Between Blades and Blood (eBook)
There’s a darkness in me that shouldn’t be let out. But for her, I’d become a villain overnight…
It’s not easy being a sophomore in college.
Not when you’re trying to become a professional hockey player, not when your father is breathing down your neck about joining the family business, and especially not when said family business is the mafia.
And then there’s Harper McKenna. Fierce, stubborn, beautiful Harper McKenna, who just had to go and make things even harder for me.
I already couldn’t keep my eyes off her, but now that there’s a price on her head?
Keeping her safe is my only priority.
The problem is, my roommate, Ashton Rinaldi, won’t let her out of his sight either.
Sure, Ashton is my best friend. My brother. A fellow mafia child who knows the secrets I’ve been keeping all my life.
But there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Harper, and I know he has no qualms about unleashing his inner beast both on and off the ice.
I might have sworn I’d never become my father, but that was before Harper’s life was on the line.
That oath means nothing now. And I’d sooner watch the world burn than watch her die…
Harper
Snow blanketed the city, making the roads dangerous, and yet, somehow, we still had classes to attend. It didn’t matter that it was twenty below zero outside, with windchill, or that my fingers were freezing inside my gloves.
Buses on campus took us from the dorms to some of the buildings. But try to get on one of those buses in this frigid weather? Good luck.
Ditching class wasn’t an option. I made that mistake during my first semester of freshman year. I wasn’t going to do it again and risk my scholarship.
I needed a piping hot cup of coffee, but that was in the opposite direction of class. I trudged outside through the snow, my fur-lined boots keeping my feet warm. My legs, however, were quickly growing numb.
What was I doing walking to class in this blizzard? Would our teacher even show up?
“I hate winter,” I grumble under my breath.
“What’s that?” A male voice catches up with me as I wait to cross the street. The roads are slick; the plow hasn’t come through thissection yet. They’re probably still trying to keep the highway from becoming
treacherous.
I glance up at him. His dark eyes glint in the brightness of the snow surrounding us.
“It’s cold,” I say, stating the obvious. I’m practically hopping from one foot to the other, bouncing to keep warm. I swear I’ve seen him before on campus, but I don’t recognize him from any of my classes.
Evergreen University campus isn’t a small school, with more than twenty-thousand students in attendance, but you tend to recognize faces when you take the same route every day to class.
“It’s winter,” he says with a hearty laugh. It’s deep and warm, and he offers me a friendly smile. The traffic light switches, and I hurry across the intersection, my feet slipping and sliding, and I nearly lose my footing.
The handsome stranger catches my arm, steadying me.
“Careful,” he warns, keeping me upright.
My heart pounds in my chest. “Thanks.”
He has yet to release his grip as we cross the street.
“You can let go, I’m good,” I say.
I feel the heat of his stare, and if my cheeks weren’t red from the cold, I’d certainly be blushing.
“If you insist,” he says, releasing his hold. The warmth that he possessed vanishes as quickly as it came, and I feel even chillier than before.
I can feel the heat of his stare as we walk, his gaze on me and then facing forward. Every so often, his arm brushes against mine through our thick jackets. It’s an accident. I’m sure of it.
“Do you want to grab coffee?” he asks.
Perhaps it isn’t an accident.
“I can’t. I have to get to class.”
Does he honestly think I’d be out in this cold if I didn’t have to be? The windchill is brutal, making my cheeks sting. Even with the
beanie on my head, covering my ears, I’m still frigid.
“I meant after. I’m Ashton,” he introduces himself. “And you are?”
“Late for class,” I say, glancing at him. His dark eyes warm me, but I don’t have time for this, for him, for any of it. “It was nice
meeting you, Ashton,” I say as I approach the building.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Ashton says, his gaze hopeful as it lingers on me a little longer than necessary.
My gloved hand grabs the door handle. “That’s because I didn’t give it.” I smirk. I yank open the door and am greeted with a gust of heat that slaps me in the face.
I hurry down the hallway, removing my hat and gloves, shoving them into my jacket pocket before unbuttoning the monstrosity. I head into the classroom and grab a seat in the middle of the auditorium.
“Hey, McKenna,” Luca says, coming to sit beside me.
“Ricci,” I say, calling him by his last name. He’s nice-looking, and he knows it. Being a star hockey player for the university
doesn’t seem to hurt his dating life, either. He’s got player written all over his smug face.
