All He’ll Ever Be (Merciless World Series Book 1)

All I can think about as the phone rings, is how much control I’m going to need not to fuck Aria senseless until she’s screaming my name while her father is on the line.

I press the numbers slowly, one at a time, remembering the look of absolute agony on her face when I mentioned starting a war for her. I didn’t mean for it to break her.

It’s only the truth.

Putting the phone on speaker, the tension boils inside of me as the phone rings and Aria struggles on the desk.

Ring.

I trail my finger down her backside all the way to her knee, and she whimpers. “Hush,” I tell her, watching goosebumps form along her smooth skin.

Ring.

“You don’t want your father to hear you,” I say and don’t bother to whisper. The sound of her breathing hitching begs me to look into her eyes. They’re pleading with me, and I swear I’ll try to give her something from this call.

Something that will help her.

I’ll show her what kind of a man her father is.

Ring.

The third ring is only partial, followed by a low click and a pause before I hear the voice of my enemy. “Cross,” he answers the phone.

Anger erupts up my throat at the sound of his voice. I can only concentrate on Aria’s tempting body sprawled on my desk to calm me. Oh, and she does. Letting my fingers delight in her soft touch, I drag them up her wet lips and slowly push against the plug in her ass.

The suppressed moan tugs a sick smile onto my face as I answer, “Talvery.”

Continuing to fuck her ass with the plug and reveling in the faint sounds of the metal clinking as Aria tries her damnedest to both hold still and quiet the sounds of pleasure gathering inside of her and threatening to go off at any moment, I speak clearly, “I thought you may want to have a conversation?”

There’s silence on the other end as Aria’s lips form a perfect O and her lower back and thighs tremble. She’s so fucking close. Slipping a finger inside of her cunt, I use enough pressure to get her off.

“Maybe about my arrangements with your daughter?”

Her leg raises and slams down on the desk, twice. Two loud slams that jostle the phone as her face scrunches and she bites into her lip.

That’s once.

“You son of a bitch,” Talvery sneers at me, oblivious to what I’ve just done to his daughter.

Aria’s eyes pop open, although her face is still flushed and she’s struggling to breathe quietly.

“Don’t you know you should have more respect for women than that?” I tell Talvery and drag my fingers back down to Aria’s clit. The shiver that runs through her makes it all the more thrilling.

“How did you get her?” Talvery’s question makes me pause, taking my fingers away from her to consider his question. His first question. Not whether or not she’s well or safe, but how did I get her.

Two options exist. He knows of the informant and wants it verified, or he truly has no idea.

“She was a gift,” I explain to him evenly, my eyes narrowing on the phone and waiting for his response to give me more insight.

The sound of Aria’s sharp inhale reminds me of my songbird, and that she’s listening. Leaning forward, I plant a kiss on her thigh, one meant to soothe whatever pained thoughts are running through her head.

“From Romano?” he asks me, breathing heavier into the phone. “Is that what you expect me to believe?” he sneers, and Aria raises her head on the desk, ready to object and speak up, but I silence her, gripping her chin and shaking my head once. I know my expression is hard as fucking stone, which is what makes her flinch, but she cannot be allowed to speak to him.

I won’t let her be any more involved in this war than she already is.

“You can believe what you want. You asked a question. I answered.”

She’s tense on the desk and she’s facing away from me, trying to look at the phone, as if there’s anything there to see.

She scissors her legs, to turn her body so she can see the phone, and again my lips tug into a smile when she moans softly.

He can’t hear her as he tells me, “I’ve been informed.”

I don’t give him much thought. I know what he’s been told, and he can go fuck himself with that misinformation, while I fuck his daughter.

I move back to her ass, teasing her and fucking her with the plug. Her nails scratch against the table as she tries to fight the desire to moan out loud.

I hit mute for just a moment, ready to hear that sweet sound I love. Her father continues although he can’t hear us in return.

“What’d you do to her?”

