I can still taste her on my lips.
And that sweet surrender I felt in her… can keep me high for days. She's every inch what I expected; my instincts never lie. If not her, then no one else. I will go to the ends of the fucking earth to have her. And anyone who stands in my way will pay with their life.
It's dawn and she's still asleep. I know because I'm currently watching her sleep in my surveillance room. The cameras I had placed in her bedroom give me a well-rounded view of her position as she hugs her pillow and snores softly, mouth open. As I watch her, I have to admit to myself that she's the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's still dressed in yesterday's club clothes: tight-fitting leather leggings and an off-the-shoulder top that gives a generous view of her creamy, smooth skin. I focus on that soft skin that is just begging me to bite it; leave my mark, eat her whole. That kiss was by no means enough, and it shows in how I crave her right now. I should have known- maybe that is why I hesitated, stuck to just watching her: One taste and I won't be the same anymore.
My pants grow impossibly tight and I shift in my seat as my index taps on my mouse to zoom into the camera feed in my view. I see her lashes flutter slightly as she shifts. Soon, she would wake. I know. She's stirring.
I take up my phone and send her a text:
"Where did you learn to kiss like that?"
Because I do want to know. A surge of jealousy rises at the thought that she'd had other men to practice with. Other men had tasted those fantastic lips, and had dived inside that exquisite mouth. They had touched what is mine.
Leaving the screens showing Nicole Salvatore's house as well as some other camera feeds, I leave my surveillance room and head outside. A few minutes later, I'm outside, jogging down the stretch of gravel that paves the winding road that leads down the main gate of our fortress. In the creeping light of dawn, I see the approaching sunlight peeking from the railings ahead. I breeze past the small gatehouses along the checkpoints along our property. Soon, I'm jogging past the gate of railings and down the asphalt, flanked by vegetation on both sides.
This early, there are hardly any cars driving by. It's a full mile before I reach the next property, secluded like ours, huge like ours. There are no checkpoints there and there is just one huge building and no other smaller structures. This belongs to a politician who is friends with my father. I don't remember his name- I hardly bother myself about that, but with faces, I have always had the memory of an elephant.
That is why Nicole Salvatore's face hasn't let me sleep fine for a few days now. Even before I got used to her name, her face had already made its imprint in my mind.
I reach the end of the stretch of asphalt that links with the highway and turn back, jogging the way I had come. The sun is rising on the horizon and the light is a bit intrusive. The darkness was calming and the silence allowed me to think. Now the noise of woodland creatures waking up is a bit disruptive. I keep jogging back and don't stop until I'm at our front porch.
I'm panting by that time and my breaths are deep. And my father is waiting there for me. He must have arrived sometime last night, but I wasn't home and he noticed. I arrived home late. I know he wants to say something and that is why he is here.
Predictability, I groan internally. That is the only aspect of my life that I would allow any atom of predictability. My morning jogs.
"Good morning, Dad," I tell my father as he steps down the porch. I follow him as he leads us to stroll down to the pool to the side of the house.
"Morning Roman," he says gruffly, rubbing his eyes. He's in his night robe and with his gray hair, he looks nothing short of a wizard. "You have a gym."
"I know." I slip my hands in my sweatpants' pockets. "The reason I do my jogging is the same as why you take your walks. I prefer the quiet and peace of nature."
My father shrugs. "Your brothers were out yesterday. At a club." His disapproval is apparent.
"You're keeping tabs on us now."
"No, your sister told me." He tugs his beard.
"Chiesa," I say under my breath, a grin tugging my lips as my mind drifts to my last born sister. She has always been a tattle-tale since childhood. "Maybe it's a good idea you're planning to marry them off."
My father winces. He knows I've been critical of Teodora's marriage but had only gone with it because of him. I respect him; respect the aim behind his actions.
"You were also out last night." His brows raise. "It seems that you and your brothers like to break my rules whenever it pleases you. But yours is a little more curious. You could have gone to a prestigious club. But you chose a street club..." He trails off. I assist him.
"Bada-Bang."
"And why were you there?"
"I was watching our target," I tell him.
"Ah, yes, José Salvatore's sister." He doesn't look impressed. "Why have we not acted yet?"
"It's not time to act. And I don't want anyone sabotaging the plan. You did ask me to handle the José Salvatore issue."
My father nods. He has always trusted my call.
"I went to Bada-Bang to ensure José Salvatore's sister made it out safely." His brows furrow and I continue. "Men from The Sacra were there. Our men whom I asked to watch her reported that to me earlier yesterday. I suspect her drink was spiked too. That would have made capture very easy."
"We can't let them get their hands on her."
"They won't. She's being watched around the clock."
"If they now know that José Salvatore has a sister, then we need to act fast. We need to get to José Salvatore before The Sacra uses the information they stole from us against us."
I shake my head. "We're way ahead of schedule. If any damage had been done to the encryption on that flash, I would have been notified. Currently, I think José Salvatore is still looking for a hacker skilled enough to break my encryption. We will get to him before he's successful." I pause in my step. "I was waiting for him to communicate with his sister. He has now. Let me handle everything."
"You have one week."
I grin. "I need just one day."
I head upstairs as my father continues his stroll. I reach my room and take a shower and get dressed. Once I'm done, I send Nicole Salvatore another text. As I head downstairs for breakfast, a text pings into my phone. From her.
She's angry. My fiery siren.
A grin tugs my lips.