by Ashley Jade
I'll gladly die a thousand deaths just so he knows the truth.
“You,” I say. “I want you, Ricardo. I choose you.”
This time, when he tilts his face and moves closer, I welcome what's about to happen.
His kiss is what the angels sing about and what teenage girls wish upon a star for.
First kisses just like this one. Kisses that turn nightmares into fairytales.
He's repairing me with his lips, mending me with the stroke of his tongue and saving me with his breath.
His kiss is killing me and rescuing me all at the same time.
His kiss is washing away all the dirty and making me feel renewed and revived.
He's making my ugly, beautiful.
I groan when his hand tangles in my hair and his tongue continues dancing with mine slowly and sweetly.
He pulls me closer to him and I can't tell who's heart is beating faster, his or mine.
I see fireworks and swear, I hear bombs go off when he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and I feel his hardness against my stomach.
But when every wall in the house begins to shake and knickknacks start falling all around us...I realize.
There are actual bombs going off.
Holy shit.
He pulls away and shoves my car keys into my hand, appearing unfazed. “Don't worry. Only the west wing of the house was bombed.”
I stare at him speechless when he hands me a towel to wrap around myself.
“You know how to get to the secret hallway that leads out front from here?”
I blink and look down at my keys. “Yeah.”
He opens the second door to the bathroom and shoves me out of it. “Good. I'll meet you back at the apartment.”
I somehow find my footing but stop to turn back around. “You bombed DeLuca's house just to kiss me?”
His mouth curves into a sideways smile. “It was a damn good kiss. Now...go. I'll see you in a little while.”
Chapter 24 (Ricardo)
“Lucianna!” DeLuca screams so loud the walls rattle.
I cough and wave at the smoke as I walk through the debris. Half of DeLuca's house is a pile of rubble.
I text Emilio and told him that since DeLuca was planning on going back to Italy anyway, he didn't have to make a threatening phone call pretending to be one of his enemies anymore.
I also told Emilio to only bomb the west wing of the house but the damage is worse than I thought it would be.
Every room in the west wing is completely destroyed...along with the kitchen, dining room, living room and conference room.
His office and the bedrooms are all located on the east wing...so no one was hurt.
“She's okay,” I say as I enter his office. Relief flashes across his face and he looks behind me. “Where is she?”
“I told her to go back to the apartment. I didn't know what the hell was happening but I figured she was safer that way.”
“Good thinking,” he says before his eyes narrow. “What the fuck were you doing in my bedroom in the first place?”
“I was looking for you.” I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “I was going up the east staircase when I heard the bombs go off. I knew you'd be in your bedroom and I wanted to make sure you were okay. When I saw Lou—Lucianna, I told her to run out of the house to safety.”
He raises an eyebrow, sheer shock across his face. “You were worried about me?”
“Christ, DeLuca. You are my father.”
He looks taken back briefly before his expression changes to one of annoyance. “Dammit, I can't believe someone bombed my fucking house.”
I look around. “I know. I'm just as shocked as you are. But then again...you are a mob boss. One with a lot of enemies.”
He pounds his fist on his desk. “I don't even know how they managed to do it. But when I catch the bastard—” He stops mid-sentence and his eyes turn dark and evil. “Fuck—I know who did this.”
I'll admit, for a second, I think he's on to me...but then he starts sprinting around his office like a madman.
“Marlene, get my bags ready and call the pilot,” he orders. “We're going back to Italy...now.”
“Okay,” she sighs, reaching for the phone.
He punches a wall. “That witch isn't gonna get away with this. I'll kill them all one by one. Those fucking she-devils!”
I open my mouth to ask who and what the fuck he's talking about...but when I look at Marlene she twirls a finger around her head and mouths, “He's gone crazy.”
Yeah, you don't say.
He looks at me then. “You have to protect Lucianna while I'm in Italy, son.” He looks like he's swallowing a box of nails before he chokes out, “Please.”
I want to capture this moment on camera because I've never seen him look so desperate. I didn't think it was possible.
“She's very important,” he whispers. “She's—” He closes his eyes. “She's just very important.”
Yeah, she is. “Okay. No problem.”
Don't worry, shithead. I'll always protect my girl. Especially from assholes like you.
“Thank you,” he says.
If that's not weird enough...for a minute...I think he's going to do something crazy.
Like hug me.
I instinctively reach for my gun, but luckily he looks back to Marlene.
“Hurry up!” he shouts.
“The pilots clearing his schedule,” she responds. “But he said there's a bad storm coming in.”
“Tell him I don't give a fuck!” he booms before walking over to me. “Tell Lucianna I'll call her later. It really means a lot that you're agreeing to protect her for me. I know you two don't get along...but I can see things are getting better between you two now. Thank you again.”
I fight the urge to tell him we've kissed and made up. Instead, I give him a nod and turn on my heels. “See you when you get back.”
Chapter 25 (Lou-Lou)
The thunder jolts me as I drive behind the apartment and pull up near Ricardo's secluded parking spot.
