Mal finished making breakfast while I sipped coffee and flipped through a magazine selling outdoor gear. Whoever owned this house before Carmine must’ve been into camping.
The front door suddenly burst open. It slammed against the far wall, and Carmine was on his feet, a gun in his hand. I had no clue where that came from. Mal brandished a kitchen knife, moving low and fast with Carmine on his heels. It happened in an instant, and I sat there staring, my mouth hanging open in shock.
“On the couch!” Carmine shouted.
I jumped to my feet and ran to find three men. Two were bleeding and half-conscious. Mal helped Jasper onto the couch where he was bleeding from a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Iago and Carmine wrestled another man to the floor and Carmine shoved his gun against the guy’s head.
“Nice to see you again, Rod,” he said, grinning viciously.
I blinked slowly.
Rod. The guy from the list.
“We found him snooping around the neighborhood,” Iago said. “I saw him a few times, and when he came around for another look, we ambushed him. Fucker hit Jasper, but I took him out.”
“Fucker shot me,” Jaspar groaned.
“He’ll be okay,” Mal said. “Bullet went through. Not bleeding too bad.”
“Cap, get towels,” Carmine said. “Iago, help me drag this guy into the back room.” Iago and Carmine wrestled Rod down the hallway. I heard them struggling and fighting and cursing as I ran into the bathroom and found some towels.
Mal accepted them wordlessly. He pressed them against Jasper’s wounds. “You’ll be okay,” he said.
Jasper’s face was pale, but he nodded. “Yeah, man. I know. This isn’t my first time getting shot. But fuck, it never gets easy.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Mal agreed, then steered me away as Jasper put pressure on his wounds.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked quietly.
“We’ll stitch it up. Hope there’s no infection. He’ll be fine.” He squeezed my arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. Just shaken up.”
His eyes tore into me, and I saw the rage mingled with fear in his expression.
Carmine came out a minute later wiping bloody hands on his pants. “Bastard’s all tied up,” he said, grinning. “Iago’s already asking him questions.”
“I’ll need a turn,” Mal said, staring at Carmine.
Carmine only nodded. “Happily.”
Mal stared at him. “We need to switch houses soon. They knew we’re here.”
“I don’t know how.” Carmine’s smile disappeared. “You’re right. I’ll work on a new base.”
“Good.” Mal looked back to Jasper. “For now, we’ll get him cleaned up and taken care of. Then I’ll have a conversation with Rod.”
Carmine nodded, and the two men got to work.
I did my best to help, but mostly I felt like I was in the way. Carmine and Mal had clearly fixed up a gunshot wound before, and I felt like an outsider. I drifted toward the back room and found Iago standing over a bleeding and sweating Rod with a knife in his hand.
I couldn’t watch. I snuck out back and closed the door, breathing fresh air.
The house reeked of blood.
Chapter 34
Capri
He snuck into my room that night and held me down.
His cock split me wide. He palmed my breasts as he ripped into my pussy, fucking me deep and hard. I came in a massive explosion of bliss and he still wasn’t finished. He turned me over and took me, again and again, until I was reduced to moans and pleasure.
When we finished, he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “You should go,” I murmured.
He didn’t move a muscle.
We fell asleep together. I wasn’t surprised when I woke with him still pressed close. I understood by the look in his eye that he wasn’t going to sneak out anymore.
I touched his lips. “It’s time, isn’t it?”
“We can’t live like this forever.”
“I want us to be just ours. You know what I mean? When Carmine knows, it’s like… it’s like we don’t own it anymore.”
“What we have will always be ours and only ours. You know that, Cap. I’m yours. All yours and only yours.”
I bit my lip to keep from crying. Those were the words I’d always wanted to hear, and getting them from Mal was like basking in a perfect dream.
He kissed my neck and nuzzled against me. I felt him stiffen as his hands roamed down my back to squeeze my ass.
“You’re not going to stop this morning, are you?” I asked.
“No, I’m not.”
And he didn’t. I took him deep into my mouth before he fucked me slow. I was intense and loving. He explored me like he’d never seen my body before. I felt worshiped and loved in a way I’d never experienced. We were sweating and grinding against each other when I finally came in a burst of pleasure. When we were done, I went off to shower, and Mal headed downstairs to check on Jasper and the prisoner.