I grab a coffee from Marianne, who winks at me. “How’s married life?”
“Fine, it’s only been a few days.”
She nods, smiling, as she pushes the coffee across to me.
“I need to get some work done.” I stand with my coffee and head to the office. I sit down at the stupid, oversized desk with the massive, obnoxious chair. And I glare around the space.
I really need to make this place mine. It’s suffocating having Father’s scent still lingering, mixed with stale memories of Alfredo fucking me in here to piss Father off. I slam my hand onto the desk, stand and kick the chair over. I snatch his pen pot and launch that at the wall as the door clicks open.
“Are you okay? Don’t shoot!”
“Funny!” I deadpan as Vittorio pushes through the door. I blow out a breath and sit on the edge of the desk as he steps up to me and settles between my legs.
“Morning, beautiful.” He leans in and kisses my neck. “Why the tantrum?”
His sleep-rumpled hair and bare chest and feet are adorable; the man just seems to want to wander around half naked all the time, and I can’t say I’m angry about it. His jogging bottoms hang low on his hips, but that’s all he’s wearing. I can see from the thickness of his dick in the joggers that he isn’t wearing any underwear, and he presses against me.
“Firstly, fuck off. Secondly, fuck you.”
He chuckles and leans in closer, pushing me back a little on the desk but grabbing my hips and tugging me against him. I hiss out, and he pulls back a little.
“You sore?” I nod and blow out a breath. We’ve done nothing but fuck for a few days, and I really need to get back on track.
“Something’s coming, and I know it has Bellino written all over it.” I shake my head. Close my eyes and take a breath.
He pulls me tighter against him and wraps his arms around me, nuzzling into my neck, gently kissing that spot that makes me putty in his hands. “How can I help?”
“Besides getting me into your father’s house so I can kill them both?” I shrug. “You can keep doing that.”
I feel his lips turn up into a smile as he keeps kissing along my neck, nipping at the skin, and licking over it. My arms wrap around his neck. My fingers tease and tug at the back of his hair as I tilt my neck to the side for him.
When he hits that spot again, my fingers tighten, and he chuckles against me. Grazing his teeth over that delicate spot that makes everything tingle and heat pool inside me. I groan at the sensation before I sag and pull back. “Not here.”
Those dark eyes peer at me, and that lazy smirk spreads across his face. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, realising I do it a lot when I want to feel safe and grounded. “Why not?”
“Too many ghosts in here.” I feel my nose turn up as a scowl threatens to erupt.
“Your father?” He frowns.
I nod. “And Alfredo.” He scowls at his name.
“Did he…” He trails off. Uncertainty spreads across his face. “I know you weren’t a virgin when we got together, even though your father paraded you around like one.” He shrugs. “But him?” I try to lift myself off the table, placing my hand on his chest to push him away, but he wraps his hand around my wrist. “No judgment, just the truth.”
“You don’t want the truth.” I shake my head and try to push up again, but he has me gripped tight against him.
“I always want the truth. However dark and grimy.” He relaxes his grip on my wrist, sliding his hand to my jaw, tilting my face, but my eyes stay unfocused, trained on the wall behind him. “No judgement, I just want to know.”
“You want to know that at the age of thirteen, rather than be a rape victim, I willingly fucked him to get what I wanted? That I used him to learn how to take over my father’s business, paying with my innocence and my body, and lied that I loved him and wanted to marry him to survive. That I learnt early on how to manipulate men withmy pussy? Am I anything other than a prostitute at this point?”
I push my hands against his chest and thrust to move him, but his hands wrap around my wrists, snagging them in his thick fists before he leans his face in closer. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m sorry your father let that happen, and I’m sorry they’re dead.”
“You’re sorry they’re dead?” I huff out and push against him again.
“I am, I’m sorry they’re dead because I won’t get to kill them. I’m sorry I can’t bring them back just to destroy them all over again, but I’m sorry that I wasn’t by your side sooner, that you had to do so much alone. I promise that from this day forward, you will never have to walk a day alone again.”
I stare into his eyes, his face serious and unyielding. The fix of his features, the tone of his voice make me realise he’s right. I know it. I know I’ll never be alone again. I close my eyes and take a moment to accept it.
When I open my eyes, there’s a brief moment of acknowledgement before I crash my lips to his. I throw my arms around his neck and pull him on top of me across the desk. His body engulfs mine. He grinds against me. My robe spills to the side as he reaches and tugs at the belt, leaving me in just my underwear. He groans at the sight and climbs off me.
