Massimo slides his arm around my shoulders as we walk across the room and out into the hallway. My husband pulls the door shut to the sounds of Caleb spilling his wicked seed inside my equally wicked sister.
* * *
“Well, that was an eventful day and night,” Massimo says three hours later when we are en route home in our car. Ricardo sits up front beside the driver, and we have a security detail of ten men escorting us home in two cars—one in the front and one behind. It seems excessive to me, but if my husband needs to do this for his sanity, I will not complain.
“When are our days ever not eventful?” I kick off my heels and pull my feet up onto the back seat, snuggling deeper into his side.
He presses soft kisses into my hair as I lean against him and siphon some of his warmth. “I’m so proud of you,” I say, looking up into his gorgeous forest-green eyes. “Your speech was so eloquent, and it’s obvious the men already respect you more than they did your brother.”
“Leaking the truth of my contract killing past was a genius idea,mia amata. You are not just a pretty face.” He rubs his nose against mine.
“Watch it, mister, or you’ll be sucking your own cock when we get home.”
“Wouldn’t that be a skill.” He chuckles, tweaking my nose.
I move to punch him in the junk, but he grabs my hand. “Don’t damage the goods, sweetheart. It’s counterproductive when we both know you’re fucking soaked and dying for a spin on my dick.”
“True.” I give up the fight. “No point in being stupid about it.” I press a lingering kiss to the underside of his jaw, nuzzling my nose in his short beard.
“It was a brilliant move, and I’m grateful to have such an intelligent wife.” He loops his fingers in my hair. He loves playing with it when it’s down. “My contract-killer rep has gone a long way toward garnering respect, but I will only truly have their loyalty when I earn it. When I prove I deserve it.”
“It won’t take long for them to see who you truly are.”
“Or for them to appreciate what they have in both of us.” He raises my knuckles to his lips and kisses my skin. “The sky is the limit,mia regina.”
“The world is our oyster.”
“The possibilities are endless.” His lips kick up at the corner.
“There are no limitations.” I stifle a giggle.
“We are smarter than cheesy clichés.” Massimo gathers me in his arms as we drive through the gates of our home.
“In our defense, it’s late and we’re tired. We can’t always be brilliant linguists.”
“Who says we can’t?” He kneads my breast through my dress. “We can do anything we set our minds to.”
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
He grins. “Good one, sweetheart, but I’ve got one better.” He clears his throat. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good for the great.”
“Pfft.” I wave my hands in the air in a dismissive fashion. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.”
“Amelia Earhart. So, we’re upping the game. I like it.” His brow puckers as he searches his brain for a comeback, and I snort out a laugh at the serious look on his face. His eyes light up and his brow flattens as he puffs out his chest. “I’ve got the winner.”
“If you say so.” I’m fighting to trap my laughter.
Pinning me with a look of superiority, he says, “Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
“Ah, Mark Twain for the win.” I giggle, conceding defeat as I am unable to play anymore because I’m laughing too much.
I’m still laughing when Massimo lifts me outside.
But I’m not laughing when ear-shattering sirens ring out and flashing red lights surround us as Massimo’s high-tech security system blares out warnings. “Fuck!” Massimo curses, reopening the back door and attempting to shove me instead. “Get in the fucking car, Rina, until I find out what’s going on.”
“No way,” I snap back, grabbing my heels and slipping them on my feet. I remove my gun and my dagger from where they are strapped to my body. “We do this together.”
“You’re so stubborn.” He snags my wrist and pulls me behind the car as men tumble out of the security cars and surround us. We stride toward the house as Massimo calls someone on his phone.
