Cruel Surrender by Terri Anne Browning

Bain

My phone madean annoying buzz on the nightstand, and I grabbed it, turning the damn thing off vibrate. Seeing it was Conor, I muttered a curse and answered.

“Yeah, Con?”

“There is a lot of activity going on in Colombia,” he informed me. “Didn’t know if you were interested in that or not.”

I glanced at the partially closed bathroom door. The sound of the shower told me that Ciana would be a little longer. Even though she was feeling better, she was still taking it easy, as Dr. Rose had suggested. The only time she got out of bed was to use the bathroom and for a daily shower right before bed.

“What kind of activity?”

“For one, Manuel Ramirez is dead.”

I shifted my neck left and right, trying to ease some of my growing tension from just thinking of that bastard. I didn’t know how deep he had been into Sheena’s scheme to hurt Ciana, but he’d been involved somehow. His death was something to celebrate, not mourn.

“How?”

“Our source says it was a broken neck. Don’t know who is responsible, though. Those motorcycle boys Vitucci is so fond of went down there and brought the fucker’s body back to the States.”

I rubbed a hand over my scruffy jaw. “Who inherits the Ramirez fortune, or whatever is left of it anyway? I don’t imagine there’s much left after Manuel snorted it up his nose.”

“Damnedest thing,” Conor said with a grunt. “Manuel didn’t inherit after the old man died. The stepdaughter did. Calista.”

“Yeah, I heard rumors about that.”

“Well, the guards are saying that Calista is dead too. Guess Manuel finally beat the girl to death. But no one seems concerned with who will be in charge of things now. From what intel we’ve gathered, everything is running smoothly. Maybe even more so than when Matias was alive.”

“Maybe whoever took out Manuel is handling the business. Find out who it is so we can keep an eye on things down there. I don’t want any surprises. Whoever it is might want to cause trouble for Vitucci.”

“You care if they do?” Conor asked skeptically.

My gaze went back to the bathroom door. “If they try to mess with my cousin, I want to know about it. I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted peace between our families.”

“You know, Cormac wanted his daughter to marry Cristiano Vitucci because he believed the two families would be unstoppable if they were aligned.” Conor made a humming noise. “Maybe if you and Ryan Vitucci get your heads out of your arses, his vision will be realized.”

“Fuck off,” I muttered, but I had to fight a smile when I heard him laugh. “You got this under control?”

“I’m not Declan. You don’t have to worry about my loyalty.”

“I know that.” I did know it. Now that I looked back over the last few years, Declan had been off for a while. I should have questioned it sooner. That was my mistake, though.

“Good.” He cleared his throat then went on as if we hadn’t just had a weird moment. “Cori received the first body part. I’m told she screamed for a solid hour and only stopped because she lost her voice.”

“Good. Make the next one something she will never get out of her head. Let it rot in the sun for a day or two before she gets it.”

“You’re sick, Bain.” He laughed heartily. “Guess that’s why I like you so much.”

“Learned from the best, mate,” I said with a grin. Hearing the water turn off in the bathroom, I quickly ended the call, reminding my new second-in-command that I wanted to know of any movement from Colombia against Ryan or anyone else in the Vitucci family.

If I had to personally wipe out every enemy my cousin had to make sure he was safe—to make Ciana happy—I would do it.

The bathroom door opened, and Ciana came out dressed in one of my T-shirts and a pair of the cotton sleep pants I’d ordered for her online. Everything in her closet, I’d purchased myself, not wanting anyone else to touch her clothes. Her hair was slightly spiked on top, as if she’d been combing her fingers through the still-damp strands.

My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth as I watched her slowly walk toward me—or, as she called it, waddle. Whatever she was doing, it was sexy as fuck, and my cock was rock hard in my sweatpants. Groaning, I grabbed a pillow and covered my lap, willing the pressure in my balls to ease so I didn’t cause myself permanent damage.

On the island, I should have taken things slower and not rushed her into bed. Maybe then her love for me would have been stronger. Now I had no choice but to take things at a more leisurely pace since the doctor had advised no sex. It was going to be hard as hell to make it through the next months without getting irreversible blue balls, but as long as she and the babies were safe, I didn’t care about the state of my cock.

“What’s this?” she asked as she crossed to the bed and carefully climbed in beside me.

I offered her a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of water. “I had a new flat-screen delivered for our bedroom. While you were showering, I installed it and found The Princess Bride on one of the streaming options.”

She gasped as the opening title showed up on the screen. “You did this…for me?”

Grasping her around the waist, I lifted her so she was sitting in front of me and lounging back against my chest, the pillow cushioning her back and protecting her from my throbbing cock. “You said this was your favorite movie.”

She turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. “So, I just mention I like something, and you’ll make it appear in our bedroom?”

“I want to say yes, but I feel like this is a test and that the next thing you mention is your favorite will make me homicidal.”

Her soft giggle reached my ears, and my heart felt as if it had been caressed by the hands of an angel. “Damn, and I was going to say that Theo James is my favor—”

I covered her mouth with one hand and pressed play on the remote with the other. “Hush up and watch your movie, my beauty. Or this Theo James fucker will be spending the rest of his life dickless.”

Snickering against my hand, she turned her head back around to watch the movie. I wrapped my arms around her once again, loving the feel of her so close to me. A few minutes into the movie, she started to shift restlessly, trying to find a more comfortable position.

I repositioned the pillow then started stroking my hands across her shoulders, down her arms, and over her stomach. Down and back up again, making her moan contentedly. Every few minutes, she would eat a couple kernels of popcorn and feed me a little as well.

Between rubbing her and getting drawn into the movie, I didn’t realize when she fell asleep. Careful not to wake her, I shifted her to her side of the bed and then tucked the covers around her. Turning the volume down, I snuggled in beside her and finished the movie.

As Buttercup was falling out of the castle window into Fezzik’s arms, Ciana’s laughter graced my ears once again. Turning my head, I saw her watching me through her lashes.

“What’s so funny, mo chroí?”

“You totally just watched an entire chick flick. By yourself.” She giggled harder. “If I had a phone, I would have recorded your reaction when Westley died.”

“I have a lot to say about that.” I rolled so that I was on top of her, making sure to keep my weight off her abdomen. “One, this is not a chick flick movie, as you called it. It is a masterpiece. I see why it is your favorite movie. Two, I will get you a phone first thing tomorrow. I don’t like you not having a way to communicate with me in case you need me and I’m not in the same room with you. And three. Westley died. He. Died. How did that little piece of candy bring him back? Huh? Explain that to me.”

Her giggles were my reward for my ridiculousness. It was, without a doubt, my favorite sound in the world. I wanted to record it, so I could listen to it whenever I wasn’t near her.