Wife (Betrothed 1)

I closed my eyes and relaxed, so satisfied I could fall asleep right then and there.

He gave me a final kiss before he slowly pulled out of me and rolled to the other side of the bed.

Having his bare dick inside me was so much better than the chafing latex of a condom. I wasn’t sure I could ever go back…even after he was gone. I kicked the covers out from under me before pulling them up to my shoulder. The nice thing about screwing in my apartment was I didn’t have to make the journey home.

He was the one who had to do it.

After he cooled off, he rolled toward me and hooked my leg over his hip, pressing our chests close together with our faces near each other. He watched me with his gorgeous eyes, took in my fatigued expression.

“If I fall asleep…just let yourself out.”

“I’m not leaving.” His hand snaked up my back and slowly moved into my hair. He was such a hard man who knew how to fuck, but he could be so gentle too. His hand cupped my cheek, and his thumb brushed across my bottom lip.

“Well, you aren’t staying.”

“I’m staying until morning.” He defied me and didn’t back down, like he somehow could call the shots even though this wasn’t his place. “I’m tired of meeting at hotels and then heading home in the middle of the night. Not doing that anymore.” His fingers returned to my hair, and he moved them into my strands, massaging my scalp.

I wanted to fight it, but I wouldn’t win anyway. I was also too tired to really care. I wanted to kick him out just to set boundaries…not because I actually wanted him to leave. “Were you working?”

He nodded slightly. “And what were you doing?”

“Helping Esme get laid.”

“I’m sure she can manage that on her own. You’ll only disappoint the others when they realize they can’t have you.”

“Can’t have me?”

He nodded. “You’re mine.” His fingers trailed down my back, over my ass, and along my leg. His eyes stared at me the same way as he did when he spotted me in the bar…like nothing else mattered.

“I’m not anybody’s.”

“My dick says otherwise.” His hand stopped on my lower back and tugged me a little closer, making my tits press against his chest. “And you know I’m yours.” He rested his face next to mine, bringing us so close together that we seemed to be more than just lovers.

Everything felt right, so I didn’t argue with him. I let it be…and enjoyed it. This was the first time I’d been with a man who made me feel so much…so much passion…so much everything. That told me it wasn’t a solid foundation, because real relationships needed more than sex and attraction. They needed truth, honesty, friendship… We didn’t have any of that. We hardly knew each other. It was just…a dream.

“How’s your week been?” he asked.

“The same. My stepfather thinks I’m inadequate.”

“He doesn’t think that.”

“He doesn’t give me any responsibilities.”

“Maybe. But I assure you it’s not because of your lack of qualities.”

“Did he tell you this?” I didn’t know what they talked about in private, but I didn’t see how Hades could mention with me without explaining our relationship.

“No. I just know.”

“I was there the other night, and I swear the mafia met in the lounge. It was like nine in the evening.”

His caresses stopped, and his eyes focused intently. He was noticeably still. “What are you talking about?”

“A bunch of men in suits came in late and took over the lounge. Kicked out the bartender like they owned the place. I went in there to tell them off, but something told me to back off.”

“Yes…you did the right thing.”

“I told Gustavo, and he said I was exaggerating…but I wasn’t. It’s like he doesn’t know anything about his own hotel. One guy kills himself, and then this? I mean, that’s just strange.”

Instead of asking a million questions like a normal person, he stayed quiet, his brain working behind his stoic gaze. Minutes passed, and it seemed like he wouldn’t say anything else about it.

“Do you know anything about that?”

He didn’t blink. “I’m at the hotel very seldom.” He didn’t answer the question at all.

“So, is that a no?”

His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked into my gaze. “I’ll talk to him about it. Let you know what I find out.”

9

Hades

The men opened the steel doors, and I stepped inside to the main floor of the operations building, hidden in plain sight in Florence. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned museum that was in such decay that it needed to be torn down. Inside was where we cooked our crystal, prepared it for shipment, and then distributed it by carriers on the ground or vehicles that drove it up north.