Bella (A Sagatori Family Saga Mafia Romance Book 2)

by Kimberly Blalock

  Bella the Princess

  The prince took a notable chance on his love for the princess.

  You recently admitted that there was something you would love to see. It would be my privilege to give this to you. Be ready for the experience of your life. It will definitely be the experience of mine.

  P.S. Don’t be late.

  Jax the Prince

  My stomach bubbled with excitement. I smiled as I continued through the beautiful paper that sat folded on top of something else. Once I’d removed the paper I spotted a display of tulle. I slipped my hand inside and removed it gazing at the beauty. It was a sleeveless gown, the bodice was embroidered with beading, a satin waistband, and a tulle skirt that flowed to the floor. Underneath the gown was a pair of black pumps with a two-inch heel.

  A few hours ago I was aimlessly wandering around the empty penthouse and now I stood to wear the most beautiful gown I’d ever worn. It wasn’t that the gown was prettier or more expensive than anything I would’ve selected for myself, it was that Jax had given it to me as a surprise.

  I dabbed my lipstick on and popped my lips. The heels fit perfect and the gown… fit like a glove around my curves. My hair was pinned into a bun and a shawl draped over my arms. I reached for my small purse slipping in my driver’s license, a few sticks of gum, a tampon, because you never know, and my lipstick. I dabbed Channel to my neck and wrists. After turning on the opera that Jax had downloaded on my phone, I opened the door to my suite.

  “Bella, Jax is pulling up to the tower.” Dominic hurried me down the stairs.

  “Were is he taking me?” I asked anxiously.

  “If I told you he’d kill me.” He offered a sympathetic grin. “But…” he said while he held my hand to keep me from falling. “I know that you’ll love it.” A wicked smile topped his lips then.

  Butterflies swam flowing around in a dance inside of my stomach. Since the shooting Jax had been different. Oh, he had his moments of being cold and distant, but he was different, even the way he looked at me was different. My father was gone. I’d not seen my friends who were the only family I had left. The staff that I’d grown up with had been told not to contact me. I was lonely and it was nice that he was attempting at making nice with me.

  Dominic held my hand; well actually I kind of gripped his every time we descended in an elevator. I’d told him it came with the job. This elevator was smoother than most, but I didn’t like it all the same.

  Dominic pulled me from the elevator bank to the front doors. We usually came and went through the garage, but tonight we didn’t.

  “Mrs. Moretti, lovely as always,” the young attendant said from behind his desk. I offered a kind heartfelt smile. I felt like a princess.

  The glass doors were opened for me by Mickie who cast his eyes over the area. He was always on high alert. “Mrs. Moretti.” I smiled.

  Jax exited the limousine with Nessun Dorma echoing from inside. God nothing had touched me like this music. I could feel it caress my soul unlike anything ever had. Jax stood tall with one hand set atop the door. He wore a tux, but unlike most men Jax didn’t just wear this tux, he owned it, demanded every thread to be exuberant against his large arms and broad chest.

  His cheeks raised in a smile as he stepped away from the door for me to enter. “Do you approve?” He stood tall looming over me as I began to enter.

  “You have no idea.” My eyes raised to his.

  “You are so beautiful, Isabella Moretti.” His dark eyes were smoother somehow.

  “You are…” I drew in a deep breath of cologne. “So very handsome, Jax Moretti.” My heart thudded against my chest with excitement.

  “After you.” Jax pressed his hand snug to the small of my back as I stepped inside.

  “Bella, beautiful as always.” Carlos angled to peek through the partition.

  “Thank you.”

  “That’s all, Carlos.” Jax raised the window leaving no way for Carlos to see us. I assumed Mickie was riding in front, but I wasn’t sure where Dominic had gone. “Champagne?”

  “Thank you.” The bottle popped open. “Are we celebrating?” What could he have planned and furthermore, why? He’d not gone to any length of any kind to surprise me, he barely ate dinner with me each night.

  He titled his head as he raised his hand for a toast. “Here’s to the prince who believed he could overcome any obstacle to win the love of the princess.”

