Devoted (Beneath the Mask, #3)

by Luna Mason

To all my dirty girls who think hand tattoos are just pretty necklaces. This one is for you. Mr. Russo will see you now…

This was never the life he wanted, but the one we were forced into. I gave him his freedom; it’s not something I will ever have. I had to let him go, to finally have the family he deserved with Sienna.

A whole year we’ve had to put up with them avoiding each other, and now, it looks like they’ve finally caved. I’ve got a ten grand bet with my foster brother, Keller, that they would screw by the end of the year. I probably should up the bet to ‘married’ by the end of the year.

They have no idea it’s because I’m petrified of being intimate with a man. That I’m tarnished. That I haven’t been touched by anyone since him. And I’m not sure I ever will.

He wants to act like nothing happened to me. Fine. But I can’t forget the moment my life was shattered by one of his men.

She needs someone to protect her, to care for her, and that person is me. Even if my heart is in my throat the entire time.

“I just need your help, Mom. So does Rosa. I haven’t slept or eaten since yesterday. She’s been throwing up, sweating, and has been in and out of consciousness all night. I can’t do this on my own anymore.” I hate having to ask for help. It makes me feel like a failure.

He scowls at me. I might joke, but he has never been happier. Him and Sienna have a perfect family, with their kids Max and Darcy.

“I would have paid millions to see her pull a gun out on you,” I chuckle.

“Shit, it was scary and hot all at the same time. I always said she’d try to kill me one day. Honestly, just wait until you meet your Maddie. I would have let her shoot me. That’s the scary part.”

“I don’t think that’s in the cards for me yet. Although, if I do, I’ll be snatching that gun out of her hands and shoving it up her pussy until she’s screaming my name.” I burst out into laughter as Grayson bites the inside of his mouth,...

My head throbs, and embarrassment takes over. My nightmares are back. He’s back. And what’s worse, Luca has seen my weakness.

But darker thoughts overwhelm me. Older memories. All I can see are Dante’s black eyes glaring at me. I can feel his slimy hands on my skin and his wet lips on my neck.

“This is your safe space. Your sanctuary. And I want to listen. Give me your demons, Rosa. Let them out of your brain and into mine. Let me take some of this pain from you.”

I rest my forehead against hers. And, for some reason, it feels like home. Something I’ve never truly had.

“Not anything like that. I just like you cuddling me to sleep. You keep my nightmares away.” She shrugs, making a pout with those lips I am so desperate to kiss.

My cock might have to learn how to behave, and possibly my heart. I’m starting to realize there’s not a damn thing I’d say no to this woman for.

“I was left in an apartment on my own as a baby and got taken in by Social Services. My mom was a junkie that OD’d. They found her next to me. They couldn’t find my dad.”

“I was tossed from place to place until one family sent me to Tony’s boxing club when I was eight because I had a temper.” He shrugs. “What they didn’t realize, Tony ran an underground fight club. So when everyone else gave up on me, I always had a place to go. But that’s where I met my brother, Keller. Tony took him in, too, and we spent our teens fighting for food and for survival.”

“And then Mrs. Russo took us in when we were sixteen. An older Italian lady who’d just lost her husband. She tried to whip us boys into shape, and we fucking love her for it, though, and her cooking. Our bellies were full, we had a warm bed, and we had a real family. So as soon as we turned eighteen, we changed our last names to Russo. We were her sons and always will be.”

“Well, turns out my dad wasn’t a runaway junkie like my mom. He was the head of the fucking mafia. Giuseppe Luciano.”

“There was an explosion at our house. I was only fourteen. It happened so fast, I don’t remember much. Eva and I were making up dance routines in the garden. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital. My mom, Nona, and a few others were killed.”

He bites his bottom lip. “You may or may not have grabbed my dick in your sleep.” “No! I did not!” I gasp.

And a picture of Luca, Keller, and an older lady I assume is Mrs Russo. I squint–I swear she looks vaguely familiar.

“And why am I your treasure, Luca?” His full lips twitch into a smile. “It’s because you are. You are my stolen treasure.”

God definitely was a man, if this is the kind of shit he puts women through.

“Luca?” “Please tell me I can kiss you.” The easiest answer I will ever have to give leaves my lips. “Yes.” “Oh, thank fuck.”

