Hero: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (23 page)

“Seth…what is this?”

His eyes clouded over instantly, and though his body was just as close and warm as it had been before, I felt his mental step back. His slow, arrogant smile covered whatever had been between us for an instant and he kissed me with a rough desire that drove any further thought from my mind.

“We’re having fun, baby…somehow we haven’t killed each other yet and I’m not bored, that’s all.”

I knew that - hell, I didn’t even
want
it to be more than that. I couldn’t stand this guy, and he definitely wasn’t long-term material. All I’d wanted was a memorable first-time experience - and from all the rumors, I had no doubt how well he would provide that. But sometimes when he looked at me…I gave myself a mental shake of the head, letting myself rise to the light, teasing tone he’d take again. I kissed him back, my hands reveling in the hard feel of his body under me before I shot him a sharp look of my own, a matching haughty smile spreading across my lips.

“Good to know, jackass, since I can’t promise to stand you much longer.”

He chuckled and took me down to the bed in one swift, easy movement, his arms holding me to break the fall as my breath left me in a small cry of surprise. Then I was under him and I couldn’t think anymore as he worked his way across my bare, willing skin, hands and lips creating rivulets of fire all across my body.

“Then I’ll make sure I take full advantage now, baby.”

His growl got a moaned response and I wrapped my legs around the rough denim at his hips, my center feeling unexpectedly exposed against him, ready and wanting so much more while my hand clutched at the head hovering over my breasts.

His thick need pressed between my legs now, only his rough jeans and the light lace of my panties separating us as the light rocking motion of his hips stirred my blood and his mouth started to lavish attention through the slight fabric of my bra, the moisture there spreading desperate heat across my chest.

“Oh god, Seth…”

I wanted more. I couldn’t help myself, crying out and bucking against him as his tongue stroked the outline of my hard nipples roughly, sending sparks shooting straight to my pussy where I was hyper-aware of his hardness just inches away.

My blood was rushing in my ears now my pulse was beating hard enough I felt like my whole body was throbbing with urgency. He shifted his hips so my legs fell away from him and in an instant he had me pinned - one hand gathering mine above my head with his body heavy above me while his legs trapped mine against the bed.

Then his mouth returned to ravish my chest again, my heaving breaths coming shorter as his hand made its slow, teasing way down to the center of every throbbing desire pulsing through my body. When one large finger finally stroked against my waiting entrance, I jerked under him, whimpering a little as my hips thrust instinctively towards him.

“Damn, Bella, you’re so wet for me.”

I was, I could feel my desire soaking my panties and as his mouth teased my pert, eager nipples and his hand shifted to cover my entrance, I was suddenly finding it hard to breathe. I’d never felt slutty before - I’d been raised too well for that, but I could suddenly understand the appeal, the crazed desire to give into the power of the feelings rushing through me, to be wild and unrestrained and let Seth do everything and anything he wanted to me.

Then his finger stroked across my clit and all the pressure mounting within me felt like it was about to explode with that one simple touch, my head thrown back as I cried out in response. His mouth was there instantly, covering mine and taking my cries as his body continued working me relentlessly, tension building in my stomach until I wasn’t sure I couldn’t stand it any longer.

“I want it all Bella. I want to taste every cry as I make you come undone beneath me.”

I shuddered at the fierce words, moaning into his mouth as his tongue twisted with mine and every part of my body beat in time with his. It was more intense than anything else I’d ever felt in my life, and I could barely understand it.

I might be a virgin, but I wasn’t completely naive - I’d experimented before, I knew what this should feel like. And yet it was so much more that it seemed almost impossible that the little pleasure I’d taken in the privacy of my bedroom could be related to this deep, primal act of passion. Seth was taking over every inch of me with his mouth, his tongue, his devilish hands, every slight touch of my exposed flesh against his rock hard body making fire spark in delight within me.

And despite all my nervousness at the thought of actually doing it - actually giving up myself to this man - the craving was building too quickly and too thoroughly to deny. My whole body was throbbing with need now and I tried desperately to grind against his strong hands while he kept me pinned with nothing more than a shift of his body. He wasn’t letting me do anything other than lie there and take it, setting and controlling the pace with a deliberation and command I could scarcely believe.

I’d heard all the not-so-subtle talk about how good he was, of course, but I figured that meant he wasn’t inconsiderate and knew how to use his sizable cock - not that he would leave me panting, wet and desperate while he slowly took me apart. My anxiety about my first time had almost disappeared under the deep need to have him inside me, to feel
something
filling that waiting emptiness inside me.

