Chapter 2
Isabelle
I sip the rum and coke, the liquor warming my chest and burning away my nerves. It’s difficult not to flinch at the bitter flavor, but if I’m going to make it through tonight I need to loosen up.
The small sports bar is full of people, but according to Sonia this is normal for a Wednesday night. I’ve never been to Jersey City before since most businesses are under Irish protection. But I trust her judgement since she’s frequently in the area for her college courses, and she promises this is a pub that no one of importance visits. She said tonight would be perfect, something about the cover charge being half-off because of the rowdy occupants from the game on TV and the unofficial understanding that we keep our mouths shut if anything happens.
Whatever that means.
It didn’t sit well in my stomach, but since I’m not a regular— or ever —bar hopper and she is, I went with it. Unease eats at me, knowing she’s only helping me because she anticipates my brother is going to freak when he finds out. Her and Ricky have been on and off for as long as I can remember before something happened last year. I understand why he can’t let her go. The fact she pays for her college entirely herself since her father refused is admirable, but Sonia has a Mediterranean beauty to her that even has married men double glancing when she passes. Unlike my thick, wavy, dark hair, hers falls in luscious natural curls. Her striking seagrass eyes are something I envy. I don’t hate the rich brown color of mine, but they aren’t as enchanting as hers. The only thing I secretly exult in is my full figure that I have no desire to diminish, while Sonia works out tirelessly to slim down. She looks gorgeous, a runway ready model even, but it’s something I’ve never aspired to.
She leans to whisper in my ear. “The guy with the white t-shirt and khakis. He looks like an easy bang and bail.”
The crudeness of her words over my situation has me choking, and I cough up my drink and set it down. “Excuse me?”
Sonia raises a single dark brow. “I mean, we’re just looking for a one-time thing, right? To get rid of the whole purity situation?”
Right. My purity situation. I’ve been so caught up with people watching that my entire reason for being here keeps slipping my mind.
My stomach flutters with nerves and I nod. “Yes, it would be better if it was a one-time thing.”
One-time thing without an exchange of information. Someone that couldn’t be traced back to the Famiglia for both of our sakes. Not that they would ever blame Sonia, considering before Monday I’d never had a full conversation with her. We’ve only had brief interactions in the early mornings when she was sneaking out of our house before our mother caught her and gossip spread around the Famiglia.
So here we are, in the middle of a work week, on the prowl for anyone to break through my hymen. I grimace at that thought and pick up my drink again, downing more of the liquid courage.
I turn my head, trying to find the guy Sonia is talking about. There are a few dressed similarly, but no one that catches my eye. I may be desperate to lose my virginity, but I want to at least find him attractive.
My attention keeps being drawn back to the small crowd at the bar top. It seems to be made up of women dressed to the nines surrounding a couple of men. Their loud laughter reaches my ears as they hammer down the never-ending free shots handed to them. The taller one has an authoritative aura around him, especially the way the other men seem to move with him. Almost like a well-oiled unit. My eyebrows dip. The longer I watch, the more it reminds me of?—
Sonia lets out a low whistle. “Ambitious.”
I look at her. “What?”
She nods to the men I had been gawking at. “They look like notorious flirts. They’re the ones who are super fucking attractive and know it, which tells me they’ll be more picky about who they bring home.”
“I was just watching,” I say with a shrug. “I’m not interested like that.”
When I look back, my breath catches when the brightest blue eyes peruse me. He has to be the most attractive one out of the bunch. The bar lights illuminate his tattoos against his pale skin; his short-trimmed beard cuts sharp along his strong jawline. His lips quirk in the corner of his mouth, and he raises his shot to me in salute.
Raising my own drink, I smile behind the glass as his head tilts back and his throat bobs with a swallow of his alcohol. The flick of his tongue along the rim sends a flash of heat to my belly and I shift on my feet, clenching my thighs from the unexpected response. They are definitely flirts, but I don’t mind the attention to boost my confidence.
A scoff behind me has the hairs on my neck standing. “As if she has a chance. She’s wearing jeans.”
My nose scrunches at the comment. How does that make any sense?
Jeans can be hot, especially the ones that hug your hips and ass.
I lock eyes with Sonia and she smirks. The mischief in her eyes is taunting me as if to say you gonna let them speak about you like that.
And since I grew up with a big brother, I sure as hell am not.
Setting my drink down, I fix my shirt and leave the table. I may be a virgin, but I know how to flirt, somewhat. Okay, not really. I feel like I’m decent enough. I mean how hard can it be to get a man into your pants?
Afterall, I’d seen the men at my family’s restaurant leering at me since I was fourteen, and I understood the suggestive look in their eyes.
