Marrying the Mob Prince
3-10

CLAIRE

It didn't look like Hell.

The setting sun dipped behind green cliffs that made a jagged mountain range around the island. Dense foliage framed the roads in startling bouquets of color. Gigantic birds of paradise sprouted in gardens. There were red banana trees, broken by fields of pineapple sprouting from crimson earth, coffee bean plantations, and so much more I could barely keep track.

I would've been over the moon if the circumstances were different. Humid air stuck my dress to my skin as the jeep wound through the jungle. I sat sandwiched between Cainan and the door. I needed no reminders of the stakes. Every turn took me further from freedom. If I wanted to escape, I had to focus, but memorizing the twists and turns was impossible after the first hour. The deeper we ventured, the more light the flora swallowed. A damp chill pressed into my bones as conversation in the car faded.

Cainan nudged my leg. "You're quiet."

Initially I ignored him, but his attention was as glaring as a spotlight. "I have nothing to say to you," I finally said.

"I doubt the girl who chastised me for using a plastic straw has nothing to say. I expected you to cuss me out."

I was never less angry in my life. I was exhausted from defying him. I closed my eyes, utterly miserable. Eventually, the shock and hurt would fade and I would rip his head off, but until then...my heart ached with pain. This was a waking nightmare. Yet another man I liked turned out to be a monster.

During the drive, I wrestled with denial. Kidnapping happened to girls on TV. Not me. God, not me. I knew exactly what I'd be used for. Spanking me was only the beginning.

There would be more.

I looked out the window, swallowing the sob in my throat. As the glossy leaves whipped past, I brainstormed an escape. There was too much to process for me to be humiliated. All I felt was numb disbelief as we journeyed deeper into an island I'd never heard of.

The jeep wheeled onto a long, paved road. We approached a wrought iron gate manned by a soldier in fatigues, who stuck his head out of the security booth and waved the car ahead. With a mechanical click, the gate swung open. We swept into the driveway, passing a manicured lawn. As we turned the corner, the view stole my breath.

A three-story, L-shaped mansion stood in front of us, surrounded by dense jungle. Rylan parked and the soldiers opened the door.

I stepped out. "This is your family's villa?"

Cainan got out behind me. "It's more like a compound."

A large pool sat in the center of an immaculately trimmed lawn filled with dozens of white lounge chairs. Cainan grabbed my wrist, leading me toward the ultra-modern mansion. Guards with huge rifles patrolled the patio. An automated wall opened to an infinity pool, where a waterfall cascaded onto an atrium garden. Inside, everything was tile, wood, and stone. A massive indoor/outdoor living room sprawled next to glass walls.

Beautiful women in skimpy bikinis traversed the property, swam naked in the sparkling pool, and leaned on furniture like trinkets waiting to be picked up. As we reached the ceiling-high glass doors of the house, a maid detached from the expansive kitchen to greet us. She wore the same glazed-over, vacant expression that was on the faces of the man raking the pool, the gardeners, and every other staff member.

The girl was decked out like a risqué French maid, other than the worn leather collar wrapping her neck. The dress was all lace and black tulle.

"Cainan," she said sweetly. "Welcome. And Rylan, it's good to see you again."

She put a flirty emphasis on Ry-lan, which seemed to perk up his attention. He swaggered forward and grabbed her ass. "Is that a new outfit? It's so hot. You need my cock, don't you babe?"

She needed to punch him in the face. Miraculously, she didn't. Instead the maid toyed with his shirt, rolling her bottom lip into an absurd pout. "You haven't been with me in a week."

He uttered a nauseating moan and smashed his lips into hers. She kissed him back enthusiastically, throwing her arms around him. As he devoured her with his sloppy kisses, she made porn-like sounds of amusement.

I swallowed hard. Will that happen to me?

Cainan sneered. "Where's Dad?"

Rylan withdrew his mouth from the maid with a sickening pop. "Away. He'll return in a few days."

"Lovely," Cainan muttered. "Gives me time to get up to speed."

"Whatever. Dinner's in an hour. You should join."

"No, thank you. I think I'll retire for the night."

"Suit yourself." Rylan hooked his arm around the maid, who smiled like an empty-headed doll. He pointed toward a detached house on the opposite side of the pool. "Breakfast is at eight. Housekeeping makes the rounds at eleven. Oh, and Dad insists on one rule. If she runs, she must be taken to him."

Cainan's jaw hardened into granite. "Why?"

"We've had issues in the past with guests taking pity on the whores. It sets a bad example."

"Back up-whores?" I burst, fed up with keeping silent. "Speak for yourself, Eurotrash pri-"

Cainan palmed my mouth, cutting me off. I yelled at the top of my lungs, but it made no difference. He grabbed my waist and pulled me to his chest, and my ragged breathing broke. The smell of Cainan enveloped me, manly, seductive, tinged with a hint of something-blackberries. Fat purple blobs hanging in thorny bushes. It shot images of humid summers and purple-stained hands into my head. My sister and I combed the neighborhood as children for them. We'd stuff our faces with blackberries until we were sick.

Thinking of Indie brought a wave of fierce homesickness and regret for not listening to her.

And then intense fear.

My God, I was kidnapped.

What'll happen to me? Will I ever see my sister again?

***

Cainan slung me over his shoulder and dragged me to the guesthouse. I beat him with my fists as I swung upside down, my hands sliding on his dense back muscles. He ducked into the doorway, and I shivered in the conditioned air. Pale walls whirled past me as we climbed the staircase. We entered a marble bathroom. The black-and-white pattern rotated as Cainan set me down.

I raced for the door.

He kicked it shut.

