by Cora Reilly
I rushed through my shower but took extra care with my makeup and hair. Then I headed downstairs. I could hear my sisters already laughing in the kitchen and followed the sound. They stood at the kitchen counter, coffee cups in their hands. Nobody else was there but the big wooden table was set for six people, so the men would hopefully join us later. Trying to hide my disappointment that Romero wasn’t there yet, I walked toward them. Aria poured me a cup of coffee and handed it to me with a worried look. “Didn’t you sleep again last night?”
I paused with the cup against my lips, my pulse quickening. Had they seen Romero walking into my room? Or maybe even leaving it in the morning? “Why?” I asked hesitantly.
Gianna snorted. “Because you look fucking tired. There are dark shadows under your eyes.”
I thought I’d put enough concealer on it. Damn it. “I’m fine. I dreamed of Mother, but it wasn’t bad.”
Aria wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Is it still about what she said to you?”
“Yeah,” I said evasively. “I can’t get her words out of my head.”
“Don’t take everything she said too much to heart. She was sick. It’s not your job to undo her mistakes. She was unhappy at the end but it was her own fault,” Gianna said.
“Gianna,” Aria said in warning.
“It’s not like Mother tried to guilt me into anything. She only wanted me to be happy.”
“And you’re going to be happy. We’ll make sure of it,” Aria said, squeezing my shoulder lightly before stepping back. “Let’s start to eat. Who knows when the men will show up. They had something to discuss.”
“Oh?” I asked nervously as we went over to the table and sat down. “Business?” If I was already a nervous wreck when Romero and I hadn’t even really done anything yet, how much worse would it be once there really was something going on?
Aria gave me an odd look. “I suppose. It’s all they ever talk about.”
“You’re acting kind of odd,” Gianna said as she grabbed a Danish from the bread basket. She scanned my face. “Did anything happen?”
“No,” I said too quickly. I grabbed a bowl and some cereal and milk. Gianna’s eyes seemed to bore holes into my skull and I could tell that she was going to push it, but male voices began to drift over to us from the entrance hall. I almost sighed in relief when they entered the dining area because Gianna’s attention moved on to Matteo who gave her a grin. I froze as my eyes settled on Romero. His brown hair was in slight disarray and the white dress shirt hugged his chest in the most distracting way but his gaze barely brushed over me as he, Luca, and Matteo headed for the table. Despite knowing that we had to act normal and not draw any suspicions toward us, his blatant refusal to look my way sent a stab of worry through me. Things didn’t improve when first Luca leaned down to kiss Aria and then Matteo did the same with Gianna before they settled on chairs across from them. Romero gave me a small nod and tight smile as he sank down on his chair. I grabbed my spoon and started eating my cereal. I could feel my sisters’ eyes on me. They knew me too well but I wouldn’t give them a chance to suspect anything. I didn’t want them to have to keep a secret from their husbands, especially not that kind of secret. The rest of breakfast I made sure to keep my eyes away from Romero regardless of him sitting opposite me, and instead talked to my sisters. Romero didn’t seem to have much trouble ignoring me, that was for sure. He and the other men were deep into an argument about the best way to handle a drug dealer who attracted too much attention from the police.
After breakfast, Aria and Gianna decided to head to the pool again. The weather was nice, barely a breeze and only a few white clouds adorning the blue sky. I went to my bedroom to change into a bikini, a cute pink thing with white dots with a halter top that accentuated my breasts. When I stepped out of my room, I bumped into a hard chest. Strong hands on my arms steadied but released me the moment I stopped swaying. I pressed a hand over my heart, not having expected someone to be in front of my door. “God, you startled me,” I said with a small laugh but it died when I raised my head to Romero’s face.
He didn’t say anything and his jaw was locked tight as his eyes roamed my body. His lack of reaction made me feel self-conscious. I had never been around Romero half naked like this, or any man really. Romero had seen many women naked and I wondered if he compared me to them.
