All Chapters of Animal Instinct 2: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Ever since she started living in an apartment, she has never welcomed a client to her home. Vito granted her ‘freedom’ to live outside the establishment when she turned 18 as compensation for her loyalty to the family business. The only promise she had to make was never to bring her client home.But Xander was no client—not to her. He never paid for her services, and she didn’t consider their sexual interaction transactional. She liked him—maybe more than she was supposed to.She had accepted that she would never have a normal love life due to her occupation, which was forced on her by circumstances, and she had made peace with herself. But deep inside, she’s just like any other girl who wants someone to fall in love with her and treat her right.She thought of Xander a lot. Even with other clients, she wished it was him that she pleased in bed. He was different from the other men she had ever been with. There was a gentleness in his tough facade that she longed for. But it was obviou

“Vito called to disclaim responsibility,” Matteo reported to Armand as soon as he arrived home. “The Romanos also ... some other minor families called to pledge their alliance to us ... they’re scared. They think it’s us.”Armand turned to look at him briefly. He raised his brows, “Technically ...”Matteo pressed his index finger to his lips. “Pasquale and my dad are waiting in the study.”They entered the room, and Armand dismissed his men to leave them. He poured whiskey into a glass and took a quick gulp. “Do we know?” he asked.“The Messina is in ruins. They don’t have a successor. Annabella was working tirelessly to find proof that we killed her husband while dealing with the Russians at the same time ... she didn’t even think about choosing a successor in case something like this happens,” Massimo explained.“Hmm ... they have a daughter, don’t they?” Armand said.Massimo nodded, “A daughter Ariana’s age and twin boys just turned 18.”“An illegitimate daughter, also 18,” Matteo

She locked herself in her room after the confrontation. He could hear her sobs echoing in the silence of the villa. He turned the TV off so he could think clearly. Though he said he didn’t care and there was nothing he could do, it didn’t stop him from thinking about what to do next.“Don’t lock your door ... please,” he said, pressing his head to her bedroom door. “For safety reasons ... your husband’s order,” he explained.She didn’t reply, but he heard the key turn shortly after.He sat in a corner with a small desk and chair. A monitor hung on the wall for CCTV surveillance. Since he arrived in the villa, he had been stationed there to watch every part of the premises except the bedroom.Close to midnight, he saw a movement near the front gate. The movement sensor light turned on. He cocked his gun and walked over to Ari’s room.“Ari ... are you asleep?”No answer.He peeked through the unlocked door and saw her sleeping on her bed. He hurried to recheck the monitor. He couldn’t s

“Keep your head down,” Xander instructed her in the car. She crouched on the floor of the backseat. He threw a blanket over her and started driving.“Where are we going?” she asked under the blanket.“Home.”She was silent for a moment. “But I thought they said it’s not safe there?”“Mr. Lombardo instructed me to take you home; please keep your head down.” he was talking formally.Ari realized the car was not a safe place to talk. She touched his arm. He stopped the car and turned to her. They looked into each other’s eyes.Xander knew that look. She wanted him to take her somewhere else. He shook his head. That life was long gone and over. She had her chance, and she threw it all away. If he wanted to, that would be their chance to leave ... again. But he wasn’t there for that; she should know better.Their lives were already in jeopardy. No matter what they did, they risked being blackmailed, tortured, killed, or worse. If somebody found out who he was and what he had done in the pa

He jolted from his sleep. It took him seconds to realize where he was. He was covered in blankets with no clothes underneath. He was in the bathtub, but there was no water in it.He felt the pounding in his head and remembered what he had done the night before. The villa. Ariana. The car ride back to Armand’s house. The whiskey shots at the bar, and nothing much after that.“Rise and shine, soldier.” Pearl entered the bathroom with only her dark blue lingerie. She knelt next to the tub and rested her forearms on the rim. She played with his hair with her fingers. “Somebody had a little too much to drink last night,” she said, smiling.Xander could barely open his eyes. The sunlight, which penetrated through the bathroom window, hurt them. He put his hand on his forehead, asking, “What time is it?”His tousled hair and the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks made him look so sexy. She paused to relish the view. “Just in time for breakfast,” she bit her lower lip with a teasing smile.She