Chapter 19

I stand just outside of the kitchen and listen before walking into the room. Eavesdropping on the boys has become a hobby of mine, one formed out of necessity when they have all kept me so far out of the loop it’s not even funny.

“Alex is meeting him at Havardi Motors this morning, with a little message for the employees. That leaves us babysitting her royal highness,” I overhear Maddox telling someone.

“Have you seen her yet today? She needs to eat breakfast,” comes Ricky’s voice. It’s filled with concern, and I know he’s playing doctor again. I wonder why he wants to take care of me so badly.

“Nope,” Maddox grumbles like he couldn’t give a shit either way.

“I’ll finish wiping these tapes, then go track her down.”

“I’ll find her. The last thing we need is you getting distracted again. What fucking spell the temptress has you under, I’ll never understand. ”

“Fuck off, brother. I see you watching her. You might be more subtle than me, but you’ve got a permanent motherfucking hard-on for the little princess.”

I smirk to myself, peering around the corner so I can see the two of them. I knew it. Maddox isn’t as sneaky as he thinks. Maddox is leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug in hand, and Ricky is sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop out in front of him.

“Our trap worked perfectly,” comes Ricky’s low, dark chuckle. “This security camera footage from the caves shows every detail to perfection. Why come right into the devil’s den knowing you’ve fucked us over?”

“He’s a cocky son of a bitch. Must have thought he had one over us. The Havardi fold failed to learn their boss’s lesson. Maybe they will be more compliant now.”

Havardi. They’re talking about the mess my papa made. What the hell did he do to them? And why would he be so stupid to mess with this family?

“Temptress.” Maddox runs his eyes over me involuntarily as I walk into the kitchen. With a hair flick over my shoulder, the cherry-red strands glisten in the sunlight. Can’t say I’m sad Alessandro forced me to have it dyed back to my natural hair color. The black was awfully morbid, and since I wasn’t hiding anymore, it didn’t really serve a purpose. I’m glad I chose a low-maintenance outfit with shorts and a cropped T-shirt, as it tends to grab their complete attention anyway. Why bother with the expensive dresses when I can be comfortable?

I have an ear pod in one ear with music playing on low. One of the boys left it and a phone with access to Spotify outside my room this morning. Some sort of peace offering, maybe? I have yet to work out who it would have been. I’m frustrated that they didn’t grant me internet access, but in their usual control-freak style, that part of the phone has been locked with parental controls, so for now, music is the best I can get. And I’m grateful for small mercies this morning.

“Hair’s better,” Maddox mutters like he doesn’t really give a shit, but from the way his eyes follow me across the room with heady desire, I know he does. He’s getting easier to read by the day. All tough and broody on the outside, he puts on this tough guy act like I’m such a massive inconvenience to him, but when it all came down to it yesterday, he was the only one willing to stand up for me. He wouldn’t go out on a limb for just anyone, and we both know it.

I haven’t seen any of them since yesterday. After I took a swim in their freezing-cold pool, Ricky brought me a towel and helped me out of there. Then I headed up to my room for a steaming-hot shower and refused to come out again. Alessandro was ready to lose his shit when I missed dinner. I could hear him ranting about it from outside my room, but Ricky calmed him down, telling him I needed time to process it all, and he was right. It’s not every day you find out your family has ties to the mob, and you’re now being forced to marry into what looks to be one of the biggest underworld organizations in Ravens Hollow.

I shrug off his compliment, passing Ricky, hoping to catch a glance at his laptop, but he conveniently swivels the screen so I can’t see anything. I pass him and head straight for the cupboard where the coffee mugs are stored. Reaching for a mug on the top shelf, my booty shorts rise up my ass as I do. I’m sure giving them both an eyeful. When I turn around, I smirk, catching them watching me. These two are so damn easy. I spin back around to make myself a coffee, humming along to myself. As “Please, Please, Please” by Sabrina Carpenter plays in my ear. This song is so catchy. How could I not? I fetch a mug and warm up the espresso machine, popping in a pod .

