I lost control.
Elisa kissed me and I gave myself to her. Heart and soul. When her tender lips pushed into mine, it was more than just lust. She wanted me, and I wanted her.
And what the fuck did I do about it?
The moment it ended, I ran, like a coward. Elisa took a torch to my frozen heart and the thawing made me squirm. A twenty-year-old girl made me flee back into the city and away from her. Pathetic.
And here I thought I was finally settling down.
But then she gave me her first kiss. I hardly even asked for it. Something switched inside of those autumn eyes and she lunged for what she wanted. Me.
It made me weak. It made me senseless. And when the clarity of what was happening hit me, it made me mad. Not at her, but at myself.
So, I left.
I didn’t even bother waiting for the helicopter to be prepared. The first car I saw out front was good enough. In it, I took off. Into the forest, down through the hills and towards the city.
When I arrived, my first call was to Shane. While the Bulldog continued his recruitment process, my youngest brother was out in the streets all alone. I told him to show me what he’s learned. We met up and went on a bloody fucking bender.
Dmitry Gazin is still a ghost, but we believe he’s working in some part with the Cheryshev Bratva, and they aren’t quite so slippery. We found some Russians and we made them talk. They didn’t have much to say, but that hardly mattered. I needed to regain some control and Shane wanted to show off.
He was vicious. I wasn’t far behind.
The streets were red with Russian blood by the time we’d had enough. So much for keeping my youngest brother out of harm’s way. He’s right in the middle of it all now, and you know what? He’s a fucking natural.
Still, I was hesitant to bring him here. To Calligastaro’s.
Last night, I slept at my penthouse downtown. It was a fitful night, filled with nightmares too dark to remember and thoughts too soft to survive, but when I woke up, I only had one thing on my mind.
Revenge.
That same revenge that started this whole thing. My revenge on Ciro D’Ignoti.
Even if Elisa isn’t completely under my control, Ciro is. That’s for sure.
So, I called up Shane again and asked if he still had some fight left in him. Turns out, he was already up and meeting with the Bulldog. It was more initiative than I’d ever seen him take. I figured I’d reward him, all while I reminded myself of what this was all for.
We met outside of Calligastaro’s and talked our way in. Usually, it takes some time to go through all of the paperwork required for a ‘visit’, but with my crooked cops filling out the meat of the makeshift prison’s security force, Shane and I were let in without much of a hassle.
“What do you think of these?” Shane lifts his hand out of his pocket. His knuckles are lined with a sharp brass instrument.
I raise my eyebrow. “You’re really leaning into this whole sadism thing, huh?”
“Only for those who deserve it. And no one deserves it more than Ciro.”
He’s right. But something feels wrong. The further we venture into the winding heart of the prison, the harder my heart tugs me back outside.
It’s like I’m stuck in a tractor beam. A bright light comes from the hills. It’s even bright enough to make it through the darkness of the forest.
Elisa.
A big burly prison guard unlocks the gate that leads into the isolation ward. Ciro is being kept in a single cell, away from the general population. He’s got no friends, no chance at interaction, and definitely no visitors.
The plan was to starve him of everything until I was ready for him to see what I’ve made of Elisa. But now I don’t really care if he sees Elisa. I saw the way she looked at me in the shower the other day. Those eyes were for me and me only. Bringing her father back into the mix might take her attention away from me. That’s not what I want.
In fact, all of a sudden, I’m not sure I want to be here at all anymore.
“What the fuck are we doing here?” I mumble, pinching my nose.
“We’re going to get some fucking payback,” Shane nods. He’s pumped up and ready to brawl.
With a curt nod downwards, I dismiss the big burly guard at the door. He saunters away and I glare at my brother. “This isn’t going to do anything.”
“Sure it will. He’ll suffer.”
“You don’t think he’s already suffering?”
“Not enough for my liking.” Shane knows what Ciro did to Dad. He knows what the bastard did to me. He’s just being a good brother.
