I couldn't help but respond. Even knowing Momma and Papa were outside my bedroom door. It meant nothing. Not when Ryker overwhelmed me. When he took his pleasure from my body. When he gave me mind-blowing sensations in return. I'd almost come off the bed and Superman punched Momma in the throat for attempting to touch him. Let alone the fact that he was mine, he didn't like to be touched. No one would be touching him but me. Not if they wanted to keep their hands attached to their bodies. With the slightest tilt, Ryker somehow managed to push his tongue even deeper inside my mouth. I sucked on his tongue. Reveled in his groan that vibrated through our joined flesh. My arms were getting tired, and I didn't want to accidentally touch him again. Not after everything else so far today. It wasn't even lunch time and I felt like the day had been as long as a month. I tried to pull back, to put some space between us. He growled and pulled me closer. Bossy, possessive jerk. M
My wound dressed to Ryker's exacting standards, and I was back up in his arms as he carried me to the couch in the living room. He set me down. Gave me a kiss. "What do you want for breakfast?" Papa laughed from over at the kitchen island. "Momma and I brought everything a healing body needs. We can all eat together."Ryker looked up and over. Nodded. "That works for me." He left me on the couch and went over to help Papa. Tali took his spot. "What the hell is going on? I've never seen Momma so quiet and subdued."I nodded. "Ryker set her back on her heels. Not one shit was given, Tali. If I'd been able to climb him like a tree, we certainly wouldn't be having breakfast right now. It was really hot...after I wanted to punch him in the face for it."Tali snickered. "I'm surprised he tamed the beastie."I smiled. "With a couple sentences. It was amazing. A little brutal, but amazing. Papa even backed Ryker."Tali whistled low. "Damn.""Yeah. Good luck finding anyone who
The man looked like hell. While most of me rejoiced at the fact, I couldn't help but wince in sympathy. I'd been on the receiving end of the Amatucci brothers' love for Willow. How much worse had it been when one of their own had endangered her? Not that he hadn't deserved every inch of pain and bruising. Angelo stalked over to the front door like a silent, deadly wraith. Not even his shoes made noise on the cement floor. He shut the door with a quiet snick. The rest of the Amatucci family seemed to pull in a collective breath and hold it. I looked at them, met each of their gazes. Maria's was the only one that didn't have my death promised in the dark gaze. In fact, I'd never seen that combination of emotions on a face at one time. Disappointment tinged with satisfaction and sorrow. Must be a parent thing. I was going to catch some heat for my role in the current situation. Although technically it had been Massimo who spilled the full can of beans, I had opened said ca
My heart in my throat, I waited for him to make his decision. Willed him to let me in, to let me help. I needed to know what had happened to him. What had formed him. How he came to be the man he was. As the silence dragged on, I could feel myself shrinking, imploding. He was going to push me away. Break the bonds that had already formed. Set them on fire and run for the hills. I gave him a sad smile, nodded. I'd known it was too good to be true. I wasn't keepable. I was too broken and dark to be with someone who lived in the light like he did. From the very beginning, I'd known. Bad guys didn't help strangers. Not like he had. He'd felt guilty that I'd been kidnapped after he dropped me back off at the bakery. But he was seeing what my life was really like. How closely I was tied to the Amatuccis. He saw how deep the pits I lived in were. How dark. How much I'd become like those pits. Unsaveable. I wasn't fit for the light and that's all he was. Lightness, gentleness-albei
Her broken tears washed me clean. As if she'd brought some bleach and sterilized the memories, I felt lighter. Not so heavy, not so dark. Lighter. My eyes were dry, so fucking dry. I hadn't cried since that day, I realized. Another thing that bastard had stolen from me. The memory of Angelo and Domenico weeping in each other's arms ran through my mind again. That's what family should be. They might have ethics as flexible as a Slinky, but their morals and values were hard as granite. I couldn't understand anything of what she was saying, but her touch and spirit gentled me. Calmed me. Soothed me as nothing ever had in the past. I'd jostled her in my arms, forced her to grab onto my shoulders. I hadn't been able to ask for her touch there, but I'd needed it. Demanded it. So we lay there. Two broken people trying to act like we were whole. Our darkness spoke to each other's darkness. They communed together. No brighter for the coming together, but certainly no darker for i
I grabbed Turo's hand as his face went thunderous. "Sorry. Thank you. I was trying not to let her know my middle name. Something about her wanting to yell at me using all three." I shook my head. His face cleared as he laughed. He nodded. "Yeah, when she's really pissed she uses all three like Momma does." He leaned in. "I think it's cute, but don't tell her that. She'd just get even more pissed and I like my confectionaries."I chuckled as we let go. "Making her angry is pretty fun."He snorted. "Do it at your own risk. And don't eat anything she makes you after she's been angry." He shuddered. "It won't end well.""Stop snickering about me, you turds." "Speak of the devil," I said. A pillow punched into the back of my head. "Jerk." Her stomach growled again. Loud enough that I heard it from the middle of the room. I turned back to her. "Seriously, do you have a small feral animal who lives inside you?"She flipped me off as she laughed. "Just feed me.""Momma le
Tali held me under the shoulders as I went to the bathroom. I don't think I'd ever been so humiliated in my life. "Just think of it as me holding your wedding dress."I snorted into Tali's shoulder. "Except you're holding me, not my clothes. I feel like an idiot.""It's this or stay in the hospital. From what I heard, Ryker had to pull some strings to get Dr. Sweeten to release you into his care. Technically, you should still be there. I think the stay was about fourteen days? Something like that, anyway. Besides, what's a little pee between best friends slash sisters?"I laughed. "Does that mean you're going to help me go when I'm at Ryker's?" I'd never really thought about the mechanics of personal hygiene before I had to rely on someone else to help me stay upright. We managed it and she only dropped me on the toilet once. We were both in tears from laughing so hard by the end of it, my body was screaming in delicious pain. "It-t-t hurtssss, Tal-l-li. Help me up-p-p,"
Shivers and goosebumps rose along my arms and spine as she scratched her nails against my scalp. How I missed the simple pleasure of that my whole life, I didn't know. But, along with just about everything else about this woman, I was addicted to it. I dipped down so she could get the front door. "Oh, I need my purse," she said. I straightened. "Right. Do you know where it is?" She stiffened a bit, looked over my shoulder. "No. Last I remember having it was in the car at the bakery."I winced even as I appreciated her not stating the fact that I was the reason she was currently forced to be in my arms. I nodded. I would make that up to her. Spend my life making it up to her. "I'll have Baxter go back to the bakery. I think your car is still there. You'll need to get your bank information changed, just in case. What about your driver's license? Social security card? All of that?""In the far corner. Fireproof safe under the desk." She pointed over my shoulder. Careful