Walking through the crowd, I keep my attention on my target, who’s watching me work my way to him. He says something to the man on his right and within a few seconds, the crowd parts and beckons me closer. The women who have been lingering sneer at my approach but remain silent as I lean against the bar next to the enigma of a man who caught my attention across the entire bar. His broad shoulders stretch the black t-shirt, and his tattoos are more prominent close up, a mixture of celtic knots and other symbols covering almost every inch of pale skin.
His vibrant blue eyes leave me a little breathless, but I mutter out a small hey.
I want to tuck my tail and run already. Now that I’m here, he’s frightening. His presence screams power, something I’ve only ever experienced around Luca or his father. It sets off alarms in my head. I feel like a mouse led into a trap, and I’m panicking with no clear view of the exit.
He smirks, aware of his effect on me. “I didn’t think you would come.”
I frown. I wasn’t expecting blunt honesty, and I’m slightly offended. “Why?”
He studies my face before his gaze roams down my body and back up to me. “Some aren’t up to the challenge.”
“What challenge?”
“The one to keep my attention.”
My eyebrow raises, repulsed by his arrogance. “Perhaps I no longer want it.”
He grabs my elbow before I can turn away, and the cocky smirk has fallen off his face. His eyes study me and his thumb strokes my skin in soft circles. “And perhaps I’ve misjudged you.”
“How so?” I ask, curious where he’s going with this.
Then his lips curl in a more sensual way than before and it sends flutters to my stomach. “I thought you were interested in my status, not me.”
My nose crinkles and I frown, that prickling alarm from earlier coming back. “Should I know who you are?” Surely, Sonia would have mentioned something if he’s someone important. This is a bar in Jersey City, but she’s around made men more than I am.
“I guess not,” he teases, and his low chuckle washes over me. He picks up a shot glass and hands it over to me before grabbing another one. “Rian.”
“Belle,” I say back, clinking the glass against his. It’s not the most clever of nicknames, but it’s enough to feign ignorance if asked, considering Ricky rarely calls me that anymore.
I try to keep down a grimace as we both swallow the bitter liquor, but I know I’m not successful by his amused stare.
He’s trouble, probably more than I can handle, but I’m ensnared. Trapped in his presence and unwilling to leave.
“This isn’t typically your scene, is it?”
My face scrunches wryly. “Is it that obvious?”
Rian rolls his bottom lip under his teeth. “Yeah, but not the way you think.”
“Oh, I’m not really thinking about anything but how hot you are.” The words register as soon as they slip out, and I cover my mouth with my hand in embarrassment. I’m not much of a drinker, but I didn’t expect to have loose lips just yet.
He breaks out a heart-stopping, sexy smile. “Funny enough, that’s exactly what I was thinking because your beauty is unlike anything here.”
I roll my eyes and try to stifle my own grin. When I move closer his fingers brush down my thigh. I'm captivated by his cologne and want to bury my face in his chest for more; I didn't realize a scent could be so attractive.
“Save the one-liners,” I say, trailing off a bit as I lose track of my thoughts. My heart starts to beat erratically as I try to think of a way to get him into the hotel Sonia booked down the street. I didn’t realize I would be so nervous to ask a guy to fuck me.
Rian licks his lips. “Do you want to go somewhere a little more private?”
“Like where?” I breathe out, stunned that we are thinking the same thing.
His eyes light up. “Like my apartment.”
I nod, trying to calm my nerves as he holds out his hand for me to grab. He gestures at someone next to him and then leads me out of the bar. When I catch Sonia’s watchful eyes, she gives me an encouraging thumbs up and waves me off when I move to step toward her. I frown and continue to follow Rian silently, a little shaken. It was so effortless to get someone to take me home. And the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met is going to ensure I’m no longer a virgin by the end of the night.
* * *
The first warning I should have listened to was when he pulled me out the back entrance to a black SUV parked privately. I kept my mouth shut, climbed into the passenger seat, and tried to ignore my suspicion that the windows were bulletproof. The second warning sign should have been when we parked under a sky rise apartment building and he didn’t immediately move to get to my door because he shoved a gun in the center console first. As soon as I climbed out I had to act clueless, like I didn’t see the deliberate flash of metal. He held out his hand for me again as we walked to the elevator, and when he pressed one of the top buttons labeled P 1, I knew it wasn’t just some regular apartment. I tried to glance over his face and the visible tattoos, but he didn’t seem familiar at all. I wasn’t sure if my intuition was warning me or if my paranoia of getting caught was making me wary. Either way, it was too late to turn back.