I whisper to Aria, grabbing her ass with my other hand and forcing that beautiful sound to spill from her lips. The mix of intense pleasure and sting of pain too much for her to control. “Look at me while I fuck your ass, Aria.” Her eyes widen with fear and I smirk as I explain, “He can’t hear you, but I’m unmuting now, so be quiet, songbird.”

Those beautiful lips part with both a sigh of relief and then a quiet whimper of pleasure as I go back to teasing her pretty little cunt. Her eyes nearly close, but she whips them open, obeying my last command to look at me.

“I’ll kill you if you touched her.” Talvery issues a false threat as I unmute the conversation.

“How could I not touch her?” I ask him.

I hear a small whimper of protest from Aria and feel like a prick that I’m goading her father in front of her.

With apprehension coiling in the pit of my stomach, I speak. “I’ve given her everything she needs. She’s having hard days.” Although her father is listening, these words are just for her as I add, “She seems to be fitting in well, and at times she even seems happy.”

Her hazel eyes soften and nearly gloss over, her eyes never faltering from my gaze.

“What do you want, Cross?” Talvery’s harsh and bitter voice forces my jaw to clench.

I think about telling him how she told me she loves me. But repeating those words to him and using them like that would be a travesty.

She’s calmer, wide-eyed and waiting with bated breath for my answer.

“Just to talk. I have someone here who wanted to hear your voice.”

I push my fingers into her tight cunt and my thumb presses against the butt plug. The clinking of the handcuffs is loud enough for Talvery to hear and knowing that, a conceited grin stretches across my face.

“Let me speak to her,” he says but his demand is pathetic. I’d never do anything because he ordered it. I’d go through hell just to spite him.

“She’s a little tied up at the moment,” I tell him, feeling the arrogance surge inside of me, but wanting to contain it enough to keep it from hurting my Aria. I circle her clit ruthlessly, knowing she gets off so easily with this touch. I’d rather she be in such blinding pleasure that she can’t hear or even comprehend the conversation.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” he says, and he doesn’t hide the anger in his voice.

“You keep trying to do that,” I retort and the anger seeps into my voice with every passing moment. And although concern is clearly written on Aria’s expression, her thighs tremble with the upcoming release and her teeth sink into her bottom lip so hard she’ll be tasting blood if she bites any harder.

I mute the conversation again for only a second to command her, “Cum for me, Aria.” And then finger fuck her harder.

Her back bows and a soft, strangled cry slips by her lips just as I tell Talvery, “I promise I’m being good to her. I know how to treat a woman.”

At my words, she cums, hard and violently. Her entire body showing the tremors of pleasure that race through her.

“Did Romano tell you what she did?” I ask Talvery, more to remind myself. This strong woman is mine. I’m fucking proud to have her as mine.

“Stephan?” Talvery asks as Aria’s eyes meet mine and I whisper harshly in response, irritated by his interruption, “Yes.”

Breathing heavily, Aria tries to look up; she tries to will the phone to give her more of a response from her father.

But nothing comes.

There’s nothing but silence on the other line.

And I hate him for it. Truly hate him for the tears he brings to her eyes.

“You didn’t come for her.” I have to swallow the spiked ball growing in my throat. “How long have you known?”

When he doesn’t reply, the edge of hate comes on thicker and I say, “I know Romano spilling a little secret wasn’t what tipped you off.”

Her face crumples and I lean forward, kissing every inch of the curve of her waist.

“Give her a message for me,” Talvery says, but I ignore him in preference for the sweet sounds of gratitude I can barely hear from Aria.

“I couldn’t tell her before this, but I’m telling her right now.”

“I’m listening,” I tell him, only to mute the phone again as I kiss Aria’s reddened skin on her ass and gently move the butt plug in and out once again. She’s so close already.

“Tell her I said, ‘Stay quiet while I’m gone and stay in her room.’”

Unmuting the phone, I answer him quickly, “I’ll be sure to let her know,” and then hang up the phone, done with him and this conversation. And ready to hear her scream my name.

