So happy you made it to book 2! Get ready, loves—Lyra and Valentin are here, and they’re about to take you on one wild ride! (◠‿・)—☆
Dimitri The Riccis already had their sights set on us, which meant they were feeling alert and potentially paranoid about us retaliating. We needed to play it cool and somehow get an element of surprise on our side.As Maria sat there, seemingly going in and out of paying attention, it clicked.She was the key.“What if we use Maria as bait to lure out the daughter?” I suggested, looking between my brothers, who all gave me doubtful expressions. “She can act like their alliance is still intact, and claim that I was the one keeping her from following through with it. But since she has gained my trust, she’s been granted enough freedom to slip away without being seen. Maybe then we can arrange a fake meeting and disarm the Riccis.”They all thought about it, still clearly struggling with the idea.Checking Maria’s expression felt like a mistake the moment I saw how blindsided she looked. I felt awful for even suggesting it, but our choices felt limited.“If we can quell them sooner rat
- DimitriThe moment we pulled up to the casino, Roman was already out front with his features pinched in concern. Once Aria got out and ran to him, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. He let go of a relieved breath as Aria muffled her quiet cries into his chest.He soothed her as best as he could, and as me and Maria stepped out, he gave me a nod of respect. “Thanks for keeping her safe. I’m glad you were there.”For the first time all day, I was glad too.“Of course. You would do the same,” I returned gently, aware of how terrified he had been the moment I got the word out to him.“You’re absolutely right. Thank you.”As the two of them reunited with bleary eyes, I glanced at Maria to see her more shaken up than she had been in a while. It almost looked like she was fighting something internally, and I wished I had access to her thoughts.Putting a hand against the small of her back, I gestured in the direction of the casino. “Let’s head in.”She
Maria “We’ll be fine,” I said to Aria as I gave her a squeeze from where our arms were linked, pressed together as if we meant to siphon bravery from each other. She sniffled and nodded.The volley of gunfire grated against my skull, sounding like a countdown to when we would inevitably be struck. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on only the sound of Dimitri’s pistol firing like it was a lighthouse I needed to guide me. I envisioned his shots striking down the assailants who would start to suspect we were hiding.The whine of sirens called out through the confusion, and the men scattered.At once, they ran toward a fleet of SUVs waiting for them, all trying to keep from being seen by the cops. That was the last thing any of them needed since Nera and her father didn’t have the same reach that the Lanstovs did. They wouldn’t be able to pay their way out of doing time when the Lanstov money was there first.At the squeal of their tires, Dimitri glanced over the table, then concealed h
- MariaI had never been to a farmer’s market before, but it was fun with Aria by my side, and with Dimitri trailing us with all his reluctance. It was much different than how I used to spend my weekends, but there was something charming about it.When Dimitri was out of earshot, Aria slipped her arm around mine and leaned in while she spoke. “How are things going between you and Dimitri? I couldn’t help but feel like I interrupted something earlier.”There was no escaping her knowing grin, and there was no point in lying. Especially when it had been so long since I’d had the girl-talk sessions I used to enjoy so much.The mix-matched feelings I’d had for the last few weeks moved to the forefront of my mind, and I didn’t need to think on it long.“Ever since the Fourth of July, things have been better. Incredible, actually. Things had been cut and dry between us, but now I don’t know how I should feel.”Aria looked both intrigued and empathetic. “What do you mean?”I took a deep brea
Dimitri “Roman’s taking care of Kira so I could have the chance to get away for the morning.”How convenient.As I hesitated on my reply, Aria scoffed. “It’ll only be a few hours, Dimitri. You can’t hog Maria for yourself every day.”The thought of walking around the shopping district all morning under the beating sun didn’t exactly sound like the ideal way to spend my time—especially not when a glorious release had been moments away.I wondered if I sent her away, maybe Maria would still be in the mood by the time I got back up there.But my wife’s quiet footsteps behind me said very plainly that it was wishful thinking.“Is that Aria?”Before long, the door was opened further, and Maria stood next to me. She lit up at the sight of her.“Just the woman I wanted to see,” Aria said, giving me a brief side-eye.“What is Dimitri trying to avoid now?” Maria asked, clearly still amused by my disappointment.Sighing, I knew it was a losing battle immediately.“I wanted to see if you two wo
- DimitriGetting out of bed in the morning had never been a difficult task when I was on my own, but over the passing weeks, Maria made it feel impossible.She was still asleep in the master bed with me, tucked under the white sheets and comfortably resting against the pillows.Warm sunlight pooled in the bedroom and cast its rays across the bed. It turned the room into something from a daydream, and I couldn’t get enough.Maria didn’t need to try, and I was already unraveling for her, willing to do whatever it took to make sure she was safe. Even in her simplest state, naked and covered only by the sheets without any makeup on, she was beautiful.She looked so peaceful as if she needed that sleep more than anything. She looked like there was no worry left in her mind.I could understand why she savored her sleep so much ever since we hashed things out and I stopped resisting how much I wanted her. We were having sex nearly every night, and sometimes more than once.Her body was too
Dimitri chuckled at that and rubbed circles against my hip. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to pay my wife back for making me hard all evening.”My stomach was awash with butterflies at that, not willing to stop him from doing exactly that.Our lips clashed together as we gripped one another, unable to hold back any longer. The tension that had been like a bubble around us popped the moment we gave in.Kissing him was enough to jog my memory of how badly I’d wanted him earlier, and that arousal seemed to come alive all over again.Dimitri was hungry in how he kissed me, letting his hands roam and squeeze as he wished. His pent-up frustration was so clear that a part of me felt bad for teasing him.But more so, I was glad, since that fluster was about to be put to good use.The water pelted onto Dimitri’s back while he explored me, not concerned about it in the slightest. It dampened his hair and clung to his lashes, making them dark and heavy when he pulled back enough to let me see him
- MariaThe car was tense and silent on the way home, but we were both brimming with anticipation. The air around us was charged with hunger and undeniable desperation, and it was everything I had hoped for.It seemed my efforts had paid off, and I was about to owe Aria money.When we reached the house, Dimitri planted a heavy kiss on my lips and told me to head upstairs and rinse off. Wanting to get rid of the ocean smell, I did exactly that, sauntering up the stairs as Dimitri cursed under his breath.Giggling about it to myself, giddiness surrounded me and made my chest feel lighter than it had in a while. I was looking forward to a worked-up Dimitri, wondering what was in store for me.But the moment I stripped and stepped into the warm shower, my thoughts wandered to a place I didn’t like. The stream was pulling the salt away from my skin, and my change of heart hit me hard.While running my hands through my hair, I considered how much time had passed since we were married. Since
Dimitri Stepping into the water, I caught her swimming alone, head bobbing in the water while the other girls found their husbands looking mostly drunk and bleary-eyed.As the water got deeper, I began to swim until I was close enough to wade over. By then, Maria noticed me and turned around, skin completely saturated by the water. A few droplets sat heavily on her lashes, and that small detail had my body tensing all over again.The ocean was refreshing after spending the afternoon in the sun, and it helped take the edge off of my pent-up frustration.“I thought you were prepared to leave me out here by myself all night,” she murmured, eyes raking over my features.Snaking an arm around her waist, I pulled Maria closer, much to her initial surprise. But she chewed the inside of her lip with a knowing look. She knew exactly what she was doing to me all night.Inches apart, I looked between those siren eyes and her plump lips stained light purple. That ever-present pull between us was