Novel-novel oleh Author Ho

Nico POVBut my little brother had already made up his mind. He launched at me, and I yelled over my shoulder, “lila, run!”With a hard shove I pushed her out the door and ducked just in time as Damon fist came flying toward my face.With a punch to Damon gut, I jerked up straight and flung my other fist toward his face, my knuckles connecting against his cheekbone. Bone cracked, grunts and roars of anger echoed.Damon spun from the force and collapsed on the ground. For a second I wanted to kick him while he was down.I wanted to beat him to a fucking pulp for threatening lila, for whipping her, and for every ounce of hate he had directed at her.But lila was out there running through a house she didn’t know, guaranteed to find a threat around every damn corner. I had to go find her.I rushed out the door and down the hall. There was only one place in this house she knew how to get to my bedroom.So I rushed in the direction of my room, praying that she didn’t chance it by running an

Nico POVI had to come back.Thank God I came back.I was on my way to my bedroom when I accidentally dropped the sheets of paper that burned my fucking hand.The anger and rage that buzzed through my body was so strong, it surpassed the fury I felt when I found out that my brother had been murdered.And I knew why. I knew why I was so consumed with intense indignation…because my jealousy was fueling it.When those sheets scattered around me, one of them caught my eye the one that lila was now clutching in her hand.Her very last drawing was one of me, with my scar.’That was the moment I realized that there was no decision to be made. There never was. I had no fucking choice but to protect her, no questions asked.I rushed back to her room only to find rex on top of her, his cock in his hand, seconds away from claiming what was mine.I reacted.With nothing but red clouding my vision, I took out my gun, aimed…and pulled the fucking trigger. And God forgive me, but when rex lifeless b

Nico POVI screamed, but this time his fist came down hitting the side of my face. Stars exploded as pain blasted through my skull. For a second my mind went hazy and registered nothing other than pain and fire. My head throbbed, every bone in my face aching like it had been cracked in half.I opened my eyes, my vision blurry, my mind disorientated. Rex was on top of me, but I couldn’t do anything. It’s like my mind had completely shut off, unable to tell my body to fight back.I watched in horror through teary eyes as he loosened his pants, pulling out his disgusting cock, and no matter how hard I willed my body to fight, I couldn’t.“Please don’t,” I begged, trying to move, desperate to stop him.“Oh I’m going to, and you’re going to fucking love it.” He jerked my legs apart, hands and fingers invading me, touching me, probing me. Warm tears burned my skin, and I bit into my tongue, the metallic taste bursting through my mouth.Everything about this man, the way he smelled, the way

Lila POVThe second he closed that door, I knew my fate was sealed. The man that left my room was no longer the man out for blood, but rather a man who had been hurt by me.I knew something shifted between us during the last few hours, I just didn’t know what it was.But whatever it was, it had to be big. For nico to act so…so hurt by my drawings, he had to have felt something…for me. I just didn’t know how that was even possible.Yet something definitely changed. He was different, and I no longer saw hate when he stared at me. His touch, the way he held me in his arms felt good, like he wanted me there.And I wanted to be there. I wanted him to hold me, to take me, make me his and protect me.How’s that for irony?I wanted the one man out to harm me to protect me. I was such a fool.Did I think that nico, the man who spent the last few months plotting and planning my demise would actually change his mind? And why because he cared for me?Stupid, naive little lila.I slipped down the

Nico POVI saw the reluctance in every step she took, the fear and doubt that plagued her. If there was a way for me to be able to relieve her of that burden just a little, I would have done it.Goddammit, this was all too surreal going from a man who wanted to punish her, to a man who wanted to spare her any kind of torment.We walked in silence down the dark halls. There was nothing we could say nothing I could say. For months I felt powerful as the Boss of this family, and now for the first time I felt completely helpless.Every step we took toward her room felt like we were both on fucking death row, and too soon we stopped in front of the security door that led to her prison. The heaviness that fell over us as I punched in the code was downright toxic.I opened the last door and let her walk through first.A kidnapper with manners.I leaned against the wall and admired how she looked in my white T-shirt. Her perfectly curved legs teased me. Her toned thighs taunted me.And the wa

Nico POV“My God, lila.” I let out a breath as I stalked toward her.She smiled, she actually fucking smiled. “Did you think I ran?”I stopped two steps behind her. “Yeah. I kind of did.”“And where do you think I’d run to?” She turned back to look out the window and I couldn’t stop myself from taking those last two steps to close the distance between us.She sucked in a breath when I pushed my body against hers, the electricity of our attraction buzzing between us.“Away from me,” I whispered as I nuzzled my nose into her golden blonde hair, loving her sweet scent.She leaned her head back against my shoulder. “Maybe I don’t want to run away from you.”“You should.”“Maybe. But where to?” She turned to face me. “After what I just experienced with you, where would I run? I’ll never have what we just shared with anyone else ever again.So tell me, nico, where could I go that would actually be worth running away from you?”Her sapphire eyes twinkled with an ocean of unshed tears, and I

