Page 62 of Sweet Revenge

“It’s hard to believe all of that happened here just a little while ago.” Elisa looked around the room, shaking her head.

I concurred. Everything was put back in its place, and it was impossible to tell my mother’s dead body had been lying on the floor by the fish tank less than an hour before. I couldn’t dwell on it at the moment. We had business to conduct.

Going to the head of the table, I pulled out the chair my father had always sat at and sank down into the plush cushion. I’d sat here a few times since he’d died, but this was different. Now, I owned it.

My brothers and our capos came in, everyone taking their usual seat. Before we got started, I shouted for Tilda and Janis to come in, too. They were just as much a part of this as the other people in the room, and I needed them there, too.

Mikel poured everyone a drink, doing a sloppy job, which got Tilda’s attention. “We just cleaned in here, you animal,” she told him. We all laughed, knowing we’d clean it up again later. When all the glasses were full, I raised mine high in the air.

“To the Petrov family,” I began. “Our enemies may come to fight us, the envious may try to tear us apart from within, and the foolish may try to tear us apart, but no one will ever bring down the Petrov family when we stand together as one.”

“Hear, hear!” Mikel said first, and the others echoed his sentiment. We clinked glasses, and everyone drained their drink before another round was poured and we settled down for some quick business.

Elisa leaned on the arm of my chair, and as I began to explain to everyone what I knew to be true about my mother, it was nice to have her there. “Firstly, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me, even though my mother did her best to try to make you all think I was weak.”

“We’d never believe her,” one of the capos yelled out, and everyone agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, Dezzy hung his head, still feeling guilty, as he should.

“What you need to know is that it was Lillian Petrov pulling strings behind our backs the whole time, trying to turn us against one another and take over the syndicate. She’s the reason my friend Jenny died, which she blamed on my father. I killed him because of that incident. In actuality, she is the one who deserved to die. My father was no saint, and I don’t regret my actions, but Lillian is to blame for that, as well as our war with the La Rosas, the Savages, and who knows who else?”

Across the room, people shook their heads, muttering about how evil my mother was. Some of them didn’t look surprised. Others hadn’t fully grasped the situation until now.

“But now, all of that is over,” I continued. “Today is the first day of a new dynasty. With your help, I have taken Chicago back!” A loud cheer erupted through the room. “The future is a bright one, my friends. We’ve re-established the Petrovs as the family that rules Chicago, and no one can take that away from us again.” I raised my fist in the air, and the cheers grew louder. “Let’s celebrate!”

I gestured for Mikel to get more booze, and he headed out the door to gather more bottles as the atmosphere in the room shifted to party mode.

After boisterous congratulations from my men, I sat back and surveyed what I had built. This whole time, I’d been lamenting not having the loving parents I’d heard other people talk about. It turned out, I didn’t need them. My family might not be the traditional kind, but they were family, and I loved them just the same.

Elisa settled into my lap, a smile lighting her face. “You did it,” she said, leaning in so close our noses almost touched.

“Wedid it,” I reminded her. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

I pressed my lips to hers, and she kissed me back, wrapping her arms around my neck. It was nice, holding her close, not having to worry that someone was about to rip her away from me or see her as a weakness. I drew my strength from her, and I’d protect her with everything I had, but for now, we were safe. We were home.

The longer she sat on my lap, the less I cared about the rest of our family members. “You wanna get out of here?” I asked her, giving her a little wink.

Elisa giggled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

CHAPTER37

ELISA

My stomach used to tighten up whenever I entered Daemon’s bedroom. Not just from the sexual tension between the two of us that threatened to drive me mad but because I had so many traumatic memories of the space.

Everything he’d done to me had been to test me, to see if I would break and desert him like everyone else who was supposed to have loved him had done—his father, his mother, and even Jenny, though she hadn’t wanted to go. From the first night when he’d whipped my back with thorny roses to the time when he’d locked me in that dog kennel, he’d been daring me to run away.

Now, as we approached that same room, hand-in-hand, none of that trepidation coursed through my veins. I wasn’t afraid he’d hurt me, and I no longer had room in my mind for the uncomfortable images from the past. When he led me into his bedroom and closed the door behind me, all I could think about was him, how he knew how to make my body sing, how the future we’d share together was so bright, and how I couldn’t imagine ever being with anyone else.

Daemon’s mouth devoured mine as we made our way to the bed. The only time he released me was to tug my sweater off over my head. Fingers flew over buttons and zippers, shoes were flung across the room, and within moments, I was down to my wet panties as he stood before me in all his glory, his hardened cock ready for me as he quickly slipped on a condom.

“You’re so beautiful, baby.” Daemon crawled toward me, his eyes fixed on my breasts. He lowered himself down and took a nipple in his mouth. Moaning, I wrapped my arms around him, threaded my fingers through his hair, and let my head fall back, eyes closed. His rough tongue lashed around my sensitive skin and sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

I’d hoped he’d make short work of taking me, but it seemed Daemon had other things in mind. He savored every second, exploring my body as if he’d never been with me before. I relaxed into the bed, letting my inhibitions melt away as his mouth covered every square inch of me in kisses, sucking and licking along the way.

When he finally made his way down to my thong, he kissed me through the thin fabric, sucking me into his lips and then letting me go before snapping the lace along my thighs, baring me to him. Once again, he was in no rush, his tongue probing my folds, lapping up my juices before he found my clit and pulled it between his lips.

Rolling my most sensitive area around in his mouth, Daemon quickly brought my fever to a boiling point. I cried his name, and my hands tangled in his hair, trying to hold on to reality the best I could. But fighting it did no good. Daemon sent me tumbling over the edge of ecstasy. I lifted my hips, wanting more, and he didn’t disappoint me. I lost track of all time, my mind hazy with the euphoric sensation pulsing through me. My muscles contracted, my toes curled, and my cries became more raspy as my oxygen-deprived lungs nearly gave out.

My lover finally lifted his head, a grin on his slick face as he wiped it on the back of his hand. “Did you like that?”