“Seth…damn it…I need more.”

That cocky smile and the glazed look in his eyes told me he knew
exactly
how much I was suffering under his attentions. One hand unclipped the front-facing clasp on my bra in a display of expertise that had me wondering just how an eighteen year old had come by these skills, and then his mouth closed over me and I couldn’t wonder anything anymore.

Electricity surged down to where his hand was slowly teasing me while he slipped my panties down my legs, and I could hear myself moaning in sheer wanton lust. He chuckled at me, hot eyes watching as a smile danced around his lips.

“Tell me what you want, Bella.”

I bit my lip, but I couldn’t deny what was raging inside me, the way my eyes clung to him and my body writhed against his.

“You…goddamn it, you arrogant cock. I want you inside me. Now.”

He laughed openly now, but his hands were on his belt in an instant, fingers working it open as I found my eyes glued to the thickness trapped underneath. My pussy clenched in anticipation as he shifted the denim jeans down and I saw his hard length spring out, thick and ready for me.

I’d never expected to be impressed with what I saw - from everything I’d heard, cocks weren’t much to look at. But the crazed lust he’d filled me with must have been playing with my mind, because I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

I wanted it. I wanted
him.
And then I was moving, quick enough I surprised myself as well as him, inching down the bed until I was eye-to-eye with the throbbing length of him. My hand came around it to feel it’s silken-steel warmth and then my lips were right there and I was taking him into my mouth without another thought.

If anyone had asked beforehand, I would have sworn up and down that I wouldn’t do this the first time. But I wasn’t thinking here, just feeling and acting. And it felt so goddamn right. He was big inside me, warm and hard with a salty, musky taste that had me longing to feel him somewhere else entirely. I couldn’t get him far inside, but just my tongue swirling around the tip, my hand squeezing lightly underneath, had him gripping me hard, a low groan escaping above me.

“Shit, Bella…who would have thought…”

My eyes darted up to meet his, my mouth curving around his thick cock as I enjoyed taking the upper hand for just a moment. My other hand gripped the back of his firm ass, caressing and enjoying as I sucked and moaned lightly against him.

I could feel the way his own desire was throbbing, building inside of him until a moment later he started moving slowly against me, one hand lightly guiding my head as I continued for all I was worth, satisfied at finally feeling how much this was affecting him too.

His breath hitched and he withdrew a moment later, his arms wrapping around me while he pushed me back against the soft cluster of cushions at the head of the bed. He grabbed something off the nightstand and the crinkling foil let me know what he was doing before he came back over me.

His hands held my hips as he shifted into position, the sudden thickness against my entrance sending waves of nervous excitement through me while his mouth gently covered mine, taking a deep, slow kiss that left me mindless against him. My body was tense and ready, crazy with the lust and need that he’d drawn out with sweet, slow torment and waiting to explode.

“Bella…”

I could hear the deeper undertone in his voice, but I wasn’t up for talking, for hearing whatever it was he wanted to say. I needed it
now
or I wasn’t sure I’d build the nerve again.

“Fuck me, Seth. Now.”

He answered my wish a moment later, that teasing cock sliding slowly into me in one smooth movement, our bodies joining tightly together. There was a momentary pain, but I was wet and ready and it dissolved into a tight friction unlike anything I’d felt before.

He didn’t give me much chance to recover, his hands moving from where they’d been anchoring us to cup my breasts, stroking and teasing while his mouth worked mine with a passion that had me clenching hard around where he’d settled inside me. My hands explored his back, hovered at the nape of his neck as I enjoyed the way our bodies pressed close together, every slight movement creating a spark of electricity that shot right through me.

His hands moved around my back, letting every inch of exposed skin feel him as he started moving slowly inside me. I gasped at the sensation, his thick cock seeming too much for me to handle but creating such intense friction that my whole body felt like it was beating in time with his movements, blood rushing through me as the tension in my stomach started moving towards a pleasure I couldn’t describe.

“God, Seth…fuck…”

His chuckle was too strained to be convincing, the effort of holding himself back becoming apparent within moments. I was grateful for the restraint as I adjusted to the feel of him inside me, but the slow movement was quickly not enough and I found myself rising against him, meeting him stroke for stroke as I wanted more.

“Damn it, Seth, harder…I need…”

My breath came in short gasps, insistent, and a moment later he took me at my word, throwing me back on the bed and thrusting suddenly inside me, stars shattering behind my eyes with that one quick motion. All the power in his hard, muscled body exploded against me as he let the last vestige of control slip, the wild animal that had always beat just below the surface taking over. I cried out hard, my legs wrapping around him as I clung on with everything I had, nails scratching along his shoulders while he nibbled at my lips and his hands left hard, bruising marks against my skin.

