by Cora Reilly
I gripped Aria’s upper arm. “When?” I growled, but she had passed out.
I’d suspected it was Grace behind the attack, and now Aria’s words confirmed my suspicion. My body was bursting with tension and with the need to seek retribution. Rick had already gotten what he deserved, but there was still Grace. I wanted to kill her. She was a woman, but she was a despicable human being most of all. Could I dispose of her? She wasn’t her father’s favorite child, far from it, but there was a difference between not liking your daughter and wanting her to be killed. We needed his cooperation if we wanted to gain influence. Father definitely wouldn’t allow me to risk it by killing Grace in blind rage. It would only make him question my feelings for Aria, another thing I couldn’t risk.
CHAPTER 18
Aria’s sleep was fitful, which in turn led to me being awake most of the night. I couldn’t stop checking on her breathing, worried the roofies would lead to her losing consciousness or worse. The idea of losing Aria, of almost having lost her last night, it left me restless…and furious.
She lay curled up on her side, eyelids fluttering, body trembling. I brushed a strand of hair from her sweaty forehead. A small moan passed her lips—not the beautiful sounds she made when I gave her pleasure but a shuddering sound of discomfort.
Her eyes opened and, for a moment, she blinked up at me before she jerked up, cupping a hand over her mouth and rushing toward the bathroom.
I untangled myself from the blankets and followed her. She was clutching the toilet, breathing harshly.
I flushed the toilet because it was obvious that she was too shaky to do it, then brushed more wayward strands from her forehead.
Aria let out a mirthless laugh, peering up at me with teary eyes. “Not that hot anymore, am I?”
Aria was mine to protect. She was my responsibility and yet someone had dared attack her in my own club. “That shouldn’t have happened. I should have kept you safe.”
“You did,” Aria said feebly, pushing to her feet. I steadied her, worried she’d pass out.
“Maybe a bath will help,” I said. My mind was still trying to come up with ways to pay Grace back.
Aria shook her head. “I think I’ll drown if I lie in the bathtub now.”
I opened the faucet but didn’t let go of Aria in case she passed out. I had no intention of letting her go into the water alone in the state she was in. “We can take a bath together.”
The right corner of Aria’s mouth tipped up. “You just want to grab a feel.”
I stroked her wrist with my thumb. “I won’t touch you while you’re still vulnerable.” When I’d imagined our first bath in the tub together, there had definitely been hot sex involved, but that was out of the question for several reasons. One of them being that my wife was still a virgin…I couldn’t stop thinking about what would have happened if Rick had made it out of the club with Aria, if that had been her first experience. Unreasonable fury burnt through my veins once more, and only Aria’s presence stopped me from going on a rampage.
“A Capo with morals?” she teased.
“I’m not Capo yet,” I objected. But if everything went as I hoped, Father wouldn’t be Capo much longer, definitely not beyond this year. “And I have morals. Not many, but a couple.” And one of them would always be not to hurt Aria.
Aria pressed her forehead against my chest. Her skin was burning up. “I’m only teasing.” Running my hand along her spine, I kissed the crown of her head. Aria relaxed under the touch and released a small breath. Eventually she walked over to the sink to brush her teeth. My eyes followed her every move. She looked tiny in my shirt. Vulnerable.
I turned off the faucet before I tugged the shirt over her head. She held onto my arms to steady herself. Hooking my fingers in her panties, I dragged them down her lean legs, unable not to take in her beautiful body as I did so.
Despite everything, I could feel blood shooting into my dick when I pulled down my shorts. I helped Aria into the tub then got in behind her, pulling her flush against me. My cock slid along her outer thigh. Definitely not a good man. Aria surprised me when she turned around to face me, straddling my legs. The position made her pussy glide over my dick. She grew tense at the feel of me against her. Fuck, the feel of her opening against my tip was the sweetest torture I could imagine.
I shoved my dick back then slid in deeper into the water so Aria lay sprawled out on my chest, no longer pressed up to my erection.
