Black Tears A Marchetti Family Novel

by Nyx, Angel

  I looked at Gio in surprise. I hadn't expected him to make such an offer.

  "What is that look for, Bella?"

  "You are full of surprises, Gio."

  "I have to do something to keep you on your toes, Amore."

  His smirk curled my toes. He could make panties drop with that smirk. "You definitely have a knack for that."

  "Cool! Thank you, Gio!"

  Thankfully, Eli was oblivious to our conversation.

  "You're very welcome, piccolo. Let's go enjoy our breakfast, shall we?"

  A few days a week, Gio had someone come to the house to do the cooking. Today was one of those days.

  The table was set with enough food to feed an army. “Expecting company?”

  “On the weekends? Always, Tesoro. That is how mia famiglia does things. Don’t worry. Anything that isn’t eaten will be boxed up and donated to a soup kitchen to feed the homeless.”

  I stared at him. Gio Marchetti was such a contradiction. He was a member of the Italian Mafia, and yet he donated food to the homeless. He could kill without remorse, yet he held me with a tenderness that brought tears to my eyes. He confused me and made it difficult to not love him.

  Love? Did I love him? That thought terrified me. The last man I’d loved was violently ripped from my life.

  Those thoughts plagued me throughout the day. By the time I was drifting off to sleep in Gio’s arms, I still hadn’t fully come to terms with the way I felt about him.

  Chapter Fifty Four

  Gio

  As they days passed, Carly became more and more comfortable in my home. If I was completely honest, I’d begun to think of it as our home. I wanted to wake up with her every morning, and fall asleep with her each night.

  There were only two obstacles, that I was aware of, to achieving what I desired most. The first was Carly’s fear of losing me the way she’d lost Rico. The second was this inane idea she had that, once the last of the stitches were removed, she would no longer be attractive or desirable and I wouldn’t want her.

  There wasn’t much I could do about the first obstacle. That was something she needed to work through on her own. I couldn’t make her forget her fear and believe I’m not going anywhere.

  The second, however, I could do something about. As we neared the day the last of her stitches would be removed, I began to plot.

  As the last of the stitches were finally removed, and we could see the full extent of the damage, I held her in my arms while she cried. Doc gave us the name and number of a plastic surgeon who specialized in reconstructive surgery, and I scheduled us for the next available appointment.

  Mama and Pop watched Eli for the night, Risa stayed at her own apartment, and Carly and I were alone for the first time since her attack. It was time. I planned it all out so that I could show her just how much I wanted her. By the time I was done, there would be no doubts in her mind.

  “Why don’t you go relax in a nice, hot bath? It’ll help with some of the soreness.”

  “That sounds heavenly. I think I will.”

  I watched her go, Once I was sure she was upstairs, I put my plan in motion. With a little help from my sister, I transformed the dining room into the most romantic setting I could think of. Hundreds of candles were scattered around the room and their soft glow lit up the space. Flowers adorned every surface, from garlands that wrapped around the chairs to flower petals strewn across the table. Incense burned, fragrancing the air with jasmine, and soft music played in the background.

  “Good luck, big brother. Carly is an amazing person.”

  Rosa’s parting words brought a smile to my face. “That she is.”

  As Carly descended the staircase, I realized my palms were sweaty. I was nervous. I hadn’t been nervous with a woman in years, but she was more than just some woman I was attracted to. She was the woman I was in love with and wanted to make mine in every way.

  “Oh. Wow. Gio, this is…it’s beautiful.”

  “I was hoping you would like it.” I moved to her side and kissed her cheek. “Let me show you how much you mean to me.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Gio.”

  “I want to, Carly.” I gently took her face in my hands, careful of the still tender skin, and kissed her slowly. “I know you believe you can’t be desired any longer. I know the attack had seriously damaged your self esteem and your sense of self worth, but I tell you now, Cara Mia, you are still the sexiest woman I have ever met. I will always desire you.”

