Gio strolls across the dining room from where he’d stood in the corner, watching the guests like a hawk with his revolver discreetly hidden from sight. We expected the guests to step over the threshold of our domain unarmed, but I’m still not that trusting.
A few of the men around this table plotted against our father, and some of them are still under investigation for his assassination. In this game, we keep our allies close, and our sights directly on our enemies until the time comes to wipe out the motherfuckers.
Tonight, however, isn't that occasion. They’ll leave in peace and I’ll pick them off one by one in the future if needed.
Our liquor emptied glasses tinkle with melting ice cubes. “I’m flying out to Rio tomorrow,” Giovanni says quietly. “For business.”
We’ve had a small-time cartel in Rio under surveillance since Carina was transported to my father as a gift from his estranged daughter, Maria Rebello. He’d sworn blatantly she wasn’t my half-sister. Except we still don't know the truth, given she was poisoned and her spineless minions fled the scene.
Some of them were easily tracked, and others disappeared. I want to know if Maria was working alongside Carlos Blanco. If she was trying to infiltrate our family with lies and gifts for a bigger cause, to help Blanco take over our kingdom.
“Do what you have to do, Gio. I trust you, brother.” He swallows, his pale green eyes flashing with a faint glint of appreciation. The sound of trust and praise is a rare commodity in this house. We shake hands, his golden ring digging into my fingers and mine into his. “We’ll talk before you go.”
André claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Let the party begin.” He leads the guests out of the formal room to reunite with their partners. “Mi casa es tu casa,” he laughs. On the way out the door, he flips open the lid from a carved box and displays an obscene amount of cocaine. “Who’s up first?”
I fix my cufflinks and follow behind Shane. I’ve no need to get fucked up on chemicals tonight. There’s only one thing on my mind—Carina.
The second we stroll into the entrance hall, my brain malfunctions. This time, it’s not the sensation of blood on my skin that triggers me. It’s the ethereal queen standing at the top of the staircase.
“Jesus…” Shane mutters under his breath. “The kid’s all grown up.”
I stop dead in my tracks. Gold fabric clings to her feminine figure like it was poured straight from a melting cup by the gods. Sable curls tumble over breasts that are visibly pushed together, a sight that energizes my veins with untrained adrenaline. But it’s the slit leading to her bare thigh, finishing just shy of her pussy, that steals the breath from my lungs.
Christ.
Fucking... wow.
My pulse goes berserk and my guard slips. Putting all the bullshit around me aside, I stare up at her as she descends, each step slowed by sky high strappy sandals adorned with tiny glittering gemstones. I’m well aware my unruly dick is rebelling against my zipper, but my cursed feet, they move without conscious thought, eating up the stairs two at a time until we’re almost face to face, her a step higher.
Her dainty hand grips the banister and amber eyes sparkle under the gaudy Italian chandelier my father bought on a bipolar whim. Showy fragments of light crown the top of her head, highlighting the power that lives inside of her. The atmosphere surrounding us crackles, invisible sparks bouncing off her dignified posture, catapulting toward me as barbs of welcoming light.
At a standstill, she nods in acknowledgement of my predatory arrival, then pinches the fabric at the side of her hip to shift the flowing length out from under her heels before moving again. I offer my hand, a slave to the unfathomable spell she’s cast.
Her distinct natural beauty is remarkable, but up close, the slight trace of makeup she wears this evening enhances her features to such an extent it leaves me speechless. I’d go as far as saying I’m stricken with a disease so deeply spread that no amount of radiation would eradicate it.
The second she sets her palm on top of mine, my reflexes take control, locking it in place. I struggle to breathe, fighting the urge to snare her throat and kiss her glossy lips until I’m drunk on the taste of her. There’s not a hair on her head I’d change or a curve on her body I’d ignore.
She’s perfection.
And for a man like me, with particular habits and requirements, that’s a fucking dangerous label for her to behold.
Her hand trembles within mine and every quick breath she takes elevates her chest, so the skin shimmers with whatever heavenly lotion she’s rubbed into her cleavage.
“You’re beautiful,” I finally admit at the foot of the staircase, the words freely floating from my lips to my family's ears. “Naturally beautiful when you’re naked and I’ve just cum inside you, but in this dress––you’re stunning.”
They’re all present to witness this intoxicating witch robs my mind and renders me a damn fool. My obvious attraction to her isn’t private anymore. It’s a collective whisper carried on the tongues of every dangerous person I’ve invited here.
However, they didn’t come alone. The invitation was extended to partners and seconds in command. That way, I would learn every detail about my people, including what makes them vulnerable. Turns out I’d fallen into my own trap and now they know my weakness.
If I hear one single threat made or insubordinate remark about Carina, I’d fill their throats with liquid gold like the entitled fucks they think they are.
“Thank you,” she says softly, the heat of her body coaxing my tortured mind out of the haywire assumptions I’ve already made.
Matheus saunters into the imaginary bubble I want to hide her in and greets us with his charming grin. The fucker is a lady killer and he knows it. “That’s one breathtaking dress.” He smirks. “My eyes nearly fell out of my face.”
Her nervous giggle dances over my scalp, coiling my guts with a sensation I’d thought I was immune to. Jealousy. I’ve never had a reason to envy anyone, let alone my kid brother. Tonight, I’ve gotten everything I ever wanted and something I never knew I needed.
Yet I’m turning into the man I swore I’d never become—my father. With Carina on my arm, paranoia kicks in. Her safety is the only thing I’m concerned about. My skin itches beneath my dress shirt. The incurable temptation to drag her out of the room and lock her away eats me from within.