Elsie Santorini is on the run. She has no choice but to get away from her husband. He’s part of the mafia, considered one of the most dangerous capos, and he should have married someone the mafia accepted. She has heard the whispers. They believe her to be a gold-digging whore. An outcast. An outsider.
One woman in particular has told her it was only a matter of time before Massimo woke up.
Massimo knows his wife is in danger. By being his wife, it instantly puts a target on her head. He hated that she ran, but he has no problem kidnapping her, and taking her to his reclusive cabin where she would have no means of escape.
He will not let her go. The moment he met Elsie, she got under his skin, and there is no one else he wants more than her. She is the love of his life, and he will not give her up without a fight.
But what will they do when another woman is determined to tear them apart? Massimo will do whatever it takes, even if that means going to war to keep Elsie alive.
She doesn’t remember the wedding. In fact, she doesn’t remember much besides the fact her family tried to get rid of her when she was sick. Now that she has recovered, she’s come to learn two things: all of her family is dead, and she was is married to one of the most feared men in the world.
Carver Turner relished his reputation for being The Beast. He doesn’t care about the fear he instilled into others. He kills without mercy. It’s what he’s been trained to do, and nothing could sway him from doing his job.
Until his wife comes into his life. She’s different. Morgan is sweet, pure, kind, and she doesn’t look away from him in disgust.
Morgan doesn’t know much about her husband, but she has come to see that while he is a beast to everyone else, to her, he is an angel. The sweetest husband a woman could ask for. And then, the danger comes…
Carver challenged the boss when he killed Morgan’s family. He did it for her, because of what they’d done to her. Now, he has to make a choice, either give up his life, or finally kill his longtime enemy. He has never run away from a fight, and he’s not going to start now.
Excerpt:
“I’ve never drank before,” she said. “I don’t think I will like it.”
“Why? Because your family said you wouldn’t?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
He held out his glass. “It’s whiskey, and I will warn you, that sucker is strong, with a capital S.”
She stepped toward him and reached for the glass. Morgan wore a very cute pair of pajama shorts along with a matching top, with flowers on it.
She took a sip and swallowed, and he watched as her eyes watered seconds before the cough erupted. He was sure to take the glass from her hand, as he didn’t want any of his good whiskey going to waste.
“Oh, wow,” she said.
“I might like to add that whiskey is not for everyone,” he said.
“No kidding, wow, that is like fire. How can you enjoy it?”
He shrugged, took a long sip, and then breathed a sigh of contentment. “You’ve got to know when to enjoy it.”
“Where’s my wedding ring?” she asked.
Now, this surprised him.
“I mean, we are married, right? I am your wife?”
“Yes.”
“But I don’t have a ring, and I didn’t know if there was a reason for that.”
He pulled at the chain around his neck and slid it off. Releasing the clasp, he pulled off the engagement ring, as well as the wedding band.
“Give me your hand,” he said.
She held out her left hand and he slid the engagement ring on, followed by the wedding band.
“I decided against using the one your parents wanted me to use.” He had his own rings he’d wanted to give her.
“They’re beautiful,” Morgan said.
The engagement band was rose gold with small diamonds around the ring. The main wedding ring is a single, large diamond with a slender band. It fit well on her finger, exactly how he knew it would.
“There. All you had to do was ask for them back,” he said. “You did wear them on that night, but I removed them when you passed out. Also, I had a feeling your parents were going to try to steal them from you, and I wasn’t going to have that.”
She rolled her eyes. “That is all they ever try to do.”
“Tried,” he said. “Past tense.”
“Oh, right.”
She dropped her hand down and looked at him. There went her lips, pressed together, and he watched her. Her long, blonde hair was tucked behind her ear, and she looked so beautiful. So pure. She was still a virgin.
“Can I kiss you?” she asked.
Now this did surprise him. “You want to kiss me?”
“You’re my husband, right? I don’t remember if we kissed at our wedding,” she said. “Everything is kind of hazy.”
He waited.
“But, I’d really like to kiss my husband, if you would like it?”
