Don’s brows furrowed. “Where is myconsigliere?” The title meant ‘counselor,’ and was the equivalent of the Bratva’ssovietnik.
“Xavier is visiting Lorenzo right now.” A red haze of rage assaulted my vision any time I thought about the man, as he assumed the position which always belonged to my father and was meant to be given to me. Although mafia houses voted in members and nepotism didn't sit well with the rest of the gang, my whole life I grew up with the knowledge of becomingconsigliereone day. Instead, I ended up being a laughing stock in the Cosa Nostra, which was all Xavier and Don’s fault.
“No one else survived?” After I shook my head, his eyes closed as deep sorrow settled in his expression, making the wrinkles on his cheeks stand out. On the other hand, euphoria and happiness rushed through my blood like a fire to gasoline, inflaming my insides to the point of my clothes sticking to my sweat-covered body. God, this rush was what I lived for in this good-for-nothing world.
“The minute you get better, we’ll pay the pakhan back.” Or at least when he came back from Russia, which really played well for me. The connection, love, and whatever the fuck else Dominic and Rosa shared would deepen, and the wound of losing her would hurt him immensely. People who knew no happiness never cried. How could you cry over something you never had?
But Dominic Konstantinov’s pain would be unbearable. I’d personally see to it.
The man fell to the ground as I fired my gun straight at his heart. The fear and shock in his eyes didn't awaken any feelings inside me.
He betrayed the Bratva, so mercy was out of the question, especially when the rest of my life depended on it. Vasya clapped his hands, patting me warmly on the shoulder. "You passed the test, boy. Not that I ever doubted you." The pride was evident in his voice. "You are now officially part of the Bratva." With that, he took out a cross and placed it around my neck. "That's my gift to you. Everyone will know that Vasya Konstantinov has claimed you. You're now under the protection of my power." The other men in the garden where the assassination took place whistled, and several of them fired their guns into the sky, showing their approval in their own way.
I killed a man willingly for the first time. Nothing shifted inside me, and for a second, thoughts of Damian came back to me.
Somewhere, he probably lived a carefree life, where the dark world and deaths didn't touch him. He forgot about me, and probably put all the shit that happened to us behind him as I asked him to many times.
Oddly, it felt good to have at least the knowledge that he was happy out there.
Even if another part of me resented him for it.
"Come on, Dom. Let's get to the girls so you can properly celebrate," Vasya chuckled, and I nodded in agreement. Fucking sounded good, not that it brought anything but physical relief and blanked my mind from all the memories.
That was the difference between Damian and me.
My world was filled with crime and dirt, hopefully, something he never had to be part of.
Rosa
“Baby,” Dominic whispered against my cheek, as his lips trailed down to my neck. “Wake up.” My head settled deeper into the soft cotton pillow still holding his smell.
“No,” I murmured, not wanting to open my eyes and face the world. “Make love to me instead.” My voice was pleading and needy, and as he chuckled softly, his hand travelled down to my hip and squeezed it possessively.
“I’d love to, but not right now.” He kissed my collarbone, and his voice whispered again, “Wake up, baby.”
Opening one eye, I glared at him. “Why?” Instead of answering, he slid lower, sucking my tight nipple into his mouth and pulling on it lightly as my fingernails dug into his shoulder, making him groan. “I have to deal with shit before we can fly to North Carolina for the wedding.” He bit painfully on the underside of my breast and then palmed the soft mounds, thumbing them in the process, sending a jolt downward, so I had no other choice but to arch my back.
“So? I can still stay in this warm bed.” Nipping down my stomach, he delved into my belly button, tickling my skin so a giggle escaped. It quickly transformed into a loud moan as he squeezed my ass cheeks harder, while making room for himself between my legs. He lifted my hips a little, and without any kind of warning, his lips probed the way for his greedy tongue as he pushed inside me. Breathing through his nose harshly, his five o'clock shadow scratched the sensitive skin of my thighs that were holding his head in a tight grip. My toes curled as I crossed my ankles on his back and laced my fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth closer as he created magic with his lips and tongue. He sucked my clit for a moment and then nipped and bit softly on my heated flesh, licking my wetness in the process.
“Dominic, please.” The whole going down on me in the morning was becoming a routine. “Let me return the favor.” He shook his head and just focused on bringing me to the peak. Sizzling, burning fire washed over me, colliding at my center, as this magnificent man took me high into heaven once again. My body froze as I cried out loudly, but I quickly covered it with my fist, not wanting the men downstairs to hear it from the open balcony.
Right in that moment, nothing could have snapped me out of my perfect morning with my man.
Except his groan of pleasure as he came all over the sheets. Then my perfect cocoon shattered, leaving an empty hole inside my heart. Pushing him away, I slid from under him and rolled to the side while he ended up lying on his back. My bare feet shivered at the cold of the marble as I stood up from the bed, my eyes not meeting his while his gaze bored into me.
“Rosa,” he said sternly, but I just wrapped the sheet around my body, my insides feeling too raw to face him naked right now. “Baby—” I raised my hand in a stop gesture, unable to listen to his excuses anymore.
“We’ve been here for a month and a half. Yet our sex life hasn’t progressed further.” He narrowed his eyes, taking a step toward me, but I stepped back instead. “You don’t allow me to touch you, to try to give you head. Nothing.” As much as I loved what he could do to me with his lips and hands, I longed to explore his body and learn to pleasure him too. He shied away from every contact with me that didn't involve him being in control, and the frustration of my inability to get closer to him angered me, and deep down, I worried he didn't think I’d be able to do the job.
Like his ‘hotel room’ women were able to.
“Generally, women enjoy it, yet you have to complain about oral sex every damn time.” We both froze as he sneered those words, my stomach flipping at his implication. Cold slipped into every bone in my body as I rubbed my arms, shifting uncomfortably, not knowing how to react to it without losing my dignity. “Rosa,” he started, remorse coloring his voice, but I shook my head.
“No, it’s fine. Practice makes perfect, right?” Not bothering to wait for a reply, I shut the bathroom door loudly, leaning my back on it, breathing heavily.
Over one month into our relationship and nothing had changed. We lived together, we spent every spare minute with each other, but essentially nothing changed. He still kept me at a distance, and because of it, I couldn't trust this happily ever after.
Or maybe you just acted stupid, getting pissed about his past when you weren't even in the picture.