  I remained quiet. He was referring to the opera, the most beautiful opera. My eyes closed for a brief moment as a deep breath filled my lungs. I didn’t want to cry as the music rang throughout the car. I wanted to smile. To live in the moment. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Can’t say.” he smiled from behind his glass.

  “Not fair, Jax. Keeping secrets isn’t nice.” It was sweet and thoughtful, but I wouldn’t tell him that. I loved surprises. Made life worth living.

  We drove through the gates of the airport. Large planes hung in the distance and a few small ones were parked closer to where we drove. “Jax?” I searched out the window. “Why are we at the airport?” I hated planes so, so much.

  “I’ll be right there with you the entire time, Bella, you’ll be safe.” Jax was taking me somewhere that required a plane. That meant we would be traveling far away from Chicago. Maybe he would surprise me with a trip home to see Emily and Tony.

  After arriving on the plane, I strapped myself in tightly… extra tight. I didn’t want to fall out. A woman quickly rushed towards us gripping a glass of brandy.

  “Ma’am,” the attendant said with haste.

  I turned to Jax who sat smugly in his seat next to the window. “Figured you could use it.” he’d arranged this prior? That was very thoughtful. Had I missed something?

  This wasn’t the Jax I’d known, or maybe it had been but I was too angry to see. I had been hateful at best, defying his every word. Smart lipped and sassy. Maybe we were finally seeing each other for who we truly were. If so I was enjoying the real Jax.

  “Bella, the time won’t go by any faster the more you glare at that watch,” Jax said resting with his seat reclined.

  It had been one hour and ten minutes and we hadn’t landed yet. My leg bounced nervously as turbulence shook the small plane. “God… How much longer?” I was terrified of heights, suspension, falling to my death. Who wasn’t. I wasn’t being whiny, I was just terrified.

  Jax laughed, “Almost there, princess.”

  “Boss, all is in place to a T,” Mickie said while chewing on a toothpick. I wanted to gag every time I saw that.

  Thirty-five minutes later we were told to fasten our seat belts for landing. Mine had been sucking the life out of me since we’d left Chicago. I wouldn’t even use the ladies room while I was on this thing.

  ***

  “Are you going to tell me where we are?” I begged as Jax took my hand leading me down the stairs.

  “New York.” He reached inside his tux for his ringing phone. “Moretti.” He answered then remained silent as he led me to the waiting limo. “Make the reservations.” He disconnected the call with a hardened expression on his face. I’d hoped it wouldn’t ruin the rest of our trip.

  “So… what are we doing in New York?” I attempted at diversion. I sucked at it, but I’d try.

  He remained silent, tucked me into the car and closed the door while he remained outside. I watched as Mickie stood next to him with his hand in front of his mouth. I rolled my eyes. I’d seen that many times. When they’d want what they were saying not heard or read they’d do that. Mickie did this most of the time. I think that’s why he chewed on a toothpick all of the time. So that it wouldn’t be obvious to the FBI that he was hiding his words. My eyes turned to Jax seeing him livid. The sun was escaping through the horizon, but his face was still very visible and red covered him. Mickie walked away towards the front of the car and Dominic was in the vehicle close behind us. Jax’s chest rose harshly, his eyes closed, opened, then he smoothed his hands over hi
s tux jacket and reached for the door handle. I quickly slid across the leather seat making it easy for him to enter.

  “Is there a problem?”

  His eyes closed with another breath. “No, Bella, and please don’t ask me questions regarding things that don’t concern you.” His hand ran through his dark mane.

  Well, that was short-lived.

  Jax took us to a restaurant in New York or Jersey, I actually had no idea where we were and I refused to ask. We sat at in a small Italian restaurant that a member of the family ran. We ate in silence. I nibbled on the bread and stirred the plump pasta that sat covered with red sauce, but I couldn’t eat. When someone would approach him, he hardened and never dropped the act for me in that moment. He was stressed, but how could I help if he didn’t trust me? He took back two large glasses of wine and ate all of his food while I gazed around the intimately authentic place. Opera rang throughout the space as couples dined.