He smiled, put his glass down on the desk, and stood.
She took a step toward him, then another, until she was in touching distance. In fact, she was so close, he could smell the vanilla scent of her body wash.
He already had the next package to give her, wrapped and ready to place at the foot of the bed. Carver also liked to watch her sleep. He never lingered too long, just enough to watch her for a second after he placed the gift on the bed.
“I don’t know what to do,” Morgan said.
He reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders. She didn’t flinch as he slowly traced the tips of his fingers down her shoulders, going toward her hands. He picked them up within his grasp and then placed both on his chest. She didn’t pull away, even as he moved them up from his chest, around to circle his neck.
Morgan locked her fingers together, so that she was holding herself as well as him. With her hands around his neck, it drew her body closer to him, and he couldn’t help but hold onto her waist.
For several seconds, he held her like this. There was still a little distance between their bodies, but then he changed that by sliding his hands down toward her ass and then pulled her close. Body to body. He heard her gasp. Carver was hard.
Being close to Morgan, wanting her, not touching, not tasting, not stripping her naked and fucking her, was a challenge. Instead, he held her, had a hard cock, and was so desperate to feel those lips on his. But, he waited. This was about her, not him.
“Now, when you’re ready, you put those lips of yours onto mine, and that is a kiss.”
She doesn’t remember the wedding. In fact, she doesn’t remember much besides the fact her family tried to get rid of her when she was sick. Now that she has recovered, she’s come to learn two things: all of her family is dead, and she was is married to one of the most feared men in the world.
Carver Turner relished his reputation for being The Beast. He doesn’t care about the fear he instilled into others. He kills without mercy. It’s what he’s been trained to do, and nothing could sway him from doing his job.
Until his wife comes into his life. She’s different. Morgan is sweet, pure, kind, and she doesn’t look away from him in disgust.
Morgan doesn’t know much about her husband, but she has come to see that while he is a beast to everyone else, to her, he is an angel. The sweetest husband a woman could ask for. And then, the danger comes…
Carver challenged the boss when he killed Morgan’s family. He did it for her, because of what they’d done to her. Now, he has to make a choice, either give up his life, or finally kill his longtime enemy. He has never run away from a fight, and he’s not going to start now.
Can you believe we’re at the end of November? This year is flying by, and we’re into the last two releases of the year. To end 2024, A Wife by Christmas and Beast’s Wife (Villains) will be coming in the month of December. I do have lots planned for 2025, and I would love to know what you would like to see on my coming soon page.
To Win a Rebel and You’re Not My Mate (Poison Wolves MC) were released this past month. Which one was your favorite? I honestly cannot pick just one, as I loved writing both of them.
We’re entering one of my favorite times of the year, December. Do you have any special plans? What are your family traditions? Anything foodie related that you save for this time of the year? I’ve already started making mince pies, cakes, biscuits, and cookies galore. I will try and take some picture along the way to share (if you are interested).
You will also see that we have a special guest on my catch up this time. Please say a big hello to the lovely, Willa Edwards, who is sharing some of her books.
Anyway, I better let you all go to get back to your advent calendar :-).
Until next time,
Take care,
Sam
Released in November
Giveaway
Congratulations to those who won the on the annual Christmas giveaway
The next giveaway will now be in January for my Birthday
**Flash Sales**
Currently on Amazon USA
The below are discounted for a limited time
Amazon Australia
Hunter (Hell’s Bastards MC Book 5) will be discounted to AUD 1.49 in a Kindle Countdown to Christmas Deal which runs from 01-Dec-2024 until 23-Dec-2024 on Amazon.com.au.
Coming In December
Beasts Wife
Villians
Spotlight Author
Willa Edwards
Willa Edwards has dreamed about being a writer since she was four years old. When she picked up her first romance novel at fifteen she knew she’d found her place, and she’s never looked back.
She now lives in New York, where she works with numbers at her Evil Day Job and spends her nights writing red-hot tales of erotic romance. When she’s not at her computer, you can usually find her curled up in bed with her two furry babies, her nose pressed to her e-reader.
