Kissed by Fire (Book 5 of Wolves of Milano)

6.Secrets are a bi*ch

Mateo lets his eyes flash red. It’s a sign that he borrowed the magic from his wolf. It was a pain growing up with magic when nobody was supposed to know that he could do it. He learned to hide it. He learned to harness it. He learned to use it. All on his own, with no books or guidance. The one spell book he found that belonged to his grandmother was completely useless to him. All she did was healing potions, and he sucks at botany. The things he has done in the past are all insignificant and small compared to what he can do now. Compared to the thing he does to himself, to his wolf, to his mate. He can’t commit to her when she doesn’t know. Telling her… not a good thing. Not while his father is still a threat to her. Not while Vito is alive.

He blocks the mate bond before he enters the house they share. At least she asked for money. He wishes he could have given her more, but she doesn’t know about it. How to tell her that? His imagination is good, but all he comes up with are bad endings. He smiles ruefully, because she is in a good mood tonight. She sounds cheerful and rested. He hasn’t heard her sing in a long time. Her voice is a balm his soul so desperately needs. He has the mansion now, he can deplete his energy to make her happy and go there in the morning to rest. The empty spaces are big enough for the wolf. And since the beast likes the place, he won’t tear it apart in an attempt to get out. Maybe he can even let the wolf run around the park? The fence has been fixed. It’s now high enough so that it keeps the wolf inside. He can’t jump it, even if he wanted to.

‘Nice plan.’ His wolf sounds distant because Mateo is blocking the beast with magic. To stop the bond from forming, he has to lock the wolf deep inside his mind. ‘Now, go kiss her already. I could go crazy with all this pent up lust.’

‘There will be a day when this will no longer be necessary. Have some patience.’ Mateo responds. He knows the wolf is right. It’s Lyana or nothing. No amount of masturb*tion does the trick, so he ignores his lust for as long as he can. It’s easy on the days when she comes home from work so tired that she can barely stand, but not today. She was free, she rested. And she’s happy. A wonderful combination in a perfect package.

He walks up to her with a smile on his face. The small potted violet he got her can wait for tomorrow, so he sets it on the table. She is the single focus for him now. The most gorgeous woman on the planet; his Lyana. He embraces her from behind and kisses her neck. He inhales her sweet scent of violets and sugar, delicate just like she is. He can feel her shudder. He can feel her lust. This close to her, he can even smell it. She wants him, too. She has been complaining lately that he’s neglecting her. She doesn’t know how bad he wants her, but there is not enough magic in the world for him to please her every day. He will be forced to tell her the truth, but not today. Today, he will pleasure her senseless, and regret everything tomorrow.

She spins in his arms to face him and gives him a scorching kiss. It melts his soul just a bit and he can feel his wolf softly purring deep down. He has to be careful with her. It’s easier when he does all the work, he can hold on to his mental shields better that way. So he smiles at her and lifts her on the kitchen counter. Her legs wrap around his waist automatically when he leans her back to kiss her. The trail of kisses he leaves on her gentle skin makes her shudder again. The heating is on low, because they like it cooler inside, even in winter. So the contrast of the cold air, wet skin and hot kisses gets to her even more. She moans quietly and rubs her core on his hard body. She is turned on so easily. He loves it.

Mateo runs his hands down her body to lift her shirt over her head. He wants more skin to lick and kiss. He wants her naked, hot, and wet. He is on borrowed time. He never knows how long the magic will last. He licks the soft planes of her belly. He thinks she needs to eat more. She is too skinny, but getting any fat on a wolf is close to impossible. They burn through the calories too fast. Trivia like this helps him keep in control. He loves her too much to ruin the fragile relationship they have. Kissing her skin and getting rid of the tight jeans is next on his agenda. It doesn’t sound too romantic up in his head, but she can’t hear his thoughts, so it’s fine. Her pleasure is all that matters.

He pulls her jeans down her long legs and glances back up at her. She is looking at him through veiled eyes. Pleasure and lust are battling for dominance in her face. She is flushed and hot for him. He winks at her before he buries his face between her legs. He licks and bites her gently. The thin line between pleasure and pain is where he wants her to be. Just on the edge of an orgasm. He is naughty that way, but she loves it. She never once complained about his technique. Her moaning and squirming is answer enough for him. He smiles wickedly at her when he finally lifts his head away from her core.

