Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Malice
Moving into my living room, I noticed Gwen still stood, flicking through movie options on the television.
Earlier, we’d gone out to lunch with the kids, but on the way home, Felix received a text from Enzo about baked treats Ma had made.
We’d dropped them there on the way through and came to my place for some time alone.
Grinning, I stepped up behind her, curling my arms around her waist. She automatically leaned back into me. With a kiss to the top of her head, I asked. “Still haven’t chosen yet, doll?”
She sighed, “Maybe…. Well, no. I don’t know. What’re you feeling?”
“Whatever you pick, baby. As long as you’re next to me, then I’m a happy man.”
She turned her head to the side and looked up at me with a teasing glint in her gaze. “Are you becoming a big softy, Mr. Mafia Man?”
With a scrape of my teeth against her jaw, I told her, “Only for you. Just don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”
She snorted and cackled before looking back at the television. “Right.” She paused before suggesting, “How about a Disney movie?” Then she faced me with a bright, beautiful grin.
Sighing—since I really couldn’t stand those movies, but for her I’d do anything—I said, “Fine. Put one on.”
She did a little happy jig before spinning around and selecting a movie. Once the opening credits began, I grabbed the remote from her hand and tossed it onto the coffee table before picking her up and positioning her between my legs while we leaned back on the chaise couch.
The movie was full of color and songs, and I wanted to shoot myself.
“Max?”
“Yes, doll?”
“I never wanted to ask, but I’m still a bit curious. Did you ever find out why those men broke into my house?”
I was surprised she hadn’t asked me sooner, but I’d put it down to her wanting to put that time behind her and move on.
“Random house attack from drugged-out fools. It was pure coincidence that Greg and the kids arrived home when they were in the area. The idiots thought they’d spotted an easy target. ”
That had been all learned after hours of wonderful torture.
“Okay. I’m glad we weren’t targeted deliberately.”
As was I.
“Do you worry about things happening because you’re involved with me?”
She shrugged. “I know that you and your men will do whatever you can to make sure we’re safe. I believe in you, Max, and….”
My doll tilted her head to the side and back to look up at me. I kissed her forehead and asked, “What?”
“Nothing.” She went to look away, but I grasped her chin with one hand to force her eyes back on me while my free arm wrapped around her ribs just under her breasts.
“Tell me, baby.”
She kissed my jaw and faced forward as she blushed.
“It’s just… I guess sometimes I can’t believe I’m here with you.
We’re no longer just voices on the phone.
I’m actually here with you. I don’t think anything could keep me away because now I can see you, feel you, and—” She paused and shifted to her knees between my legs so she could face me.
“—and I get to kiss you whenever I please.”
Her sweet words made my heart react.
Fuck me, she truly was my perfect little doll. I wanted to set her up on my mantlepiece where I could display her and kill anyone who looked too long. I didn’t want her hidden or dimmed from what she was now. She was something rare and beautiful.
Placing my hand on her neck, I gave it a gentle squeeze, which caused her to bite her lip. I loved seeing the contrast of my rough, tatted hand against her smooth skin. Moving my other hand under her shirt, I pulled the lacy bra down to squeeze and roll her breast in my palm.
Still holding her gaze, I applied more pressure to her throat and pinched a nipple at the same time. She let out a hoarse moan.
“Then kiss me, doll,” I ordered.
She leaned in slowly, but I was eager to have her mouth, so I met her in the middle for a wild, hungry kiss. She crawled over me, straddling my waist when I sucked on her tongue before we tangled ours together again in a slow, wet glide.
The kiss turned needy and desperate.
Reluctantly, I pulled away, which caused her to whimper. Groaning, I claimed her lips once again—rough and sensual all at once.
My perfect, pretty doll.
She rolled her pussy over my growing erection, drawing noises from each of us that we swallowed together.
Breaking the kiss, I yanked her tee over her head and dipped down to capture her nipple between my lips. I rolled my tongue around that hard bud, making it wet before blowing a cool breath over it. My doll shivered and clutched at my shoulders while rocking against me.
Unhooking her bra with one hand, I pulled it down and off, then tossed it aside before moving to her other nipple.
“Max, yes,” she whispered.
I shoved my hand down the back of her pants and underwear to firmly grab her round ass. With my other hand, I threaded my fingers through her red curls and gripped, drawing her head back so I could kiss down her neck.
Her hands trailed over my hair, neck, shoulders, and arms as she made little breathy sounds of need.
“Max, please,” she begged beautifully.
“Hold on,” I ordered as I stood, taking us from the living room into the dining room, where I sat her on the table.
