“It’s dangerous. I hate the idea of you being used as bait. There are a million things that can go wrong between now and when we finally have Carlo. Don’t you see? I’m trying to protect you. Finn’s plan is half-baked at best, just like Alessia said.”

  “Then come up with a better one. Try going to the capos. Hell, try whatever you want, but if it fails, we’re going to try it Finn’s way. There isn’t another choice.”

  “There’s always another choice, Giada,” Luca says, his irritation matching mine. “I’m willing to do just about anything to keep you safe. Even if it means from my cousin.”

  “I know, I know,” I mock. “It’s your job.” I scrub the bowl I’m holding that much harder. “In case you haven’t noticed, Luca, you aren’t my bodyguard anymore.”

  Luca sets the plate he was drying down and turns to me, leaning his hip against the counter with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Damn, have his arms always been that big? Knock it off, Giada. He’s being insufferable and that does not turn you on.

  “It’s been more than just because it’s my job for a long while. Honestly, since you came back from Italy with a tan and an attitude. I never allowed myself to see you as more than Carlo’s little sister or Francesco’s daughter. I knew what would happen if Carlo or your father thought I was going to make a play for you. But when I saw you walking down the stairs, so sure of yourself, ready to put me in my place.” He quirks his brow and gives me a look that says he knew exactly what I was doing that night. “There was this challenge in you to make me see you as more than that. As the women you’d grown into while I was away. And I saw it, Giada. God, it was so hard watching you give that asshole attention, knowing what a piece of shit he was. But I couldn’t claim to be any better. I had to play my part. It was the first time I wanted to say fuck it and prove to you I’m not the man I made you believe I was.” Luca pauses and takes a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. “You have no idea how hard I had to work after that to keep myself in line. But I couldn’t dare show my cards. If I had, it meant I would’ve had to leave you alone in that house with no one looking out for you, and I wasn’t willing to risk it. Just like I’m not now. Which is what pisses me the hell off. You’re too damn willing to run headfirst into danger.”

  “No. I’m willing to do what it takes to finish this. Are you?” The challenge is clear in my voice. “The time for sitting back and waiting for something to fall into our laps is over. If we don’t do what needs to be done now, Carlo is going to get away with everything. I refuse to let that happen just because you have reservations.”

  “God, you’re so fucking stubborn,” he says, the volume of his voice increasing with every word.

  “Yes. I am,” I yell back. “You should know that by now. You should also know you can’t protect me forever.”

  “The hell I can’t. You’re my wife.”

  “In name only.”

  His eyes are hard as he stares at me, and before he says another word, his lips crash to mine. I drop the bowl in the sink and let out a gasp, allowing Luca to invade my mouth with his demanding tongue.

  He pulls away and stares into my confused gaze. “Not in name only.”

  Before I can think better about what a monumental mistake this could potentially be, I do what any rational person in my position would do and throw my arms around his neck, fusing my lips to his.

  Teeth clanking and tongues tangling, I let out a deep moan, which makes Luca tighten his grip around my waist, pressing me so tightly into him it’s as though he’s trying to meld our bodies into one. He spins me around and my back crashes into the counter of the island separating the kitchen from the living room, and I let out a grunt of discomfort.

  “Shit, sorry,” Luca says, breaking the kiss.

  “It’s fine. Don’t stop.” I slam my mouth to his again, tangling my fingers in the short strands of his dark hair.

  His strong hand cradles my lower back to keep it away from the edge of the counter as his other moves to my waist under my sweater. His fingers glide up my waist and around to the front of my shirt and over my ribs, his thumb rubbing the skin just under the cup of my bra.

  Luca breaks the kiss, and his gaze bores into me, his touch so close to where I want it but not quite there.

  “This is probably a bad idea,” he says but doesn’t make a move to pull away.

  “It could be.”

  “I know you don’t see this marriage as real, and I unders—”

  “Luca,” I interrupt. “Can we please talk about this later when your hand isn’t up my shirt?” I quirk a brow. “If you stop now, I will fucking scream. We can figure it out later, but right now, I need you to please shut the hell up.”

  “You’re very demanding,” he says roughly as the tension between us threatens to explode. “I thought Italian wives were supposed to be sweet to their husbands.”

  “Um, have we met? What part of me do you think is sweet?”

  The feral grin that widens his mouth sends shivers down my spine. “I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out.”

  Luca’s lips travel down the column of my neck, licking and sucking the heated flesh as he goes. “That’s pretty sweet.” His hands find the bottom of my sweater, and he tears the material over my head before grasping my waist in his large hands. His lips continue their descent over the hollow of my throat to the tops of my lace-covered breasts. “Still sweet,” he says, trailing his palms up my sides, landing just below my breasts as he swipes his thumbs over my hardened nipples. I stare at him, my breaths coming in hard pants as I watch him lower himself to his knees. My hands grip the edge of the counter to keep myself upright as my legs threaten to give out from the sight before me—Luca on his knees, his blue eyes darkened with a look I’ve never seen from him. Lust, pure and unadulterated and finally able to be acted upon.

