Page 17 of Shattered King

Fiorella

I ’m pretty sure I’m just a puddle of bliss hormones as I lie in his arms.

I’ve never done anything like that before. Never been spanked, never been licked from behind, never been dominated so thoroughly.

He broke me.

In a good way, but still.

I lie there, trying to process. The first time we slept together, I was coming fresh from the trauma of nearly getting killed. That was a fit of pure adrenaline and physical need.

This was different.

I wanted him.

Which is crazy. I don’t have feelings like that. Ever since my sister and I went through hell together, I’ve closed myself off to relationships with men.

Especially mafia men.

Because I can’t feel safe around them. Even when they try to do right, they only ever make things worse.

It’s different with Luca. I don’t even know why.

He smells good. There’s that for a starter. It’s masculine and clean. Soapy with a hint of spice. I like it, maybe a little too much. I’m sniffing him like an eager puppy.

Then there’s the way he feels. Smooth, a little prickly from the stubble on his cheeks, as warm as an oven, and covered in rippling muscle. Every inch of this man is pure divinity.

And there’s the way he talks. That filthy freaking mouth of his. Like he doesn’t care what I think, so long as I give him what he wants. And what he wants is to make me feel so absurdly wanted that it halfway breaks my brain.

None of this makes any sense, but god, I love lying here in his arms.

I feel safe .

And I’ve never, ever felt safe with a man like him before.

“Listen, princess, I need to ask you something.”

I pull back and blink up at him. “Hmmm? You’re still here? I was having the best dream…”

He smirks slightly. “Yeah? What kind of dream?”

“I was dreaming that a big, attractive man was holding me in his arms. You know, a man that cares about me? Is kind to me? Didn’t chainsaw my bed in half?”

“You got me instead. Sorry to ruin it for you.”

I sigh dramatically. “I’ll survive, I guess.”

“Seriously, I need to ask you something.” He pulls back, face getting serious.

Uh-oh. I don’t like that look. I adjust myself, pulling my sports bra down over my tits—were they seriously just out like that??—and pulling up my bottoms. They’re soaked through with arousal and sweat and very, very cold.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know a guy named Tommy?”

I pull back further, frowning. “I think you’re talking about my cousin.”

He curses softly and sits up. His shoulders are tense all of a sudden. “Something happened tonight.”

“What’s wrong?” I stare at him and pull into myself. Now here it is, now it’s happening. I felt good in his arms. I felt safe.

But a man like Luca inevitably fucks that up.

“Your cousin’s dead. He was a part of an ambush on some of my men tonight.”

My mouth opens. I try to form words, except I don’t know what to say.

I wasn’t exactly close with Tommy growing up, but we definitely knew each other.

Tommy’s my uncle Corrado’s oldest son. He was always a loud, brash bully asshole.

A sudden memory hits me: Tommy and some of the other cousins in the pool splashing and laughing at Elisa as she tried to swim away.

Tommy’s face getting bashed in by a pool noodle as I screamed at him to leave her alone.

Tommy dunking me underwater and calling me chicken-shit Fiorella .

Years later, Tommy hugging me at my high school graduation.

“How?” I manage to finally ask. “I mean, what?”

“Your dad was right. It’s your uncle behind all this. I’m sure of it now. I’m sorry, Fio, I really am. I should’ve said something.”

“You’re right.” I push myself off the bed. “Before we did—” I gesture toward the wall where he made me break into a bliss puddle barely five minutes ago.

“That wasn’t planned.” He stares at me, jaw set into a sharp line. “And I won’t apologize for it.”

“You killed my cousin.” My head feels dizzy. “I didn’t even like him, but still.”

“The most important part of this is they’re coming for you, baby.

” He gets to his feet. I back away from him, toward the bathroom.

“I think your uncle was behind that attack on the garage. I think he wants to kill you to make sure the alliance between our families falls apart. He wants to be there to pick up the pieces.”

I feel numb all over. I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t want to believe it. My own uncle trying to murder me.

And now my husband killed my cousin. And he didn’t tell me until after getting me off.

“Is that why you cut my bed in half?” I glare at him, feeling vulnerable and stupid. What’s safe about this guy? He’s like all the others.

He’s death and sin.

A life spent by his side would be short and ugly.

“I’m trying to make a point. You’re not safe . I need to protect you, Fio. They’ll do whatever it takes. They burned one of my trucks, set an ambush?—”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“They’re going to come for you.”

“You’re trying to scare me into sleeping in bed with you,” I snap at him, feeling angry all over again. “And you know what’s fucked up? It’s actually starting to work.”

“Fio,” he says, standing, almost pleading. A nearly naked, gorgeous giant of a man. I’d melt all over again if I didn’t feel so awful.

“I’m going to take a shower.” I head into the bathroom. He takes a few steps to follow. “ Alone , okay? I’ll sleep in your stupid bed. Just don’t touch me. Just don’t even look at me. I want to be alone, okay?”

He nods, jaw flexing. “Whatever you need.”

“Yeah, right, because it’s all about my needs, right?”

I slam the door in his face.

The running water helps mask some of my sobbing. I don’t want him to hear how upset I am right now. I’m not even mourning for Tommy—honestly, screw that guy—but I feel so unstable and shaken. I haven’t been like this for a very, very long time. I’ve struggled to make myself as hard as possible.

But now it’s like all the years of toughness are getting stripped away, and I don’t know what I’ll be when it’s all gone.

All I know is I won’t stick around to find out.