Page 49 of Ash

He reminded me to remain in the house with Sonia while he was gone before giving me a quick peck on the lips.

“I’ll be back either later tonight or tomorrow. See you soon, Little Miss Hot Mess!” he winked, turned, and walked out of the library, leaving me staring after him awestruck.

If I thought I was in trouble before, I now knew without a doubt that I definitely was. In fact, I thought I could already be falling for Ash. I smiled. I didn’t think that was such a bad thing. Not at all. I should be terrified of that idea. Ash was Bratva, a mafia man with a dark side he had admitted to.

I might have only known him for a week, but he was certainly bringing out a more confident, sassy, warrior-woman side of me that both my inner devil and I loved. I felt like a heroine in my very own dark mafia romance, and I liked it!

I giggled as I picked up the nearest Sophie Lark novel and settled into the comfy sofa. Well, I had better start reading up on how to handle my hot alpha mafia man then, and where better to start than here, I thought, grinning, and opening upBrutal Prince.

CHAPTER 20

ASH

SATURDAY AFTERNOON - THE C

“I’ll be back either later tonight or tomorrow. See you soon, Little Miss Hot Mess!” I winked, turned, and walked out of the library, trying desperately to walk normally and ignore my throbbing dick!

As soon as I took Gracie into the library, I knew it was a good idea. Her face had lit up the moment she saw all the books.

I understood. It was actually one of my favourite places, too. Only my family were aware that I liked to read and often went there to escape when things got a bit too overwhelming. It could get quite crowded here when we were all at home, especially if we had guests, and I couldn’t always endure crowds.

Sonia spent a lot of time here, too, hence all the romance books. The minute Gracie picked one up and I saw it was a dark contemporary romance, it gave me a very wicked idea!

“So, what type of romance is your favourite?” I’d asked, trying to sound innocent. Her answer, “Dark mafia romance, I guess,” had me doing a mental high-five! All I could think about was how I planned on making her fantasy of a mafia book boyfriend into a reality.

I told her a bit more about my family’s situation, avoiding anything illegal, as I tried to gauge her reaction. I needn’t have worried. My Little Miss Hot Mess was a smart cookie, and she guessed my family’s connections immediately. I knew she would.

Gracie had come straight out and asked me if I was Bratva! I shook my head; she never failed to surprise me. She didn’t seem bothered when I confirmed it. In fact, I had a feeling my dark side turned her on. I’d pushed her against the bookshelf and made her come.

I’d wanted to lift her up, free my cock, and push into her, but my aching ribs protested the thought even though the rest of me was longing to. I hated the fact that I wasn’t fit enough to do justice to worshipping Gracie the way I wanted to. So, instead, I had a little taste and gave her something to think about while I was away.

I smirked as I headed towards Miki’s office, feeling thoroughly pleased with our little encounter. The look on her face when I left told me that it was definitely worthy of one of these book boyfriends Sonia liked to talk about. In fact, it had better have bloody well surpassed them. Gracie had loved it, I was sure, and I hadn’t even brought my A-game. Just wait until I did! I grinned like a fool.

I couldn’t wait for our next encounter. I intended to ensure that Gracie was so sated afterwards that she’d fall for me the way I knew I was falling for her. Let’s just say that as soon as my body healed a bit more, I didn’t plan on letting her out of my bed until I was sure she was as lost to me as I was to her.

I pushed open Miki’s door, happier than I had felt in years. That was Gracie’s doing. I loved being in her presence and wasn’t happy that I had to leave her now. I missed her already.

I shook my head and stretched my neck. Even with the pain medication, I was aching all over. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Gracie, take another taste of her, and then fall asleep with her in my arms.

I sighed. Unfortunately, duty called. I forced myself to push aside thoughts of my Little Miss Hot Mess. There were things I had to do, and I needed to get my head in the game. There was an enemy to deal with. It was time to focus.

Miki, Marko, and I headed to the C to meet Vlad and Luca, leaving Romi in the house to look after the females.

With the rest of our security staff and a few of Anton’s men manning the perimeter of the Estate, they would be safe. If anyone even tried to cause trouble for us, they would get more than they bargained for.

Once we reached the C, we fell into our usual routine.

Our dad had taught us to be extra careful when we were at the C to ensure we didn’t leave behind any forensic evidence. It was so much easier to get caught now than it was back in my dad’s youth. Even so, Dad had always been cautious. He had quickly developed a routine and a set of eight rules, which he taught us, and we strictly adhered to even though he was gone.

Rule One - Ensure that whoever was brought to the C was either blindfolded or unconscious going in, and—either dead or very rarely for those who actually lived through the experience—blindfolded or unconscious going out. That way, they couldn’t identify the location.

Rule Two - Strip everything off. All clothes, jewellery, and watches were removed and left with our other belongings, including phones, in the changing room. No personal items were allowed in the main room.

Rule Three – Wear one of the disposable suits and a washable toolbelt to carry our favourite weapons before entering the main room.

Rule Four - Always have more than one person at the C; never be there alone, whether in the main room or not.

Rule Five - Know your game plan before you go in so you don’t end up killing someone if there is a better way of dealing with them that suits the family. Stay in control.