12
Rubbingout the soreness in my neck, I stepped out of my room and pushed all thoughts of Kai and his skilled tongue from my mind. It wasn’t like I hadn’t had those experiences with other men. He wasn’t special.
I found myself repeating those words in my thoughts, and it annoyed me when I realized it was as if I was trying to convince myself rather than be reassuring.
Movement, followed by a soft thud, had me whipping around, my nerves oddly on edge.
Valentina’s bright eyes stared back at me, and a broad smile adorned her pretty cherub face. I glanced down both directions of the hall and saw no one.
“Valentina, ?que haces aquí solita?” (What are you doing here all alone?)
Surely, Derek and Eva would keep better tabs on their little girl, especially in a stranger’s home. Intrusive worries suddenly sent my heart spiraling, and I bent down to pick up the one-year-old, stopping to listen for anything out of the norm. The unusual silence did nothing to ease my nerves.
Had Fernando’s men retaliated?
I checked the baby for blood spatter or any signs of injuries. But she seemed too happy to have witnessed any distress. However, that meant nothing, as she was still so young.
The booming sound of a motor revving startled us both. I squeezed her to my chest, popped open a false compartment in a hallway table, pulled out a shotgun, and darted for the door. Once outside, I was met with varying expressions.
Gio was smiling, hands over his ears. Eva’s wary eyes moved between my gun and her daughter as she gripped Derek’s forearm as if holding him back. I knew that look in his eyes and where his thoughts had drifted. He was calculating, assessing all the ways he could kill me before I harmed his baby. Did he think me that much of a monster? I might have been a heartless bitch when it came to my enemies. But this sweet angel. Never.
As if she could read my thoughts, Valentina placed her hand on my cheek and giggled before smearing my lipstick, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Did she escape her crib?”
I snapped up at the sound of Kai’s voice. He was on an all-black motorcycle, legs sprawled on each side, keeping him balanced and looking entirely too good after having been left with blue balls just hours prior. But what captivated me the most was his easy smile and amused expression.
He hadn’t reacted like his brother or Eva. There was trust in his eyes, and I appreciated that he knew I’d never be capable of harming this baby.
Warmth kindled from somewhere inside me as I returned his gaze and nodded.
“I found her wandering the hallway.”
Eva’s body visibly relaxed, and a quick breath of relief blew past her lips. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes.
Fuck it. I did anyway.
Derek was still on edge. Any more tension in his jaw, and he’d crack every single tooth.
I had a new favorite pastime. Fucking with Derek.
“Maybe you should keep better watch of your child, Mr. Cain,” I taunted, walking down the steps and handing the girl off to her uptight father as he trailed me with a murderous gaze.
Kai stepped off his bike and moved in front of me as I set the gun down and pretended to become enraptured with the damn thing, one eye still on my future husband and expert pussy eater while he subtly shook his head at his brother.
Moments later, I heard the front door open and close behind me, and I could only assume Derek and Eva had gone back inside to have a chat about their little escape artist.
“You like it?” Kai asked close to my ear. The feel of his warm breath sent goosebumps all over my body.
“Since when do you ride?”
“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t. Had my girl Gloria delivered today.”
Turning to him, I arched a curious brow. “Gloria, is it? Is there a story there I should know about?”
He inched closer, his devious grin letting me know he’d thoroughly enjoy whatever he was about to say. “Why, vicious? You want to know if her cunt was as sweet as yours?”
“Fuck you,” I whispered from between my teeth, conscious of Gio standing just feet away.
He kissed my cheek tenderly, and I instinctively leaned into the gesture. “I let you slide last night, but next time—”
Snatching him by the collar of his shirt, I murmured, “What makes you think there will be a next time?”
He stole a kiss, mouth stretching into that sexy fucking smile of his. “You know there will be a next time.” Tugging me by the waistband, his thumb lifted my shirt, caressing my skin. “I’ll never forget the way you screamed for me.” His lips were on my neck. “And what you tasted like when you came on my tongue.”
“I think it’s cute you think you’re the first man to tongue-fuck me.”
I shoved him back, intent on walking toward Gio, when Kai curled an arm around my waist.
“But I sure as hell will be the last.”