From the 1st of December willa’s Christmas Story and the first in the Frostbite Falls Christmas series will be on sale at Bookstrand
Here is the blurb
Nash Phillips and Cassidy Rasnick have lusted after bookish Grace Perry for years. She’s the only person in town that never held their dubious past against them. But they never acted on their feelings, unwilling to risk their friendship or her reputation. But when a mix up drops Grace’s book in their laps, they see a whole new sexy side of their curvy librarian and they can’t stop themselves any longer. They have to make her theirs.
Grace didn’t think anything could be more embarrassing then literally knocking into Cassidy outside the post office, until he and Nash revealed they read her soon to be published book. The book includes bondage and sex with two dark dangerous lords. But to Grace’s surprise they aren’t disgusted by her work. Instead they offer her all the sordid details she’s written about.
But as the night wears on, she realizes that saying goodbye to them is going to be harder to do than she ever guessed. But this has to end, right? Nothing this great can last forever.
Beth Hunter isn’t happy. To save her brother from getting killed, she has no choice but to spend a month with Rome Hayes. Sounds easy enough, only this man is one of the most dangerous men in all of the city. He pushed out the Bratva, the MCs, the mafia, and every single up and coming crime lord, to get to where he is right now.
From the moment he saw Beth, Rome had to have her. There’s more to her than he thought possible. She’s a virgin, so very real, and she’s not afraid of him. She was only supposed to be a plaything. Which is why he never expected to fall in love.
His only problem is her brother. He’s selfish, self-centered, and is determined to do as little as possible to get the most reward. While Beth tries to save her brother’s ass, he seems determined to get her killed.
There is only so much Rome can do, and when her brother intends to kill him, and to put another group in power, it is up to Rome to take the next step. Will Beth forgive him for letting her brother pay the price? Or has Beth come to realize that her brother used her, and now it is time for her to be happy?
Excerpt:
She was a model citizen. Her parents were not. They were drunks, drug addicts with an addiction to not working for what they got. They wanted the easy life. It appeared that away from his parents, Ben was the same. He wondered if Beth even knew the reason he had his shit together back home for them, was the fact he worked for one of the biggest crooks in town. Ben failed to make his life work here, with his sister. He’d never been a nine-to-five kind of guy. He worked harder than his parents, but he also wanted bigger payoffs for less demanding jobs. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he reached out for Beth’s bag. She gave it to him, but he saw how nervous she was. Her hands shook as she handed him the bag. He rested it on his shoulder and took the stairs, knowing she would follow him. Her feet clicked on the hard wood of the stairs, as she followed him up. He’d gotten one of his staff to make up a spare bedroom for Beth to stay in. He had every intention of keeping this strictly about fucking; however, now that she was here, he didn’t want to keep her at arm’s length. Going to his bedroom, he opened the door and stepped inside. Tossing her bag into the closet, he spun around toward her. “You can put your shit up later.” He moved toward the bed. “Now, I want to see what I paid for.” “Paid for?” she asked. “Strip.” Beth’s eyes went wide. He wasn’t a patient man, and seeing as he’d spent most of the day with a raging arousal, he was going to see what now belonged to him. Women were forever at his disposal. All he ever needed to do was click his fingers and one would be there, on her knees, ready to suck his cock. Beth was different. She looked so nervous, and he couldn’t deny it, that nervousness was super cute. He wanted to take her right then and there. To bend her over something and fuck her raw. In that moment, he wondered how many men had gotten the pleasure of fucking her sweet cunt. There was no information about her love life; the cop had said there was nothing available. No ex-boyfriends or ex-fiancés lurking. He found that very hard to believe. Beth was a beauty, with long blonde hair that clearly held a natural curl, and it wasn’t fake either. Full, lush tits she tried to hide in clothes that were too large for her. A small waist, but full hips and thighs. She was all woman. Some men might consider her on the large side, but to him she was perfect. She was all curves and softness, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. His