Adelina thought this over. There it was again: whatever she wanted. What did she want? A house, a condo, a life in New York City? She didn’t even know.
“What are you thinking about, bella?”
“You’re very nice to me.” She settled on saying. The gazebo was settled off to the right of the large back yard. There was a beautiful view of the lake, and she could still see Enzo and Ely over on the patio.
Lucian snorted out a laugh. “You’re my fiancé, shouldn’t I be?”
“I guess.” She shrugged.
He took both her hands into his, the warmth felt amazing on her cool skin. He looked into her eyes, she swore he could see deep into her soul.
“Beautiful girl, I know that men have not treated you fairly. I know you’ve been walked all over, but that stops now.” He told her, no hint of joking in his voice. “Whatever they did to you, I promise I never will. I will love you like you deserve to be loved. In every possible way. So, when I say that you can have whatever you want, you can. You want to move out to Rye and live next to my parents? Done. You want a sky rise in Manhattan? Done. Even if you want to ride down the aisle on a fake unicorn, I will get it for you. Understand?”
“A fake unicorn?” she asked.
“Whatever you want.” Lucian chuckled.
She smiled for a minute, not saying anything. “Thank you.” she finally settled on.
Chapter Sixteen
There are three major players in New York.
The first one being the Luchese’s. Anything that happens in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, or New Jersey is Luchese. If it’s not, well, they’re getting a pretty nice chunk of it.
The second big player would be the Morello’s. John Morello is verging on ancient and has yet to find a predecessor for his family. He only has two daughters, both of which are spoiled princesses, and have yet to bring in a decent man for their father. Pretty soon, he might just be irrelevant.
Next up, you have the DeLaurentis’, who run some streets in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. Matteo Jr. is being groomed to take over their family.
Then, you have the Colombo’s. Also known as royal pains in the ass. Christophe plans to hand his family off to Leo, who in Lucian’s humble opinion is a major prick.
And finally, the DeCavalcante’s, the worst of the bunch. Their sons, Adriano and Emilio, might be worse than Leo. Their sister, Ava, trails behind them like a puppy with her legs tucked between her legs, which reminds Lucian of the way Adelina used to be treated, putting the DeCavalcante’s even lower in his book.
There’s this thing with men in the Mafia where they think their women should at home cooking and cleaning, or looking pretty on their arms.
But that’s not true.
Any good man would tell you that a woman should be treated like a queen. She deserves to have everything she wants in life.
And Adelina, well she’s the best of the them all.
Lucian couldn’t think of a woman who compared. She was gentle and kind. She talked to every person she was introduced to with a bright smile. She even danced with some of the little kids.
She was the light of the party.
Adelina in New York was completely different than at Massimo’s house in Providence. She was smothered there, constantly told what to do. Made to feel ashamed of herself.
But here?
She was free.
Lucian was slowly falling for this version of Adelina. Sure, he liked every version of her, but free Adelina? She was addictive. He could watch her all day.
“You’re staring.” Carlo said coming up behind him.
“I know.”
“You’re falling for her?”
“Pops,”
Carlo shot him a look. “You know when I suggested that you go meet her, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I never intended to have you boys find love the way your mom and I did. I thought we were rare, an arrangement that worked so perfectly.” Carlo looked at his son than over to Adelina who was playing with his nephew Dante’s young daughter, Cleo. “But you two.” He sighed. “I think you’ll be okay.”
“I think so too, pa.”
◆◆◆
“I see you’ve met princess Cleo.” Lucian said smiling as he approached his girl and his baby cousin. Cleo might have very well been the joy of their family. She was the first baby, and she was the spitting image of her father, Dante, with tanned skin, honey brown eyes, and a head of dark curls.
Dante was the second oldest of the cousins after Lucian. He met his wife, Mia, back in high school and married her after she got pregnant when she was 19 and Dante was 22. Nobody made a peep as Dante did the right thing, and now they were a young couple with a gorgeous 4-year-old daughter and Dante’s crew was bringing in quite a bit of money for the family.
Cleo’s eyes lit up. “I am a princess!” she shouted. “Miss A. Linda said so too!”
“Adelina.” Adelina corrected her.
She looked at her confused. “That’s what me said.”
Lucian chuckled.
“Where’s your auntie?” Lucian asked. Her aunt was Dante’s sister Daniella.
Cleo shrugged her shoulders.
“Right here.” Daniella waved her hand. “Apparently I’m chopped liver compared to the fancy new girl.” She smirked at Adelina.
“Ew. No liver.” Cleo announced.
“Sorry Daniella,” Adelina smiled. “But Cleo told me I’m a better dancer.” She shrugged.
“Oh,” Daniella jumped up from her chair. “I’m going to show you, Cleo!” She shouted grabbing a giggling 4-year-old and dragging her away.
“You’re amazing, you do know that?” Lucian pulled Adelina into his arms, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.
“You’re family’s kind of great.”
“You make them happy.”
She looked up at him smiling.
“I think I like New York City.”
