ARIA

I resent how weak and helpless I sound in front of Nicco. It's strange. I can keep my head on straight no matter how stressful shit gets at work. I can even stay calm when my character and reputation are under attack, but the gentleness in him awakens something volatile in me. Under the weight of Nicco's gaze, I feel far too seen, and a surge of memories that I'd rather forget rises up like acidic bile in the throat. They rip through my mind within a matter of seconds. It takes all of my willpower to keep my face devoid of emotion as my demons try to claw their way out again.

***

"Well done, Ari. You're a smart girl. Very smart."

My mouth clenches shut. I refuse to talk. I can see that Jaime is holding my college acceptance letters in his hands. I have no idea how the fucker got a copy of them. He has always been far too resourceful and well-connected for his own good.
He snickers. "Are you giving me the silent treatment? That's cute."

I glare daggers at Jaime, still refusing to engage with him. Maya's death doesn't seem to faze him at all. Violent, vengeful thoughts crawl through my mind. I never thought I was capable of hating someone as much as I hate him. But, short of killing him, I don't know how I could possibly avenge my best friend.

The wheels in my mind, however, begin to turn.

Smirking, Jaime continues to taunt me, "I understand that you got into Yale and Princeton? I can tell that you'll go far in life. This is why I keep you around, you know? This is why I'll never let you go. In the years to come, I'll need talent like you to help my family. The higher you climb in society, the more valuable you'll become to us..."

Fuck him.

Fuck Princeton.

Fuck Yale.

I'll never let him use me like a pawn again.

***

Troubled green eyes watch me with concern. An apology spills from Nicco, drawing me from my moment of madness, "I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you."

This just makes me feel worse. It's not his fault that I'm such a fucking mess. I wish I could become someone else for him. I close my arms around Nicco's neck and draw his face close. Kissing him, I murmur against his mouth, "We've had such an amazing night, Nicco. There's no need to ruin it. Why can't we just enjoy our time together?"

Nicco agrees to my request without protest, "We can do whatever you want, baby."

"Thank you."

His thumb brushes across my lower lip. "Are you alright, though?"

I grasp Nicco's hand in mine and press my lips on his skin, placing a kiss in the center of his palm. "I will be. If we can drop everything. No more questions, okay?"

"Okay..."

Even though I'm talking to Nicco, I feel like I'm trying to convince myself when I say, "Hawkins doesn't matter anymore. Fuck my past. None of it matters. All I care about is you and me. Together. Now."

***

Maya's ghost continues to haunt me each night. Jaime needs to pay for what he did to her. He's a criminal, a murderer, a fucking psychopath, and, lately, the fucker's been grooming me to become his accomplice.

Little does he know, I've been using it to my advantage. Jaime believes that I'm the same seventeen-year-old girl who's scared shitless of him. He's not wrong. I'm still terrified, but there's work to do now. A plan to unfold. I need to worm my way deeper into his illegal operations.

It's 10:38 pm on a Friday.

I stare down at my burner phone, waiting for his call. When the phone finally rings, I pick up right away, "Hello?"

He barks at me through the receiver, "Deliver the package to Jorge tomorrow at midnight. Don't let anyone see you."

"Same drop-off location?" I mutter.

"Yes."

In the state of California, any conviction for the Possession for Sale of Narcotics is considered a felony charge. Ever since I started attending UCLA, I've helped Jaime move several hundred grams of cocaine around campus. Among other illegal substances. I've been taking notes about his suppliers. I've been documenting how much product he distributes each month. I know many of his clients. Personally. Because they're my classmates. Frat boys and stoners I met at local clubs and parties.

If I get caught, or if Jaime turns on me, I could be incarcerated up to four years for my involvement in his shady shit.

But, if I turn on Jaime, I could, potentially, get him locked away for a minimum sentence of ten years to life.

I just need the balls to gather enough evidence and the brains to not get myself caught and killed in the process. Maya died before she could get to the authorities. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself with me.

***

Taking in a few deep breaths, I shove each and every single one of my crimes into the abyss of my subconscious.

He doesn't know it was me.

He doesn't know it was me.

He doesn't know it was me.

I repeat my mantra over and over again to soothe my nerves.

I'm safe for the next ten years.

I'm safe.

***

NICCO

Merda.

Aria looks like she is about to shatter. I know I fucked up. I pushed too hard, too soon. Conflict pulls at me. I probably should have listened to Monte—and waited—but there is a small-minded, selfish part of me that cannot help feeling rejected.

