Page 81 of Lust and Honor

I lean over her, sliding my hand from her stomach to her clit, nipping at the skin along her spine as I keep thrusting. She writhes beneath me, and with a loud cry, her entire body convulses.

I stay buried inside her, not moving, letting her ride it out. She trembles, moaning until she goes still, melting into the sheets.

Then I sit up again, grip her ass, and spread her cheeks, starting to thrust once more.

“Maxim!”

Her voice is soft, breathless. Now that she’s come, taking me is hard for her but I’m not done yet.

“Just a little more,” I growl, barely in control.

I flip her onto her side, lifting her leg so I can watch my cock slide in and out. Her breasts bounce with every movement. She reaches out to slow me down, but I grab her wrist tightly, leaning over her, snarling like a lion, and deliver my final thrusts as I stare into her pained eyes

Something primal and dark awakens in me, something I’ve never felt before. Seeing her struggle satisfies a savage instinct I didn’t know I had. I treat whores and flings well, but the pain I’m causing Ava feels like a reminder, to both of us, of who she belongs to

When I finally explode inside her, I don’t stop until I’m spilling so deep that I feel it dripping onto the sheets.

Then I collapse next to her, pulling her close and kissing her dry lips again and again. Minutes pass before she stirs.

I crush her against my chest and growl into her mouth. “You’re mine, Ava. Only mine.”

She strokes my jaw, whispering weakly, “I’m yours, only yours.”

***

Carlo picks up a sleek gun from the weapon-strewn table and casts a look at the sky, dark clouds rumbling above. Even though it’s past noon, the shooting range feels dim and heavy. He flips the safety off, stretches his arm forward, and fires round after round at the distant target. By the time he’s done, there’s barely anything left of the target’s head and chest.

He sets the smoking gun back on the table and scans the other weapons. Then he grabs an automatic rifle and inspects it.

“Any word on Leonardo?” he asks.

I pick up a small dagger and roll it between my fingers. “I’m not out of the loop. He’s wallowing in post-dick-chopping depression right now.”

He puts the rifle back. “When are you going to finish him off?”

I turn to the sand-filled dummy on my right. Take aim. Throw the blade. It lands right between the dummy’s brows. Sand trickles out like thin blood.

“Soon. I’ve decided to make my bastard father suffer the torment I couldn’t give Ava’s piece-of-shit dad.”

“Don’t drag it out. He’s a wounded animal. You need to put him down before he gets back on his feet, or he might slip out and come for you when you least expect it.”

I nod silently. I know he’s right, but my revenge isn’t complete yet. Hell, it’s not even close.

I pick up another dagger and drag my fingertip along its edge. “Emily asked Ava to join her for a yoga class.”

He raises a brow. “Yeah, she checked with me. So?”

“Before I let Ava say yes, I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it.”

“Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

I shrug. “Because I know how protective you are of your wife, and you don’t exactly like Ava.”

“You’re my right hand. There’s no one in this world I trust more. If you trust Ava enough to let her be around my family, then I have no issue with it.”

I nod, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. That’s Carlo, straight-up, no bullshit. He doesn’t deny he dislikes Ava. She crossed a line that, if not for her tie to me, she would’ve paid for with her life. Lying to Carlo Bruni, especially about something as sensitive as getting close to his family, is one of the deadliest sins in our world.

I’ve tortured and killed men and women for lesser crimes. But even if Ava weren’t the mother of my kid, I doubt I could’ve done anything more than fuck her senseless for hours. Just hearing her name is enough to set my blood on fire.