“Oh baby, you haven’t even seen it yet.”
◆◆◆
Lucian could watch Adelina stare at the city all day. She was mesmerized by everything. Times Square. Rockefeller Center. Every single storefront.
They spent their entire Sunday exploring the city. Lucian had already seen it all, but Adelina was experiencing everything for the first time. And Lucian loved that.
Last night he took her home, against Vinny’s wishes, to his condo in the Upper East Side where she stood with her jaw dropped for a while.
Adelina had grown up in money, but everything here beat Providence by miles. She loved his condo, even though he told her several more times that house hunting was an option, she told him no.
She padded around the place in her bare feet in the morning, attempting to make pancakes. They both learned a good lesson, Adelina couldn’t cook.
Then they set out. Lucian was in no rush to take her back to Providence, hell, he’d let her move in today if that was what she wanted.
“Let’s get coffee.” He led her into a small café where he ordered two coffees and Adelina picked out a handful of sweets from the display case.
“I want one of those t-shirts!” she announced between bites of her chocolate Danish. “You know, those I heart NY ones.”
“Tacky,” Lucian told her smiling. “You’re not a tourist.”
She laughed. “Clearly I am.”
“Pretty soon you won’t be.” He murmured, sipping his coffee.
“True.” She smirked, “But for now, I am, so I probably need one of those shirts.”
Lucian caved. And bought her an “I Love NY” shirt off a street corner. Yeah, he’d do anything to keep that smile on her face.
◆◆◆
Christmas passed through New York in a whirlwind of snow and perfectly wrapped gifts. Their first Christmas was spent hours apart with Adelina in Providence and Lucian in the city. This would be the last holiday they spent separated though, Lucian had promised himself that. Day after day he became more and more obsessed with Adelina. And day after day h
e was envious of her twin dorm room bed that held her at night while he was hours away. He wanted her home, in her bed. He wanted her hair to grace his pillow case, her lipstick stains on his glassware. He wanted every part of her, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. He wanted it all. He had never felt this way about a woman before. This intoxication.
Maybe he needed a detox.
Or maybe, he just needed her here. Maybe he was better off with this addiction.
She was the best drug he could get his hands on.
He bought her a plane ticket from Rhode Island to New York City. She was due here any moment now and then they would be off. He planned a trip for her, his first in years, and he couldn’t stop smiling thinking about Adelina’s excitement.
“Where are we going?” She had asked with a light laugh as Lucian piled her matching Michael Kors suitcase and duffel bag into the trunk of his Mercedes.
“It’s a surprise.” He smirked. “You’ll know when you see it.”
Her face glowed but her mouth said “I don’t like surprises.”
“I doubt that, Bella.”
It was about a fie hour drive from Manhattan to the southern part of the Adirondack Park where Lucian’s grand-father had house on Lake George. They took their first stop Poughkeepsie for Adelina to use the restroom. He legs shook during the drive and her head was glued to the window taking in all the surroundings.
“Have you never been on a road trip?” Lucian asked with an amused smirk.
“No.” She responded. “Well, Boston. But that’s not that far.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Lucian took a deep breath. “You’ve only been to Rhode Island and Massachusetts?”
“And now New York.” She said biting off the head of a sweetish fish, her chosen snack from the gas station.
When she wasn’t window site seeing, she sang mindlessly along with the radio. It was so beautiful, Lucian feared acknowledging it would make her stop. So, he sat back, foot on the gas pedal, listening to her dreamy voice fill the car as trees sped by around them.
Was this heaven?
With her, in this car, everything around them melted away with the trees. New York was miles behind them, Providence was nowhere in sight. There were no problems to be solved in this car. No family obligations to worry about. Just the two of them, the music, and the forest.
This could work.
They could live like this.
Drop reality and find each other to block out the pain.
She could be his and he would be hers.
But it wouldn’t last. He knew that. At the end of the day he would take he back to Providence where he knew there was a price on her head and pray to God no one got to her before he got to them.
But for now, he would soak of this moment of Adelina, wild and free, with him.
Chapter Seventeen
“You’re not listening to me.” Theo told her. That wasn’t a great start to their evening, Theo being angry only ever ended one way.
He was worse now that he had graduated high school. Adelina wanted to think that was because he had more pressure on him now that he was working for his dad but his actions made her believe it was her fault.
Because he couldn’t be with her during the day. His friends reported back to him and they’re word were always twisted.
Adelina didn’t behave.
She talked to other guys.
She dressed inappropriately.
She was too friendly.
Everything wrong right now was her fault.
◆◆◆
The driveway to the Luchese lake house was lined with snow covered trees and it felt like several miles before Lucian’s Escalade made it back to the house. The site was beautiful. A two-story log cabin built on a hill overseeing Lake George. The bottom part of the house was covered in the grey stones and above it the breaks in the logs gave way for beautiful open windows. The whole house was covered in sparkly white snow and looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.
“Come inside,” Lucian cooed, obviously enjoying her amazement.
