One Step Closer (Erotic Romance) Book 1 (The DeLuca Brothers)

by Lucinda DuBois

  There had been a time when she’d enjoyed looking at marks like the ones on her breasts and neck, when they had been evidence to her of a night of passion, a time spent with the man she loved. Frank had once joked that they were his way of saying that she belonged to him. He’d realized how it had sounded the moment he’d said it and they’d laughed. That night, Sofia had left a sizable hickey on Frank’s neck, declaring that she’d marked him as her property. They’d laughed about it together.

  As she toweled her hair dry, she avoided the mirror, not wanting to see how red her eyes were or how puffy her face had become. She left her hair down as she pulled on her robe, loosely tying it at her waist. She didn’t really have to worry about if she was decent or not. Once Tommy fell asleep, as long as she was quiet, he wouldn’t wake up. She stuck her feet into her fuzzy gray slippers and downstairs to the living room. She could have gone to bed, she knew. It wasn’t like she was actually going to accomplish much of anything, but some part of her felt that if she’d retired early, if she let Frank change her routine, he would win.

  She poured herself half a glass of wine and settled on the couch, tucking her legs up under her. The television was on, but she wasn’t really watching. It was more background noise, something to try to convince herself that she wasn’t dwelling on what had happened.

  It wasn’t working.

  Even as the tears streamed silently down her face, Sofia wasn’t sure exactly which part of her shitty day she was most upset about. Was she crying over what had happened with Frank or at the future she’d lost, a future she hadn’t allowed herself to think of in years?

  A knock at the door startled her from her misery. Sofia wiped her hands across her cheeks as she got up to answer the door. She realized that she’d known who it would be even as the door was swinging open to reveal Frank standing there. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her, but Sofia refused to feel embarrassed. She’d earned the right to be upset in the privacy of her own home.

  “What do you want, Frank?” Her voice was weary.

  “Can I come in?” His voice was soft, filled with something that Sofia didn’t recognize.

  She seriously considered telling him that he’d missed his chance, but she knew she couldn’t. If he’d come back for the truth, she still owed him that much. “Just keep it down. Tommy’s sleeping and I don’t want him waking up.”

  Frank nodded and she stepped aside to let him inside. She shut the door and waited for Frank to walk towards the living room, but he didn’t. Instead, he remained in the small alcove by the door and turned towards her. “Sofia,” he started, then stopped.

  Suddenly, she realized what she’d heard in his voice that she wasn’t able to place. Uncertainty. She’d never heard Frank DeLuca uncertain about anything and the fact that it was here, with her, that he was this vulnerable made her stomach clench.

  “Sofia,” he began again and she could see the effort it took for him to continue. “Is Tommy my son?”

  Sofia took a deep breath. There it was. No one had ever come right out and asked her before. She looked up at Frank and, hoping her voice would remain steady, replied, “yes.”

  “Why…” his voice broke on the word and he didn’t finish his question; he just looked down at her, his eyes full of pain.

  She didn’t need him to finish. She knew what the question was. She crossed her arms under her breasts and looked away from him, unable to take the hurt on his face. “The last time we were together in LA, I woke up and you were gone. I was in the middle of reading your note when I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I spent the next two hours in the bathroom throwing up. But then I started to feel better. I knew it wasn’t the flu. Six weeks before, when you’d flown me to Chicago for the weekend, I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I’d left my pills at home. I didn’t want to worry you so I didn’t say anything. Then I was late and I was pretty sure I knew why. I was going to tell you that I suspected, but we were kind of busy that first night and then you weren’t there that morning. When I read your note and realized that you were at work, I knew that I needed to be positive before I told you. I went to the corner market and bought a test. I thought for sure you’d come back right while I was in the middle of taking it, but you didn’t. It just told me what I’d already suspected.”