Still, I can only shake my head. Suddenly, I’m over trying to distract myself. I should be at home. “This is stupid. I’m leaving.”
Shane stands, stupefied, as I whistle for the guard and march back the way we came. “Hey!” he shouts after me.
“You’d better come too, unless you want to spend the night here!”
His footsteps echo down the concrete hall until he’s caught back up to me. “Aiden, what’s wrong, bro? I’ve never seen you so indecisive before.”
He’s not lying, but the truth is, going to see Ciro was the wrong move. Coming here was my indecision at work. Going back to Elisa, that’s decisive. That’s what I want.
I place a reassuring hand on my brother’s shoulder. “You’re right. I’ve been losing my mind. But I’ve got it under control now. Last night helped a lot. You’re doing good work, little brother.”
With a smile, Shane puffs out his chest. “Just trying to do you and Dad proud,” he says.
“You are. You are,” he gets a playful slap on the cheek.
We’re outside again. Sunlight washes over my cheeks, but it hardly feels warm. This city is cold. It’s a graveyard that we keep adding bones too.
The hills. That’s where it’s really warm. Right now, that’s where I belong.
“You sure you don’t want me to come?” Shane asks, when I tell him where I’m heading.
“No. You stay here and keep doing what you’re doing. McCabe should have his extra men by now. You’re second in command. That’s a heavy duty. But I know you’re ready. Help Nolan find out what the fuck Dmitry Gazin wants. I’ll be back in time to make sure that the only thing he ever asks of us again is mercy.”
“No mercy,” Shane reminds me.
“No mercy,” I nod.
The trip back into the hills isn’t as turbulent as my ride out of them. By the time I park out front of the manor, the sun has long set and the only light comes from a few sleepy windows.
I don’t expect Elisa to still be up, but I go to her room anyway. Just a look. I just need a look at her to confirm that I’m making the right decision.
Her door is open. The room is dark except for a pocket of light by the closet. Elisa has pulled her bedside lamp over to the boxes of books I brought her. She bends over some journal or another, draped in her skimpy nightgown, studying by candle light.
She doesn’t even need to turn around. Immediately I know I’ve made the right decision. This is where I want to be.
Elisa’s tender thighs wash out from under her nightgown and when she bends over to write a note on the page of whatever she’s reading, I have to bite my lip to keep myself from groaning at the subtle sight of her perfectly tight little ass.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I try to keep my voice low and soft, but Elisa still jumps at the sound of it.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, chest rising and falling from the shock of my sudden presence.
“I came to see you.”
Elisa’s soft features dance in the candle light. With all the shadows flickering around her face, it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking. Still, the closer I get, the more the block of ice in my chest melts. This time, I don’t run. The pain of the thaw isn’t enough to push me away from the pleasure of her warmth.
“How nice of you,” she says sarcastically. I hardly blame her for being upset with me for leaving her in the shower. Our kiss was so warm, and afterwards I was so cold. Now, I’m here to make up for it.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
When I step close enough to smell her lilac scent, Elisa doesn’t crawl away. Instead, she steels her back. Smart girl. She’s learning. “I’m studying.”
“Medicine?”
It takes her a second to gather the strength to nod. We haven’t talked much about this dream of hers, to help others. But I know it’s important to her.
Seeing her hunched over a journal in the wee hours of the morning only confirms the clarity of her passion for the subject. “Why medicine?”
Elisa drops her book and pushes herself up to her feet. “Because I wanted to help people,” she mumbles.
“Wanted to?”
“It’s not like I can help anyone from in here.”
For a moment, I actually feel guilty. This sweet innocent young flower had a dream. A dream that she was about to realize before I stepped into her life and turned it upside down. Now, she’s dreamless. But she’s still working, still learning. It’s admirable.
“You can help me,” I say, taking another step forward. Again, Elisa doesn’t move away. Her eyes flicker in the lamp light and I see the desire she’s trying to wrestle away.