cock was rock-hard. “Ugh, do you want me to clean anything?” she asked. “Take your clothes off, and I don’t like giving an instruction twice, Beth,” he said. She took a deep breath, and he watched as she fidgeted with her shirt. Again, it was two sizes larger than what she needed. He waited, anticipating, and then she lifted the shirt right over her head and showed off the fact her large tits were confined in a bra that was at least one size too small, which he didn’t like. She needed those beauties to flourish. The jeans were next, and as he watched her start to wriggle out of them, he realized her clothes didn’t fit her. He had a feeling she’d shopped for the nearest size she could find in secondhand stores. The jeans joined the shirt, and then she stood in a set of lingerie that should have seen the trash rather than her beautiful body. Beth stood, one leg seeming to curl over the other as if she was attempting to hide her pussy. “All of it,” he said. Her face was bright red. It was like she hadn’t been naked in front of a guy before. Watching her, Rome couldn’t help but feel aroused. There was something quite sexy about her movements, as she worked her bra off, followed by her panties. She also attempted to hide her beautiful body, but Rome wasn’t having any of that. Getting to his feet, he walked around her and then moved her toward one of the many mirrors he had in his bedroom. Beth’s gaze was averted, and he placed a hand beneath her chin and forced her to look at her reflection. “Look how beautiful you are,” he said.
Surprise, I’ve got a brand new book releasing 22nd October!!! Not long to go.
This is a complete standalone.
Blurb
Beth Hunter isn’t happy. To save her brother from getting killed, she has no choice but to spend a month with Rome Hayes. Sounds easy enough, only this man is one of the most dangerous men in all of the city. He pushed out the Bratva, the MCs, the mafia, and every single up and coming crime lord, to get to where he is right now.
From the moment he saw Beth, Rome had to have her. There’s more to her than he thought possible. She’s a virgin, so very real, and she’s not afraid of him. She was only supposed to be a plaything. Which is why he never expected to fall in love.
His only problem is her brother. He’s selfish, self-centered, and is determined to do as little as possible to get the most reward. While Beth tries to save her brother’s ass, he seems determined to get her killed.
There is only so much Rome can do, and when her brother intends to kill him, and to put another group in power, it is up to Rome to take the next step. Will Beth forgive him for letting her brother pay the price? Or has Beth come to realize that her brother used her, and now it is time for her to be happy?
Road doesn’t trust anyone. He knows how quickly women can turn, and he knows Dinah has been sent by Sergey Golubev. Every time he looks in the mirror, he’s reminded of the scars left by Golubev’s handywork.
From the moment Dinah Evans walked into the Evil Fallen Bratva MC clubhouse, she knew she had made a mistake. She does not work for Sergey, but she knows who he is. Several years ago, her mother rejected the man, and as punishment, she paid the price. She knows she should stay away from Road. But, every time he comes calling, she doesn’t turn him away. There is more to Road than meets the eye.
Dinah is the first woman that doesn’t flinch away from him. She’s not repulsed by his scars, and Road loves being around her. But, she doesn’t know the truth. It’s only a matter of time before it comes out. All of those years ago, he was the one who made the order on her mother. He was doing his job, and now, he has to keep that from her.
Golubev is closing in. He’s dangerous, and Road has to make a choice, one that could change their lives forever.
Excerpt:
“I’ve got a job to do, and a kid, he or she, doesn’t need to grow up with a father on a mission to make this world safer.”
There was silence and he watched her as she lifted her head and looked at him.
“You’re talking about Sergey Golubev,” she said.
“Yes.”
“You plan to kill him?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not even worried that I’ll go to the police?”
He laughed. “You’ve had many chances to go to the police in the last few weeks, and not once have you, because I do believe you said they are not to be trusted, so, no, I don’t believe you will.”
“Isn’t this some kind of bad thing?” she asked. “Won’t your club be angry at you for telling me?”
“No, because I have a feeling you’ve got the same vendetta I do,” he said.
“Yeah, but I guess the only difference between us is that you can do something about yours?” She tilted her head to the side and raised both of her brows.