  “Was dinner okay? You didn’t touch a thing.” Oh, he’d noticed, huh? “Bella, I’m sorry. I really wanted this to be a wonderful evening for you.” His hand landed on mine swallowing it.

  “Are we going home now?” I didn’t think he’d brought me to New York to simply have dinner, but I was just over it.

  “No, Bella, we still have a surprise.” A surprise in New York. Huh… I wondered tirelessly what it could be as I watched out the window.

  We arrived in front of a large building that glowed powerfully through the five windows that made a wall, or maybe it was one window separated by the awnings, I wasn’t certain. But it was beautiful. Mickie opened the door and Jax then I exited the car. We approached the front with Mickie and Dominic close by.

  “Where are we? You have to tell me now.”

  His hand swept mine into his and he brought me close. “The Met.” I gasped realizing I’d seen pictures of the Met, but of course I hadn’t been. “Turandot Nessun Dorma is playing tonight.”

  “Jax,” my word was mostly air disappearing into the night. “You brought me to New York to see the opera?” He pulled me into his body.

  We entered and sat in the balcony overlooking the entire theater. Red flowed along the curves of the Met. When the opera began the light dimmed.

  A man sang in Italian that the kiss would end him, but he would win. When he declared the princess would be his, the king watched from the thrown. The prince bowed a knee as the princess began to sing. Their voices were the most powerful I’d ever heard. In person it was… Breathtaking, unbelievable. The prince and princess took hands as the crew began singing and dancing around the beautiful stage circling the couple in harmony wearing their Chinese garb. The man was crowned, and the prince and princess would live happily ever after. As the opera ended the goosebumps rushed my flesh and applause echoed throughout the theater.

  The lights shined and people stood to leave. But I couldn’t move. I was frozen to the seat. I cried quietly to myself.

  “Did you enjoy yourself?” Jax leaned into my ear as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders then slipped his hand down my bare back tracing circles with the tips of his fingers.

  “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen,” I cried. My soul had been touched. I’d heard you either love or hate the opera, and while I didn’t know how true that was I irrevocably loved every single thing about it.

  “You fell in love.”

  His statement caught me off-guard, “What?” I turned mere inches away from his lips.

  “You fell in love with the opera.”

  “Yes,” I breathed as the balcony emptied leaving us all alone. “I fell in love.”

  Our eyes met, locked, and held onto one another’s for three beats before his lips took mine. Hot, wet, demanding lips caressed me, our tongues danced and intertwined in our mouths. Jax hadn’t kissed me until this moment. I felt overwhelmed and needing of him. I felt controlled and needed as well. His hand crossed my face in slow strides. I was feeling things that I hadn’t felt in a long time. My full breast became obviously strapped under the fabric. A deep subconscious breath took over my lungs.

  When he separated from me, cool unwelcomed air crossed my skin. “Let’s go home.” I didn’t think I wanted to go home, I wanted him to touch me. For tonight, I’d give him control.

  “Jax?” He stood smoothing over his jacket with his palms.

  “Bella, we need to get out of here.” His arms pulled me from my seat into his chest. “I need to get you home.” Our lips met again.

  “Okay,” I breathlessly agreed.

  Chapter 9

  Bella

  We’d entered Jax’s room of which I’d not been in. As soon as I’d pulled him close, his arms wrapped around my body bringing my legs to lock around his hips. Our mouths clashed together, his arms tightly gripped me, his right hand cupping my breast over the gown.

  “This has to go,” he growled.

  He’d walked across the room, laying me gently on the bed in front of the fireplace. Lifting his large lean body, he reached to my hair as he undid the pins releasing it from my head. It gently fell in waves around my face. He sat silently sweeping his hand over my face as he watched me and then pressed a kiss to my forehead.

  “Bella, you’ve made me feel more in this last week than I’ve felt in a lifetime.” His tongue swept along my collarbone with smooth, slow, long, intense strokes. He stood and began removing first his jacket then his tie, shirt, and when his hand released the button on his pants my heart pounded. I was scared to death. Oh God, without any doubt I wanted this. I’d been wanting him every time my eyes would roam over his body wondering what he hid behind his dark suits. But he hadn’t wanted me I’d thought. Maybe he only recently realized that he had.

