Page 23 of Unyielding
V carried me to her bathtub and climbed in, nestling me onto her thighs. I whimpered as her fingers trailed circles over my thighs. I knew what she wanted and I didn’t know if my body could take anymore but yet I wanted it anyway. She hesitated, then stopped, and that made me angry for some unspeakable reason. I didn’t want her to ever hold back from me. I wanted everything, always.
I slid my fingers behind my back and between her legs, catching her so off guard that she bucked in surprise under me. In the last two days, she didn’t let me offer her any release; instead, she had gotten herself off while I climaxed when it got too much for her to bear.
Now that the claiming was over, it was time for me to seal the exchange.
My finger rubbed over her clit in slow circles with a firmness that had her hips chasing more. I threw my head back against her shoulder and breathed heavily in rhythm with the energy that pulsed between us, writing on top of her like I did that first night at the club.
‘Fuck, Sunshine,’ she gritted out.
I slid a single finger inside of her, going in easily thanks to the water. At this angle I couldn’t thrust in and out of her, but as I slid out and palmed her clit I pushed another two fingers inside. Her gasp at the sudden fullness made my own legs tremble in desire.
I stroked my fingers inside her, curving them deeply, until she bucked again, telling me I had found it. My body writhed over her in time with the way I fucked her. Water sloshed around us and splashed onto the tiles but I just went harder and faster.
Her breathing grew ragged as she gripped the edge of the tub, holding back. Always holding back, trying to be in control.
Pulling her hand off, I dragged it down my breast, squeezing before I pushed it between my legs and pushed her fingers inside of me.
She matched my rhythm as she plunged inside of me, staying there with three of her own fingers. She matched my strokes and it wasn’t long until our pants turned into moans and I was having to grip the tub with my own free hand. This was everything—the moment we both lost ourselves to each other. The separation between us dissolved in the water as our bodies turned into one writhing mess. We were an extension of each other as every muscle, breath and stroke moved in unison—so did our screams.
12
VALENTINA
Xavier sat across from me. ‘We’ve found him. He’s spent the last few weeks jumping from state to state but he’s back in town now. It’s only a matter of hours until our people can pinpoint his location. We weren’t able to track him as the Russians were helping to cover his tracks for a minute there. But it seems Jason has a gift for pissing people off and their protection quickly ran out.’
Finally, we had been searching for weeks, and although my girl knew she was safe with us, I could see the flicker of fear every time we told her we hadn’t made any progress in our search for him.
‘Go and get ready for the opening. You’ve both put a lot of effort into tonight. I’m proud of you little sister,’ Xav said, getting up from behind his desk and giving me a hug and kiss on the forehead.
Z stepped forward then. ‘As soon as we have a location, I’ll grab him and take him to the desert. I don’t want you worrying about a thing. This is your night.’
I got ready, wearing a gold satin suit that my little Sunshine had handpicked. She had chosen a floor-length, body-hugging gown in a similar fabric. She looked incredible as she strode down the stairs. She was everything. I loved the way she looked at me when her eyes landed on what I was wearing. They lit up with excitement; there was a pure, innocent joy that I had feared was lost forever, but slowly, through me, she was coming back into her own. This was my purpose. This was why I had made her such an integral part of every facet of my world. I wanted the good things to seep into her and warm the cold, broken bits, mending them. I wanted her to finally have hope for a better life, and in this moment, for the first time, she was basking in it, knowing wholeheartedly that she deserved every good thing that had come from our time together. She was letting go of her past, her pain, and her fear.
The show would be starting in a matter of hours. Sunshine had worked around the clock to arrange my pieces, telling the perfect story of our love and lust. Hundreds were expected to be in attendance; my girl had done an incredible job with the promotions over the last few weeks. Many wanted to come and see if a De Luca was even capable of creating rather than destroying, but it only fuelled our desire to prove everyone wrong.
The final piece in the show was still a secret, and one I had not shown to anyone yet, not even my girl. It had been a point of contention between Sunshine and me—this was just as much a part of her show as it was mine—but I gave her some nonsense about it being part of my process and, ever the dutiful muse, she begrudgingly let it go. She did not know that this piece was performative and required her to be in the dark.
‘Sunshine, you look fucking ethereal. I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done. If it wasn’t for you, my dream would never have become a reality. I loveyou.’ She blushed as her hands slid up the satin collar of my blazer, wrapping around me. Warm lips crashed into mine, trying to claim me in the threshold of our home before we left our little safe space and finally told the world who we were and what we were. Everything. That is what we named the show—how fitting.
I held the door for my girl as she strode past, casting a seductive look over her shoulder, enticing me. She would drive me crazy all night until I kicked every last guest out of my gallery just to spend a moment alone with her. This was her revenge for me hiding the final piece. As her hips swung from side to side with each step, I had to bite down on my knuckles to stifle a moan. She was ravishing as the silky gown flowed over her form like incandescent water.
The car ride over did not get any easier as her slender fingers trailed my thigh in little circles, edging closer but never quite close enough. I gripped the steering wheel for dear life the whole drive over, as I was seconds from pulling over and sayingfuck itto the biggest night of our lives, just so I could have a taste of her.
We arrived a couple hours earlier than our guests, wanting to ensure everything was perfect for them. Parking behind the gallery, we took the back entrance. Soon, the place would be bustling with waiters and caterers, but for now, it was just for us to bask in the glow of this monumental moment and the tireless effort we had put in.
Flicking the lights on, horror flooded my veins as my sweet little Sunshine screamed. Stumbling further, she tripped on her heels. I grabbed her as she clutched my arm, taking in the scene that lay in front of us. Every piece was shattered, destroyed and drenched in red paint. The paintings had been slashed. Nothing was left whole. Everything had been turned to dust, just like that. Myfavourite painting, the one that had started it all, was the only one that was left whole, but it was no better off. In big black letters, the wordsSHE’S MINEwere sprayed in paint.
Sunshine dropped to the floor, sobbing and pulling at the broken pieces of my sculptures that lay in the rubble at her feet. The strangest part was that I didn’t care about the show as much as I thought I would. What tore me to fucking pieces was seeing my girl crumble amongst the wreckage. She had put so much into tonight and it represented so much more than us and our short but intense journey. It was a fresh start for her. The beginning of a new life, a new her.
I shot a quick message to my brothers, knowing exactly who did this.
‘It was Jason, it had to be,’ she breathed, looking up at me from the floor, tears cascading down her face. ‘I’m so sorry.’
My heart clenched at the sight. ‘It’s not your fault, Sunshine. None of it is your fault. It will be okay; besides, there’s one piece he couldn’t get his hands on.’
She sobbed harder, inconsolable and feeling responsible. Knowing that words were of no use right now, I held her, letting the warmth and softness of her skin envelop me, stilling my own pounding heart.
She always calmed me, no matter what; and as that familiar bloodlust roared in my ears, I clung to her, my grip bruising but unable to let go. Because if I did, there would be no stopping me. Once again, he took something from her. Soon, my fingers turned numb, and I didn’t even know where I was holding her—only that she was safe in my arms. Thank every god he only managed to get his hands on our collection and not her; though I would be cursing mybrothers for not seeing this coming with all the eyes they had out searching for him.
