Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Except that would ruin everything.
And it doesn’t matter.
Because he buries my mouth with his, and every other thought vacates my brain.
The kiss sears into me. His lips are soft with a hint of stubble around the edges, and he’s gentle at first, probing my mouth, before his lips open and his tongue invades between my teeth. I moan into him, unable to help it, as his grassy and whiskey-tinged taste floods me, sending ripples and shivers down my spine.
His strong hands hold onto me, one on my lower back, the other in my hair, and he pulls me tighter against him. Jackal is big and muscular, and he has to feel my heart racing through my skin as he keeps kissing me, devouring me, a kiss like I’ve never experienced before. More than a kiss: a promise of something to come, a promise of more games, more kissing, more experiences than I’ve never had. I luxuriate in his kiss, let myself get lost in his lips, and I feel like I’m drifting outside of myself. I don’t want it to stop, and it feels like it goes on forever, before he finally pulls away and leaves me panting for air.
“Fuck, baby,” he says as I open my eyes. I catch a glimpse of a strong jaw and full lips as he hurries to pull down the mask. “Think about that tonight, and I’ll be watching.”
“Promise?” I ask, face flushed and skin raw with excitement.
“Promise.” He touches my hip and the other hand brushes my cheek. Then he’s walking away and I watch him disappear through the doors and down into the guts of Cage.
I give him a ten count.
Then I rush inside, eager to get back to my bedroom.
Chapter 13
Marco
Valentina’s giddy when she calls early the next morning. “Adam wants to meet with you this afternoon. Got some time?” I pace across my living room. The jackal ear sculpture catches my eye in its place of prominence near the windows.
“I had a feeling he’d call,” I say.
“You don’t mind that he got in touch with me first?”
“Not at all. I have a feeling he’s got a crush on you.”
She laughs lightly. “I doubt it. I’m just the disgraced daughter of a dead crime lord, remember? Anyway, he wants to see you at Osteria del Sole before it opens, around noon.”
“I’ll be there.”
“One down. We’re on the way.” She hangs up and I smile to myself as I stretch in front of the windows, stroke a hand down the jackal ear, and drink some fresh espresso.
My mind is far from Adam and the alliance. All morning I’ve been thinking about Laura Bianco and the enormous risk I took in going to that second show, much less buying that sculpture. The second invitation was harder to fake than the first, and their system had some seriously impressive new defensive innovations installed. I worked on it up until the last second, and even then, I wasn’t sure I disabled their AI face-scanning software, which is why I couldn’t stay indoors for long.
The moment I saw that jackal ear, I knew I had to have it. Some old lady was already shoving her checkbook at Angelo Bianco’s wife, and I had to step in with a fake German accent, a phony alias, and a lot of fucking money to make it mine.
But there’s no way I would’ve left that show with it.
Laura sculpted it for me. She made that with her own hands, and there’s no doubt in my mind she was thinking about our game as she did it. In some way, I think that ear was part of whatever we have happening between us, and she would’ve been heartbroken if I hadn’t taken it home, like it was a test.
I suspect I barely passed.
Too bad she has no clue who I really am. If she did, she’d understand why going to Cage is insane, and only a total idiot would risk it.
The Bianco Famiglia would shoot me on sight. I was too high up in Luciano’s organization for them to let me live. I’ve been lying low for a while, building up my strength and sharpening my skills, but no matter how good I am, walking right into the heart of their world is total madness.
Which is why I can’t ever do it again.
I look up at the ceiling, eyes closed. I taste Laura on my tongue. That fucking kiss—it was world-changing. I’ve never felt a mouth like that in all my life. Her tongue, her little moans and whimpers, the way she threw herself into it like I was the last man on earth. It was incredible, and that kiss made what happened later even better.
Her body on the screen, wreathed in the darkness of her room, obeying all my commands as she teased her own pussy while I watched. I made her come with nothing but my words again and as she licked her fingers clean, I finished stroking myself, coming so hard I nearly blacked out.