by Cora Reilly
CHAPTER 14
Matteo leaned against the hood of my car, taking a fucking sunbath from the look of it. “And?” he asked, face still tilted up to the sky.
“Get into the car,” I said.
The moment he was in the passenger seat, he cocked an eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t make a mess.”
“She’s our cousin.”
“That didn’t stop you with Junior.”
“She’s a woman.”
“That didn’t stop you with the Bratva whores.”
I sent him a scowl. “She didn’t try to kill me, happy?”
“Maybe next time Grace will try to poison your wife,” Matteo joked, but I almost steered us into oncoming traffic because I jerked.
“I was joking,” Matteo said, surprised.
I swallowed, trying to mask the turmoil his words had cause. “Let’s head to the Sphere now. We still have to meet our bookkeeper.”
Several hours later, I was on my way back home while Matteo headed out to party with Romero.
My phone rang, and Father’s name flashed on my dashboard.
I took the call and Father’s voice boomed in the car. “How did it go? Did you convince Ferris of the perks of working with us?”
“Matteo and I made our point very clear to him, yes,” I said.
I wasn’t in the mood to talk to my father now. I just wanted to return home to my beautiful wife and discover her body with my hands and lips. It was what had kept me going throughout the day.
“Very well,” he drawled. “I think we should attack a few more of the Bratva establishments in retaliation. What’s their most popular club?”
“The Pergola. Most of the high ranking Bratva members frequent it. Unfortunately the half of New York society that doesn’t come to the Sphere is there as well. An attack might draw lots of unnecessary media attention to us.” Attacks on labs or whorehouses were the safer option, since both were out of the public eye.
“Figure something out. I want them to bleed,” Father clipped. I wondered if he’d talked to Fiore…or why did he suddenly give a fuck about the Bratva?
“They will,” I promised as I steered my car into the underground garage. “Is there anything else you want?”
“On your way to your wife, or why are you eager to shake me off?”
Because I hate your goddamn guts. “It’s been a long, fucked up day.”
“I want you, Matteo and Aria to come over to dinner as soon as possible. Talk to Nina to arrange a date and time.”
He hung up, not waiting for a reply because it was an order, not a request. I really didn’t want to be around my father more often than absolutely necessary, but, most importantly, I didn’t like him anywhere near Aria.
My muscles brimmed with tension when I stepped into the elevator. Another fucking mess of a day. Despite all the shit thrown our way today, I made good to my promise to Aria and was home earlier than usual. When I entered our apartment, Romero was perched on a barstool, working on his tablet. I’d sent him photos of a surveillance camera from the restaurant because he was the best when it came to detecting suspicious behavior. Maybe he’d be able to figure out who’d left the fucking message, so I could kill them personally. Carrying pigs’ head through Brooklyn couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
He stood, grabbed the tablet, and stepped into the elevator. “I’ll work on this tonight.”
“Aria’s still your top priority, so don’t pull an all-nighter.”
Romero smiled. “You know me. I’ll be as vigilant as always for work tomorrow.”
I nodded. He was one of my best men.
“Aria’s on the roof terrace,” he said before the doors closed.
I put my phone down on the kitchen counter. Matteo would be able to deal with shit if something came up tonight. I wanted to enjoy this evening with Aria without interruption.
Outside, Aria had set up the table with candles, white cloth and fresh flowers. She was dressed in an elegant flowing yellow dress. With the last rays of the setting sun, she was like a golden apparition. The most beautiful woman the Outfit had to offer. My father’s words. He’d been wrong, so fucking wrong.
Aria was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. There couldn’t possibly be a woman more beautiful than her on this planet.
Aria noticed me and gave me a small smile.
“I thought we could eat here?” She gestured at the table.
I wasn’t all that hungry for food, but Aria had already put an array of dips, breads and samosas as well as a steaming curry on the table. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her lightly. Her lashes fluttered and her smile became less tense. “I ordered Indian.”
“I’m hungry for only one thing,” I said in a low voice, feeling my groin tighten at the idea of getting Aria out of this dress.