“There’s no helping you,” she responds.
It makes me smile. “Oh, but you already have.”
I take her jaw between my fingers and a subtle shiver runs over her skin. It’s enough to make me straighten up too.
“Is that why you leave for so long? Because you’ve already gotten what you want from me?”
I brush the bottom of her lip with my thumb. “I haven’t gotten anywhere near all I want from you.”
Conflict rages in her innocent eyes. “Then why do you disappear?”
“Because I want you to miss me. Do you miss me, Elisa?”
“… No.”
“Don’t lie to me, princess.”
“I don’t miss you.”
“But do you miss this?” I wrap my free hand around her tiny waist and pull her forward so that she can feel my hardness.
Elisa doesn’t answer, but she doesn’t pull away either. Instead, her hand falls on my chest, much like it did before she kissed me.
“What do you want, little flower?”
A heavy sigh empties her chest. “So much,” she whispers, almost more to herself than to me. An alien pinch of sympathy peppers my soul. I’ve taken everything from her. Well, almost everything.
Elisa’s breath is hot and heavy. Our bodies beg for each other.
“Let me give it all to you.”
The hand on my chest brushes up to my chin. Elisa’s amber eyes study me like I’m one of her books. “You don’t know what to give me. You’re always changing. And you’ve changed again.”
I take her wrist and lead her hand up to my lips. One by one, I kiss the tips of her fingers. “No. This is me.”
With great care, Elisa touches the lines on my face, as if to make sure I’m real. When her fingers fall onto the part of my cheek that she once dug her nails into, she pauses. “Who are you?” she asks.
“I’m yours.”
Elisa shakes her head. “No, you’re not.”
With a gentle tug, she frees herself from my grip. I’m left to stare at her back as she turns and stares off into the distance, at anything but me.
The softness of the moment begins to harden. “Who do you think I am?” I ask.
“I don’t know.”
“Who do you want me to be?” The question feels foreign to my lips. There’s a vulnerability to it that I didn’t intend. In the blink of an eye, I’m struggling against myself again, against my anger.
“Someone else.”
That does it. I grab for Elisa’s wrist and whip her around, forcing her back into my body. Her elbows and forearms dig into my stomach, but I hold her tight. “Who? Maybe Felix?”
Now Elisa starts to struggle. “You’re insane.”
She’s right. Unstable emotions are being rocked inside of me by waves of jealousy and inadequacy. It’s infuriating. I’ve never felt inadequate before, not once in my entire adult life. Same goes for envy. I’ve ruled and I’ve conquered, women and men and companies and syndicates alike. Now, I’m being pushed around by a girl who’s a decade younger than me.
She’s made me run. She’s made me return. And now she’s making me crazy.
“You’re right,” I say, pushing her away. With a swift turn of the heel, I march towards her bedroom door. “I am insane.” Without crossing the threshold, I close the door and lock it shut. Then I turn back around to my prisoner. We’re both trapped here. “You drive me fucking crazy.”
“Well, you drive me crazy too! You—”
I don’t let her finish. The last of her fiery words drift into my mouth as I press my lips against hers and kiss the frustration out. It works. One taste and I’m back. Everything else can go to hell. Ciro. The Black Delphi. The Family. Everything. I just want more of this.
At first, I’m the one kissing her, but then, to my surprise, I feel Elisa’s fingers run up my neck and into my hair. Her tongue lashes out daintily from behind her lips and I go wild.
She’s pulling me closer. She’s showing me what she wants.
There’s no hiding for either of us anymore. My passion for Elisa is suddenly so far beyond my desire for revenge that I don’t even see her anymore. There’s no princess. No captive. No enemy’s daughter.
Just us.
She’s kissing me back like an equal. It’s raw and primal and the taste of her tongue has me teetering on the edge of delirium. I suck up her desire and she moans with pleasure. Blindly, I push her towards the bed.