I barely get to glance around his penthouse before he cups my face, his lips crashing to mine. Moaning into his mouth, I let out a small gasp when his hands slide to my shirt and he pulls back for a second to tug it over my head. His fingers glide to my jeans and my head feels dizzy with how fast he’s moving. I grip his arms, awkwardly trailing to his stomach and pushing his shirt up.
Rian steps back, grabbing the collar on the back of his neck and dragging his shirt over his head. He nods at me as he starts to undo his pants, and I assume he wants mine off too so I follow his silent demand. It leaves us both in our underwear and his very obvious bulge, his heated eyes roaming over every inch of my exposed skin. I curl my fingers to stop the urge to cover myself.
In the next second, his large hands grab my waist and haul me up. A small yelp escapes me as I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms encircle his neck. I stare down at him, a sensuous smirk teasing on his mouth.
“I need to touch you, but I want to take you in my bed.”
I raise my eyebrow. “So you’re gonna carry me there?”
His hands slide to my ass, squeezing my cheeks as my clothed center rubs his rigid stomach. Rian’s tongue rolls over his lips as he walks down the hall.
“I can feel how soaked you are. Your sweet pussy is leaking all over me.”
A flush spreads up my neck and face. When we cross the doorway into his bedroom, his observant eyes take me in. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s hot seeing you want me as much as I want you.”
This time I let out a small laugh and roll my eyes. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls you take home.” I hate the words as soon as they leave my mouth. The insecurity of knowing he’s slept with others while this is my first time overrides my logical filter, letting my jealousy peek through.
Rian chuckles softly. I would have missed it if his breath didn’t fan against my neck. He sets me down on the bed and I lay back to stare up at his cocky expression as he leans his weight on his palms on either side of my head. “I can’t remember the last time I brought a woman home. Believe me when I say there’s something about you that caught my eye.”
I exhale a shuddering breath and trace my fingers down from his shoulders to the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Okay, I believe you. Now less talking and more doing. ”
He pushes his knee between my legs, opening me up to him as he drops onto his elbow and keeps half his body off mine. My heart is pounding away with nerves as he pulls at my bra, the strap falling down my arm and my nipples hardening from the cool air. His hot mouth is on one in the next second, and I gasp from the sensation. I don’t even notice his hand sliding to my back and unhooking my bra before it's being tugged off me.
Rian switches to my other breast, kneading the one he just left with his fingers. If someone told me yesterday a man fondling my chest would drive me wild with arousal, I would have said they were crazy. He shifts his hips and his hardened length presses against my thigh and my mouth drops open. It feels so long, thick, and heavy. My stomach flexes at the teasing, trailing touch of his hand as he slips into my panties. Everything is happening so fast, but the words to ask him to slow down stall in my throat as he skims against my heated flesh. It feels forbidden but exciting, and a burning desire builds in my belly.
My hands freeze, unsure how to push forward and touch him.
He sweeps along my core and groans against my breast before pulling his head back. “You’re so fucking wet and I’ve barely touched you.”
“O-okay.” I’m not sure what else to say. I feel like I’m being electrified from the inside out, every touch amplified with a powerful need for more. I expected it to be quick, less touching and more bearing through it, but so far it’s been the most thrilling time of my life.
With his bright blue eyes fixed on my face, searching for something, he slowly pushes two fingers inside me. Goosebumps ripple across my body at the stretch; it’s not painful, but it’s slightly uncomfortable. I swallow down the saliva pooling under my tongue and gather all of the courage I have left and stick my hand past his waistband, bumping into the hot, hard flesh of his cock.
A gasp escapes me as my fingers brush the length of him, so heavy and swollen. Rian reaches between us and shoves his underwear off, and my attention falls before I can catch it. He’s as big as he felt. While I’m admiring it, he grabs my hand and wraps my fingers around his shaft and shows me how to stroke him. He thrusts his fingers in and out of me with a matching pace.
My chest rises and falls faster as we stay like this for a few moments, our ragged breathing and pumping hands the only noises.
“Will you let me fuck you, darlin'?”
It’s not like I’ve come this far to say no now. I blow out a staggered breath and nod. “Please.”
He pulls his fingers out and moves down, letting my hand naturally fall off him as he hooks the waistband of my panties and pulls them off. Rian pushes my legs wide, settling his shoulders between them.
“W-what are you doing?”
Without looking up at me, his fingers swipe through my folds and up to my clit, circling it gently. “I’m going to eat your pussy until you’re wet enough that I can slip right inside.”
His tongue replaces his fingers in the next second and I arch into his face. I struggle to catch my breath, incredibly sensitive to the feeling of his mouth against my pussy.
