Page 19 of Blossom in Shadows

He smirks at me before his hands slide inside of my towel and around my body. He grabs my ass firmly, his hands possessive. A reminder. He leans down and kisses my neck and my heart starts to pump harder. I know he just made me come, but my body still responds to him immediately.

He groans, “I like you smelling like me, Zinnia.”

I shiver in his arms, and he pulls back from me slowly, his eyes staring deep into the darkest parts of me and holding me captive. His fingers wrap around my neck, holding me in place. As if there is anywhere else I want to be.

My eyes widen slightly at the realization that there isn’t. There isn’t a single other place I want to be. Not now, not ever.

His fingers tighten around my neck as he whispers, “Be good today.”

All at once, he releases me and strides out of the bathroom, I’m sure to go to the closet and get dressed for the day. I’m left standing there, trembling as I stare through the doorway with my entire body on fire.

I guess…I guess I’m moving in.

CHAPTER 9

ELIO

Zinnia is still in the bathroom when I slip out of our bedroom with a fucking spring in my damn step. This woman does things to me that I don’t even understand and yet crave with everything in me. She makes me feel unhinged and tethered in the same breath. How is it even possible?

She looked dazed when I told her she was moving in and left her with the memory of how her body responds to me. I barely touch her, and she blooms underneath my hands. It makes me feel more powerful than what has been granted to me through my bloodline and the blood I’ve spilled.

The moment I slide into my office, Lorenzo, Tazio, and Sergio are waiting for me. I know what needs to be taken care of before anything else today and the thought of it makes my blood boil again. When I sit in my chair, my hands gripping the armrests as I try and breathe through my need for control.

The room is silent as air saws in and out of my lungs and my eyes settle on Sergio. My voice is rough, the rage peeking out around the edges, “I’m sure she’ll be down to start her day soon.”

“Of course,” Sergio keeps his voice neutral as he nods and points to the top folder on my desk.

If I wasn’t so consumed with the need to know who the fuck thought they could put their hands on my woman last night, I would possibly smile. As it is, I can practically feel his blood bathing my skin and see him take his last breath by my hands.

When I open the folder, I grunt, “Fuck.”

Patrick O’Brien. The same man who Declan wants is the man who dared to touch my queen. As much as I want to kill the man, I can’t do that now. I can rough him up though and the knowledge has a feral grin spreading across my face.

“This is everything we know about him?” I look up at Sergio and then Lorenzo.

They’re brothers and if I know Lorenzo, which I do considering we’ve known each other our whole lives, he’s checked his brother’s work before he allowed it to be presented to me. I would expect nothing less and I trust both men to give me everything they have.

Even though I’m looking at Lorenzo, it’s Sergio who speaks, “Yes, Sir. I got his name last night and then I followed him when he left Sala.”

“Declan McCarthy contacted me about him a few days ago.” I look up and Lorenzo arches his eyebrow in question, but Tazio and Sergio keep their faces neutral; if they recognize the name, they don’t show it. “He’s the brother of someone Declan trusts and was working as a low-level bookie but was found to be skimming off the top. Declan called me to give me a heads up and asked me to keep an ear to the ground. I’ll let Declan know I’ve found his wayward thief before we pay him a visit.”

My eyes settle on Tazio. He’s the right man to have at my side as I have a…conversation with O’Brien. He should know better than to speak to a woman the way he spoke tomywoman. Zinnia being is mine only makes it worse for him and him not knowing means fuck-all to me.

After Tazio accompanies me, I have a job for him. He needs to deal with a man in debt to the family. Tazio is good at his job and making people understand the gravity of not paying is one of his specialties.

I’ll make sure to take another one of my men to sit on Patrick until Declan can come and take him back home. Where I’m sure they’ll greet him heartily. If he would have stayed out of Sala and away from my woman, who knows how long he could have flown under the radar.

Men like Patrick can’t help themselves though. I’m not surprised at his stupidity considering he thought it was a bright idea to steal from the McCarthy family. Those men are ruthless, and their only loyalty is to the family. It was the same way I was raised.

A thief has a short lifespan. Patrick will learn that lesson soon enough.

Sergio slips out of the room with a nod, and I relax slightly knowing my woman will have eyes on her as she goes about her day. Even though the idea of locking her in our room is appealing, I know she would never go for it. I want to keep her safe, not snuff out her light. If I tried it, I would be forced to watch her whither and die instead of bloom.

I can’t do that to her. I won’t.

Even though there is more on the agenda for my day, I’m itching to go and pay Patrick a visit. Lorenzo can handle a few things for me, but I’ll be able to concentrate better after I get back from sating my blood lust, at least partially.

When I pick up my phone, Lorenzo and Tazio slide from the room silently. The phone only rings once before Declan’s gruff voice picks up, “Elio, I’m surprised to hear from you so soon.”

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