by C. Hallman
“Piccolo…” he whispers into my hair while cupping the back of my head. I melt into his touch as I sob in relief. I thought I would never hear him say that again. After ten minutes of standing in the same position, I release him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the space around us is empty. Jared and our father left us alone at some point.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’m so fucking sorry.” His apology is sincere, and as I stare into his eyes, I can see the pain we both share.
“Where were you?” I question right away. “Why are you not in jail? Not that I’m complaining that you are not, I just want to know.”
“I was being held by the FBI. Eli was there too.”
“You were with Eli?”
“Yes. Eli has been working for the FBI all along. It’s a long story. And I promise I’ll tell you every single detail, but the most important thing right now is that I’m here, and that I won’t be leaving again. I kind of made a deal with the FBI.” His eyes twinkle as he smirks at me.
“What kind of deal?”
“I know you want me to leave this life, and I know I promised you I would, but how would you feel about compromising?”
“Yes!” I blurt out.
He laughs. “You don’t even know the details yet.”
“I don’t care anymore. I just want to be with you, I don’t care about the rest.” With everything in me, I jump on him. Wrapping myself around him, I kiss him with a fierceness I can’t contain.
“I love you,” I whisper softly against his lips.
“I love you, too, piccolo.”
Extended Epilogue
Four Years Later
Amara
“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath and let my head lull to the side. I’m exhausted. Enzo has been gone for two weeks now on a business trip overseas. Over the last five years, he’s turned his businesses more legitimate.
Over the last five years, he’s been working with the FBI to keep heinous crimes to a minimum. Underage prostitution and human trafficking have been eliminated in Enzo’s territory, and hopefully, it will stay that way for a very long time.
Me? Well, I’ve been busy with school full time, all while taking care of Gia, our beautiful little angel. Without Enzo here, I feel like I’m losing my motherfucking mind.
This is my final year of college. I decided to study music, following in my mom’s footsteps to become a music teacher.
“Don’t say naughty words, Mommy.” Gia frowns at my swearing. I roll my eyes and smile. She’s just like her daddy—same eyes, same smile, same glint in her eyes.
“Mommy didn’t mean to say a naughty word.” I smile, bending down to set a bowl of mixed fruit in front of her. The clock on the wall says three p.m.—a half hour separating me from seeing my husband again.
When I married him, I never expected my life to become this mundane. Most days, I miss the fast-paced life we once had. The crazy no holds barred sex, the danger and chaos that surrounded us. Now life is just that… Life.
“Daddy coming home?” Gia asks me, pulling me from my thoughts as I sit down on the floor in front of her. I nod my head, yes.
I’m taking all next week off from school. I’ve told my professors I have a family emergency just so I can clear my mind and spend time with Enzo. I also contemplated doing something that would make him mad, maybe jealous…just to spice it up a little.
I need the darkness that lurks within him. I need something to save us from becoming like every other family on the block. I know it’s petty. I should be glad that Enzo has slowly turned his businesses legitimate. Yes, he is still dealing with the underground world of the city, but on the outside, he has become more businessman than mobster.
He hasn’t actually broken a single law in years. He refuses to even break the speed limit for god sakes.
The minutes pass by quickly as I fiddle with my fingers, and Gia finishes her snack. My father will be here at any minute to pick her up, and I’ll be left alone with Lorenzo—the love of my life, the man I love more than anything, the man I’m going to make snap.
The doorbell rings loudly, echoing throughout the house. Gia jumps up from the floor, abandoning her picnic she begged me for only a short time ago. Sweat forms on my hands as I, too, stand up.
“Daddy’s home!” Lorenzo’s deep voice meets my ears, sending a chill down my spine. Gia giggles as her father picks her up, squeezing her tightly into his chest. The whole time his eyes are eating up the distance between us.
Setting Gia down, he crosses the room in a second, his arms wrapping around me tightly. I take a deep breath, his unique scent of manliness and danger meeting my nostrils almost immediately. I hadn’t realized just how much I truly missed him until this very second. I’ve yearned for him so much. Craving him in unimaginable ways.
“I missed you,” he whispers against my skin, his lips caressing my neck. I almost sigh from his touch as my mind drifts back to a moment when our love was darker and far more dangerous.
“Place your hands on top of the bedpost. If you move them at all, I will spank that sweet little ass of yours until it’s red.” I can tell by the glint in his eyes he isn’t kidding. He truly would spank me, and strangely, the thought seems to turn me on even more. My core clenches as he hovers over my body, his breath caressing my skin.
“I love you,” he whispers before nipping at one of my breasts. My chest heaves as he sucks my nipple into his mouth.
“I love you more,” I say breathlessly, trying to remember if he said I can talk or not. He smiles against my breast and, without warning, spins me around, so I face away from him. My head is spinning, my heart fluttering in my chest.
“Remember, don’t let go of that bar. No. Matter. What.” Each word causes my heart to pound harder. What is he going to do to me?
A finger slips down my ass crack and between my cheeks. Pleasure forming in my belly as I grip the bar tightly in my palms.
“I’ve always been an ass man, Amara King…” The way he says my name has me panting.