  I turned my back to his front for him to release me from the dress. I slowly slid my hair to the side as I waited. His hands landed on my waist and brought an electric jab throughout my body. His tongue kissed my neck as he stood behind me cradling me into his arms.

  I was soon freed from the dress and I turned quickly to face him. I pulled him closer. His chest was a smooth solid rock. My hands trailed the indentions of his muscles making my way to his pants. My hands trailed his chest feeling the lines and indentations curve around his perfection. My hand slipped inside of his loosened pants feeling him pulse hard under my touch.

  His hand held mine as he pinned it into place preventing me from touching him. “I can’t make any promises, Bella. I need you to know that before we go any further.”

  In the moment of passion, I’ve never stopped to consider what I would feel about the man I was about to have sex with. But this man had cracked something inside of me, and maybe it’s because I’d been sad or that I’d been so happy all at the same time. Maybe he’d affected me because I needed to occupy my mind and he was there in a moment of need, of deniable weakness.

  He watched me, his gray eyes twisted in torment with something. I supposed he was only being honorable. “Tell me you understand, Bella. Because I want you so badly right now.”

  I wanted him too. I’d worry about the fallout later.

  I nodded.

  “Say it.” His lips fell to mine as they barely touched, “Say it.”

  “Yes, I understand,” I answered, lifting to his mouth.

  His body fell to mine bringing my arms over my head.

  “Jax,” I breathed into his mouth. Straddling my legs, he rose, then removed my bra. He was beautifully perfect and strong. He held me as though I was a feather. He was protective and gentle. I’d thought my imagination had been right when I’d wondered what he’d look like under all the clothing I’d only seen him in. I had been wrong; he was more amazing than I’d thought.

  “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Bella.” A growl rumbled.

  I don’t want to feel anything but him right now. “Show me.”

  He released my hands cupping my breasts into his hands. His hot tongue traced over my hardened nipples. I moaned closing my eyes. His tongue circled each nipple
bringing on a shudder.

  I leaned into him wanting more. He pushed me upward against his chest while he gripped his pants with his free hand and tugged them away with force causing my butt to jerk upwards.

  “Do you like it rough, Bella?” His voice was a purr.

  Excitement rushed through me. “Give it your best shot,” I said wondering how far he would go.

  His head moved back and forth, watching. Fingers teased as they trailed over my heated skin. Then biting his lips, he dropped me to the bed while he loomed over me. When he leaned down and grabbed my arm, I hesitated. I don’t know why. Maybe I considered this might mean more to me than to him, and for just a moment that worried me.

  He pulled himself onto the bed with me and continued with the removal of my satin black panties sliding them down my legs. “You shouldn’t give men that you don’t know such leeway with your body, flower.” I gasped when his hand traced the tattoo on my right rib cage.

  “But you’re my husband, Jax.” I bowed off of the bed.

  “You don’t know me, though, I’m a stranger to you Bella.” His hand slid to my butt squeezing hard. “Mmm, you taste like heaven.” His tongue traced my tummy. “You’re so sure that I’m what you want right now?”

  “Yes,” I hissed.

  “Good.”

  My body was naked and exposed for this man and yet it was as if he’d been playing games.

  I stood and turned towards the open wall, padding in its direction as my feet sunk into the cream carpet. My thighs rubbed together with anticipation of his body touching mine. I took the walk slowly pulling my hands to my breast pinching my erect nipples. I’ll play his games. I’ll even play a few of my own.

  “You want me like this, lover?” My hands stretched against the wall and my legs spread for him.

  I knew he was behind me; I could hear him breathing. “How long has it been since you’ve had an orgasm?” His hand slipped between my thighs.

  That’s an easy question to answer. “This morning.” I breathed with a bit of teasing in my tone.

  “Did you have sex? Did another man touch your pussy today?” he asked leaning into the nape of my neck. He knew very well another man hadn’t touched me.