Why he wants to sit beside me is beyond comprehension. There are plenty of open seats in the auditorium. I retrieve my laptop from my backpack and power it up.
“Fun weekend?” he asks, and I swear he’s only asking so that he can tell me all about his weekend.
“Yeah, it was great.” I don’t elaborate. My roommate, Quinn, and I don’t exactly get along, and she likes to have boys over, which means I’m pretty much kicked out of the room when they’re doing the no-pants dance.
Which seems to be every weekend and every chance that she gets to hook up with a guy.
The freshman requirement to live on campus in the dorms with a sophomore is the worst idea imaginable. Who thought it was a good idea? Some idiot who hadn’t lived on campus in several decades.
“You should come to one of our parties,” Luca says.
Is he actually inviting me to a party?
Why?
What’s his motive, because I know he’s not the least bit interested in me? In fact, if I didn’t know any better, the reason he sits right beside me is to copy my notes during class. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason he sits next to me.
I’m a really good note-taker.
“I’ll think about it,” I say.
I smile politely and am relieved when our teacher enters the auditorium and class begins.
Luca seems like a decent guy, but his priorities are hockey, girls, and partying. I’m not sure if that’s the exact order; he could put girls or partying first, but he’s a decent hockey player, from what I’ve heard around
campus. I’ve never been to one of their games, and I don’t plan on showing up, either.
The minute class is over, I bundle back up into my hat, gloves, and oversized jacket. “Ready to brave the elements?” Luca asks. He’s got on a black wool coat that doesn’t look particularly warm.
“I should be asking you that,” I say, glancing at him.
He gives me a wry grin, affixes a beanie to his head to keep warm, and slides his hands into his pockets. “I’m a snow owl,” he says. “The cold doesn’t bother me.”
I snort under my breath. “Yeah, right,” I mutter, unconvinced. He’s right at my side, walking with me outside and across the quad to our next class. I don’t have to cross any slushy streets at least, so there’s little chance of slipping and falling, like earlier.
The walkway has been cleared, and there’s salt that is finally melting some of the path. His breath is visible as he walks beside me,
but he doesn’t so much as shiver.
I’m hurrying outside, wanting to get out of the frigid weather. “Have a good day,” he says as I head for the building.
“You too,” I shout over my shoulder and grab the door handle.
He doesn’t have class in the Fitzroy building but always walks with me to my next class. I’ve always assumed it’s because he’s in the Cooper building just past Fitzroy. I glance back through the glass windows and see him turning around, heading back in the direction where we just came from.
Did he forget something?
* * *
“Tell me if this is weird,” I say to Kensley. We’re both freshmen and have two classes together. We grab lunch at the on-campus deli and snag a table before it gets too crowded.
“Do tell,” Kensley says, intrigued.
“Luca Ricci has been walking me to class for the past two weeks.”
“What?” Kensley’s eyes widen. “The center forward for Evergreen University. That’s a little weird.”
I shoot her a look. “That’s not the weird part.”
She smirks. “Continue.”
“I thought he had class in the Cooper Building since he’s been walking me to Fitzroy, but this morning, I saw him turn back around and head in the opposite direction.”
“You could just ask him where his next class is,” Kensley says, stating the obvious.
“Or?” I’m hoping she has another suggestion, something a little less direct. I don’t want Luca Ricci to think I’m catching feelings for him, because I’m not.
“Follow him after he drops you off at class,” Kensley suggests.
“I’m not stalking him.”
“Right. Or we could go with option number three.”
“Which is?”
“Hey, McKenna.” Luca comes up from behind.
Kensley obviously saw him coming.
She should have warned me.
“Ricci,” I say, staring at him. My mouth goes dry, all rational thought leaves my brain.
“I’m Kensley,” my friend says, introducing herself.
“Luca,” he says, giving a crooked smile and nod. “I was just about to grab lunch. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” Kensley says, answering before I have the opportunity to turn him down.
He heads for the counter, grabbing his food while I seethe at Kensley.
“What was that?” I ask her.
She hurries to eat the last bite of her lunch and covers her mouth with her hand when she speaks. “Just helping a girl out.”
I glare at her as she stands, swallowing her final bite of her sandwich. “You’re not leaving.”
“Enjoy your lunch date.” She grins and winks at me.
