Shadow Keeper (Shadow Riders 3)

"Such a greedy girl. You're supposed to be lying back, exhausted, remember? I was nice and gave you a taste of dessert like you asked, but you told me I had to do all the work." He pulled her around to the center of the bed again. This time he untied the leg that was stretched out and once more flipped her onto her stomach. "I like being able to just put you in any position I like."

He dragged pillows over and shoved them under her hips to raise her ass. He rubbed it. "Have I told you how much I love your ass? Because I do. I dream about it sometimes, and all the things I can do to it."

"Hmm, I'm not certain that bodes well for me." There was laughter in her voice. "You be very careful of what you choose to do. You're going to have to go to sleep sometime, and what goes around comes around."

His hand smacked her left cheek. "Are you threatening me?" He caught her free ankle and added it to the tie at the small of her back. Both legs were drawn up at the knee so she essentially was on her knees, laid out over the high stack of pillows.

"Well, yes, but it was more like a promise. And I'm not so certain about jewelry on my clit, crazy man. Can I just say 'ouch'?"

His fingers slid into her. "If you said ouch, it isn't on right. It isn't for pain, it's for pleasure. You're going to have to learn to trust me. I'm not into the lifestyle, but with you, I want to play. Let me have my playtime, woman."

She laughed again and then gasped as his mouth was back between her legs. Her entire body jerked as he took his time claiming every inch of her. He used his fingers, his tongue, his teeth, his lips. He kissed, sucked, licked and probed, drawing sweet cries out of her and wringing three separate orgasms.

"Hands okay, baby?"

"Yes," she gasped.

He knelt up behind her and very slowly began to push into her. Her muscles were tight. Her silken sheath hot as Hades. She tried to push back to force him inside, but he gave her several hard smacks, which only caused moaning. She couldn't move much, and he loved inching in slowly. That burn engulfed him, inch by slow inch. So good. He could barely breathe and it didn't matter. He wanted to live right there.

"Sure you're okay, Sasha?" She had to be. He would stop if he had to, but it was so damn good, a paradise of heat and fire.

"Move. Just move."

"Demanding little wench." He didn't move, not like she wanted. He liked the hitch in her voice that told him she was burning up the same way he was. He kept pushing into her slowly, exquisitely slow. Murderously slow. Sweat broke out on his forehead, beading there--that kind of slow.

Finally, finally, he was seated all the way, his cock pushing against her cervix, the ring of flames holding his shaft like a vise of pure fire. He threw his head back, one hand kneading the cheeks of her ass, feeling the amazing reaction. Every time he massaged deep, or smacked her, a wave rippled through her sheath so that without him moving, she clamped down, a thousand tiny tongues stroking, a thousand muscles milking his cock. The sensation was incredible.

He was very cognizant of her hands and legs being bound. He couldn't get her comfort out of his head and decided that maybe tying his woman wasn't for him. Still, he liked that she couldn't move and he had complete control. With Sasha, that wasn't bound to happen too often.

He loved her beyond anything he ever thought he was capable of. Maybe it was because he was aware he could have lost her at any moment, or maybe it was because she made him feel alive when he hadn't for a very long time.

"Get moving," she demanded, sounding like she was gritting her teeth.

He threw his head back and laughed, sheer joy bursting through him. "You're such a bossy little thing," he said, holding her still, keeping the same slow, burning movements. He leaned forward and kissed the nape of her neck.

His fingers dug into her hips and he surged into her, burying himself deep, feeling the fire race up his spine. "That hard enough for you, baby?"

"No. And faster."

He obliged because the need in her voice overcame the need in him to tease her. He took some things seriously, and pleasing his woman was at the top of his list. He forgot about everything when he was inside her. That hot paradise. He loved when they were sharing the same skin. When they were so connected there was no one else in their world.

"I'm so close, Giovanni," she whispered, her voice ragged. Panting. "Hurry, baby."

