Peter POV

I wake up from my nap gasping. The memory of Daniel dying is rushing through me as I push through the last remnants of sleep. I lie there for a moment, trying to reconcile everything. I’m not sure who to be the most pissed at. I knew he wasn’t happy, he said I shouldn’t have taken him out of the hospital. His urges were too much for him to handle, but damn, he could have talked to me. I bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood when I think of Eamon. Fucker put Daniel in that situation to take that bullet, hiding the knowledge that they were real, because if I’d known then, fuck no, I wouldn’t have allowed it. He never understood brotherly love, though. I shouldn’t have waited. I should have taken Eamon out first. But it’s too late for that.

Lio. Lio pulled the fucking trigger. A deep growl builds in my chest. I loved him. I gave him everything, and he repaid me by killing my brother. Daniel’s voice echoes in my brain about needing to keep calm, not to punish Lio for not being perfect, but damn it, Lio has always been perfect. It’s why he’s mine. It’s why I found him, took him, and did everything I could for him. I take deep breaths, trying to rein in the anger and the poisonous hate that wants to spread. Maybe I just need to push him more, make him earn his forgiveness. I’m not fucking sure at this point if that’s possible, but maybe it’ll work. Maybe I can recapture our love. Maybe…

I startle when I notice he’s not in bed with me. I’ve been so lost in my head. Memories of what I did earlier float in my mind, and I quickly move to look at the floor. I exhale forcefully when I see him. I feared for a split-second that he’d escaped, but he didn’t. It means he knows he needs to be punished, he needs it the same way I do.

He doesn’t raise his head even as I move. I know kneeling for so long must be hurting his knees, but I don’t give a shit. I reach out and grab his hair, forcefully bringing him up and onto the bed. The way he scrambles slowly to move tells me how stiff he is from holding the same position for so long. I violently push him on his back and straddle him, grabbing his throat with my hand and squeezing. He doesn’t fight back, although I wish he would. His face steadily changes color, and tears roll down his face, making a pathway through the dried cum, but still, he doesn’t fight. The most he does is tilt his head back to give me better access. I wrench my hand off his neck, letting him draw in huge gasps of air. I punch the pillow by his head, barely missing his face. That, at least, draws a reaction from him. The flinch and fear. I want his fear. I need it.

Excerpt (Emilio POV)

“You’re going to wear yourself out. Come on. Let’s go for a swim,” Ignacio lectures.

I jolt in my seat, not having noticed him come up behind me. My head is swimming with numbers and dates. The maid was kind enough to find me an empty office in this mansion, not far from Master’s recovery room.

I had gathered all the information Luca has on the O’Connel Family’s movements, and I’m trying to make sense of it. It’s clear Il Padrone kept a close eye on them, even if he never viewed them as a legitimate threat. My heart clenches as I think of that. I need to know more about Eamon and what he’s plotting. To do that I’ll need to research them thoroughly. It’s what I’ve always done.

“Lio! Pull yourself away,” Ignacio snaps. I cringe at his angry tone and look up at him. I hunch my shoulders at the fierceness of the man looking at me, his body is coiled tight and his nostrils are flared. Fuck, this was so much easier when Master told me what to do. I rub my sore, red eyes, and nod at him. I push back in the chair and groan as I stand.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble. With a deep sigh, he crushes me to him. I relax into the hug and inhale the spicy cologne he wears, the cinnamon notes with cedar finished with a slight coffee aroma makes me melt even more.

“It’s okay, but you need to get out of here for a bit. Let’s go do some laps around the pool,” he murmurs in my hair.

“You just want to see me all wet,” I tease him as I step away. It feels weird to draw comfort from him physically, but I can’t help it. Once I stopped being terrified of him, he became a favorite of mine.

We’re both quiet on the way to the pool. It’s a comfortable silence, but I know it won’t last long. As soon as we make it to the pool, I don’t even bother going to the showers and grabbing swim trunks. I undress quickly before leaping into the water wearing only my briefs. I hear Ignacio laugh from underneath the water, a distorted but cheerful sound that makes me smile as I break the surface. It’s a relaxing sensation, being back in the pool. It hits me that I’ve missed this feeling. Ignacio jumps in, and I immediately splash him, starting a fight, and our laughter peals out.