“Christ, I’ve never felt anything like you, Bella.”

I wasn’t sure my tight pussy could take it, but every thrust brushed against my clit, taking me closer to the explosion I felt building inside. I was moaning incomprehensibly now, but I couldn’t help myself, I couldn’t believe what this felt like - what he was doing to me. The aching tightness only took me higher and I heard myself gasping Seth’s name as he grunted under me.

“Seth…I…I can’t…”

“Don’t. Don’t hold back. Come for me, Bella.”

It was all I needed, his hard rasping breath in my ear as my climax roared through me, wave after wave crashing against my suddenly over-sensitive nerves. I screamed and his mouth covered mine, taking my release as he’d promised while my body gripped his with a tightness I couldn’t control. A moment later it proved too much for him, and I felt his last two hard thrusts before he joined me in an oblivious heaven, his cock throbbing hard as it jerked again and again inside me.

For a moment, I knew nothing except the feel of his arms and the warm, musky scent of our joint bodies around me, lost in depths of pleasure I couldn’t have imagined.

We came down in starts and shudders and when I finally managed to release my legs’ death-grip on his hips, he worked his way out of me and lay me down gently on the bed, leaving me feeling thoroughly used and aching. I wondered idly whether I’d be able to walk straight tomorrow, and found part of me hoping I’d feel the reminder of this for a while to come.

He settled behind me with his arms wrapped around me protectively, his warm chest heating my back and letting me feel his skin while I still breathed heavily, hazy from the pleasure shuddering through my body. We stayed like that for a long time, content to drift in the warmth of what we’d just done, and I found myself falling asleep to soft-spoken words brushing my ear.

“I’m never going to let you go, Belle…”

Chapter One

Bella

Engaged?!

I stared, eyes wide as shock plastered my face.

My father was looking straight back at me, calm and controlled in that unflappable way he had while I struggled to reign in my wild reaction. I knew he was waiting for a response. A sensible, equally calm response. Something about as far out of my reach as the moon right now.

My eyes flickered around the familiar study, seeking some comfort as I tried to control my reeling emotions. The floor-to-ceiling bookcases and warm leather sofas were as comfortable as I’d always remembered them, adding some color and life to a room that was otherwise too functional.

My father stood before his dark mahogany desk, perching lightly on the edge of it as he waited for me. His salt-and-pepper hair had a little more salt in it but was otherwise unchanged from a few months ago, when he’d last visited me at university. With the strong face and slightly weathered complexion it framed, he had an appealing mixture of roguish good looks and old wisdom that I imagined made it fairly easy for women to consider him attractive. If, of course, the temptation of his wealth and position at one of the most prominent technology giants wasn’t enough.

A moment to let my mind run through this set of detached, logical thoughts and I could finally ask the first question in my mind - without the bite that was so tempting to put in there. I cleared my throat and let just a little of my consternation show as I faced the solid, respectable wall my father always presented.

“Why…how didn’t I know about this sooner?”

“I wanted to tell you in person, Annabelle.”

His expression didn’t flicker, no indication that he felt the slightest bit awkward telling his daughter that while she’d been away at university, he’d somehow gotten
engaged
to a woman she’d never even met. But then, he probably hadn’t even considered that I might have a problem with it - clearly, the decision made sense for him, and therefore it must be immediately obvious to everyone else. At least, anyone who shared his belief in pure, rational thinking.

And in truth, the idea of him getting married - while potentially a little disturbing and disruptive -
wasn’t
a problem for me. If he’d found someone to make him happy after all these years, I could support that. But having no chance to get used to the idea, no way to share that journey with him or the opportunity to adjust gradually to the concept,
that
was hard to deal with.

I was still trying to process it when he continued, not quite showing his impatience at my lack of calm acceptance of his life-changing news.

“I think this will be good for us, Annabelle - you should have a maternal influence in your life, and I…well, I’m sure you can understand it’s been lonely for me, all these years.”

Maternal influence?! Sure, maybe if I was a child…

My attempt to hold onto a measured response was lost in disbelief, and I was too taken aback to even notice whatever else he’d said.

I was 21, damn it - just graduated from university and come home to this craziness, not some child looking for a lost mother!

I yanked my temper back sharply, trying to calm my nerves. Getting angry wouldn’t help - I’d been raised better than that, and if I wanted to make the slightest impression on my father I’d have to take the time to process it and give a sensible, reasoned response.

