Anna Harding's Blog

Hiya,

You can always tell when I’m writing something dark because the bonus content gets a lot lighter! I’ve just finished writing book ten (Vilen Kostrov and Calina Nemov) and though he’s the most unlikely hero you can ever imagine, I ended up agreeing he could have his HEA in the end.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Don’t forget book seven Tortured Innocence is out next week and available for preorder here. (That’s one’s dark as hell so skip it if you don’t feel the aftermath of prolonged torture is your thing. It’s not too gratuitous though, the emphasis is far more on recovery than actual trauma and some of my early readers have said it’s really quite beautiful).

But I thought we’d go back to the Mafia for some fun first. Here’s your hero and mine - Aurelio Dinelli - trying to have a quiet dinner while his young daughters have got LOT of questions about what he does for a living and what exactly is a “mafeeya”…

Take care m’beauties

Anna

Leandro

By the end of a meeting with Aurelio, I was always desperate for a drink. I’d never known anyone talk as much as my best friend. He could make a two-hour meeting last all day, indulging his obsession with detail and his determination to make sure his inner circle knew his thoughts on every aspect of their businesses.

By the end of the afternoon, Alessandro and I had practically run to the boss’s sitting room to knock back as much of his alcohol as we could.

‘At the price I pay for that wine, at least swirl it on your tongue before gulping it down,’ he told me crossly.

That was Aurelio all over—an expert on everything from wine to women. I’d given up trying to appear as cultured and poised as him years ago. If being like the boss meant drinking wine that cost more than the average car and listening to all that classical music shit, then I’d happily take the hit to my reputation. Who gave a shit if I liked Madonna more than fucking Beethoven anyway?

‘Can you actually tell the difference?’ Alessandro asked him curiously. ‘Between the store-bought shit Leandro and I drink and your high-end stuff, I mean?’

‘Your wine is little better than paint stripper, Alessandro, which is the only use I’d ever have for it.’ He took a sip from his glass. ‘Smooth, rounded, elegantly balanced—this isn’t a wine you drink, this is a wine you practically make love to.’

Alessandro snorted and I laughed out loud. He really could be a pretentious prick sometimes. I loved Aurelio like a brother, but there were times I just couldn’t help laughing at him.

‘Philistines,’ Aurelio told us coldly, but he was smiling as he stretched out on the sofa. He’d given up on trying to educate the pair of us. We preferred beer to wine, the movies to the ballet, and rock music to Chopin, and there was no point him trying to teach us otherwise.

‘So, you want a breakdown on coke routes?’ I asked him, but he held his hand up to stop me, and I closed my mouth immediately as his daughters came into the room.

I’d always felt a bit sorry for Angelina and Livia. The poor kids lived more in a boot camp than a home. Their mother was gentle as fuck and Aurelio wasn’t cruel to them in any way, but he did believe in extreme discipline. I’d never met such well-behaved little girls, but I thought—and Alessandro agreed—that they should be allowed a bit more fun.

‘Daddy?’ Angelina put her hand up.

Six years old and he still expected his girls to raise their hands before speaking to him. I made a mental note to offer some babysitting and give those girls all the sweets, popcorn, and trashy kids movies they could handle.

‘You may speak,’ Aurelio told her benignly. ‘How are your Latin classes going?’

The poor kid was studying Latin at six years old?

‘Good, thank you, Daddy. May I ask you something?’

Aurelio smiled at his daughter. ‘You may.’

‘Daddy, the girls at my school were talking about you.’ She gave him a worried look. ‘They said you do bad things,’ she said quietly. ‘Really bad things.’

‘Bad things—in what respect?’

Angelina’s voice lowered and she almost whispered. ‘They told me you throw people in the river. I told them you didn’t, but they said I didn’t know anything and your job is killing people.’

Aurelio looked almost stunned for a second. ‘They told you I kill people?’

‘I told them you would never hurt anyone,’ Angelina reassured him quickly. ‘I told them how nice you are.’

Alessandro burst into fits of laughter and Aurelio glared at him. ‘Behave or get out.’

‘I’ll behave,’ he promised through his laughter. ‘This is too good to miss.’

‘Daddy…what exactly is your job?’

Now there was a question no mob boss ever wanted to be asked by his young daughters. They were both looking at him expectantly, hoping for an answer they could take back to school to stop what they believed were the lies of their little friends.

‘I’m a businessman,’ he said after a pause.

‘What kind of business, Daddy?’

It wasn’t very often we got to see Aurelio flustered or struggling for words. But this question was obviously one he hadn’t anticipated being asked for a few years at least, and it was clear he had no idea how to answer it.

‘I own clubs and casinos,’ he told her vaguely. ‘A lot of people work for me.’

‘Daddy, is it true that when you argue with people you put their bodies in the river?’

More than fucking true. The Hudson would burst its banks one day with the amount of enemies we’d chucked in it. He’d got me slinging corpses into unused quarries recently, as we’d decided we might have chucked a few too many in the river over the last couple of years.

‘Who told you that?’ he demanded.

‘Gemma.’

‘Tell me her surname. I’ll be discussing this with her parents.’

Angelina’s lip was starting to wobble, but she managed to reply with the name he wanted.

‘Daddy, why do you put people in the river?’ Livia piped up. ‘Won’t they drown?’

‘He kills them first,’ Angelina explained to her younger sister. ‘He doesn’t put them in the river until they’re dead.’

Livia looked at her father with interest. ‘Why, Daddy?’

‘Gemma says he does it when they make him angry… He runs them over with his car and then puts them in the river.’

The car thing was a bit out of left field, but I supposed that was all little girls could come up with when trying to imagine how grown-ups killed each other. And I was glad. I didn’t want the real images in the heads of my goddaughters. They’d never sleep again if they were forced to visualise their father slowly dismembering people while still alive.

‘Why the river, Daddy?’ Livia asked him. ‘Why don’t you bury them in the ground like Mommy does when our gerbils die?’

‘I don’t put people in rivers!’ Aurelio exploded.

I nudged Alessandro. ‘Help him out.’

‘No fucking way,’ he told me with a grin. ‘This is too much fun.’

Angelina turned to Alessandro shyly. ‘Uncle Alessandro, do you help Daddy put people in the river?’

‘Not me,’ Alessandro protested. He grinned at me. ‘But I can’t speak for your Uncle Leandro.’

‘Do you help Daddy with the river bodies?’ Livia asked me, looking like she was about to cry.

I stretched my arm out and pulled her towards me. I’d known the girls since they were babies and they both liked and trusted me.

‘Of course not. Sweetheart, how many people are saying this about your Daddy? Just one or two of your friends?’

She chewed her hair for a second. ‘Not many.’

I grinned at Aurelio in relief. ‘Just a couple of schoolgirls, nothing to worry about.’

‘All the other girls think Daddy runs the…’ She thought for a moment. ‘Mafeeya. Daddy, what’s a Mafeeya?’

Shit this was getting a bit close to home.

‘It’s where bad people go to do crimes.’ Angelina looked at Aurelio with big, troubled eyes. ‘Daddy, you’re not in a Mafeeya, are you?’

Aurelio had clearly had enough. He pressed a button on the intercom and spoke firmly into it before pouring himself another glass of wine. I laughed silently to myself—he didn’t take his own pretentious advice about swirling it on his tongue this time, he just threw it down his throat in one go.

‘Aurelio?’ His beautiful wife came in and kissed his cheek before smiling at me and Alessandro. We both loved his wife, and though we’d never dare tell him, we admired her immensely for being able to put up with the tyrant that was her husband.

‘The girls have questions,’ Aurelio murmured. ‘Some of the girls at school have been talking.’

Rose turned to face her girls kindly. ‘What’s worrying you, Angelina?’

Both the little girls spoke at once.

‘They said Daddy puts bodies in the river!’

‘Mommy, what’s a Mafeeya?’