I took a step back, my cheeks heating under his steadfast attention, and I self-consciously crossed my arms in front of my body.
He checked the corridor before he moved closer, and said in a low voice, “You look breathtaking.”
Dropping my arms, I couldn’t hold back a jibe. “You didn’t seem to notice at breakfast.” Despite my attempt to sound flippant, my voice revealed my hurt, and it annoyed me.
Romero met my gaze, expression softening. “I did notice, believe me. It’s impossible not to, Lily,” he said quietly. We were alone in the corridor and standing close enough that I could smell his aftershave. “I didn’t want to ignore you, but we don’t have a choice. This has to stay a secret.”
“This?” I asked. “What exactly is this?” We had hardly done anything yet. We’d kissed three times but that was it.
His shoulders tensed as if he didn’t want to put a label on us. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. But I want you, Lily. I can’t get you out of my head. No matter what I do there’s always you.”
I exhaled. It felt as if a huge rock had dropped off my shoulders. So it wasn’t just me. “You want me?” I echoed, tilting my head up to peer at him through my lashes.
Romero’s eyes travelled the length of my body again and it made me tingle all over. How would it feel if he touched every spot his eyes had wandered? He let out a small, dark laugh. “Oh yes.”
“I want you too. So what are we going to do now?” I took a step closer until there was barely room between us and I dipped my head back to stare up into his face. He didn’t touch me, even though I wanted him to but his eyes lingered on my breasts, and now that he wasn’t masking his emotions I saw the hunger in his expression. “What I want to do is take you into your bedroom and rip off your bikini, then taste every inch of your skin. I know you’ll taste absolutely perfect.”
I hadn’t expected him to be so direct and my face exploded with heat. “Why don’t you find out?” My attempt at a seductive whisper came out breathless, almost shy.
Romero touched his fingertips to my heated cheeks. “So innocent.” He shook his head and I could tell he was about to pull back physically and emotionally. I leaned against him, my breasts flush against his strong chest. “I don’t want to stay innocent, Romero.”
“Damn,” Romero muttered. He cupped the back of my head and tilted it to the side, then he bent down and pressed an open-mouthed kiss over my pulse point before he traced my jugular with his tongue. I let out an embarrassing moan as my core tightened with arousal. I tipped my head further to the side, giving him better access, but he had moved on from my throat and kissed my lips. I pressed myself against him even harder. His shirt felt cool against my naked skin. A noise from somewhere in the house made us jump apart. There was no one in the corridor but it was a good reminder that we needed to be careful. After another glance down the corridor, Romero cupped my cheek again. “You do taste as perfect as I thought.”
I smiled. “You haven’t even tasted all of me.” My cheeks flamed when I realized what I’d said and how Romero would understand it.
Romero’s eyes darkened with what I suspected was desire. “I intend to, trust me.”
I shivered. “You do?”
“God yes.” He sighed, then took a step back. “But we need to be careful. This is a dangerous path we’re on.”
“I know but I don’t care. I want this.”
Romero kissed me again. He shook his head. “I don’t know how you did it but I can’t get you out of my fucking mind. And now this.” He gestured at my bikini. “You’re lucky you can’t read my mind, you’d be shocked.”
“Not as
shocked as you, if you could read my mind,” I said with what I hoped was a seductive smile. I turned around and walked away, making sure I swung my hips.
Romero
As I watched Lily prance away, I almost groaned. Her tiny bikini barely covered her perfect butt cheeks and her long legs drove me just as wild. I wanted to read her mind, wanted to find out what she desired and give it to her.
Her earlier comment about tasting her had filled my head with images of my mouth on her pussy. I couldn’t wait to find out if it was as pink and perfect as I imagined it. I wanted to lick her until she begged for mercy.
My pants became uncomfortable and I had to shift to give my cock a bit more room. How would I be able to restrain myself if I kept thinking about tasting her? It had already been difficult enough to lie in her bed at night without those images in my head, torturing me. I knew Lily would visit me again at night. Now that she knew how much I wanted her, she would use her chance.
