Seduced by Danger (7 page)

Michael stared at Sal in shock. Was the other man honestly saying he thought he and Cara belonged together? A
Mal
and a beautiful
Fata
. The pairing went against the laws of nature.

Yes, Michael knew Cara and
Aron
were the best things that could ever happen to him. They were a gift he didn’t deserve. Would never deserve.

He’d done horrible things in his life. He’d worked for the
Mal
for years. He’d stolen businesses from honest men and women, destroyed careers and livelihoods. He’d been a loyal
Mal
.

Of course, it was because he’d been such a good
Mal
, had known their strategies and weak points, that had kept them alive in the years since they’d run.

Did saving the lives of two innocents make up for the ones he’d destroyed?

“Can you send me to her, Sal? I don’t like that she’s there alone.”

Sal leaned back in his chair, looking at him. “She specifically asked for somewhere quiet to think.”

“I won’t disturb her. I just need to know she’s okay. I won’t…set off any alarms or anything, will I?”

Sal’s gaze narrowed. “Why would… You think the Temple of
Uni
is warded against the
Mal
.” Sal shook his head, his expression tightening as he jumped off the chair and began to mutter. In ancient Etruscan.

Michael knew only a few of the words but it was enough to figure out that Sal was verbally blasting the
Mal
for their suspect practices. And those were only the words Michael understood.

When Sal stomped over to stand in front of Michael, the
salbinelli
wore a scowl that put Michael on his guard. The guy only stood about four feet but he scared the shit out of Michael.

“Well, get up, son. I’ll send you. Just don’t come crying to me when she reams you a new one.”

Michael stood, opened his mouth to say thank you but never got the words out.

Sal touched Michael and the world folded in on him as the spell Sal muttered transported him to another location. For a second, he actually felt like he was in two places at once and that created a fierce sense of dislocation. He’d never traveled by translocation before and, he had to admit, it was a little freaky.

The disorientation lasted only a few seconds before Michael blinked and found himself looking out at an expanse of white marble that slowly came into focus. But he only had eyes for the woman seated on a bench along the side wall, her gaze trained up toward the ceiling.

Blessed Goddess, she was so beautiful, his chest actually hurt with wanting her.

His body strained toward her but he held himself in place. She looked peaceful, calm. And he didn’t want to disturb her.

He stood as still as he could but it must not have been enough because within seconds she opened her eyes and stared straight at him.

Her expression showed no sign of anger that he’d interrupted her or was unwelcome. She just looked at him.

And he was compelled to close the distance between them.

With each step, the unease he’d felt in his gut when they’d been parted dissipated as the hunger for her increased. That hunger never really left. It merely receded to a dull ache, even after they’d just had sex.

He hated to believe she thought he wanted her only for sex. And yet, what else was she supposed to think?

When he stood only inches from her, close enough to smell the faint hint of her vanilla shampoo and the spicy scent that was just her, he wanted to say something. Reassure her in some way.

But what the hell could he say? What—

She reached for him, one hand curved around his hip, the other pressing over his heart. His heart felt like it lifted into her touch. And his cock twitched at the proximity of her hand and her mouth.

Lifting his hands to her head, he sank his fingers into the long sable strands, wrapping his fingers in the waves then letting them stream through like water.

Her eyes closed, as if just the touch of his hands in her hair soothed something inside her.

He wished to hell that was true. Wished he was the kind of man who deserved her. Wished—

Fuck it. He had her in his arms right now. No more wishing.

Releasing her hair, he lifted her off the bench, covering her mouth with his and opening his mouth over hers.

At the first thrust of his tongue, she parted her lips and allowed him entrance. Then proceeded to blow his mind with the most erotic kiss he’d ever experienced.

Her tongue slid over his, teasing, her lips soft beneath his. Her fingers sank into his too-long hair, tugging at the ends, scraping along his scalp.

His desire rose up and flooded through his body. Groaning, he kissed her harder, deeper, holding her closer until he couldn’t bear the feel of the clothing between them.

The fact that they were in a public place only crossed his mind for a second as he turned toward the polished marble altar just in front of
Uni’s
statue. It was the perfect height.

When he reached the altar, he set her on the edge and leaned back, looking down into her eyes.

He saw no fear in those river-blue depths. Only encouragement. As if what he wanted to do was okay.

And hell, it probably was. Although he’d never been to
Uni’s
temple, he knew enough about Etruscan rituals to know they often involved sex.

Since he planned to worship Cara, he figured this was the perfect place.

Her lips lifted in a smile as she leaned back on the altar, resting on her elbows, watching him as he reached for the waistband of her clingy black pants. He was embarrassed as his fingers fumbled for a second before he pulled the material off her legs, leaving her bare from the waist down.