I want to kill her. Luca is cute, he’s got dreamy eyes, and a great body, but there is no way I’m his type.
Zero chance.
He could have any girl on this campus, which begs the question, what does he want? It’s obviously something. I just haven’t figured
it out yet.
Luca approaches our table just as Kensley grabs her mess, cleaning it up. “I’ve got to head out, but my friend doesn’t have class for a couple of hours,” she says.
Now, I can’t even make up an excuse for bailing. I’d give her the finger, but Luca is watching me. And how would I explain that one to him?
His intense gaze never wavers as he studies me. It makes my heart race and my cheeks flush.
I will not catch feelings for him.
“You both should definitely come to the party at our house tonight,” Luca says.
Is that why he’s stalking me today? He did mention a party he was having, and this isn’t the first invite, but I’d like it to be the last.
I don’t do parties, at least not ones with kegs and athletes, which is likely to lead to bad decisions.
I can’t afford any more bad decisions.
“We’ll be there. Give Harper the details. I’ll catch you later,” Kensley says.
The last thing I want to do tonight is attend a party on campus with the hockey team. But my bestie just told Luca Ricci we’d be there.
I glare at her, but the girl is oblivious, or maybe she doesn’t care. I love her to death, but that death is seeming to get rather close at the moment.
I don’t even say goodbye to Kensley. I’m pissed at her, but I don’t think Luca notices. He’s too busy staring into my soul. At least it feels that way, intimate, with the way his gaze watches me.
He grabs her abandoned seat, sitting across from me. “It was nice meeting you,” he says, but he doesn’t even glance in her direction. “See you tonight.”
His warm smile could easily be seen as flirtatious, but he’s not making eye contact with her. I want to look away. I crave the detachment from the heat building between us. My stomach flips, and I swear the butterflies tremble in my stomach and move lower.
Fuck me.
I will not catch feelings for Luca Ricci.
I chance a glance at my bestie, needing a break from his stare. Kensley grins and waves before jetting out of the deli.
“Friend or roommate?” he asks. He finally glances down at his food, only for a fraction of a second, and I feel as though I can finally
breathe again.
“Friend,” I say. “My roommate and I don’t exactly get along.”
He unwraps his sandwich while still giving me his undivided attention. “Let me guess, you’re a freshman and got matched with a sophomore who wants nothing to do with you.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Luca grins, and those eyes are back on me, making my stomach somersault. “It’s the freshman curse. It happens to every freshman who has ever gone to Evergreen. I’ve been there and, boy, does it suck.”
“Any friendly advice?” I ask, glancing at him, hopeful that he can actually help with the Quinn situation. I don’t know why I ask, maybe because it’s something the two of us actually have in common, aside from Econ 101.
He laughs and shakes his head. His thick hair covers his eyes for a split second before he shakes it away.
“If she’s anything like how my roommate was, just steer clear of her,” Luca says.
It’s no wonder all the girls fall for him; he’s got the boyish good looks, charm, and charisma. Not to mention his body. You don’t end up as an athlete by sitting on the couch eating potato chips all night.
Why does he have this effect on me?
He’s just a boy. Sure, he’s easy on the eyes, and that smile warms me to the core, but he’s absolutely trouble.
I know it’s lust, but how can I lust after someone I barely even know? I don’t even particularly like him, but the way my body responds, it’s betraying me.
It must be the hormones and the fact it’s been a while since I’ve climbed into a guy’s bed.
“What year are you?” I ask. I don’t know why, but I had assumed he was a freshman as well, probably because we’re both in Econ 101 together, a required class to graduate and, boy, does it suck.
“Sophomore,” he says.
“Let me guess, you’re the one torturing a freshman this year.” He seems like the type who would give someone hell. Probably brags to the team about how pathetic his freshman roommate is this year.
Luca chuckles and shakes his head. “No, I live on campus with a couple of my teammates.”
My eyes widen, surprised that he doesn’t live in the dorms.
Lucky bastard.
“You play hockey,” I say, stating the obvious.
I’m pretty sure everyone at Evergreen University knows who Luca Ricci is and that he plays hockey. He’s one of their best players. It’s pretty common knowledge around campus and in town.
His smile only grows. “You’ve been to my games?”
I shake my head. “Everyone knows who you are. You’re like hockey royalty around here. You get all the girls, probably easy As, too. Am I right?”