Moving her legs off the desk and fueled by her gasp and the sounds of her nails scratching along the desk, I unleash my cock and shove myself all the way in her to the hilt.

“Fuck, yes,” I groan as my limbs tingle. “Fuck, I need you,” I whisper along her back as I lower my lips to kiss along her skin. I stay still inside of her, letting her adjust and waiting to make sure she feels nothing but pleasure.

“You have no idea how much I want him to know you scream my name every night.”

“Is he—” Aria asks before throwing her head back with a strangled cry of pleasure as I slam inside of her again.

Still, she turns to look at the phone, with her face scrunched and struggling to stay quiet, and I know she’s wondering if he can hear.

Even as my cock is inside of her heat, she worries.

I won’t fucking allow it.

I bang the phone down over and over, so she can hear. One hand on the phone, the other with a bruising grip on her hip. I fuck her in time with the violent banging until she can register the dead tone.

Shoving the phone off the desk, I tell her, “He doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters.” My words come out with a hard grunt as her pussy spasms around my thick length. “There’s only us,” I push the words out, pistoning my hips and feeling my balls draw up once again.

As I pound into her, I ask her, “How does it feel to have your ass and pussy filled at the same time?”

“Carter,” she whimpers my name as she cums again. And then again. As I ride through her pleasure, each one harder and stronger than the last, I beg my body not to give in.

I want to stay in this moment forever. Her chained to my desk, feeling nothing but the heat of my desire and the thrill of me fucking her until her legs are weak and shaking.

But I have to. And on the third time her cunt grips my dick with her orgasm, I thrust myself as deep inside of her as I can, and cum harder than I ever have in my life.

I’m breathless when I pull the plug from her, giving her yet another wave of pleasure. I’m panting when I uncuff her and pull her into my lap to feel her heated skin tremble against mine.

The sound of our mingled breathing doesn’t last long. Aria’s hair tickles along my shoulder as she pulls away from me, reaching for the phone.

Her shoulders shake with her ragged breath and her eyes look lost in the distance.

“It’s fine,” I tell her, the swell of rage and worse, disappointment, brewing inside of me.

“Can I call him back?” Her question is immediate and laced with a mix of fear and worry. “Just me, please?” she begs me in a broken whisper.

Watching her swallow, I gauge her desperation that seemingly came from nowhere.

“I don’t trust your father,” I tell her honestly.

“You can trust me,” she suggests weakly, the pleading tone still present.

I give her silence as I search her gaze and the desperation transforms to anger when she adds, “You didn’t have to taunt him like that,” but her voice cracks.

She’s worried. Something’s wrong

“Please let me call him back,” she begs again. “I promise it’s okay. I just want to tell him I’m all right.” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she looks me in the eyes, both of her hands gripping on to me.

“No, what’s wrong?” She won’t look me in the eye at my response, so I grab her chin, forcing her eyes up and searching for the truth inside of them.

“Why does it have to be like this?” Her words crack, and tears leak from the corners of her eyes.

“What the hell happened?” My eyes narrow as I watch her lose it. Losing every ounce of composure. “What’s wrong?”

“I love you,” she answers with pain. “I’m sorry,” she whimpers, wiping her eyes and trying to get away from me and out of my hold.

“I would never hurt you,” I tell her as my heart races, knowing I can’t give her the same words back. “You know that?” Going over everything that happened, all I can think is that it’s the way I spoke about how she came to me. The way we started and the arrogance I showed. “The way I was talking-”

She stops me, pressing her fingers to my lips, “I would never hurt you either.”

My phone going off distracts me; the message is from Jase. You need to see this, now.

Pressing a kiss to her soft lips, I try to end her worries. She attempts to deepen it, but I pull away, pressing my forehead to hers and wishing I didn’t have to leave her right now.

