I’m not sure how much time has gone by. The TV is on, but I haven’t stopped pacing and I’ve chewed my thumbnail until there’s nothing left. It’s tender and red and if I keep going, I’ll bleed. I’m worried. What if he hurts himself? What if he does something he can’t come back from?
I snort to myself.
Why am I worried about that? This is his job. This is what he is used to.
I sit on the bed, deciding to take a break and attempt to get my heart to stop racing. My stomach is turning, and I’ve had the urge to throw up ever since he went downstairs. I press a hand to my belly, knowing it’s too soon to know if I’m pregnant, but my eyes water with panic.
What if I am and something happens to Ari? What if he gets killed and I’m left alone with our child? I know he’d leave us with plenty of money, but it isn’t that I’m worried about. I’m worried about being without him. I want his comfort and I know he’ll be an amazing father.
I went and did the one thing I told myself I’d never do.
I fell in love with the man I hated.
And I kind of hate him for it.
I watch the door like a madwoman, time ticking by slowly and five minutes feels like five hours. The sun was high in the sky when he left and now the moon is out, the sky is black, and there are stars twinkling in the sky. Frogs croak in the distance and it sounds like hundreds, but I bet there are just a few.
It’s hard to believe the world is still so beautiful when something so ugly is going on downstairs.
My eyes get heavy listening to the music of the outdoors. I try to stay awake. I want to wait for Ari, but the clock shows one in the morning now and I can’t wait any longer.
I doze off, falling onto the bed, and grab his pillow to hold to my chest. I’m in and out of sleep, waking up to random sounds coming from the movie playing when the door finally opens.
Sitting up, I rub my eyes and my voice is laced with sleep. “Ari, is that you?”
“Go back to sleep, Tesoro.” His tone is quiet as if he doesn’t want to yank me from the spell exhaustion has on me.
I roll over and turn on the lamp and he pauses, shutting his eyes because he knows how I’m about to react.
He is drenched in blood. His white shirt is ruined, stained with red as if it gushed on him. His hands look like he reached into a body to turn it inside out. There’s a red smear across his cheek and he finally lifts his eyes from the floor to look at me.
“What happened?” I scramble to the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch him, then decide not to because there isn’t a clean spot I can see.
“I got the information I needed. He wouldn’t break, but eventually, he did. Matias is cleaning up.”
Cleaning up.
“Is he dead?”
“Very,” he rumbles low with a sneer. “Rosie, it’s best if you stay away from me right now. I’m still full of rage. I still want to hurt someone. Stay in here while I clean up, okay?”
He doesn’t give me time to answer. He disappears into the bathroom, keeping the door cracked. The spray of the water hisses and through the small crack, I can see the shadows of him undressing, and like always, I don’t listen to him.
I jump off the bed and push the door open. Ari is standing in front of the vanity, stark naked, bloody hands gripping the edge of the counter and he is breathing in harsh bursts. His dark hair is a mess, hanging in front of his face, and his arms begin to tremble the harder he squeezes the vanity’s edge. His knuckles turn white and his eyes, cold and calculating meet mine in the mirror.
“Get. Out,” he clips.
“No,” I say to him, taking a step forward.
I reach for him, but he moves out of the way, dodging my touch.
“You do not listen!” he doesn’t raise his voice but it’s a harsh whisper, one that holds in all the anger and violence. “If you know what’s good for you, get out.”
“What if I don’t,” I whisper, taking another step forward. “ I hate listening and the last thing I want to do is listen to you. I don’t want to get out simply because you told me to.”
He growls and suddenly I’m pressed against the wall, one bloody hand wrapped around my throat to keep me pinned.
“You are maddening,” he hisses, cocking his head to stare me down. He spins me around and shoves me away. “Leave. Or I’m going to take from you, Tesoro. I’ll take and take until you have nothing left to give.”
“What happened, Ari?”
He charges, grabbing me by my shirt backs me into the vanity. I can’t breathe. His body is on mine, weighing me down, and I can smell the metallic twinge of blood wafting from his clothes.
“I killed for you. That’s what happened.” He snags my shirt from the collar and rips it down the middle, exposing my tits. “And I’d do it again, but now you have to deal with the aftermath.”
His cock is hard and pressing against my thigh. There’s something vicious swimming in his eyes. He rips his own shirt off, buttons flying and clinking off the floor.
“No one will take you from me,” he says, tugging down my shorts and panties at the same time. “You’re mine, Rosie. All mine.” He spins me around and the breath is knocked out of my lungs as I’m pressed against the wall.
The sound of a zipper lowering as anticipation drapes over my skin.
“Spread your fucking legs,” he orders, the vibrations of his voice tickling my ear.
I do as he says, my entire body is compliant, wanting nothing more than to obey him.
“I won’t be touching your pussy with my hands. They aren’t clean yet.” He drags his reddened hands up my arms, circles his fingers around my wrists, and pins them above my head.
His cock slips between my thighs, rutting against my already wet pussy and we both groan. “I’m going to make us to do this every time I have to kill in your name. I’m going to fuck you while my hands are damned in our enemy’s blood. They think they can take you from me.” He rocks his hips, his cock gliding in and out, the thick crown brushing against my clit.