“I’m getting there.” Road wasn’t happy with the lack of progress they were making. He knew Nikki, Golubev’s eldest son, had been in touch with Brute, and asked them to back off for the time being. He didn’t like it.
Now was the time to strike at Golubev. If they allowed him to get stronger, he’d come after the club and they would be royally fucked. However, with Brute now dealing with a wife and having a kid on the way in a matter of weeks, he’d changed.
He knew Brute would still make decisions for the club that would keep them all alive, but Road wanted action. He wanted his revenge.
Damn it, he wanted to see the Golubev fucking burn and that included the likes of Nikki. He didn’t know when the bastard had decided to start working against his father, but he’d made some decisions that would cost any man his soul.
Road had, and glancing over at Dinah, he knew there was one he’d already made that was coming back to bite him in the ass.
“We’re getting off subject here. Have you ever been kissed by a guy?” he asked, trying to stay focused on Dinah and her virginal state.
She pursed her lips. “You already know the answer to that question.”
“No?”
When she rolled her eyes that way, he loved it. She looked so adorable, and inpatient, and he wanted to keep irritating her just to see it.
“No, there. I’ve not been kissed by a guy. Wow, Road, you are so obsessed with this.”
“Do you want to be?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “What? Do you think I should just go up to some random guy, grab him and kiss him?” She giggled.
“No, but you could kiss me.” He didn’t like the feelings that evoked in him from her suggestion. There was no way any other guy was going to touch her. He wouldn’t allow it, and that felt odd for Road.
He’d used women in the past—a lot of them—and he didn’t care what that meant. Women had been a commodity, an easy way to gain information, and now as he looked at Dinah, he saw something different. Her plump red lips looked so inviting, and knowing no other man had touched them, well, it turned him on. Dinah was new to everything, and for the first time in awhile, Road felt an addiction.
“Nah, I can’t kiss you.” She got to her feet, picked up her plate, and walked into the kitchen.
He followed her through.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because … you’re my friend and friends don’t go around experimenting on each other.” She frowned.
“Is it because of my scars?” he asked. “Is that why?”
She spun around, put her plates on the counter, and then gave him her full attention. “Are you being real right now? Are you seriously asking me that?”
“I’m just … I’m curious is all. That is all.” He held his hands up. “Aren’t you?”
“About kissing?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “I guess I have been, but what you’re suggesting is not right.”
“Why not?” he asked. “I’m a willing volunteer.”
“You’re more than happy for me to use you as practice for kissing?”
Scarred Wife (Villains) is coming September 24th!!!
Blurb Seven years ago, Vanessa Norma was taken and held for ransom. When something went wrong, she nearly died. Although someone saved her, she now has to live with the permanent scar and being known as damaged goods.
Diago is a monster. He is the villain in most stories. He kills without mercy.
The night he saved Vanessa, something happened, something changed. She was the first person to seek comfort in him, and now, he knows she is at risk of being sold to the highest bidder, as her father needs money.
No one will fight him. Everyone is afraid of him. So he takes Vanessa for his own.
Weds her. Beds her. Makes her all his.
But her family is going to die. He intends to kill her father for the sins he’s committed. He doesn’t care if Vanessa wants him to or not.
All I wanted was to be free, to not be scared anymore. Was that too much to ask?
I was the unwanted bastard daughter of Finn Byrne. Many feared him and women loved him. My mother didn’t want me, but my birth kept Finn coming around.
After being used as a punching bag for most of my life, I decided to run. The first mistake I made was staying in a small town. The second mistake was falling in love with a guy I barely knew.
Peter lied to me. He manipulated me. Ivan Volkov gave him a job to do, and that was to make me fall in love with him, and get me pregnant. Well, he did all of those things, and I hate him for it, and I love him for it.
I also discovered I’m a wealthy woman. It would seem my grandmother didn’t like her son, nor any of his offspring, but she did like me. I’m the one who has control over the Byrne empire.
And I have a choice to make.
