Page 42 of Where the Wicked Reign

I couldn’t wait.

As fucked-up as the circumstances were, I just couldn’t wait until we got down to it all, starting with that operation to take down Santino’s new business venture.

As my thoughts consumed me, Milo grabbed my arm and started easing me away. “See? You’re overtired too. We’re heading out,” he was saying to me, as I found myself being pulled further and further away from Caterina.

“Right, yeah,” I murmured, managing to blink out of it, and finding Nico staring at me with a whole lot of suspicion sparking. “Overtired.”

He lingered at the elevator, clearly not wanting to leave either.

But then he sucked in a breath and forced himself to, slapping the button.

A couple of moments later, the elevator arrived, the doors pinging open.

And then we were inside with them closing, shutting out our view of her apartment.

Cutting us off from it. And her.

Just for the time being.

In that moment I knew, I just knew, everything was about to change.

In the best and craziest ways imaginable.

And I was undeniably here for it.

8

~Nico~

The freezing cold shower water beat down on my body the way I needed.

The way I deserved after what had happened at her apartment.

For three years I’d kept myself in check when it came to Caterina Leone, yet in one night, one bad fucking night, I’d completely fucked all over that.

I’d lost control.

Well, to an extent.

It hadn’t been an all-out loss of control, but it had been bad enough. I hadn’t been in full command of myself.

“Say it. Say you need me to fuck your dripping wet cunt.”

“Fuck me. Don’t… don’t hold back.”

I’d wanted to hear those words from her for so long.

And they’d sounded better than I’d even imagined. The way she’d panted them, the desperate need in her voice, the way she’d wanted me so fucking badly… I couldn’t get it out of my head.

But I needed to. Hence the two ice-cold showers every fucking day for the last week.

I couldn’t lose control like that again.

As much as she’d liked it, Julian had been right. I could have gone too far, I could have damaged her. It was the last thing I wanted. Finding someone like her who could even begin to meet me on my fucked-up level was such a rarity, and I knew how special it truly was. I couldn’t lose that, especially before I even truly had her.

“You’re just as sick and twisted as I am.”

I’d suspected it since that night in the restaurant and she’d proven it with what she’d revealed to us last week. She hadn’t spoken of what she’d done to those gang leaders with any sort of regret or remorse. In fact, she’d been verging on being proud of it.

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