Milo
After spending the entire night buried inside my woman, it is nothing short of heaven. This is how I will live for the rest of my life, because Octavia Bellanti is mine.
Now that I finally have all of her, I am never letting go.
And I am not going to insult us both with that tired until death do us part nonsense. Even in death, I would find her. I would haunt her arse if I had to. I would fight my way back to her and make certain we were never torn apart.
I fucked her into unconsciousness, quite literally.
Hours ago, I held her on the edge for as long as I pleased, denied her until she was shaking for it. And when I finally give her permission, it consumed her completely.
The hand at her throat, stealing her breath, may have helped, but the way she clenched around me when my fingers closed there tells me everything I need to know.
She likes it.
Of course. She’s just as broken as I am. That is why she’s perfect for me.
She has known pain no one ever should. This world shaped it into her too young. And yet it also forged her into something stronger than anyone I know.
She sleeps for hours afterward, completely spent, and I stay buried inside her, unwilling to let go until sleep drags me under as well.
When she stirs briefly, my body wakes with hers, hard and demanding… I take her twice more before exhaustion claims us again.
Eventually, reality intrudes. There are things I need to deal with. Problems that will not wait. Leaving her in bed is the part I hate.
I reach for my phone on the nightstand. Five in the morning.
I slip away quietly, hoping, that I can handle whatever is waiting for me and return before she even wakes.
***
I park my car at the port while the world is still dark. Winter stretches the night endlessly, the morning still hours away.
A familiar figure stands near another car, his cigarette glowing in the dark.
I step out and smirk.
The car door closes behind me.
His eyes snap to mine instantly. His hand moves to his holster on instinct, then he recognises me and stills, easing only slightly.
I walk towards him without a word. He starts to nod in greeting, but he doesn’t get the chance to finish it.
My fist connects with his jaw.
“Cazzo,” he snarls, his head snapping to the side as he stumbles back a step. “What the hell is your problem now?”
He spits blood as he wipes his mouth. His hands clench and unclench, weighing his options.
I smirk.
I go for him again. This time he sidesteps and drives his elbow into my stomach. I grunt but keep moving, hook my arm around his neck, and haul him in.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he growls again.
I tighten my hold, then shove him away and hit him once more.
He nearly goes down.
Nearly.
I’ll give him that, he has stamina… training.
Anyone else would already be unconscious.
He spits again and looks at me with pure fury, his face already beginning to bruise.
I exhale, satisfied.
“Let me guess,” he says coldly. “Your lunatic jealousy is acting up again. What the hell is it this time?”
I don’t answer.
He rolls his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Milo. One day you’re actually going to kill me.”
“I’ve thought about it,” I admit. “More than once. Making it look like an accident.”
I shrug. “But Octavia’s too smart for that. And I know she actually cares—” I pause, my jaw tightening. “—about you. She’d never forgive me if I did.”
He smirks. “That’s right. She loves me.”
I take a step towards him.
“You still talking?” I say. “Let me fix that.”
I swing again, but he sidesteps easily.
“Relax,” he says dryly. “You really are unhinged.”
He shakes his head. “Octavia’s like a little sister to me. Nothing more.”
The revulsion on his face leaves no room for doubt.
“I hope that’s true,” I say. “Because if it isn’t, I will come for you. Properly this time.”
His jaw tightens. “So,” he says, his irritation evident, “what’s got your panties in a twist this time?”
“Why was Octavia wearing your T-shirt?”
He looks genuinely taken aback.
For a moment, he just stares at me. Then disbelief crosses his features.
“That’s why you came in swinging?” he scoffs. “You lost your mind over something I don’t even remember?”
“You shouldn’t have given it to her.”
“I don’t remember giving her a shirt,” he snaps. “And if she was wearing one, that’s between you and her. Not me.”
I step closer.
“She doesn’t wear another man’s clothes, Adreno.”
He laughs, refusing to rise to the bait of me getting his name wrong.
“Then perhaps you should take that up with her,” he says coolly. “Because for fuck’s sake, how do you even know it was mine?”
“I do,” I reply. Then, I add, “And I punished her for it.” A dark smile pulls at my mouth.
That gets his attention.
His expression hardens instantly, the humour vanishing as he steps towards me.
“Did you hurt her?” he asks, his voice turning lethal.
For a moment, I consider breaking his jaw properly this time, for even daring to suggest I’m capable of hurting my entire universe.