Rose took both of their hands as she sat down. ‘One at a time,’ she said briskly. ‘Angelina, your Daddy most certainly does not put bodies in the river. I can only think someone has misheard and got things very wrong. Your Daddy has put bottles in the river before, but he has promised he won’t do it again.’

‘That’s littering…’ Angelina breathed. ‘That’s so bad.’

‘Yes, it is very naughty. But he knows it was wrong and he won’t do it again.’

She turned to her younger daughter. ‘You mean a “Mafia”, Livia. That word just means a group of families who help each other and run businesses together. Like Uncle Alessandro and Uncle Leandro help Daddy.’

‘Gemma and Sally said Mafias do crimes,’ Angelina questioned Rose.

‘Some people get the wrong idea and make it sound scary, but it’s mostly just grown-ups working together.’ She laughed. ‘You can’t imagine your Daddy and your uncles doing crimes, can you?’

Angelina looked relieved. ‘No.’

‘Exactly! Poor Uncle Leandro looks horrified at the very thought of it!’

Poor Uncle Leandro was actually admiring the deft and confident way she reassured her girls. It made me laugh that Aurelio, who was so powerful and erudite in his business life, always ended up hiding behind his wife when asked awkward questions by his children.

Livia patted my leg. ‘I’m sorry, Uncle Leandro.’

Angelina ran over and hugged her father. ‘I’m sorry, Daddy. I know you’d never do anything as bad as putting people in the river. Though,’ she said sternly, ‘it is bad to litter. You shouldn’t do that. If you put things you shouldn’t in the river, it can make the fish poorly.’

Aurelio’s face at the lecture from his young daughter was a picture, and even Rose was struggling not to laugh. Angelina looked delighted to have the moral high ground over her father, and I suspected he hadn’t heard the last about his immoral littering ways.

‘Daddy, when I grow up can I be in the Mafia?’ Livia asked thoughtfully. ‘I could go to work with you every day and we could eat hot dogs for lunch.’

‘Tell you what,’ Rose suggested, ‘how about you, me, and Angelina think about a job that might suit you better, and while we’re doing that we can open some cans of sausages and make hot dogs for dinner?’

Aurelio opened his mouth to object, no doubt to tell his wife he wouldn’t eat processed junk food if his life depended on it, but Rose silenced him with a look.

‘We will all be having hot dogs for dinner,’ she said firmly. ‘Some of us because we like them and some of us because we’ve caused a lot of trouble today by letting rumours about bottles being put in the river be spread round the school playground.’

‘Can we stay to dinner?’ I asked.

Rose just nodded with a smile.

I grinned at Alessandro. It hadn’t been such a bad day after all—we’d drunk three bottles of the boss’s best wine, got to see him soundly told off by his young daughter and ordered about by his wife—and now we were going to enjoy watching him reluctantly chomp his way through a kid’s meal instead of his usual elaborate, chef-prepared dinners.

And next time the boss pissed me off? I was going straight to his kids to tell them I’d seen him chucking wine bottles in the river again.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the arc list team so far. I’ve got all the email addresses safe and I’ll send out PDF copies tomorrow.

If anyone else is interested please email me at annahardingdarkromance@gmail.com and I’ll be glad to add you to the list.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is an extremely dark book so just bear that in mind.

I’ll pop the blurb below

Anna

Tortured Innocencw

Sarah was innocent when a criminal gang murdered her family and locked her in a cage.

By the time she was found, that innocence was gone forever.
Violated and broken by men who treated her suffering as entertainment, Sarah learned endurance and how to survive long after her hopes of freedom had died.
Her rescue comes too late to save her unscarred.
Dragged from captivity damaged, traumatised, and barely alive, Sarah is given a death sentence by the sadistic boss of the Bratva.
But one man believes in her future.
And Lev Nemov cares enough to defy his brother’s order to kill her.

Lev is no saviour.

He’s shaped by brutality of his own, a man forged by violence and loyalty to an organisation that breaks every rule he wants to believe in.
Saving Sarah is one thing, but understanding her is another.
He cannot force his protection on her no matter how much he needs her to be safe.
Other men stole her choices. He refuses to be one of them.
Loving a woman who has been tortured means accepting that she may never be whole again. That she may never be able to love him the way he loves her — or at all.

Tortured Innocence is a dark, unflinching romance about survival after sexual violence, the long road through trauma, and the complicated, imperfect love that grows in its aftermath.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Hi everyone,

I do love writing bonus content, it’s usually a bit more light hearted and family focused than the darkness I put my poor characters through in the books and it’s a lot of fun to write.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

So seeing as book seven is all written, edited and lined up to be published on May 15th I thought we’d have some lighthearted fun with Aurelio before the dark dark horrors that await you in ‘Tortured Innocence.’…

Thanks to all those who have signed up for the book 7 ARC, they will be sent out 28th April. There’s still space left if anyone else wants to join!

Anna

Spoilers for book 3 and beyond (but nothing you wouldn’t know from the blurbs)

No frogs are harmed in this story.

……………………………………………………………….

Rose

Manners were important to my powerful husband. I knew a lot of people were horrified by how formal their Capo dei Capi was, particularly by the etiquette he demanded at meal times. Nobody was ever seated before my husband and nobody left the table without his permission. I’d got used to it now and it didn’t bother me. My children were used to it too. They’d grown up with their father’s strict rules and had never known anything different.

My sister Eloise hated Aurelio’s rules and said it was cruel that he made our girls raise their hands for permission before speaking. We hadn’t been brought up like that and she was shocked I stood for it in my home. But Aurelio insisted his discipline was bringing our children up properly. And Aurelio was always right.

So when I went into our formal dining room, expecting to see my girls smartly dressed and standing by their chairs ready to be seated for dinner, I was surprised to see them both crawling on the floor.

‘Angelina,’ I told her sternly, ‘your father doesn’t like to see play at mealtimes.’

She backed out from under the table. ‘I’m not playing…’

‘Then stand politely and wait for your father.’

‘She can’t,’ Livia chimed in gleefully. ‘She’s lost her frogs.’

‘Lost her what?’ I’d heard, but I just wanted a few more seconds before I had to face the reality that there were frogs hopping round my dining room minutes before Aurelio and his guests arrived.

I tried to think who was coming for dinner. Alessandro—he’d be fine. I loved my brother-in-law to bits. Leandro was always quite laid back too. Dante and Nico I didn’t know as well though—I hated the thought of embarrassing Aurelio in front of his senior men.

‘How many frogs?’ I asked my eldest daughter.

‘All of them,’ she answered gloomily.

‘How many is all of them?’

She held up a large box. ‘They were all in here.’

‘But how many were in there?’

‘Seventeen, I think.’

What my eldest daughter was doing with a box of seventeen frogs I didn’t know. Nor did I know if it was appropriate ‘frog keeping’ to store them in a box. If she wanted a pet frog her father would buy her a vivarium and all the equipment to keep the frog safe and happy. But what was she doing, just picking them out of the garden?

‘It could be worse,’ Livia piped up. ‘It could have been the bug box that got loose.’

Ok, I was going through my daughter’s room at the first opportunity and finding out what other living creatures she was keeping as pets. But my first priority had to be finding these frogs.

‘Did you lose them all in here?’

‘I tripped over and the box fell open.’

‘What were you doing bringing frogs to dinner anyway? Why on earth would you think that was a good idea?’

‘She puts the box under the table and slips them a bit of the fish course.’

I had to smile at Livia’s snitching. I’d been much the same with my sister. I’d always told on Eloise’s escapades. Though even Eloise had never gone so far as to bring frogs to dinner.

‘We’ll discuss that later,’ I told them firmly. ‘The important thing now is to find all these frogs and get them back into your box before your father and the other senior men of the Mafia come in to dinner.’