He loved that, too. His woman waiting for him. She didn't have to. He felt the tension in her coiling tighter and tighter. The way her body gripped his. He was beginning to know her body so well now, every nuance. She was close, her breath hitching. The moans that grew into a musical of hunger and need. Her voice, so soft and plaintive, so demanding and bossy, played over him, adding to his building pleasure.

Then there was no holding back. No possible way. "Come with me, baby," he whispered. "Be with me." He felt it moving through him, rising like a volcano, while her body clamped down, those tight muscles milking him. Hot seed splashed over her walls, claiming her, branding her. Causing ripples and quakes that sent more fire crashing through him like a perfect storm of intense beauty.

He fought to catch his breath, his fingers working at the knots and ropes to get them off her. Still buried deep, he rubbed at her ankles and wrists, making certain there was plenty of blood flow. It disturbed him to think that might have made her uncomfortable. "You okay, Sasha?"

"More than okay, but I can't move. If you expect me to do anything but fall asleep, you're going to be disappointed."

She hadn't moved from the position he'd put her in. She was still over the pillow, her legs drawn up. Only her arms had moved. Now she was hugging the pillows. Her braid hung in a thick rope, the sheets wet under all that hair.

"Baby, just roll over." She was in the middle of the bed. He was still kneeling behind her, his body buried deep.

"Go away. I'm not moving. I think you killed me."

"You couldn't talk if I did you in," he reasoned. His arms slid around her and he leaned his body over hers, blanketing her. "I suppose I could go to sleep right like this."

"Yes. That's perfect. I like you in me."

He felt her love surround him. Hold him. He'd always known the love of his family, of Stefano, but this was different and it moved him. The contentment in her voice made him feel as if he was everything to her. He wanted to be everything to her. He ran his hand down her body and over her bottom possessively.

"I love being in you and once here, I never want to leave," he admitted. "I don't know how I survived without you. That's the fucking truth, baby. I don't know how I got up in the morning, got through the day and went to bed at night. I know I've never laughed so much. I never felt so much joy. You make me feel alive."

"I love you, Giovanni."

"Me? Or my cock?"

Her laughter was muffled by the pillows. "That's a difficult choice. I'm very much in love with you, the man, but you are arrogant and bossy. Your cock is pretty spectacular. Although, now that I think about it, it can be arrogant and bossy as well."

He smacked her ass for that. She yelped and then spoiled the glare she shot him by giggling.

"My cock is perfection."

"Oh. My. God. You're such a man."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment. I want to go to sleep now. I can't take much more of your macho bullshit. Speaking of which, your brother Vittorio scares the crap out of me. Talk about macho."

"Vittorio? He's my nicest brother. He shouldn't scare you. Seriously, babe, he's a good man and one you can always count on." Very slowly and reluctantly he pulled out of her.

Her body shuddered as the action of dragging his heavy cock over her muscles caused more friction and sent another ripple of pleasure moving through her. He hated missing that. He detested not being inside of her. He caught her folded-up body in his arms and rolled, nearly taking them both off the side of the bed.

She burst out laughing as he threw himself back toward the middle of the bed, taking her with him. They landed back on the stack of pillows.   "Cool move, Mr. Sauve."

He caught up one of the pillows and hit her with it very gently. She wasn't nearly as gentle in retaliation. The next thing he knew, they were in a full-blown pillow fight. He was definitely the loser because he spent more time looking at her naked body and making certain he was careful not to hurt her than he did protecting himself.

She wasn't nearly as careful about being gentle with him. They both collapsed on the bed, and she flung her arms out wide and stared up at the ceiling. "Babe?"

"Right here, Sasha." He stretched out beside her.

"You have stars on your ceiling."

"Really?" He'd had the house built. He'd needed escape routes, hidden hallways and rooms. "I never noticed that."

She turned her head, and he felt the impact of her eyes. He loved those sapphire eyes. So startling blue. Now they regarded him with so much love in them he felt his heart stutter in answer. He rubbed his palm over his chest.