He loved the fact that she didn’t wear underwear, loved knowing she was naked under her clothes and he was the only one who knew.

Dropping to his knees between her legs, he leaned in and put his mouth directly over her sex.

He vaguely heard her sigh but his entire concentration narrowed down to the scent of her, the heat and the taste.

Settling his hands on her thighs, kneading the soft skin, he focused his attention on her clit, sucking the little bud into his mouth then licking. Slick liquid spilled from her pussy as he trailed one hand from her thigh to slide into that moisture. He coated two fingers in her juices then slowly thrust them into her tight channel.

Her back arched as he fucked her with his hand and tormented her with his mouth. The soft sounds she made caused his cock to tighten and pulse with a fierce demand. His cock wanted him to stand and take her. But this wasn’t about him. This was about her.

He wanted—no, he needed to make her come, to hear her cry out, to know he’d eased the hunger inside her without making demands of his own. Wanted her to know she was more important to him than as an outlet for his lust.

Skimming his teeth against her clit, he growled in satisfaction as she cried out, her fingers tugging at his hair, trying to get him even closer.

Stroking faster now, he let his fingers twist, making her moan. Her thighs tightened around his head, holding him in place as if he might try to get away.

She was close. He felt the tension in her legs, in the grip of her sheath around his fingers. Her moans had a breathy quality and her body shuddered with each breath she took.

“Michael. Michael.”

His name became a chant, her voice low and deep and filled with yearning. He nipped her clit, a slight sting that caused her to gulp in air. Then he licked at it, lapped at her, varying the speed and intensity until finally she cried out his name and shattered into orgasm. He nearly came in his jeans as her pussy rippled and contracted around his fingers, trying to draw him in even more.

When she finally drew in a deep breath and released his hair, he rose, staring down at her.

She had the most beautiful expression, sated and sweet and so fucking lovely, he lifted her off the altar and kissed her. Hard. He wanted to taste that sweetness.

Her arms curved around his shoulders, holding her to him as she kissed him back.

She clung when he pulled back to breathe. He liked that. So fucking much.

“Come on, Cara.” He brushed back the hair from her eyes, wondering at the expression he saw there. “I want you back at Sal’s. Before anyone sees you.”

He dropped his gaze then to look for her shorts, knowing that was only an excuse. He didn’t want her to see in his eyes what he couldn’t put into words.

“Michael.”

He snagged her pants off the floor and pulled them up her legs. “What?”

She sighed, as if he’d given her the wrong answer to a question. And he probably had.

He forced himself to meet her gaze then. And what he saw made him want to open his mouth and blurt things he had no business saying.

After a few silent seconds, she sighed again and nodded. “You’re right. We need to get back.

“But don’t think we’re not going to talk later, Michael. We have to.”

Chapter Five

Michael’s cell phone rang with an annoying buzz and he grabbed it off the bedside table before it could wake Cara.

He flipped it open without looking at the display and remembered just after he said hello that no one had this number.

So he was shocked into silence when he heard, “Michael. It’s time for you to stop this foolishness. You’ve embarrassed and punished us more than enough. You need to come home.”

The voice jolted him fully out of sleep with the force of a category-five hurricane. He should have let the damn phone ring all night. Or smashed it to pieces when it started.

“Michael. Don’t ignore me. I know you’re there. I’m still your mother and I deserve a response.”

Holy shit.
Michael heard the voice but couldn’t quite believe it was who she claimed to be.

How the hell had
Vivianne
gotten his cell number? He hadn’t given the number to anyone.

“Mom, what—”

Shit, he didn’t even know what question to ask first. There were too damn many.

“Don’t act so surprised to hear from me, Michael. What did you expect? That we would let you ruin your life
and
ours? We’ve given you enough time to rebel but now it’s time to grow up. Return immediately and you’ll be forgiven your indiscretions after accepting proper punishment.”

Well, that should answer the question of whether this definitely was his mother. Sounded just like her.

“Mom, how’d you know how to reach me?”

“Don’t insult my intelligence and don’t change the subject.”
Vivianne’s
voice held a tone Michael remembered from his childhood. The one that made him sit up straight even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “When are you coming home, Michael?”

As quietly as he could, Michael slid to the side of the bed and walked out into the hall. Away from Cara, who was still asleep.

“I’m not,” he said, trying to calm his still rapidly beating heart. “I explained that to you three years ago. I’m not coming back, Mom. Not ever.”

Silence greeted that declaration. Then his mother sighed and in his mind’s eye, he saw
Vivianne’s
perfectly controlled grimace. His mother was a beautiful woman, even in her mid-seventies. He’d been a late baby though not unwanted, and his worth had tripled when he’d been born
Mal
.

But like many rich and powerful people who came from money, his parents worshipped wealth above everything, including family ties.

