Ruthless Prince (Dark Syndicate 1)

The sun casts its radiant rays over my sleeping beauty, hitting her in all the right places. The sheet is at her waist, she looks like the goddess again with her breasts exposed, that gorgeous mane of hair sprawled out on the pillow, and the soft sunlight spilling over her body. Caressing it the way I want to.

Maybe I watch her because I want to capture it all before she wakes and we become the people we’re supposed to be. Enemies.

Even though my family and I have this massive vendetta against her father, she doesn’t have to be my enemy. I don’t want her to be.

Things are changing. We can’t stay in bed for another day. Out of duty I can’t stay in playing house with my doll because I can sense things happening on the streets, which doesn’t sit well with me. I should have called Tristan by now too, just to check in on him. I know he’s not doing too good, and it’s up to me to watch his back and make sure he’s not doing shit to find Vlad by himself.

As I watch my girl lying in the bed across from me, desire to keep her safe fills me.

My girl…

Could she be?

Having a wife out of convenience is different than being with someone you want to be with.

I don’t know what this is, but I want to explore it. I certainly want to savor it for whatever it is and play with my toy whenever I want to.

There’s something I have to give her, and when I do, it’s going to test my patience because she’s going to ask me shit I don’t want to hear.

When I shuffle to grab a cigar, she stirs. Her eyes flutter open and she looks at me. Watching her wake up is the best thing ever.

She pulls the sheet over her breasts as a smile dances across her beautiful lips. I need those lips on my cock soon. She gets off the bed, wrapping herself in the sheet, and walks over to me, settling down in my lap.

When she does things like this, I think of her bastard father and the shit he said to me. He’ll have a fucking heart attack when he sees the way she looks at me next time. That’s in a few days, when we gather at the fundraiser. It will be like a dé

jà vu of the ball, except she’ll be on my arm.

She kisses me. I almost get sucked into the wild thrill that’s had us in its claws for the last few days.

Instead, I press my nose to hers and hold her close. It’s time to set pleasure aside and get back to business. Right now, she’s in the same haze that clouds my mind. She’s forgetting who we are, who I am.

I’m a mafia boss, and there’s no reality that would see a sweet girl like her with a guy like me. Under normal circumstances, she’d run from me and the darkness that comes from being me.

“I have to go to work today,” I begin. “But I’ll be back by six to pick you up for the dinner. I want you to be ready.”

The minute I say that, tension so thick it could stifle us both fills the space between us. I snake my arm around her waist and feel her trembling, probably worrying about how my family will treat her.

The thing is, I don’t know how they’ll receive her.

“Do I have to go?”

“Yes. As my future wife you will be expected to attend.” While everyone else may understand if I make up some shit like she was sick or something, Pa won’t accept that.

He’d have me drag her down to his house, vomiting and heaving if I had to if she were sick. He’s not a heartless man, but when it comes to anything to do with Riccardo, he becomes someone else entirely.

“What should I do? What do you want me to do?” she asks nervously, pressing her pretty pink lips together.

“You will stay by my side.” I know if anyone will show her any form of compassion, it will probably be Tristan. Both Dominic and Andreas can be assholes when they want to be. “What I need you to do is behave.” She has a smart mouth on her sometimes, and these aren’t the people to mess with.

“Behave?” she asks, biting the inside of her lip.

“Yes, behave. Only speak when you are spoken to. No shit comments.”

“And if someone talks shit to me?” Her eyes narrow to slits. I have a hard time not dragging her back over to that bed and fucking her into submission.

“That won’t happen.” I don’t think that would happen. It’s not their style. The women aren’t even the standard type of mean you’d expect in a situation like this. Although I don’t know what to really expect. They can be jealous, and Emelia is very beautiful.

“They’ll all hate me, even though they don’t know me.” She’s right.