“Oh my god. That’s too much,” I gasp.
Rian looks up at me, his eyes glittering with amusement. “Baby, I haven’t even started yet.”
His tongue returns and my head jerks back onto the pillow. I’ve touched myself a few times over the years, but it hasn’t even come close to the overwhelming pleasure of his fingers and tongue. My heart is beating wildly in my chest as my stomach constricts with a fire building inside it. I can’t stay still as Rian presses his face harder between my legs, and I can barely make out every lick, suck, and movement of his hand.
My fingers twist in the sheets of his bed as ecstasy explodes throughout me. I’m high off the bliss I’ve never experienced before. Rian pulls away, pressing soft kisses against the small junction of my thigh and hip. It tickles, but my legs are still shaking and too limp to move.
I gulp for air as he crawls up my body and leans over to grab a condom from the nightstand. I’m glad someone is thinking straight because I wouldn’t have given a second thought if he just slid his cock right in. My attention drops to his hand as he rolls the thin latex down his large shaft with ease, and I swallow down my nerves.
He’s larger than I anticipated, and I’m afraid he may not fit inside me. Rian’s thumb rubs at my clit and I sigh in pleasure as my limp body heats up again. He settles his hips between my open thighs, and I try not to tense at the feel of his hard cock rubbing against my pussy.
“You sure?”
I lift my eyes to his, surprised he’d stop to ask me again, and I nod. He gives me a soft smile before pressing into me. My hands dig into his arms at the foreign fullness as I stretch to accommodate him.
Rian drops onto his elbows on either side of my head, we’re so close my breasts push against his chest. He studies my face for a second before thrusting forward, forcing a few more inches inside. I swallow a cry and bite down on my lip hard enough that I’m shocked I’m not bleeding.
His eyes roll back as he groans. The deep noise makes my pussy clench around him.
“Fuck, you’re so tight. I don’t think I’ll last long.”
“Okay,” I say. I’m uncertain I want him to last long because I’m not confident I can take much more.
On the next roll of his hips, I inhale sharply through my nose and clench my jaw as I’m stretched impossibly full. Rian does a few more quick strokes before bottoming out inside me. My hands are trembling where they’re resting on his shoulders. It’s painful, but not the worst I’ve felt. It’s uncomfortable enough to make me grimace.
He shifts onto one elbow and brings one of his hands to his mouth, licking his fingers before reaching between us and stroking my clit again. I gasp, my erect nipples hardening more as I gush with pleasure around him.
“There we go. Relax for me, Belle.”
Each circle of his fingers eases my discomfort and replaces it with a soft yearning for something more . I’m not sure what I want exactly, but I know it’s more than this. He leans down, brushing his lips against mine and I kiss him back. I tangle my fingers in his hair and he moves back on top of me, his hands sliding under my back and up to my shoulders. Rian swallows down my moans as he pumps his cock in and out. It feels so fucking good, I finally get why people love sex.
He thrusts harder with a grunt and I whimper, the pain back temporarily.
“Sorry,” he whispers and softens his thrusts. I almost want to tell him to do it again, but I hold back, because it really did hurt for a second. His face falls into my neck and his quick pants drift across my skin. My nails dig into his back as he rocks his hips faster, fucking me hard with his cock and another quick apology.
“Oh god. I can’t.” He stills, buried entirely inside me and lets out a long moan. My mouth opens in a silent cry as I feel the throb of his release. It’s erotically hot to know he’s coming with each pulse inside me. He pulls back, his chest falling and rising erratically. His hand slips between us and I lie there, staring at the ceiling with a soft smile. Despite his size, I’m certain that was an absolute hall of fame virginity fucking.
Rian leans to the side, and I hear the crinkling of another condom before he’s kneeling between my legs again.
“It wasn’t enough. I have to fuck you again.”
I blink at him and blurt out, “You can do that?”
When I glance down, sure enough, he’s hard and ready.
His lips pull into a sexy smirk and he presses his hard cock into my sore entrance. Gripping my thighs, he pushes my knees closer to my chest and thrusts his cock deeper. Even with this being our second round, I still wince when he buries himself all the way in. When I picked him out at the bar I had severely underestimated the size of his dick. I saw a cocky, good-looking man and thought he was making up for something , like the inexperienced, na?ve virgin I am.
Scratch that, like the virgin I was.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking perfect,” he rasps, the faint hint of an accent barely entwined in the words. I can’t look away from his blue eyes, bright like a tropical sea. His hips twist at the last second, hitting a spot that sends a hot spark through my body.