Luckily I pulled my suitcase out of the trunk and was able to change back into some clothes before it started down pouring.
However, that small relief does nothing to calm the jumble of nerves that lines my stomach right now.
What if DeLuca figures out Ricardo was behind the bombing?
I still can't believe he was crazy enough to bomb DeLuca's house.
I close my eyes and touch my lips as I recall his words. “It was a damn good kiss.”
He was wrong.
It was more than just a good kiss. It was without a doubt the best first kiss in the history of first kisses.
Lightning zaps the sky and the rain comes down harder. There's no way I'm getting out of this car until Ricardo comes back to me, unharmed.
I close my eyes again and try and control my breathing. Anxiety is shooting through me like a cannon.
Dear god, please let the man I love be okay.
When I open my eyes I see his mustang pull into his parking spot.
Relief fills my body and my heart beats like it's the biggest drum in the world.
We step out of our cars at the same time, neither of us caring about the rain which is currently coming down in buckets.
I run the short distance to him and his arms are already open, waiting for me.
I wrap my legs around his waist and I don't wait another second because I can't.
“I love you,” I scream, my voice straining with emotion. “I know...it's too soon. And it's crazy...considering our fucked up circumstances and all. You don't have to say it back. But I need you to know it's—”
“The truth,” he finishes for me. “I know it is because I feel it.” He leans his forehead against mine. “And for the record—I love you, too.”
Our lips come together as thunder rumbles in the sky above us.
He kisses me with so much passion, I'm fighting for air...but it's no longer because I'm suffocating. I'm fighting for air bec
ause I want to live and breathe every one of his kisses for the rest of my life.
His tongue parts my lips and he swings us around so I'm pressed against the hood of his car.
I feel myself slipping due to the wet surface, but his hands are on my hips, holding me in place.
He nips my bottom lip and a low groan erupts from him. Arousal courses through me, pooling between my legs.
He presses his lips to the base of my throat and his thumb begins teasing my nipple through my bra. I feel the hum of tension between us getting stronger, building to an inferno. “Fuck me,” I whisper.
He pauses and his eyes fix on my face. “I'm not going to fuck you. At least, not until I'm sure it's what you really want and you're ready.”
I'm about to protest and tell him that I'm positive I'm ready, but he lifts my dress up and hooks his fingers onto the sides of my panties, rendering me speechless.
He gives me a sexy smirk, his expression predatory. “But I am going to fuck you with my tongue until you're coming on my face.”
I stare at him wide-eyed. “God, Ricardo. You're mouth.”
“Will be licking every inch of your pretty pussy tonight,” he says matter-of-factly.
Faster than I can blink, he peels off my panties and stuffs them in his pocket. He eases my legs apart and I become dizzy with desire when he gets on his knees before me and proceeds to bury his face between my thighs.
His tongue surges inside me, teasing me with slow licks until I'm breathless. I moan and my head lolls back when he flicks and sucks my clit into his mouth.
Then he growls my name...and his mouth is on me, really on me.
He wasn't kidding about licking every inch of me. He's claiming my pussy with his mouth, leaving no part unpleasured.
He continues bathing me with his incredible tongue and my legs start shaking. I'm positive nothing in the world has ever felt so good.
That's when he looks up at me. His dark eyes are hooded and his face is etched with lust.
That look alone could make a woman climax. And it does because the next wave of pleasure that hits me feels beyond the realm of my self-control.
He continues sucking, licking and eating me with intense fervor, never letting up. Not even when I'm pounding on his car with one hand and grabbing his hair with the other—all while screaming his name at the top of my lungs because I'm coming so hard and fast into his mouth.
I fall back against the hood of his mustang and fight to catch my breath. Fight to catch my surroundings. Hell, fight to catch my sanity.
I watch his shoulders rise and fall before he plants a tender kiss on my pussy and stands up.
If he thinks this is over....he's dead wrong.
He struck the match and lit the fucking fire...and he has no idea about the explosion that's about to go off.
He leans down to kiss me and I suck his lower lip into my mouth. My fingers find his belt and I frantically begin undoing it.
“Wait,” he says, his hands cupping my face. “Are you sure? You don't...we don't.”
I ignore him and drag his zipper down. My eyes bug out of my head when I free his erection.
Holy hell.
He's large, thick, powerful....and fucking perfect. The glint of metal from his piercing only adding to its magnificence.
“I love you and I want you, Ricardo.” And because I want to provoke him I add, “Now take me and make me yours.”
My words must trigger a carnal hunger in him because he hitches one of my legs around his waist possessively.
His eyes flash and his jaw locks. “You are mine,” he says right before I feel the tip of his cock start to enter me.
“I'm yours,” I say because I am.
I so fucking am.
He ever-so-slowly begins to enter me, being as gentle as he can as I stretch to accommodate him.
“Fuck,” we both exhale at the same time when he's fully inside me.