How is it possible to want someone so much?

My best efforts thus far have clearly not been enough. Aria still refuses to let me in fully, and I am a greedy bastard. These small morsels of affection that she has given cannot satisfy my appetite for long.

What else can I do, though, to convince Aria that I am worthy of her trust?

Uncertainty and unease run through me. Before my parents escaped from their past, trust and loyalty were a matter of life and death in their world. I have always been taught that our survival depends on the trust and loyalty of those closest to us.

No more questions, okay?

Aria's plea grates on these principles that have kept mia famiglia alive for decades. I would be some kind of fool to chase after a woman who does not intend to give me trust or loyalty. Although, to be fair, Aria and I have only known each other for little over a month. Perhaps, if I am patient enough, she will give in to me.

Hawkins doesn't matter anymore.

In time.

Fuck my past.

Or maybe not.

None of it matters.

Maybe she is incapable of giving me what I need from her.

My gaze drifts down to the beautiful gray-eyed girl in my arms who continues to wreak havoc on my sanity. Despite my apprehension, I remain in tune with her every move and her every mood. When she tries to hide a yawn from me, I do not hesitate to ask, "Tired?"

"A little."

"Let me help you wash up before we go to bed," I offer quietly, nudging her off my lap.

"No, baby, you've done so much for me. Let me do something for you now."

As Aria looks up at me and utters such soft, giving words, I become lost in those gray eyes of hers and forget all my reservations for a moment. Hand in hand, we enter the connected bathroom together. I turn on the water for us. Then, with a shy, seductive smile, Aria helps me undress and pulls me into the stall once we are both naked.

Hot spray soaks my bare skin. Steam rises around us. Aria's touch feels like heaven as her hands glide over my body. I dip my head and graze my teeth along the slope of Aria's neck and press my hips into her. Her hand wraps around the base of my shaft. Tugging. Teasing. Readily, she draws a moan from me.

Leaning closer, Aria murmurs in my ear, "What do you want more? My mouth? Or pussy?"

Cazzo.

I have to choose?

"Both," I rasp.

"Greedy bastard."

I grin sheepishly. "You know me well."

Chuckling, she lowers herself to her knees. Aria gazes up at me with a smirk. I curl my fingers around the wet strands of her long, dark hair. The pink of her tongue darts out to curl around the head of my cock. Pleasure clenches my shaft.

Dio, she makes me weak.

The sight of my girl, on her knees, playing with my pierced tip, inflames me. My eyes roll to the heavens when she starts sucking on me. Breath pours out of my lungs in a quick, staccato rhythm as my excitement swells and grows. Her tongue swirls and slides along my length. Small hands cup my swollen, pent-up balls, massaging them until I am about ten seconds away from spilling down her throat. I have been on my best gentlemanly behavior all night. The urge to thrust and fuck feels overwhelming. I give in to it even though a part of me resents Aria for using her body to give me everything that her heart cannot.

What could she possibly be hiding that is so difficult to share with me?

My mind remains troubled. I still feel slighted. Stuck and unwilling to let go of this matter. Yet, my cock does not seem to get the fucking memo. He has never been harder or happier. It does not take long for me to find release, pumping into Aria's sweet, sinful mouth like a machine. When the height of my climax wanes, my dick remains solid when I see the overflow from my come dribbling down her chin. The spray from the shower washes it away. I pull my girl to her feet, flush against my naked body. My desperate cock probes between her legs, seeking refuge in her cunt.

"Poor baby," she coos, "not satisfied yet, are you?"

Not in the least. I want her. All of her.

"Fuck me," I groan, "but I can never get enough of you."

"God. You make me crave things I shouldn't want," Aria whispers when her fingers close around my dick, positioning me toward her sex. Instantly, my cock throbs and weeps from the tip once more. "No more toys tonight. Let me feel you. Only you. Inside me."

"Sì, sì, sì," I rasp, rubbing my length against the sweet folds of her pussy. "Just me. And you. Nothing else. Until my cock pumps your cunt so full of pleasure that you are ruined for all other men."

Much to my dismay, however, before I can thrust into her paradise, my girl gives me the naughtiest little smile. She has the balls to turn away from me. My nostrils flare in protest. With a coy, inviting glance over her shoulder, she splays both palms against the marble-tiled wall and proceeds, like a fucking tease, to bend over until her slit rubs against my crotch. "Is that a promise?"

I pant in reverence at the delicious friction of her sex sliding over mine. "Fuck, yes."

