Ravenous Kingpin (Kingpins of the Syndicate #4)

21. Killian

CHAPTER 21

Killian

T he fire licked at my skin, getting too close. I turned my back to it, keeping my baby sister safe.

I took a few sharp breaths, but all I managed to do was inhale smoke, thick and suffocating. The stench of burning flesh overwhelmed me, and I held my sister tighter still, my eyes darting around in search of an exit.

Until a hand yanked me back.

I jerked upright, drenched in sweat. I blinked several times as Emory’s face came into focus.

“You okay?” There was worry lacing her voice, but I couldn’t find the words. So I just nodded. She inched forward, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders and framing her face. “I have bad dreams too.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Tell me who’s causing them and I’ll kill them.”

Her lips curved into a sad kind of smile, but her voice was strong when she spoke again. “I’m quite capable of doing it myself.”

I shifted on the bed, pulling her against me, and she didn’t fight me. It felt nice to have a normal moment with her, it was six years in the fucking making.

“I know, but it would be nice if you could let me in.”

She chuckled. “Okay, when I find someone to kill, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“What did I do to deserve such a perfect wife?”

She lifted her head and rolled her eyes. “You want me to answer that truthfully?”

I grinned. “No, not tonight.”

She squared her shoulders and pinned me with her dark gaze. “That nightmare seemed intense. You want to talk about it?”

The word no was already on the tip of my tongue, but a raspy “Yes” was what came out.

For several heartbeats, maybe more, we stared at each other, the moonlight our only witness to this moment.

“My parents were killed.” Her small hand came to rest above my heart, steady even in her silence. “The killers couldn’t find my sister and me, so they set the house on fire.” Her little gasp filled the dark space between us. “Liam found us just as the fire started closing in.”

“How old were you and Juliette?”

I pushed my fingers through my hair, letting her see all my weaknesses. “She was a newborn, barely a few months old. I was six.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“It’s partly why children aren’t a priority,” I admitted. “Every single kid born to families in the criminal organization ends up fucked up in one way or another.”

Something flashed in her expression, but she was quick to mask it, hiding all her thoughts and feelings from me. I’d heard rumors of her father’s cruelty, so I was certain she could relate in some way.

Here I was baring all my demons in front of her, yet she was holding back.

Good thing I was a patient man. I’d get her to trust me, to love me, and I’d drag her demons the fuck out and kick them back to hell.

I wrapped my hand around her nape and pulled her to me, kissing her with a savage need.

She gasped, then instantly melted against me.

I claimed her mouth until I tasted blood. Her moans and whimpers were music to my ears, hardening my dick.

Breaking away, I brushed my fingers along the curve of her jaw and locked eyes with her.

“Straddle me,” I ordered, and she instantly obeyed, her spread knees landing on either side of my thighs. Her long curls brushed against my skin, her scent drifting around me.

There was something about her that chased my shadows away.

“You will learn to trust me, Em.” I breathed the words into her lips. “I’m a patient man; I can wait. Now finger yourself while I watch you.”

She reached between our bodies and brushed her graceful fingers against her clit.

“Killian.” My name was a breathless whimper as she rubbed herself furiously, watching me through heavy eyelids, my hungry gaze on her pussy. Every so often, she brushed herself against the rigid line of my cock, drawing a groan from me.

“Let me taste your fingers, álainn .” She brought her fingers to my lips, and I sucked them clean. “Such a good girl you are. And all mine.”

Her forehead came to rest against mine, her breathing harsh, just like mine, but haunting shadows lurked in her dark eyes. I could recognize those anywhere.

She straightened up, her pebbled nipples tempting me to taste them. So I sat up and took them between my lips, grinning as her moan shuddered between us. I felt her shift and then she was taking my cock in her small hand and placing it at her entrance.

Before I could say anything, she slowly lowered onto my shaft and started to swivel her hips, rubbing her clit against me.

“You feel so good,” she moaned, pressing kisses to my pecs. Her pussy strangled my cock while I stared at her beautiful face. This felt like a second chance that I would grip with all my might until my dying breath.

I started to thrust up into her, so fucking hungry and desperate to own every inch of her. My fingers dug into her ass cheeks, encouraging her to move harder and faster. Her movements were jerky and her moans louder, pushing me toward release.

I reached for her clit with one hand, rubbing the slick nub furiously, and in the next second, her body shuddered, clenching around my dick.

Extreme pleasure took hold of me, and I shot my cum into her warmth, her quivering breaths exploding over my skin. I buried my hand in her hair to pull her head back, so I could claim her lips, worship her with an intensity I never thought myself capable of.

She lifted her head, darting her tongue out to lick her swollen red lips.

“That was a nice way to wake up,” she murmured, although it was still the middle of the night. “Maybe the next two years won’t be so bad after all.”

Part of me wanted to lay a forever claim on her now, but the other more calculating part of me knew I needed to play my cards right.

Because there was no way I was ever fucking letting her go.

The next time I woke up it was to the unmistakable sound of hushed arguing. I let my gaze travel over the bedroom suite, but I was all alone.

I reached over, dragging my hand over the sheets on Emory’s side of the bed, but they were cold to the touch.