The concept of senior men in the Mafia was lost on my girls but the tone in my voice certainly wasn’t. I was panicking as much as they were now. Seventeen frogs loose in my dining room before my exacting husband hosted a dinner? Aurelio even noticed if the cutlery wasn’t aligned correctly. I’d seen him reduce waiting staff to tears for not serving him first at dinner.

A horrible thought hit me. ‘What kind of frogs, Angelina?’

‘Lots of different kinds.’ She twisted her fingers together and then blurted out, ‘One of them can kill ten men.’

‘What the absolute…?’ I didn’t know enough about the amphibian life of New York to know if the frogs here were poisonous or not, but I knew some frogs and toads could be toxic. This dinner might not just embarrass my husband, it might kill him as well.

‘Find them,’ I snapped at her. ‘Under the table, both of you. Get as many as you can in the box.’ I shoved Angelina toward the top end of the table, Livia to the bottom, and then knelt on the floor to start checking under the rest of the furniture in the room myself.

‘Got one!’ Livia cried triumphantly.

‘Put it in the box then.’ I peeked at it cautiously through the side of the box. ‘Was that the one that can kill ten men?’

‘No.’

No, of course it wasn’t. And what was I even doing, letting my girls look for creatures that harmful? I was a terrible mother.

I stood up quickly. ‘Both of you, out from under the table. I want you both standing on chairs. You spot the frogs, I’ll catch them.’

‘There’s two under the table, Mom,’ Angelina supplied helpfully. ‘Be careful though, the green one pees on you.’

Oh wonderful. I was wearing Versace, about to be adorned with frog urine. I doubted this could get any worse.

A male cough interrupted my frog catching and I hit my head on the table backing out.

‘You ok, Rose?’ Alessandro asked me with a twinkle in his eye. ‘Why’s your mom under the table, girls?’

I knew he’d find this whole thing hilarious but I also knew that two frog catchers would get this nightmare over quicker than one.

‘The girls have dropped their frogs,’ I told him shortly. ‘I need them caught before Aurelio comes to dinner.’

‘You’ve got a few minutes. He’s taken Leandro to go through some figures. Frogs though?’ He grinned at me. ‘He’ll go nuclear if he finds out.’

‘Then help me find the fucking things.’

‘Mom!’ Livia looked at me, shocked. ‘You said a bad word.’

‘I’ll say a lot more bad words if your uncle Alessandro doesn’t get under this table and start helping me catch these pesky hopping monsters.’

At the direction of Angelina, still safely standing on her chair, we managed to cram most of her frogs into the box. I counted them doubtfully.

‘How many did you say you have?’

‘Seventeen…’ There was a long pause before she admitted truthfully, ‘I think.’

‘You think? So you don’t know.’

I lifted the lid and counted again. Seventeen. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure as they all hopped around so much, but I thought we’d got them all.

‘One of them squirted me with water,’ Alessandro said indignantly. ‘It’s all over my shirt.’

Both my girls immediately opened their mouths but I glared at them quickly. I had enough to deal with without having to apologise to my brother-in-law for frog pee. I shoved the lid on the box.

‘Can they breathe in there, Angelina?’

‘I keep it propped open at the side for air.’

‘So that’s how they escaped!’ I thought quickly. ‘Livia, go ask cook for a sharp barbecue spike. Don’t tell her what it’s for.’

Angelina’s lower lip wobbled and she ran to Alessandro and flung her arms round his waist. ‘Mom’s going to kill my frogs,’ she wept. ‘She’s going to stab them and barbecue them!’

Alessandro was doing his best not to laugh but he put his arm round his niece.

‘I won’t let her, sweetheart. How about instead of skewering them we use the spike to put some holes in the lid so the frogs can breathe?’

‘That’s what the spike was for!’ I snapped at him.

But he just grinned at me. ‘Rose Dinelli, wife of the Capo and frog murderer.’

I was almost tempted to ask Angelina to run upstairs for her bug box and tip the lot over Alessandro. But I didn’t have time. Aurelio would be here any second and I still had to ensure a bunch of frogs could breathe before anyone took table.

‘Give it to me,’ I ordered Angelina as soon as she reappeared. ‘Now Alessandro, hold the box still.’

I was just about to carefully poke a hole in the box when Leandro wandered in. He looked at the box curiously. ‘What’s that?’

‘Frogs,’ Alessandro told him airily.

‘Yeah? For dinner?’

Alessandro just shoved him. ‘Don’t be an idiot. Live frogs. Is Aurelio on his way?’

‘He’s showing Dante some boring poetry book he’s had shipped from Italy.’ He yawned. ‘So why have you got live frogs?’

‘They’re mine, Uncle Leandro.’

Leandro ruffled Angelina’s hair. ‘I might have guessed. Don’t let your father see them. We had a frog in a meeting once and Aurelio wouldn’t carry on until I’d caught the fucking thing and put it out of the room.’ He winked at Alessandro. ‘Funny how many times we had meetings with frogs turning up since we discovered the boss doesn’t like them.’

I finally finished putting breathing holes in the box and handed it back to Angelina.

‘Don’t open it, put it somewhere safe and don’t mention frogs again this evening.’

‘He’s coming,’ Alessandro hissed at me.

‘Quick! Take your places, girls.’

We were just in time to stand behind our chairs when Aurelio and two of his top men strolled in. He glanced round the room, doing his customary check of the girls’ dress and appearance. His eyes flickered slightly with surprise when he looked at me but he said nothing, just sat down and motioned for everyone else to do the same.

I smoothed my hair self-consciously and wished I had a mirror. I must look a state after crawling under the table. I’d apologise to him later when we were on our own.

‘What did you learn at school today?’ he asked the girls.

Angelina put her hand up. ‘Please, Daddy, we learned that the Nile is the longest river in the world.’

‘And I learned some plants eat insects,’ Livia told him proudly. She looked with interest at the flowers on the table. ‘We could get Angelina’s bug box and…’

I met her eyes and shook my head at her but it didn’t matter. Aurelio was frowning at Angelina. ‘The Amazon is the longest river in the world.’

‘My teacher said…’

Aurelio held up his hand to silence her. ‘Your teacher is incorrect. Rose, ensure the teacher is corrected. The Nile is only longer if the Amazon’s true source in Peru is not considered.’

‘You’ve done it now,’ Alessandro told his niece with a wink. ‘You’ve made your father hopping mad.’

They both giggled and Leandro laughed out loud. I tried to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing but a snort exploded out of me and Aurelio looked at me in astonishment.

‘Eat, everyone,’ I said hurriedly. ‘Nico, Dante, I hope you both like French food. French onion soup is a favourite of Aurelio’s. He even permits the cook to use his best wines in it.’

They both assured me they were looking forward to the meal and I relaxed for the first time that evening. Both the girls were on their best behaviour, the soup starter had been served, Alessandro had stopped teasing me about frogs and I settled down to listen to Aurelio’s interesting comments on current affairs. There was always someone in Congress annoying my husband—usually when they were passing laws to tighten up money laundering.

‘Amazing food,’ Leandro told me. ‘I’d offer your cook double salary to work for me, but your husband would probably shoot me.’

‘We’ve always been very traditional with our meals,’ I explained. ‘But I wanted the girls to be aware of other cultures than Italian so we’ve been trying some more European dinners lately.’

I was finally about to start my own dinner when there was a massive splash at the head of the table. Soup flew everywhere, drenching my powerful husband who was staring, almost terrified, at the thrashing in his bowl.

Alessandro and Leandro started laughing hysterically.

‘French food?’ Alessandro shouted at his brother. ‘You do know your cook’s supposed to cook the fucking frog legs first?’

‘Frog?’ Aurelio stood up in a hurry. ‘Rose, what the hell?’

‘Aurelio… I can explain…’

Angelina looked at me sadly. Aurelio was so strict with her. A box of frogs would lose her most of the summer to extra lessons. A frog in his soup would probably mean Latin lessons with him for life. I couldn’t bear my daughter looking so upset.

