Bound By Blood Anthology

“Fuck, Cara. If you knew what you’re doing to me… the power you’re holding over me.”

I tilted my head and kissed him harshly. Our eyes stayed locked as he slammed into me. His hand slid down from my throat to my breast, kneading it firmly before he pinched my nipple.

I clenched around him and began to tremble.

“Come for me,” Ryan rasped. Sweat glistened on his face and inked chest. His fingers tugged even harder at my nipple until I gasped out from the combined sensation of pain and pleasure. Ryan drank in my expression as my orgasm hit me. My lips fell open and my eyes widened as a wave of intense pleasure pulsated through my core and soon my entire body.

Ryan grunted as he kept thrusting into me, forcing my oversensitive body to accept even more pleasure.

His other arm came around me as well, jerking me even closer to his body, and his fingers found my still throbbing clit.

“Too much,” I groaned but Ryan bit lightly down on my shoulder. “No.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, surrendering to his fingers and cock, and soon pleasure took over again. This time I took Ryan over the edge with me. He growled against my neck, his thrusts becoming less coordinated. My arms gave in until I had to brace myself on my forearms, crying out my release.

Ryan stilled behind me and I panted, my forehead pressed against the backrest, my body pulsating almost painfully. Ryan kissed my shoulder blade as he pulled out of me. He sank down on the couch and pulled me sideways onto his lap. I leaned my head against his chest, trying to catch my breath.

“Have you ever considered kids?” I wasn’t sure why the words left my mouth in that moment but it was a topic I’d been wondering about for a while. Ryan and I wanted to spend our life together and for me children were a must.

Ryan stiffened, his fingers on my thigh digging into my skin. “Kids?” he rumbled as if the word didn’t even make sense to him.

I pulled away to look at his face. His expression was a mix of confusion and wariness. “I never thought they were an option for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because of who I was… who I still am. I never wanted a woman at my side and knocking up random whores and producing bastards was never something I wanted.”

“But I am at your side now,” I said softly.

He nodded, wonder reflecting in his eyes. “You are.”

“And I won’t go anywhere.”

He stroked my throat with his inked hand. “You will.” There was still the hint of doubt in his voice. I cupped his stubbled cheeks.

“I won’t go anywhere.”

“You want kids?” he asked roughly.

“I do. I always wanted two for as long as I could remember. I still do. I want a happy family.”

“A happy family…” He tested the words as if they were entirely foreign to him, something from a language he didn’t understand.

“Don’t you want that after everything you’ve gone through?”

“I’ve destroyed many families in my time as Benedetto’s right-hand man. You know that better than anyone.”

I swallowed. Ryan hadn’t killed my father but he would have and he’d tortured him. He was loyal to Benedetto, a fact that still boggled my mind after what the man had done to him. “That’s the past. You can redeem yourself by doing right by our children.”

“You really want kids with me? They could be like me…”

“Nothing’s wrong with you. You had a horrible childhood, that’s why you became Benedetto’s enforcer. Our children won’t suffer like you did. They’ll be raised with love.”

“I don’t know if I’m capable of doing that.”

“You’re capable of loving me so why shouldn’t you be able to love our children?”

Ryan nodded slowly. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Definitely.”

“If you want kids, I’ll give them to you. I want you happy.”

I hugged him. “We still have time. But I want us to be a family.”

Ryan hugged me tightly. I breathed in his musky scent, relaxing further.Our wedding wasn’t the splendid feast I’d imagined as a teenage girl, not a way to impress society and friends. It was pure and simple, like Ryan’s and my love.

We married on a ship on the Hudson with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Only a few people were present as we were declared husband and wife. Talia and Mom, who’d grown used to Ryan even if he still wasn’t the son-in-law Mom wanted, Aria and Luca as well as Gianna and Matteo. While I’d been close to Aria in the beginning, and still was, because she’d helped me and my family so much, I now met Gianna more often, which had come as a surprise. She’d seemed difficult to get along with during our first few encounters but soon we’d figured out we both enjoyed yoga, Pilates and working out. From that day on, we’d met at least once to work out together and she even asked me to help her with the Famiglia’s women’s gym she wanted to set up. Naturally, Coco and Bandit were present as well, despite their wariness toward the ship.