Her family wasn’t poor, but they weren’t wealthy like this. The inside smelled like wood, and she inhaled deeply letting the aroma relax her. The walls were lined with wood planks and knotty pine cabinets stood proud in the kitchen. An inviting leather sectional took up space in the living room and all around them were blue and green accents. The home was so warm and inviting Adelina wanted to grab a book and settle in.
“There’s more,” Lucian smiled. “Come on,” he led her out the tall French doors at the back of the house onto the patio. The large patio wrapped around to the side of the house and overlooked the hillside to the private beach, and the beautiful lake.
The sun was just setting and orange and pink clouds lingering in the sky while the remaining light reflected off the watery surface.
Was this heaven?
“So,”
Lucian was taking her in, waiting for a response.
“I love it.” She whispered.
And she did. She loved the house, the view, the escape.
“Think you can handle the weekend here.” Lucian joked.
“Absolutely.” She was still to in awe for witty comebacks.
◆◆◆
The bathroom was possibly her favorite part of the lake of house. There was a Jacuzzi tub with jets and a shelf full of bath soaks that she was fawning over, a picture window with a beautiful view of the lake, and her favorite: the rainforest shower. She had been underneath the spray for so long her fingers were starting to prune, but she loved it. The shower itself was huge, lined with subway tiled walls, and had a seat in the back. She let the warm water hit her face, soak her hair, and wash away all of her problems.
She sang while she was in the shower. She started with Beyonce, stumbled through and Ariana Grande song, and just continued to sing whatever melody popped into her head. She danced in the open shower, swinging her arms wildly to the beat in her head as the stream of water crashed over her.
“Can I join you, bella?” Adelina jumped at the sound of Lucian’s voice.
He stood in the doorway, naked. Her eyes wondered his toned body. His muscles were defined from his calves to his pecks. Eight taunt abdomen muscles teased her, and his cock make her swallow hard.
“Yes.” Her voice was a faint whisper.
Lucian chuckled. “Holding a private concert in here?”
Her cheeks turned pink, sharing her embarrassment. “Could you hear me?”
“Yes.” Lucian smiled entering the stream of water, letting it splash over his face and drop down his tanned body. “But I love listening to your voice.”
He ran a hand through his thick dark hair, probably a week past needing a haircut.
Adelina could stare at this man all day.
“Don’t stop on account of me.” He smirked. When she didn’t begin singing again he started to, a series of do’s and da’s in fast paced tone.
The tarantella.
Laughter bubbled up from her. He danced too, a clap high then low, kick with the right then left. She joined him, their feet sliding around on the slippery tile, every so often his tune would stop while he snorted a laugh.
“I think this is better with shoes on,” she laughed breathlessly.
“And a dance floor.”
His eyes met hers green to chocolate brown. Slowly he leaned in for a kiss.
His lips gently touched hers at first and then they kissed harder, needier. He pressed her against the tiled shower wall and used one hand to protect her head while the other roamed her body.
“Sing for me bella.” He whispered in her hear as he placed delicate kisses around her collar bone. She hummed a few notes before she started singing God is a Woman, not fast like it was meant to be sang, instead she sang it slow and sultry.
“Don’t stop singing.” Lucian told her between kisses. “No matter what.” He began to slowly plant kisses down her abdomen and lower and lower until he wa
s in front of her sex.
He used his hands to separate her legs and moved his head closer, inhaling deeply.
Adelina’s legs shook and her voice cracked as Lucian pressed his lips against her.
“Don’t stop.” Her reminded her. “If you stop, I’ll stop.”
With that, he used his talented tongue to lick between her folds.
She moaned, but quickly resumed singing.
She was so close to coming. She felt it in every inch of her body. The spray from the rainforest showed trickled down her shoulder blades mixed with her own sweat and wanting.
She wanted this so badly, but also never wanted it to stop.
She could barely focus on the song anymore and Lucian worked furiously on her clit.
Her orgasm crashed over her like a wave, sweeping away anything in its path. She wasn’t sure what notes left her mouth as she sang/screamed her way through it. She was panting as her legs collapsed and Lucian scooped her up.
He removed her from the shower, wrapped her in a soft bath towel and laid her down in bed.
“Not even closed to being finished, bella.”
◆◆◆
Time with Lucian seemed to go by quickly, before she knew it Adelina had spent a week at the Luchese lake house. She sipped her freshly brewed coffee in front of one of the many massive windows overlooking Lake George. The lake was frozen over and covered with a dusting of fresh white snow. This place was so peaceful.
Just the two of them.
They spent their days lounging in front of the fireplace or in bed, Lucian making her come over and over again.
She could get used to this life.
Spoiled.
Loved.
Lucian met her every need. She was beginning to imagine their life together. Would they spend Christmases here? Maybe one day with kids running around. She could imagine snowmen lined up outside with top hats and little pipes hanging from their lips. Or maybe summers, too. She could see the kids running off the dock and jumping into the lake. They would cook outside and build camp fires. For the first time in her life she felt like she could really have this.
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