I whisper against her lips, “Wait for me in the bedroom.” I open my eyes to see the longing in hers and a well of emotion that knows no depths.

She only nods, loosening her grip as I set her down on the ground and stand up with her.

“I have something to take care of and then I’ll come to you,” I tell her, but her expression is absent of accepting a thing I’m telling her. One day she’ll understand that I’ll take care of everything so long as she trusts me to.

But she goes just the same and I watch her walk away from me as I stand outside the office door, wondering if she holds the same opinion of her father now that she did hours ago.

She glances behind her one last time, giving me a sad smile before disappearing around the corner to the stairwell.

I don’t make it down the hall before Jase is up the stairs, full steam in his gait until he lifts his head and sees me.

“We need to talk.” Jase’s voice carries down the hall with an edge of urgency. “Now.”

“What’s going on?” I ask him, feeling my forehead crease and the adrenaline pumping harder.

“There’s been a breach. Looks like we’re going to have company.” His eyes reflect the welcome of a challenge and my lips curl up in agreement.

“Talvery?” I ask him, wondering if her father was already in motion before the call, or if he stupidly acted off impulse.

Jase nods, but worry lines his expression. “There are only six.”

“Six men?” I question. “Talvery isn’t that fucking stupid.”

“One’s an informant and probably how they got past the first gate. Two are her blood.”

“You think someone helped him?” I question Jase, thinking the informant was aided by someone he’s spoken to, but he shakes his head quickly.

“We were alerted the second they were spotted. Where’s Aria?” Jase questions and I’m quick to answer, “She’s safe in my bedroom. She won’t leave.”

My throat dries and tightens, thinking about them stealing her, but worry and fear will only bring my downfall.

“There’s no way he thought he could succeed in doing anything but sending his own men to be killed with only six.”

“There’s definitely something off,” he adds and pulls up the feed on his phone. Six men along the inner tower, fully armored. I watch with him as he asks me, “We could question them?”

My chest tightens as I recognize the face of one man. “Nikolai.”

He dared to come here. To try to take what’s mine? Anger fills my blood and a seething mix of jealousy and vengeance turns my vision red.

“I was thinking we eliminate the three that don’t matter but bring the cousins and Nikolai in for questioning.” His statement is spoken in a low voice as he looks behind us, back to where Aria waits for me.

I lick my lips, knowing that Talvery is fully aware all six would die in an attempt to infiltrate and kill us, to rescue Aria.

“Nikolai is foolish and desperate. If he came because he knew she was here, I could see him only being followed by a few men.”

“They’re all high ranking,” I say quickly, knowing each one of them. Recognizing a few who have killed on my streets.

“There’s no way they came without Talvery knowing.”

“Did they come to kill? Or to take her?” I ask Jase but had I waited for a second longer, I wouldn’t have had to ask at all. I watch as one of them drops a grenade on the edge of the garage, followed by another a few feet farther down. They came to kill.

“They left explosives lining the gate. A scan shows they have enough on the bags strapped to their backs for the entire estate if they could get through it.” My lips twitch with menace. “The same as before?” I ask Jase, remembering the site of the ash and rubble my former home was made to be. “You think it’s the same men?”

Jase and I share a look, but he doesn’t answer me verbally.

A call to Jase’s phone replaces the surveillance on his phone. The moment he answers, my own phone rings to life in my pocket.

“It’s Aria,” Jase tells me before I answer my phone. He doesn’t hide the nervousness as he tells me, “She’s not staying in the bedroom.”

“Where is she going?” I ask him, but then realize it doesn’t matter. If she sees, she’ll have to choose.

“Let her be, let her come if she chooses.” My heart races as Jase tells them my orders and my phone dies in my hand. She’ll see what they’re capable of and what I need to stop, what I need to protect.

Let her see, let her choose.

“Have them kill the three, now.” My voice is hard although inside tremors of rage grow. The three bodies will drop the second the command is given, leaving the other three scrambling but trapped on our estate. “Bring the other three to me.”