“Don’t ever suggest that,” I say roughly. “I would never touch her in a way she doesn’t want.”
“You just said you punished her.”
“She enjoyed it.”
He studies me for a moment before his voice drops. “If I ever hear that you’ve hurt her, I’m coming for you, Markev, and I’ll have your head on a pike.”
“Good,” I reply evenly. “Because if I ever hurt her, I’ll cut my own head off first.”
I pause for a second, then I add, “Now that that’s settled, what do you have for me?”
He exhales slowly.
“For a moment there, I thought you dragged me out here just to punch me over a shirt I didn’t even know existed.” His mouth twists. “You really are a fucking madman. No wonder they call you the Butcher.”
“That too,” I admit. “But I want answers.”
His expression hardens, all humour gone.
“About the man who’s after her,” I finish. “What did you find?”
He exhales through his nose. “We don’t have anything concrete. Nothing that ties back to anyone. We questioned people who opposed her taking over the Bellanti family, but nothing stands out. We’ve gone through—and are still going through—the men she killed as well. So far, nothing.”
His jaw tightens as he adds, “And it should be nothing. Those men are dead, and missing several body parts.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “I’ve got my people digging too, and they’ve turned up nothing. It’s starting to grate.”
“I did catch two people trying to sneak onto the island the other day,” he continues. “Came in on the ferry.”
A slow smile forms at my lips. “You have them.”
He scoffs. “Who do you think I am? Of course I do.”
“Good,” I say. “Where are they?”
He hesitates. “I should be taking this to the boss,” he snaps. “Not you.”
I smirk, savouring the way he says boss, because that’s exactly what she is.
I tilt my head. “But you’re telling me.”
His expression hardens. “Don’t make me regret it.”
A beat passes, before he adds, “Play nice. Without me, you won’t find them, and you won’t get the chance to extract anything useful.”
“Fine,” I snap. “Stop wasting my time. Let’s go see what they know. But this stays between us. I don’t want her exposed. She stays out of it.”
“You know she won’t accept that,” he replies evenly. “She’s set to take over the Bellanti mafia. Danger doesn’t simply disappear.”
My teeth grind together so hard that my temple throbs. I hate that he’s right.
“I know,” I say. “But I’ll be at her side. Always. And I’ll make sure nothing touches her.”
A deceptively sweet voice answers from behind me.
“I’m sure you weren’t about to have some fun without me,” she says coolly. “Particularly when that fun was likely sent to the island to kill me, or abduct me. And tell me, Adriano, that you didn’t just go behind my back with Markev on a matter that very clearly concerns me.”
I turn the moment she steps into view.
Her pink hair hangs loose down her back. She’s dressed simply, in a pair of jeans, a jumper, and a jacket, the heeled boots add a few inches to her slight frame.
Fuck.
She’s perfect.
My pulse spikes.
She doesn’t look at me first. She looks at Adriano. Then past him, to his vehicle, where two men stand waiting… her men.
Her hand comes up.
The shot cracks through the air.
The bullet punches clean through Adriano’s shoulder, in one side and out the other. He grunts, his teeth clenching as he swallows the pain.
“You deserved that,” she says flatly.
“Yes,” he breathes. “I did.”
“Don’t test me again,” she continues in a lethal voice. “When you have information, you bring it to me first. You don’t go behind my back. Ever.”
Blood drips onto the asphalt.
“It won’t happen again,” he says.
She nods satisfied. “See that it doesn’t.”
Her eyes shift to the two men. “Don’t get any ideas. The next person who ignores my direct orders doesn’t take a bullet to the shoulder, they take one straight through the eyes.”
They both nod.
“I don’t hear you,” she snaps.
“Yes, boss,” they reply in unison.
My cock is rock hard as I adjust discreetly, though there’s no real way to hide it. Watching my woman take control does something feral to my body.
She turns her attention to me, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t pull a stunt like that again, or you’ll regret it.”
I smile darkly. “Understood.”
“Very well,” she says. “Let’s go and welcome our guests to the island.”
Adriano nods. “Follow my car.” He cradles his bleeding shoulder as he climbs into the vehicle, one man closing the door behind him while the other takes the wheel.
I take Octavia’s hand, not giving her a chance to protest, and lead her to my car.
Once she’s inside, I get behind the wheel and pull out fast, staying close as we follow them.