Prologue Liam

Liam – A Week Ago

Damn Niko.

Standing outside Kate Emerson”s, now Katie Lawson’s, townhome in a nondescript suburban town in Pennsylvania, I can”t shake the feeling of dread.

The last thing I want is to take her out of witness protection.

Correction: the last thing I want is to see her.

There”s something about Kate that unravels me, makes me feel exposed and out of control.

Niko, once a stone-cold mob boss, has turned into a softie for his wife Elena. Now he wants me, Don Leone”s ever-dutiful consigliere, to reunite Kate with her friend.

My FBI badge acts as a picklock, yanking her out of witness protection.

Ideally, another agent would handle it. But the truth is, the feeling gnaws at me - she”s still in danger.

And if something happens to her...well, let”s just say the embers of my humanity might finally flicker out.

Fuck!

I”d spent two weeks arranging her protection, and in that time, something changed. I find myself feeling sorry for her, wanting to make this drastic change in her life easier.

Spending so much time with her, talking, even laughing, my guard slips, and something about her gets to me.

Seeing her stirs something inside me, warming a cold heart. Once I realize it, I try to walk away. I like women, or at least sex. But I don’t do love.

I can’t afford whatever effect she has on me. But as I’ve discovered, walking away hasn’t completely rid her from my system.

The woman haunts my dreams.

For days after I left her in her new home, I woke with a hard-on and imagined her sucking my dick as I jerked off to relieve it. Eventually, I stopped masturbating, thinking that would rid her from my system. So far, it hasn’t worked to stop the dreams or the hard-ons. Fucking hell.

Knocking on her door, I brace myself for the rush of unwelcome feelings when I see her.

If I’m lucky, she’s packed and ready to return to Manhattan. I can get her in the car, to the airport, to her new place, and then never see her again.

Except… shit, fuck, hell… she’s Elena’s friend, so chances are good that I’ll see her on occasion when I’m with Niko.

The door opens, and there she is, smiling at me like I”m a fucking superhero. ”Agent Rostova.”

”Where”s your bags?” I bark, hating how my chest tightens when her smile dims.

”Right here.” She opens the door to reveal two suitcases. ”I have a few boxes, but that’s it.”

“I’ve arranged for the rest to be shipped.” I step inside her home, noting the warmth and scent of vanilla. It’s a reminder of how pure she is. She shouldn’t have ever needed to enter Witness Protection.

I want to blame Elena Fiori Leone, the Mafia princess who befriended an unknowing Kate and therefore put Kate in danger.

But the truth is, Kate’s dirty police chief father could just as easily be the reason Kate needs protection. But now, Giovanni Fiori, Elena’s father, seems to be after Elena’s sister, Lucia. And Kate’s father is MIA, probably dead.

I’m not convinced that Kate is safe, but if she has Niko’s protection, then she’s probably safer than living in suburban Pennsylvania.

I pick up her bags and march out the door. “Let’s go.”

She nods, getting her purse and following me out, shutting the door behind her. Once I get her and her bags in my SUV, I drive us to the small county airport where a government plane waits.

I long ago got over the concern about using my federal job to do Mafia work. I hadn’t set out to cross the line in my job. I’d grown up in Bratva, was the presumed heir, but I left, burning bridges as I joined the FBI.

I’d intended to stay on the right side of the law. And I would have, if it weren’t for Don Niko Leone. I can count on one hand the people I care enough to die for, and Niko is one.

A good friend since childhood, he’d saved me more than once. So for him, I advise, I manipulate, I protect, I do dirty work, and I keep him safe from law enforcement.

“Are you sure I’m safe?” she asks once we’re on the plane heading back to New York.

“No one is ever really safe.” I’m looking at my phone, acting like I’m working, but mostly, I’m just trying to avoid looking at her. I hate the feeling of wanting to wrap her up and bury myself inside her. To drown in her.

She sighs. “Any word on my father?” I can tell by her tone that she still doesn’t believe he’s dirty. I wonder if she’d believe I’m dirty. She knows her arrangement was made to keep her safe from Mafia goons, but she’s not aware that it was at the request of Niko. Maybe I should tell her, and she’d stop looking at me like I was Superman.

“No.”

“But you think he’s dead?”

“Yes.” I want so fucking badly to look at her. Instead, I look out the window, willing for us to arrive in New York.

“Elena is okay?”

“She’s great.”

“Are you angry at me?”

I close my eyes, hating how she thinks my asshole behavior is her fault. It is her fault, but only because something about her exposes my weakness. “No.” Finally, I look at her, and those crazy sensations flood my body. “I won’t lie to you, Kate. I can’t guarantee that you won’t be a target. But my intel suggests that you won’t be. You’re probably more likely to be mugged. Elena misses you, and so?—”

“I don’t understand why you’re helping her. She’s in the Mafia.”

I nod. “I explained to you already that you had a choice. You could stay in Witness Protection, be Katie Lawson, book editor in Nowheresville, USA.”

She swallows and looks down. “I know. I thought about it. I mean, I knew Elena’s family was bad, but I hadn’t ever imagined they were Mafia. And the things she did to get free…” She looks at me. “Why didn’t you put her in protection? She’s now in the life she wanted to leave.”