In fairness, he’d always been right about that - the one and only time I’d done something reckless and emotional, it had ended in disaster. Maybe it was difficult, but his approach had always worked out best for me. It was just so damn hard to live up to.

You need to think things through, Annabelle. We can’t have these teenage tantrums; you’re better than that. I don’t know what your mother would have thought…

I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself again. It was alright. This didn’t have to be a disaster.

It was unexpected, sure. I would have liked to have been involved before this. And his approach to this conversation sucked balls - but that wasn’t a reason to rule it out already. My father had a point, and he’d raised me alone for the last 21 years - if he’d found something that would make him happy now, then I could hardly blame him for pursuing it.

He certainly didn’t need my permission. Sure, seeking my opinion would have been nice, but this wasn’t the first time he’d made decisions without consulting me, and it was hardly right for me to object on those grounds. My blood was slowly returning to normal and I managed to get enough breath under me to give him a small nod and listen to the rest of what he was saying.

“I’d like you to meet them—”

“Them?”

My voice came out a little sharper than I’d intended and he frowned briefly at the interruption, but continued with a nod.

“Yes, Cora and her son - they’ll be coming for dinner tomorrow evening. I’d like you to meet them, make them both feel welcome.”

Son? A new stepbrother too?!

This time my instinctive reaction was harder to get over, and an uncomfortable weight settled in the pit of my stomach. I could come around to a new woman in my father’s life, but somehow the idea of a stepbrother sounded far too invasive. I didn’t want some stranger suddenly interfering with my life. Not when I was finally starting to feel ready to give it some direction and make my own decisions for once.

It was a struggle to squash the sudden flare of resentment at that thought, but I could already tell I was over-reacting.

The idea of this threatening the independence I’d wanted from this conversation was making me defensive, but it didn’t have to be a bad thing.

So what if the last thing I wanted to do was invite a couple of strangers into my home? I owed it to my father to try and make this work. And that started with not deciding it was going to be horrific before I’d even met them both.

What he’d said hit home - he
had
been alone all these years, and I’d never even considered that he might want something else. He’d always seemed so certain that Mom was the only one for him, so stoic in his lost love. He never talked about her, but the way her loss obviously still hurt him - even after all this time - had almost made me believe in the idea of soul-mates when I was a teenager.

That thought was enough to take the last remnants of anger out of me. Thinking about Mom - about what had been lost before I’d even had the chance to know her - always did that.

I looked up to find my father watching me carefully, that strange mixture of curious and baffled spread across his face. The same look I’d seen every time he couldn’t work out what was going through my mind or how I was going to react. It had always made me think that he was mentally preparing for a crazed teenage outburst - not that I’d had one of those for a good long time. My lip curved up at the thought of that, and all the other times I’d seen that expression.

And then it wasn’t so hard to step forward, rest my hand lightly against his arm and nod, my own wild swirl of emotions settling for a moment as this became more important.

“Okay, Dad.”

I gave him a brief hug and felt one arm wrap around to squeeze my shoulder before he stepped back.

“I’m sure we’ll all get along great - and I’m glad you’ve found someone who makes you happy.”

He smiled back at me for a moment and nodded, his demeanor as calm as ever while the slight tension that had grown between us slipped away. He stepped back behind his desk before turning to look at me.

“I knew you’d understand. Now, didn’t you come in here to talk about something else?”

I took a deep breath at the question, my mind returning momentarily to all the thoughts and plans I’d wanted to discuss with him - the well-rehearsed arguments and mental conversations I’d already had about potential career paths and options, discussions that in reality never quite went how I’d planned. But I wasn’t sure I could face that now - not another potential conflict, even one I was well prepared for, when my emotions were already stirred up and confused. There would be another time to think about all that.

With a small shake of my head, I just shrugged.

“It wasn’t important. I think I’m going to get an early night.”

That was enough for him to murmur a goodnight and return to the stacks of paper I’d originally interrupted. I turned without another word, wanting some time and space to adjust to the landslide I’d just heard.

I tried to convince myself I meant what I’d told him - that it would all be fine.

I knew my immediate reaction hadn’t been fair, even if it was perhaps understandable. Having a new step-mother and stepbrother would be…different. But who was to say that wouldn’t be a good thing? My relationship with my father hadn’t changed since before I could remember and while I loved him dearly, shaking things up and having something to distract his intense scrutiny of
my
life might be good for us.

I just wished I could squash the butterflies that kept skipping through my stomach at the thought of my new
stepbrother.