Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess (25 page)

“— I’m not a damsel in distress. I need allies, but I don’t need to be saved. I don’t cower, and I’m not weak. I can only tolerate being hidden for a certain amount of time before I snap.” Her jaw ticked. “That one was for my husband, whom I will not be talking to privately tonight.”

Nathan angrily spoke Carter’s name, but Carter continued.

“And if my husband knows what’s good for him, he will not come to sleep in our bed tonight.” She locked eyes with him. “And yes, baby, that was a threat.” She turned away from him and looked at Bruno. “Bruno dear, your concern was sincere, and I love you for it, I truly do, but you are mistaken. I’m not afraid to return to work. Please give me the names of the associates. I’ll contact you, and we’ll talk about setting up some meetings.”

Nathan spoke again “Carter, just—”

“Carter, just
what
, Nathan?” She turned to look at him, one eyebrow arched. “Tell me, honey. Better yet— don’t tell me. You haven’t been telling me anything anyway. You’ve been keeping secrets from your weak, fragile wife—”

“You aren’t weak, Carter. You know I know that!”

“No, I don’t!” Carter said sharply “I don’t even think you know the woman you married anymore.”

Nathan shot up from his seat. “I know exactly who you are! Give me a minute to explain—”

“You’re not getting shit, Nathan. You’ve had countless chances to have a ‘discussion’ with me. I no longer want to talk to you.”

“I don’t care if you don’t want to talk!”

“Exactly!” Carter shouted. “You don’t care about my wants, Nathan! That’s the problem! You’ve been making decisions
for
me, not
with
me! I’m not your goddamn child— I’m your wife!”

“That’s exactly right— you’re my wife! You come before all work obligations and responsibilities. I don’t give a shit about any of it when it comes to you. When I think about New York, all that crosses my mind is holding your nearly lifeless body in my arms.”

“And every time I think about New York, I want to find the motherfuckers that helped Mitchell with that goddamn attack and rip their heads off!”

“Don’t you think I want that, too?”

“I don’t know what you want, Nathan!” she screamed and punched him in the arm. “I don’t know anything because you don’t talk to me! You shut me out, like any little piece of information might cause me to break. Do you even want to be with me?”

Nathan frowned. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I want to be with you. I love you!” he shouted.

“Then act like it! Act like you know who I am! I told who I was in Hope Beach— nothing has changed! I was Carterina Anastacia Stone when you met me, and I’m Carterina Anastacia Stone now. So unless you want me to snap and kick your ass up and down this entire goddamn house, I suggest you act like you know who the fuck you fell in love with!” She punched the wall next to her. “I’m fucking pissed, Nathan, and I need blood. I need some type of revenge for what was done to me. I can’t sit around here on my ass waiting for you to fight my battles.” She placed her blood-streaked hand on his chest and pushed him back against the wall behind him. “You. Are. My. Husband— you have a responsibility to take care of me and make sure I’m happy. I know my desires may not be those of a conventional wife, but all the same, you made vows. You promised me I’d want for nothing. You promised to give me what I need.” Carter gripped the front of Nathan’s shirt. Her eyes narrowed in a menacing glare, and she kept her voice low. “Well, husband, I’ve told you what I need.” She jerked him forward. “Now give it to me.”

Nathan stared into her eyes, his own blazing fire. “We need privacy.”

His low voice was heard clearly by everyone.

“Let’s leave them to finish their discussion,” Angelo said.

Carter and Nathan heard the sounds of everyone packing up and leaving, but neither of them looked away. Their eyes remained locked. Once their home had emptied of all guests, Carter released Nathan and took a step back.

She arched an eyebrow. “Now shall we have this discussion, honey?” Her tone was pleasant, but her expression was anything but.

Nathan growled. “Indeed, Mrs. Salerno.” A sinister smile appeared on his face. “We will definitely be talking …”

***

Carter had no idea how it happened. One moment she was screaming at him, and the next—

“Yes!”

Nathan’s fingers sunk into her hips as he grinded into her from behind. Carter’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. She bit down hard on her knuckle and let out a moan as Nathan delivered a smack to her ass— she’d received a lot of those tonight.