Maddox moves to make another coffee, coming up to stand beside me with his empty mug. His shirt brushes my arm, as he inhales deeply.

I glance sideways, my eyes running from his shoulder up to meet his eyes, a sassy-as-fuck smile painting my lips in amusement. “Did you just sniff me, big guy?”

“Nope,” he mutters, looking bored, but he so did. And I have no idea why, but the idea that Maddox likes the way my freshly shampooed hair smells makes me all warm inside.

“Got to check something in the den,” Ricky mutters, distracted, leaving the room with his laptop still open. I would kill to know what he’s looking at on there. Particularly if it has something to do with what my papa was involved with.

After I finish making my coffee, I turn round and lean onto the counter. Taking a sip, I let the caffeinated goodness warm up my insides, while looking Maddox over with curiosity. What makes this dude tick? That’s what I want to know. “You stood up for me yesterday. Why?”

“Your brother was a friend of mine since grade school. I’d do anything for him.”

I take a step back, his honesty throwing me off kilter. What the actual… “What help are promises you made when you were young when Marco’s dead now?” Bitterness touches my words. Alessandro says they didn’t kill my brother, but my memory of that night can’t be so foggy from fear that I made it all up. I know Ricky was there with me, and I know I saw Maddox enter our home with a gun. Neither my brother nor papa came out of the building alive, so unless there is some massive clue I’m missing, it must have been him.

His expression softens, and I see a hint of sympathy in his eyes. “We didn’t kill your brother, temptress.” This time, his voice is gentler and lacks the sharpness he usually reserves for me.

“What happened that night, then?” I challenge him. For once, he seems to want to chat, and I intend to zap every bit of information out of him while he’s being so compliant.

He lifts a shoulder. “Not my story to tell.”

“Whose story is it?” I demand, not wanting to play games.

“Ask Alex.”

My glare intensifies. “Alex won’t tell me shit. He just likes to snap his fingers and expects the world will fall at his fucking feet. But I won’t. And from what I heard yesterday, you don’t either.”

“You shouldn’t be eavesdropping, that shit could see you with a bullet in your head.”

I believe him, but it won’t stop me. “That doesn’t really explain. If I have this shit right, you’re all part of some underworld organization, and Alex is the boss. You normally disagree with the boss?”

He looks me over blankly.

I polish off the rest of my coffee, placing the empty mug in the sink. “Whatever.” I dismiss him with an eye roll. I can see this conversation is going nowhere fast, and I have better things to do with my time. Like snoop around the place while Alessandro is out. I push off the counter.

But Maddox has other ideas, quickly moving his oversized body in front of me, pinning me to the counter with his hip so I can’t move. “Whatever?” he growls back in question.

I let out a heavy sigh, over the macho shit. I get it, you fuckwits are huge and can immobilize me with one quick movement. How fun for you. I shove at him, trying to get him to move. “I was going to thank you, but if you’re still being a dick to me, then what’s the point?” My eyes roll again involuntarily as I shake my head. This guy just infuriates me so easily. Here I am trying to be nice for once, and he instantly turns me back into a snarky bitch.

He peers down at me, making me feel way smaller than I know I am next to his giant, crazy-built body. I’m defenseless. And a fucked-up part of me gets ideas I shouldn’t be having about this man I can’t trust. What would it feel like to fuck a monster like him? I bet his dick is huge. “You can thank me, temptress. While we’re at it, I’ll have my apology for you being such a snippy bitch since you got here. Oh, and aiming your gun at me and Ricky when you broke into our compound.”

My eyes widen in surprise. “Me apologize to you.” I scoff, poking him in the chest with a long nail. Is he kidding me? “There’s a list as long as my arm of things you should say sorry to me for. Locking me up, scaring the shit out of me, thinking you can manhandle me on the regular. Should I go on?” I suck in a labored breath, our proximity getting to me more than I would like to admit. His hardened length is pressing into me, and he’s making no attempt to hide it. And I have just answered my own question. Yes, he’s got a monster cock.