"I'm really in love with you, Giovanni." Her voice was a soft whisper. He heard the love. "I never want you to think this is about your money or your power. This is about you. The man. You make me laugh. You make me feel beautiful. I love the way you are with Sandlin and the care you take of him even though you barely know him. I can't ever explain to you what that means to me. I just want you to feel loved and I swear, I'll spend a lifetime making you feel that way."

He found her hand and brought it to his heart. "I feel the same way about you, Sasha. I love you very much."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier. The way I acted toward you in the club after I saw you with that actress, that was so wrong. I felt raw and afraid and angry, but it wasn't at you. You didn't deserve the way I treated you, and in the end, through my stupidity, I put all of us in danger."

"That's not true," he denied.

"No, it is. I should have listened to you."

"Sasha, the fact that this bastard tried to bring down the ceiling on the patients at the Center tells me he doesn't care who he hurts. I was feeling angry and pretty raw myself. Don't beat yourself up because you're human."

"Do you believe it's Aaron?"

He stared up at the ceiling. At the stars swirling around above them. Did he? Did he think Aaron was capable of such hatred and jealousy that he'd hurt everyone around Giovanni? "I don't like to think so," he mused. "Aaron had a rough childhood, but he pulled himself up out of that by his fists. By his feet. He literally fought his way up. He's good, too. There was no fixing fights or anything underhanded. Aaron is where he is because of his determination and skill. That skill was hard-won. Practicing every day. Working at his craft. Honing it. Finding people who could help him make it better. He worked hard and had the discipline to get up every day whether he was hungry or not. Just get up and work."

"You admire him."

"Damn right I do. I know what it takes to work like that. I had Stefano driving me. My duty to my family. Aaron had to find that drive in himself. He had to be the one who forced himself up on those days he wasn't feeling like it. Motivation only goes so far when you're doing it yourself, but he managed."

"Would Aaron be so jealous of you that he would be willing to kill me? Kill my brother? Hurt people?"

Giovanni thought that over. It was a good question. Aaron might have reason to be jealous. It looked as if Giovanni had everything, but Aaron had never struck him as that kind of man. He was too busy working his way to the top to feel jealousy. He had goals and kept his eye fixed on them until he accomplished them. When he did, he set new goals.

"I don't know, baby," he said softly, but he was shaking his head. "I just can't see Aaron doing all this. Of course, I would never have believed he would lie to you and say we competed for women. Why would he do that unless he was motivated by jealousy?" That was the one note that struck the biggest chord of argument. It made no sense that Aaron had lied to Sasha unless he was jealous.

He sighed. "I hate like hell to think this has been Aaron all along. And what set him off, if it is? You? He was there that night, but he had at least three women fawning all over him. He was drunk, and that's unusual. Believe me, it isn't his normal unless he's been drinking. Aaron stays away from booze and women because he trains daily. A night out like that is rare and having the women and the alcohol fogging up his brain ..." He closed his eyes. "Dio." It exploded out of him. "I don't want this to be Aaron. I really don't. I hate that he's in any way attached to it."

He knew the hurt in his voice showed, and that embarrassed him. He was a man and in his world, a Ferraro didn't show weakness. Allowing an outsider to hurt him showed he still had vulnerabilities, and those weren't tolerated. That was a direct edict from his mother. She made certain they never showed real emotion in public. Their circle only included family. While other members of the family were allowed outside friendships, riders were not. He rubbed his eyebrow, keeping his eyes closed, afraid of giving too much away to her, afraid she would think less of him.

He felt her move, roll, so she was pressed to his side, and then she draped her body over his, almost as if she were protecting him. He opened his eyes and looked up to the mirrored tiles cut in the shape of stars, surrounding the golden light still shining down on them. On her. Sasha. He could see the line of her back, all that smooth, silky skin. The curve of her spine as it met her buttocks, those dimples and the swell of her cheeks. One still carried a flush of rose where his hand had been. Without thinking, he covered the spot and began to rub.