“Nathan,” she moaned and pushed back against him.

“You like that, baby?”

His deep, husky voice made her shudder, and she nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes,” she hissed when he slammed into her again.

God, she was such a ho for this. One night. All she’d had to do was hold out for one night to teach the asshole a lesson.

Nathan delivered another hard thrust and smacked her ass again. Carter saw stars. Her fist clenched the bed sheet as a loud cry burst free from her lips.

Fuck lessons. Who needed a lesson? What lesson had she wanted to teach him again? God, she didn’t know. She didn’t care. Carter’s total focus was now on the man lying flush against her back, pounding into her. His deep voice in her ear, speaking to her roughly in Russian, gave her chills. He held a handful of her hair in his fist and turned her head to the side, claiming her mouth in a hard, passionate kiss.

Carter had expected him to stop again, make her beg for it. But after what seemed like an eternity of torturing her, he was finally going to let her come!

“Yes! Please don’t stop, don’t stop!” Her pleas were desperate at this point. She didn’t know how long he’d been withholding her orgasm, but if he stopped again she was sure she’d turn around and kill him.

He broke the kiss and rammed into her hard. Carter gasped, screamed, and cried out his name. She met each of his frantic thrusts, screaming, “Fuck me!” over and over again until— her entire world erupted.

“Oh God, yes!” she screamed as wave after wave after wave of sensation rippled through her entire body. “Oh, my God!” she cried.

She grabbed for anything within reach. She screamed and begged. She told him it was too much, but he didn’t stop. Nathan fucked her mercilessly. Carter gasped and released a loud cry as another orgasm seized her body. She reached behind him and grabbed his ass, digging her nails into his skin as she continued meeting his thrusts. Her orgasms were strong, one following right after the other. Carter didn’t think she would survive. The human body couldn’t possibly be built to withstand this much pleasure. She didn’t give a shit if it could or not. If she had to die, this would be a fucking good way to go.

She felt Nathan tense above her and bite down on her shoulder, grunting and thrusting through his own release. The pain of his bite made Carter moan. Aftershocks from her orgasms shot off through her body, making it impossible for her to move.

After a moment, Nathan rolled over on his back and collapsed beside her. Carter couldn’t move. She just lay there on her stomach while their combined heavy breathing filled the room.

“Holy shit.”

She heard the breathless words from Nathan next to her, and she nodded her agreement. Holy shit, indeed. Carter was pretty sure she couldn’t walk.

Nathan fondled her behind possessively then slid his hand down to cup her between her legs.

“Damn, baby.”

Carter could only whimper. Nathan could be such a caveman sometimes. But she didn’t care. He could be whatever the hell he wanted. That man owned every part of her body, and Carter wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

She heard him chuckle as he rolled over behind her. “Are you awake?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“You think we frightened our family?”

Carter chuckled. “I’m pretty sure they’re expecting to see some broken dishes in the dining room when they come back tomorrow.” She shrugged. “Either that, or they’ll expect for you to have a few bruises.”

Nathan laughed and pulled her over to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her back against his chest. “God, I love you.”

“Even when I threaten you?” she asked with a smile.

He let out a deep moan and pressed his lips to her ear. “Some of the most dangerous men in the world are afraid to threaten me. But you, my beautiful wife, have never once been afraid to tell me that you’ll kick my ass.”

Carter let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes. “I will kick your ass,” she muttered.

Nathan growled and slapped her behind lightly. “And that little fact never ceases to turn me on.”

Carter rolled her eyes then moaned when Nathan kissed her neck.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

Carter frowned and laughed at the question. Why would she be— ? Well, they’d just burned a lot of calories. She knew there were some leftovers from dinner, too.

“You know what?” she said. “I am kind of hungry.” Only problem was, she couldn’t walk.

“Good.” He released her, got up from the bed, and walked over to her side.

Carter rolled over on her back, looking up at him through messy hair. “I can’t walk.” She stretched out her arms. “Carry me?” she pouted.

Nathan chuckled and scooped her up in his arms.

Carter squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “So what are we snacking on?” she asked happily.