We only let our lips fall apart to disrobe. When I have Elisa on her back, I push up and take the bottom of her nightgown in my hand. Before I can rip it off, she grabs my wrist and squeezes. “Gentle,” she pleads.
It takes all of my will power, but instead of tearing this nightgown like I did the last one, I tenderly shimmy it up her perfect body, exposing each inch of her pure skin in a grand reveal that stiffens my cock even more.
She’s so perfect. I can’t even wait. Once I get it to her neck, Elisa is left to lift the nightgown off the rest of the way, because I’ve collapsed onto her breasts. They swell up for me, nipples pebbled and begging to be sucked.
“Aiden!” The pleasure of hearing my name whimpered from Elisa’s lips drives me even further off the edge. I move from nipple to nipple, painting each breast twice over with my tongue. By the time I’ve worked my way down to her pussy, Elisa is drenched with arousal.
“Are you ready, princess?” I ask, my cock raging behind my pants. “Are you ready to be fucked?”
She doesn’t even need to use her words. Elisa’s back arches and her thighs clench around my face. I know what she wants. Still, I want to hear her say it. But I don’t have to ask again. “Yes. Fuck me… I want you to fuck me.”
Her words are like music to my ears. I’ve done it. I’ve corrupted this innocent little flower and made her beg for the tempestuous flames of sin.
“With pleasure,” I growl. But first, I warm her up. I want to make her gush before I shatter her virginity. My tongue prepares her entryway for my cock to claim her.
I start to lick. I lash and I suck and I play with the soaking nub of her clit until she’s bursting at the seams.
When Elisa pulls at my hair so hard that it feels like she’s trying to behead me, I know it’s time. Her pussy lips are drenched and throbbing with desire. Her hips sway in wild rhythms, just trying to ride the cresting waves of her overwhelming pleasure. I lap up a little more of her juices and then rise above her.
With a single swipe, my pants are off and my cock is free. It gets even harder when I spread Elisa’s legs apart. Precum drips from my tip.
We’re both more than ready.
Still, I don’t rush.
Gentle.
I’ve never been gentle before, but this time is different. I’m not just fucking for my own pleasure. I’m fucking for her pleasure too. I want to make her feel good. I want to make her explode over my cock. I want her to crave more of me.
“Relax, little flower,” I say, spreading her clenched thighs outwards.
“… I’m scared,” she confides. When I look into her eyes, I see that fear, but it’s mixed with desire. Right now, she’s not sure what she wants. I’ll show her.
“Don’t be scared,” I say, rubbing my cock between the wet lips of her tight pussy. She moans my name and my hands shake. “Give yourself to me, princess. Let me take you. I’ll make sure everything is alright. Understand?”
Elisa makes a fist around my forearm. “Yes,” she whispers. Her fingers dig into my skin, but the rest of her body gives in. I’m in complete control.
“Good girl.” With a careful thrust, I enter her virgin pussy.
“Aiden!” she cries, back arching again.
“It’s alright,” I sooth her. The further I push, the tighter she becomes. Fuck, she’s so tight. It almost hurts. The walls of her pussy close in around me with a tremendous pressure. The pleasure is nearly overwhelming. But I can’t stop. I won’t.
Elisa cries out again, her body shaking with equal parts pain and desire. With great care, I slide back out, only getting halfway before I plunge back into her. She twists and turns as her maidenhead is pierced by my cock. Her mouth opens wide, but this time, nothing comes out. Lust catches in her throat.
There’s no stopping now.
As I start to pound her, Elisa’s fingers tremble around my forearm. My hands shake right along with her. This is even more amazing than I expected, and it’s not even the pure ecstasy of pounding her tight pussy that’s getting to me so badly. No. It’s the realization that I’ve finally claimed her.
Elisa is mine.
For the first time since I took her, it actually feels like she belongs to me. Completely and entirely.
I’ve found my princess. And she’s begging for more.