Vivianne
had occasionally told him as a child that he was loved. His father had never said the words and Michael had grown up believing love was a set of common goals and a willingness to submerge your personality for the greater good of the
Mal
.

Which was complete bullshit.

He knew what true love was now that he’d met Cara. Now that
Aron
was in his life.

And he would never go back.

“You’re being unreasonable, Michael.”
Vivianne
sounded calm, almost soothing. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here. We’re not just talking about you. Your selfishness has not only endangered your life but ours too.”

He’d expected that but the news still caused his heart to pound. He’d never meant to bring this down on his parents. Yes, they were
Mal
. But they were still his parents.

They were strong. They’d weather this.

And he couldn’t go back. His parents wouldn’t be content with anything he told them. They’d bring in a mind reader. They’d find out exactly what he’d been doing and with whom. His parents would discover that he’d killed four other
Mal
and that he still wanted to kill Bennett.

“I’m not coming back, Mom. Don’t look for me. Don’t call again. You won’t get through. I love you, Mom.”

He didn’t know why he didn’t hang up right away. He honestly didn’t think his mother would return the sentiment before she told him to have a good life and stay safe.

He knew better and yet—

His mother sighed. “We didn’t want to resort to this but you leave us no choice.”

Shit
. “Mom, what—”

“You may not understand but we are doing this for your own sake, Michael,” his mother continued. “We believe you’ll eventually understand our actions. Goodbye. For now.”

The phone clicked and Michael struggled to breathe through blind panic.

Those two last cryptic words sent fear shafting through his veins like ice water.

For now
. What the hell?

He was thirty years old. He hadn’t lived at home since he was eighteen and left for college. His parents had never interfered in his life but then he’d never blatantly disobeyed them before.

He’d always toed the party line. He’d gotten his degree in finance, went to work for a
Mal
company and worked his way up to vice president of finance. Then he’d been promoted to New York where he’d made another
Mal
company a hell of a lot more money by gobbling up smaller firms they used for various services, streamlining the operations and making them profitable.

He’d made so much money he’d earned an invite to Bennett’s brownstone.

And met Cara.

It occasionally occurred to him that if he hadn’t been such a good
Mal
, he never would have met her.

He’d taken one look at her, resigned to her fate as a sexual slave, and he’d known his life was going to change.

He wasn’t going to allow anyone to screw up his plans. Not even his parents.

At least they didn’t know about Cara or
Aron
. No one from his old life knew about Cara and
Aron
. He’d been so damn careful when he’d staged her death, after he’d known, instinctively and without a doubt, that she was pregnant.

He’d taken months to set it all up, to make it believable. He’d needed another body, one that so closely resembled Cara no one would suspect it wasn’t really her splattered all over the ground.

New York’s finest had been around the corner on a bogus domestic abuse call Michael had made a half hour earlier. That had ensured Bennett’s men didn’t get to the body before the police. It also had forced Bennett to come up with a reason why a nameless young woman had tossed herself out of the window of his building.

Bennett had had to do so much tap-dancing, he was lucky his feet didn’t fall off.

It hadn’t taken long for the heat to die down after Bennett had concocted a story about a distraught cleaning woman. He’d even come up with a name and a full life history for a dead body he believed was Cara’s.

Then it was a matter of getting himself out. He’d embezzled money, a hell of a lot of money. He’d made it look as if he’d been stealing for years, transferring the funds to an untraceable Swiss bank account then making it appear that he’d fled to Europe.

He hadn’t disappeared until weeks after they’d faked Cara’s death. He’d kept her hidden in his apartment until they’d finally gotten out of the city and headed south then west.

They’d kept on the move as Cara’s pregnancy had lasted far longer than any normal pregnancy. Finally, after
Aron
had arrived, they’d planned how Michael would go back for Lacey, not knowing Lacey had already gotten out on her own.

He heard the bed shift in the room behind him and he turned in the doorway to see Cara sitting in the bed, watching him.

She held out her hand and he walked over to take it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

For one second, he considered lying then realized if he did, he’d be no better than the
Mal
he’d struggled to leave behind.

“My mother just called.”

Her brows arched. “You gave her your number?”

He shook his head. “I have no idea how she got it. She told me I should return and pay for my crimes.”

Her fingers worked their way to his nape, where she scratched lightly at his skin. He wanted to close his eyes, sink into the sensation and shut out everything but Cara.

He knew he couldn’t.

“Do we need to leave?” Cara asked.

Where the hell would they go? His mother had gotten a supposedly untraceable phone number. “No. We stick to the plan. I’ll take care of Bennett with the help of the de
Feos
and you and
Aron
will stay here—”

“Sal told you about the consequences of your healing, didn’t he?”