  Sofia glanced up at Frank now and found him watching her with a serious expression, almost as if he were seeing things in a whole new way. Which, she supposed, he was. She continued. “While I waited for you to come home or to call, I debated all of the different ways to tell you. I knew you loved me and that you’d want us to get married, I never doubted that, but as the hours passed and you still didn’t show, I realized that there was something else of importance in your life. My screw up was going to cost you your dream. It was my fault I was pregnant and I knew that you’d give up everything anyway.” She brushed the back of her hand across her cheek where a tear had slipped down. “And then I realized that I loved you too much to let you do that. So, I wrote that note, packed my bags and came home. On the plane, I realized that once people back home saw that I was pregnant, everyone would know that you were the father. Your mother would never let you stay in LA if your son was here. I needed a plan. During my layover in Chicago, I called Gio to come pick me up when I got in to New York. I told him everything and then told him what I wanted from him.”

  “He knew?” Frank’s voice was hoarse.

  “Yes,” Sofia nodded. “He would know that there wasn’t any way that my baby could be his child, even if we’d fucked in the airport parking lot. I made him swear on his mother’s grave not to tell you, not to tell anyone, the truth. He agreed to claim Tommy was his if I married him. He didn’t want people thinking that he was the kind of man who wouldn’t do the right thing. I agreed.”

  “Did you love him?”

  The question startled her enough to make her raise her head. “Not at first, and never like I loved you. And I think he knew it, but we tried to make it work, for Tommy’s sake.”

  “So Tommy doesn’t know.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “No,” Sofia shook her head. “But I always intended to explain it to him when he was old enough to understand.”

  “Sofia,” Frank had a different kind of hurt in his eyes. “Did you really think that I cared more about my work than I did about you? Than I would have about our son? All of the money in the world hasn’t been able to make up for losing you and it seems even more worthless now that I know I’ve missed almost eight years of my son’s life.”

  Sofia felt tears welling up in her eyes again. “I’m sorry. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

  Frank took a step towards her and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You and Tommy are what I never knew I wanted.” He dropped down on one knee, smoothly pulling something from his pocket.

  In the dim alcove light, Sofia saw the sparkle of Maria DeLuca’s engagement ring. She gasped, her head spinning. Surely he wasn’t going to do what it looked like he was going to do?

  “Sofia, I don’t want to miss one more minute with you or with Tommy. This isn’t out of obligation or a sense of duty. I want you to be my wife because I’ve been in love with you since before I realized it. I’ve never loved anyone else and I know that I never will.” He took her hand and looked up at her. “Will you marry me?”

  Sofia was aware that her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t seem to close it. After several seconds she realized that he was still waiting for her answer, but words still escaped her. She nodded mutely and Frank slipped the ring onto her finger, a smile lighting up his face. As he released her hand, his slipped underneath her robe to wrap around the backs of her knees.

  Her mouth went dry as Frank’s hands began to move, sliding up the backs of her thighs to cup her ass. Her heart began to pound, the rush of blood loud in her ears. Frank looked up at her, his eyes shining with love and desire. “Shh,” he winked at her.

  Before she could process wh
at was happening, Frank had parted the folds of her robe and was burying his face between her legs. Sofia let out an undignified squeak, earning a chuckle from Frank, one of those manly ones that always turned her on and made her mad at the same time. She bit down on her bottom lip to stifle the sounds that wanted to come out as Frank’s tongue danced between her folds. He teased along her entrance, circling it before dipping inside to caress the silken walls. When he moved up to her clit, he found the little bundle of nerves swollen and throbbing. As he took it between his lips, Sofia’s teeth dug into her flesh, almost to the point of pain, the sensation adding to the intensity of the pleasure Frank was generating with his lips and tongue. Sofia dropped her hand to his head, digging her fingers into his thick hair as she pressed his face closer. He flicked his tongue across the top of her clit and she let out a muffled cry. As her gaze fell on her hand in his hair, she saw the ring on her finger, glinting against the dark locks and the sight of it sent a shiver of pleasure through her, pushing her body that last little bit she needed. Frank stood as she came, his arms sliding up around her waist to hold her as her body shook. His mouth came down on hers, losing the grip she had on her lip to suck the abused flesh into his mouth, soothing it with his tongue. She tasted herself on his tongue, the flavor heady and familiar.