I've never felt anything like this before and I don't think he has either. He hasn't even started thrusting and already it feels phenomenal.
I look up at him. “Does it always feel this good?”
His arm wraps around me and lightning zaps the sky. “Never. It's never felt this good before.”
I think this is what people mean when they talk about finding their missing puzzle piece.
Ricardo's mine. He's inside me, filling me, fixing all the cracks. He's making me brand new instead of damaged.
He exhales sharply. “Tell me when I can start,” he rasps, his voice husky.
“Now. Please now,” I say, although it comes out like a plea.
The palpable heat of desire pulses through me with his first thrust and my body catches on fire.
He smooths his thumb along my jaw and tips my head up before he plants a trail of kisses from my chin to my neck.
He rocks himself into me faster, picking up the pace and I moan when he swivels his hips and his piercing hits what has to be my g-spot.
He almost pulls out completely and I whimper but then he's slamming into me again and I start quivering. He looks like he's about to stop, but these trembles and shakes come with pleasure. Amazing ripples of pleasure. “Don't stop. Don't you dare stop. These are good ones,” I pant.
His mouth slants over mine and he pulls me into a kiss so scorching my brain scrambles and all I can do is succumb to everything he's doing to me.
He thrusts into me harder and faster and I feel a burst of warmth between my legs as I begin jerking against him.
My scream gets lost in the sound of thunder as I climax and a torrential downpour begins falling all around us.
“I love you,” he whispers as I ride the final wave of my orgasm.
I almost want to cry but I can't because all I feel is happiness.
I realize that this right here is my miracle. This is everything I have ever wished for.
No matter what may happen in the future, this moment means everything to me.
He pumps into me again and his face strains against his pleasure. He's holding himself back for some reason and that's not okay.
I need him to let go, I want to make him feel just as good as he makes me feel.
I kiss his jaw and wrap my arms around his neck. “I want you, Ricardo and I love you.”
My hands grab his firm ass and I pivot my hips and pull him even deeper inside me. He curses under his breath before he slides a hand under the thickness of my hair and his eyes flick to mine. Then he groans my name and I feel his cock throb and swell as he comes.
We both take a breath and he quickly pulls my dress back down and gives me another kiss.
I melt against him. I never want him to stop kissing me, ever.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “We'll figure everything out, Lou-Lou. You have to be honest with me and trust me, though. No more bullshit.”
“No more bullshit,” I say. “I trust you. We'll get through this together.”
He picks me up and begins walking us to the apartment building. “We will.”
Epilogue (DeLuca)
“I told you it was a bad idea to piss off those women,” Marlene says. “Especially women who practice stregoneria. I mean, that's witchcraft.” She shudders. “And according to my research...they practice malevolent magic.” She turns in her seat to look at me. “They warned you what would happen if you continued threatening them. No wonder your house got blown up. They weren't kidding about refusing to help you break your family's curse.”
She crosses her arms and pouts. “Besides, I think they were wrong about Lucianna. Trust me, she's not special.”
Before the bitch can blink, my hand is around her throat and she's struggling to breathe. “Shut the fuck up.”
I'm going to blow this cunt's head off if she says one more goddamn word.
But then again...having Marlene around does prove to be useful...sometimes.
And by useful, I'm referring to the sounds of her choking on my come as I continue ramming my dick down her
throat.
However, Marlene is no substitute for my Bambina
No one is.
I tighten the hand around her throat and pull my zipper down with my other hand. “Maybe this will keep you quiet for awhile.”
She parts her lips and I shove my cock into her mouth. “Lucianna is special. More special than you will ever be. Do you hear me?”
She nods and I press down on her head until she starts gagging. “Take it!”
Fuck, on second thought...this bitch isn't going to do it for me after all.
But I know what will.
My dick grows harder as I picture Lucianna's soft lips wrapped around me and those bright brown eyes of hers looking up at me while she takes me deep. Looking up at me like I'm her savior...her master...her god...like I'm the most important person in the world to her.
As she should ...because I am.
I saved her when no one else in the world did. When no one else in the world gave a single fuck about her.
The strength she possessed called out to me that fateful night and I knew she was meant to be mine.
My instincts proved to be right the moment she saw my demonic black heart for all that it was and she still managed to love me.
Although, she did try to run away from me once.
I was going to kill her...but I was so enraptured by her strength and beauty I couldn't bring myself to do it.
My Lucianna's a fighter if there ever was one. I realized that killing her would do me a great disservice.
However, it never stopped me from sucking every ounce of strength from her in order to keep her mine.
I learned my lesson about what happens when I let my pretty broken birds fly away.
I learned my lesson when that whore Isabella deceived me. The only reason I let her live back then was because she produced a son for me.
She was the chosen one...she was special.
Well, until I needed to teach my ingrate good-for-nothing son a lesson.
But unlike that bitch...Lucianna is special.
She would never deceive me...the fact that she passed my little test with flying colors proved it.
She both loves me and equally fears me...just as she should.