He was still looking at me expectantly. ‘Go on?’

I opened my mouth with no idea what I was going to say, probably to confess that the stray amphibian belonged to me. I was the only person who ever escaped Aurelio’s wrath so I could confess without worrying.

But Dante beat me to it. ‘It’s frog season,’ he told his boss with a straight face. ‘They’ve been coming in our house too.’

Leandro took the cue. ‘Yeah, same in ours. They jump up and scare Gabriella.’

‘Frog season…’ my husband echoed.

‘Frog season,’ I confirmed firmly. ‘But look, Angelina and Livia have been catching them for you as they know you don’t like them. They’ve caught seventeen today already!’ I quickly brandished the box at him. ‘It’s so thoughtful of them, Aurelio. More evidence of how well you’ve raised our children.’

‘You’re good girls,’ my husband told them, fishing in his pockets for a moment before brandishing a stack of hundred-dollar bills at them. ‘You both deserve a treat.’

The girls stared at their unexpected windfall in awe as Aurelio went to change his shirt.

‘I’ll catch the frog,’ Alessandro told me with a laugh. ‘Want me to stick it in the garden?’

‘I think so, yes. I think this house has given up on frog keeping.’

‘Do my bugs have to go too?’ Angelina asked mournfully.

I thought for a moment. ‘No, they can stay.’ I winked at Alessandro. ‘You never know, they might come in useful one day, like the frogs did.’

All the grown-ups laughed but my girls just looked puzzled and went back to counting their hundred dollar bills.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that I’m sending arcs for book 7 Tangled Empires out soon. I’ll pop the blurb below. Ping me your email (annahardingdarkromance@gmail.com) if you’re interested in receiving a copy to review and I’ll send the pdfs out on 28 April.

Thanks to all who have replied, I’ve added you to the list.

Sarah was innocent when a criminal gang murdered her family and locked her in a cage.

By the time she was found, that innocence was gone forever.
Violated and broken by men who treated her suffering as entertainment, Sarah learned endurance and how to survive long after her hopes of freedom had died.
Her rescue comes too late to save her unscarred.
Dragged from captivity damaged, traumatised, and barely alive, Sarah is given a death sentence by the sadistic boss of the Bratva.
But one man believes in her future.
And Lev Nemov cares enough to defy his brother’s order to kill her.

Lev is no saviour.

He’s shaped by brutality of his own, a man forged by violence and loyalty to an organisation that breaks every rule he wants to believe in.
Saving Sarah is one thing, but understanding her is another.
He cannot force his protection on her no matter how much he needs her to be safe.
Other men stole her choices. He refuses to be one of them.
Loving a woman who has been tortured means accepting that she may never be whole again. That she may never be able to love him the way he loves her — or at all.

Tortured Innocence is a dark, unflinching romance about survival after sexual violence, the long road through trauma, and the complicated, imperfect love that grows in its aftermath.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

There wasn’t room in Dark Atonement for this. It’s mentioned that Alexi takes Eloise to England but I thought we’d enjoy seeing what happens when they go. He’s on his best behaviour but when a high ranking murderous Bratva gangster meets a middle class English family there’s bound to be challenges…

Thanks for all your ongoing support everyone. I really appreciate each and every one of my readers.

Anna

Bonus Content

Alexi and Eloise go to England

March 1990
Eloise

Alexi automatically patted the gun in his jacket as he helped me out of the black cab when we arrived at the hotel. The first thing he’d done after we’d cleared English customs was meet up with a local contact to get firearms for him and the six men he’d brought from New York to act as security.

‘Doesn’t look much like a hotel,’ he told me loudly, glancing around the foyer distrustfully. ‘Looks more like fucking Buckingham Palace.’

The perfectly manicured receptionist looked up from the desk and stared at him, almost in horror. I guessed they didn’t have many Russian gangsters turning up with a full security entourage and swearing at the top of their voices.

‘It’s an old stately home,’ I whispered, shifting the baby in my arms uncomfortably. ‘A lot of them have become hotels because the upkeep is too expensive to maintain as a family home. My parents like it here because it’s very formal and dignified.’

‘Yeah…? Well it had better be fucking secure too.’ He turned to the receptionist. ‘Kostrov. If someone asks for my room number, what do you tell them?’

It was clearly a question that nobody had ever asked before, as panic flitted quickly over the receptionist’s face. Her training clearly hadn’t equipped her to deal with guests like Alexi.

I interrupted before my husband could draw the conclusion I knew he would from the silence. ‘The staff are trained not to give out personal details, Alexi. They would always ask you first before giving out your room number.’

‘Ok. Cameras? Who monitors them?’

‘My husband is just cautious,’ I explained, aware that not only was the receptionist gawking at us, we’d also drawn a crowd of other staff and guests who were watching in fascination. ‘Perhaps if we could just have our room key?’

‘How many keys are there to the room?’ Alexi demanded.

‘Three, sir. Two guest and one master.’

‘I’ll take all three.’

‘It’s hotel policy just to issue two, sir. The hotel reserves the right to access the room in case of emergency.’

‘There will be a fucking emergency if you don’t hand all three keys to me.’

I held my hand out with a sigh and accepted the two keys that were offered. ‘Perhaps we could just agree housekeeping between specific hours?’ I suggested. ‘And no access at any other times. Privacy is very important to my husband.’

The receptionist agreed with relief and, although Alexi looked like he still wanted to argue with her, I pulled him away gently and led him up to our room.

I watched as Alexi prowled every inch of the suite, testing windows and scowling when they didn’t open far enough. His lip curled at the hospitality tray.

‘Like I’d be fucking stupid enough to eat or drink anything set out for me.’

His horror as he came out after inspecting the bathroom really made me giggle.

‘No shower—one tap that’s too fucking hot and another that’s too fucking cold. How much am I paying for this?’

‘Things are just different in England,’ I explained. ‘It’s older than America and a lot of the buildings haven’t changed much since Victorian times.’

‘I don’t think the fucking wallpaper has changed since Victorian times.’

But his eyes lit up when he saw the bed. ‘Ok, they know what they’re doing here.’

He reached out to run his hand down one of the posts and tested the sturdiness, grinning at me. ‘I never knew the Victorians were so kinky.’

‘It’s just a bed, Alexi.’

His smile was knowing. ‘Sure it is. I’ll show you later exactly why they built it like this.’

I ignored the sudden warmth between my legs. We had to get through dinner with my parents first before we went anywhere near the bed. And given how my husband had reacted to England—and England had reacted to my husband—so far, I had an uneasy feeling that tonight’s dinner might not go as smoothly as I had hoped.

***

I rushed into my mother’s arms and hugged her, then threw my arms around my father. I’d missed them both so much. I’d only intended to go to the States for a few weeks, but it had been over a year since I’d last seen my family.

‘This is my husband,’ I told them awkwardly as we broke apart. ‘Alexi Kostrov.’

‘How do you do?’ my mother asked politely, though I could see the shock in her eyes at the sight of my powerful gangster husband. Whatever kind of man she had expected me to marry, Alexi definitely wasn’t it.

Alexi grinned at her. ‘Yeah, I’m doing ok. England’s too fucking cold though.’

My parents both winced, but he continued cheerfully.

‘Fucking nightmare sorting the security for a visit, but Eloise really wanted to see you and she’s promised to show me her gratitude later in the way I like best.’

I stopped him before he could go into detail about what I suspected would be me on my knees giving him a blow job—and changed the subject.

‘It’s a lovely hotel, we both really like it and the menu for tonight looks amazing.’ I took Catriona off Alexi. ‘It’s so elegant though—are you sure it was ok to bring her?’

‘My granddaughter?’ my father asked, stroking my baby’s soft hair. ‘We wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t believe our little girl’s become a mother.’

‘I’ll probably knock her up again soon,’ Alexi announced casually. ‘Russians like big families. I’ll expect a few more kids before I turn thirty.’