“Let’s race,” I gasp out after our impromptu fight.

It’s been a while since I’ve really smiled, and I feel a twinge of guilt before I shake it off. I know Ignacio is right, just like Luca has lectured me before. I need to take breaks in order for my mind to be sharp. Same as I did in college. I no longer care that my life has changed so drastically, that all my foolish dreams have disappeared. I wouldn’t trade being Il Padrone’s boy for all the classes and dreams I used to have.

I slice through the water as I race Ignacio, lap after lap. There’s no competition even as he tries to use his muscular power. Not even that can keep up with my experience and how my body moves. It’s why Master used to love to watch me swim—well that and the way water dripped down my body afterward. At some point, sex changed from a way to escape, to feel good, to creating a connection, especially with him. I slap the edge of the pool and wait for Ignacio to catch up.

I eye Ignacio’s strong body as he finishes and can’t resist the bolt of lust that goes through me as I take in all of his tattoos. They do nothing to cover his sinewy body. Memories of the time together with him, Luca, and Master flood my mind. Perhaps, I can still use intimacy to relieve some of the stress crashing over me.

I hook my leg around Ignacio’s hip as he stands with water dripping off him. With a gentle push off, I wrap my arms around him and kick my other leg up around his hip. Taking advantage of him being slightly out of breath, my lips cover his, and I slide my tongue into his mouth. I coax him out to play and tighten my legs. I can feel his cock harden against mine, and we both let out a groan. I don’t get any relief from the heady feeling swamping me because he pushes me away quickly. He ducks under the water before popping up further away from me, igniting a fury deep inside me.

“Why?” I ask, the fury giving out to hurt in a heartbeat.

“You should know,” he chides. “You still belong to Il Padrone. It doesn’t matter if that’s Allesandro or Luca. The rules are the same. No touching without permission.”

Emilio’s POV

I turn on the water and grab my soap and shampoo while it heats up. By the time it’s ready, the room is filled with steam. I quickly wash my hair and body as I count the minutes down. I know Ignacio enters the shower at a certain time, and I want to play. Master may be able to stop me from having too much fun, but so far, he hasn’t stopped me from torturing the other boys.

I pour some more soap in my hands and then slowly stroke my cock while I play with my balls. It doesn’t take long for my cock to become hard as I use the right pressure and twist at the top. The suds dripping down tickle my balls, making me shudder. I remove my left hand and brace it on the wall when Ignacio steps inside. All of the training has really defined my muscles, and I can feel his stare on me. It’s a heavy weight I embrace.

I tighten my grip and start to move my hips, fucking my hand. I do it slowly at first, making sure to flex my ass muscles with every thrust. I moan when I occasionally swipe my thumb over my slit that’s leaking precum. Even with the noise of the water, I start hearing his own groans. I spur him on by pushing into my hand even harder. It makes me groan, and my head falls forward to rest on the wall. Despite the soreness and exhaustion from the training, I want to see how far I can push him. I fuck my fist hard and fast, imagining Ignacio coming up to me and sliding into my ass. I start a constant stream of “fuck, fuck, fuck,” and start shaking. I know it’s not going to take much for me to come, but I try to make it last. Finally, the pressure building gets to be too much, and my balls become too tight. Right before I come, I throw my head back.

“Ignacio!” I shout. I hear an answering groan from him and I turn my head to look at him, reveling in the dark, lust-filled gaze roaming across my whole body. I’m breathing heavily and in no shape for any other activities, but I take my time looking at him. The veins in his neck are standing out, disfiguring some of the tattoos stretching along there. His body is covered in ink, swirls of dark with the rare pop of color. I’ve never seen anyone so covered, but it makes me want to trace every one with my tongue. I look at his thick uncut cock, red and pulsing with need. I want to feel it inside me. I want to know if that curve would hit my spot just right.

I rinse off quickly and stalk toward him. I come so close to him it would only take one tiny movement and we’d be touching. I’m careful, though, knowing I can’t push Master too far. I let my lips rest right by his ear.

“Are you going to throw me down again tomorrow? Think about all the fun we could have?” I whisper, hearing the hitch in his breathing. I lean a little further away and take a deliberate, slow look at him. “You may want to take care of that.”