The sun is still out when I return to the manor.
It might be a first for me, being home this early on a workday. But these last two weeks have been full of firsts. There isn’t a single part of me that would rather be at the office or in the streets.
I really must be fucking changing.
… Or maybe it’s just what I want that’s changed.
Recently, my mind has been muddy and unclear. While Shane and the Bulldog have been sweeping the streets looking for more information, Nolan and I have been forced to concentrate on more administrative tasks.
Our above-ground companies are still chugging along just fine, and right now, the influence we achieve from that end of our business is just too important to ignore. We need that shield of legitimacy. It might be the only reason why the Russians haven’t upped their attacks yet. If they fuck with Kilpatrick Inc, then they could doom themselves to official investigations and actual federal law enforcement officers.
There’s no way they want that. And hell, we don’t either. But it doesn’t mean we’re safe for now. After the assault at Nolan’s club, the Russians went bar hopping. We’ve gotten reports from all across town that some unsavory reds are frequenting Irish watering holes, looking for men to interrogate.
We’ve upped security in those places, but we only have so many men. At least, we only have so many men that we can trust. I could buy a million mercenaries to join my cause, but the last thing I need is chaos. Despite the undercurrent of crime, the city is running smoothly at the moment. Most innocents remain safe, and that’s all our crooked cops and politicians want, for us to keep the killing to our own kind.
I’m afraid that won’t last much longer. Dmitry Gazin has been spotted again, and if rumors are true, he’s not above starting a fucking revolution if it means weakening his target before springing an attack.
Among other things, Nolan and I have been pouring over our assets trying to figure out what we might have that he could want so desperately. While the Black Delphi are a group of assassins, they rarely do work for hire. If we have something of theirs, it must be personally important to them, or else it’s something as big as an entire company, something that some foreign national is paying a literal fortune to try and regain.
But our efforts turned up little to nothing. Usually, figuring out shit like this is my forte. In another life, I’d have made a good detective. But the clues are limited and I’ve been avoiding a talk with Ciro until I’ve been able to clear my head.
That’s why I’ve returned to the mountains in the middle of the day. My head needs clearing. And as much as I want to deny it, there’s only one way to do that.
Her.
The princess has made a mess of me. For a whole week, I didn’t know what I wanted. She screwed up my poles and turned me upside down. Now I know what I want. And again, the answer is simple.
I want her.
So, that’s what I’m going to give myself.
Still, her room isn’t my first stop. Instead, I head up to my room for a shower. Usually, when I’m eager to wash off, it’s because I’m stained with someone else’s blood. Not this time. This time, there aren’t any bloodstains to scrub off. This shower will only be for Elisa’s sake. I want to be fresh for her.
Ever since I gave in and allowed Shane to be taken under Niall McCabe’s tutelage, I haven’t felt the need to get out on the streets as much as I may have in the past. The Bulldog is loyal to me, but there isn’t anyone I trust more than my two brothers.
Having Shane involved in all of this mess is actually taking a load off of my mind, which is the exact opposite of how I thought things would go. I’m not half as worried as I thought I would be for him. He’s a tough kid, and the Bulldog is training him well. Although, they do need more men in their little unit.
Niall should actually be somewhere on these grounds right now. Yesterday, I gave him permission to check out some of the guards I have on duty here and pick a few that he thinks might be able to help him and Shane back in the city. I may have gone overboard when Ciro escaped his place after the warehouse fire. There’s a literal army standing watch in these hills. But this place is like a fortress already, and no one is getting in or out. I can spare the five or so men that Niall is asking for.
As it’s always been, my room is empty. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that Elisa’s boxes made it feel a little less vast and lonely, but now, all I can think about is filling up this toned-down room. There’s another thing that’s changing about me. Before, I liked to be alone. Hell, I thrived in isolation.
Now, though, there’s something tugging at the back of my cold heart. It’s telling me to go seek out very specific company.
I rip my shirt off and stare out of the bedroom window. Unlike in Elisa’s room, I have a full view of everything from in here. In the distance, four manned watchtowers spurt up through the forest. Beneath them is the impenetrable canopy that helps keep us guarded. A dirt road splits through the borderline of wilderness and civility, winding up to my front door. In the driveway, I see a few more cars than I’m used to. Niall had an escort bring him up here. He’s always been of the mind that it’s better to be safe than sorry. I don’t blame him. Shane stayed back in the city. Nolan’s there too.
It’s a beautiful day outside, and for a moment, I just admire my empire.
This is what I’m fighting for.
And then, like the glimmer from a diamond ring, I see her. Pale skin glistening under the hot sun.
Elisa.