She smirked and blinked, glancing around. “What are we doing in here?”
Cupping her cheeks, I asked, “Do you remember the first night you ate here?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it got ruined because of—”
“We’re not speaking about him,” I clipped, then took a deep breath. “That first night, I imagined fuckin’ you here so every time I walked by this table, I’d think of us together.”
She grinned big. “Oh, stud muffin, I’m totally down with that.”
“Good. Remember your safe word?”
“Dicksickle.”
Snorting, I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous word she’d come up with when I first asked her for one in case I was ever too rough or she didn’t like something I did.
Yet my lips twitched because it was pure Gwen.
“Okay, baby.” I kissed her shoulder and lifted her off the table. “Undo my pants.”
She went right to work, then moved on to unbutton my shirt. She pushed it off my body and let it fall to the floor. Her lips and tongue traced over the ink on my skin.
Locking my fingers into her hair, I used my grip to pull her head back to see her smiling eyes, filled with desire.
“Turn,” I demanded, using her hair to guide her to face the table. When she did, I pushed at her shoulder, and she rested her upper body over it.
I released her hair and glided my fingers over the skin of her back.
Hooking my thumbs into her pants, I slid them—and her underwear—down her legs before straightening and palming her ass cheeks.
I drew a hand back and slapped it against her flesh. Her cry of surprise turned into a moan as I rubbed over the redness I’d left behind.
After landing another sharp smack on her ass, I smiled at the low moan she gave me before easing the sting with my palm.
“Please, Max. Want you in me.”
“I bet you’re drenched for me, doll.”
She hummed and nodded, her cheek sliding against the wood of the table. I slid two fingers between her legs. She was practically dripping for me.
“Fuck, doll.”
“Need you in me, Max.”
Gripping her hip, I reached into my pants with my other hand and pulled my cock free. I had to have her. I had to fill her, fuck her, and mark her as mine.
Ungloved, I pushed into her warm tightness. It surrounded my dick snugly.
Once again, I threaded my fingers through her curls and yanked her up. Her moan was long and dirty. While I fucked my hips forward and back, I kept hold of her hair and wrapped my other hand around her throat.
She gasped and choked and made sweet, dirty noises as I slowly cut off her oxygen.
“Fuckin’ perfect,” I growled into her ear, thrusting in and out of her.
When her cheeks turned red, I released the hold and allowed her to breathe.
She groaned. “Yes, Max. Harder.”
I pushed her down onto the table again and rested each palm on her lower back, just over her ass, while I drilled my cock in and out of her tight snatch.
“Fuck, baby,” I clipped as a thrill shot straight to my cock and balls.
“Yes, Max. Yes!” she cried out, clamping down around my dick as she came all over it.
“Christ,” I bit out, watching my cock fuck her sweet hole.
“Fill me, handsome,” she begged.
With a growl, I released my seed, coating her in ways no one else had, since I knew she’d never taken anyone bare.
Only me.
Forever me.
I picked up my ringing phone from the coffee table and stood. Leaning down, I kissed Gwen quickly and said, “I’ll be back. Coffee?”
Her gaze lit up. “Yes, please.”
Walking from the living room, I made my way into my kitchen as I answered the call. “Torment?”
“Boss, we’re gonna need that file from your woman on those detective pricks.”
Resting a hand on the counter, I asked, “Now?”
“Soon as.”
“Why?”
“Those fuckers have started doing drive-bys on our turf.”
Fuck.
Fury filled my veins.
“I’ll get you the details Gwen has. Hopefully, it’ll be something to use against them if needed. We know their game for now. They’re just trying to play with us—make us sweat by thinking they have something to hold over us. But they don’t.”
“Should we talk to Anastasia to see what she knows about that cunt?” Torment’s tone held pure violence.
When I’d called him earlier with the information from Gwen, he hadn’t liked finding out Stasia had dated one of them.
But from what Gwen mentioned on the drive home, I figured going to Stasia about this prick would be a last resort.
“Not yet. And if you see her, you say nothing about him.”
He grunted. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Let everyone know omertà is in place.” Meaning no one was permitted to speak to authorities. If I found out they had, they’d be punished. “Everyone’s to avoid them. Tell them to stay low and switch up their routines until further notice.”
“You got it.”
After ending the call, I set my phone on the counter and dragged a hand down my face, muttering a quiet curse under my breath.
Those goddamn detectives had better not become a bigger problem than they already were—not when my life was finally starting to feel lighter and brighter since Gwen and her family had come into it.
For the first time in a long time, I had something worth protecting.
And I wasn’t about to let anyone ruin it.