Faked: A Dark Mafia Romance Read online

“I’m the boss of this family.” He steamed with an anger never before directed at me. “Not your childhood friend.”

  “Yeah. That’s been clear for a while.”

  “I won’t hesitate to make an example of you.”

  Whenever Vinn made an example of someone, they ended up in a funeral parlor.

  I despised him.

  I hated the thin chill clinging to his words, his instincts for brutality, the way he looked at me, his infuriating arrogance. Most of all, I loathed the heat spinning in my belly as he held me. When he was close, he bathed me in his fresh scent that recalled those summers at Salisbury Beach when I was too young for him.

  My memories of Vinn were sweet. Reality was bitter.

  He’d finally noticed me, but I hated him.

  I had to finish this before he destroyed me, so I rattled off what I’d spend the week regretting.

  “Vinn, go fuck yourself with the fat end of a pineapple.”

  Three

  Liana

  I’d pushed him too far.

  The set of his chin suggested I was in trouble. His tall figure stiffened, his stony features kindling with rage. His pupils had dissolved into the black pools that’d watched the end of so many lives, and his fingers tightened on my neck.

  The gold chain cut into my skin, which struck me as morbidly ironic. I’d die wearing this stupid necklace, strangled by the very thing that had shoved me into Vinn’s path.

  Hope.

  “Perhaps you’re under the impression that you’re special,” he rasped in the dead voice I hated. “You can talk to me however you want. You’re Michael’s little sister. I’d never put my hands on you.”

  “I don’t believe that anymore. You’re nothing but a huge disappointment.”

  His mouth curved with a cynical twist. “What part of me isn’t living up to your expectations?”

  My hand grazed his muscled chest and rested over his heart.

  Vinn’s head jerked as though startled by the touch. He frowned, cold dignity carving into his face. He scooped up my hand and pinned it on the wall behind me. Our eyes clashed, and my stomach flipped.

  “If I’m harsh, it’s because I have to be.”

  What a pitiful excuse.

  “Nobody makes Vinn Costa do anything.”

  “For now,” he agreed. “That won’t last if I allow you to disrespect me.”

  “So what’s your plan? Beat me until I cry?”

  I smoldered when he rolled his eyes. He shot me a look that flickered with heat.

  “Something like that.”

  His threat hung in the air, darkening the atmosphere.

  “If Michael were here, he’d stop you.” My words tumbled out in a broken whisper. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “You’re right,” he drawled. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

  Fear jangled in my insides as he grabbed me, but I couldn’t deny the spark in my chest. His embrace still wrapped me in all-encompassing warmth, and his appeal was devastating. I shut out my awareness of him and shoved his biceps, fighting his viselike hold.

  “Stop! Let me go!”

  He pulled me violently toward him, locking his arm around my waist. I choked back a scream as he cinched tight. My breathing hitched as he kicked open a random service door, yanking me through a darkened restaurant. His loud footsteps drowned the thudding of my heart.

  Stainless steel gleamed from the moonlight that filtered inside, but Vinn manhandled me past the kitchen and thrust me toward an eating area with vinyl booths.

  “Get off, Vinn.” I swallowed the tight knot begging for release. “You don’t want to do this.”

  His lean body molded into my curves. “What am I doing?”

  My stomach churned. “No idea.”

  “Guess.”

  I flinched at his whiplike tone.

  Vinn wasn’t a man of impulse. He weighed every action against its rewards and consequences. He took nothing lightly, which meant I’d soon be writhing in pain. His hand was buried in my thick hair, his grip punishing. Hard.

  My struggle ended in a few breathless seconds. He rendered me immobile with a vicious yank of my arms. He’d twisted them behind my back, balling my wrists in his powerful fingers. He shoved me over a table. His hard body was on top, pinning me.

  “Vinn, stop!”

  “Stop what?” he taunted.

  “I don’t know,” I growled into the wood, desperate for a wall between us. “But going any further is a huge mistake!”

  “I doubt my life will be impacted in the slightest.” He teased the hem of my dress, gently stroking a growing fire. “And maybe you’ll learn to shut up.”

