Levi

I sprinted down the corridor straight for Geneva's bedroom. Charles poked his head out of his own room. "What the hell is happening?"


A piercing scream echoed from Geneva's room. The door was ajar, and in an instant, I could see the broken wooden frame around the doorjamb. Crashes and furious shouts emanated from within, accompanied by the shattering of glass.

Charles dashed out to join me. Servants and security guards rushed from all directions. Whoever was inside had better not have harmed her. I would dismantle everything and anyone who dared lay a finger on her.

I reached the threshold first and froze. Geneva knelt on the floor in her underwear and rested her hand on Nico's chest. Blood soaked his pajamas, and he was out cold.


'The bastard!" I stormed inside. 'What did he do to you?"

'It wasn't him!" Geneva pointed toward the balcony. Broken glass covered the carpet from the destroyed glass doors. 'Ryder Navaro was in here. Nico threw him off the balcony! He's still down there!"


Charles and a bunch of the security guys raced off in the other direction. I hesitated a second longer. My mind immediately switched to Nico breaking in here, but I should have known better. He got into this condition protecting Geneva. He would never break into her room.

Geneva sprang over to the dresser and grabbed her phone. 'I'm calling the medical team. Quick, Levi! Go find Ryder before he gets away!"

I charged outside. Ryder Navaro—in Geneva's bedroom! So that cocksucker actually carried out his lunatic plan. What was he trying to do in there? I could only think of one thing.

All our security measures came to nothing if he made it all the way to the house. We had some serious work to do to tighten our perimeter—or I should say,Ihad some work to do.

I depended on Nico to handle security. I dreaded trying to fill his shoes now that he was down for the count.

I barged outside to find Charles handling the search. We went back to the grounds under Geneva's balcony, but Ryder wasn't there. Someone must have gotten him out.

'Check the woods over there," I told one of the new guys. 'Make sure they aren't still inside the wall." I turned to Charles. 'Did you see anything?"

He shook his head. 'They're slippery fuckers. They always were."

'They were planning this when Nico got hurt this afternoon. Ryder must have had his own people stationed nearby to get him out if anything went wrong."

A bunch of cars pulled up the driveway, and the medical team poured into the house. By the time Charles and I got back upstairs, the medical team had taken Nico back to his room.

Geneva revolved around them, bombarding them with questions. 'What's wrong with him? Did he get injured again?"

'What happened?" I asked.

'Ryder came into my room. Don't ask me how Nico found out. He broke down the door and beat the shit out of Ryder. Then Nico threw him off the balcony." She turned back to the doctors. 'Did he hurt himself again? Is he gonna be all right?"

The doctor used the ultrasound machine to scan Nico's chest and then his head. 'He didn't hurt himself—not any worse than he already was. He's just lost a lot of blood. We need to give him a transfusion."

'Do it. Do whatever you have to do, even if it means taking him to the hospital." I turned back to Geneva. 'What was Ryder doing in your room? What does he want?" I shut my eyes and held up my hand. 'Don't answer that. I already know."

'It wasn't that. He wants to marry me."

'What?!" I thundered. 'You can NOT be serious!"

She nodded. 'I know it's weird, but he says he wants to propose to me and this was the only way he could do it without you trying to stop him."

'You're goddamn right I would try to stop him! He's our fucking enemy! His family is trying to destroy us."

'But think about it," she went on. 'If he wants to make a legitimate proposal, we should consider it, shouldn't we?"

'How can you even think of considering it?" Charles interrupted. 'I thought we understood each other earlier. You sure made me think you were serious about us."

Her expression changed when she faced him. They must have gone a lot farther toward coming to an understanding on their walk in the grounds. I shouldn't be jealous of him for getting close to her. That was what he was here for, after all.

'So, now you're throwing me off for Ryder Navaro?" Charles demanded. 'That's just rich."

'Charles…" She tried to touch him, but he jerked away and turned his back on her.

'I have to go cool off. Tell me when you're ready to think rationally."

He stormed off, and she sighed. She rubbed her head and watched the medical team carrying Nico out of her bedroom.

So, those bastard Navaros were trying to weasel their way into our empire by making a proposal to Geneva. No way could this proposal be legitimate. I didn't care what Geneva said. Nothing on God's green Earth would convince me of that.

She started to follow the medical team. She would probably spend the rest of the night or even the week at Nico's bedside.

I caught her arm. 'Hold it, Princess. You need to come downstairs to my office. We need to talk about this."

She hesitated and looked around her ruined bedroom. 'I guess I should put some clothes on."

'It might be a good idea."

She put on her bathrobe, and I led the way downstairs, but not before she cast a backward glance toward Nico's room.

I shut the office door and faced her. 'Are you serious about considering Ryder's proposal—I mean, really serious? You think he's sincere?"