On the inside, I was burning hot, my stomach flipping at his words and the way his feral eyes darkened into threatening slits.
“For three years, maybe.”
Kai gritted his teeth and released me, our little game suddenly over, leaving a slightly hollow feeling in my chest. He looked away, and I heard him exhale. There was a heaviness to his sigh.
“You done over there?” Gio asked as he crouched by the bike’s exhaust. I bent down next to him, trying to determine what had caught his attention.
“What are you doing?”
“You think I want to see my sister kissing and groping a man?”
“I was not groping Kai.”
“Sure,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not blind.” My brother suddenly crept closer, his expression serious. “Newsflash, Mali, your whispers aren’t as quiet as you think they are,” he added with a shudder.
“Gio!” Heat crept up my face.
“What? Don’t act like you’re the one offended. I might need therapy now.”
“Oh, God.” I pushed him over so that he tumbled onto his ass, and he broke into peals of laughter.
Tires on the paved driveway and the purr of an engine caught my attention. I straightened in time to see Rocco climb out of the back of his SUV and smile brightly the moment he saw me.
It wasn’t a secret he had a crush. He’d asked me to marry him during my Quince and again at graduation. He’d also offered to help with my grandfather’s will and that stupid marriage clause. But as easy as it would have been to choose Rocco, I’d never be able to see him beyond anything more than a brother, making that option an impossibility. I knew he’d want more and somehow use his position as my husband, fake or not, to his advantage. Because while he cared for me in his own ways, I wasn’t na?ve enough to think he was a righteous man. Without hesitation, Rocco would slit the throat of anyone he thought looked at him sideways.
But then again, were we any different?
I shifted my gaze toward Kai, who was polishing Gloria, the fucking bike, and chatting with Gio. My eyes lingered on them for another beat, and I felt a smile pulling at my lips. I’d never seen my brother take to anyone so fast. It both warmed my heart and aggravated the hell out of me.
“Mu?eca, sorry to stop by unannounced, but I have some news.” He dipped down to drop a kiss on my cheek. “Is Antonio home?”
“My father? Why can’t you tell me? Sounds important.”
Rocco looked down at me, and his brow creased. “You look…different today,” he said as he lit a cigarette.
Maybe my face was still slightly flushed from hanging upside down while Kai’s tongue was inside my body.
“I couldn’t sleep that well—Roc, what news?”
“Antonio’s warehouse in Nogales was set on fire late last night. Four of his men were murdered.”
“How did he not know about this? His men always keep him well-informed.”
Rocco lifted my chin with his forefinger. “Dead men don’t speak.”
I shook off his touch and crossed my arms over my chest. “So, who told you?”
“My connects were picking up a shipment, and imagine their shock when they found an inferno instead.”
Rocco’s father had passed away twelve years ago, and mine had taken him under his wing, mentored, and treated him as if he were his own. Rocco had been nothing but loyal and devoted to my father’s business dealings. I shouldn’t be questioning his honesty, but something in his eyes put me on alert.
“Did I say or do something wrong?”
I hadn’t noticed I’d spaced out until he spoke, jarring me back to the moment in time to catch him motioning behind us where Kai and Gio stood side by side, watching with grave expressions.
“Your bodyguards are burning holes through my head as we speak.”
“Go inside and talk with my father. He’s probably in his office or having breakfast. I’ll catch up in a few.”
Rocco nodded and leaned into my cheek for another kiss, but I moved away, causing him to narrow his dark eyes at me. “Everything okay?”
“Of course. But we need to discuss boundaries now that Kai is in my life.”
“Hm,” he scoffed. “Never thought I’d see the day when Amalia La Mercinaria lets herself be dominated by a man.”
“It’s not like that.”
“I would hope not, especially not someone like him.” Rocco moved in closer, speaking through his teeth. “I’m not stupid. I know this is just a sham to fulfill your abuelo’s will. You don’t know this man’s history. He’s trash, Amalia. He doesn’t deserve to have someone like you by his side.”
Grabbing at his wrist, I met his glare. “Trash? You mean, he lost his parents and was taken in by another family? Now, where have I heard that story before?”
Rocco took a long pull of his cigarette before dropping it on the ground and snuffing the flame with his foot. “See you inside.”