Five hours later and I’m still engrossed in this book. Not just any book–the damn dirtiest, filthiest smut. It has me blushing and giggling, even at times my mouth hangs open. He fucked her with the handle of a knife. Am I completely wired wrong for finding that even remotely hot? I’ve

I’m almost orgasming from his filthy mouth. Unbelievable, a man who can get a woman off with words. Never, ever in my life have I been so desperate for every single detail he described.

“It’s you, Rosa. Just simply by existing, you are perfect. Even if you want to just lay here and let me worship your body for the night, we can do that. This is new for me too. What I do know is, anything with you will be everything.”

“I want to feel alive. I’ve never been with anyone else–since. You would be my first,” she whispers so quietly I have to stop for a second to register her words. I go completely still. “It would be a fucking honor, Rosa.”

I nod, and she removes her hand. I lay down flat on the bed, my erect cock ready and waiting, resting my hands behind my head. I mean every word. This is about her; she deserves to have the power. Claim back a part of her that was ripped from her.

Putting my hands back behind my head, she leans forward, her hand grabs my throat to hold herself upright. “Well, fuck, that’s new,” I choke out. “Oops, sorry.” She lifts herself back up, her cheeks now red. “Leave the hand there, Rosa.” I tug at her arm to put her hand back.

“The opposite. It will be my new bucket list, baby. I want to tick off every single thing you write in there.”

Anal, hand necklaces, can I squirt?, spitting, edging, sixty-nine, Back door play on him?

“Good girl. You’re safe here. I will always protect what's mine, tesoro.” A

“Someone working for you isn’t who he says he is. He has Maddie, I am certain. If you let me explain, you’ll see why.” He

“My daughter, Maria, wants to build my empire in New York for me. She’s an overachiever, you could call her. She needs a visa, so you two will marry. She will also be there to keep an eye on you, make sure you are conducting my business in the right way here. If you fuck this up, well–” He pauses, looking at the frame. “There is nothing more devastating to a father than losing his only daughter, is there, Luca?”

“Mr. Francis Falcone.” Fal-fucking-cone. That motherfucker.

“Rosa, do you have any family members called Frankie?” I pull back and gasp. “Yes, an uncle. He left us a few years ago. I haven’t seen him since the explosion that killed my mother.”

“Rosa is fucking dead.” I keep my eyes glued on Frankie. He stiffens next to Grayson and his jaw ticks. He keeps his eyes on the ground, refusing to look at me or Grayson. Bingo.

“I think Frankie is working with the Falcones. You were right, something wasn’t adding up. He appears out of nowhere, wanting to work with me. I met with Romano Capri in Sicily. Frankie wasn’t a damn bodyguard, he was his right-hand man. He left because he had family business to attend to in New York. Every damn time, he knows exactly where the Falcones new hideouts are. He was the last one to see Maddie.”

I don’t know for how long. But, for as long as she’s in this house, I am going to make sure there are enough memories to last us both a lifetime, because we need them.

All those times he’s questioned Rosa’s safety and my plans. He was never going to let me hurt her. She needs someone to help her fight. No matter how fucking angry I am at him right now, if Maddie is unharmed, alive and well, then maybe, just maybe, I will let him live. For her.

“But we have bigger problems. Romano is coming for our city. We need all the manpower we can get. Marriage or not, that won’t protect you. Maria is a bitch, like a rottweiler. She will be waiting, if not planning your slip up. That I can assure you.”

“No matter what happens next, my treasure, you will always be my home,”

“This is keeping you safe, it’s protecting you. Frankie will look after you. The Capris–I’m in too deep, but your uncle is helping me. Right now, there is no way out for me, baby. If there was even a glimmer of hope, I wouldn’t do this. You have to trust me.”

“No. And I never will. This is a means to an end. I’m marrying Romano Capri’s daughter. You are the one who owns my heart.”

“Do you seriously believe this was all a lie? That I don’t truly love you?” His chest heaves as he takes a deep breath. “Because I do, Rosa. I love you so much it hurts. This is the last thing I ever wanted to happen. I even bought a goddamn house in Greece for us to go to. I wanted it all with you.”

“I knew this tattoo would look gorgeous wrapped around your neck.” His lips tickle over my ear. I furrow my brows and pull his palm back enough to look. I gasp when I spot the dark rose spanning across the entire front of his hand. “W-why did you get that?”