“Fuck me… Please,” I mutter into the pillows beneath my face. I can hear his laughter filling the air, and my own lips tip into a smile.
His fingers slide closer toward my asshole. “I’m going to fuck you here tonight.” The words fall from his lips, a darkness settling over us. Taking a deep breath, I nod my head, and his finger slips into the tight ring of muscle.
“Amara?” I come back to the present, a silly smile on my face as Lorenzo holds me away from him at an arm’s length.
“Yes?” I ask.
“Are you okay? You seemed dazed for a second there.” He has no clue how dazed I truly am. God, I need him to fuck me soon.
“I’m fine. I’m just thinking, that is all.” Thinking about you fucking my ass, I add in my head. I’m fantasizing, remembering vividly what my husband has done to me and the pleasure and borderline pain I crave.
“Daddy!” Gia squeals with delight as she pulls on his pant leg. She’s missed her father just as much as I did. He lets me go, turning around to make a funny face at her.
As I watch them, my heart grows. I love being a mom and wife, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But sex is put off more times than not. I don’t want to lose the feelings that started all of this or lose touch with the man I’ve married.
I need to bring us back, bring the love we once had full circle because it isn’t that I’ve lost my love for him. It’s that I’ve lost the flame, the burning desire that you have when you first fall in love.
“Amara, are you sure you’re okay?” Enzo asks me again with more concern etched into his features. I need to stay out of my head when he’s around.
The doorbell sounds for the second time. I almost wipe my brow. I know my father saved my ass. I have no idea what I’ll tell Enzo. What my explanation will be. Can I just come out and tell him how I feel?
“Amara. Enzo.” My father greets us as we open the front door. He pulls us both into a hug before getting do
wn to Gia’s level with a smile on his face. The second Gia realizes Grandpa is there, she no longer cares for her mom or dad. She loves her grandfather and often throws a fit if she doesn’t get to see him daily.
Not that I blame her—I can’t imagine my world without him as my father, especially now that I have him in my life. If my mom could see us now, she would be so proud of the father he’s become, the woman I have grown into, and the family I now share with my husband.
“Are you being good? You know the deal if you’re naughty, right? No cookies or ice cream,” my dad teases, throwing a wink my way. I smile and almost laugh. She has him wrapped around her finger so tight even if she murdered someone, he would still give her cookies and ice cream. She’s Grandpa’s little princess, and she can do no wrong.
Of course, Gia nods her head, yes. She bats her big brown eyes innocently, her dark brown curls bounce as she moves her head up and down with a smile on her face.
“What’s going on, James?” Enzo looks between my father and me. I haven’t told either of them of my plans yet, so they both turn to me for answers.
“I don’t know, ask your wife…” My dad laughs. He always does when he is nervous.
“Amara?” Enzo raises an eyebrow at me.
“I…” I smile. “I want some time alone with you. My dad is going to take Gia.” My face grows red as I watch the light bulb in Enzo’s head go off. He clears his throat, and I can see him growing hard at the thought.
“Okay, then,” he replies, his voice grave as I grab Gia’s bags and hand them to my father. He takes them without hesitation, a smile on his face.
I kiss Gia on the cheek and give her a giant hug, reminding her to be good for Grandpa. Enzo does the same, and then we say goodbye to them.
The second the door to the house closes, and the lock clicks into place, excitement forms in my belly. I’m alone with the man I love for the first time in months. Now, I just need to get the old him to come out and play.
Enzo
Her demeanor is off. She’s fidgeting with her hands, and I can see the sweat forming on her face. Why is she so nervous? I force the tension out of my steps as I take a seat on the couch in the living room.
“I feel like we should be talking about the elephant in the room.” She makes it seem like we have a big fucking problem. Like there’s no way to fix whatever it is that is bothering her. I don’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
“Elephant? That would imply everyone sees it, and I don’t. I have no idea what the problem is. So please fucking tell, Amara. What’s bothering you?” I try not to sound like an asshole, but I’m really fucking irritated right now.
“The years have changed us,” she says. I ponder what it is that she’s trying to get at. What does she mean? Of course, we’re getting older—that is a given. Times have changed. We have a child now. I’m busy with work and keeping up an image I want the public to see.
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at. Of course, time has changed us.” I narrow my eyes. Her choice of words is like a red flag being thrown. Women are an enigma I’ll never truly understand.
“I mean…” She crosses the room to take a seat across from me. She’s wearing a dress that has my eyes eating up her legs. I can feel my cock growing stiff with each step she takes. It’s been too long since I felt her warmth surround me. Since I’ve slipped deep inside of her. “You have changed.” She spreads her legs, and when I glance down, I can see a pair of black lace panties.
She’s playing an extremely dangerous game with me, one that will get her fucked against every surface in this house. She sighs, leaning back against the cushions of the couch. It takes everything inside of me not to get up and weasel my way in between her legs and pull her panties to the side and…
“I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just mean you’ve changed. You’re no longer the man I fell in love with.” My eyes grow wide as my blood boils, and my jaw ticks as I feel the vein in my neck pulsate. I’m no longer the man she loves?
