Lucy groaned, and the sound vibrated down his dick to his balls, every nerve ending electrified and fully engaged. Fucking amazing. When she swallowed, the suction hollowed out her cheeks, and put just the right pressure on his engorged length that he almost blew right there. “Oh fuck, honey, that feels so good. I’m not going to last long now. Relax your throat. Let me all the way in.”
Lucy inhaled loudly through her nose, and on the exhale, he felt her throat give a little, taking more of him in, and using the pressure of his palms on the top of her head, he set a rhythm in motion that had him barreling to release.
He didn’t even try to stop his grunts and moans. Instead, he used them to encourage her forward, pushing her to takemore, praising her when she did. Until the pressure was so strong, he couldn’t hold back any more. “Luciana,” he gasped, his hips coming off the bed as he thrust into her mouth.
Fingernails dug into his thighs, and she made a choking sound, but he was too far gone.
“Ah, yes, that’s so good. It’s coming now, take it. All of it. That’s it, fuck that’s so good. You’re so good.”
Everything in his body contracted as he came down her throat, his cum escaping from the corners of her mouth as she looked up at him, tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. Fuck, she was looking at him like he was everything to her. Everything. When the opposite was true. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for this woman, no world he wouldn’t burn, no universe he wouldn’t travel to, no law he wouldn’t break. He’d give her anything, do anything. And she didn’t even know half the power she had.
When it was finished, Lucy brought her mouth off him with one last swallow, and Joel immediately dragged her into his arms, kissing her deeply, tasting himself on her this time. He held either side of her face as he devoured, offering more praise between kisses, his words less filthy, more adoring. When he’d had his fill of her mouth, he carried her to the shower, where he washed every inch of her, carefully using the soapy sponge to caress her body, taking her weight when she leaned into him, exhausted, spent. He took his time, wetting her hair, shampooing it, massaging her scalp until she moaned with pleasure.
“You’re good at that,” she murmured, as he rinsed the shampoo meticulously.
“I take care of the things that are valuable to me,” he replied, finding it safer to say that than to admit out loud what he was really feeling.
Shutting off the water, he sat her on the edge of the tub, drying her off from top to bottom. And when he was satisfied that he’d done a thorough job, he scooped her up once more and carried her to bed, tucking her between the sheets and crawling in behind her.
“Mmm,” Lucy murmured, drowsiness slurring her speech. “This is our second last night together.”
Joel tensed. “What do you mean?” He’d been making plans for forever and she was down to two nights?
“We have tonight. Then tomorrow is the engagement party, and I have to get back to work in San Francisco the next day.”
Not happening. They were not sleeping apart ever again. “I’m sure your father will give you more time off if you asked him, Lucy.” And if not, he’d buy the old bastard out and set Lucy’s hours himself.
She turned in his arms, snuggling into his chest as she watched him. “Joel, I want to go back to work. It’s what all this is for, remember? I love Barone & Sons. I want to be there.”
His heart went down like the Titanic. That’s what this had been for, Lucy taking her place at the head of her father’s company. It was what he’d agreed to, what he wanted for her. So why did it feel like a hole had just been blown through his heart?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Bowie’s had been decked out like it was hosting something between an Oscar’s afterparty and a backyard kegger, but it was the only compromise that Gabe and Vanessa had come to, so Joel had allowed it.
The damn headache those two had given him with their bickering over floral chandeliers and hanging bauble garlands only eased off after he’d put Jordan in charge of overseeing the final approvals with the vendors. At first, Jordan appeared less than thrilled with the role of mediating between Gabe and Vanessa, but alas, not even he could refuse the numbers on the offer Joel had made him.
Turned out, Joel’s gut instinct was right. Jordan had the disposition of a rock, solid and unyielding, which helped with de-escalating Vanessa’s exuberant ideas. He also had the intriguing side quality of being a stickler for the rules, which put Gabe at ease. One could not, after all, risk having a five-foot tall floral centerpiece breaking fire code and shutting down the bar.
Regardless, it had all ended up being worth it, if only tosee Lucy laughing with a glass of golden Dom Pérignon in her hand that matched the dress she was wearing.
Last night, Joel had allowed himself the simple pleasure of watching her sleep. She’d appeared so peaceful, so free of the grief and pain she’d endured, and he’d whispered his silent promise to her that he’d spend the rest of his life doing everything in his power to keep her that way.
Barone & Sons would be hers. He’d give her family this sham of a party and wedding. He’d pay for the over-sized centerpieces and outrageous finger food that Vanessa had flown in from New York City. The number of zeros next to a receipt he’d seen for handmade rose-shaped milk chocolate party favors had been ridiculous even to his eyes, but he’d paid it.
The money didn’t matter. To him, it was a drop in the hat. Their families needed this ostentatious display of celebration for a reason he hadn’t yet deciphered. This circus was for someone else’s benefit.
Lucy was already his wife in his heart and on paper. He’d married her in a little chapel in Vegas. But he’d marry her in a hundred-year-old cathedral next month. He’d marry her under a bridge in San Francisco with traffic whizzing over their heads. He’d marry her in the living room of his brother-in-law’s Pearl District apartment. He’d marry her anywhere, just so he could call her his wife in public.
Logistical kinks would be worked out. He’d already spent most of his night working out his schedule so he could maximize his time in Lucy’s proximity. Being apart from her was not something he wanted to entertain. Four years of separation were enough to last him a lifetime.
“Well, it looks like you got what you wanted.” Nico’svoice slithered over Joel’s shoulder like a snake that had been defanged. Vile but harmless.
The reminder that he still needed to deal with this fuckwad cut through his joyful mood. As it turned out, ending Nico had been more complicated than he’d anticipated. The dickhead was Barone family. The son of Luciano’s favorite cousin. Cutting him out of the picture by tossing him off the St. John’s bridge wearing nothing but cement shoes was not going to win his father-in-law’s affections.
So he’d had to be subtle in his takedown. Which, unfortunately, took longer.
“Indeed,” Joel replied casually, keeping his eyes on the diamonds that glinted around Lucy’s neck every time she laughed. Diamonds he’d given her this afternoon when she’d come out of his bedroom wearing her gold-colored dress. He took a long swallow of his Scotch.