He drops his head closer, his lips brushing my ear. “You like it when I manhandle you.” Right on cue, my nipples harden, pressing into his chest, just to prove him right. Fuck.

My heart races wildly. “Maddox, what are you playing at?” I whisper. But even I can’t deny the hunger now throbbing through me. My lady parts are alive and begging for his attention. I pull back enough to meet his hungry gaze, searching his dark eyes for answers I know he won’t give me.

His hands close around my waist, and he lifts me to sit on the counter, pushing between my legs casually. “You want the truth? ”

I nod slowly, not sure what truth he’s about to give me but wanting to hear whatever scrap of information he’s willing to share while Alessandro is out of the house.

“I could see how much it was fucking you up. You didn’t deserve it after what you already went through with your mom.”

Confusion whirls through me. I would expect Ricky to care about my mental health, not Maddox.

I feel his hand gliding through my hair, relishing the sensation of the silky strands. He takes a deeper breath, making it more noticeable this time, then gathers the strands together at the back, using them to tug my head back so I’m forced to look up at him. For a long time, he just stares at me like this, and I wonder what the hell is going through his head. Then the tip of his tongue flicks out, wetting his lips, but it’s not in a showy way like he’s taunting me. It’s like he’s not even aware he’s doing it.

“Thank you.” The words leave my lips before I can stop them. “No one has ever stood up for me like that before.” I blink back at him from under long dark lashes, so many unsaid words swirling in the air between us.

His hands skate down my arms, a trail of goosebumps following where he’s touched me.

My chin rises. “How would you like me to apologize to you, big guy?” I raise an eyebrow, attempting to diffuse the intense atmosphere before it becomes too heated.

And if it’s possible, his gaze grows more intense. Fierier. I know exactly what he wants, and I’m not sure if I could stop this train from derailing now, even if I wanted to. His other hand dusts along the bottom of my shorts. This is the worst idea I’ve ever had, but I know exactly what I’m doing, and I’m not stopping for anyone. The temptation is irresistible. His fingers slip up higher, grabbing a handful of my ass and palming it roughly. The look on his face is one of pure satisfaction, like he’s been waiting for just the right time to grope me.

I gasp in shock at how his rough touch turns me on. Maddox is a guy who knows exactly what he wants. I see the determination written all over him, and right now he has me in his sights. “Fuck, Maddox. Kiss me.” My voice is barely audible as I whisper, all rational reasoning to stay the hell away from this guy going out the door.

Our lips meet, and it’s just like I imagined, rough and frantic, Maddox taking everything he wants from me, leaving me breathless and panting, desperate for more. Pulling back, he keeps his eyes locked on mine like he’s searching for something. Checking in with me to see that this is okay. His lips claim mine in a bruising assault, his tongue forcing its way inside my mouth.

Exploring over my panties, he shows me exactly what he wants, teasing me and toying with my clit before slipping a finger under my panties and right into my warm wet center. It’s embarrassing how soaking wet I am for him.

His groan of approval vibrates through our kiss and eases my mind.

As he shoves another thick finger inside me, my eyes roll back in pleasure. His lips drop down my neck, kissing the spot where he marked me with his fingers just a couple of days ago. The man is a cold-hearted asshole, but he has me all twisted up inside as well. I push my chest closer into him, and I get the desired attention I was craving when his hand finds my tits, palming them crudely.

There’s a noise from behind us, a laptop being placed on the stone countertop, and I glance back to see Ricky. “Don’t stop on my account. This is fucking hot.” He smirks with a playful expression.

Maddox releases his grip on my tits but leaves his fingers inside of me. “She wants to apologize for trying to kill us.” A menacing smirk crosses his lips, inviting Ricky to come play. My insides clench deliciously at the thought of the both of them together.

“I…” I am left speechless, my gaze shifting rapidly between Ricky and Maddox, not sure what to think.

Ricky moves in closer to us. “There are so many ways you can make it up to us, baby doll.” He takes my hand, lacing his fingers with mine, and I look at him with so much desire. I hate my body for betraying me the way it is, but I can’t deny the pull I have to him. To either of them. He yanks me in for a kiss.