He pauses when I become wetter and his teeth nibble along my neck. “You like that, don’t you? You act like you’re a good girl, but really you’re fucking filthy. Really, you want to be bent over and used. You want to be filled with my come and owned, don’t you? You want me to claim you. You love to know I’ve killed for you. Don’t. You?” He brings my head back, flattening his tongue along my neck accompanied by a growl.
He coats his cock with my slickness until I can’t take anymore. I need him to fuck me.
“Please.” I press my cheek against the cool tile of the wall, hoping it cools the heat bursting under my skin.
“Not yet.” He continues his brutal pace against my pussy. “Ah, fucking hell, you feel good just like this. So fucking wet. I love getting to feel how slick you are for me. This is all for me, isn’t it? No one else?”
“No one else,” I repeat, my eyes rolling back in a daze.
“My wife,” he groans, hot come splashing against my lips. “Mine.” His shaft is still hard, like always after he orgasms, and drenches himself in his come.
“Yes.” My lips part when the head pushes against my entrance.
He drives into me until his sack is pressed against me. I’m so full, I whine from the slight pain of his size. A shuddering breath ghosts over my skin and his stained crimson hand flattens against my stomach, applying the slightest amount of pressure.
My fingers tighten in his and I clench around him, tightening myself along his girth.
“Does that feel good, Tesoro?”
“What does that mean?” I finally ask, hoping he’ll tell me.
“That’s for me to know.” He presses against my stomach harder and his cock hits against a spot inside me that has my sight blurring for a moment. “And for you to find out whenever the hell I want.” He slams into me, keeping the pressure on my stomach.
“Oh god, Ari. You have to stop. I don’t know what you’re doing, but…but…” I move against him, debating if I want to move away or not. It’s too much and not enough. “Stop. Oh god, stop.”
He sinks his teeth into the flesh of my neck until it stings. “You don’t sound like you want me to stop.” Ari rams into me, keeping my body trapped between him and the wall.
The solid weight of him against my back reminds me that I have nowhere to go, not that I’d want to be anywhere else.
It’s just all consuming. He’s all around me. Every part of him his touching me, his chest, his abs, his thighs against mine, and his hands clasped with mine. He is holding onto me so tight, any the blood on him is rubbing off onto my palms. He fills me too in an aching, thrilling, kind of way. Not just inside me, not just my body but he has taken over my mind. He has infiltrated my soul with his thoughtful ways and charm. His frustrations are a balm against anything I’ve ever questioned with him.
Because I know his frustrations only lie in others threatening me.
“Ari—”
“Be quiet, Tesoro. The only things I want to hear coming from your mouth are sounds of pleasure.” He slams forward, the edge of my jaw hitting against the wall as he unapologetically fucks me.
It’s nothing but silence as he fucks me, nothing but low growls falling from him like a maddened beast. Whimpers, broken and high-pitched, hurt my throat. His hand doesn’t move from my belly, the pressure becoming worse, more intense, and my thighs begin to tremble. My body becomes lightweight, a warm filling sensation fills my stomach, and the harder he thrusts his anger into me, the hotter I become.
“That’s it, Tesoro. Fuck, you take my cock so well. Look at you. Look at your pretty pussy stretched out for me.”
I’m unable to keep myself upright any longer and sag against the wall, my shoulders digging into the unforgiving tile.
The constant moans leave me sounding like I’m drugged. I reach down to play with my clit, to give myself that extra push so I can fall over the edge but the moment my hand is free of his, he growls, snagging my wrist in his hand.
“Ari, please. I burn. I need to come. Please,” I beg him, his torment on my body has gone on long enough.
“I’ll make you come.” He slams my hand on the wall again. “But if you move one more time, I won’t let you.”
He hammers into me, the long drag of his cock has me keening with every stroke, finding depths I didn’t know existed.
“My come coating my cock while I fuck it into you is the best view I’ve ever seen.” Our skin slaps together and his groan fills my ear. “Fucking hell, you feel so good. You’re mine. Our baby will be mine. I’ll protect the both of you, always.”
The red transferred to the wall from his hands paints the picture he’s trying to get me to see.
The primal way he’s fucking me, he way he is lost in his revenge pushes me over the edge. It’s the strongest orgasm I’ve ever experienced. My knees buckle, my body gives out as a rush of heat escapes me.
He pulls free. “Oh, fuck yes. Come all over my cock. Look at the mess you’re making.”
My eyes roll to the back of my head, feeling every wet pulse escape me when suddenly he fills me again and groans, prolonging my orgasm just as he reaches his own. We stand there for a minute. Our bodies shake and our breaths are ragged and unsteady. I can’t move. I can’t think.
“I can’t wait for you to have my baby,” he whispers so low, I don’t think he meant to say the words out loud. He kisses my shoulder and painstakingly pulls free of me.
Our mess drips down my thigh while I stand there, immobilized.
“Let’s shower,” he says, dragging me to the stall. “Let me get in first. I need to wash my hands. I want to finally be able to touch you.”