“Well, I was thinking some leftovers from your dinner.”

Carter nodded.

“Then I’m going to have an ice cream sundae.”

Carter frowned, but then saw the sly smile on her husband’s face and remembered his role play idea from earlier at the store. The one where she was the ice cream sundae. She threw back her head and laughed loudly.

Anastacia had just changed into her comfortable clothes when Angelo knocked on her front door. She lived in a small cottage she had built on property she bought not too far from Nathan and Carter’s home. It was amazing how fast one could have a home built when money wasn’t an object.

When she opened the door, Angelo entered and immediately took her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, desperately needing his love after a long day of thinking. She had pushed her inner turmoil aside for the duration of Carterina’s birthday, but now she could no longer keep it in. She needed to talk to Angelo about what Carterina had told her earlier today.

When they broke their kiss, Anastacia rested her head on his chest.

“They fight better than we do,” Angelo said.

“Yes, they do. Less physical combat, and more arguing.” Anastacia laughed softly. “We could learn something from them.”

Angelo chuckled. “Will we ever be that good at being a couple?”

Anastacia sighed and shook her head. “No,” she replied as she left his embrace. She walked over to her plush couch and sat down, tucking her legs under her. “We will never have what they have, Angelo. They have an effortless love that people like us envy. Your son knew he wanted her the moment he saw her.”

“I knew I wanted you the moment I saw you …”

“But you let me fall in love with another man, too. You were stubborn and prideful. Every time you walked away, Cesare swooped in to pick up the pieces. Then you left for good, and I still went back to you.”

“Because we love each other, Ana. We’ll never be able to stay away from each other.”

Anastacia frowned and shook her head firmly. “Our love has never been enough, Angelo. We hurt each other every time we were together. We failed miserably at our epic love story, so God made a better you and a better me, and he put them together to fix his mistake. Our children were made for each other. They knew it when they were toddlers. Carterina acted as if her heart had been taken from her when she was torn away from your son all those years ago. They found each other again after nineteen years. Your son knew it was Carterina just by looking into her eyes. ” Anastacia let out a humorless laugh. “That shit just doesn’t happen.”

“God’s laughing at us,” Angelo said.

“Yes!” Anastacia exclaimed as she fell back on the couch in exhaustion. “And it’s so fucking wrong to think like this, I know. But Carterina and Nathan will do everything that we had planned to do— and so much more. Not only that, but they will do it better than we could have ever dreamed of doing it.”

Anastacia felt Angelo plop down on the couch next to her with a loud sigh.

“Do you want to know a secret?” he asked.

Anastacia waved her hand in the air, signaling for him to continue.

“I’ve been preparing Nathan for leadership ever since he was fourteen years old. When he was twenty, he killed Vladimir Pavlovich Beriya with his bare hands, and he established a large band of allies all around the world by the time he was twenty-two. Since then, he’s been doing everything right. He’s made a name for himself, has even gained the respect of motherfuckers who hate the sight of me, and he’s referred to as this mysterious, Russian. My son has already accomplished so much, and he’s barely twenty-five, and I’m so proud of him. I really am. I love my son more than my life, and I’m proud to be his father, but sometimes … sometimes I’m just like …fuck you. Fuck you, you little perfect bastard.”

Anastacia’s hand shot down from her face and she looked at Angelo in utter shock. When looked back at her with a sad sigh and shrugged his shoulders, Anastacia lost it. She burst into hysterical laughter. She held her stomach as she nearly fell off of the couch, trapped in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. She didn’t even stop when she felt Angelo’s arms wrap around her waist, and he rested his head on her breasts.

“You’re such a bitch, Ana,” he said through laughter. “I’m trying to tell you something serious— confide in you— and your ass laughs.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Just let the laughter out. It’s probably been pent up in there because
‘The bad-ass Anastacia Stone’
hasn’t allowed herself to laugh for the last forty-five years.”

His words only made her laugh harder. But once she’d calmed a bit, she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, Angelo. I understand. I really do. I’ve felt the same way.”

Angelo looked up at her. “You have?”

