by Bella Rose
Alexei excused himself and Antonin stared down into Juliet’s face. “I think you’ve just been given a gift, my love.”
“I’ll be damned,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
AFTER HEARING THAT there might be Caglione survivors locked up in the local jail, Juliet could barely sit still. Convincing Antonin that they needed to go right now had taken more than a little whining. Now that they were in the car, she was practically vibrating with excitement. Still, when they reached the parking lot of the local lockup, Antonin didn’t exit the vehicle right away. Instead he turned toward her and very deliberately took her hand.
“We need to talk for a moment, Juliet.”
“Now?” she asked impatiently. “My men could be in there right now and you want to talk?”
“Sweetheart, if the men are inside they aren’t going anywhere. Nothing is happening. They’re just bored and annoyed at the inconvenience of being arrested and having that added to their rap sheet.”
“You sound like you know,” she said suspiciously.
He chuffed at her, giving her a rare smile in the process. “Sweetheart, what man of the Bratva, especially a Brigadier, has not had one or two run-ins with the law?”
“One or two?” Juliet had a feeling he was talking about far more than one or two. “How many times have you been arrested?”
“Arrested?” He appeared to be counting that up in his head. “I couldn’t say. Dozens I would guess.”
“Dozens!”
“Yes, but I’ve only been charged six times, and I’ve served time twice.”
“Served time.” She knew her eyes must be round as hubcaps, but she had never really thought about that sort of thing when it came to the man she had inexplicably and very unexpectedly fallen in love with. “I guess I never really thought about your jail record.”
“Because it isn’t important,” he assured her. “I’ve done less than a year of time and never in a big penitentiary.”
“So what you’re saying is that this getting arrested thing is no big deal to my guys,” she mused.
“Exactly.”
She turned in the car and faced him over the center console. “So what is it you want to talk about in this very awkward spot?”
“The fact that I killed your father, and we haven’t really come to terms with that,” he said quietly.
Juliet thought it over for a moment. “Don’t get me wrong. When I found that out, I was furious. Mostly I was mad because you didn’t tell me and I felt silly. But yes. I was angry. He was my father. Sort of. He was the only father I knew, and I was sad to see him die.”
“Sort of?” Leave it to Antonin to pick up on the one thing she’d sort of forgotten to mention.
“I’ll get to the sort of in a second,” she assured him. “I just want to tell you that I stopped being mad about you killing my father when I realized that it was a genuine side effect of the life that he chose to live on his own. If it hadn’t been you, or a Russian member of the Bratva, it would have been someone like Giovanni.”
Even saying that name made her stop and think for a moment. What a colossal mess Giovanni had left behind. Did she tell the men? Did she just pretend that nothing had changed? How was that possible when inside her heart everything had changed? She no longer viewed things in the same way that she had only twenty-four hours ago. Now she thought about her parents’ marriage, and she realized that her mother had very likely hated her father.
“My father wasn’t my father,” she said softly. “Father Barelli confirmed it earlier—before Josef and Dimitri went on their crazy rampage across town. The priest told me that my mother had fallen in love with another man before she married my father. Apparently her parents wanted her to marry Charlie Caglione because of who he was.”
“So she married the wrong man and she was miserable,” Antonin guessed.
“Yes.” How could she adequately express how this had changed things for her? “Giovanni was my father’s real son. Charlie sired Giovanni off some other woman about the same time he got my mother pregnant with Enzo. After my father had two heirs, my mother saw no reason to be loyal since Charlie wasn’t loyal to her.”
Antonin reached across the car and stroked her cheek. He tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear and tenderly tapped her nose. “So she truly loved your father. That’s a gift, my love. You were the product of a loving union between two people. That means something, you know?”
“I suppose I never thought of it like that,” Juliet whispered.
Saying it that way had given Juliet a gift. Here she had been focusing on the possible betrayal, never thinking about how wonderful it must have been for her mother to know true love in her lifetime. She’d loved that man since she was a child. It probably killed her to be told she had to marry someone else. Yet she’d carried a torch for this man all those years. No matter that the two of them had died. They had loved in life, and that was what mattered.
ANTONIN SAW THE lines of tension on Juliet’s face settle into peace, and he felt good. Perhaps there was a dirty or betraying element behind Juliet’s mother’s decision to have a child with a man that wasn’t her husband. Maybe she was bitter because Charlie Caglione had sired a second heir off another woman. Whatever the case, that wasn’t Juliet’s fault and she shouldn’t be carrying that on her shoulders.
“All right.” Antonin gestured to the justice building. “Shall we go in and bail out your guys?”
Juliet was nodding, but her expression was suddenly uncertain. “I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing,” she explained.
“Should you know?” He was trying to figure out what was really bothering her. He’d discovered with women that it was never really cut-and-dried or simple.
“Well, shouldn’t I?” She was actually looking a little panicked. “I’m supposed to be the leader of those men. Right? I should know how to bail them out. I don’t even know if I have that kind of cash on hand! What if there are dozens of men in there?”
“Okay. So let’s just calm down before you freak out and overupset yourself and the baby.” Antonin pointed to the door. “Get out of the car. That’s the first step.”