“You just touched me. You just touched me all over. I felt it.” I know what he means, but he needs to know he can touch me in other ways besides using his hands.
He smirks, stepping in and washing away the evidence of what took place downstairs. The water turns a light shade of pink as it washes down the drain. He scrubs himself with body wash three times, then washes his face. Once the water runs clear, he offers his clean hand to me.
“Let me wash you, Tesoro. Let me clean you of the anger I’ve brought home to you.”
“I’m okay,” I say, stepping into the stall, then remembering when I watched him touch himself for the first time.
“What is it?” he asks, bending my head back to wet my hair. “You’re blushing.”
“It’s the hot water,” I say, his damn hand pressing against my hip to hold me steady. I don’t know if it’s my body being sensitive from the orgasm or if it’s his touch, but every nerve ending feels raw and open to him. Every breath, every glide of his fingertips against my skin, I have to remember how to catch my breath.
“Don’t lie to me,” he mumbles. “You aren’t a good liar so if I were you, I would stop trying.” He tugs on my hair to force the point.
“Fine,” I act bothered. “I was thinking about the first time you came into the room that I thought was mine and how I watched you…”
He lifts my head, his wide palm cradling the back of it, and somehow hunger still lingers within him. How does he never get enough of me?
“Pleasure myself?”
He knows. That damn mischievous smile gives away everything.
“You knew?” I gasp.
“I knew the moment you stepped into the bathroom. Why do you think I put on such a show? I like the idea of you watching me.”
I turn away, a little embarrassed that he knew all this time. It’s a different feeling when you get caught. All this time, I convinced myself it was okay because he didn’t know.
Lo and behold, he knew the entire time.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” He turns me to face him. “The thought of you wanting to watch me, to see me, even then when you hated me, it gave me hope. Plus, I wanted you to see me come to your name.”
“Ari…” I don’t know what to say. I do love watching him.
“Is that something you want to do more of? Do you want to watch me when I don’t know you’re looking? That can be arranged. Whatever my Tesoro wants, she gets.”
“Will you please tell me what that means?”
“In time,” he teases. “When I don’t feel like I will lose you at any moment.”
I pinch my brows together, placing my hands on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere, Ari. I’m right here. I’m yours.”
“You’re mine and that’s what has you in danger now,” he whispers. “But even that isn’t enough for me to let you go.”
“What are you talking about? What happened downstairs, Ari? He talked, right?”
“Bianchi owes a black-market gem dealer named Zander. He’s dangerous. He runs a business very similar to ours, but he exports and imports rare and unique items. He is known for his gems though. This black diamond has been in Bianchi’s family for many generations. He agreed to sell it to Zander for millions. Zander bought it and is here in the city to get it, but Bianchi can’t give it to him. So now, Zander has given Bianchi a deadline. If he can’t meet it, Bianchi is dead, which is where the threat of you comes in. When Bianchi first came to me, I didn’t know about you yet. He wanted an alliance and with two territories so close together, it would bode well for us to be civil to one another. I agreed to keep my ear to the ground, but then you happened. You changed everything for me.”
I give him a sweet smile, cupping his cheek as he goes on.
“I didn’t care about Bianchi and never did. I didn’t have much to lose before besides whatever manpower he was willing to give me when I needed it, but now I have you. Protecting you from him made you a bigger target. In our world, someone always has to pay for the crime. Your brother can’t be found and you’re the next of kin, so it will be your head he wants. The man you killed, he doesn’t care about that. A body is a body, and it can be replaced but that gem can’t be. The longer you have it, the more danger you’re in. The people who attacked us on the airstrip? It wasn’t Bianchi. It was Zander.”
“How did they know it was me?”
“They didn’t. I think Bianchi set me up at that moment. I think Zander was there for me. And anyone around me would have been collateral.”
“So that was his way of having the upper hand?”
“Yes,” he says with distaste.
“So what happens next? We can’t give the gem to Bianchi. He’ll probably still try to kill me.”
“I’m going to kill him. We’re going to cash in on that gem. And you’re going to have a life you’ve dreamed about.”
“I do,” I whisper, inching closer to him. “You’ve given me that life already. I don’t care about money.”
“No, but this gem will secure you. The money from it can go into a trust. You’ll be safe if you ever decide to leave if you decide to end our…arrangement. I would take care of you, but I have a feeling you’d want to take care of yourself.”
I look down at our wet feet, wondering how this man knows me so well already. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, Ari.”
“Plans change,” he says, slightly detached, and I lace our fingers together.
I don’t want anything to change. I like how things are.
He kisses my forehead. “I’ll leave you to your shower. I need to go into the office.” He lets in a cold burst of air as he opens the stall.
I watch him go, surprised he’d just leave me like that, but if there is one thing I don’t understand yet, it’s his moods.
They are either scolding hot or ice cold and they are hard to keep up with.
Ari Milazzo makes me burn, but in moments like this, he leaves me freezing, missing the warmth of his embrace.
He thinks I’m the one who is wild and unpredictable, but he’s wrong. I have a feeling everything is about to change, and it isn’t because of me.