She nodded and pushed his hair from his eyes. “Yes, I have. I’ve been up close and personal with my daughter for only a few months, and I’ve felt that same jealousy more times than I can count. When I was twenty-three, I was so fucked up. I was running from a maniac and secretly stalking my newborn baby. Carterina is so much better at everything than I was. She’s survived without her father better than I did without mine, and she did that all on her own. I had Fiorenzo, unlimited money, a place to live, and was spoiled rotten by Paolo. Carterina lived on the streets by herself— and she made it.” She locked eyes with Angelo. “Is it possible to be jealous of her and admire her at the same time?”

Angelo pulled her down the couch a little and kissed her. “Yes,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes. “That’s exactly how I feel. I admire my son, but I also envy him …”

“We’re so fucked up, Angelo. What does that say about us? What kind of parents are we?”

“Human,” he replied.

Anastacia chuckled softly.

They lay quietly in each other’s arms for a while, enjoying the silence. After a moment Anastacia decided it was time for her to talk to Angelo about her latest issue.

“I have to tell you something. Carterina and I had a talk outside last night. She told me of some arguments she and her father had had about me. She said he’d spoken ill of me and told her she was never to ask about me,” she said quietly.

“So you and Robert didn’t get along?” he asked curiously. “Does that bother you?”

Anastacia shook her head. “That’s the problem, Angelo. Robert and I fought, but only the way any normal couple would.”

“Couple?” he asked in disbelief.

Anastacia shifted in his arms to look into his eyes. “It didn’t start off that way. But even when he we weren’t together, even when he found out I was spending all of my time with you, he didn’t speak ill of me to our child. After I ended it with you, I was around him a lot more. He and I eventually fell in love. It happened so quickly. He was such a good father to our baby, and I was finally able to see that. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the man who had saved my baby, Angelo.”

Angelo frowned and nodded his head— he didn’t like it, but he understood it.

“Remember when I told you Carterina would meet me when she was eighteen?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Anastacia inhaled a shaky breath. “That’s because we were finally going to be together with our daughter.”
Shit!
She was tearing up. Shake it off, Anastacia! She always did this when she thought about Robert. “Robert and I wanted to be a family with our daughter, but we didn’t want to start a war while she was young and at risk. Eighteen seemed like the perfect age. Carterina would have been properly trained by then, and she would’ve been able to understand why I’d had to stay away from her. She would have been able to fight with us for our family. We could’ve started fresh with our daughter and lived anywhere we wanted to.” She blinked away her tears. “But he died.” The tears came back with a force as soon as the words left her mouth. Her bottom lip quivered, and her hands started shaking. “Shit!” She took a gasping breath and looked down at Angelo’s chest.

Angelo held her tighter.

“Stop it, Angelo. Don’t encourage my weakness,” she said, looking up at him with glassy eyes.

Angelo frowned. “It’s not weakness, Anastacia. You’re grieving. You lost someone you love. You’re human. Stop fighting it, and just be sad that he’s gone.”

She did exactly what he told her. For the first time with Angelo, Anastacia let the tears fall freely down her face.

“Robert would never have said those things about me, Angelo. He knew me, he really knew me … and he loved me, regardless.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “He loved me past all the bullshit. Even when I was a bitch, even though I made a mistake, he still loved me, and I loved him … so much,” she whispered. “Since I know Robert wasn’t the one to make my daughter hate me that leaves only one possibility.”

“Silas,” Angelo whispered.

At the mention of the man she hated more than anything in this world, Anastacia’s tears turned to rage.

“Fucking Silas,” she spat. “That lying son of a bitch wouldn’t stay away. He went into my daughter’s house. He ate with her, argued with her, and acted like he was her father. He made her think her father hated me just because
he
hated me. He made our lives a living hell. I don’t want to be afraid of him, but I don’t have Robert anymore, and I don’t know how to handle him. I need your help, Angelo.”

Angelo hugged her close and tried to kiss her tears away. “I’ll do anything for you, Ana. You know that. I love you, and I love Carterina. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, I’ll do what I have to do to keep you both safe.”

Anastacia nodded. “I need you to help me find Silas so I can kill him, and end this once and for all…”