She’s wearing a summer dress that hugs her tight little body like a dream. Suddenly, I’m ravenous. Lust seeps into my bones and my cock goes rock hard.
My bride-to-be bends down, reaching into a basket that is set on the lawn.
What are you doing out there, little flower?
When she stands up, something falls from her grip and she has to bend down to pick it back up. This time, I get a good view of her ass and thighs. Her skin is so pure and untouched. It serves as reminder to just how badly I want to dirty her up. She needs some stains on those knees. Some cock between her lips. Her virginity has lasted too long.
The more I watch her, the more I fall. My desire is endless. The swells of her breasts nestle perfectly under the thin material she’s wearing. When my tongue flashes across my lips, I swear I can taste her arousal again. I want more of that. I need more of that.
All of these games I’ve been playing are in the past. I haven’t been truthful with myself or to her. Nolan was right. The truth is, I’m obsessed.
Elisa sparks something in me that can’t be denied, and I’m done denying myself of her.
I don’t even bother with my shower or my shirt. I’m downstairs and out of the front door before Elisa can wander far from her basket.
My princess glistens like a vision underneath the afternoon sunlight. A smile even graces those perfect lips.
Then I see what caused that smile, and my lust is replaced by fury.
Niall McCabe softly takes something from her hand, charming smirk on his weathered face. And here I thought the Bulldog was supposed to be smart.
Consumed with rage, I make a beeline for the happy fucking couple. That smile is only supposed to be for me, but when have I ever seen it used for that purpose? So far, I’ve only seen Elisa flash her teeth for others. That ends now.
But what really takes me over the edge isn’t Elisa’s smile. It’s not even Niall’s smirk. It’s his eyes. They slyly wander over her body like he’s a fucking adventurer.
It hardly matters that the Bulldog has been a loyal servant to my family for years. Or that I’ve known him since I was a boy. Or even that he’s one of the most feared enforcers on this side of the Mississippi. I’ll put him in the fucking ground. He should know better than to gape at my girl. Why the fuck is he even out here wasting his time with her? The fucker should be here recruiting men, and that’s it.
The Bulldog has never been one to linger, but I guess Elisa’s beauty just does that to people. I pull up on the two of them with clenched fists. Niall isn’t afraid of much, but when he sees the red in my eyes, his go as wide as saucers.
“Boss,” he dips his head a little deeper than usual. He knows he’s done something wrong.
“What are you doing?” I’m curt and right to the point. There’s no pussyfooting around what I’m feeling right now.
“Just helping this little lady out a bit,” Niall says. Suddenly, he seems to connect the dots. “Shit, boss I—”
He’s not allowed to finish. “Stop. Did you come out here to play babysitter, McCabe, or are you here to help us prepare for a potential war?”
“I’m here to prepare, boss. Sorry, boss. Just got distracted.”
“I bet you did.” Looking over at Elisa, I can see that she’s horrified with embarrassment. She can hardly look at the lashing. Good. I want this to be a lesson. Stay away from any man who isn’t me.
“I’m sorry, boss—” Niall begins to explain some more before I stop him again with a raised hand. Despite my anger, I know that this wasn’t a purposeful slight. Elisa obviously didn’t tell him who she was. I can’t blame the man entirely for wanting to lend a hand to someone who looks as good as her.
“Go,” I order. All it takes is that word and a sharp look to make it clear that if he stays in this spot one second longer, he might never leave. There’s already one grave nearby. His could make two.
Without another sound, the Bulldog scurries off, tail between his legs. But I don’t get any peace.
“What the hell was that!?” Elisa stomps as soon as he’s out of ear shot. “He wasn’t doing anything wrong! I asked him to help me!”
I step forward and her fire withers a little under my shadow. It pleases me when I see her remember just how big I am, and just how small she is. “What did you ask him to help you with?” I inquire, my words laced with judgement.
“Does it even matter?”
“Of course it does,” I reply. “Tell me, princess. What was so important you couldn’t wait until I got back?”
Even under my shadow, Elisa can’t keep her eyes from rolling. “Like you’re ever even here.” She sucks her teeth and that cute little button nose of hers scrunches up. “If I waited for you every time I wanted to get something done, I’d never even step out of my bedroom door!”
She’s got a point, but I’m not about to let her have it. “No one’s asking you to get anything done, princess. Your job is to wait for me. I’ve given you more freedom so that you’re more agreeable when I return, but that doesn’t look like it’s working out.”
Elisa doesn’t like the sound of that. “How dare you threaten to lock me back up in that room!” she glares. “I’m not a toy. I need fresh air and sun and stuff to do. If that’s not to your liking, then maybe you can go find someone else to torment. In fact, I implore you to! Maybe you’d rather have whoever clawed at your chest. She seemed to put up the kind of fight you enjoy!”