Aria looked away. “Let’s eat.” She drew away from my embrace and sank down. Maybe food would help her calm her nerves. I really didn’t understand what she was so nervous about. I’d told her I’d touch and kiss, not fuck her. My lack of practice handling female emotions was definitely a problem when it came to treating Aria right. I sat down across from her. A few strands of hair whirled around her head and the setting sun made Aria’s cheekbones glow.
“You look fucking sexy.” My brain and body were on a one-way street. I just couldn’t think straight today. I wanted to lose myself in Aria, in her gorgeous body, in lust, and forget the Bratva.
Aria ripped off a piece of naan bread and ate it with a bit of dip. “Romero took me to the Metropolitan today. It was amazing.”
I ate a bite myself, stifling a laugh at Aria’s feeble attempt to distract me. “Good.”
“What about the restaurant owner? Did you convince him that the Famiglia will protect him from the Russians?”
It wasn’t really a topic I wanted to discuss, especially with Aria. Business was something I wanted to shield her from. “Of course. He’s been under our protection for more than a decade. There’s no reason to change that now.”
“Sure.” Aria picked up her wine glass and nipped at it, not meeting my eyes. She seemed far away, but it didn’t take a genius to guess what was bothering her.
“Aria?”
“Hmm?” She still didn’t look up.
“Aria,” I said, putting more force into my tone and, as expected, her head jerked up. Her blue eyes swam with anxiety. It was a new experience to have a woman scared of being with me. I leaned back in the chair, wondering how I should handle the situation. “You’re scared.”
“I’m not,” she said quickly, but her cheeks reddened at her lie. She was such a bad liar. I fixed her with a stare, wanting her to tell me the truth. Lying wasn’t something I’d tolerate. “Maybe a bit, but mostly I’m nervous.”
Nervous. I could work with nervous. It was so much better than fear. I stood and walked toward her, holding out my hand. “Come on.”
Aria raised her eyes to mine, searching like so often and whatever it was she seemed to find it because she took my hand and I pulled her up. She was still looking up at me. “Let’s get into the Jacuzzi, okay? That’ll relax you,” I said quietly, softening my voice to set her at ease. “Why don’t you grab your bikini and I’ll set it up?” I would have preferred to soak in the tub with a naked Aria, but I doubted that would help her relax.
Aria gave a quick nod before she disappeared inside. Sighing, I took a sip of wine. Patience had never been my strength, and I was surprised at how much of it I actually possessed, at least around Aria.
After I’d turned on the Jacuzzi, I followed my wife. When I arrived in the bedroom, I could hear her in the bathroom. I got out of my clothes and slipped on my black swim shorts. For a moment, I wondered if Aria was hiding from me inside the bathroom, but then the door swung open and she stepped out in a white bikini with dots. I almost groaned because she somehow managed to look sexy and innocent at once, bringing out my protective as well as my predatory side. Fuck it.
I touched Aria’s hip. “You a
re perfect.” I was rewarded with a small smile and led her out of our bedroom and back out onto our roof terrace.
Goose bumps covered Aria’s skin and her nipples strained against her thin bikini top. I lifted her into my arms and she pressed against me, seeking protection from the wind that had picked up. Her palm rested lightly against my chest, right over my heart, as if she needed to reassure herself that I did, indeed, have one. Sometimes even I wasn’t sure that was the case.
I stepped into the hot water with her and lowered us so we were both covered up to our shoulder blades. Aria clung to my neck, her lips against my skin. I stroked her back, feeling the tension rippling in her body. “There’s no reason for you to be scared.”
“Says the man who crushed a man’s throat with his bare hands.”
“That’s got nothing to do with us, Aria. That’s business.” I wasn’t a good man, and I wasn’t kidding myself into thinking I could be, nor did I want to. I was the man I needed to be to become who I wanted to be: Capo.
Aria sighed. “I know. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
I peered down at my wife but only saw Aria’s hair. She was hiding her face from me. “What’s really the problem?”
“I’m nervous because I feel vulnerable, like I’m at your mercy because of the deal.”
