Chapter 44
Harper
Ethan snatches Niko’s chin and forces his attention away from Rocco. “You don’t hate this family. You want shit to change? You want to play hockey and live your life, date whoever?”
“Yes,” Niko says through his teeth, cheeks streaked with blood and tears.
Maybe it’s the alcohol, anger, or pain, but he sounds no older than a teenager and looks utterly broken.
Ethan releases Niko but rests his hand on his chest. “Let Reece finish stitching you up and whatever else he needs to do. Get some sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning.”
“Just you and me?”
“And Jax.”
Nikolai’s gaze flicks to Jackson. “But he’s a player. I don’t want everyone in my business.”
“He’s your family—we’re all your family—and you’re going to need him. There’s no one better to have your back than Jackson.” Ethan leans in. “And I could use you. I need someone to have his back too—in the locker room and on the ice. Can you do that for me?”
Niko stares at Ethan, awestruck. “But you’ve never seen me play.”
“If you play in the AHL, I can coach you.” Ethan flashes him a dimpled smile.
“If I can coach Jax, I can coach anyone, believe me. You’ll have to quit drinking and partying, though.
Focus on hockey. I’m not saying it’ll be easy.
” Before Niko can respond, Ethan glances at Reece. “What do you need to do?”
“Close his eyebrow, check his ribs, give him an ice pack for that lip, and he could use some hydration.”
Nikolai grimaces and groans. “My head is killing me. I wanna pass out. I can’t lie on this floor any longer.”
“We can move him to a bed downstairs,” Alexei suggests. “If he falls asleep, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
Reece shoves his medical supplies into his bag. “Sounds good. I’ll follow you down. I could use a break from watching your uncle put his hands all over my sister.”
“That’s your sister?” Niko twists to get a better look at me. “Huh.” A slow, lopsided grin spreads across his swollen lip. “You’re right, Alexei. She’s not bad.”
“I did not—” Alexei’s jaw tightens, his face flushed. “I did not say that, stronzo.” He slides an arm under Niko’s shoulders and hauls him upright. “Jesus. You trying to get me killed tonight?”
Niko manages to stand and elbow his brother. “I can walk on my own.” He takes one step and careens sideways.
Alexei grips his waist. “I should let you fall.”
Side by side, the family resemblance is undeniable—same dark hair, same sharp jaw, both tall, though Alexei has a few inches and a great deal of muscle on Nikolai.
Ethan moves to the other side of Niko and juts his chin at Jax. “Go back to bed. Get some sleep with Aurora.”
“I’m good,” Jackson mumbles and trails behind him.
Those two are never far apart.
I hover near Rocco, unsure whether to follow or stay. I want to help, but I don’t know how. This family is chaos, but they’re…a family. They take care of each other.
My gaze drifts over the blood on the carpet, the scattered guitar picks, the shattered lamp. I move to tidy up.
“Don’t you dare.” Rocco tightens his arms around me. “They can clean it in the morning.” He kisses my temple. “I’m going to check on Danny and grab some bottles of water for Niko. You need anything?”
I shake my head. “No, thank you.”
“Okay.” Rocco drops his tone to a husky whisper. “Get in bed. Be ready for me. I’m not finished with you.”
My stomach flutters. The mayhem of the night hasn’t diminished my conviction to be with him—or my desire.
I shouldn’t want this—I know that. It’s reckless and insane. I shouldn’t crave Rocco Rossi, but I do. I don’t just crave him, and it’s not about the money, although that will change my life incredibly. I yearn for the security, the unconditional support, the way the family cares for one another.
Rocco must want me too, if he’s willing to go to such lengths to keep me, and I can almost believe I belong. I’m wanted—we’re wanted, Danny and I.
I slip into the bedroom and close the door behind me. The bed is still rumpled from our earlier activities. Rocco hadn’t even slid inside me before we were loudly interrupted.
The space feels different, more ours than strictly his, now that I’ve been naked underneath him. I peel off my clothes and let them fall to the floor. My skin is hot with anticipation. The cool air kisses my nipples, and they tighten.
I smell him on the sheets when I climb into bed and close my eyes, breathing him in. I feel the ghost of his hands on my body, the sting of his palm on my ass, the heat of his mouth on my core, and my arousal heightens.
I drift my hand down my stomach and between my thighs.
I hardly ever touch myself, and I’m shocked at how wet I am.
I glide my fingers through my slick pussy and circle my sensitive clit.
Wanting to know what he feels, how he made me come so hard, I slip two fingers inside and curl them the way he did.
The thought of him claiming me—breeding me—sends a shiver of forbidden excitement down my spine. My hips rock, seeking more friction, more pressure, and I add a third finger, stretching myself, preparing for his cock.
“God,” I whisper into the darkness, my breath coming faster. I’m already so close.
The door creaks, and I freeze, my fingers still buried inside me, my legs wide open.