Dropping his own jeans down while she unbuttons his shirt, he gives a little kiss to her. Her lips are so soft he wants to bite her. He wants to rough her up a bit, but he won’t do it. Not unless she asks for it. Maybe one day, she will. But it’s not today. He kisses her softly and enters her hot folds. She wraps her legs back around him to pull him closer. There won’t be any slow play today. She is too turned on for that. Her moaning intensifies as he pushes all the way inside. Her tempo will be fast, so he better hold on to the counter. They will end up on the floor anyway, but he can avoid getting hit on the head. Maybe. She is a whirlwind when she lets go of her passion.

Her first orgasm washes over him and he grinds his teeth together. He will give her one more. He owes her that much.She pushes gently at his chest. A sure sign that she wants a change of position. He takes them down to the carpet with her on the top. Any carpet burns will heal by tomorrow anyway. She pounces on him like a hungry lioness. He likes to see her like this. Wild and carefree. Hot and flushed. Glowing with happiness. He loves her so much. He lets her dictate the tempo. She won’t last long, but neither will he. The kisses turn to small bites and he moans. She will be the death of him one day. He licks her skin and bites on a nip*le. Never breaking the skin, just giving her the extra edge of pleasure. He takes her hips in his hands to steady her before he takes the tempo up a notch. He can’t hold on to his magic much longer. He has to finish this fast. For both of them. He closes his eyes to prevent her from seeing the red when he comes. He doesn’t want to scare her. He loves her.

‘You knocked me out last night! Did you at least pleasure her right?’ His wolf complains in the morning.

‘Yes. You know I would never leave her hanging.’ Mateo answers with a chuckle. The benefit of an unconscious wolf was two more hours of sleep for him. He feels like a new man today.

‘What do we do about our other problem?’ The wolf inquires.

‘Do we have to talk about it? You just ruined my good mood.’ He huffs. The problem is his father.

‘Yes. As much as I would like to just forget about him and throw away the key, he is currently in our new home. He can’t stay. He ruins the feel of the house just by being there.’ The wolf growls.

They have that in common, but Mateo didn’t see a better option yesterday. He had to react quickly. So locking his father into the safe room under his mansion was the best he could come up with. He wasn’t invited to his aunt’s solstice party. That is just for the high-ranking wolves of the pack. Talk about the snobs of middle-class society! We wouldn’t want to be there even if he was invited. Thinking back, it might not have been the best thing to do, but what is done and all that…

He was at his mansion, finishing a few touches to his security system. He saw Allegra first. She never did any damage to anything of his, so he let her be. She is in enough distress without him barging into her business. Then he saw Elio following her trail. That interested him a bit more. The guy helped her? What is going on? Do they have more than the pretend relationship she forced him into? Mateo heard they were together, but knowing Allegra, that must have been a ruse. Too bad his cameras don’t pick up the sound. He would love to hear what the conversation was all about. Judging from the look on Elio’s face, nothing good.

After Elio and Allegra parted ways, Mateo saw his father on a different camera. Is the man cutting a shortcut through the mansion’s grounds? His parents live in a different part of Milano than his aunt and uncle, but the mansion and its vast forested park connects both parts. It’s also a protected area, so no new development is allowed here. When he bought the mansion, he made sure that there were no plans of any kind from the side of the city. He will protect the few acres of land. He likes the forest as it is. He might even plant a few more trees.

But he strayed from his thoughts. What is his father doing here? He has no business trespassing. The property ownership is veiled and complicated, he made sure of that. There is no way for his father to know who owns this land. He shakes his head and runs upstairs. He will follow his father to see what the man has planned. Mateo smirks at his own thoughts. His father never plans anything good. When he spots the man standing by one of the oldest trees with his claws out, he sees red. Nobody is allowed to harm any of his trees!

Mateo rushes his father and knocks him down to the ground. He rams his elbow into the back of the man’s head. Out cold with two well placed blows. He only managed this feat because his father was distracted and he had the element of surprise. Now what to do with him? He must have done something impulsive and all out stupid. His father is known for destroying things when his plans are thwarted. No matter the plan and how stupid it was. If Vito doesn’t get what he wants, things get hurt. The man is lucky he never let his frustrations out on them or their mother. Mateo would have ended him if he had.

He dragged his father inside and down to the cellar. Locking him in was the best he could have done yesterday. The new safe room will be tried out on a prisoner. And he can spy in on him as well. A two-way mirror is installed in the bathroom, along with several hidden cameras. He brought breakfast today. Water and bread with jam. Why feed the bastard with something he likes? He will give him just enough so he doesn’t starve. Then he has to make a plan. He can’t keep him here. The wolf was right. The man poisons the air just by being here.