Aryana Santini POVThe big man blinked as he raised an eyebrow.“And some ate plants. And a pterodactyl isn’t really a dinosaur at all.”Rocky Ace’s face broke into a crooked grin. “I should’ve known he’d like you.”“I think he did,” I said honestly. “He told me twice that my hair was pretty.”“That’s because it is.” Rocky reached out, but this time, he stilled his hand before it touched my hair. “You’re even shorter in your bare feet.”He was too close. Too close, and just too big, powerful, and masculine.“Yeah, um, that’s how it works.”He broke the intense eye contact. “Want something to drink?”I pulled myself together and gave him a small smile. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”“Not tonight. Have a seat, I’ll bring it out.”Settling back onto the sofa, I tried to figure out what was wrong with me. Eighty percent of my customers at the Tambayan Rolling Barrel were guys. Why did I keep reacting so strongly to him and his men?Rocky’s intense looks and his touch didn’t mean any
Rocky Ace De Luna POV“Time for a boys’ night out,” Montero had said.Just what I needed. One night, we almost got blown up. Another night, Aryana blew my fucking mind. She was so damn responsive to my touch. The way she’d moaned. The way she’d gasped and writhed on the sofa. It was all I could think about. So what the fuck was I doing in a strip club?But we hit this place a few times a month. It was what guys like us did. One incredible evening with a beautiful barmaid didn’t change that, which was probably a good thing. A sweet girl like her didn’t belong in my world. She belonged with someone else. In a nice place in the suburbs, with a caring husband, a bunch of kids, and a dog. She deserved a man who could make her his number-one priority.I couldn’t do that. Not for Aryana. Not for anyone else. Nobody forbade me to date. It was perfectly fine for guys like me, Montero, and Craig to go out with women. But I had no illusions. As soon as someone decided to take me out, anyone I ca
Craig Gomez POVI lost count of all the “fucks” the three of us said before parting ways.We were in deep shit.The guy who’d tried to blow us to hell was still breathing. Worse than that, Bernardino would be pissed. We knew we were valuable to him, but we couldn’t lie to ourselves. Going against Don’s will was perhaps the worst mistake one could make. A mistake that could cost us our lives.With Ace and Montero preferring to lie low for a couple of days, I sensed that doing something was up to me. That was how it worked sometimes. Ace and Montero took over when hotter heads were needed. I was the one they counted on when a more subtle strategy was needed.Not that that was ever a satisfying route. If it were up to me, I’d go over and shoot Nick Bernardino in his fat head. He wasn’t even a tenth of the man his father had been. But if I did that, every single family in Bernardino Family of Cavite would soon go after me. I’d be dead in a matter of days if not hours. Nick Bernardino was
Montero Villar POVThe noise of my cell phone buzzing on the nightstand pried me from my deep sleep. I reached over, my eyelids refusing to open. By feel, I brought it to my ear.The only acceptable interruption to my sleep would be if it was the stripper I’d slipped my number to earlier before the shit hit the fan.But it wasn’t.“It’s me,” a familiar voice said.“Craig?” I croaked and sat up. “What the fuck? You okay?”“Remember Sandro Borromeo?”“Yeah.”“That’s all he is. A memory.”“Holy shit. Seriously?” I shook my head and lowered the cell phone enough for me to see it, as if I couldn’t believe I was hearing this. “Is this a joke?”“No.” His voice was grim. Craig did what needed to be done, but he didn’t like it. “I found him outside of The Tambayan Rolling Barrel Bar & Restaurant. He was going to blow up the joint.”“What? Why? They have the best sliders.”“Yeah, well, I changed his plans for him. Let’s just say that his Beamer has a pretty big sunroof in it now,” Craig said. “
Aryana Joy Santini POVMy eyes narrowed and I glared at him. “If you think I’m going to blow you just because—”He held up his hands in surrender. “Sit down there facing away from me,” he emphasized. “Though, now I’m really curious about how you were going to finish that sentence.”“Oh,” I said meekly. Now that I had some idea where this was going, I settled down on the floor, my back against the sofa. His long legs were on either side of me.I felt the couch shift as he leaned forward, and then his hands were on my shoulders. “Oh god,” I moaned as he began rubbing.He chuckled in appreciation of the sound. “I figured you might be tense tonight.”“Go figure,” I said, but it felt too good to be sarcastic. His fingers were long and very strong. Delicious shivers radiated from everywhere he touched.He worked my shoulders until I was completely relaxed and content. Then he tugged on the end of my ponytail. “Can you undo that?”“Sure.” I possibly would’ve answered the same way if he’d ask
Montero Villar POV “Yes?” I said cautiously. I knew where I’d recognized her from—the pictures in Aryana’s apartment. But how the fuck did she know who I was? “Who wants to know?”“Me,” she said, making me feel like the dumbest student in the class again. “When I find out that three bloody men show up on my doorstep, I make it a point to find out who they are.”Oh shit. “You’re the one who owns the house Aryana and that nurse were staying at?”“Yes.”“My compliments on what you’ve done with the place.” It was a crappy thing to say, but couldn’t she at least have torn down that ridiculous wallpaper?She glared at me, but I saw a small crack in her façade that she didn’t like living in a place that looked like a cross between a nursing home and a National book store any more than I would. “I’ve been on tour. I haven’t had much time to do anything with it.”More pieces fell into place. She was a singer. Now that I thought about it, I’d heard a thing or two about her. She sang at restaura
Montero Villar POVAs expected, my words made her hold her head more rigidly upright. But as I massaged her scalp and occasionally tugged on those soft strands, she grew more relaxed.Eventually, she did let her head loll backward. Her hair on my bare chest felt amazing. When I looked down, I could see her face now. Her eyes were closed, and she was biting her lip.I smoothed her hair away from her ear on one side. Cupping the back of her head with one hand, I supported her while I dipped my head. She moaned softly when I bit her earlobe. “Still think I couldn’t get you to seduce me?”That got her riled up again. She jumped away from me, whirling around. “You’re a bastard, Montero.”“Never claimed I wasn’t.”“And in the fucking mob.”I didn’t deny that either.“And a liar,” she concluded.That was where we differed. “No, I’m not.”Her eyes flashed. “You told Zeny you’d stay away from me.”“I did. You’re the one who showed up on my doorstep today, not the other way around. Are you here
Craig Gomez POV“Save it.” She whirled around to face me. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise. I know what you guys do. And you should leave. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”Shit, fuck, damn. “I’ll leave after you hear me out.”“I’ve heard enough,” she said stubbornly.“No, you haven’t.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the end of the hall. The noise from the bar seemed distant here. “You want to know who blew up that car and why?”“I’m not sure I do. Like I said, you should—”“It was me,” I said, out of options. She clearly thought we were just a gang of mindless thugs, bent on maximum destruction. The truth was a lot more complicated. “The driver had the bomb, and he was outside. Heading here. If I hadn’t stopped him, this place would’ve had a lot more damage than a few broken windows. People would’ve gotten hurt—maybe killed.”“What?” Her mouth gaped open, and she seemed at a loss for words.“He wanted to bomb the bar?”Shock turned her face white, and I regretted that she had