We had things to discuss, damn it! Dario being all thoughtful was really putting a dent in my justified outrage. We were really going to need to address this, “You’re a Mafia wife for life” business because that wasnotthe deal!
“There you are,Bellissima,”he purred behind me.
I was leaning on the railing of the terrace off the master bedroom, wondering if he’d have time to scream, take a breath, and scream some more when I pushed him over the edge of this very tall building.
The terrace was filled with beautiful flowering plants and even trees growing in huge pots. The wicker furniture was wonderfully padded with deep red and blue cushions and I’d fallen asleep on that double-wide chaise lounge more than once.
“You’re back,” I said flatly.
He ignored my non-greeting and swaggered forward, giving me a long, dirty stare. “You look edible in that tiny pair of shorts.” He reached out and snagged my hand, pulling me closer.
I looked down at my boring khaki shorts and tank top and shook my head. If he’s getting turned on by this outfit, he definitely hasn’t been having sex with anyone else to take the edge off.
Which made me realize we’d never discussed it.
“You’re not going to have sex with anyone else while we’re married, are you?” It just burst out of me.Smooth, Cora, real smooth.
Dario actually looked a little startled. “What? No. We take marriage seriously in the Toscanofamiglia.We do not cheat on our wives. We believe in fidelity.”
“You’re really willing to give up random Dom sex with all those subs?” I asked, incredulous.
“Oh, I didn’t say I was giving up sex or dominatingyou,”he said, putting a hand behind my neck and pulling me in for a kiss, “just the random part.” He slid his tongue into my mouth, making me nearly forget what I’d planned to fight about with him.
“Wait, wait!” I reluctantly pulled myself away from his magical lips and tongue. “Ekaterina said something last night.”
“Oh?” He’s pretty much ignoring me, kissing his way down my neck.
“She said-” I’m trying to wiggle loose and he’s not making it easy on me. “She said something weird, she said, ‘Being a Mafia wife is for life.’ What did she mean by that?”
His hands slipped down from my shoulders, over my arms and his fingers linked with mine. It felt less comforting and more like keeping me from moving away. “Just what it sounds like. Mafia, Bratva… There are long-standing rules. One of them is once you’re married, you are married for life. There’s no such thing as divorce in this world.”
“Wh- Are you kidding me?” I was right, when I tried to pull away, his hands kept me where I was. “You lied to me! That was not our agreement!”
“I didn’t lie,” he said coldly, “you made the mistake of assuming you could run off whenever you wanted to. That’s a pattern that changed the day you married me.”
“Youheardme say that I’d stay until the business with Santos was done and you’d gotten what you wanted out of my father!” I shout, “I was clear!” My heart’s pounding and my hands are starting to shake. I hate that he can feel them twitch under his grip.
“That was not the agreement.” Dario feels like a stranger again, his features sculpted and cold, like marble in the fading sunlight. “Did you listen to the vows you made when we were married? The words, ‘Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?’”
“That’s not fair!” I was having a hard time drawing in a full breath of air. “We had an agreement; this was a business arrangement!”
Dario chuckled mirthlessly, the sound so different than his usual exuberant laugh. “Nearly all Mafia marriages are arranged matches. You and I just arranged our own. But all the laws of thefamigliastill stand.”
Stumbling backward, I sit down abruptly, heaving for air. I haven’t had a panic attack since high school but it’s right there, squeezing my stomach like a fist and there are three Darios in front of my blurry gaze as he knelt. “Cora?Bellissima,listen to me, slow down. Suck in a breath, hold it with me. One, two, three. Let it out.” He put my hand over his heart. “Do it again, breathe in. One, two, three…”
My throat loosened up enough to get in a bit more air, though my thoughts were flying everywhere like glitter in the air.
“Cora, tell me three things you can see.”
I’m sitting on his lap, I don’t know when that happened, and he’s rubbing my back. “Um…” my vision was still fuzzy and I squinted. “I see a… an orange sunset.”Breathe in…“The bird on the little pear tree.”Breathe out…“Y- your shoes. You wore the black ones to go with your blue suit.”
His chuckle was warm this time, his chest vibrating against my back. “Better. And I knew you loved my blue suit.”
“F- funny,” I managed.
I felt him place a kiss against my temple, right where Santos had held his gun to my head. “Tell me three things you can feel.”
“Your lap is warm.” He wasn’t sporting an erection, which was unusual. “Uh… the breeze is cool.” The hitching in my chest was fading away. “I can feel my hands and feet again.”