“I shouldn’t be drinking at work,” I said, giggling.“Oh, I like that sound,” mike said. “Do it again.”Do what?” I asked, giggling.“That. That devilish little giggle. It suits you,” mike said.“I’d rather hear other sounds drip from those lips.”Matteo words sent shivers down my spine.Fuck.Were we thinking about the same thing? It was clear that at least. Matteo was. And I’d fuck the shit out of him. I’d sit on his beautiful lips an wrap my hands in his hair. I’d ride his face until I came and then let him take me on any surface he fucking wanted.“Question,” Lucas said.“What’s up?” I asked.“Since you’re a little loosened up, and I’m a bit curious as to that blush rising in your cheeks, which one of us are you currently thinking about?”“Good question, brother,” Matteo said.“I’d be interested in hearing, too,” Mike said.“What?” I asked, my mouth suddenly going dry.Come on, now. Don’t hold back on us. You can trust us. We won’t get upset,” Lucas said.“No, no. It’s not that. It

Even as I stood behind the bar serving drinks, I couldn’t get my mind off the warehouse. Sofia and I had gone to see it the day before, and it had been better than the pictures portrayed it to be. Plenty of space, with rooms on the inside already divided by walls.The loft upstairs spanned the entire length and width of the building, which gave me over three thousand square feet of space to set up a new home for myself.I could see everything as I walked into that place: the themed rooms with different sets of outfits, a room where Sofia and I could work on fixing up other people’s items, a shoe room, and a boot room.We could set up a denim room and a leather room, and another room for women’s nightgowns and extras to spice up their hookups and shit. It made me both thrilled and impatient for this new venture ahead.And putting an offer in on the place meant I was one step closer to my dream.We told the realtor of offer we wanted to put on the place: ten thousand below the asking pr

“Sofia, I’m not fighting with you on this. That’s my home, and the business money isn’t gonna fix up my new home. End of story,” I said.“Fine. I take it this is the place you want to put an offer on?”“I mean I want to go check it out tomorrow with you but, if all goes well, then yeah. I think it’s pretty damn perfect.”“Well, pick one to have on the back burner in case this one falls through. You know, so we aren’t starting at square one,” she said.“Well, considering that it’s been boarded up for four years, I don’t think the bank is going to turn us down.”I could feel my dreams getting closer. Sofia was already on her phone setting up an appointment to go see the place tomorrow on our day off. We ordered our food and got to talking about how we would want to fix the place up, but my phone ringing interrupted our conversation.And I groaned when I saw it was my mother.“Fuck. Hold on,” I said. “Hey, Mom.”“Did you leave the damn door open?” she asked.“Did you tell everyone you fuc

Did you know Booker started closing the bar on Sundays and Mondays?”“sofia, I haven’t had coffee yet. I can barely hold this damn cellphone up against my ear,” I said, groaning.“When did he start doing that?” Sofia asked.“Uh, it’s been a few weeks. Why?” I asked.“How the hell did I not know this?” she asked.“I honestly don’t know.”“Why didn’t you tell me the bar was closed when I told you I thoughtI worked today?”“Because we were swamped, and my mother was acting like a drunk maniac.”“Your mother is a drunk maniac.”Yes. We’re now closed Sundays and Mondays. Though I thinkBooker rents out the place sometimes Sunday nights. Maybe that’s why you thought you were working?” I asked.“Maybe. I don’t fucking know. All I know is the bar’s closed and I don’t have shit to do. Want to get lunch?” she asked.“What time is it?”“Two.”“In the afternoon?” I asked.“It’s light outside, so I’m assuming so.”“I can hear that fucking smirk,” I said.“I love you when you haven’t had coffee. I

She tossed it back and swallowed it down. I saw her eyes scanning the crowd, probably looking for that hot piece of young ass she had her hands on earlier. He was standing in the corner with some other woman, and I saw the fire in my mom’s eyes flare up. This poor boy had no idea whose attention he had attracted, and I found myself watching as my mother drunkenly stumbled over to him.But my entertainment was interrupted by a voice I wanted to hear.“Mom at it again?” Sofia asked.“Sweet fuck, I didn’t know you were working tonight.”I threw my arms around my best friend before drinks started being called out for us to make.“Ken called in sick, so here I am. And not a moment too soon, I see.”Her eyes were looking over at my mother who had slipped herself between the young girl and the guy who had his hands on her earlier.“That poor boy doesn’t know what he’s in for,” I said.“Maybe she won’t cause a scene tonight,” Sofia said.“My mother causes a scene every fucking night,” I said

Not tonight. I don’t need this shit tonight.What started out as a slow afternoon was quickly turning into a wild night at The Skull. In just five hours, I’d already yelled for the bouncers to break up three bar fights between drunken men fighting over purely senseless shit. I was losing my damn mind and voice.Unlike most evenings when I work through the chaos with polished grace, tonight’s serving of ridiculous crap was working my patience in a royal way.Thanks to the current state of my personal life I didn’t have the tolerance to deal with the bull that came with my bartending gig.Luckily though, I knew how to use the pistol stashed below the counter.Special announcement dicks, I’m not afraid to pull the bitch out.A low-key evening to help me get away from all the bullshit happening at home was all I asked. That’s what everyone was going to give me, whether they liked it or not.I’d worked at The Skull for a little over two years. It was the only place willing to hire someone