Meet the characters:
Aris is an up-and-coming soldier in La Famiglia, with his whole future ahead of him. He’s too busy making a name for himself to consider marriage. Yet, when he hears a woman crying from a locked coat room, he’s spurred into action. When he finds out that Nina’s situation is dire, he offers her protection as his wife.
Nina doesn’t understand how her father can go from a loving husband and father to a monster. Caring for her dying mother is tearing her apart, but she’ll do anything to make her mother’s final days bearable. She’ll be left in the hands of the monster unless she accepts Aris’ proposal.
Perhaps a fresh start is what Nina needs.
Feel the passion:
Nina gets through a quarter of her steak and half her potato, which is more than I expected. I insist she take a bite out of each dessert, jealous of the spoon she wraps her lips around and the way her pink-tipped tongue darts out to lick the corner of her mouth for the last drop of crème brûlée.
Christ! I need a taste of her, but the last thing I want to do is scare her, and the way I feel, I’m not sure I can rein it in.
“Mm-mm, that’s so good,” she moans, her eyes closing as she savors the sugary goodness. She has no fucking idea how sexy she is, and that only makes her more alluring. I snap; my hand cups the back of her head, and my mouth crashes over hers. Nina’s stunned, gasping, her mouth opening, and I take the kiss deeper, long and slow, moving my mouth over hers, taking and taking.
A kiss isn’t enough. I need to feel her in my arms. Without taking my mouth from hers, I haul her out of her chair and onto my lap. Nina wraps her arms around my neck. I move my mouth down her cheek, behind her ear, and nip at her lobe.
I lift her off my lap and carry her to the bed, laying her down and following her down. I run my hand down the length of her body, down her thigh and under the hem of her nightie. Her skin is soft and smooth. I glide my lips to her collarbone. The sound of her rapid breathing and quiet moans spur me forward.
Leaves you wanting more:
She fusses with the blanket and pillows until she gets them just right, then moves to the bathroom to change for bed. I tilt my head back against the headboard and shut my eyes. It’s been a long fucking day and not at all how I wanted to have Nina’s first day with La Famiglia go. I’m sure she’s been exposed to this kind of thing with Ultimo Morte, but a lot has been thrown at her in a short time, and that’s got to be messing with her head.
Nina tiptoes out of the bathroom in a pair of baby-blue pajama shorts and matching ribbed camisole. She rummages through my jacket and sets the pain meds and a glass of water on my bedside table, then grabs a pillow and takes it over to the same chair I found her in.
“What are you doing?” I ask, more sternly than I should.
She jolts, turning back to me. “I’m giving you room to move. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you,” she explains, holding the pillow to her chest like a shield.
“Did I ask you to leave our bed?”
She bites her lower lip, shaking her head.
“Come here.” I pat the space beside me on the bed. She comes closer, and I reach out and pull her onto the mattress, protecting my side. “We sleep in the same bed. You won’t hurt me, and if you do, we’ll deal with it.” I settle her into my good side, tucking her close.
“Does it hurt very much?” she asks quietly.
“Flesh wound. It’ll pass.”
“Flesh wound?”
“Bullet missed all the important organs. It sucks, but it’ll heal,” I tell her. “I gotta get some sleep.” I yawn.
Nina remains quiet, and slowly strokes her hand over my chest. I find the warmth of her hand calming.
“Rest, Aris. I’ll look after you,” she says.
A small smile comes to my lips. It’s been a long time since someone’s looked after me.
Want more?