She must’ve been up for a while as I slept like the dead. There was no doubt she put me at ease, but I didn’t know where to go from here.

I knew she could feel this connection between us, despite the fact she kept walls around her like a fortress. She knew she was mine; she had been ever since we crossed paths six years ago. My woman. My queen.

I just needed some time to break her walls down. When I was with her, it felt like the deepest kind of connection. Like she needed me the same way I needed her.

Pulling myself out of bed, I headed to the en suite and splashed a little water on my face, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed out of the room in search of my wife.

I followed the voices—hushed, angry.

“…because unless you give me the name, we have no deal.”

I found my wife down the hallway, occupying my office as if it were her own. She was dressed in one of my shirts that reached down to her knees. A possessive feeling filled my chest as I watched her staring at her phone with her eyes narrowed. She looked ready for war.

“I never go back on my word. You, on the other hand, are famous for stabbing people in the back. So show me some good will and?—”

A dark laugh came from the phone. “You must think me stupid, you little?—”

But before he could finish his sentence, I stepped into the office.

I’d be damned if I let anyone speak to my wife that way.

I slid right next to her, forcing myself in front of the camera, not giving a fuck that my torso was bare.

“Watch your tone when you talk to her, Atticus, or you’ll be dealing with me,” I snarled at the man on the camera as I snaked my arm around Emory’s waist.

“Who the hell are you?” Atticus demanded, his face fixed into a scowl.

“You better worry about your tone rather than who the fuck I am,” I gritted. I had to get to the bottom of this business relationship between my wife and Atticus. Something was damned fishy about it.

Atticus held his hand up, offended, like I was being unreasonable. He had no fucking idea how unreasonable I could be.

“I have to go,” Emory mumbled, her eyes still narrowed at the screen. “I’ll be in touch.”

“You better?—”

I didn’t let him finish, clicking the end call button. I turned to press my lips against Emory’s temple.

I didn’t want to ruin the day by going into attack mode, so I murmured the words that our day should have started with, “Good morning, wife. You smell delicious.”

She rolled her eyes, although she couldn’t hide the hesitant smile. “I took a shower. With your toiletries.”

“Just as it should be,” I grunted, fighting the urge to pound my chest. “You should smell like me and wear my clothes all day.”

“And all night?”

I grinned. “No, you should be naked on my dick all night.”

Emory nudged me aside playfully with her hip. “You are insatiable.”

“I’m ravenous when it comes to you.” Her cheeks puffed and she pursed her lips. “What kind of business do you have with Atticus Popov?”

She blew out a long, frustrated breath. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“You know I can help with whatever it is,” I deadpanned. “You’re mine to protect.”

“Good God,” she mumbled, running her hand over my shoulder and down my tattooed arm. “You’re just as bad as my family.”

“I doubt that, álainn .”

“You’re right. You’re even worse.” Her smile turned sly and seductive. “Because only someone completely crazy would tattoo the date we first met on their ring finger. And this…” Her finger reached up to my left shoulder and traced it in a featherlight touch to the infinity tattoo with her initials on my upper chest that I added six years ago. “Why this, Killian?”

“I looked for you,” I told her. “After you left that morning, I saw blood on the condom, and I scoured heaven and earth for you.”

There was a pause before she spoke in a low voice that almost sounded as if it were breaking. “You should have forgotten me. You deserved the world, not?—”

“Don’t you fucking dare say it, Em,” I growled, the blood in my veins threatening to boil and spill over. “You know as well as I do that in our world, virginity is sacred, not something to be thrown away on a one-night stand.”

“So it was a sense of duty?”

“No, it was looking for a soulmate. For a woman who took hold of my fucking soul and then faked her own death so I’d stop searching for her.”

My gaze raked over her, unable to contain my rage. She had no idea how much learning of her death wrecked me. A weight perched on my chest at those memories, making it hard to breathe.

“Why, Em?” I asked, pain coloring my voice. I hated showing her my vulnerability, but it seemed impossible to hide around her.

“K-Killian, I’m so… so sorry,” she stammered, her soft voice full of regret. “It was the only way to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe?” I couldn’t control the venom in my voice. “Or keep yourself safe?”

She started shaking and deep, raw pain appeared in her dark eyes. It was like she was seeing her worst nightmare in broad daylight. Or maybe the ghosts that plagued her nightmares.

I grabbed her by her slim shoulders and pulled her to my chest.

“I don’t want to upset you. You’re mine now, fucking mine . No more running from this.” A tear slid down her cheek and clung to her upper lip. I leaned over and swept my tongue over it, tasting saltiness and her sorrow. It was gut-wrenching. “No more running from us . Whatever caused your actions, it’s in the past now. We move forward and look to the future.”

I dragged my tongue up her cheek, kissing her lips and then her eyelids. Her hands came around my back, her palms dragging over my bare skin.

Then she stiffened, and I internally cursed myself. I forgot about my scars. I had been strategic in the past days, keeping my back away from her or leaving my shirt on.

No . I refused to hide. Refused to demand all of her without meeting her halfway. So I lifted my face, locking gazes with her, exposed and vulnerable.