When the time comes, I can choose to leave the Volkov Bratva forever and have my freedom, or I can remain Peter’s wife. I love him, but he doesn’t know how to love me.
What choice do I have?
Excerpt:
“You know, a lot of people are going to hate you,” she said, smiling. “So, if you don’t get hungover, do you forget things?”
“I remember I kissed you last night.”
She stopped pouring cereal out and glanced over at me. I stared right at her, and I watched her cheeks go flush.
“Oh,” she said.
“Do you want to talk to me about that?”
“It’s fine. It was a mistake and you were drunk and it is never going to happen again. We don’t have to talk about it.”
She was cute when she rambled.
“It wasn’t a mistake.”
She jerked the cereal up, and several pieces spilled out of the top, landing on the table, and a few ended up on the floor. I made her nervous.
“I, uh, I don’t think we should talk about this.”
“Talk about what? The fact that since I first saw you at the diner, I’ve been thinking about kissing you?” I asked.
“You shouldn’t say those things.”
“Don’t you like the truth?”
She pushed her chair back and took a step away. I got to my feet, and it didn’t take me long to close the distance she was trying to create. Nor was it hard to manipulate her movements and have her pressed up against the door of the fridge, with no way to escape.
If, for even a second, I thought she was afraid, I’d back away. I’m not here to scare her. I’m here to … well, arouse her. To get this party started.
I couldn’t waste more time with bounty hunters on the loose, potentially tracking her down. Putting both of my hands on either side of her head, I stared into her eyes.
“Peter?”
“What’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?”
“I … no, I’ m not afraid of you.”
“Then what is wrong?”
“There are other women who want you, and they will do anything you want.”
I close the distance between us, so that she could feel the hard ridge of my cock pressing against her stomach. “No other woman makes me feel like that.” I had to stop playing the long game, and instead play the short game.
Ivan, for whatever reason, needed this woman pregnant. It was my job to get her pregnant, and training her, touching her, wasn’t doing the trick. I could no longer attempt to flirt or take my time. I needed to get into her pants, fast.
“Peter?” she asked.
“Is there another guy?” I asked. “Is that why you don’t want me? There is someone else you want.”
“I don’t know what to do with this. I’ve never been put in this position. I … I…”
She was struggling and that was when I realized something. Niamh didn’t have a clue what was happening right now. Even though her father was Finn Byrne, and I had been under the assumption she knew exactly what was going on—sex, fucking, making love, whatever word people wanted to call it—Niamh didn’t have a clue. I was attempting to seduce a woman who’d never experienced it. Did Ivan even know this?
I didn’t know the extent of the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her father. All I could do was make assumptions.
Sinking my fingers into her hair, I decided to just go for it, and I took possession of her lips, kissing her hard. She gasped, and I used that to my advantage, plunging my tongue into her mouth, and hearing her moan. She tasted like mint toothpaste. She’d not even gotten to sip her coffee, and her cereal wasn’t eaten.
Niamh smelled good, and she tasted good. I ran my other hand down her body, and knew she felt good as well.
My arousal wasn’t forced. I wanted to be inside her. This was not going to be a hard task.
All too soon, Niamh pulled away and nibbled the corner of her lip. “I don’t know what to do,” she said.
I think it could be the most honest she had ever been with me.
“Normally, you kiss me back.”
“I, uh, Peter, I … Pickle Quest is not my home. I don’t intend to stay here too long.”
“You’re moving on?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned. “I don’t know, when it’s the right time. I’m traveling, you know. Making enough to be able to move on.”
Now that was a lie, but I wasn’t going to call her out on it. Niamh wasn’t leaving Pickle Quest alone.
“Then how about you and I have some fun while we’re at it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I can’t have fun.”
I wasn’t going to be swayed. Winking at her, I pulled her in and kissed her again.
Blackmailed Marriage is NOW LIVE and AVAILABLE WIDE!!!
How far is he prepared to go to keep his secrets?
