Max and Primo stopped and looked behind me. With huge grins, they dashed toward what they saw.
Growl
I’d spent the day dismembering a Bratva spy, had relished in his screams. Adrenaline still rushed in my ears like static when I got out of my pickup in the driveway of the small house Cara and I had bought shortly before Maximus had been born. I’d never much cared about a place, but this house, our home, held a special place in my heart.
Both our boys had been born here and Coco and Bandit had enjoyed their evening of life on the soft lawn. I had buried them in the soil of their favorite spot with my own hands.
I paused on the porch. I’d never cried over someone’s death as an adult, never mourned someone but to this day my chest ached when I remembered the summer my loyal friends died. The memory of that day crashed down on me as it did often on days of inner turmoil.
Bandit and Coco were thirteen years old. When I returned home from work, I found them in the yard in their favorite spot close to a maple tree. Cara grabbed my arm, Maximus asleep in the baby sling against her chest. “I don’t think it’s going to be long now.” Tears brimmed in her eyes.
I followed her gaze toward my furry friends who had both lifted their heads and were wagging their tails. Bandit had been diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago. We’d done everything we could. Now we made sure he wasn’t in pain.
I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I’ll stay with them. I won’t leave their side until—” I couldn’t say it. I didn’t have to.
I strolled toward them and sank down beside them, patting their old bodies. Bandit met my gaze and deep down I knew Cara was right. It was only a matter of hours, maybe less. Bandit had waited for me to return home. I lay down on the warm lawn, my arm wrapped around Bandit and Coco, who hadn’t moved from his side in days.
The sun soon set and the temperature began to cool, but I didn’t stir. My own needs seemed irrelevant as I stroked Bandit’s side. Cara had only briefly come over to give him a big piece of sausage with pain meds.
Soon I felt Bandit’s breathing slow, the fall and rise of his chest under my palm almost unnoticeable now. Coco snuggled even closer to him and then his breathing stopped. I kept stroking his chest, even though it had stilled. Coco let out a low whine. I stroked her ears and neck, trying to comfort her.
Wetness hit my cheek and I looked up, expecting rain until I realized I was crying. Neither Coco nor I moved from Bandit’s side until sunrise. Then I began digging a hole and buried my friend. Coco curled up on the grave and I stayed at her side, stroking her soft fur.
I reduced my workload drastically in the following days and Cara stayed with Coco whenever I couldn’t, but like Bandit, Coco waited until I was home before she too fell asleep forever in my arms on Bandit’s grave. I buried her beside him, so they’d forever be at each other’s side.
Taking a deep breath and dragging myself out of the past, I followed the joyful screams of the boys into the yard. The sight before me quieted the violent vibes in my body. Cara sat on the lawn with our dogs, and our boys played with each other.
They looked carefree and happy, something I’d never experienced as a child. Maybe that was why it had taken some convincing on Cara’s part before I could see that Maximus and Primo looked like me. They had my eyes and sharp features, but Cara’s hair color. My face as a boy had never been filled with so much joy, so recognizing my facial features in them took imagination.
Maximus and Primo spotted me at the same time, and before Cara who was petting Buddy and Daisy.
I opened my arms and squatted. Seconds later both boys flew into my arms, almost causing me to fall back. They were growing so fast. I stood, lifting them up.
Cara glanced over her shoulder and smiled. I walked over to her. Buddy and Daisy wagged their tails excitedly. Cara stood and pressed a kiss to my lips, searching my eyes. The darkness in them wouldn’t completely be gone yet. It took a while, especially after particularly brutal days like today. “Why don’t you play with the boys for a bit? Then I can finish my workout.”
I nodded, grateful that she knew I needed to take my mind off things and didn’t want to talk. With another smile, Cara turned and headed back to the patio with the dogs at her heels. She was dressed in only tight workout shorts and a tank, looking ready to be devoured.
“Carousel!” Maximus exclaimed, drawing my attention back to my boys.
I set Primo down despite his protest, grabbed Maximus’ hands and started spinning. Afterward, it was Primo’s turn. I kept playing carousel until I was dizzy and had to lie down, which the boys used to climb on top of me and try to tackle me.
Cara watched us for a long time until she finally went inside, probably to have a post-workout snack and take a shower.
Primo yawned and Maximus, too, looked tired. “Time for your afternoon nap.”
“No!” both cried but I picked them up and carried them inside. Soon they quieted.
Tiredness usually won out after we played together. The boys still shared a room because they slept better with company. Once they were both tucked in, I closed their door and stalked into Cara’s and my bedroom. The shower was still running and when I stepped into the bathroom, everything was fogged up. Cara’s eyes were closed as she let the water rain down on her. I shrugged out of my clothes and prowled toward her, my cock already hardening. Cara’s eyes peeled open a second before my fingers curled around her throat and my lips crashed down on hers for a harsh kiss. I pressed her against the tiles, my tongue thrusting into her surprise widened mouth and my cock digging against her stomach. Her nails trailing over my chest, she sank down. My fingers tangled in her hair and guided her head toward my cock. She took me into her mouth. I braced myself against the tiles, breathing harshly as I watched her work my length.
I pulled her to her feet and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my hips immediately. With a hard thrust, I impaled her on my length as I pressed her against the wall.
I lost all sense of time as I slammed into Cara and soon the violence of the day was nothing but a distant echo. When Cara’s muscles clenched around me and she came with a cry, I let loose as well. Eventually we both stood under the spray, breathing harshly, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Better?” Cara asked quietly.
“You and the boys are the antidote to my rage. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She took my hand and led me out of the shower. We towel dried quickly before we slipped into our bed. Cara stroked my chest. “You won’t ever be without us. You’re stuck with me and our boys.”
The End
MORE BOOKS BY CORA REILLY
Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles:
Luca Vitiello
(Luca’s POV of Bound By Honor)
Bound by Honor
(Aria & Luca)
Bound by Duty
(Valentina & Dante)
Bound by Hatred
(Gianna & Matteo)
Bound By Temptation
(Liliana & Romero)
Bound By Vengeance
(Growl & Cara)
Bound By Love
(Luca & Aria)
Bound By The Past