I managed to swallow the first reply that shot through my head: that Aria had been at my mercy from the moment she’d become my fiancée. If I’d insisted, her father would have given me his fifteen-year-old daughter, and, since she’d become my wife, everyone in our world considered her my property. “Aria, forget about the deal. Why don’t you try to relax and enjoy this?” I lifted her face so she had to look at me.
Aria licked her lips nervously. “Promise you won’t force me to do something I don’t want to do,” she whispered, then continued in an even softer voice, her gaze cast down once more. “Promise me that you won’t hurt me.”
For a second, I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d thought these last few days had showed Aria that I was trying to be good to her—as good as a man like me could be. Maybe that was the problem. Aria knew what kind of man I was, and she was waiting for me to reveal my true nature to her. Maybe she had reason to be wary. Maybe this side of me was bound to fail. Maybe I was a monster trying to be more. Was the gentle side something I had in me, or only something I forced on myself?
“Why would I hurt you?” I said quietly, keeping my thoughts to myself. “I told you I won’t sleep with you unless you want me to.”
Aria’s eyes widened in alarm. “So you will hurt me when we sleep together?”
Her innocent shock almost made me laugh. “Not on purpose, no, but I don’t think there’s a way around it,” I murmured, kissing the soft skin below her ear. “But tonight I want to make you writhe in pleasure. Trust me.”
I wanted her trust not because she gave it freely, but because I deserved it. I wanted to earn it.
Shoving those thoughts aside, I ran my tongue along her pulse point and inhaled Aria’s sweet scent. My grip on her tightened as I suckled her skin. She felt and tasted so good, and my body reacted to her closeness. I trailed my kisses back up until I reached Aria’s sweet mouth, which I claimed for a hard kiss as I pressed my erection against her butt. Fuck, I wished we were naked.
Aria drew back and I let out a groan in frustration. I wanted to lose myself in her taste. “Can we talk for a bit?” she asked softly.
Trying to hide my impatience, I sat back. “What do you want to talk about?”
My hands had a mind of their own, stroking along Aria’s naked back and waist, then lower to her bikini bottoms. Her breath caught when my fingers slid along her ass.
“What happened to your mother?” she asked, completely catching me by surprise.
My hands froze and my chest squeezed into a tight ball. “She died,” I clipped. I turned away from Aria’s compassionate face, annoyed that she’d bring something like that up. “That’s not the kind of thing I want to talk about tonight.”
I didn’t want to talk about her at all. She was the fucking past. Her death had messed up enough of my past; it wouldn’t mess up my future as well.
Aria gave a nod. I slid my hand along her thigh, wanting to distract myself and her. I pushed my fingers beneath her bikini bottoms, brushing over her pussy lips. So velvety. Fuck. I used my other hand to free her breasts from her top. Her nipples puckered deliciously in the cold. Good Lord. I lowered my head and drew a hard pebble into my mouth, sucking it softly at first, then harder. I flicked my thumb over her clit, making her arch and gasp. She pressed herself into me as I swirled my tongue around her nipple. I couldn’t take my eyes off Aria’s face as she surrendered to pleasure. Her cheeks heated under my unwavering attention, and she looked away.
“No. Look at me,” I commanded, and her eyes darted back down to me. I wanted her to see what I was doing, wanted her to remember that she was mine, that every beautiful inch of her was mine.
Fixing her with my eyes, I sucked her nipple into my mouth while my fingers worked her pussy, teasing her nub and folds. I grazed Aria’s nipple with my teeth, testing if she’d enjoy a bit of pain. Aria bucked her hips with a cry, her body becoming tight as she came. The sight was marvelous, but I didn’t allow myself to bask in it. I quickly hoisted Aria onto the edge of the Jacuzzi, spreading her legs.
Aria’s eyes widened in shock. “Luca, what—”
I ripped her bikini bottoms away, shoving my way between her legs. My eyes dipped down to her pink pussy lips and my cock jerked. I bowed down my head, needing to get a taste. I dragged my tongue along her glistening folds. Fuck, I’d waited way too long for the first taste of my wife. Aria let out an astonished cry. Her legs were starting to soften against my biceps as she surrendered to the new sensations.
