Page 32

Carly

Christian had been eerily quiet since we cleaned up and left his mother’s house. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I could clearly see the indecision in his eyes. He was warring with himself about something. Something that clearly upset him.

Even as he stood off to the side, talking on the phone with his girls, I could see the stiffness in his shoulders. Whatever was bothering him was only getting worse.

“Charlotte, are you listening?”

Blinking, I held the phone closer to my ear and muttered, “Sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

“Something or someone?”

“Fine. I was thinking about Christian.”

“Already fucked up, didn’t he?”

Groaning, I looked out the window and said, “No. I think he’s mad at me.”

“Well, I’m on your side no matter what.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“Doesn’t matter. You are my baby girl, and I am on your side.”

“Dad, it’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is,” my dad growled. “I already lost one daughter to this fucking war, not gonna lose the other. Don’t care if you took out the entire Yankees baseball team. I support you no matter what. So, what happened?”

“That’s just it, Dad, I don’t know.”

“Charlotte, you are the smartest woman I know. Think of this as a puzzle. Do some deductive reasoning. I’m sure you will be able to pinpoint when his mood changed. From there, you will figure out what pissed him off. Though, if he yells at you, I reserve the right to put that punk back in his place.”

Laughing, I changed the subject. “How is Drew?”

“My grandson is having a blast. Everyone here loves having him around. Been a long time since we had a kid in this place. Gonna have him patched up in no time.”

“And the girls?”

“They ain’t here, Charlotte. I haven’t seen his girls since we left the Silver Shadows’ clubhouse.”

“What?” I whispered, looking back over at Christian, who was leaning against the wall near the elevator, waiting on me.

“Don’t know where they are. Maybe ask him? Look, baby girl, I need to go. A few of us are taking Drew ice fishing.”

“Okay,” I muttered. “Have fun.”

Hanging up the phone, I pocketed it in my coat, walking over to Christian, who looked up as I approached.

“How’s Drew?”

“He’s good,” I replied, noticing that Christian looked everywhere but at me. Hitting the elevator button he turned and added, “Called my brothers. They will be here after they take care of a problem at the clubhouse.”

“Everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” he said as the elevator door opened. Stepping inside, I said nothing while I stood with my back against the wall, noticing that Christian stood off to the side, his back to me.

“Christian?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Not now, Charlotte.”

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the elevator panel and pushed the red emergency button, halting all movement. Facing him, I said, “Yes now.”

Christian turned and growled, “Turn it back on.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

The fury emanating from his eyes was awe-inspiring. From the moment I met Christian, he seemed to take everything in stride. He had this laid-back persona, as if he let nothing truly ruffle his feathers. Even when he seemed angry, he wasn’t. He was always in control of his emotions, conveying only what he needed, never letting his emotions overrule him. It was one of the traits that attracted me to him. Yet now, it looked like the mask he wore was gone and the real Christian Moreno was standing before me.

He seethed. “You lied to me.”

Confused, I asked, “How did I lie?”

“You are not helpless. You never were. I heard your conversation with Romano. The cool inflection of your tone. You were toying with him. You weren’t scared of him at all, were you?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“And that shit with Aurelio? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I honestly thought you knew.”

“Fuck!” he roared, raking his hands through his hair. “Don’t you get it, Charlotte? I thought you needed me. I thought you were some innocent caught in the middle of this war. But you don’t need me. You never did.”

“Is that all you see when you look at me? Some fragile damsel that needs you to protect her?”

“That’s not what I meant, and you fucking know it.”

“Then tell me, Christian, because you are making no sense.”

Sighing, he groaned, looking at the ceiling of the elevator, and said, “I lost Davina because she wouldn’t let me help her. She was so fucking damn independent. The only time she let her guard down was when she was with me. Even then, it was hit or miss. All I wanted was to give her the life she deserved, but she wouldn’t let me. In the end, her stubbornness got her killed. I can’t go through that again.”

“I’m not Davina, Christian. I never will be.”

“I know that!” he shouted. “When I met you, I stupidly thought you needed me.”

“I do need you.”

“Bullshit,” he sneered. “Don’t lie.”

“I’m not lying. I told you I wasn’t like other women. I’ve been nothing but transparent with you. I was raised to be one thing, but that’s not who I am. I make a conscious choice every day to be who I want to be. Not what everyone expects. You don’t have the right to get mad at me when I’m faced with a dangerous situation and I revert to my training. It’s what I know. I will do anything to survive this war and get back to Drew. I do need you, Christian, I desperately want you in my life, but I won’t let anyone, not even you, tell me how to handle myself when I’m faced with death. I’ve spent my whole life struggling, fighting who Mother trained me to be, and I’m fucking tired of it. I didn’t ask for Romano to sneak into your mother’s house. I didn’t ask him to threaten you or me. I was only trying to protect you.”

Stepping toward me, he grabbed my shoulders tightly and snarled. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

“Then what do you need, Christian, because I’m trying here.”

“I need you to trust me.”

Looking up at him, I whispered, “I do trust you, Christian. I love you.”

His growl, sharp and menacing, preceded a dizzying spin that ended with my back slamming against the wall, the impact jarring my teeth. With a firm grip on my waist, he lifted me up, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around him, feeling the heat of his hard cock through my jeans while he kissed and nipped at my neck.

There was no slow burn, no gradual escalation, just a raw, primal need for connection that appeared out of nowhere.