But I also knew that I needed to establish certain boundaries. Flirting and kissing was still tolerable, though I was fairly sure that Luca and Aria, and most definitely Scuderi, would disagree. Taking things further was something I couldn’t risk. I’d given Luca a promise and I should at least try to keep it.
CHAPTER NINE
Liliana
That night I crept into Romero’s bedroom again. The lights were out but he was sitting with his back against his headboard. He didn’t say anything as I approached the bed and suddenly I was nervous.
“Hey,” I whispered, then yawned because it had been a long day and as usual sleep evaded me. “Can I come into your bed?”
Romero lifted his blankets. I quickly slipped under them but didn’t snuggle against him, suddenly shy. Romero peered down at me, then he reached out and brushed a few strands from my forehead. I braced myself on my elbows to kiss him, but he shook his head. I froze.
“I don’t think we should be kissing when we’re in bed together.”
“You don’t want to kiss me anymore?” Was I that horrible?
“No, I still want to kiss you and I’m going to kiss you but not when we’re in bed. There are certain boundaries we shouldn’t cross, Lily.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. Maybe he was right. Kissing in bed was only a small step away from doing much more, and some things simply couldn’t be undone. “But can we snuggle?”
Romero chuckled. “I should probably say no,” he murmured. “But I’m screwed anyway.”
He lay down and opened his arms. I inched toward him and put my head down on his upper arm. I wasn’t sure why I felt so comfortable in his presence. I wasn’t someone who liked physical contact with people I didn’t know, but with Romero I’d always wanted closeness.
I closed my eyes but I didn’t fall asleep immediately. “Have you ever regretted working for Luca? As the son of a soldier, you would have had the option not to become part of the Famiglia. You could have lived a normal life.”
“No. This was all I ever wanted,” Romero said. His fingers ran up and down my forearm in a very distracting way but I wasn’t sure if he even realized what he was doing. “I’ve known Luca and Matteo long before I was inducted. I always looked up to Luca because he was older and strong as a bear, and Matteo and I always got in trouble together.”
“I bet Matteo got in trouble and you had to save his ass.”
Romero let out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s more like it. When Luca became a Made Man and when I heard the story of how he killed his first man at eleven, I wanted nothing more than to be like him.”
“You were only eight then. Shouldn’t you have been playing with matchbox cars instead?”
“I always knew I wanted to become a member of the Famiglia. I wanted to be their best fighter. I often practiced with Matteo and in the beginning even with Luca. They wiped the ground with me. But I was a quick learner, and when I was inducted a few years later, only a handful could see eye to eye with me in a knife fight, and I got only better with time. I worked hard.”
I could tell he was proud of what he’d achieved. “What did your family want? Did they try to keep you away from the mob?”
“My father didn’t want his life for me. As a debt collector he had to do many horrible things. But he and my mother trusted me to decide for myself.”
How would it be to have people trust you to make your own decisions?
“This life, does it make you happy?” I asked softly. Sometimes I wished there was an easy definition for what made me happy.
“At times, but nobody can always be happy.” He was silent for a moment. “What makes you happy?”
“I don’t know. This, but I know it’s fleeting.”
Romero’s chest rose and fell under my cheek until I was sure he’d fallen asleep but then he spoke again. “Happiness often is. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it while it lasts.”
* * *
Deep down I knew I needed to stop this madness. If someone caught us, both our lives would be ruined. But I couldn’t. Whenever I was near Romero the sorrow that had rested so heavily on me in the last few weeks seemed bearable. Everything seemed lighter and more hopeful.
I eased the door open. As usual the lights were out but the curtains weren’t drawn so the moonlight illuminated the contours of the furniture and showed me my path toward the bed. I closed the door without a sound and tiptoed across the room. Romero wasn’t asleep. I could feel his eyes following me as I slipped under the covers. He lay on his back, his arms propped up behind his head. I couldn’t make out his expression. He waited for me to put my head on his chest so he could wrap his arm around me. He’d never made the first move but tonight I didn’t just want to fall asleep beside him. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted, but definitely more. I was glad for the dark when I got up on my knees and straddled his hips.