Her face was buried in his throat and her arms were flung out to wrap around him. He felt the press of her soft breasts pushing into the heavy muscles of his chest. Her legs wrapped around his. She looked beautiful. Enticing. More, she looked as if she would fight off an army for him. His love felt so large, so encompassing, it actually hurt. Physically hurt. His heart felt as if it could shatter.

Giovanni didn't say anything to her, he just stroked her hair and her butt. He loved the feel of both. All soft silk and satin. After a few minutes her breathing evened out, her breath warming his skin.

"You asleep, baby?"

"Just drifting."

"Marry me. Right away. Let's get married. We can marry at the Center. Sandlin can give you away. He'd love that. I know he could do it and he'd be happy to."

"Honey." She moved her head. Rubbed her chin along his chest and then looked at him. Her eyes met his. "I'm not going anywhere."

He concentrated on rubbing her bottom. "I love your ass." He did. He was an ass man; well, he was also a breast man. Right now, he could see that bitable, spankable bottom, so he was all about her ass, but if she rolled over, his fickle cock would be all about her breasts.

"Good, because I'm madly in love with your cock. I love how it feels right now, pressed against me. I'm thinking about going to sleep with it in my mouth. I used to suck my thumb when I was little. It drove my mother crazy. I might have to have a substitute to get to sleep."

"You're supposed to be so exhausted you can't move."

"Well, I can't. I'm contemplating whether or not I have the energy to put my plan into action, or whether I'll have to wait until tomorrow night."

"While you're contemplating, consider marrying me immediately. We'll get a license and get Goodman to agree. He will. He wants a new wing and more equipment. He also wants a Ferraro on their board. It always helps with fund-raisers."

"He's gouging you for money because my brother's there. That's not right."

"That's the way the game is played. We could do some good though, baby. I've been thinking about it. I hate that you've had to work so much just so your brother could have decent care. There are so many families that can't afford the Center, families with loved ones that really could benefit from the therapy. We could establish a scholarship in your brother's name and pay for the care and therapy of recipients."

He felt her swift intake of breath. Her eyes met his again. Liquid turned the sapphires to sparkling gems. "You would do that?"

"We would do

that, Sasha. What's mine is yours. Remember? There isn't a divorce in the conventional sense of the word. If our shadows are pulled apart, you would never remember being married to me. All the pictures in the world won't allow you to remember. The money belongs to my family. We might be wealthy and have the ability to use the money any way we want, but in a divorce, the family trust can't be broken. What that means is, there isn't a prenup. Once we're married, all you have to do is say, I would like to build another wing onto the Center, and we get the people in place to make it happen."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that." Reluctance was clear in her voice.

"Then put the money aside. Are you ready for being with me? Living here with me? Being part of my crazy family?"

"I want to be with you more than anything, Giovanni. Tonight really showed me that trying to stay away from you wasn't going to work. And I hated that I put you and everyone else in danger because I was so confused."

"You're allowed. Marriage with someone like me is a big step. I know coming into my world can seem overwhelming, but I swear to you, baby, I'll take care of you. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"I want to keep working."

"In the club?"

"Maybe not there, but I like working."

"Have you considered a stable of horses? We could put riding trails in the park and you could take kids out occasionally, kids with disabilities who might not be able to ride otherwise. The world is open to you, Sasha. Once we're married, if you want to quit the club, whatever dream you have, you can do."

"I never thought of something like that here in Chicago. You're amazing. Horses actually are very good for therapy. I had been taking classes before my parents' accident with the idea of using horses for therapy, but then I stopped just short of my degree when they were killed and Sandlin was injured. You must be psychic."

He wasn't about to tell her the investigators, both teams, had been digging up everything they could on her once he showed real interest. "Say you'll marry me immediately, and then we have to get some sleep." He was one to take advantage when he knew he had it.

She laughed softly. "You have a one-track mind."

"Is there a reason you're hesitating?"

"Everyone is going to think I'm pregnant."