Feeling a surge of unexpected urgency, I quickly slipped my hand into his pants and tightly gripped his penis. He let out a groan as he thrust his hips, guiding my hand along his shaft, while he tugged down my shirt and firmly grasped my breasts, squeezing them tightly before nibbling on one of my nipples.

Needing more, I slowly unfurled my legs, feeling the satisfying pressure of my feet on the solid floor. Lightly pushing him back, I kneeled before his hard cock. I swiftly removed his pants, pulling them down to reveal his thick cock, and without hesitation, I took the bulbous head into my mouth.

“FUCK!” he exclaimed loudly, leaning in and placing his hands on the wall behind me to steady himself while I pleasured him with my mouth, using a combination of sucking, licking, and slurping to take him deeper with every movement, eventually swallowing him completely. As soon as the head of his cock grazed the back of my throat, Christian let out a deep growl and firmly gripped my head, keeping me still. His low groan of pleasure brought a smile to my face as I began using my tongue to caress and wet his cock, prompting him to thrust more vigorously into my mouth as I savored the sensation of his rigid dick sliding between my lips. He paused for a split second, pulling back a little, but I reached around and grabbed his ass, sucking his cock back into my mouth, letting him know that I didn’t want him to stop.

Encouraged by my bold actions, he pushed forward once more, pausing only when my lips met his pelvis, and I let out a pleasurable moan while I deep throated him. Savoring the sensation of his taut rear in my grasp, I roughly dug my nails into his skin. I heard a low moan from him when he began to roll his hips, fucking my throat while he maintained a strong hold on my head.

“Do you want my cum, baby?” he growled, never missing a stroke.

I nodded the best I could and moaned around his cock, holding him tight, giving him no option but to give me what I wanted.

“Thank fuck,” he snarled as his hands tightened on my head, fucking my throat with ease until he roared out and unloaded his hot salty cum down my throat.

Swallowing every drop, he didn’t stop fucking my face, even though I was now gagging. He was relentless in his own pleasure, eventually slipping his still-hard cock from my mouth. Grabbing my shoulders he hauled me up, then unceremoniously removed my jeans before turning me toward the wall.

He didn’t hesitate and immediately shoved himself deep inside me.

“FURY!” I screamed when he firmly grabbed my hips, yanking me back toward him as he rammed into me again.

Pressing down on the middle of my back, he gave me no choice but to bend to his will. The sound of his grunts and moans filled the small space, and his thrusts grew more desperate.

Needing more, my hand found its way to my clit. Pinching hard, I screamed out my own orgasm. His thrusts picked up at a feverish pace, then his grip tightened painfully, and he roared out in an explosive display, his cock pulsing in tune with the streams of cum he released deep into my womb.

Gasping for air, I couldn’t move. His cock easily slid from my dripping pussy, and then Christian did the one thing I never thought he’d do, he slapped my ass hard.

Gasping, I whipped my head over my shoulder to look at him when he questioned, “Tell me you didn’t like that, and I’ll know you’re fucking lying.”

I slowly shook my head.

“That’s what I thought.” He smirked, zipping up his pants before he walked over to me and redressed me himself. When I was fully clothed again, he leaned over and hit the red emergency button, starting the elevator again.

Turning back to me, he lightly kissed my lips and said, “No more secrets, and I love you too, Charlotte.”

The door opened and Christian didn’t waste time grabbing my hand, dragging me from the elevator, heading straight for his penthouse. Unlocking the door, he threw the door open, grabbed me around my waist and hauled me against him, kissing me hard when we both heard someone say, “You have company.”

Releasing me, we turned to find Braesal O’Malley sitting in the living room.

What the hell was he doing here?

“Jesus fuck,” Christian groaned, shaking his head. “What the fuck is it with you fucking Irish?”

“Sorry to interrupt, but this can’t wait.”

Sighing, Christian released me and slammed the door.

Looking at me, he said, “Baby, why don’t you go wait for me in the bedroom?”

“She stays.”

Yeah, I thought he would say that.

Stepping closer to Christian, I reached for his hand and clasped it tightly. Snarling, Christian looked over at the Irish Mob boss and seethed, “You don’t ever get to tell me or her what to do, asshole, and before I forget, tell that fucking thug Tyran, if he ever shoots at me again, he better make damn sure he hits his fucking mark.”

“That’s why I’m here; oh, and to welcome you to my family.”

“Already have enough family.”

Braesal sighed, getting to his feet. “I understand.”

“Do you?” Christian challenged. “Because Tyran thinks I’m after his spot in your family. Fucker was pretty damn adamant about it. Even fucking threatened me and mine.”

“I give you my word that Tyran will no longer be a threat to you and yours. Like I said, I only wanted to get to know my cousin and to let you know that should you ever have need, the family will come.”

Refusing to reply, Christian stepped aside as Braesal walked toward us.

When he stopped before me, I prepared myself for anything.

Yet, what he said next caught me off guard. “I’ve recently learned that my own family is full of secrets as well, Christian. Don’t let your anger stop you from getting to know the other side of your family.”

“What do you mean?”

Braesal looked down at me and smiled before looking back at Christian. “Ask your beautiful wife. It’s nice to see you again, Charlotte. I am truly sorry about your friends. I will find Tyran and make him pay. If there is anything else you have need of, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as Braesal O’Malley walked out of the penthouse, leaving me alone with a furious Christian.