<3 Forced Marriage <3 Older hero <3 Enemies to Lovers <3 Virginal heroine <3 Complete standalone 🙂
Blurb
Dante Gallo is pissed off.
When he gets married, he doesn’t intend to be blackmailed into it. However, Phillip Lewis has some damaging evidence. To keep his secrets, Dante must marry the man’s plain youngest daughter, Aria.
Being married to Dante is a nightmare. One that Aria intends to get away from. Even though she is terrified of this man, who is considered to be the most brutal in the Pesci family mafia, she finds the courage to confront him.
Once learning the truth, Aria is horrified. She doesn’t want anyone to be forced to marry her. All she has to do is figure out a way to get the evidence to set Dante free.
When Dante overhears a conversation about how Aria feels about him, about sex, about being married, he doesn’t like it. He is going to give them something to talk about. He will hold onto his wife, he will be proud to be married to her.
But Aria has to set Dante free. She doesn’t want him to be forced into a marriage he didn’t want. The only problem, she has fallen in love with him. Letting him go is proving to be the hardest thing she has ever done.
What will Dante do when he is given the means to be set free? Will he leave or has he fallen in love with his plain bride?
Excerpt:
“Dante,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest. “You startled me.”
“That was not my intention.”
Her heart was racing. She hoped she’d not spoken aloud about any part of her plan.
“I don’t imagine it was.” She was not going to freak out. Laughing, she couldn’t help but look toward the doorway right behind him and hope for a chance to escape. The last thing she wanted to do was make small talk.
They stood, opposite sides of the kitchen. She was still near the sink, Dante in the doorway. He wasn’t wearing a jacket anymore. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and he looked angry.
Aria didn’t know what had set off his anger, and she wasn’t interested in learning either. Dante, other than to do his duty, hadn’t laid a finger on her, and she wanted to keep it that way. Other women were not quite so lucky. Black eyes, lots of makeup, and of course lies—that was what she was used to hearing from them.
The silence between them was starting to make her uncomfortable. She wanted it to be over.
“I was just getting a glass of water. I’m about to go to bed,” she said.
Move. Try not to draw his attention.
Not for a single second did she think she had the power to draw his attention, but she didn’t want to have to perform more of her duties.
Go.
Dante wasn’t saying anything, but he was staring at her. She had no choice but to attempt her escape.
She moved toward him, and was just about to glide past him when he suddenly reached out, grasping her arm, and before she knew what was happening, she was pressed up against the wall. Panic swelled up inside her. What had happened? Had she done something wrong?
She heard the cruelties of people at parties saying that he would probably beat her because she wasn’t anywhere in his league. Fear traveled down her spine, and it had no thought, no care, no consideration.
She stared at him, waiting, wondering.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” Dante said.
“I don’t?”
“No, you don’t. I just want to try something. Trust me.”
Aria didn’t trust him. His reputation far exceeded him, but there was nowhere else for her to go. She felt the panic, but then Dante surprised her. The only time they had kissed was on their wedding day straight after the priest had told them the I do’s. The kiss at the altar had been chaste. To any onlooker, they couldn’t have mistaken that neither person wanted to be there.
She’d been terrified. Since then, they had not kissed.
They hadn’t even had a honeymoon, or done anything together, other than their duty. She struggled to think of it as sex … it was duty. Sex was something different to her, intimate.
All thought fled her mind as Dante’s lips took possession of her own. She expected him to be somewhat cruel, unyielding, refusing to give up and just taking. This kiss was so many different things, and yet, all of them together.
Dante’s hands went to the wall on either side of her head. At first, it was only their lips touching, and Aria couldn’t deny that it felt nice.
Slowly, his body pressed against hers, they were flush together, and something changed within her. At first, she thought she was going to panic, but then suddenly, that all evaporated, and she felt the length of his body against hers. It was nice. Strange.
And all too soon, the kiss had come to an end.
Dante pulled away, and she stared up into his brown eyes. They had the same eye color, but her husband’s eyes were slightly darker, more intense, at least to her.
Leave a Reply, Tell me what you think.