Page 13 of Auctioned To Her Dad's Mafia Enemies

“There’s something you need to understand ifyou have an ounce of common sense in your pretty little skull. Don’t test me,Aemelia.” The ice in his tone, or maybe the gentleness in his touch, makes hershiver and goosebumps break out over her slender arms. “Do as you’re told, andwe’ll get along just fine.” His palm leaves the cheek he slapped, brushing overthe center of her ass where she’s spread and exposed. His posture stiffens, andhis tongue darts out to lick the center of his bottom lip. He leans over herbody so his mouth is almost touching the shell of her ear. “Be a good girl forme,” he whispers, “and we’ll get along fine. And if you’re not… Well, we don’twant that now, do we?” He waits, but Aemelia remains still. “DO WE?” he yells.

“No.”

“No,what?”

“No, Luca.”

He smiles at the rushed sound of his name, andthen he releases her. “Now, go to bed.”

Aemelia rises slowly and turns without a word,her face pale, her eyes dark as midnight but glittering with unshed tears. Shewalks away with her head held high, though I can see how much effort it takes.

I follow her, my footsteps heavy. When shereaches her door, she turns, glaring at me. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”she whispers, venom laced in her voice.

I exhale. “No.” I step closer, my voice low. “Butevery time you fight us, there will be consequences.”

Her chin lifts defiantly. “Then you’d betterbe ready for war.”

I swallow against the strange feeling in mychest as I lock the door behind her.

This is only the beginning.

6

LUCA

TAMING THE KITTEN

“Send Rafa to SignoraLambretti.”I say her name with a sneer and shake my head, the memory of her outburststoward Carlo coming back to me. This whole business is the last thing I want todeal with, but my hand is forced.

Rafa Bianchi is the best choice. He’s a hugebrute of a man, built like a tank with a face like a battered slab of meat. Inhis youth, he was a bare-knuckle fighter, and now he wears every impact like abadge of brutality and strength. When he walks the streets, people flinch awayfrom him, so he’s the perfect person to make Aemelia’s mother understand what’sat stake for her daughter if she turns informant.

We have enough of the senior police in ourpockets to make major problems disappear. Even if she wanted to raise hell tofind her daughter, she’d be met with nothing but cool indifference from the menwho live like kings off my generous donations.

“It’s done,” Antonio says, already dialing.

I look down at my bare feet, still tinglingfrom the touch of Aemelia’s lips. She kissed me and hated every minute of it,but she understood her place and that’s what’s important. My hand still stingsfrom the impact against her ripe ass. It’s still coated with her wetness, too.

She’s like an angel but breaking her will takea devil's will.

“How did it feel?” Alexis asks.

“How did what feel?”

“Taking your hand to that sweet ass.”

“I didn’t do it for enjoyment,” I say, fixingmy youngest brother with a cool stare.

“But you did… enjoy it?” He grins, sly andfilthy.

He thinks he knows what I feel but he has noidea. What kind of man gets turned on by the daughter of his old friend, nowworst enemy? “She’s abambina,” Isay. “Half my age.”

“She’s a woman,” he says. “A beautiful, pure,strong, vibrant, sexy woman.”

“She was a sweet little girl. She lovedRosita. They were like sisters.”

“That was a long time ago.”

He’s right of course. Aemelia isn’t anythinglike the little girl I carried in my arms. She’s all grown up, and ripe for thepicking, but still my mind rejects the idea. There are lines for a reason. Andtoo much sweetness can become bitter when temptation is too strong.

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