Rocco stands in the doorway. His gaze locks on to mine, then travels lower. “Don’t stop,” he commands. “Fuck, don’t stop. Keep going. Stretch that tight little cunt for me, kitten.”
My face flames, but the hunger in his eyes makes me bold. I withdraw, then push in deeper.
He shuts the door and yanks his T-shirt over his head. “Are you wet for me?”
“So wet.” My voice doesn’t even waver. I feel powerful, seductive.
His shorts and boxers hit the floor, and he fists his hard cock. “You still want this?”
I don’t answer with words. I spread my legs wider, giving him a better view, and slide my fingers in and out. With my other hand, I cup my breast and pinch my nipple. “Do you still want me?”
He settles between my open thighs. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this. You and I are going to have a lot of fun.”
He seizes my wrist and draws my wet fingers into his mouth. He sucks them clean, a low groan in his throat. “I want you more than anything.” His voice is gruff. “Since the moment I saw you.” His free hand comes down hard on my pussy. “Now answer me. Do you still want this? Want my cock?”
The sharp slap lands on my needy clit, and my hips lift off the mattress. The sting is magnificent, and I almost come right then and there. “Yes. Fuck, yes.”
“Good girl.” He circles my throbbing clit with his thumb. “Tonight didn’t scare you away? You won’t run from me?”
“No.” I only desire him more. I know this is where Danny and I belong. My brother is here. We’ll be protected, cared for. Have a family. I can have the life I’ve dreamed of.
Rocco comes over me, his weight between my thighs, his forearm braced beside my head. “This family is a bit of a mess, and I’ll always be involved. It’ll always be my responsibility.”
I wrap my legs around his waist. “It’s a beautiful mess.” I thread my fingers through his hair and trace his jawline with kisses. “I can help.”
I’ve watched a lot of shows and movies, read hundreds of books, and indulged in countless true-crime docs. I was made for this.
He notches at my entrance, the thick crown of his cock pressed to where I’m aching and desperate, and searches my eyes. “You still want to have a baby?”
Is he having second thoughts or is he grounding me in reality?
Either way, I shake my head and answer, “No. Not alone. I want to have a baby with you.”
A growl tears out of him, and he thrusts inside me in one deep, claiming stroke. “Say that again.”
I cry out. The stretch, the fullness, punches the air from my lungs. “I-I want to have a baby with you.”
He pulls out until only the tip remains, then slams home. “Fuck, Harper.” His forehead drops to mine, his breath ragged, his muscles tense. “You have no idea what those words do to me. Tell me you’re mine.”
Pleasure builds low in my belly, my head hazy with lust. “I’m yours,” I exhale and mean it.
He sits back on his knees, hands spreading my thighs wide, his gaze fixed on where he fucks me relentlessly. “I hope you know I’m filling this pussy all night, baby. This one will be quick, but the next one won’t be.”
He pounds me into the mattress, deep and rough, as if he’s fucking the promise into my soul.
I clutch his wrists and dig my nails into his skin. Every hard thrust pushes me closer. The friction, the fullness, his grunts and groans—God, his sexy, gravely groans. I’ll be hearing them in my dreams.
He drives into me as hard and deep as he can, repeatedly hitting something inside me I’ve never felt before.
My back arches off the bed, and my legs tremble. “Right there… Don’t stop.”
He grinds his pelvis into my clit. “Come for me, baby. Come on my cock,” he growls, voice strained, his rhythm erratic. “I need to feel you squeezing my cock while I fill your pussy with my cum.”
The raw desperation in his tone pushes me over the edge. My body convulses, and I cry out his name. “Rocco…”
“That’s it, kitten. Milk my fucking cock. You’re doing so well.” He drives into me harder, his fingertips digging into my thighs, pinning me to the mattress. “Fuck, you’re so tight, so wet. So fucking perfect.”
My climax intensifies and doesn’t stop. “I-I’m going to—” I’m going to make a mess.
“Let go for me. Be a good girl and drench my dick. Give it to me.”
The pleasure builds until I shatter completely. The orgasm is so intense, it borders on pain. My inner walls clamp down on his thick length, and my vision goes white. I’m speechless, my lips parted on a silent scream as I ride wave after wave of ecstasy.
His hips stutter, and he buries himself to the hilt. “Harper—” He swells and jerks, coming inside me.
The sensation of him pulsing, filling me with his hot release, triggers another, smaller orgasm, and I whimper, “I want more. Don’t stop.”
“My greedy girl.” He leans down and captures my mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says between breathless kisses. “I can’t get enough of you.” He rolls his hips, still semi-hard inside me. “I told you, this was just the beginning.”
The next few hours blur in a haze of pleasure. Rocco takes me in every position imaginable—from behind, my ass stinging from his spankings, on top so I can control the depth and pace, side by side, and sleepy.
Each time he fills me with his release, the thrill, the orgasm, only intensifies.