  “I won’t be silent if you hurt me!”

  “Let me count all the fucks I give.” His quiet voice seethed with cold contempt. “None.”

  My startled hurt turned to white-hot anger. “What the hell are you doing?”

  My pulse skittered as he grabbed my thighs and casually moved upward. The brazenness lodged a golf ball in my throat, the roaring in my head drowning the panic.

  He’d never fondled me. An alarming amount of heat dipped into my belly as he took my hips, close enough to thrust my legs apart and—

  No.

  “Vinn, this is crazy.” I turned, catching his feral gaze. “What would Michael say?”

  “I’m not thinking about your brother.” He slapped my cheek. “But he’d agree that you need a firm hand to tame that out of control mouth.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’d kill you.”

  “What about my wrath?” His grip tightened, and blood rushed where his fingers branded me. “You should worry about what I’ll do to you.”

  “Get off me!”

  “No.”

  I stamped on his boot, grinding my heel where his toes should’ve been. It broke off on the hard surface, causing me to stumble. His soft laughter grated at me as he slid closer, wedging me between his knees.

  “Congratulations,” I snarled. “You’ve overpowered a woman a quarter of your size. I’ll buy you a fucking medal. Can I go home now?”

  “Not yet.”

  I gritted my teeth. “But I did nothing wrong.”

  “Liar. You’ve been rude, obnoxious, and petulant. You told me to fuck off in front of everyone. If you think I’ll let that slide, you’re delusional.” He bent, his body folding over mine. “I am not letting you go until I believe you’re sorry.”

  I wouldn’t be. He would.

  My chest pulsed against the wood as his weight crushed me. Somehow, I found enough air to snap at him. “I’m sorry I’m not a braindead idiot like everyone else.”

  My heart somersaulted as he yanked at something on his waist. There was a metallic jingle, followed by the slapping of leather. A sensual thrill stroked my body as he fisted my dress to my middle back.

  Too fast.

  “Wait,” I begged, licking my lips. “Let’s—let’s talk.”

  A deep note rumbled from his throat. “An improvement already.”

  I had no idea what he intended with the belt, and I didn’t want to find out. “Look. I was having a bad day.”

  “Liar.”

  “What do you want me to say?” I burst, fed up with his bullshit. “That I misspoke? I meant every fucking word. I should’ve kept it to myself. I should never be honest with you.”

  “Don’t turn this on me. You screwed up.”

  “I told the truth!”

  “You keep saying that, like honesty gets you far in life. It fucking doesn’t, Li. Look at where you are. Bent over, humiliated, about to be punished. Just because you couldn’t smile and kiss my cheek.” His featherlight touch became a swift burn as the leather swatted me. “I’m the boss. You are an unmarried woman. We aren’t equal. You belong to nobody.”

  “Michael—”

  “Michael isn’t here, and you can’t hide behind him forever.”

  This was spiraling out of control.

  Since Vinn took over as boss, his arrogance had soared to
dangerous heights.

  He thought he could get away with this?

  I struggled to free myself, but he shoved my back.

  “You’re good right there.”

  “Vinn, please. You’ve made your point.”

  “I have yet to make an impression on you.” He palmed my ass, giving it a rough squeeze.

  A hot ache grew in my throat. “Vinny!”

  “Don’t Vinny me. That hasn’t worked for a while.”

  A surge of heat consumed my body as though I’d been shoved into a furnace. “I’ll go to Michael!”

  “I’m not afraid of your brother.”

  Vinn wound the belt around my wrists, cinching the knot. Then he pulled the excess leather like a leash, forcing me to hover.

  My heart pounded as he explored my curves, his hands soft. A sheer black fright kept me riveted. I ignored the strange pang ensnaring my limbs as Vinn played with my thong. He hooked his finger, snapping it. The sound was like a gunshot to my heart.

  When did my childhood crush become a nightmare?

  “Stop now, Vinn. I won’t mention this to Michael. Any of it.” My voice broke as I bargained for control. “Go any further, and that’s off the table.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  I bucked forward. “You’re a fucking lunatic!”