‘That’s down to Eloise to decide, surely?’

Alexi just laughed, then realised my mother wasn’t making a joke.

‘Oh right… Our culture is different to yours. In my world wives do as they’re told.’

He was only half joking. It was true that the Bratva saw women as inferior to their husbands, but it was also true that when I put my foot down Alexi ran for cover. I wasn’t the boss in our marriage, but I wasn’t a sweet, dutiful little wife he could impose his will on either. Though from the way both my parents were staring at him in shock, I could see they were imagining the worst.

‘Shall we order?’ I asked brightly, passing Alexi a menu and kicking him under the table at the same time. ‘Father, will you order the wine?’

‘Any particular wine you like?’ he asked Alexi.

‘Most of it just tastes like soap. I’ll stick with vodka.’

My parents ordered their meals and then the waitress turned expectantly to Alexi.

‘And you, sir?’

Alexi looked at her over the top of his reading glasses. ‘Why is the menu in French?’

She blinked. ‘It’s traditional…’

‘Yeah? It’s tradition to not know what the fuck I’m ordering?’

‘Perhaps I could recommend the suprême de poulet with velouté de champignons…’

‘Chicken,’ I whispered quietly under my breath.

I braced myself for his comeback, but to my relief Alexi relaxed. ‘That sounds ok. I’ll have that—and so will my wife.’

‘Eloise can order her own meal.’

My father couldn’t stop himself objecting, but Alexi just looked surprised at the criticism.

‘She likes chicken.’

‘I do,’ I agreed, kicking Alexi again and gazing at my father imploring him not to push it. I’d never be able to explain how the Bratva worked to my parents, and how my husband—despite being happy to treat me like an equal—was part of a misogynistic culture where women were expected to do what their husbands commanded.

‘So Alexi,’ my mother murmured when our first courses arrived, ‘what is it you actually do?’ She flushed. ‘Eloise has told us about… the organisation you belong to, but what role do you play in it?’

Alexi thought for a moment, his fork paused on the way to his mouth.

‘Killing, mainly. My elder brother decides who needs to be killed and then I gut them for him.’ He seemed to realise how inappropriate his response was because he quickly added, ‘I sell a lot of heroin from the Middle East too.’

My parents were no strangers to the wrong side of the law, but my father’s illegal art business was worlds apart from drugs and murder. They just stared at him, slack-jawed.

‘Alexi runs a lot of businesses too,’ I explained, glowering at him. ‘He’s a successful New York businessman. The crime stuff is only part of the picture.’

‘The fun part,’ Alexi added with a grin. ‘I’d rather gut someone than do paperwork.’

‘And how did you meet?’ my mother asked faintly.

This time I jumped in first. I wouldn’t put it past Alexi to tell her the whole story of him being tricked into forcing me to submit to sex. Much as I hated my cousin, he was my mother’s nephew and I didn’t want her knowing Aurelio was capable of using her daughter as bait.

Besides, I didn’t want my parents worrying themselves sick about me the moment I went back to the States. I’d never expected them to be reassured by meeting Alexi, but I wanted him to leave the most positive impression he could.

‘We met at his club,’ I said firmly. ‘Alessandro took me and Isabella dancing there.’ I didn’t point out that in New York the idea of the Mafia and the Bratva dancing at each other’s clubs was ludicrous. My parents didn’t know any better. ‘We hit it off from the moment we first met and things just grew from there.’

Alexi laughed loudly but subsided after a sharp look from me. What mattered was that we were in love with each other now. The long, painful journey to our happiness I intended to keep to myself.

‘And decided to marry with no family there?’ my father asked. ‘Rose was distraught to miss your wedding.’ He gave Alexi a cold look. ‘She was devastated to miss tonight too, so was Jamie, but you didn’t exactly give us much notice for this visit.’

‘Security is tighter if things happen quickly,’ I told them apologetically. ‘Alexi and his brothers don’t take the risk of planning things too far in advance.’

‘Three days notice? And will you be coming back again? Can we expect this to be a regular thing? Will we be able to watch our granddaughter grow up?’

‘It won’t be often,’ Alexi told him brutally. ‘I’m taking a fucking risk every time I leave the States and the bigger my family gets, the bigger the risk. But seeing you is important to my wife, so I’ll bring her again.’

‘You could come and visit us?’ I suggested, but I saw the way my mother looked at my father in panic. She hadn’t been back to America since she left to marry him and I knew she was afraid to go back.

‘You’d be safe with us,’ Alexi told her perceptively. ‘If you’re not safe with the fucking Bratva, then you’re not safe with anyone.’ He looked at me in confusion for a moment. ‘Though isn’t the Italian Capo her brother?’

‘Yes, but it’s a long story.’

He shrugged. ‘Well, the offer’s there. My wife’s parents are always welcome in my home.’

He stood up and threw his napkin down on the table.

‘Ok, I’m taking her to bed now, but we’ll do dinner again before we fly back.’

‘You must be tired…’ my mother said politely. ‘We understand.’

Alexi looked at her blankly for a moment, then his brow cleared.

‘No, I slept on the plane. But the hotel has this bed that’s just fucking made for bondage and we want to try it out.’

And he stalked from the dining room with the confidence of a man who genuinely believed he’d made a good impression on his in-laws.

‘He’s…’ I began.

‘He’s your husband and you love him,’ my mother interrupted. ‘That’s all that needs to be said. And Eloise, I can tell from the way he looks at you that the love works both ways.’ She kissed my cheek. ‘All we ever wanted was for you to be happy—and you are.’

My heart was light as I skipped through our suite to find my husband, who I knew with total certainty would already be tying things to the posts of the four-poster bed in preparation for the night of kinky sex he’d got planned.

He wasn’t a man I’d ever expected to take home to my parents.

But they were right. I loved him, he loved me, and that was all that mattered.

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Hiya everyone,

I’m so glad to be able to offer an ARC for Tortured Innocence (book seven Tangled Empires) as it would be great to get some early thoughts on Lev and Sarah and their dark, traumatic story before the book comes out.

If anyone would like to receive a (free of course) PDF copy prior to publication please email me directly on: annahardingdarkromance@gmail.com and I’ll send you a personalised copy next month.

I’d be really grateful for honest reviews but if you choose to review/rate it and what you choose to put in the review are entirely up to you. The only thing I ask is please don’t pass your copy to anyone else.

I’ll pop the blurb below so you can decide if you’d like to be an early reader. (I can provide the Trigger warning list if required too).

Tortured Innocence

Sarah was innocent when a criminal gang murdered her family and locked her in a cage.

By the time she was found, that innocence was gone forever.
Violated and broken by men who treated her suffering as entertainment, Sarah learned endurance and how to survive long after her hopes of freedom had died.
Her rescue comes too late to save her unscarred.
Dragged from captivity damaged, traumatised, and barely alive, Sarah is given a death sentence by the sadistic boss of the Bratva.
But one man believes in her future.
And Lev Nemov cares enough to defy his brother’s order to kill her.

Lev is no saviour.

He’s shaped by brutality of his own, a man forged by violence and loyalty to an organisation that breaks every rule he wants to believe in.
Saving Sarah is one thing, but understanding her is another.
He cannot force his protection on her no matter how much he needs her to be safe.
Other men stole her choices. He refuses to be one of them.
Loving a woman who has been tortured means accepting that she may never be whole again. That she may never be able to love him the way he loves her — or at all.

Tortured Innocence is a dark, unflinching romance about survival after sexual violence, the long road through trauma, and the complicated, imperfect love that grows in its aftermath.

Hiya everyone,

Really excited to share that book 6 in Tangled Empires ‘Cruel Punishment’ is out this Sunday. It’s been ages since I wrote this (I’m working on book ten at the moment) but the story really stayed with me. This couple are one of my favourite in the universe so far though there’s one character in it that you’re going to absolutely loathe…

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It’s been hard doing publicity for this one as it follows the murder mystery in book 5 so if you haven’t read that DON’T READ THIS ONE FIRST.

