Page 16 of Wicked Angel

7

GAVEN

Ihad never been a good man, nor had I ever been inclined to try to be. I liked the power I held over people’s lives, and my dinner with Angel had only proven that I was going to like it even more with my wife. She was more innocent than I’d expected, still feisty and fiery despite the fact. When the word “inexperienced” had come out of her mouth, I’d acknowledged two things: One, she was strangely more outspoken than I think even she realized, and two, when I planned to spread her legs on our wedding night and sank into that tight pussy of hers, it would be utter torture to not come immediately. If I were a betting man, I’d bet my entire life and all of the money I’d acquired throughout it on the fact that she was a virgin.

At the thought of our previous conversation, my thoughts drifted to ourdate. Dinner the night before had gone well, or at least I thought so. Angel had taken over every thought, every waking moment, as soon as she’d been offered to me. The girl she had once been seven years ago had turned into a woman. I wondered if she remembered the request she’d made, spoken with such conviction—to have me kill the one who’d stolen her mother from her. Did she remember me as the man who’d saved her then? Or had it been so fleeting in her childhood memory that I was entirely new to her now?

I certainly didn’t think of Evangeline Price as a child anymore. Our little bet and that kiss had been followed by my fingers in her cunt. If that didn’t prove my acknowledgment of the woman she had become in the last few years, nothing would. That small taste of her only made my desire for more grow. Once I had her fully under my control, my ring on her finger, my seed in her belly, she would be the perfect wife. Perhaps even … the perfect submissive.

The thought reminded me that there were other things she had yet to know about me. How funny it was that one simple kiss and just feeling her orgasm around my fingers made me want so much more. Cravings that made me ache. To feel her soft curves under my hands, to hear the sounds that she would make as I fucked her, to watch her come, not just on my fingers, but all over my cock as well.

Soon, she would be mine to own. Mine to corrupt. And I knew as I molded her with my wicked ways, I’d get to watch her fall from her innocence until she wasexactlywhat I wanted her to be. The thought was enticing, and I had to force myself to not seek her out and taste even more of her.

Thankfully, the echoing sound of my shoes on the mahogany floor of the Price mansion grounded me. The rhythmic noise bounced off the lavish decor and empty space, accompanying my thoughts. But as I turned the corner, hushed whispers sobered me. My senses sharpened, focusing on the private conversation only a small ways down the hall.

I found myself slowing to a stop as I listened to low laughter accompanying two male voices.

Raff’s men, of course, but while I had trusted Raff with his deal, his men were another matter. They weren’t yet mine, and to them, I was a stranger coming in to take over. There were, no doubt, quite a few of them that were hesitant and suspicious of my arrival, even if they weren’t willing to say as much to my face.

“Raff’s gone and done it now,” one voice said. “Calling in a hired killer? He’s a lone man. Men like him are always out for themselves. Raff must finally be losing it.”

“Quiet,” Another, deeper voice replied. “Be mindful of where you are.” At least one of them had something other than shit for brains. His associate, however, didn’t heed the warning.

“I’m just saying,” the first man replied. “I doubt the other families are going to take this well. Raff should’ve chosen one of them to marry his daughter. Bringing in an American?” He paused, and I could just imagine the man shaking his head in mock shame. “It’s not going to go as smoothly as Raff is hoping.”

“What Raff does with the family is his business, Giuseppe,” the second man replied, finally giving a name to the first. “Now, move. We’re meeting the others outside for shift change.”

“Fuck, Matteo,” Giuseppe muttered. “Lighten up—you know I’m right. If Raff isn’t careful, then…”

Whatever Giuseppe had been about to say was quickly cut off as the sound of a door closing reached my ears. The conversation had been insightful, at the very least.Some of Raff’s men were not happy about having me on board, while others were obviously quietly biding their time and waiting. Either for me to prove myself or for something else—only time would tell.

“Oh, Gaven!” a sickly sweet voice called out, interrupting my thoughts.

I turned as Raff’s eldest daughter hurried up the hall toward me.

“It’s so lovely to see you,” Jackie cooed.

I arched a brow as she stopped before me and settled a well-manicured hand on my shoulder.Her red nails were a stark contrast against the black of my suit. The Price Family was well known to the criminal underground, and unlike her sister, Jacquelina’s name was also well known.

Rumors circulated her as well as various words of association; snake, cunning,whore. Whispers said she loved this life, the power plays, the games, using anyone to get what she wanted. She wouldn’t have been a sacrificial lamb being married to a man like me, not like Angel. Untouched. Sheltered. But no matter how much Jackie thrived on what she got to do as part of the family, her games wouldn’t work on me.

“Jacquelina,” I greeted coldly, shifting my attention.

She flashed me a sultry smile, sidling up next to me as she lowered her arm and wrapped her hand around my bicep. It wasn’t a gentle grasp; there was a hint of steel behind her slim fingers as they held tight to my sleeve. As soon as she latched on, she leaned even closer, rubbing her chest against my shoulder and biting her lower lip. Eyes so brown they were nearly black stared up at me, reflecting my own expression of antipathy. Frowning, I slipped out of her grasp and turned away.

“May I walk with you?” Even though she was no longer holding tight to my arm, Jackie kept pace with me as I strode down the hall toward the front of the mansion. I didn’t say anything as I entered the foyer and moved for the front steps and out onto the drive. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked. “Perhaps, if you wanted, I could—”

“No.” I stopped and she did as well.

Jackie blinked up at me. “But you don't even know what I was going to say,” she challenged, crossing her arms and shoving her cleavage up as I took a few steps away to eye her.

Do people really play these fucking games with her?I wondered with annoyance.

“Yes, I do.” I stopped, turning to glare at her. “I have no interest in spending time with you. I'm engaged to your sister.” Anger flashed across her expression for just a second before smoothing into a blank mask.

“Hmm.” She hummed thoughtfully. “Commanding, aren’t you? I like that in my men.”

Her arms dropped, her hands propped onto the hips of her tailored slacks. The silken blouse she wore gaped open slightly as she leaned forward, no doubt purposefully. I glowered at her and she eyed me as if I was a glittering prize for her to snatch up. If she genuinely thought that, she’d be wrong. I could squash her beneath my boot without a second thought.

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