  “Bedroom?” He whispered in her ear as she started to come down.

  Sofia nodded, then realized he was asking for direction rather than permission. “Upstairs,” she managed to speak. As they made their way across the living room, she found herself able to add, “we have to be quiet.”

  Frank gave a low laugh. “Yeah, that would definitely not be the way I want to officially meet my son.”

  They crept past Tommy’s bedroom and slipped into Sofia’s without making any noise. Frank was already shedding his clothes even as Sofia shut the door behind them. She didn’t hesitate as she untied her robe and let it fall to the ground. Frank’s eyes darkened as he looked at her, taking on a possessive glint that Sofia instantly recognized. As he kicked aside his pants, Sofia dropped to her knees, eager to feel him in her mouth once more.

  “Fuck,” Frank swore softly as Sofia ran her hands over his thighs and around to grasp his firm ass in her small hands. She looked up at him through thick lashes as she leaned forward and ran her tongue along the underside of his stiffening cock.

  He tasted exactly as she remembered. Salt and musk, with something that was uniquely him. As she took him into her mouth, he groaned. Staying quiet wasn’t going to be easy for either of them. She slowly drew back until just the tip remained between her lips. Frank’s hands fell to her head and she moved forward again. She took just a few inches, stopping each time as his cock neared the back of her throat. Her fingers circled the part of him she couldn’t take and they worked in tandem with her mouth until Frank began to tug at her hair, wordlessly telling her to stop.

  Part of her wanted to keep going, wanted to feel him explode in her mouth. She wanted to taste him on her tongue, swallow every last drop. More than her desire for him to cum in her mouth, however, was her need to feel him inside her once more. She let him fall from her lips with an almost obscene plop, unable to stop her grin when she saw him panting from the effort of staving off his climax.

  Frank wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her towards him. His tongue plundered her mouth as he crushed her against him and she responded in kind. He lifted her off the floor until he could straighten and, as they kissed, he walked them back the few steps needed to reach the bed. Without breaking apart, Frank lowered them both to the bed. Sofia pulled him down on top of her, spreading her legs so that he would come to rest exactly where she wanted him.

  His tongue retreated as he reached between their bodies to position himself. As he inserted the tip into her entrance, he pulled back from their kiss until their eyes could lock. Neither one said a word as he eased his way inside her pussy. Sofia caught her breath as he filled her, the change of position allowing him to stretch her in a different way than he had yesterday. They had often made love like this, face-to-face, watching each other’s expressions change with each stroke.

  His pace was deliberate and unhurried, each thrust taking him deep inside her. Sofia rocked her hips, easily falling into the rhythm they’d established years ago. It was new and old at the same time. Their bodies had changed and their experiences had shaped them, allowing them to move in different ways even as their bodies remembered each other.

  Frank lowered his head to Sofia’s ear, taking her earlobe into his mouth and scraping his teeth across it before letting it drop. He kept his voice pitched low. “I love you, Sofia. Only you. Past, present and future.”

  Sofia turned her head, her own words barely a breath. “It’s always been you, Frank. No one else before and no one else ever.”

  He took her mouth again, this time moving his lips with hers in a slow, deep kiss. His tongue traced her bottom lip before sliding into her mouth to draw hers back between his lips. He sucked on her tongue, sending a jolt of pleasure straight through her. She could feel the pressure building inside of her. It wasn’t like yesterday, sudden and explosive. This was a steady burn, a fire being stoked into a blaze. As Frank propped himself up on his elbows, the shift in position changed the angle of penetration and the tip of his cock dragged across that special spot inside her.