He exited the vehicle, and so did she. Then she reached for his hand and clutched it tight. “Maybe what I’m really afraid of is that they won’t be glad to see me,” she admitted in a whisper. “What if they say they would rather stay in jail than acknowledge me as their new boss?”
“Unlikely,” he told her immediately. “I cannot imagine any man who would choose jail over just about anything.”
“Okay. Yeah.” She bobbed her head in agreement. “I’m just being silly, aren’t I?”
“Don’t call yourself silly,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “That’s a perfectly reasonable and normal fear. It’s going to be just fine.”
Antonin didn’t think he’d said anything particularly awe-inspiring, and yet it seemed to have that effect on Juliet. She straightened her spine and marched right up the steps and into the police station. He followed a few paces behind, prepared to glare anyone necessary into cooperating. Fortunately he didn’t have to do a thing.
“My name is Juliet Caglione, and I heard you have some of my men in your jail,” she informed the desk sergeant. “I want them released immediately.”
The sergeant raised his eyebrows. “Let me get the commanding officer. I think he might have a few questions for you.”
Juliet waited until the desk sergeant had disappeared. Then she whispered back at Antonin. “Is this normal?”
“Yes.” Antonin would’ve said more, but a suave-looking detective appeared.
“I’m Detective Blount from the organized crime division.”
“Good.” Juliet shook his hand and then gave him a pointed look. “I want my men released. I don’t even know who was brought in.”
The detective scratched the back of his neck. “Yes. It was quite a strange event. We got a call from Giovanni Corle
on that they were brawling and needed to be picked up.”
“And you’re aware that Giovanni Corleon is dead?” Juliet’s poker face would have fooled just about anyone other than Antonin. He knew what it cost her to talk about this incident.
“Dead?” The detective frowned. “What’s going on, Ms. Caglione?”
“Let’s just say that my grandfather passed away in his sleep a few days ago, and it created a situation where my father’s bastard son decided to try to get an inheritance that wasn’t meant for him. He wanted everyone in jail—even though my guys are completely innocent blue-collar working men—and he was willing to lie to get it done.”
“So you’re saying that the mafia thugs I have in lockup are blue collar—what exactly?” The detective looked skeptical at best.
“Well, I have several plumbers in my employ,” Juliet began. “We offer a plumbing service. We also have some locksmiths, more than a few waste management engineers, some exceptionally talented bricklayers, and a welder. Like I said, after Giovanni went berserk, I have no idea who is genuinely missing and who got picked up by the police. I can promise you that they weren’t brawling.”
“The rumor was that the Cagliones were battling with the Bratva for control of the city.”
The detective certainly wasn’t holding back. Antonin stared at the man and wondered how much to say without getting himself and his own men into trouble. Finally he cleared his throat. “I am Antonin Mikhailovich. My father, Mikhail, was murdered by an associate earlier this evening, which makes me the new Pekhan in this city. I can tell you that the Cagliones and the Bratva are not fighting. In fact”—Antonin reached for Juliet—“Juliet has consented to be my wife, which means that the squabbling between our organizations will cease.”
“Damn.” The detective actually whistled. “The Bratva is joining with the Cagliones?” Antonin could see the wheels turning in his head. “So perhaps the upheaval in the last few days is all due to reorganization pains? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Juliet gave a hard nod. “Exactly. Detective, I’m just so glad you understand. So since there are no charges against my men because they weren’t brawling—as you’ve just heard—and the only man who claimed that they were brawling is now dead, can we just get them out and go?”
“My fiancée is pregnant,” Antonin added, giving the detective just one more thing to mull over in his obviously busy brain. “She really needs to be getting home to rest.”
“Pregnant.”
Detective Blount seemed to think that repeating everything that they said was either necessary for him to process it, or for them to take him seriously. Or perhaps he was just in shock. It was difficult to say. Antonin had a feeling he was going to enjoy messing with this young and eager detective over the next few years.
“So?” Juliet prompted.
“I’ll release your men now,” Detective Blount said faintly. “I just need a few minutes to process the paperwork.”
“Thank you.” Juliet took Antonin’s hand and turned around to walk right out of the police station. She had certainly taken care of her first crisis as the Cagliones’ boss with aplomb.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JULIET RESTED HER hand on the balcony railing and gazed at the city skyline. It seemed so far away. The red lights blinking on top of tall buildings blended with the jewel-like brightness of the gleaming windows, making it look like a fairyland. It felt good to get away, but it also felt strange to be so far away from her home and her life as a Caglione.
She felt Antonin before she heard his approach. He put his arms around her and drew her back to lean against his chest. “Are you cold?” he asked softly.
Placing her hands over his, she slid them down her belly to the now pronounced baby bump. “I’m fine. It was really sweet of you to suggest we get out of the city for a night, but I can’t remember the last time I was away from home.”
“That’s sort of the point,” he said drily. “We need to let things cool down. Both of us have men that need some time to regroup and heal after such a prolonged battle that was so crazy and unpredictable. In a few days everything will calm down, and we’ll go back into the city.”