I was tired, aching, and stiff from hours of riding in an uncomfortable vehicle, but I let out a scream that could've toppled a mountain. Cainan's steel arms bound me like a python's coils, wrapping me in an embrace I couldn't break. I bucked as he carried me into the bedroom. The sight of the big, round bed sent a dark thrill down my body. I stabbed into his abdomen with my nails.

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He hissed. "Feisty little Starling."

"Let me go!"

Cainan tossed me onto the bed. Then he heaved a sigh, his chest expanding under his shirt. Something violent begged to purge from my lips. The way he'd treated me in the last twenty-four hours nailed me with a vicious gut punch. I could barely restrain my tears. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Cainan's lips pulled into a pulse-pounding smile. "Oh honey. You wouldn't be here if I cared about your feelings."

His indifference tore at my flailing heart. "You lied to me. Your job. Your family history. Your name." I exhaled roughly, my breathing ragged. "Who the hell does that?" He looked bored. "Me?"

"I'll tell you who does that-pathetic men. You couldn't fuck me, so you kidnapped me? You are pitiful."

A flicker of apprehension worked through his face before it morphed into a lifeless mask. He raised an eyebrow, as though to ask whether I was done complaining.

I wasn't. I could kill him. But even as I pictured standing on his bound body, I wanted to cry because it meant we'd never be together. Giving up on him was throwing away all the good times. As I stared at him, memories popped in my head like winking stars. That day at the farmer's market, when I'd asked him if we could be exclusive. That time he'd stopped at the café with a bag of my favorite candy. How he always sheltered me from the road when we walked on the sidewalks. How much of his behavior had been a performance? Every wink and stolen kiss? Even when he held my hand? Was he lying when he kissed me? When he gave me advice? It doesn't fucking matter. He's committed evil. Drugging and kidnapping me showed a callous disregard for my life. He'd shown zero remorse. Nothing more needed to be said. He was my enemy.

I'd never trust him again.

But I wished my heart was hard, not broken.

Mostly because I couldn't control the tears. They slipped down my cheeks, plinking my dress. Great, now I'm crying to my kidnapper. I shook as I faced my lap, gutted, barely holding in a sob. I didn't want him to see me break down, but I couldn't hold it in.

I cried into my hands.

A deep male sigh echoed in the room. Then Cainan sat beside me, draping his arm across my shoulders. The proximity lodged a ball in my throat. Doubt congested my thoughts as I looked up from my palms. He smiled, but I shrank from the cold light of his gray eyes.

Cainan patted my shoulder. "Get it all out. But for future reference, I prefer my women...upbeat. I'm not into criers. Or girls that go into hysterics when they're around me. It's a downer." His psychotic response burned the grief from my chest.

"You are sick and pathetic," I growled, wiping my face. "All of you are certifiable! Do you know how many federal crimes you're committing? Aggravated kidnapping. Human trafficking." Cainan stood from the bed, yawning.

"Oh, you're shutting me out?" I demanded, firing up again. "You think I'll stop bringing this up? You think I'm letting a man tell me what to do?"

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"I think I have a collection of gags to keep you quiet when you're not sucking me off." He opened a dresser drawer and fished one out. "So you should watch what you say. Or you'll stay muzzled until I like what comes out of your mouth." Jesus. He was a piece of work.

A lump lodged in my throat as Cainan tossed the gag aside and ripped off his shirt. I sucked in my breath at the V of his mouthwatering frame tapering to a trim waist. He had a godlike body, muscle packed on muscle.

He removed his shorts and prowled to the bed. When his naked knee touched the mattress, I shoved myself toward the headboard as though shocked by electricity.

"A-are you going to rape me?"

Cainan raked his auburn waves, the muscles in his chest jumping with the movement. "Not tonight. We have an early day tomorrow."

He didn't even deny it. My stomach bottomed out further as hope dimmed to a distant fog light. Cainan climbed into bed. "You may take off your clothes."

Like I wanted to remove more barriers to him. I threw him a look of deep loathing as his muscled body slid between the sheets. He pointed next to him. "In."

"No."

Once again, he showed zero reaction to my disobedience. He grabbed handcuffs from the nightstand. "If you don't get under the sheets in five seconds, I'm putting these on you. One."

I stared at them, horrified.

His eyes flashed. "Two."

I couldn't risk the asshole following through. Shaking, I slid into bed, taking the side farthest away from him. As I ripped the covers over my legs, his unblinking gaze raked my body. He erased the distance between us. Suddenly, a sculpted male chest loomed over me. His cool finger brushed my cheek, turning my head toward him. His impossibly beautiful face creased with an unreadable emotion. What was he thinking?

My heartbeat skyrocketed as he traced my cheek. His nearness overwhelmed me, kindling feelings that needed to die. I took his wrist. "You can still undo this, Cainan."

His face hardened. "I regret nothing."

He leaned over, forehead against mine. Then his lips touched mine, soft and sensual, the heat just as intense as a couple of days ago. As our mouths collided, electricity careened through my body. Hairs on my forearm prickled. I'd kissed him plenty of times, but this was very different, with his nakedness molded to me. Sex was implied, a promise, and a fire had consumed all the oxygen. I couldn't breathe from the effects of his gentle assault. I floated on clouds, pleasure obliterating the pain.

Wet heat delved in my mouth as he deepened the kiss. I gasped from the violent lashes of his tongue. His hands weaved into my hair, holding me in a way that made me feel possessed, but safe. He explored the roof of my mouth, the sides, claiming me. Kissing him was supposed to make me terrified, but instead I felt protected by the evil outside.

Cainan released me from the kiss, his hand still buried in my hair. His eyes flashed like dying embers as he breathed hard. It was like we'd both awakened from the same dream. The pain in my heart became a sick gnawing.

"Cainan," I whispered, tears slipping down my cheeks. "Please take me home."

His next words cut into me like steel.

"You are home."