Right as Maddox adds a third digit, and I moan into Ricky’s mouth greedily.

“How about you be a good girl and cum all over Maddox’s hand,” Ricky tells me, a gleam of trouble in his eyes. He’s so fucking turned on by walking in on us like this.

I suck in a breath at his dirty words. Maddox steals a kiss, his tongue penetrating my mouth and distracting me from whatever protests I might have been about to make. When I pull back, he sinks his teeth into my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. I gasp as he sucks my bottom lip softly, a hint of a smile finding its way into his eyes. He’s one fucked-up human. And I’m not sure what that makes me, because right now, I’m more turned on than I ever have been.

Ricky’s hand makes its way under my shirt, running his hands over my bare tits, and I greedily press my body into him, looking for more.

Maddox works his fingers in and out of me, slowly torturing me as his head drops to my neck again, placing kisses down my clavicle. Ricky removes my shirt and discards it on the kitchen counter then takes one of my nipples, sucking and flicking his tongue over the sensitive peak. The sensation of both men working my body at once sends my sensors into overdrive. Delicious shivers run over my body as my fingers lace into his hair .

Maddox removes my shorts and shoves them down just enough so that he can get his fingers back inside of me. Using his thumb to toy with my clit, he shoves two thick fingers back into my core. My hips rise off the counter to meet his thrusts.

My breathy moans vibrate off the kitchen cabinets, somehow egging him on as he pumps his fingers more aggressively, adding a third, stretching me. I ride his hand shamelessly, feeling my orgasm building. Between the sucking and finger-fucking, it’s got me so close to tumbling over the edge.

Ricky’s mouth leaves my tit with a pop, and he smirks up at me. “That’s it, sweetheart. Show us just how sorry you are, cum all over Maddox’s fingers, and I’ll clean you up,” he encourages me, turning my insides to liquid. Fuck, this is hot.

A wave of euphoria washes over me as I cum spectacularly, writhing over Maddox’s fingers right until the last of the waves stops crashing over me. Ricky kisses me the entire time, stealing my cries.

Maddox doesn’t stop until I’m a panting, boneless mess. He slides his fingers out, covered in my juices, and I watch through heavy eyelids as he licks his fingers clean.

Ricky doesn’t skip a beat. He has my shorts and panties off and his face buried in between my legs, licking me up in a matter of seconds.

Maddox kisses me more sweetly this time. He tastes of me, and the thought turns me on even more. I soften into him, a euphoric haze of a woman thoroughly pleasured taking over me. If this is how I apologize, I will have to shoot at the two of them more often.

When Ricky eventually pulls back, he’s licking his lips clean, with the filthiest smirk on his face. Something passes between the boys, a silent message. Hopefully of more to come. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to take both of them at the same time. The idea gives me tingles .

With a loud crash, the front door swings open, and Alessandro’s voice is faintly heard as he speaks on his cellphone. He has returned home from the dealership.

“Oh, shit.” It’s like a bucket of cold water crashes over me, snapping me back to reality, and I can feel a deep crimson flush rising over my cheeks and chest. As much as I want to piss Alessandro off and prove to him he doesn’t own me, I also don’t want to deal with his shitty fucking mood swings right now. And walking in on this will no doubt send him over the edge.

Ricky bursts into laughter as he throws my shirt back over my head. How does he think this is funny? Maddox is more helpful in pulling my shorts back on for me, but there is a cunning gleam in his eyes as he pockets my panties. I’m out of time to stand around arguing with him to give them back. I’d like to leave before the big bad wolf shows up and ruins my good mood.

“This isn’t funny.” I slap Ricky playfully on my way past. “I’m going for a shower,” I say over my shoulder, kind of wishing they could join me. That was getting fun. I am completely baffled by what just happened or what possessed me to give in to Maddox in the first place. Mostly I can’t stand the man, but my body was desperate for him. And when Ricky offered to join us… Oh, my God, what the hell. I’m horrified and addicted at the same time. And something tells me that was just the start.