Romero tensed beneath me and sat up, his palms flat against my shoulder blades. “What are you doing?” he murmured, a quality to his voice I’d never heard before.
“I don’t know,” I whispered before I lightly brushed my lips over his. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I’d expected, definitely not the one I got. He flipped us over so my back was pressed into the mattress and he was hovering over me. He wasn’t holding me down but his body caged me in, his knees between my legs, his arms beside my head, his upper body over me. Romero everywhere. God, and it felt good. Maybe there should have been anxiety and trepidation. We were alone in his bedroom, and if I called for help I’d get in more trouble than when I let him do whatever he wanted. But I wasn’t scared of Romero. Maybe I was stupid not to be. I knew what he was capable of. He was a killer. And he was a grown man, who’d had many women before me who delivered when they offered their body to him. Everyone always told me that playing games would get me in trouble one day. Maybe tonight they’d be proven right.
Despite this, my body reacted to Romero’s closeness. My center tightened in anticipation, of what I wasn’t even entirely sure, and heat pooled in my belly. For a long time the only sound in the dark was our rapid breathing. “Lily,” he said quietly, imploringly. “I pride myself on my self-control, but I’m a man and not a good one either. So far I’ve tried to be a gentleman. I know you’re sad and lonely, and I didn’t want to take advantage of you. But if you go the next step and offer more, then you can’t expect me not to take you up on that offer.”
“Maybe I want you to.” My heart pounded in my chest as the words left my mouth.
Romero brushed his lips over my temple, the barest touch that made me tingle. “Do you even know what you’re offering, Lily?”
I hesitated.
Romero released a long breath, kissed my forehead and began to pull back.
I gripped his shoulders, even through his t-shirt his heat seemed to scorch me. “Sometimes when I’m alone I try to imagine how it would feel if you touched me.”
“Fuck,” he breathed. And then he kissed me gently before pulling back again. Even my hands couldn’t stop him this time.
<
br /> “Why are you pulling away?”
“Lights.”
“Lights?” I said nervously.
“I need to see your face.” The lights came on and I blinked against the sudden brightness. He lay down beside me but he kept one arm around my waist. His hair was disheveled and dark stubble dusted his cheeks and chin. “When you imagine my touch, do you ever caress yourself?” he asked in a low voice.
My eyes widened a fraction and heat crept into my face. Romero cupped my cheek and traced the blush there. “Tell me,” he said.
I lowered my gaze to his chin. “Yes,” I admitted in barely a whisper. What would he think of me now?
Romero pressed his nose into my hair. “Fuck.”
“You said that already.”
He didn’t laugh like I’d expected him to. He was very quiet. His hand on my waist tightened when he raised his head and fixed me with a hungry gaze. He brought his mouth down on mine and I parted my lips for him. His tongue slipped in and everything around me seemed to fade to nothing as I tasted him. It wasn’t our first kiss but it felt like something else entirely, with me in bed with him, with nothing to stop us. His kiss was fiercer. There was no hesitation or surprise this time. He sucked my lower lip into his mouth, then my tongue, and I wasn’t sure how it was possible that I felt the motion all the way between my legs.
“Is this okay?” he murmured against my throat and all I could do was nod. Aria and Gianna always called me a chatterbox but with Romero words so often failed me. His lips lightly traced the skin over my collarbone, then his tongue slid out to taste me. His mouth moved even lower to the edge of my camisole. His fingers traced the fabric and his lips followed the same path. I arched my back, wanting him to move even lower, to do more.
“You told me I should find out how you taste everywhere. I’m very tempted to do it,” he murmured. He peered up. His eyes had a predatory look in them. The only expression that had ever come close was when he’d been down in the basement with the Russians. There was something dark and unhinged in his brown eyes, but this time I wasn’t afraid. “What do you want?” he asked roughly.