  I caressed her cheek, and when a tear slipped from her eye I caught it and wiped it away. “Come, let me show you I mean what I say.” I escorted her to the table and held her chair for her. Once she was seated, I served her. Clam risotto with bacon and chives, grilled shrimp with oregano and lemon, and sauteed asparagus and mushrooms. There was tiramisu waiting for dessert. I poured us both a glass of wine, and sat across from her with my own plate.

  “This all looks so delicious, Gio. A girl could get used to being pampered like this.”

  “That is my plan, Tesoro. To pamper you.”

  I watched as she took her first bite of the risotto. The groan that came from her had my cock standing at attention. I’d never thought watching a woman eat could be sexy, but fuck was she turning me on. Every moan of enjoyment, every swipe of her tongue against her lips to lick sauce from them, had my cock straining to come out.

  “Woman, you keep that up and we won’t make it to dessert.”

  “Who needs dessert when you have me?”

  That was it. I tossed my napkin on the table, pushed my chair out, and was at her side in seconds. I was careful when I scooped her up and headed toward the staircase.

  “What about the dishes? And the leftovers?”

  “They can wait,” I growled. “Right now, the only thing I care about is getting you naked.”

  Her shiver was my reward.

  “Such a sweet talker.”

  The purr in her voice had me taking the stairs two at a time in my rush to get to our bedroom.

  Once there, I set her on her feet and kissed her. My hands moved over her body, caressing her through her clothes, before I slowly began to peel them away. I wanted, needed, to feel her skin beneath my fingertips.

  My lips trailed along her jaw and down the side of her neck. I licked a path along her collarbone and down, between her breasts once they were bared to me. I moved to take first one nipple, then the other, in my mouth, rolling the sensitive bud until it pebbled. Her moans of pleasure were music to my ears.

  “Lay down, Amore.” I helped her get comfortable and then stripped my own clothes off. I let my gaze travel over her before I crawled onto the bed, positioning myself between her thighs. I kissed the inside of one thigh and traced the skin with my tongue.

  “Gio.”

  “Tell me what you want, Carly. Tell me what you need.”

  “I need you...taste me...take me...make me yours. Please.”

  “With pleasure, Cara Mia.” I lowered my mouth to her and tasted manna from the Gods.

  I focused all my attention on giving her pleasure. Every flick of my tongue, every swirl, every swipe, was for the sole purpose of pushing her to the edge.

  I slid a finger into her and moved my lips to her clit to suckle it. Soon, a second finger joined the first one and I curled them both to stroke her g-spot. My eyes lifted to her face, and watching Carly come undone was the most beautiful sight I’d ever beheld.

  I stayed there until she collapsed against the mattress, spent. As I kissed a path up her body, I reached for a condom.

  “Don’t.”

  I froze in the middle of opening it. “Bella?”

  “I want to feel you, Gio. Without the condom.”

  I groaned. The thought of getting to be inside my woman without a barrier between us had my cock twitching in agreement. “Are you sure?”

  At her nod, I leaned down and kissed her. “What my woman wants, she gets.” I locked eyes with her as I eased into her. If I’d thoug
ht being inside her before was amazing, being inside her without a condom was transcending.

  Carly’s hands slid up my arms until she gripped my shoulders. I kept my eyes on her face as I began to move. I didn’t want to accidentally hurt her, but soon she was encouraging me to move harder, faster. I could do naught but comply.

  When her inner walls suddenly gripped me, and my name on her lips echoed in the room, I gave one last thrust and fell over the edge with her. I half collapsed atop her a moment before I rolled, taking her with me.

  We should have gotten up, gotten cleaned up, but Carly was already falling asleep and I didn’t want to disturb her. The last thought I had, before sleep claimed me, was how right it felt to have Carly in my arms. She was right where she belonged.

  Twice, during the night, we awoke and made love. Carly seemed to be as insatiable as I was. Waking to the feel of her lips wrapped around my cock almost had me coming too soon. Fuck, she was perfect in every way. “Bella, you need to stop unless you want me coming in your mouth.”