I laugh. “She’s exactly where she wants to be.”

She shakes her head. “I find that hard to believe.”

“When you see her, she’ll tell you. She’s happy with Niko, and there isn’t anything Niko won’t do for her. Including bringing you back into her life.”

Her eyes widen. “This was his idea? This could be a ruse to get to me.”

Panic shines in her eyes, and I can’t help but move from my seat as far away from her to the one right in front of her.

“No. He’s sincere in his love for her. He’ll also help keep you safe as much as he can. If you’re not okay with that, tell me now and I’ll take you back.”

She lets out a breath as she looks out the window. She’s torn.

I want her to go back, but only because I’m a selfish bastard who is using all his control to keep from touching her.

“Why are you helping him?”

I sit back in my seat, weighing how much I should tell her.

“Is he an informant?” she asks.

Before I can respond, the pilot informs me that we’re about to land in New York. “You’re almost home, Kate.” I move to another seat, grateful that we were interrupted.

Once we land, I load her into a waiting SUV and drive her to her new apartment in the East Village of Manhattan. Like a lovesick puppy, I chose this area of the city because I know she likes it. I, not the FBI, have funded this move and her new place.

I carry her bags into the elevator, and we ride up to the third floor. The apartment isn’t large, but it has all she needs.

Her eyes widen as she takes in the furnished two-bedroom apartment. “I don’t know that I can afford this.”

“You can.” I take her bags to the bedroom.

She follows me in. “It’s lovely, Agent?—”

“Liam. I’ve told you before, my name is Liam.”

She smiles, and I feel the snare of it in my soul. “Liam.”

Our gazes catch, and I’m drawn in. I shake my head, trying to dislodge her pull on me. “You have another room as an office.” I lead her to the second bedroom. “You’re still Katie Lawson for now.”

She steps into the room, taking in the large desk, bookcases, and view of the city.

“This isn’t as big as your place in Pennsylvania?—”

“This is wonderful.” She’s beaming, making me feel like a hero except I’m not. “I’ve missed the city.”

“Welcome back.” I hand her the key, unable to ignore the jolt of electricity through me when our fingers briefly touch.

“Do you have to go? I could make you something…” She laughs. “I don’t know if I have food. We could get take-out.”

Yes. I want to say yes more than I want my next breath. “I should go.”

Disappointment fills her face. I hate it. I hate myself for being the cause of it.

“Of course. Thank you for everything.” I realize she hasn’t asked about seeing Elena, which is just as well as there’s some worrisome shit going on around Elena’s sister, Lucia.

“Will I see you again?” She looks up at me, and I swear to God I see hope. Maybe even desire.

“Do you want to?” Where the fuck did that come from?

“Yes. You make me feel safe.”

Warning bells clang in my head, but I ignore them. “Is that all I make you feel?”

A blush flushes her cheeks, and she looks down. “No.”

I do the unthinkable. I use my finger to raise her chin to look at me. “What else do I make you feel?”

She licks her lips, and heaven help me, I’m a goner. Before she can answer, my lips are on hers. She’s a sweet, kind woman, innocent of the world I live in. Touching her will taint her with my brutality, and yet, I can’t stop. I can’t even be gentle.

My kiss is hard and demanding. I’m not sure whether I’m punishing her for making me feel so out of control or punishing myself for my inability to resist her.

My tongue thrusts into her mouth, and my dick is jealous as it strains my slacks. I move her back until she’s against the desk, my hands roaming everywhere. In my mind, I note that she’s not resisting like she should.

She moans. Her fingers grip my shirt.

She wants this. The words run like a mantra in my mind as I slide the skirt of her dress up and rub my fingers along the wet panel of her panties.

She moans again, grinding her pussy against my fingers.

The tether breaks. I yank her panties down and set her on the desk. I drop to my knees, pushing her thighs open. Her nest of curls is red, like her hair, and glistens with wetness.

I salivate with the need to taste her. So I do. I run my tongue through her pussy lips, flicking it around her hard, red clit.

“Oh!” She gasps, her fingers threading through my hair, holding me to her.

I don’t know whether she’s a virgin or not. I don’t care. But the darkness in me wants to kill any man who has touched her or will ever touch her.

I want to fuck her so hard, so good, that no other man will ever please her.

My tongue snakes inside her sweet pussy, lapping up her essence.

“Liam!” She cries out, her body going taut. My tongue is flooded with her cum. She tastes so fucking good, I’m drunk on it.

I stand up, ready to shove my pants down and fuck that sweet pussy. But I see her face. It’s got that look again. There’s awe. Emotion. Like I’m a man of worth.

But I’m not.

Fucking hell. I back away, reminding myself that she’s young. Jesus, she’s barely twenty-three. She’s good and kind. I’m over ten years older, and worse, I’m dark and dirty. I don’t deserve her.

Her expression morphs into concern. “Is something wrong?”

Yes. There is so much that is wrong with this situation. A part of me says to take what I want. But I’m not a monster. Not yet, anyway.

“I have to go.”

“Oh.” Her concern turns into disappointment, maybe even sadness.

Fuck! That expression is the last image I carry of her as I walk out.