“You don’t love me anymore?” I can barely get out the words.
Her eyes sparkle with mischief as she rewords what she just said. “No, I do love you. I mean you’re no longer the dangerous and reckless man I fell in love with all those years ago. You’re different—tame and gentle. You’re not you anymore, and I hate it.”
It takes me a moment to catch up with what she’s saying.
“You miss the man I used to be? The cold, heartless killer I used to be? You miss that?” I can feel the anger inside of me spiking, yet as she looks at me, she seems unfazed by it. As if this is what she wanted all along. To see me fall off the deep end into unclear waters. I left that man behind and for good reason. He has no place amongst a wife and child.
“That’s the man I fell in love with, the man I knew would forever set my body ablaze. It is always you, and even though you’re different now, in comparison to who you were then, I know that man is still in there somewhere. He’s lingering under the surface just waiting to burst free.”
I stare into her eyes as tension fills my body. I want to be angry with her, but how can I be? She fell in love with the darkest parts of me, the parts no one else understood.
“I’m not saying you should go back to your old ways and kill people, I just want you to let that part out with me… when it’s just us.”
I growl her name. She’s pushing my boundaries. She’s going to cause me to break, and in turn, I’ll break her. I’ll make the past and present collide in ways that will cause her skin to burn.
“I missed you.” She gets up from her seat, crossing the room to stand before me. She’s everything I have ever craved. Even after having Gia, and her body changing, she’s just as beautiful, if not more so. Her hair is as dark as coffee, her eyes a mix of the sun and chocolate. She smells like heaven, and if I reach out and taste her, I bet she’ll taste like it too.
“Show me!” I cave, allowing an old sinister part of me to peek out and come back to life. I can feel my heart rate rising, my body growing warmer and more excited by the second as a sexy-as-hell smile pulls at her lips.
She reaches to the back of her dress, the sound of a zipper unzipping fills the air. I lick my lips in anticipation, watching the top of the dress fall from her shoulders as she shimmies out of it. It slips from her body, leaving her exposed to the devil himself.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I murmur, my eyes lingering on her breasts. She has on a black lace bra that shows her perfectly puckered nipples. Goosebumps pebble across her skin as she stands before me as if she is waiting for my command.
“I want to be bad, Mr. King.” Her eyes light up with darkness. She knows how much I desire her, how much I hunger for the dark and dangerous bond between us. She’s the match I need to burn the whole fucking place to the ground.
“Drop to your knees,” I order. Standing up, I undo my belt, gripping the buckle tightly as I watch her slip to the ground so slowly it almost hurts. I walk around her, coming to a stop with her back to my front.
She doesn’t move an inch as I trace my fingers over the bra straps on her shoulders. A shudder works its way through me as I slip them down, leaving them to hang off her arms.
I slip from my pants and underwear in one fluid motion. I have no reason to be anything more than naked. Silence settles between us, but I can hear her pulse racing, every swallow she takes. I can feel the connection between us reforming, the passion we shared growing.
“I’m going to fuck you. Not just any way…I’m going to spread you wide,” I whisper. “Then, I’m going to find that sweet little bud that makes you scream and suck on it until it’s raw…” Her moan fills the air as sex seems to sweat from our pores. My fingers slip down her back, causing a path of fire to start.
“Once I’m done making you come harder than you ever have, I’m going to drive my aching cock inside of you, and I won’t stop,” I growl, gripping the back of her panties as I pull them tight against her mound. I know what I’m
doing, I know she wants the sting of pain and danger back, and I’ll give her just that.
“I’ll fuck every hole of yours, making you scream until everyone in the neighborhood knows my name. Until you beg me to stop because you can’t come even once more and then…” Her face falls against the couch cushions, and a soft whimper escapes her lips as she lifts with my pull.
“I’ll fucking start all over again.” With one tight pull, the barely there panties are gone, her juicy ass in its place. I slap it once, causing the orb to grow red and for her to sigh heavily.
“Is this what you want?” I slip one of my fingers down her ass crack and into her pussy.
She clenches around me, barely able to answer. “Yes.”
I smile, pleased with myself. I’ve always been able to bring her to release without really having to do much of anything.
“Good. Now bend for me,” I order, nudging her forward, so she’s at an angle with her ass in the air and her knees digging into the edge of the couch. Her heavy breathing surrounds me, causing my dick to rise. Down boy. That sweet cunt will be ours soon.
“Please…” she begs, her eyes pleading with me to give her the release she so desperately needs. I smirk at her, feeling as wicked as ever.
“You come when I let you.” I settle into her, licking my way from her ass down to her throbbing clit. Every suck, every vibration against it causes her to moan out loud, her pleas filling the room.
“Please, Lorenzo… Please,” she screams, her legs wobbling as I suck her clit into my mouth, and at the same time, slip two fingers into her slick pussy. She’s beyond fucking ready for me, and this pleases me more than anything.
“You want to come?” My words are filled with sex and desire. She pushes back against my mouth, which earns her a slap on her ass, her bottom growing redder.
“Yes, please… I—” She doesn’t even finish her sentence. I pull my fingers out of her and remove my mouth from her pussy.