  Her mouth popped off me and I instantly missed the wet heat.

  “Maybe that’s the idea. I’m a little sore this morning but when I woke up, I couldn’t resist the call of your body.”

  With that, she took me back into her mouth. One hand stroked what her mouth couldn’t reach.

  I slid a hand into her hair with a growl. I tried to let her control the pace, but soon my hips were bucking, pushing me down her throat, before I cried out and came.

  I watched, fascinated, as she made sure she got every last drop before moving up to curl around me.

  My arms wrapped around her and I pulled her closer. “Dio, I love you, woman.”

  I felt her head pop up and I tilted mine down to look at her.

  “Did you just…?”

  “Say I love you? Si, I did indeed. I love you, Carly Ballentyne. I’ve loved you for a while. I want you here, with me. I want this to be our home; mine, yours, and Eli’s. I want to wake with you every morning, and fall asleep holding you, every night. You don’t have to say anything right now. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

  “I promise I’ll think about it.”

  For now, that was the best I could hope for.

  Chapter Fifty Five

  Carly

  He loved me. Gio loved me. I’d wanted to say the words back. I really did. But, in the end, I kept them locked inside. A few days after he’d professed his love for me, I found myself at the one place I haven’t been in a while; Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

  Walking through the cemetery, the quiet enveloped me and helped to put my mind at ease. It might seem strange that walking between mausoleums filled with the dead could put the mind at ease, but for me, it did.

  When I reached my destination, I closed my eyes and touched the stone in front of me. “Hey, you. I know, it’s been a while since I was here last. I’m sorry I haven’t visited in a while. I guess I got busy with life, and work. I miss you, so much. Some days, it’s almost hard to breathe when I think about how much you’re missing.”

  I sat down and rested my back against the tomb. “I’ve met your family. I don’t know why you never told me about them. I wish I’d known. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so alone. Sure, I had Mama to help with Eli, but she had her own life, you know? I told you she got married and moved away, right? She’s living it up in Florida. I’m happy for her, though. Gene is really good to her. She deserves a chance at happiness.”

  I pulled a photo of Eli out of my bag. “This is our little boy. Elia Diangelo Ballentyne. He’s starting to look like you. See, he has my eyes, but all of his other features are all you.

  “I have a confession to make, Rico. I’ve fallen, hard, for your cousin, Gio. He’s a good man. He says he loves me. I don’t know why. I can be a real bitch sometimes. You know that. You used to tease me and tell me I was the Queen Bitch.”

  A sigh escaped me and I leaned my head back so I was looking up toward the sky. “Some really bad things have happened recently. See, your family bought the club I worked at and I was made manager. Can you believe it? No more taking my clothes off for horny, old men.

  “Anyway, one of the other dancers, Chablis, was really jealous. Like, psychobitch jealous. She hired someone to kidnap me and maim me.

  “During all of this, I also ended up with a crazy stalker who knew where I lived. Gio thought my stalker had grabbed me. It...took a few hours for him to find me.

  “My kidnapper carved me up like he was carving a turkey on Thanksgiving. All I see when I look in the mirror is this ruined thing, this science experiment gone wrong, but Gio still says I’m beautiful. Who does that?

  “I love him, you know? And that scares the fuck out of me. I loved you with my whole heart and look what happened. Losing you nearly broke me. I loved you, as much as a sixteen year old girl could, and I thought my world had ended when you were taken from me.

  “What I feel for Gio, it’s the love of a woman. I know it would shatter me if something happened to him. How do I let go of that fear, Rico? How do I let go and let myself truly love again?”

  Several tears slipped down my cheeks, but I ignored them. My eyes were drawn to the insect that alighted on my knee. An Orange Meadowhawk, a colorful species of dragonfly, had chosen me for a spot to rest. The sight made me smile. If I was looking for a sign, this would be it. Rico had had that exact same dragonfly inked on his wrist a few weeks before his death.