She looked into his eyes, her gaze holding his steady even as his heartbeat accelerated alarmingly.

Of course he knew the consequences and he was willing to accept them if it kept her and
Aron
safe. Yes, there was a very real possibility that he wouldn’t make it back, but as long as he took out Bennett before he became incapacitated and died, then he’d give his life for theirs.

What he couldn’t bear to hear from Cara was that she didn’t want to be tied to him like this forever. His fear of her rejection swamped him in heat and panic. He felt like someone had sucker-punched him and he had to take a deep breath to quell the lightheadedness.

“Yes,” he said. “And I’m fully prepared—”

“Then you know I’ll be coming with you when you go for Bennett.”

Her calm words stopped him cold. Her warm hand on his neck soothed him. And her soft smile made everything in him still.

“I don’t want to lose you, Michael.” Her smile turned bittersweet. “I know you’d prefer not to be tied to me like this—”

“Wait. Cara.” He held up one hand. “Don’t you know I’d give anything to have you tied to me in any way? I know I’ve never said the words because I didn’t want to frighten you but…I love you. My life was nothing but money and greed until you came along.”

He wrapped his hand around her neck, feeling the strong pull of her
arus
on his. It’d never been so intense before. Heat and something else, something sweet and tender and so utterly foreign to anything he’d ever felt before, washed through him, calming his fears as he continued to pour out his long-suppressed emotions.

“I took one look at you,” he continued, “and I knew my life had been worthless until that moment. I knew we were meant to be together and it scared the shit out of me, Cara. You terrified me because you had the power to ruin my life.

“But…you didn’t ruin it, Cara. You made it all worthwhile. You and
Aron
. You two are the only people in this world that I would give my life for. And I’m perfectly willing to do it.”

Her dazed smile lit a fire in his chest and he leaned forward to lock his lips with hers. She scooted closer, wrapped both hands around his neck and held on.

Heat rose but he forced it back. He didn’t want to get off track now and she had the ability to knock him so far afield it’d take him days to get back.

No, they had to get through this now.

He pulled back, gratified when she tried to keep him close. “We need to talk, Cara.”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about.
Aron
will stay with Lacey and Sal. He’ll be safe with them. You won’t be safe without me. And
Aron
needs us to come back to him. Both of us.” Her smile made him burn. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

* * * * *

The next afternoon, bodies overflowed from Sal’s kitchen into the dining room, along with the enticing aroma of Sal’s homemade marinara sauce.

Three of the four de
Feo
brothers and their mates sat at the table in the dining room, entertaining
Aron
. Their easy conversation covered the more intense talk going on in the kitchen.

When the de
Feos
had shown up with another couple, Michael had immediately been put on edge. Cara had laid her hand on his arm as he’d stiffened when introduced.

The new guy had an easy grin and power rolled off him in waves. His
arus
burned so strong, Michael swore he saw the aura of it surrounding him. The guy was all golden blond hair and handsome features but Michael sensed he could do a hell of a lot of damage easily, despite the calming influence of the beautiful redhead at his side, who Michael recognized immediately as
Fata
.

Antonin
had introduced the couple as Ellie’s brother, Justin, and his mate,
Scarlata
.

“We want Justin and
Scarlata
to stay here with
Aron
when we leave,”
Antonin
had said. “Believe me, you’re gonna want him here. Why don’t you go in the kitchen and talk?”

Michael had reached for Justin’s hand and tried not to wince at the shock that went through him when they shook. Damn, the guy could power the house with the
arus
running through his veins.

Opening his mouth to grill the guy, Michael stopped when Cara pulled him into the kitchen, followed by Justin and
Scarlata
. Sal gave them plates, told them to help themselves then started another pot of water to boil for more pasta.

“How’s Florida?” Sal asked the newcomers.

“Hot,”
Scarlata
said, her faint Italian accent soothing over Michael’s jangled nerves, just as Cara’s hand on his arm kept him from exploding out of his skin. “The humidity is stifling right now. So this is a nice break, especially in my condition.”

Sal turned from the stove to smile at the woman. “I thought I picked up something different, babe. Congrats.”

The woman smiled for the first time since they’d arrived and Michael was stunned by her resemblance to Cara. “Thank you, Sal.” She turned to Justin and ran a hand over his chin. “We’re very excited.”

Tinia’s
teat,
Scarlata
could be Cara and Lacey’s sister. Could they be—

“Excuse me,” Michael broke in. “I don’t meant to be rude but…who
exactly
are you?”

The redhead looked at him with sharp, dark eyes then turned her gaze on Cara. “I believe we are cousins.”

Cara’s mouth opened then closed without saying a word, her eyes wide. Even Michael couldn’t formulate a response to that.

“You’re
querciola
, correct?”
Scarlata
asked.