Preorders are open and I continue to be grateful beyond measure to everyone who takes the time to leave an honest review. It absolutely makes my day to see what someone thinks about my books.

I’ll be messaging out next week offering ARC copies for book 7. So look out for that if you like being one of the first to get your hands on a book!

(And yes, in answer to the question I’m always asked, Aurelio is in it, lol).

Blurb

‘I demanded obedience. She longed for romance.’

When the boss orders Dante Ciccotti to take a woman as his wife, he accepts without hesitation.

This isn’t a union.
It’s a sentence.
She isn’t just his bride—she’s his punishment to deliver.

Cold, disciplined, and feared across the Mafia, Dante lives by a single truth:
Control is survival.

He expects tears, terror, and broken obedience.
But the girl does not break.
She meets his cruelty with courage.
She meets his dominance with desire.
And the place he expects her to fear him most becomes the place she begins to understand him.

What begins as vengeance becomes obsession.
What was meant to destroy her starts to unravel him.

In a world where love is weakness and mercy is death, two enemies are bound by a marriage neither chose… and a passion neither can escape.

Cruel Punishment is a dark, emotionally charged Mafia romance where torment turns to devotion and two broken souls discover a love they were never meant to survive. Complete, no cliffhanger.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Hiya all,

Tuesday is a huge day for Tangled Empires — Books 1 and 2 are dropping to $0.99 for a very limited time, and Book One is featured on BookBub.

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If you’ve been meaning to start the series, or you’re waiting for the perfect moment to recommend it to a friend, this is it. A BookBub feature always sends a huge wave of new readers our way, and it’s going to be great to introduce new people to the dark world of Aurelio Dinelli.

Here’s what’s on offer:

🔥 Dark Atonement (Book One) — the beginning of Eloise & Alexi’s brutal, obsessive journey into the Mafia world

🔥 Deceitful Union (Book Two) — Jamie & Lorena’s tangled, dangerous descent into revenge, loyalty, and betrayal

Both will be just $0.99 / £0.99, but only for a short window.

If you’ve already read them, this is the perfect chance to:

help a friend start the series

grab the books you missed

share your thoughts on them on Amazon and Goodreads (errr… unless you don’t like them in which case maybe just message me instead 😈)

If you’re up to date… Book Six arrives in March, Book Seven in May, and Book Eight in July. I’ll be sending out updates on offering ARC readers for book seven soon. That’s the darkest book I’ve written and probably my favourite so far.

Thank you, truly, for being here. Your support is what keeps this entire world alive.

Much love
Anna

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Couldn’t resist doing a final Valentine’s day bonus scene with Aurelio. I had dinner with a reader the other day and she told me she could guess my favourite character and yep, she was right. Though most of the feedback I get suggests Aurelio is number one for a lot of you too!

So here’s the bonus content. Spoilers for book 2 and beyond and trigger warnings for violence, torture and implied sexual violence (Maybe I need to get a dictionary with a better definition of Valentine’s day!).

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There’s a lot more bonus content coming this year, book six is out in March and I’ll be sending out details of the ARC for book seven next month too.

In the meantime, enjoy….

………………………………

Rose

‘I honestly don’t mind,’ I told my husband earnestly. ‘In fact it would be nice to have a drink in your club, I’ve only ever been in the back and your office.’

Aurelio glowered at me, ‘You’d think the inept pair could manage without me for one night. Valentine’s day of all nights.’ He glanced at his watch, ‘I’ll only be twenty minutes. I just need to explain some figures to them. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’ll get you a drink at the bar and then we can go on to the restaurant.’

‘We’re early for the table anyway,’ I reassured him, ‘Though I don’t suppose that matters…’

I knew Aurelio well enough to know that if a restaurant failed to hold a table for him then the serving staff and the manager would probably be found buried in cement a few days later. It had bothered me in the beginning of my marriage that the man who always treated me with such kindness and respect could treat others with such monstrous violence. But I’d come to terms with the fact that being married to the Capo dei Capi of the Mafia sometimes meant turning a blind eye to things that could never have been imagined in the world I grew up in.

‘Viognier,’ he told the bar attendant without even looking at him or acknowledging the queue he’d just pushed through. ‘I’ll send Alessandro down,’ he told me with a smile. ‘I can just about get Leandro to understand how our revenue streams break down but I’m not even going to try explaining it to my brother. He can keep you company instead.’

He settled me on a private table with my wine. ‘Twenty minutes,’ he promised. ‘Then we’re back to Valentine’s Day. I’ll make it up to you with diamonds later.’

I laughed, if he gave me any more diamonds I could open my own jewellery shop.

‘Dinner will be fine,’ I told him firmly. But he just smiled and walked away.

I’d only been sat on my own for a few minutes when a man I didn’t recognise sat down at the table next to me. I shifted a bit in the chair uneasily. I didn’t like anyone except Aurelio sitting that close to me but I was always very uncomfortable asking people to move.

‘I’m new to New York,’ he announced—breathing whisky fumes all over me as he spoke. ‘But if all the women here are as hot as you then I’ll be sticking around for a while.’ He burped, then leaned forward to get even closer. ‘What’s your name, pretty?’

‘Rose,’ I replied quietly. He needed to go away. If Aurelio found a man sitting this close to me then he wouldn’t stop to ask questions. But I still hesitated. I always found being rude so difficult.

‘Steve,’ he said to me with a leer. ‘Get you a drink?’

I shook my head and pointed at the wine Aurelio had given me. ‘No thank you.’

‘No thank you,’ he mimicked in a high voice. ‘You’re not American?’

‘English.’

‘English? Yeah, I can tell. You’ve got that don’t touch me face.’

My don’t touch me face was nothing to do with being English, it was because he was disgusting, drunk and uncomfortably predatory. But I said nothing, I just hoped he’d take the hint and go pester someone else.

But he didn’t, instead he got even closer and pressed his thigh up against mine. ‘Makes me want to touch you more,’ he told me suggestively. ‘You’re a hot piece of ass, Rose.’

‘I’m not interested,’ I told him quietly. ‘Please leave me alone.’

‘Leave you alone? Why? I’m not doing anything. Just being friendly. Christ you women can’t take a joke can you?’

‘I don’t want to talk to you.’

‘I’m not good enough to talk to?’ he demanded belligerently. ‘You think you’re too good for the likes of me? You want to chat me up, get me going and then freeze me out because you’re too scared to know what it feels like to get a real man’s cock up you? I’ll stick it up you, you uptight cunt.’

I didn’t have to answer because the second he’d spewed out his angry filth a fist slammed into his face. I stared in shock as he slumped to the floor.

‘Aurelio will fucking kill him, ‘ Alessandro told me with a hard smile. He clicked his fingers and motioned two security guards to the man on the floor, ‘Take him to the boss’s office. Leandro’s in there with him. Check for weapons first.’ He took my hand gently, ‘You ok darling? Did he touch you?’

I shook my head. ‘Alessandro, he was just drunk and stupid. If you take him to Aurelio…’ I bit my lip. ‘Something like this happened with a man before. Aurelio…killed him.’

He nodded, ‘I remember — The time with the steak knife and the tongue. You only saw the first bit of that punishment sweetheart, you didn’t see what Aurelio ordered to happen when you left.’

‘It got worse?’ I asked faintly.

‘You’re his world. Anyone threatening you can expect the worst type of torture.’ His mouth set in a grim line, ‘And I love you too, I’ll enjoy watching this piece of shit get hurt as much as your husband will.’

Alessandro pushed open the office door and took me inside to where Aurelio and Leandro were standing over the man who was now handcuffed to an office chair. The bravado was gone from his face and from the way he was staring up at my husband in terror, I guessed he’d worked out he’d threatened the wrong woman.

‘Repeat what you said to my wife,’ Aurelio told him coldly.