  I watched the insect until I flew away. “Okay, Rico. Message received. It’s time I let go of my fear, let go of the past, and let someone else in. You’ll always be my first love.”

  I stood, touched the stone that encased his remains, and left feeling much lighter than I had when I’d arrived.

  Rico was my past but Gio, he was my future.

  Epilogue

  Carly

  It was strange how much a life could change in a year. I'd gone from a single mom, struggling to keep a roof over our heads with a job I hated, to getting married.

  I never imagined I'd ever meet someone who could fill the void in my heart that Rico's death had left. I never imagined I could be this happy.

  Standing in front of the full length mirror while the hairdresser put the finishing touches on my hair, I let my mind travel back to the day, six months ago, when Gio proposed.

  The first round of reconstructive surgery was finally behind me. The bruises were finally faded enough that I didn't look like a domestic abuse victim and I was comfortable leaving the house.

  If someone were to ask me when I'd decided Gio's house was my home, I couldn't have answered. I couldn't pinpoint exactly when I'd decided I didn't want to go back to the apartment in Hollygrove.

  One day, I just told Gio I didn't want to live there anymore. We packed everything I wanted to keep, left what I didn't, I broke my lease, and I've never looked back.

  When I made the decision to move in with Gio, he offered permanent residence to Risa, as well.

  "That dress looks amazing on you. You're going to knock his socks off."

  "Thanks, Risa. I wish I knew where we were going."

  "That kind of defeats the point of it being a surprise. Obviously, it's somewhere nice given the dress he picked out. Carly, get out of your head. Go out tonight and enjoy yourself. You've more than earned it."

  "I have, haven't I? If I haven't told you lately, I'm really glad you're here. Between you and Camille, I don't know if I could have gotten through this without you two."

  "That's what besties are for, right? Gio's probably waiting for you so go, get out of here."

  I laughed softly and hugged her. "Yeah, it is."

  She was right. When I reached the bottom of the staircase, Gio was waiting for me.

  "You look beautiful, Amore."

  It was still hard to see myself as beautiful with the scars from my attack, but I smiled anyway. "Thank you. You look very dashing in your suit. Where are we going?"

  "You didn't really think I would tell you,
did you, Bella? That would ruin the surprise."

  I pouted, but he knew damn well it was fake. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

  "I suppose not, Tesoro."

  The laughter in his voice warmed me. When he held his arm out to me, I slipped my hand in the crook of it so he could escort me out to the car that waited for us.

  I watched as we drove through the streets. I loved New Orleans when the sun was setting and the lights were coming on. It was breathtaking.

  “Gio? Where are we going?” We were leaving the city behind us and I couldn’t help but frown.

  “Trust me, Amore. I promise, you will not be disappointed.”

  He was up to something. This was more than just a fancy dinner out. What did he have up his sleeve and why were we leaving New Orleans behind us?

  I could have gotten nervous, but there was no reason. I trusted Gio with my life. “I do. Always.” I settled in next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. Wherever we were going, it was sure to be wonderful.

  When the car stopped and Gio helped me out, I stared in wonder. We were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Everywhere my eyes looked, small, faerie lights twinkled. There was soft music playing and a table was awaiting us.

  Gio escorted me to the table, helped me to sit, and took the seat across from me. “This is beautiful, Gio. It’s...ethereal. Just when I think I’ve seen every side of you, you surprise me with a new facet.”

  “I hope to always surprise you, Tesoro.”

  The meal was served to us, but I barely noticed it. My focus was on the man across from me. The soft glow of the candles on the table, combined with the twinkling lights around us, give just enough lighting to make it romantic.

  “Carly, Bella, you amaze me every day. You had to grow up so quickly, when you found yourself pregnant before you were out of high school. Your strength, your determination, your passion, blew me away the first time we met. When I think about my life, and where it was before I met you, I know it was empty.”