She shrugged. 'It makes sense from a business standpoint, don't you think? The Navaros are even stronger and richer and more influential than the Terranovas. If I married Ryder, the family would be in an even more advantageous position than if I married Charles."

'Is that what Ryder said?"

'It's true, isn't it? You can't deny he has a point. It's also the best way to stop a war from breaking out. It would cool the Navaros off. We would be one family. They would have no more reason to fight us."

I took a deep breath, and something snapped in my mind. I just made out with this girl earlier this morning. I could never go back to just being her uncle and consigliere. We'd both crossed some invisible line.

I didn't know before that the line was even there, but now that I did know it was there, I couldn't go back. I didn't want to go back.

'If you are seriously prepared to consider a proposal from Ryder Navaro, maybe you'll consider a proposal from me too."

Her jaw dropped in wordless shock. She stared at me in flat disbelief, but now that I said the words, I didn't want to take them back.

I wanted this. I wanted her—not as a tasty treat on my office desk and not as my niece or my best friend's daughter.

As soon as I said it, I wanted it so bad it hurt. I loved this woman. I ached to marry her and keep her for myself.

'You!" she gasped. 'But how…?"

'I love you," I blurted out. 'I want to marry you. If you marry me, your father's power will be consolidated within the family. No one will question it, and your father's empire won't be diluted by someone else fathering your heir."

Her expression went blank staring up at me. Did she even hear what I just said?

I didn't expect her to react like this, but then again, I didn't plan to propose to her at all. The words just kind of fell out of my mouth, but once they did, I realized I meant them.

I took a few steps toward her, and now nothing could stop what was about to happen. I cupped her cheek, and her eyes softened when she looked down at my mouth. She fell into my hands with no effort.

'Marry me," I whispered, and then our lips met in a blissful kiss that lasted forever.

Her body erupted in passionate quivering excitement as never before. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rose on her tiptoes to meet me.

The moment I started kissing her, all the raging madness of this morning exploded out of all proportion. If this turned into another make-out session, I didn't trust myself to stop it the way I did before. I had to have her. I couldn't control the animal insanity taking me over.

She didn't back down an inch. She combed her fingers through my hair and attacked my mouth in ravenous kisses. Her sizzling hot tongue looped through my mouth in sensual, succulent coils.

I pulled her robe off. Her body quivered, and she looked impossibly tempting in her pink bra and panties. I slipped my hands inside her robe, and her warm skin set my blood on fire.

She crushed that delicious body against mine, and this time, she rubbed her sweet pussy against my cock without even asking. She let go of my neck and plunged her hand between my legs.

My cock raged in her hand, but she wouldn't leave me alone. She rubbed me hard and then stepped back to pull my belt buckle loose.

I couldn't stand this. I tried to bring myself and this whole situation under control, but she wouldn't stop. She shoved her hot little hand down into my shorts, and then she had me.

She wouldn't stop kissing me, and I gave up trying. I raked down her bra cups, and her round, perfect breast fell into my hand. I tore away and swallowed her precious little nipple into my hungry, gnawing mouth.

She squealed and arched her back to push her breast into my teeth. She clawed at my shirt trying to tear my clothes off. She really wanted it.

I rode the wave and picked her up in my arms so I could attack her breasts with all my might. She strapped her legs around my waist and hugged my head against her chest. Everything she did urged me to keep going—to go all the way. Did she really want this?

I should stop it. I shouldn't take her virginity right here in my office, but she sure wanted it.

I stumbled over to my chair and collapsed into it with her still clinging to me with all four limbs. She shrugged off her robe, and now nothing stood between me and that tight little body—the body that haunted my dreams all these months.

She sat right down on my throbbing knob and started riding it. I tried to calm the situation down, but when I stopped sucking her nipple, she started kissing me again.

She tugged my tie off and then started on my buttons. She didn't stop until she stroked her hands against my chest.

I groaned as her touch rocketed me out of my mind. I shouldn't be doing this. I had to stop this, but a second later, she pulled my cock out of my pants and stroked it until it stood straight up pointing at her.

'Princess…" I gasped between kisses. 'Princess… Stop… You don't want to do this."

'Yes, I do." She kissed me again and started rubbing the head of my cock against her panties. They were already soaking wet, and she smelled incredible. 'I want you to."

'No…" She kept silencing me with devouring kisses. 'Princess…"

'I love it when you call me that." She wrapped her arms around my neck and smothered me with her mouth and hair. She laid her whole body against me, and her bare breasts caressed my chest.

Goddamn, she felt so good! Her body vibrated with so much hungry energy. What if I did? What if I took her right now? Her virginity would be mine.

'Am I your princess?" Her tongue drove me into another delirium of passion. 'You want me, don't you?"