MOTIVE
The first threat I received was on our wedding night a year later in Ibiza. My hand stilled when I picked up the greeting card on the dressing table and opened it.
The menacing words sprang out at me in a handwriting I did not recognize. Blood rushed from my face and my heart thudded against my chest in a deadly rhythm as I read the two sentences for the third time.
'She won't be yours for long.
Enjoy your honeymoon.'
I dropped the card back on the table as if it was scalding hot. A quick scan around the room told me that nothing else was amiss, but that didn't stop sweat from forming on my forehead and around my neck.
God, I felt like I was going to fucking suffocate.
Loosening my tie didn't help, causing me to clench my jaw as my level of discomfort increased.
I needed to move. I needed to kill something.
Or rather someone.
I hadn't carried a gun around with me in over a year and right now I desperately wished I had one at hand.
I heard Carla's voice through the bathroom as she hummed and sang along to our wedding playlist which Eva had somehow connected to the villa's inbuilt speakers on repeat.
Drawn to her, I followed the sound of her negligibly off-key voice. With every step, the tension in my shoulders eased, but I grew more irritable at the thought of losing her.
She came into view and I released a long, slow breath.
She was okay.
And she was mine.
For now.
Nah, fuck that.
Forever.
I paused behind her perfect body, my eyes glued to her ass. Dressed only in a white lacy panty and strapless bra, she was the hottest woman on the planet right now.
Dammit, the way those panties hugged her fat ass was nothing short of sinful.
"Carla," I said gently so I didn't alarm her.
"Hey, love."
She turned around, her brown eyes large and filled with affection. I leaned in and kissed her forehead, relishing the warmth emanating from her skin.
She moaned and I fisted my hands at my side to keep from touching her.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Fuck. I had to remember she was exceptional at reading me.
I felt bad for what I did next, but I didn't want to worry her on our wedding night without doing some research first. I needed to find out if the threat to her was real and who was behind it.
Whoever it was, they had to have big, dinosaurus balls of steel. I could think of less than a handful of people who would have the audacity to fuck with me and mine.
"Nothing's wrong, cariño." I trailed my hand down her cheek and cupped her jaw. She blinked and before she could question my words, I fused our lips in a fiery kiss.
Boldly, her tongue slipped into my mouth, and no matter how much I fought, I couldn't stop my body from responding.
My muscles hardened against her soft curves, and I met the thrust of her tongue with a deep groan. Her unique flavor exploded on my taste buds like skittles submerged in a bottle of Coca-Cola.
I could never tire of her mouth, so I took advantage, licking every corner and sucking on her bottom lip. She moaned and kissed me deeper.
Yes, baby. I know what you need. Keep kissing me like that and you're going to get it.
It took a lot of willpower to pull myself away from her. I didn't get far because she tightened her grip on my upper arm. I caught the look of frustration in her eyes before she opened her luscious lips and uttered words that would cause the most steadfast men to leave all caution to the wind.
"Please, don't stop. I know I look crazy with half of my makeup still on but I want you." She kissed my jawline and reached down to caress my dick through my slacks. "Make love to me. Please. Right now."
You're a little enchantress. My fucking sexy sorceress, and damn me if your magic isn't working on me.
My tongue swept over my lips at the thought of giving her what she craved.
The air in my lungs stilled and my breath shortened. My cock swelled, precum leaking from the tip. Grabbing her by her throat, I met her burning gaze head-on. I pushed her up against the mirror and ran my thumb over her lips, smearing what was left of her lipstick.
She didn't whimper or back down. Instead, she pushed her breasts forward until her stiff nipples were pressed against my forearm and my hardness was huddled firmly against her stomach.
"You know what to do," I said in a low voice. "Strip and wait for me on the bed. Touch yourself until you're dripping wet. The wetter you are, the sooner you'll get to feel me inside of you."
I released her and turned away, fighting the urge to take her right here. Right now.
Behind me, I heard a sharp inhale of breath as she filled her lungs up with air once more. "I want you now. Don't make me wait. Please."
"I- mierda, Carla."
"What?"
I spun around to face her. "I fucked you this afternoon, in the middle of our wedding. Wasn't that enough?"
She tilted her head, her eyes scanning my face for answers to whatever questions she had floating around in her head. "Are you going to tell me what's going on? Or are you going to keep lying to me?"
"Lying to you? When have I lied to you?"
"You're lying to me right now!"
"Watch your tone."
She raised her chin. "Or what?"
You're begging for it, cariño. If you think I won't punish you for behaving like a brat, you're mistaken.
"Just wait here until I get back."
I turned to leave, doubting my decision to tell her about the threat at a later time. I truly hoped I was making the right call and that it wouldn't cost me my marriage before it had even begun.