“I work for my grades,” Luca says, his gaze locked on mine, “but I do okay.”
I’m not sure whether his okay reference is toward the girls or his grades. Does it matter? I shouldn’t care. I don’t care. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Here, give me your phone.”
“Excuse me?” I laugh at his boldness.
“I’ll text myself, and you’ll have my number. Next time this sophomore gives you trouble, let me know.”
“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me,” I say.
Except maybe having him in my corner wouldn’t be so bad. He has a lot of clout on campus, and my roommate is boy-crazy. Not that I’d want to set them up. My stomach clenches at the image of the two of them tangling in the sheets.
I’m no longer hungry.
“Give me your phone, Harper,” Luca says, his hand outstretched, palm up, waiting for me to deposit it into his palm.
He never uses my first name. I’m surprised that he even knows what it is.
With a resigned sigh, I grab my cell phone from my jacket pocket, unlock it, and hand it to him.
His thumb grazes over my wrist, the slightest caress over bare skin. “Good girl,” he says, his eyes on me before glancing down and texting himself from my phone.
His words send a warm hum vibrating through my body. I can’t explain the pulsing sensations that his voice elicits with those simple two words and the soft sigh that spills past my lips, unintended.
What the hell was that, and why do I suddenly want to hear him say it again?
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“What did I do wrong?” I ask. She’s clearly mad. Is it because Ashton was hitting on her, or something else?
Harper stops walking and spins around to face me. It gives me a few seconds to catch up, closing the distance between us. “You really have to ask?” she scoffs at me.
She can barely meet my stare, her gaze everywhere but on me. And I could be wrong, but her eyes almost look like they’re glistening, as if she’s holding back tears.
I reach out, my fingers guiding her chin up, staring into her dark gaze that captivates me and lures me in. My breath catches in my throat. “You’re mad.”
“Did you get all that from me leaving the party? You must really be a genius,” she seethes.
I bite down on my tongue. She’s got a mouth on her. I glance at her lips and then back up to her dark eyes. “Spell it out for me,” I say.
Her gaze tightens, and she sucks in a breath. “I shouldn’t have to. We’re just friends. Barely even that.”
She pulls out of my embrace, and the air is even colder than before.
“If we’re less than friends, why are you running away?” I ask.
It’s obvious she’s upset. I’m just not quite sure what I did wrong, and by the look on her face, I’m to blame.
Her tongue darts out, swiping across her top lip. I can’t stop myself; I lean in, taking a taste, desiring to silence her anger.
I expect her to pull away, to smack me across the face, yell, scream. I’m waiting for her reaction, but it isn’t what I’m anticipating.
Her lips melt into mine, and she leans closer, her fingers trembling against my chest as I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her tighter. The kiss starts out simple yet passionate, but when she doesn’t back off, I drag my tongue across her bottom lip.
Her mouth parts, granting me entrance as I deepen the kiss, and I hear the perfect sweet moan fall from the back of her throat that elicits a primal response deep within me.
Fuck, she sounds hot.
I want to hear her moan my name, listen to her panting and breathless as I bury my cock deep inside of her.
Harper pulls back, breathless.
Her cheeks are rosy and her lips swollen. She’s a gorgeous sight, and the cold air surrounds me yet again. I’d forgotten I was freezing while kissing her.
“We can’t,” Harper says and pulls her hands back from my chest. “I’m not that girl.”
My gaze tightens. “What does that mean?” I’ve never been more confused in my life.
“I know what you were doing, Luca. I’m not an idiot. You’re not bedding two girls in one night. Well, not me.”
Harper turns and keeps walking, heading down the road, leaving me standing there dumbfounded.
Bedding two girls? Who the hell does she think I slept with?
One click and find out what happens next in Between Blades and Blood.
Between Blades and Blood features:
🖤 Hockey Romance
🖤 Mafia Family
🖤 Spicy
🖤 Romantic Suspense
🖤 New Adult/College Romance
This is the first book in the CRIMSON ICE series.
Authors Note: This title features characters from Secret Vow, Captive Vow, and Savage Vow. It is not required to have read the previous Mafia Marriages series to enjoy this new series.
- Between Blades and Blood
- Between Ice and Oaths
- Between Fire and Frost
- Between Sin and Silence
- Coming soon!
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