  “You were doing so well with the pleading and negotiating.” He tutted, tracing my lips with his forefinger.

  “Vinn, take a breath. Think about what you’re doing!”

  “Oh, I am.” He yanked my arms, pinning me against his chest. “You’ll remember me whenever you sit. When you step out of the shower. When you meet my gaze at a social function and I smile.”

  A spanking?

  Oh my God, he couldn’t be serious. Shame flooded my cheeks as I pictured my flayed body underneath Vinn’s. My pulse throbbed so hard that he probably felt my fear.

  “Fuck you,” I growled, hating myself for trembling. “I will get you for this, Vinn Costa. I swear to God, I will ruin you.”

  He smiled a rare grin that would’ve made me melt like butter if he weren’t such a monster.

  “We both know I run this town. I’m untouchable. You, however…” Vinn palmed my back, bending me. “You’re begging to be slapped, groped, and fucked.”

  He gave my ass a condescending tap. Then his palm lifted.

  WHACK!

  Agony burst across my skin. He landed another blow. The force knocked the protest from my mouth.

  Vinn’s big hand struck me. Pain returned with a flash. I jumped forward, gasping with the fierce sting. Agony spread from cheek to cheek as his palm rained hellfire. He hit me—I couldn’t believe it. Humiliation flushed my neck and face as he unleashed his rage. The more I struggled, the harder he smacked. He alternated between open-palmed blows and sharper swipes, hitting me so hard that tears slammed into my eyes. I bit my lip to keep from crying. It hurt, but the shame of a man I’d held a torch for beating me into submission was a thousand times worse.

  Vinn stopped. He stroked the raw skin as I clung to the table, shaking. A thrill knotted in my stomach as his fingers scraped my thong, pulling it to my knees.

  “What are you doing?”

  Vinn answered with a brush of his fingers on my inner thigh, the sensual touch lighting me on fire. He continued to spank me. With each strike, he was a little bolder, following my curves to intimate places.

  Oh my God.

  “Vinn, please. Please let me go.”

  “Tell me you’re sorry and that you’ll be a good girl.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be…” I trailed off, swept in the heat blooming in my body. “Jesus.”

  He pinched me. “Say it.”

  I gritted my teeth. “I’m sorry I told the fucking truth!”

  “Li, I can give it to you much harder.”

  I bit my lip against the delightful shiver of wanting.

  Do it.

  The challenge almost tumbled from my mouth. Graphic images flooded my head, my pulse racing. I enjoyed this. I’d never known that I liked it rough. Waves of shock slapped me. I could’ve laughed at the irony, but he would get more forceful and then…it’d be obvious that he’d affected me.

  I couldn’t let him find out. “Enough. Stop.”

  “You know what to say.”

  “I-I’m sorry.” I licked my dry lips. “I’ll be a good girl.”

  “And you won’t tell Michael.” He tweaked the burning muscle, his voice smoldering. “Because if you do, my retribution will be a lot worse than a sore ass.”

  My stomach dropped.

  I couldn’t believe what I heard. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Yes,” he said, grinning. “I am.”

  He squeezed.

  I gasped.

  The pain sharpened from the dull ache, and then his palm lingered below my ass. A small noise rumbled from his chest, an appreciative groan that charged the atmosphere.

  This felt different.

  Dirty.

  He swept the curvature of my hip, his grip tightening and loosening. He cupped my cheeks, stroking my curves. The burn from my wound spread inward, seeping through me, diving between my legs.

  What the hell?

  A delicious shudder heated my body, and then he yanked me upright. My bound wrists bumped into his groin. He hooked his neck over my shoulder, his closeness tingling my belly.

  “Next time, I’ll take it further.”

  My breathing hitched.

  He wouldn’t dare.

  Shock zinged up and down my spine as Vinn slid from my thighs. He shifted the fabric over my flaming skin, but his hard body stayed glued to mine.