I licked Aria long and deep, my tip sliding along her slit, tasting that torturous sweetness.
“Fuck, yes.” I could feel myself leaking at the first taste of her. A new wave of possessiveness hit me as I regarded her pink pussy. Only for me to savor. I sucked one soft fold into my mouth, teasing it with my lips and tongue. Aria gasped, half-lidded eyes checking our surroundings.
“Look at me,” I demanded, pulling back a bit from her. After a moment of hesitation, she met my gaze despite her obvious embarrassment. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted. I wanted Aria to watch when I ate her out, wanted to see her beautiful face when she came in my mouth for the first time.
Slowly, I leaned forward and raked my tongue along her crease, lightly nudging her lovely nub.
“You are mine,” I rasped, as her taste swirled on my tongue, fueling my own arousal. I took another lick. “Say it.”
Aria’s eyes flashed with need. “I’m yours.”
Mine. I stroked those puffy lips apart, baring her clit, knowing she’d come if I sucked that little button. Fixing my eyes on her needy face, I fluttered my tongue over her clit. Aria’s eyes opened wide, lips falling apart in a moan as she yanked at my hair, pressing her pussy against my face. She clenched against me, those lovely folds twitching under the force of her orgasm. So unbelievably responsive. Aria threw her head back as she writhed against my mouth, and I took everything she offered, licking up her arousal, getting so turned on by her obvious pleasure that I could hardly hold back. I plunged my tongue into her, groaning against her at how tight those walls clamped around the digit.
I suckled her, making sure she could hear how much I enjoyed this, and it didn’t take long for her body to respond to my loud appreciation. Aria was turned on by the sounds, and fuck if that didn’t turn me on even more. I lapped at her with more fervor, and then my lovely wife arched again and rewarded me with another beautiful orgasm.
I drew back, my breathing ragged, my dick throbbing so furiously I was sure I’d lose my goddamn mind any second. I needed to be inside her, needed to claim every little part of her. I burnt up with the need to do it. Bringing a finger up to her pussy, I entered her in a swift move.
A
ria cried out, her walls clamping down on my finger. For a moment, I considered shoving down my pants and finally taking what I wanted, but the impulse lasted less than a second.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking tight, Aria,” I rasped. Her channel gripped me tightly, and I could feel more resistance against my fingertip. Fuck. Soon I’d be claiming that part of her, making her mine once and for all.
Aria didn’t say anything, didn’t move. I glanced up, snapping out of my lust haze. She lay flat on her back, arms pressed against her sides, and was staring up at the sky with furrowed brows. That wasn’t what I’d expected. Slowly, I shifted up and leaned over her.
“Hey,” I murmured, trying to get her attention. The distant look needed to go. Aria finally dragged her eyes down to mine. Her mouth was set tight, her brows still puckered, and I felt like an asshole, realizing I’d hurt her.
“I should have entered more slowly, but you were so wet,” I said, getting as close to an apology as I ever allowed myself.
Aria tilted her head, then nothing. A strange sensation squeezed my chest. Maybe it was guilt. I had trouble putting my finger on it. I kissed her, but I still hadn’t pulled my finger out of her. She felt too damn good. I wanted all of her. I’d never had to wait for something I wanted.
“Does it still hurt?” I asked. Aria moved, making my finger shift in her pussy, and I stifled a groan.
“It’s uncomfortable, and it burns a bit,” she admitted.
I traced my tongue over the seam of her lips. “I know I’m an asshole for saying it, but the thought of my cock inside your tight pussy makes me so hard.”
Aria stiffened, the douse of cold water for my overeager cock. “Don’t look so terrified. I told you I wouldn’t try it tonight,” I said, even as I wished she’d let me.
“You also told me you wouldn’t hurt me,” Aria said, voice small and vulnerable.
Fuck. It was definitely guilt squeezing my chest into a bloody pulp.
“I didn’t think it would, Aria,” I murmured. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that my finger would cause her the slightest bit of discomfort. I’d never been with a virgin, never considered how different it would make things. “You were so wet and willing. I thought my finger would go in without trouble. I wanted to finger you for your fourth orgasm.”