“Please,” I whisper, legs shaking as I clench around his cock, and he drags his hand down my leg and thumbs my clit. I need him to lose control. I need to feel him come inside me again.
“One more time,” he mutters. I barely make out his command before I come with a cry, a puppet to his fingers. He drops my legs and buries his face into my neck and his hands slide under my back again to grip my shoulders, picking up his pace and chasing his release just like before. My nails dig into his back. The masculine moan that rumbles near my ear sends shivers down my body. Neither of us move as our breathing calms before he raises up on his palms to look down at me.
My heart beats wildly in my chest at the intense stare. It breaks a little inside me, as if he’s stealing a piece I won’t get back. He’s looking at me like he found something precious, and I hate it because we can never be anything after tonight. If my brother finds out I gave a random outsider my virginity, just to get out of marriage, he’ll kill him.
“What?” I breathe out when he doesn’t say anything.
A small dimple pops right above his chin from his half-smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so insatiable. I’m gonna rinse off before our next round. You’re welcome to join me.”
Rian lifts off of me, grabbing the base of his still semi-erect large cock and keeping the condom in place. I grimace at the slight pink tint of it, knowing he had to have seen blood on the first one he disposed of. He didn’t comment on it and I’m thankful for that. The first time he merely tossed it into the trash can near his bed before grabbing a second condom, sheathing his hard cock, and sliding back into me.
Now he ties it off and stretches his arms behind his head as he looks down at me. The muscles of his abdomen pull taut as his biceps flex. He’s a gorgeous specimen of a man. A dark trail of hair leads down from his navel, and the sharp cuts along both sides of his pelvis point straight to the large, swollen shaft swinging between his legs.
Why he chose me out of the swarm of women around him, I’ll never know. Maybe it was my determination to get laid that had given me the false bravado to walk directly up to him and flirt.
He turns to head to the bathroom. My eyes automatically drop to his ass and my sore pussy clenches. The man is truly pure sex. My gaze slowly trails up his back before the air in my lungs catches, and I’m thrown back to the lesson my brother had given me a year ago.
“You see this symbol, you run. You understand me, Belle?” Ricky’s harsh tone has my eyebrows furrowing.
I take the photograph from his hands, running a finger along the blurred cross. “What does it mean?”
My brother shakes his head. “That doesn’t matter. What matters are the men that carry this tattoo.”
“Who are they?” I ask, entranced by the design. There’s a haunting beauty to it.
He snatches the photo back from me. “The Daghdha Brotherhood. The deadliest men of the Irish Mafia.”
My blood runs cold, the chill settling in my bones as Rian disappears farther into the bathroom. The cross is more detailed than it was in the photo, but still recognizable. It spans across his entire back, the top beginning at his nape and stopping right above the crease of his ass. The sides stretch to nearly wrap across his entire rib cage. The intricate twists of the Celtic design are beautiful in person. I don’t know the words that fill his skin outside of the cross, but I sense it is a vow of some kind. Similar to the crest that the Made Men of the Famiglia bear.
Terror leaves me frozen for a few more seconds before I sit up slowly and swallow down the bile rising in my throat. I flinch when the water sprays loudly across the tiled floor. Sliding off the bed, I rummage through his pants until I find his wallet. I peek at the bathroom door before flipping it open, and my bones ache from the adrenaline that shoots straight through me.
The dread clutching my heart deepens as I read the name on the ID. My stomach twists at the familiarity of it, and I curse myself for not knowing what he looked like.
Out of all men in this city, why’d it have to be him? Someone of my world, a rival of the Famiglia.
I made sure we didn’t visit a bar that had connections to Luca, and Sonia assured me it wasn’t their territory either. I wasn’t as informed as my brother on all events, but I know that the Famiglia and the Irish aren’t on the best of terms. I gave him my virginity, a prized possession in our traditions. I’m not going to give him time to figure out who I belong to.
I grab his shirt from the floor, thankful for our height difference when it falls past my ass. Snatching my clothes and purse, I tiptoe out of his room. My chest tightens with each step away from the place of my sins. The shower is still running when I turn the knob of the front door of the penthouse and it shuts with a snick. Without checking, I rush to the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly as my heartbeat pounds like a drum in my ears.
My breathing is erratic as the doors finally slide open and I jump into the car, force the doors closed, and hit the button for the lobby. I slide my jeans over my bare feet, keeping them unbuttoned, thankful they’re snug against my hips. My heels hang from my fingertips and my shirt is thrown over my elbow. I’m not going to chance putting those back on until I’m a safe distance away. Digging into my clutch, I grab my phone, order a taxi, and leave everything about this night behind me.