‘Look, I’m not after any trouble. If she’s yours she’s yours. I’ll keep my hands off her. I get it.’

I remembered what he had told me when he sat down. ‘He’s only just arrived in New York,’ I told Aurelio uncomfortably, ‘He might not know who you are.’

‘I don’t,’ the man interrupted in a mixture of fear and relief. ‘If you’re someone important then I’m sorry. I should have checked first before going anywhere near her.’

‘You’ve never heard of the Mafia?’ Leandro asked casually. ‘Why do I find that hard to believe?’

The colour drained out of the man’s face and if his hands hadn’t been bound he’d have thrown them up to plead with the men before him.

‘Shit,’ he whispered, ‘The Mafia…seriously? I’m so fucking sorry.’ The last words were almost garbled he was so desperate to apologise. ‘I didn’t know this was a Mafia run club or I’d never have—Seriously, I’d never…’ He turned his head toward me, ‘I apologise,’ he begged me, I should have left you alone, I’m so sorry.’

Alessandro interrupted the babbled pleas. ‘He threatened to rape her,’ he told Aurelio lightly. ‘He wasn’t just flirting with her, he was intimidating her and making threats.’

The cold smile my husband was famous for flickered across his face. ‘Then the next three minutes of your life will mark the end of your life.’

‘He was drunk,’ I told Aurelio. ‘I don’t think it was a genuine threat.’

‘Irrelevant,’ Aurelio replied brutally. ‘He made an unwelcome sexual comment to the woman I love. He will pay for that with his life.’

‘He called her an uptight cunt too. Said she needed to know what it felt like to get a real man’s cock up her.’ Alessandro was clearly determined that the worst punishment his brother could devise should be the one chosen.

I warmed at how protective both my husband and brother in law were but I wished the violence wasn’t necessary. Yes this Steve was an uncouth and unpleasant man but I didn’t think he had actually intended to carry his threat out. It had been the alcohol talking. But that wouldn’t matter to Aurelio. I knew with a sinking feeling from the way he was meditatively studying the begging man that he was simply deciding how his victim would die.

He looked at Leandro meaningfully, ‘He threatened to rape my wife.’

Leandro nodded as an unspoken understanding passed between them. ‘I’ll sort it.’

‘Good. I’ll leave him with you. He believed Rose should know how it feels to have a real man’s cock inside her. Make the punishment fit the crime.’

Leandro and Alessandro both laughed at his words but I didn’t see what was so amusing.

My husband gently gripped my elbow to escort me from the room and take me to our Valentine’s dinner and it was only as I looked back over my shoulder and saw Leandro unzipping his pants that I realised exactly what Aurelio had ordered him to do.

I clenched my jaw as I followed Alessandro and his brother out of the toom. But I had chosen to marry Aurelio Dinelli and this was the life he came with.

I finished my dinner and shared a bottle of champagne and a romantic Valentine’s day with my husband without giving the man left behind in his office another thought.

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Here’s the second of the three bonus Valentine scenes from the Tangled Empires Universe. This one has spoilers for book 5 (though it’s nothing you wouldn’t get from reading the back of the book). It’s also a bit more sexually graphic so if full on sex isn’t your thing, feel free to give it a miss.

Last one will be out tomorrow on Valentine’s Day and that one will have Aurelio in (lol)

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Anna

Isabella

I was absolutely full of food. Nikolai loved making Valentine’s Day special for me and had spent an incredible sum on dinner in the best French restaurant in New York. We’d had twelve courses. I’d been a bit worried when I saw how small the first one was, but by the time we’d reached the cheese board I was full to bursting.

I looked down at the diamond bracelet on my wrist and admired the way it caught the light. Nikolai always knew exactly what gift to get me. It went so beautifully with my new dress. I hiccuped as I leaned my head on his shoulder in the car. Vintage champagne always gave me hiccups and I’d drunk at least a bottle of it.

‘What are your brothers doing for Valentine’s?’ I asked, snuggling up to him for warmth. ‘They can’t top this, surely?’

‘Anton’s flying Serena out to Russia. As for Alexi…’ I heard the disapproval in his voice and sat up a bit.

‘Go on…’

‘They’re away tonight but he’s got a surprise for her when they get back. And she’ll definitely be surprised. He’s such a deviant sometimes.’

I tried not to giggle. Eloise was very frank about her romantic life with Alexi and I knew they were both into S&M. I’d been shocked a couple of times when she’d shown me her bruises, but she was a tough girl and would definitely say no to her husband if she didn’t want to do something. She’d told me she loved what she called pain play as much as he did.

‘What’s his surprise?’ I asked innocently. ‘Don’t be a tease, Nikolai, you’ve got to tell me now.’

‘He’s made part of the basement into a…’ He cleared his throat. ‘A play dungeon. He took me and Anton down there yesterday. Honestly, it looks like something out of a porn film. He even had the nerve to ask if I wanted the code to get in.’

‘Did he give you it?’

‘Yep. He’s such a narcissist he used his own date of birth.’

I sat up fully straight and put on my most wheedling voice. ‘Can we go see it?’

‘Isabella, it’s nothing that would interest us and your brother would have a fit if I took his little sister into a sex dungeon. He probably won’t be happy even if he finds out you live in the same house as one.’

Nikolai would never admit it but he was scared of my brother. It was nothing to be ashamed of, though. Everyone was scared of my brother. Aurelio Dinelli was the cruellest boss the Mafia had ever had. On the rare occasions we were invited to dinner at his house I could feel the tension between Aurelio and my husband in the air. Though, of all the Kostrov brothers, Nikolai was the one Aurelio tolerated most. If I’d asked to marry Alexi I’d probably have been locked up by my brother until I begged him for a more suitable husband.

‘Please, Nikolai…’ I forced a sad note into my voice. ‘It’s Valentine’s Day.’

‘Issabella,’ he said, amused but exasperated, ‘I’ve taken you out for the best food and wine money can buy, I’ve given you flowers, chocolates and diamonds. Everything that makes Valentine’s special, it’s happened for you.’

I pouted at him. ‘But I want to see Alexi’s dungeon.’ I poked him gently. ‘Just a quick look…’ I said winningly. ‘I promise I’ll be worth it when we go to bed after.’

‘You’ll fall asleep…’ But the warmth in his voice told me I was convincing him.

‘One little peep, then your curvy Mafia princess will strip to her panties for you.’

I knew how to get Nikolai going. He was very giving in the bedroom and nothing excited him more than my enthusiasm for his lovemaking. He loved it when I took the lead and put on a strip show before pushing him back on the bed and climbing on top of him.

‘One look,’ he said with a sigh, ‘but if you’re shocked we leave immediately and I’m not explaining any of Alexi’s weird shit to you.’

I grabbed his hand as soon as the car pulled up and waited impatiently while he paid the driver. ‘Come on,’ I urged him, ‘I’m so curious now!’ I dragged him down to the basement and tapped my feet while he entered the code to the door I’d never seen before.

‘Ok,’ he said after a couple of attempts to remember his brother’s birthdate. ‘But we’re straight out of there if it upsets you.’ He swung the door open, took my hand and walked me inside.

I’d never seen anything like it. I looked around in fascination. It was like a modern version of a medieval torture chamber. There was even a cage. Alexi and Eloise were so much more adventurous than we were. I felt naughty when I wore skimpy lingerie. But I was very intrigued by it all.

‘Just to be clear,’ Nikolai said calmly, ‘no I don’t share my brother’s interests and no I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything because you don’t do for me what Eloise does for Alexi.’