  His hands move to the waistband of my pants, and he pulls just a touch, his brows lifting as if asking permission.

  “Please,” I say in a whisper. “Don’t stop.”

  His eyes hold mine as he kisses my skin right above the elastic waist of my pants then slowly pulls the material down past my hips and over my thighs—holding my gaze with every inch of skin he exposes. When my pants are completely off, his eyes move to my center, surely seeing my panties soaked through. If I could form thoughts, I might be embarrassed to have him on his knees staring at the wet spot on the front of my panties, but the only thing I feel is an intense ache in my core that I need him to fucking do something about. But apparently my husband loves to torture me.

  His thumb glides right over the wet spot, and I gasp. He lets out a low growl deep in his throat before pulling the lace down my legs then using the tip of his tongue to part my lower lips. I jerk my hips at the slight contact and thank the fucking heavens he’s done teasing me in the next breath. His tongue runs over my clit in quick, precise movements before my fingers grab hold of his hair, holding his head at my center as he devours my pussy with his hot mouth. Luca slips a finger inside me, then two, stretching me and pumping his hand in and out.

  “Oh fuck, oh fuck. Right there,” I moan as my legs begin to shake. He groans and between the vibrations, his expert tongue and his finger, I come undone, screaming out his name as waves of bliss wash through me. He removes his fingers from my core, but his tongue still moves in circles around and over my clit as he follows me down, wringing every last bit of pleasure from me.

  When he pulls away, he looks up at me, a wide, wet smile taking over his face. “Very sweet.”

  “Holy shit…that was…” I can’t seem to form words as he stands to his full height.

  “That was the first one,” he says, quirking his mouth in a satisfied smirk.

  Holy. Shit.

  Chapter fifteen

  Luca

  Ithink this is the first time I’ve ever seen Giada speechless. Hell, if I knew this would have done the trick, I would have eaten her sweet cunt months ago. And fuck, my wife tastes fucking delicious.

  “You’re a little overdressed,” Giada says, nodding at my shirt and jeans I’m still wearing.

  I grab the back of my shirt and pull it over my head, discarding it on the floor next to her yoga pants. Her hand travels over the scar on my side. The one I got just before I came to work for her father.

  “What happened?” she asks.

  “Knife,” I reply.

  “And here?” She runs her fingers over the scar from when my cousin shot me at the warehouse so her brother wouldn’t be suspicious that I walked away scot-free.

  “Bullet grazed me.”

  “Is this all because of my family?”

  “No,” I reply honestly. “Because of mine.” I’ve been stabbed and shot for my family. For the decisions I made to put myself here.

  “I don’t want to talk about my scars.” There’re too many she can't see anyways.

  “What do you want to talk about?” Her lips tip in a half smile and my palms skate up her arms and over her shoulders until I’m holding her flushed cheeks in my hands.

  “Absolutely nothing.”

  I swipe my lips over hers and she wastes no time opening her mouth to allow me entrance. The kiss turns heated within seconds as Giada’s small hands come to the button of my pants and she pulls the zipper down, freeing me from the confines of my too-tight jeans.

  When she reaches her hand in and pulls my hard cock free, I hiss. “Fuck, that feels good.” Her grip tightens around my cock, slowly moving her palm base to tip.

  Our foreheads are pressed together as we watch her pump me a few times before I pull away. “If you keep doing that, this is going to be over before it starts.” I’m not some two-pump chump, but her tight fist around me feels too damn good, and I’m way too worked up.

  “You tasted me, I think it’s only fair you let me have my turn,” she says in a throaty voice.

  “We have plenty of time for that. I need to feel your sweet pussy squeezing me the first time I come anywhere in your body.”

  I grab her by the back of the neck and yank her face to mine, delving my tongue deep into her mouth. Giada returns the kiss with the same fire. My hands skirt down her naked ass to the back of her strong thighs that have been conditioned from her hours at the dance studio. Her legs wrap around me, and I begin walking to the spiral staircase to the bedroom, each step making my cock brush against her wet entrance.

  When we make it to the bedroom, I lay Giada on the bed and shuck my jeans off, standing before her completely naked.

  “Now who’s overdressed?” I ask, pointing to the bra she’s still wearing. The material is nearly see-through, but as soon as she removes it from her body, my breath whooshes out of me. My wife is fucking perfection. Her round breasts fall from the material with her dusty-pink nipples hardened into points, begging for my mouth. I don’t waste any time and sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing her by the waist and hauling her to my lap so I can have her tits in my face. Giada lets out a squeal, but as soon as my mouth attaches to her breast, she throws her head back on a moan, grabbing tightly to the hair on the back of my head. Her hips move over my cock that’s aching to be inside of her as I give each breast the equal amount of attention they deserve.