Softly, Aria taunts, "I want you to ruin me."

I do not need another word of encouragement. I reach around to grab her rounded tits, thumbing her nipples. She releases a pleased whimper. With a growl, my ever-ready cock practically punches its way into her pussy. I pull out. I push in again. In, in, in. Then, out. Then, in all the fucking way once more.

Dio.

I could die a happy bastard inside this woman.

My eyes squeeze shut, reveling in the feel of her. As always, Aria is beyond hot, slick, and tight. The grip of her cunt around my cock quickens my breath and sends pleasure rolling through every nerve in my body. I start fucking her like a beast. Aria meets me thrust for thrust. I do not think I have enjoyed fucking anyone more than Aria. My girl always fucks me back as hard as I fuck her. She is the kind of lover who gives as much as she takes.

In moments like this, she is more of a diavola than a principessa, and my desire to dominate her body battles with the need to be conquered by her. Every muscle in my body feels taut, tense, and overworked, I am straining and sore, but I do not ease up. My cock is determined to make Aria come harder than that fucking toy. I am determined to ruin her for all other men. I am determined to have as much of her, now, now, now, as she will give me...

I keep one hand on her breast, tweaking and caressing her nipple until it hardens like a berry. A surge of possessiveness rises in me. I growl, "Who owns these pretty, perfect tits?"

She moans breathlessly, "You, baby."

My other hand slips between her thighs. I flick Aria's perfect pink nub in a blur while my dick continues to pound her pussy, positioning myself until I'm hitting my girl—there, there, there—over and over again. "And this sweet, little cunt?"

Aria's whimpers and moans grow louder and louder, "You."

That is goddamn right.

Mine.

I do not stop playing between her legs. My cock does not stop pumping away. "Is that good for you?"

It feels fucking amazing for me.

"Oh, my God," she pants. "Just like that. Don't stop."

"If I fuck you hard enough," I grunt between thrusts—will you let me in?—is what I wish to ask, but, instead, I groan, "will you come for me, baby?"

In response, her hips start snapping and rolling like some kind of magic. "I was going to ask you the same fucking question."

Oh, shit.

My balls tighten with need and want. She is making me lose my mind. I moan and do my damnedest to hold steady. Aria must come first. Cheating a little, I give her clit a light pinch, rolling the nub between my thumb and forefinger in sensual, circular motions. It does not take long to send her over the edge.

"Oh, fuck, baby, baby, baby, I'm going to come, I'm going to come," she curses as my cock feels a gush of wetness pour out of her, "I'm coming, Nicco, I'm coming for you!"

Aria orgasms around my shaft. Her walls start milking me for all I am worth. My cock is drenched in her pleasure. But I'm not ready for this to end. Not yet.

Aria's body slumps over from the force of her climax, and I catch her and loop my arms under her legs and shoulders, carrying her like a groom would his bride over the threshold, wet and dripping, out of the shower. My steel-solid cock bobs with every step we take.

Seeing that I am nowhere near done with our fucking, she glances at me with a bewildered look, "What are you doing, baby?"

"Claiming what is mine," I growl as we enter the bedroom.

I toss my girl onto the mattress and climb over her. She sighs sweetly, "I'm already yours."

Is she, though?

Aria smiles and arches back into the mattress. Her legs spread, wide and welcoming, for me. I cannot help staring. Her cunt is so pretty and wet and pink. Groaning, I slide back into Aria's warmth. I begin to move again. Pleasure thrums from my very core. With every thrust, I want deeper inside her. I want more.

More.

More.

More.

More than she is willing to gi—

My cock jerks and swells as my climax bursts, interfering with all of my cognitive functions. Right as I pour myself into Aria's cunt, however, a dark, troubled thought hits me: What if I can never have all of her?

Dio, abbi pietà della mia anima. Aria Yue Senarath may very well be the first woman to break me. Pleasure and anguish wash over me as I demand, "Who do you belong to, principessa?"

Aria clings to my body, kissing me, whispering in my ear, "You, Nicco. Only you."

My greedy heart holds tight to every one of her words even though I know they are not true. With a clench of my jaw, I roll off of her when I am done. My cock is very satisfied, but I am left wanting.

Because she is not all mine.

Not yet.

I do not have long to bask in my melancholy, though. As my post-come high fades away, my senses fall back in play. From the corner of my eye, I notice a small red light by the ceiling in my room. Blinking—when it should not be on at all. Annoyance seizes my already shitty mood.

The fuck is going on with my security system tonight?