  She cried out as the heat of orgasm raced across her skin and he swallowed the sound. Every whimper she made as he continued to thrust into her, sending wave after wave rolling over her, he took, not allowing a single one to escape. Only when she’d quieted did he release her kiss-swollen lips. His hips were moving faster now, his strokes going deeper and Sofia knew that he was close.

  “I need you to cum for me,” Sofia whispered his own words back to him. “I need to feel you cum before I can. Please, Frank, cum for me.”

  His eyes widened in recognition even as he drove into her. He buried his face in her neck, muffling the sound as he cried out her name, his cock emptying deep inside her. Sofia wrapped her arms around his neck, her hips still moving against his, giving her the friction she needed to push herself over the edge once more.

  Sofia held him as they basked in the afterglow of their love-making, her fingers combing through his sweat-soaked hair. She pressed her lips against his forehead and felt his mouth move against her throat. As their breathing slowed and their heartbeats returned to normal, Frank rolled off of her but didn’t go far. He gathered her in one arm and maneuvered them both beneath her covers. He pulled her against him and she rested her head on his chest, the steady thrumming of his head soothing her. She rested there, hovering on the edge of sleep, listening as Frank’s breaths deepened and he drifted off. Her mind was blissfully blank, her body sated, and she began to drift off. Even as she did, images floated through her mind. Wishes, fantasies, dreams, or events to come, she didn’t know, but she let them carrying her into the darkness.

  The five DeLuca brothers stood together at the far end of the yard, their matching tuxedos emphasizing their resemblance. The music began and she took her first steps down the make-shift aisle. Maria stood with Tommy, both beaming as they watched her come forward.

  Frank stood behind her, his arms around her waist, his hands resting on the swell of her belly. Tommy ran through the park, chasing the small black and white mutt he’d chosen from the shelter.

  She and Frank pushed the stroller down the path, secure in the knowledge that their son was in capable hands. Behind them, Gio helped Tommy launch his kite into the air. Gio’s wife watched from the park bench, their daughter cradled in her arms.

  The DeLuca house was filled to bursting. The boys and their wives were crammed into the living room, the space made even more limited by the large tree in the corner and the piles of presents beneath it. No one minded though, least of all the dozen kids tearing through the upstairs. Occasionally one would venture down to ask if it was time to open presents, only to be sent back upstairs with the rest. From h
er seat next to the tree, Maria watched her family, her face shining with love and pride. Across the room, Sofia caught her mother-in-law’s eyes. They smiled at each other, neither one needing words to know what the other was feeling. This was everything they’d always wanted.

  Book 2 of the DeLuca Brothers series will be available late summer. Visit www.LucindaDuBois.com and sign up for Lucinda’s New Release mailing list. Don’t worry, your privacy is taken seriously, and you will only be notified when new books are available.

  Other Books by Lucinda DuBois

  His Only Desire: The Complete Box Set Collection

  Once a serial, His Only Desire is now a complete collection about inexperienced private investigator Sydney Sellars and brash and powerful billionaire Remy Merrick.

  This complete collection boxed set of His Only Desire includes:

  Taken by the Billionaire

  Running from the Billionaire

  Found by the Billionaire

  Escaping with the Billionaire

  Marry Me Anyway

  Inexperienced private investigator Sydney Sellars witnesses a murder while staking out Barton Hintz, a powerful businessman rumored to be into illegal activities. She fears for her life and turns the only person who can help her, who has always helped her, family friend and billionaire Remy Merrick.

  Brash and powerful, Remy had always been the object of her desire. But the disparity in their statuses and Sydney’s own insecurities had always kept them apart. Kept her from allowing herself to be taken. But now, with nowhere and no one else to turn to, Sydney gives in to her desire.

  (This is a spicy contemporary romance that contains graphic language and steamy, passionate love scenes.)

  Purchase from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5XD9U2

  Or download book one of the series, Taken by the Billionaire, for free here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00971BN5E