  I splayed my hand over a rigid muscle. As I touched him, he inhaled sharply. I moved over the thick bulge and traced the mushroom head—holy fuck—and I rubbed his cock.

  I released him.

  “Keep going.” His velvety command slicked my body with liquid heat. “Since you’re so concerned about my size.”

  Now he was inviting me to touch him?

  “Vinn, this isn’t right,” I stammered, suspended in a freefall. “You don’t talk to me like this.”

  “I do now.”

  I opened and closed my mouth, unable to string a sentence together. My shattered thoughts lay in pieces. I couldn’t pick them up fast enough.

  “I-I didn’t mean—I wasn’t coming on to you.”

  Vinn pressed his mouth into my ear. “Now you’re acting like the blushing virgin?”

  I am a virgin.

  My cheeks flamed. “Vinn.”

  “Touch me.”

  It was a command, not a plea.

  I shouldn’t have played along with his twisted game, but he left me little choice, with my hands confined and his pelvis grinding into my ass. I drifted from across his slacks to the hardness. Somehow, his warmth smoldered here. I wrapped my fingers around him.

  Vinn’s grip bit into my arm.

  Tension loosened my muscles. My palm moistened as it followed his length. He was so big that he made laying pipe an accurate visual. I couldn’t imagine that monster fitting anywhere. I tightened my grip, moving up and down, warmth chasing the ice in my limbs. My body ached with the need to be touched, a need that grew as Vinn’s cock thickened. He was so hard it made me feel powerful. The fact I’d done that to him was intoxicating.

  He grabbed my hand, stilling my movements. “Touch me, not jerk me off.”

  His judgmental tone should’ve annoyed me, but I couldn’t stop shaking. Vinn wasn’t supposed to be attracted to me. His heart hammered my back. His breathing slowed, as though he struggled to regain his composure. He uttered a soft curse, but he didn’t immediately let me go. Vinn clenched my fist.

  “Well, now you know who you’re dealing with.” His silky voice boomed through me. “Next time, it goes in your mouth.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  I didn’t believe him.

  Maybe I’d wake up to find this was a bizarre wet dream.
I touched my seashell necklace after he ripped at my restraints, freeing me. Vinn whirled me around, fingers biting into my shoulders.

  I tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through my body as he closed the distance between us. Red stained his neck and face. I’d never seen him so agitated.

  “I don’t want you dating Leo. Understand?”

  Vinn grabbed my chin, frying the oxygen in my lungs. His black pools danced over me before settling in one place.

  My mouth.

  “You so much as bat your eyes in Leo’s direction, and I will make you dig his grave before I kill him.”

  Four

  Vinn

  Damn her.

  That sweet temptation would be my undoing. The mental image of Liana in her revealing dress taunted me. My reaction to her ass hanging out hadn’t been disgust.

  Far from it.

  What I felt—apart from a murderous rage toward Leo for touching her—was pure lust.

  Which made the fact I’d almost fucked Liana problematic, considering Michael was my consigliere, best friend, and pretty much my only family.

  After she left in a taxi, I jerked off in a bathroom. Then I circled the block a few times to cool off. I couldn’t stroll through the bar looking all hot and bothered, advertising that I’d crossed the line with Michael’s sister.

  Jesus. If he’d seen what I’d done.

  Michael’s little sister.

  What a hell-raiser.

  She used to be the picture of innocence. I could never raise my voice around her, even when she badgered me with questions. I met her when I was thirteen. She was four. She’d always hovered in my life. She’d written when I was deployed to Iraq. I’d kept the letters folded in my pocket. When I was shot last year, she’d visited me in the hospital. She’d kissed my cheek while I basked in a fentanyl haze, and the warmth blazing across my face made me smile. Sure, she turned heads.

  But it wasn’t like I’d wanted to fuck her.

  That’s changed.

  I used to squeeze the cute dimple in her chin, charmed by her doll-like face. I didn’t like kids, but she was different. Maybe because I’d been abandoned by my piece of shit parents and hers were dead. So I’d picked her up, held her hand, kept her safe, and smacked Michael around when he was too rough with his sister.