The sun has given her a new kind of confidence. And a new outlet for her emotions. She’s spilling. I can’t help but smirk at the slip up. “Still jealous over that, huh?”
“I’m not jealous,” she pouts.
“Sure sounds like it.”
“You seem to hear whatever you want to hear.” Elisa digs her foot into the grass and her arms cross under the swells of her breasts. She’s never looked so fucking hot. All I can do is imagine her using that feistiness to ride me like a wild animal. I need to impale that virgin pussy of hers, get rid of this cloak of purity. Once that happens, they’ll be nothing left to keep us from using these moments as a jumping board into sex.
“What I’m hearing is that you’d rather be clawing at my chest. We can make that happen.”
“You’re delusional.”
Another step forward is met by another step backwards from her. “I’m right.”
Elisa shakes her head. “I’m right. You have my father back under your control. What good am I to you? Just set me free and tell him you killed me. I’ll stay away. I don’t mind. Take a girl who actually pleases you.”
My next stride is too long for her to escape. I’ve cupped her chin before she can pull away. Her bottom lip quivers. My cock is rock hard. From up close, I can see the subtle golden sheen coming over her skin. She looks healthy. It only makes me want to desecrate her all the more.
“You’re the only one who can please me, princess. And your father has nothing to do with it.”
Her big hazel eyes glisten in the sunlight. When she looks up at me, my heart fucking stops. There’s that innocence. There’s that fear. There’s that desire.
She’s turning into a wonderful contradiction. The freedom I’ve provided her has renewed some sense of the spirit I shattered on the night I gave her the engagement ring, but not too much. Right now, she’s right where I want her to be.
“I don’t believe you,” she mumbles, eyes falling from me again.
That’s not what I want. With a gentle strength, I raise her chin until her gaze can’t fall on anything but mine.
“Believe it, little flower.” It’s then that a genuine smile takes over my face. For some reason, my mind hops back to the first time I laid eyes on Elisa. In the covert images that Nolan took, she was gorgeous, but they hardly do her justice. She’s even more beautiful in person. And now, she’s mine.
“It doesn’t feel like I do anything but piss you off.” The corner of her lips twitch, like she’s holding back a smile of her own. Suddenly, there’s nothing more I want than to see those pearly whites of hers.
“That’s because you don’t listen,” I chuckle, dipping my head to free a loose strand of hair from my vision. I don’t want to miss a moment of this. “Let me be clear. You are mine, princess. No one else will do. If you don’t believe my words, then believe my body.”
With a gentle tug, I pull her close. My cock pushes into her belly from behind my pants. For a split second, Elisa breaks. Her wonderous smile exhales with a muffled sigh, before she tucks it back away.
But that’s not enough. I want more.
“Who gave you those scratches?” she asks.
“A coward.”
“Do cowards turn you on?” Again, Elisa slips. The corner of her lip turns upwards and my cold heart skips a beat.
“Only you turn me on.”
“I’m not a coward.”
“So, cowards must not turn me on.”
There it is. In response, I get a genuine smile. Even a stifled laugh. Elisa doesn’t even attempt to push me away as my cock throbs against her stomach.
Still, she quickly manages to drag back the moment of weakness. “I don’t care what you do out there. It’s none of my business. This isn’t a relationship. And I’m not your girlfriend. But I don’t like being lied to.”
For this, I turn more serious. When I drop my hand from around her jaw, her neck bends with me as if she’s falling without my support, or as if she’s subtly craving more.
“I thought I told you, I don’t lie.”
Elisa shakes her head. “But you still haven’t told me the truth. About anything.”
“The truth is too dark and dangerous for you,” I say, thinking back to Vladimir’s final words. “I keep it hidden to protect you, not punish you.”
“Whatever,” Elisa mumbles. The spark of her smile threatens to disappear into the darkness. I desperately want to pull her back into the light.
“Come with me,” I say, reaching down for her hand. She lets me take her and there’s little resistance as I lead us back inside.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ve been out in the hot sun for too long,” I say. “And I’ve been working hard too. We’re both sweaty and dirty. I think it’s about time we take a shower.”
“Together?”
“Any objections?”
She doesn’t respond, but that’s just as good as a no. Elisa is learning. Do as I say and be rewarded. Only this time, I’m not going to reward her with more freedom. I’m going to reward her with my hard cock.
And, maybe, if she wants it badly enough, her first kiss too.
Because if I can finally steal a laugh from that pretty little mouth of hers, what’s to say I can’t take everything else?