Aria gave me that trusting look I didn’t deserve. “Some men would have taken advantage of the situation.”
“I’m that kind of man, Aria. Don’t kid yourself into believing I’m a good man. I’m neither noble nor a gentleman. I’m a cruel bastard.”
“Not to me,” Aria said softly and buried her nose against my throat, holding on to me tightly.
My heart sped up, remembering her words from last night, and I kissed her head again. “It’s better if you hate me. There’s less chance of you getting hurt that way.”
“But I don’t hate you.”
Emotions had never been part of the deal. This was for peace, for power and money. Aria had been my way to ensure the Famiglia’s success, to make sure I’d rule over a stronger Famiglia than my father had.
“You mentioned something Grace said to you,” I said, not wanting to consider Aria’s feelings for me, or mine. “Something about fucking you bloody.” The familiar fury resurfaced, an emotion I could deal with.
“Oh, yeah. She said you’d hurt me, fuck me like an animal, fuck me bloody when she talked to me during our wedding reception. Scared me out of my mind.”
No wonder Aria had looked like she’d seen a ghost. I wondered if Grace’s words were the main reason why she was so terrified of sleeping with me. Hadn’t I shown her that I was going to be gentle with her?
“I think that guy last night almost said the same thing,” she added after a moment.
“Before I killed him, he said one of the women who bought dope from him told him you were a skank who needed to be taught a lesson. She gave him cash.” I didn’t mention the sordid details of his last minutes.
Aria raised her head. “Do you think it was Grace?”
“I’m sure it was her. The description fits, and who else would have an interest in attacking you.” I’d have never thought that Grace would go as far, but I’d obviously underestimated her obsession with me.
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t kill her, even if I want to cut her fucking throat—that would cause too much trouble with her father and brother. I’ll have to talk to them, though. Tell them they need to put her on a fucking leash or there won’t be any more money from us.”
“What if they refuse?”
I stroked Aria’s spine. She didn’t know how much money we shoved into Senator Parker’s ass. “They won’t. Grace has been fucking things up for a long time. They’ll probably ship her off to Europe or Asia for rehab or some shit like that.”
Aria leaned up and left a sweet kiss on my mouth. I’d never been kissed like that, never thought it was something I’d like. She was pure sweetness, and she was mine. Again, the image of Rick’s filthy hands on her and how he’d have hurt her flashed through my mind, and I almost lost my shit. Aria deserved to be treated like a queen. “I can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if Romero and Cesare hadn’t been there, if that fucker had gotten you out of the club. The thought of his dirty hands on you makes me want to kill him again. The thought that he might have…”
Aria nodded, but I couldn’t read the look in her eyes and then she ducked her head and made it completely impossible. “When Gianna leaves in a few days, you can have me.”
Surprise washed over me. Maybe I should have told her that she didn’t have to promise me something like that, but I burnt up with the desire to be as close to her as possible, to make her mine.
The second Aria and I emerged from our room around noon, Gianna rushed toward her sister. “Are you okay? I wa
s so worried because you didn’t come out of your bedroom.” She sent me a quick disapproving glance as if I cared. I kept my hand on Aria’s lower back as I led her toward the kitchen. She needed to eat something.
“Can you cook?” I asked the redhead.
Gianna glowered. “Because I’m a woman?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Your sister is living proof that not all women can cook,” I said, stroking Aria’s back to soften my words.
Aria glanced up at me with a small laugh, and I knew I’d burn down the world to protect this woman. I’d start with killing my father, even if it meant ruling over a torn Famiglia until I’d removed every single one of my enemies.
Gianna watched us for a moment before she shrugged. “I can try to make pancakes or something like that, but I can’t promise anything.”
Gianna wasn’t a much better cook, but it was edible. Afterwards, I gave Aria and her sister some privacy and went down to Matteo’s apartment while Romero guarded the penthouse.
“How’s Aria?” Matteo asked when I sank down on his couch.
