is at office.”
“Good.”
“You want me to put men on her floor?” The thought enthralls me for a second.
Yes. Box her in. Let her feel my presence with every step she takes.
Let her know there’s no slipping through my fingers, but I shove the impulse down.
If I push too hard now, she’ll dig her heels in deeper.
This game requires patience. She needs to believe she has room to breathe before I close the walls in around her.
“Nah. Put some of our guys into their security and around the building.”
“Got it, C. I’ll arrange it.” Johnny hangs up, but my mind is still stuck on her.
That was the best fucking orgasm of my life, and it was just her hand.
I still feel the ghost of her touch, the way she lost herself in my arms, the way her breath hitched, the heat in her cheeks as she came apart for me.
Everything was perfect; she had to open her mouth, and her words cut deeper than any blade ever did.
That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble, Aria.
I need to focus on Collin. I know my brother. He didn’t hear a damn word I said earlier. “Call Collin.”
“Yello,” Collin’s fake jolly voice grated against my ears.
“Cut the bullshit. Where are you?” I speak in English, not Irish Gaelic. Aria wasn’t in the car, so there was no need to mask anything.
“En route to the airport to kill Lorenzo,” he says, dropping the act, his genuine tone sharp, cold, lethal. “Cyan, as I’ve mentioned before, our inside source informed that he’ll be in Montreal visiting his mistress.”
“Listen, Col, we’ll stick to the game plan, yeah. When Lorenzo drops, he’ll understand how it feels to lose everything.”
“Why wait? Why not flay him open and strangle him with his bowels?” There was no reasoning with Collin when he’s locked onto a kill. His voice held a familiar edge of sadistic intent.
I keep my tone even, controlled. “Look, Col, if we do it my way, you’ll have more time to enjoy gutting the bastard.
Savor it. You can stretch it out, let your skills shine, for days or weeks.
It’s all about finesse, brother.” Silence.
I didn’t push. I knew better. Let him marinate in the idea.
Let his mind twist it, mold it, reshape it into something he could claim as his own.
“The intricacies of biology and the human experience have always fascinated me.” His voice slipped into detached curiosity.
“Imagine if we could explore the thresholds of life and pain... slice little cuts into a person’s skin, see how long they take to bleed out compared to when I gut them outright. ” Good. He’s distracted.
“Bro, how was your lunch date?”
“I’ll call it a success.”
“Was it now?” He fake-laughs. “And what was that exactly? Let me guess–possessive theatrics? Marking your territory?” He doesn’t understand how much she got under my skin.
“Col,” I warn.
“Alright, alright. You need anything else, aside from me not gutting Lorenzo?”
“No. Why? What else are you planning?”
“Heading to Boston, hitting the club. I crave physical stimulation, and that’s exactly the place where I always find it.” At least one of us will be fucking out their frustrations.
“Don’t forget. Rosa’s dinner tomorrow. If you think you can skip out, you’re in for a world of hurt. She’ll drag your ass through the mud if you’re not there.”
“Yeah, yeah. Later, Cyan.” He hangs up, lucky bastard.
I wish I could spend the night buried inside a woman, losing myself in raw, punishing pleasure.
My body’s loyal to one fucking woman and she hates me.
Aria, with those defiant, fucking doe-brown eyes that burned with fire even as she surrendered to me. I need an outlet. Troy.
I switch lanes and initiate another call, “Call Troy.”
“Yo, C, what’s up?”
“Get ready. We’re sparring.” A low chuckle rumbles through the speaker.
“Fuck, man. You sound like you’re in a mood.”
“Aye, something like that.”
“Alright, C. I’ll meet you at the gym.” He hangs up. I flex my grip on the wheel before forcing myself to loosen it. But the tension in my chest doesn’t ease.
I know what’s coming before it hits me; my past always has a way of oozing through the cracks I swear I’ve sealed. Like poison seeping into my bloodstream, a partial memory of that night slithers in, wrapping its claws around me, dragging me back into the past.