‘He hits her with things,’ I told him comfortably, ‘but it’s ok because she loves it.’ I walked over to the wall and picked up one of the thinner-looking canes. ‘He uses things like this on her. I wonder what it feels like…’

‘Isabella…’

‘There’s nobody here,’ I reassured him. ‘Nobody else even in the house, we’re totally private.’ I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. ‘I promised you a striptease—how about I do it here?’ I handed him the cane. ‘I’m so curious, Nikolai…’

I didn’t wait for an answer. I unzipped my dress and stepped out of it. Nikolai had also drunk a lot and I could sense his resolve weakening as he stared at me in my pretty matching lacy bra and panties. He loved me in sexy underwear.

I’d spent years being told by my brother to starve myself into the kind of figure he found appealing on a woman, but my husband couldn’t love my curves more. His gaze glided from my breasts to my well-padded tummy—so comfortable for him to rest his head on—and then down to my hips and thighs. He really wanted me; he was already hardening inside his tailored evening trousers. I knew if I took my bra off he’d do anything I asked.

I knelt on a sort of padded bench and jiggled my bottom at Nikolai. ‘If you want me,’ I teased, ‘you’ve got to show me how that cane feels first.’

‘No way am I hurting you,’ he said decisively. ‘Alexi might think showing his love with bruises is romantic but I’m never going to hurt my wife.’ But his breathing was coming faster and heavier. ‘I’ll take you down here if that’s what you want, though,’ he offered. ‘I’ll take you while you’re kneeling on that bench. I just need to push your panties to one side, then…’

‘Use the cane on me first,’ I begged with a giggle. ‘Just a little bit, I don’t want you to hurt me either. Just tap me with it.’ I wasn’t sure if I’d actually like it, but excitement fizzed through me at the thought of it.

He moved forward, raised his arm and then lightly brought the cane down evenly across my bottom. I wiggled a bit, trying to decide if I liked the sensation.

‘Maybe a little bit harder,’ I suggested. ‘Swing it first.’

‘You’re a nightmare,’ he said with a sigh, but he did as I asked and brought the cane down again, harder. ‘Like that?’

‘I do like it…’ I breathed. I could see why Eloise enjoyed this kind of play. I didn’t want to be hit as hard as Alexi hit her, but this was fun.

‘You’re wet,’ Nikolai told me in amusement. ‘Your panties are soaked through. I can’t believe that turned you on.’

‘Let’s try something else!’ I jumped up and handed him a pair of handcuffs. ‘Put my hands behind my back!’

‘Isabella…’

‘Please… fasten my hands and then make love to me while I’m tied up. That’s got to turn you on too?’

‘It does, but I don’t want you to feel out of control.’

‘That’s the whole point. I want to feel helpless. Eloise says nothing does it for her more than when Alexi ties her up and does whatever he wants to her.’

‘I’ll restrain you,’ Nikolai said firmly, ‘but only to make love to you. I don’t care what Eloise and Alexi get up to, I love you too much to risk hurting you, even accidentally. And if I hadn’t drunk a bottle of champagne and got insanely turned on at the sight of you nearly naked then we wouldn’t even be handcuffing you.’

I sighed. Four killer Kostrov brothers and I’d managed to marry the only one with a conscience. But I loved him for it. Nikolai’s determination to keep me safe was as erotic to me as Alexi’s dominance was to Eloise.

I moved my hands behind my back and waited patiently while he fastened the handcuffs around my wrists. This did actually feel a bit daunting. I knew I was safe with Nikolai but not being able to move my arms definitely made me feel vulnerable. I swallowed; I was glad he didn’t want to do more. Eloise liked being tied up while Alexi used his belt on her but that would be far too much for me—I’d be scared if Nikolai wanted anything as extreme as that.

‘For future reference, Isabella,’ Nikolai’s voice was warm in my ear, ‘always check that the person handcuffing you knows where the key is before agreeing to have them used on you.’

I jumped. ‘You haven’t got the key?’

He kissed my neck before replying, ‘As if I’d ever put you in that position. It’s safe in my pocket. The minute you want out, they come off.’

I breathed out shakily. He was right; I got carried away with enthusiasm sometimes. It would be just like me to get excited about handcuffs and then realise I couldn’t get out of them. But I had Nikolai for the sensible things like that. And even if he lost the key, my husband was a genius—he’d be able to get me out of them with a hairpin or a paperclip. I’d seen him pick locks before.

Very carefully, Nikolai helped me back across the room and positioned me on the bench I’d leaned on earlier. Looking down, I realised that the loops at the bottom of the bench legs were for ankle restraints.

‘No,’ Nikolai told me, seeing where I was looking. ‘That would overwhelm you too much. I want you in the moment with me.’

I was in the moment. I was so aroused I could feel the wetness spreading down my thighs as I squeezed them together for friction. Nikolai was taking his sweet time getting down to giving me the good hard seeing-to that he knew I wanted. But as I glanced over my shoulder I could see he’d been taking his clothes off and he was every bit as turned on as I was. He might not want to admit it, but he was enjoying having me tied up at his mercy.

‘Shuffle back,’ he ordered, taking my hips in his hands and pulling me backwards so I was at the best angle for him. My head was pressed down into the soft leather of the bench and my hips were high up in the air.

‘Take me in one go,’ I teased him. ‘Just hold my hips and… slam into me.’

‘I shouldn’t have had that fucking champagne,’ he muttered, but then I felt him step between my thighs and position himself at my entrance.

I braced myself as Nikolai’s fingers dug into my hips, steadying me exactly where he wanted me. I loved how exposed I felt with my panties shoved to the side and my wrists locked behind my back.

Every shift made the metal cuffs bite just enough to remind me I couldn’t reach back or cover myself. I couldn’t do anything but take whatever he gave me. He pressed himself against me—not inside yet, just teasing my entrance with his thickness.

‘You asked for it,’ he murmured, his voice roughened by champagne and lust. Before I could answer, he snapped his hips forward. The breath punched out of me as he buried himself to the hilt in one forceful thrust.

My body tightened around him, trying to adjust, but he didn’t give me time. He pulled back almost all the way and slammed in again, harder, setting a rhythm that was steady and merciless. My breasts bounced inside the lace with each impact, and Nikolai leaned over to cup them gently, cushioning the movement. I couldn’t brace myself at all—my body arched of its own accord, offering him a deeper and deeper angle.

‘You’re gripping me so tight.’ He was almost panting as he drove into me harder. ‘Tell me if it’s too much. I can stop…’

I shook my head frantically. ‘No! Don’t you dare. Please don’t stop.’ His rhythm faltered for half a second—like my desperation had pierced through his control. Then he took me even harder, claiming me with a force I had never known from him, the pressure building in both of us as my need to come urged him on.

‘Nikolai—I’m…’ My words collapsed into a cry as my climax hit, sharp and blinding. My whole body locked around him as I came so hard my knees buckled. If he hadn’t been supporting me, his hands tight on my hips, I would have collapsed.

He swore under his breath as I felt his own climax build.

‘That’s it… fuck, just like that… take it all—’ One more deep grind and I felt him spill inside me, his release triggering another trembling aftershock through my body.

For a long moment we just breathed—him still inside me, my cheek pressed to the bench, wrists still cuffed, my heart hammering against my ribs. He pressed a slow, open-mouthed kiss to the back of my neck.

‘You ok?’ His voice was soft now, his usual gentleness returned. ‘I need to hear it. I don’t want to think I hurt you.’

I nodded, dazed and blissed-out. ‘More than ok.’

He eased out slowly, reached into his pocket for the key, and the handcuffs clicked open. He rubbed my wrists gently, checking for marks, before helping me sit up on the bench.

I looked up at him—his eyes still dark with the afterglow of our passion—and grinned. ‘So… can we come back here again sometime?’

Nikolai laughed and pulled me into his chest. ‘Only if you promise not to scare ten years off my life every time you get curious. And no mentioning canes or handcuffs to Alexi. He’ll get too fucking smug.’

I snuggled into him, still feeling the throbbing between my thighs.

‘Valentine’s Day isn’t over yet…’ I murmured invitingly.

He kissed the top of my head. ‘No,’ he agreed softly. ‘It isn’t.’

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