“Better,” I said. “I need to talk to Senator Parker. He needs to send Grace away. If she stays in New York, I’ll kill her.”
“Father won’t like it. You know how much he cares about schmoozing the politicians.”
That was the only thing he still did.
Matteo propped his elbows up on his thighs. “Have you thought about how to solve the problem? The Bratva is always an option.”
I shook my head. “It would make them too confident. Killing a Capo is a big deal. The Famiglia would appear weak.”
Matteo nodded but I could tell that he considered the Bratva our best bet, and he was probably right, but I preferred a less obvious solution. “I think we should go the poison route. Many men in Father’s family have suffered from strokes or heart attacks. There are poisons that have the same effect.”
“Very few of them are untraceable.”
“Most of our options are only traceable if you look for them specifically. Neither Nina nor we will ask for a thorough exam.”
“Our uncles might,” Matteo said with a twisted grin.
“Then we’ll handle them.”
“When?”
I’d considered our options. I wanted him gone as fast as possible, but we needed to figure out the perfect timing, not to mention that I still wasn’t sure who should put the poison in his drink. “Father’s suspicious. We should wait a few days at least. Maybe we can wait until Gottardo or Ermano come for a visit. We can blame them if the poison is detected.”
“I assume you don’t want to involve Nina.”
“I don’t trust her. She hates Father and wants him gone, but once he’s dead, she might put the blame on us.”
Matteo and I discussed a few more details before I grabbed my phone to talk to Father about Grace. As expected, he wasn’t fond of the idea of me asking the Senator to banish his daughter. I couldn’t wait to kill him.
Matteo came over for dinner that day, to Gianna’s dismay, but she was mostly busy keeping a close eye on her sister. I had to give it to the redhead: she was fiercely protective of Aria. It was one of her few character traits I liked.
After dinner, Aria and Gianna disappeared upstairs only to return a few minutes later in bikinis.
Matteo followed his future wife with keen eyes, but I, too, had trouble looking anywhere but at Aria in her tiny pink bikini.
“I really hope you have your eyes firmly focused on your future wife,” I muttered. I knew Matteo would never hit on my wife, but I still hated that he saw her this scantily dressed.
“I can’t process your words, the blood has left my brain,” Matteo said with a chuckle.
Aria sent me a quick smile before she and Gianna walked out onto the roof terrace and stepped into the Jacuzzi.
“We could join them,” Matteo said eagerly.
“Yeah, right. You and Gianna in a Jacuzzi half-naked together. That’s not going to happen.” I motioned toward the kitchen. “Let’s grab an espresso.”
Matteo reluctantly followed me. I prepared us espresso but my eyes kept returning to Aria, remembering when we’d been in the Jacuzzi.
“You watch her as if you want to devour her,” Matteo said.
“You’re one to talk. You’re eye-fucking Gianna all day, when she isn’t even your wife yet.”
“Aria is your wife and you still don’t get more action than me,” Matteo taunted.
“Trust me, I’m getting more than you can dream of, and soon…” I stopped myself, realizing I was talking about sex with Aria with my brother. In the past we’d always shared our sexual adventures with each other, but Aria was my wife and I respected her too much to divulge that kind of information.
Matteo chuckled. “Come on, Luca. You’ve never been like this. I’m your brother. Tell me, how is it to be with one of our girls? Are they too stuck up for blowjobs? I can’t imagine Aria loosening up. She doesn’t seem like a woman who’d ever suck a dick unless you forced her, and we both know you can’t hurt a single golden hair of hers.”
Anger shot through me, and I raised a hand in warning. “Don’t talk about Aria like that. Ever.”
Matteo tilted his head, regarding me curiously. Scowling, I averted my eyes. Fuck it.
“You’re very protective of her, and it’s definitely not just possessiveness.”
My eyes were drawn to my wife once more as she and Gianna chatted and laughed in the Jacuzzi. I felt possessive of Aria, there was no denying it, but it definitely wasn’t the extent of my feelings, not even close.