“And in the meantime?” She squirmed around to face him, lifting her arms and winding them about his neck. “How are we supposed to keep busy?”
Antonin’s lips tickled her neck. “See that Jacuzzi at the other end of the balcony?”
“It’s a little hard to miss. All that steam billowing out of it and everything.” She gave a wry little chuckle. “But pregnant women aren’t supposed to use a Jacuzzi. Something about boiling the baby being bad and all that.”
It was his turn to chuckle. “That’s why I have it turned down very low. The water is only in the eighties. You can get in and I’m going to pamper you until those back muscles of yours stop cramping.”
“Umm,” she murmured. “You’re such a tease! At this point I think I’d almost rather trade a foot rub for an orgasm.”
“Okay, that’s a challenge.” He swept her right off her feet.
Juliet laughed and wiggled her bare feet as her legs dangled over Antonin’s arm. She loved the way he could pluck her right off the ground as though she didn’t weigh as much as a baby elephant right now. He was so powerful. His body, but also his mind, was strong and steady. This was a man she could trust to be there for her no matter how tough things got. Through the bad and the good, he would never give up.
ANTONIN GENTLY LOWERED Juliet to the ground just beside the hot tub. He unbelted her robe and tugged it off. When she was naked, he knelt before her and gently kissed her belly. He placed his hands on the gentle swell of her hips and let his lips travel over the swelling of her pregnancy and then lower. Her breath hitched and she put her hand on his head.
“You smell so good,” he told her softly. “Do you have any idea how badly I want you?”
“You do?”
She sounded almost surprised, and he realized that her confidence had taken quite a beating in the last few days. Perhaps the only way to show her how desirable he found her was to show her firsthand. With this in mind he slipped his tongue into the cleft of her sex. She gasped and leaned back against the side of the hot tub. The position tilted her pelvis and gave him better access to her pussy.
Antonin gently touched one of her calves, stroking it before he lifted her leg and helped her to prop one foot on his shoulder. Then he delved between her pussy lips with his tongue. He spread her wide and licked her from opening to clit. Once he found that sensitive spot just beside the hood of her clitoris, he worked it lightly with his upper lip. He was gentle but insistent. It didn’t take long for him to feel the gush of her juices against his face just before she hit her first climax.
“Antonin! Oh my God!” She whimpered and he felt her inner muscles contract as she came.
He lapped at her opening while her body shuddered and trembled at the stimulation. The taste of her was erotic heaven. This was his woman, and he never wanted to let that taste fade from his tongue. Gently pushing his tongue inside her tight opening, he licked her again and felt her spiral toward another orgasm.
“Oh God, Antonin, I’m going to… I’m going to… Don’t stop!”
Her words dissolved into sexy little growls that came from the back of her throat. Then her hips jerked as she came a second time. He let her ride it out this time, backing off so that he could watch and admire the glistening pink folds of her sex during her climax. Nothing had ever been so beautiful as Juliet coming undone just for him.
When he saw her relax, he stood up. “Time to get in the tub,” he told her gently.
“I don’t think I can move.”
Antonin picked her up and deposited her very carefully in the gentle warm water. Her pleasurable intake of breath was enough to tell him that he’d gotten the temperature just right. She relaxed down into the water, and he savored the sight of her outlined in the glow coming from the Jacuzzi’s lights.
“You
’re wearing too much clothing,” she complained.
Antonin began stripping off his clothes, leaving them on the balcony floor. “Then please let me undress for you. I wouldn’t want you to be displeased.”
“I’ll be more pleased if you get that gorgeous ass in here,” she informed him.
JULIET WASN’T CERTAIN exactly how it worked, but she’d read somewhere that the increased hormones in a pregnant woman made her more amorous. In Juliet’s case, she was feeling downright horny. Antonin had made her come twice already, and she wanted his cock inside her so badly that she was about to beg.
The warm water felt glorious against her skin. For once she didn’t feel overweight or clunky. She felt sexy and desirable. And when her man slid into the warm water, she wasted no time in sliding her wet skin up close to his.
“God, you feel good,” he growled. “I want to fuck you so bad I think my cock is going to explode.”
Juliet laughed, feeling almost giddy with excitement. “Then fuck me! I don’t know what you’re waiting for.”
He cupped her breasts, gently holding them at water level and then dipping his mouth below the surface to suck each nipple. She gasped with the unexpected delight of that sensation. The water was warm, but his mouth was hot. Each time he would release her nipple from between his lips the cool air would harden it even more before he sucked it back into his mouth for more attention.
Finally his hands slid down her belly to her mound. He delved between her swollen pussy lips and gently stroked her sex. She groaned with the pleasure. He was sitting in one of the Jacuzzi seats, and she was sort of floating above him with her hands anchored to the side. The position let her open her legs and just hover there for treatment that both of them enjoyed. He toyed with her clit and rubbed tiny circles around it with the tip of his index finger. The pressure was just enough to drive her wild.
She felt a pinprick of heat that soon fanned into flame as the muscles in her back and butt tightened and she grew enticingly close to orgasm. It was so good. She was so close. And then Antonin slid one long finger into her pussy and she was instantly rocketed to climax.