Page 11

“Say it, Pen.” He orders this time. “Tell me you want my cock.”

“I want you,” I choke out, the truth flying free. It sends me over—shattering hard, crying his name, nails digging into his shoulders as he grunts, hot and ragged, spilling into his jeans against my hand. We’re gasping, ruined, the air thick with sex and death.

He doesn’t stop there. His hands pull my shirt up, which was already half-torn from Theo’s grabby bullshit, and bares my tits.

“Been dreaming about these too,” he mutters.

His mouth crashes down, sucking my nipple hard, teeth grazing the peak until I whimper. He’s rough, and greedy, his tongue swirling wet and hot, then biting just enough to sting. His other hand kneads my ass, pulling me tighter against him, fingers digging into my flesh like he’s branding me.

“Every night, Pen,” he growls against my skin, switching to the other breast, sucking harder, leaving marks. “Fisting my cock, imagining you riding me, these tits bouncing, your cunt choking me dry. You’ve fucked me up since you came back and I’m addicted to every goddamn inch of you.”

I moan, my head tipping back against the wall, still lost in the heat of his mouth, the filthy confession sinking into me like a drug. It’s too much—too raw, too fucking everything—and I’m still trembling, my legs quaking from coming so hard, slick dripping hot down my thighs.

His teeth graze my nipple one last time, a sharp sting that jolts me, before he pulls back, eyes black with hunger.

He swipes his hand—still wet from me—across his jeans, smearing the mess like it’s nothing.

“This ain’t over, Pen,” he tells me. “It was a fucked up thing for me to do, pulling away for the past days but I was a goddamn idiot. It won’t happen again. You’re in me now, and I’m keeping you there.”

I slump against the wall, barely holding myself up, my legs like jelly. His words hit hard, but it’s the way he’s looking at me—like I’m his next breath—that has my pulse hammering. He steps closer again, crowding me, his hand planted beside my head.

“Don’t you dare smile at anyone else.” His voice drops, laced with something feral. “Not Theo, not any other prick sniffing around you—nobody. Swear it to me.”

“Yeah,” I mutter, dazed, my head still spinning from the orgasm. “I swear.”

He grabs my chin, forcing my eyes up to his.

“I mean it, Pen. I’ve seen them— some bastards at the office eyeing you, thinking they can touch what’s mine.

I’d kill them all before letting that happen.

I’ve jerked off to you so much I’ve lost count, imagining you under me, screaming my name while they rot.

You don’t get how fucking deep this goes. I’d burn this city down to keep you.”

My breath catches heat flaring again despite the ache between my legs. “Adriano, I—”

“Say it again,” he cuts in, his thumb brushing my lip, possessive as hell. “Tell me I’m the only one you want. That I own you.”

“You’re the only one,” I rasp, my voice shaky but true. “You fucking own me. I can’t even think straight around you.”

His jaw tightens, a flash of triumph in his eyes, but there’s jealousy there too, twisting it dark.

“Good. Because I’ve been losing my mind picturing you with someone else. Some smarmy ass from work buying you coffee or Theo’s hands on you before I smashed his face in. I’d rip their throats out, Pen. You’re mine—every moan, every shiver, every drop of you.”

I swallow hard, pinned by his stare. “I don’t want them. Just you, fuck, it’s always been you.”

He leans in, his forehead pressing to mine, his breath hot against my lips. “Damn right. And I’m not letting you forget it. Next time I see some fucker look at you too long, I’ll fuck you right in front of him just to show him who you belong to.”

A shiver runs through me, half fear, half want, and I nod, too wrecked to argue. “Okay.”

He pulls back just enough to show that wry smile. He’s unhinged and obsessed, and I’m caught and hooked on every filthy promise, every jealous claim. Theo’s blood is still sticky on the floor, but all I feel is Adriano, burning me alive.

He nods, a quick jerk of his head, satisfied with my surrender, then snatches his phone off the counter.

“Tommy, haul your ass over here. Got a mess to scrape up.”

“You already knew who Theo was, right?” I speak up.

His eyes linger on me, holding for a beat too long before he adds, “Just got back from the docks. Theodore, a piece of shit, was Ricci’s kid.

A rival of mine who has been attacking my shipments unprovoked.

We attacked their crew today. All of them were completely wiped out. Theo’s joining the pile.”

I blink, still propped against the wall, my legs wobbly from the way he just wrecked me.

“Old man Ricci’s been gnawing at my territory for years, sending his rats to chew holes in my docks.

Theo was his son and muscle, dumb as a brick but mean as hell.

Thought he could flex, get close to you, fuck with my head.

” He steps in, crowding me, his breath still ragged from what we just did.

“I saw him with you at the I, then at your place, Pen. Saw his hands on you. Nearly lost my shit right then. Had to end him before he touched what’s mine again. ”

My stomach twists. Theo’s blood still glistens wet on the floor, his broken body a ghost in the room. “So he wasn’t just some creep. He was after me because of you?”

Adriano’s jaw tightens a muscle ticking. “Partly. Ricci’s been sniffing for a weak spot, and you, you’re it. Theo wasn’t just gonna scare you. He was gonna use you to gut me. Probably thought he’d fuck you first, send me the pictures to twist the knife.”

His hand clamps around my arm, firm, possessive, but not harsh. “I’ve been watching you too long to let that happen. Especially not some Ricci trash.”

“You killed him just for me?”

“For us.” His thumb drags over my skin, rough and deliberate, his gaze pinning me in place.

“He’s not the first, won’t be the last. If anyone tries to touch you, they’re dead.

I don’t give a fuck who they are. I’d stack bodies to keep you safe, Pen.

” He leans in, his voice dropping to a growl. “Do you understand?”

I nod, slow, my pulse still catching up. “Okay. Shit, just… okay.”

A hint of a smile touches his lips as he turns back to the phone. And that’s when I realize he hasn’t hung up. “Hurry up, Tommy. The floor’s a damn mess.”

Tommy’s voice crackles through. “On it, boss. Gimme ten.”

Adriano hangs up, pocketing the phone. I stare at him.

“How’d you know to come? Really.”

“Had to keep you safe.” He avoids my eyes and grabs the bat again.

“That’s not an answer.” I grab his sleeve, pulling him back. “How?”

He shakes me off and then heads for the door. “You know.”

“Adriano!” I shout, but he’s gone, leaving me with blood on the floor and a storm of questions raging in my brain. Tommy shows up minutes later with Ralph, both grim-faced, hauling a tarp.

“Hey, Pen,” Tommy says, tossing me a weak grin. “Rough night, huh?”

“Just get him out of here,” I snap, crossing my arms.

Ralph snorts, rolling Theo’s limp body into the tarp. “Boss sure knows how to pick ‘em.”

“Shut it,” Tommy mutters, heaving the bundle up. “She’s not in the mood.”

They shuffle out, boots scuffing the floor, leaving me alone with the mess. I grab a mop from the corner, dunk it in a bucket, and start scrubbing Theo’s blood off the tiles. The water swirls pink, then red, staining my hands. They shake, badly, and my mind’s a tornado.

How did I even end up here? I was just rolling into town for a wedding, three years deep in grieving my best friend, trying to come out of that black hole. Now I’m tangled up with her dad, letting Adriano shatter me piece by jagged piece.

Maybe this is my reckoning, craving what’s forbidden, sinking into it until it chokes me. I know it’ll destroy me one way or another, rip my soul out, or get me killed. And I’m too weak, or too stupid, to walk away.