CHAPTER 19
I was fucking ecstatic when Gianna finally disappeared from view on her way to her plane back to Chicago. Aria looked heartbroken. It gave me a strange sense of…unease, because I realized she felt lonely in New York. Aria whirled around and threw herself into my arms, sniffling. I caressed her back, my mind drifting to my plans for the night. They’d hopefully distract Aria from her sadness. “I thought we could grab dinner and then have a relaxing evening.”
“Sounds good,” she said quietly, but her expression flickered with anxiety. I wasn’t sure how to relieve her of her fear. All my life my purpose had been to terrify others. Soothing someone’s fear was completely out of my comfort zone.
Aria was tense throughout dinner and hardly touched her food. She was scared of the unexpected, perhaps even still scared of what I’d do, but I had absolutely no intention of being rough with her.
“Why don’t we head inside?” I suggested.
She gave a small nod.
I wasn’t a patient man. I’d never had to wait for anything in my life. I knew she was nervous, but I wanted her tonight; my cock was fucking eager to claim her. We stepped inside and Aria moved toward the liquor cabinet, reaching for the brandy. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her against me. Her eyes widened. “Don’t,” I said quietly. I didn’t want her to be drunk when I claimed her. I needed her ‘yes’ to be real.
I lifted her into my arms and carried her upstairs, hardly able to wait. I put her down on the bed, my cock straining against my pants as I climbed on top of her, claiming her lips. She tasted like fucking perfection, and I was the only one who’d ever got to taste her. That knowledge filled me with the desperate need to own her completely. I kissed her harder before I drew back and sucked one perfect, firm nipple into my mouth. Fuck. I was so hard. I helped Aria out of her dress then moved lower. I let my eyes trail over her body. She was stunning. She was only mine.
I lowered my face to her panties and pushed a tongue between her perfect pussy lips. Fuck. Perfection. My cock twitched. I drew back, gripped her flimsy panties and ripped them away before I tasted her pussy again. But my need was too fucking huge. I needed to make her mine. Mine alone. I pushed a finger into her and the thought of how it would feel to have her tight walls squeeze my cock almost sent me over the edge. I stood and got out of my clothes.
Aria lay on the bed, blonde hair spread around her, legs parted, revealing her per
fect pink pussy. “You’re mine,” I growled. I’d waited so fucking long for this.
I moved between her legs and parted them, spreading her open for me and lining my cock up with her hot entrance. The sensation of her pussy against my cock was like a revelation. I’d never had sex without a condom before.
Aria’s nails sunk into my shoulders, pulling me out of my fog of desire. I glanced down. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips pressed together, as she waited for pain. I could feel how tense she was against my cock.
Aria leaned up and pressed her face into my neck, shaking, taking deep breaths.
Her heat beckoned me to bury my cock inside of her, but her trembling body and her tension stopped me. “Aria,” I murmured. “Look at me.”
She pulled back and opened her eyes, and fear stared back at me. She was completely terrified, and I pounced on her as if she were some whore. I lowered myself until our bodies were pressed up against each other. “I’m an asshole,” I rasped as I kissed her temple and cheek.
Those beautiful lips parted in surprise. “Why?” Her voice was a broken whisper.
I’d sworn to be gentle with her, sworn I’d protect her, and now when she needed me to be gentle the most, I acted like a fucking caveman. “You’re scared, and I almost lost control. I should know better. I should prepare you properly, and instead I almost shoved my cock into you.”
Aria moved under me and let my tip glide over her opening. She gasped fearfully and I exhaled sharply because a dark part of me wanted to shift my hips forward and finish what I’d begun. She was mine for the taking, had been for weeks. I closed my eyes, trying to get a grip on myself. That part of me, the monster, wasn’t meant for her. This was Aria, my wife, mine to protect. I would treat her like a queen. I opened my eyes and found her watching me with a mix of fear and confusion. I shifted until my head hovered over her perfect breasts and her pussy was pressed up against my abs.