My heart is galloping in my chest in anticipation of some excitement and danger. I'm being stupid and reckless, I know there will be a price to pay for that. My heart rate picks up even more at the thought of what punishment might entail. And again reminding myself that I shouldn't be on my way to a cafe to meet some guy I don't know, who has clearly expressed some interest in me too. Alessandro would be on a murder path. For all I know, Kaito can be part of the Bratva seeking to end my life. I've learned that nothing in this world is impossible, so why am I even doing this? Playing with my own life? I know why I'm doing it, and a small, defiant smile graces my lips as I see Kaito already waiting for me at the cafe. "I didn't think you would come." He does look slightly surprised, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. I'm trying to be inconspicuous, wearing black sweats and a hoodie, but I still look undeniably female, even as I'm trying to soften the effect. "Did you thi

The hands on my face are all wrong. They're not holding my cheeks like their life depends on it, and the lips are all cold and hard. It takes my brain a second to process what is happening, and then I shove Kaito away with all my strength. "What the fuck, dude!" I spit out angrily. The asshole has the audacity to look offended like I just tried to kiss him. And now I can see what an entitled prick he really is. Somewhere between last week and today, his attitude has completely changed. He must have sensed that I knew there was something up with those fights. What he doesn't know is that I have experience with the mafia, and that dungeon looked shady as fuck. I was not going to get involved in another underground business. I'm already in deep shit because of the previous one. He looks at me with a bored expression. "You've been such a waste of my time." My mouth hangs open in shock. Who the fuck does this dude thinks he is? Some kind of gift to women? And what is it he was wantin

When you grow up in the slums, you have some pretty vivid ideas of traveling. You imagine yourself walking in the cobbled streets of Italy, maybe running with the bulls in Spain. But nothing prepares you for the utter exhaustion of having to take two planes to get to a country, and an overlay that seems as if it will never end. It's especially unpleasant if your companion barely speaks two words to you. Maybe if I was traveling with Phoebe or even Sammy, the time would have gone by faster. On the last leg of the second flight, I go over to Thomas's cubicle, courtesy of first class and too much alcohol, and glare down at him where he's lying down with his head propped on his arms. "Care to explain why you're in such a prissy mood." I say low enough so one of the flighty attendants can't overhear our conversation. "I'm insulted, I thought you would've missed me." He doesn't bother opening his eyes, and when I get no reaction from him, I huff and turn around to go back to my own

I smile as I open my eyes, my head resting on hard, muscled flesh, yet I'm extremely comfortable. The familiar tattoos greet me, and I can't help but run my hands over the smooth expanse of Alessandro's chest. I lift my eyes and see he's already awake and watching me, and I feel myself blushing at the memory of last night. "Keep that up and you might get fucked again." He says in a sinfully dark voice and it might have enticed me if I didn't feel extremely sore. He makes a low growl in his chest that sends immediate electricity to my core. Okay, maybe I'm not that sore. But instead of acting on his threat, he gets up and walks around the bed in his glorious nakedness to open a door that I assume leads to the bathroom. I hear the sound of water running, but I'm still feeling extremely lethargic, probably due to jetlag and Alessandro's rough fucking from the night before. I don't even have a clue what day it is now or the exact time. My eyes fall closed, but then I'm peppered wit

The diamond on my finger throws a kaleidoscope of light on the ceiling when the early morning light falls on it. I feel like I'm living in a dream. One moment, I'm being hunted by the Russian bratva, and the next, I'm traveling abroad to places I never thought I'd see. And now I'm engaged to the man of my dreams. Was this ever in my life plans? Not by a long shot, but I can't complain as said man is sprawled next to me in all his naked, tattooed glory. He must have gotten hot during the night, probably from me being draped over him, because the covers are thrown off his body and his large cock is laying heavy on his stomach. I've been fucked every which way since I agreed to marry him, and I'm still feeling him everywhere. I should've agreed to move in with him when he first asked, but I was too strung up on how soon it was. Now I couldn't care less if I just met him yesterday or the fact that I'm only twenty-one. I've seen so much shit in my lifetime that most people double my ag