"Dante, where are you going?"
My hand paused on the doorknob. "I'm going to check the grounds before I lock up."
And then I'm going to come back in here and fuck the life out of you.
"Why? Aren't we safe here?"
"We are."
"And why don't I believe you? Did you hear something outside?" She came up behind me and touched my shoulder, her fingers grabbing the fabric of my shirt to keep me from leaving.
"No."
"Then don't go. Stay here with me. This villa is in the middle of nowhere. No one is here but us."
My woman was predictable whenever she was worried. The childish tone in her voice often betrayed her and her touch tended to carry an urgency to it.
"Carla," I warned.
Slowly, I turned around to face her. She kept her hand on my shoulder. The fear in her eyes was my undoing, but I couldn't allow it to keep me from protecting her. "Baby, it's okay. You're right, there's no one here but us, but I would like to double-check. It can't hurt to be too careful."
"I'm sorry. I guess I'll never get over that fear. You know what happened with my father. He left to check and ended up dying."
"I know." I kissed her, chastely. "I won't be gone long. Five minutes max. I'll be careful. Okay?"
She let go of me and I saw tears brimming in her eyes.
Shit.
I was hurting her, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I consciously left her exposed to danger.
"Five minutes," I said again when she still seemed uneasy. "Use that time to remove the rest of your makeup. When I come back, I would like to make love to my wife, not a raccoon."
Her sad face transformed and she burst into a fit of laughter. She wiped the smudged mascara from under her eyes with her fingertips when the tears she had been holding brimmed over in tears of relief.
I smiled. "You're so fucking cute. Look at you laughing and crying at the same time."
"Call it my superpower." She grinned and turned to face the mirror. "Hah! I do look like a raccoon."
"A sexy raccoon with a fat ass."
She chuckled and her eyes twinkled as her tears dried. "I'll take that."
We stared at each other for a moment; a quiet understanding hovered in the air between us.
She: Don't get killed.
Me: I'll be back and I'm going to make you come so hard.
With a wink, I strolled out of the villa into the dark evening. The pool lights were on and the water shimmered blue-green as I walked past.
Palm trees swayed in the wind. Crickets sang a modern melody that sounded a lot like a tune from Bruno Mars. I looked up and saw the red dot of the security camera that was facing the immaculate entrance of the villa.
Whoever had put that note in our honeymoon suite had to be caught on footage somewhere.
There was one more camera on the property watching the back of the villa. A quick stroll on the large grounds behind the villa didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary.
I made my way back, stopping in the office first. I logged into the cameras' software and scrubbed through the footage of guests arriving and departing. The ceremony had been short, but everyone invited to it had also joined us for the reception. In total, there had been fifteen people at our wedding.
Carla's mother had shown up late, and as usual, had barely interacted with her daughter. And during the reception, she was the first guest to leave.
Although Carla tried to hide the fact that her mother's behavior was hurtful, I knew better.
Carla's mom was never seen entering the villa, so I scratched her off of the list of suspects.
My father, my uncle, and my aunt Dr. Valeria were the only people at our wedding directly associated with the Galician clan, and neither of them was seen entering the villa.
Annabella had gotten an invitation, but as expected, she hadn't shown up. The last time we spoke was two years ago.
I watched Carla and her bridesmaids, tracking them as they made several trips to the bathroom inside, while everyone else, including myself, had chosen to use the bathroom next to the bar outside.
I scratched my ear and leaned back in my seat. With my body wired tight, the seat felt like it was made of stone. I slowed the playback speed of the last footage of Carla and her girls entering the villa.
My wife looked fucking gorgeous in her white dress. The way her breasts were perfectly cradled in the corset-like dress made my dick hard all over again. Her natural hair was styled in a fancy updo and a comb of sorts with pearls and tiny white flowers was tucked behind her ears and strands of it curled up into her hair.
As she walked, chatting and laughing with her friends, she looked up at the camera. The glance lasted only a moment, but the happiness in her gaze stole my breath and brought out my protective instincts even more.
Sighing, I replayed the same scene, focusing on her friends' behavior this time.
They all seemed happy. Eva, tall with straight brunette hair that fell to her waist, held on to Carla's arm and was evidently the one leading the way.
Madeleine, the French girl who was somber and mellow ninety percent of the time, appeared positively cheerful, her rosy cheeks full and round with her smile.
Jenna, Carla's old classmate, and fast-becoming BFF had found her place among the group and was fitting in well. There was some tension between Eva and Jenna but that was to be expected. Eva and Carla had been best friends since childhood and now a stranger was threatening to come between them.
Did that stranger also want to come between us? What motive did she have?
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