Slowly, she took a small step to the side and my heart dropped to my feet, thinking she was about to leave. But then she came behind me, her chest pressing against my bare back, and I felt the softness of her lips.

It was featherlight, her mouth and fingers roaming the stretched, ugly red marks. Healing them with her touch. At least it felt that way. It would forever be an ugly reminder of the night I lost my parents, but now, it was also part of my wife’s acceptance.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. “For everything.”

I turned around, cupping her wet cheeks.

“That night six years ago, you took something of mine.” She stiffened and I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing out my next words. “I haven’t been in my right fucking mind since then. You took my sanity, my soul, and my heart.” She clutched my forearms, her nails digging into my skin. “You can keep them all, but I want yours in return. It’s only fair.”

She swallowed, shaking her head while haunting shadows danced in her dark gaze.

“I’ve made so many mistakes, Killian. I don’t know how?—”

I stepped closer to her and she visibly swallowed. “We all make mistakes. Let’s move past them.”

I wrapped my hand around her throat, and she briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she let me see the longing in them. She rose onto her tiptoes, her mouth slamming into mine.

In one swift move, I yanked my shirt off her body, tossing it onto the floor along with a stapler and a file full of documents off the desk.

She slammed her hands on my chest. “We’re making a mess in here.”

I let out a dark chuckle, then bent my head and trailed kisses down her slim neck, licking and biting until reaching her nipple. I sucked on it, grazing it with my teeth, and her moan vibrated between us. Releasing it, I met her half-lidded eyes, and she was looking at me like I was the only one who existed in the world. Like I was all that mattered.

Part of me wanted to go back to who we were six years ago, before time corrupted us. But there was no sense in wishing for the impossible.

I grabbed Emory by the hips and bent her over the desk. She gasped, the sound echoing in the office as her head lifted, probably to look at me, but I grabbed her by the nape and pinned her cheek against the wood surface.

“Stay like that,” I ordered, her harsh breathing audible.

I felt her stiffening beneath me, but soon after, she relaxed, her cheek resting on the desk. As if she trusted me.

“Don’t make me wait, Killian,” she rasped, taunting me like a goddess while grinding her ass against me.

My fingers latched on to her underwear, ripping them off, and she opened her legs, letting me settle between them as if I belonged there.

“You keep tearing up my panties, I’ll be left with none,” she breathed harshly. I threw the underwear—or what was left of them—away and my hand found her folds.

“Hmm. But your soaking pussy tells me you like it.”

It coated my fingers and her inner thighs, making them glisten and my mouth water.

I grabbed her wrists and locked them at the small of her back, then used them and my hold on her nape as leverage as I thrust into her tight heat in one go. Fuck . The moment her walls clenched around me, it was like I’d entered a paradise where only the two of us existed.

She let out a shattered moan when I pulled out to the crown, only to drive in harder.

My fingers tightened on her neck, and I thrust in and out of her cunt with a speed even I didn’t know I was capable of. The sloppy sounds of her arousal kept me going on and on as the slaps of flesh against flesh reverberated around us. I fucked her like this was my first and last fuck.

Sex with her felt raw and primal.

I pounded into her again and again. Faster, wilder, my hold the only thing keeping her upright.

“This hole is mine, isn’t it?”

“N-no…”

The pads of my fingers dug into her nape.

“Did you just say no?”

“You… don’t… own me…”

“Is that fucking right?” I picked up my pace, ramming into her until her small body was completely at my mercy. “Tell me again how I don’t own your every hole.”

“Oh, fuck…” she cursed, her walls tightening around me. “Killian… oh, shit… I…”

“Tell me who owns your every hole.”

“Ju-just let me come…”

“Not until you say that your cunt is mine.”

“It’s yours…” Her voice was a mixture of moans and whimpers, but hearing those words shot possessiveness through me. “Every hole is yours. Just yours.”

“Good girl.” I rotated my hips until I hit her sweet spot, and that made her moans louder and sharper. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes… yes… there… please…”

I rolled my hips again, driving deeper instead of harder, then repeated it a few more times until I felt her shattering around me.

“Yes!” she screamed, spluttering and chanting my name as she came undone.

I felt her walls clamping around my length, milking my dick. My pace turned frantic, fueled by her pleasure.

“Fuck yeah.” My voice was guttural as my cum spurted inside her with a wrecking force. I wanted every inch of her to be marked with my seed.

I slowly pulled out of her, my gaze following the trickling of my cum out of her pussy, dripping down her thighs and smearing them. The darkness and nightmares retreated to the background, and I knew there was no going back from here.

A soft whimper ripped from her, and I slowly released her, helping her into an upright position. I staggered to my feet, tucking in my semi-hard dick and watching my cum leak out of her cunt. Fuck, it was the most erotic sight I had ever seen.

She shifted around, then stared up at me. My cock twitched at the view of her completely naked, her flesh marked by me. Her nipples were red and puffy from my teeth. Her lips were swollen and plump. But in her eyes was the look of satisfaction and pleasure that she owned.

This was the first time I’d let my darkness take full control as I stared at the evidence of my ownership on my wife’s skin and I fucking knew right there and then.

A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.