Dangerous Stranger - Piper Stone Page 0,78

continued to push past my lips, echoes pounding into my ears. I could no longer hold back, had no opportunity to ask for permission, the orgasm sweeping into me, my heart hammering in my chest. “Oh!” The single scream floated in the air above us, the sound almost a challenge for the brutal man.

He thrust even harder, his muscles rippling. “That’s it. Come for me.”

I closed my eyes, arching my back as the single climax became a beautiful, mind-bending wave, my pussy clamping down on his beautiful, thick cock. I wanted him to come, to fill me. I craved the feeling of having his seed find its way into my womb.

The sound of his hoarse roar was sweet music, almost as spectacular as the words he’d sung in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Bliss.

Rapture.

Serenity.

I wasn’t certain what to call the feelings rushing through me as he rolled over, gathering me into his arms. I also felt safer than I had in years. In his arms. In his life. The irony was laughable. I nuzzled against him, even more comforted in the scent of our combined sex. This was almost perfect.

Almost.

We lay in silence, our breathing finally returning to normal. I was still able to hear the rush of the ocean water even through the closed windows and doors. We were both prisoners, only him of his own making.

“I’ve killed several people over the years,” he said quietly as he stroked my arm.

The admittance, while obviously something I’d realized, was still gut-wrenching. Especially given the hushed tone of his voice. “Women? Children?”

“Not once. I live by a code of honor. I meant what I said. Family means everything to me.”

I wasn’t certain if he wanted a response or in truth, if I could give him one. “And you’ll kill again?”

“While I can’t promise you that I won’t, I will promise that you will never see or learn the details. You will be sheltered from the ugliness of my world.”

“I understand ugliness, Rafael. Just remember that sometimes you do have a choice.”

A choice, like the one I’d made when I hadn’t killed my stepfather on that horrible night. The drunken, belligerent fool had deserved nothing less. But I’d made a choice, allowing the bastard to live another day.

And I would carry the guilt of my sister’s death for my entire life.

If I had it to do all over again, the choice would have been different.

Perhaps I was more like Rafael than I thought.

Chapter Fifteen

Rafael

Choice.

Savannah’s single word had been more jarring than expressing my love or the way she’d reacted to my knowledge about her father. I’d never seen her so rattled, the viciousness that she’d expressed entirely because of the experience she’d been through. One day, I’d find a way to rectify the situation.

The bastard didn’t deserve to be breathing air.

Yeah, I had several choices and none of them she would approve of or understand. However, they were necessary in order to get rid of the piece of shit attempting to tear my business apart. I was finished with waiting for Calleja to resurface from his rat-infested hole. It was time to make certain everyone in several countries knew exactly who the Galicia mafia were and why they’d been so powerful for generations.

I took a deep breath, holding it as my lungs filled slowly. It was past time I made an example of the Los Charlines leader for all the world to see. I was beginning to believe that Don Piero was actually Calleja, although I would tell no one of my suspicions. Of all the Dons, he’d been the most vocal against my father, hungering for more. Perhaps we’d all been fools in believing we could share territories to some degree. I would know soon enough.

What I did know was that Calleja had recruited important people, including those from my organization. For that alone, the fucker would die by my hands.

I studied the water as I’d done several times the day before, even while searching for Alviro’s whereabouts. The gossip mills on the street continued to fuel the rumor that he was planning a simultaneous attack on our supplies, even crossing country lines in order to do so. Of course, they would wait until a dozen or so arrests occurred, in the chaos able to take what belonged to us. If what limited information I’d received was correct, the insider information could only come from a few sources, solidifying Felipe’s unstated suggestion of the identity of the traitor.

How unfortunate for the