  I’ve been too scared to imagine being here with Giada. Certain if I did, I wouldn’t be able to resist kissing her like I finally allowed myself to do in the kitchen. I worked so hard to keep walls up, even in my own mind, because I knew once I allowed those thoughts in my head, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else. Now, though, all bets are off. My mind is filled with images of her riding me, bringing us both to orgasm. Me pumping inside of her while her hair is splayed on the pillow below me. My face buried in her sweet fucking pussy over and over and so much more. It’s like the floodgates have opened, and I don’t have to hide anymore.

  I remove her nipple from my mouth with a pop and stare into her amber eyes through a haze of desire. She’s absolutely stunning, and I have to give myself a little mental pat on the back for being able to keep myself together being around her these past months. If I had known she would be every fantasy come to life like she is now, with her rosy cheeks and eyes that stare at me with unabashed desire, I don’t know that I wouldn’t have risked it all for a taste of her.

  I grab the side of her neck and pull her mouth to mine, invading it with my tongue as it tangles with hers. God, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her.

  When she breaks the kiss, her hand finds my cock and she lifts her hips, slowly sliding me into her heat. Our eyes stay locked as we connect in the most intimate and primal way two people can for the first time.

  “Oh my God,” she says, lifting slightly then sliding back down.

  My hand grips her neck harder and her pulse thumps wildly against my palm. “Fuck, you feel so good,” I grind out, my other hand moving to her hip and clutching it while she rides me, grabbing my shoulders to steady herself. My hand that was around her neck moves to her hip and I dig my fingers into her flesh, pulling her harder down onto me to grind into her clit.

  “Fuck,” she cries out as she reaches behind her to clutch my knees as I lift her then slam her down, over and over. I’m so deep inside of her like this, and it doesn’t take more than a few minutes for the telltale sign of my impending orgasm to make itself known.

  “I need you there, baby.” My finger finds her clit and I begin rubbing furiously, desperate to feel her come on my cock.

  “Oh God, oh God,” she chants over and over. “I’m going to come. Don’t stop.”

  Like I could.

  Her entire body tightens and the orgasm explodes through her, her pussy clamping down and pulsing around me, the feeling setting off my own as I come deep inside my wife for the first time.

  “Fuck,” I bellow, the pleasure so intense my vision blinks in and out as I fall from the peak, taking Giada with me.

  Giada is still seated on my lap as our breaths and heartbeats slow to a normal rate. Her fingertips lightly run up and down my arms as I languidly kiss her mouth, her neck, her shoulder. We aren’t in the frenzied rush we were a few minutes ago, instead taking our time to touch each other, to gently reassure each other that this is happening, we’re here and alive and together.

  “I’m going to get a washcloth, then when I come back to bed, I’ll lie on my back and you’re going to ride my face until I make you scream again. Sound good?”

  Her mouth tilts up in a half smile as I feel her pussy ripple with anticipation.

  “Yeah, I can tell you like the idea.”

  The afternoon falls into evening, and Giada and I only leave the bed for dinner and to refill our water glasses. I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the ways I want my wife, coming up with new ones as we bring each other to unimaginable highs. My favorite was when she used the overripe bananas on the counter to make bread, and after putting it in the oven, she dropped to her knees and took my hard cock in her mouth, bringing me to orgasm while she played with her clit and made herself come with me.

  Now that we’ve admitted the attraction we’ve had for each other, it’s as though the barriers between us have fallen away and we can’t keep our hands off one another. That’s one of the reasons I’m finding it hard to leave the penthouse this morning when Finn comes to pick me up for the meeting with the capos he’d set up yesterday.

  I’m upstairs and Giada is sitting cross-legged on the bed wearing one of my oversized T-shirts as I attempt to knot my tie, but I am too damn distracted by her long legs as she rubs lotion into her skin after our shower.

  Her eyes meet my heated stare and she smirks, watching me undo the mess I’ve made.

  “Come here,” she says, kneeling at the edge of the bed.

  I stand in front of her, and she takes the tie at each end and begins crossing and looping the silk material together.

  “There,” she says, and I lean down to kiss her soft lips, my hands grazing her hips and moving under the cotton material so I can feel her skin.

  “Do me a favor,” she says, her lips a hairsbreadth from mine. “Come back in one piece.”

  I pull back and look into Giada’s worried eyes. Lifting my hand to cup her cheek, I stare into her amber eyes so she can see and feel the weight of my words. “There is no scenario where I wouldn’t come back here to you, Giada. Finn and I are going to be fine.” I smile and kiss the tip of her nose. “Now, do me a favor and be in nothing but my shirt when I get back.” I shoot her a wink and my heart leaps at her tinkling giggle.

  “You’re something else, Luca Benetti.”

  “Right back at you, Mrs. Benetti.”

  I head down the stairs and meet my cousin in the hallway. “Let’s get this over with. I have a honeymoon to get back to.”

  The meeting is being held at a bar outside of Boston just before Amatto territory. This is one of the few places that stays neutral, but the owner has no problem burying a body for the right price if things go sideways. Mario met us here, and the six living capos of the Cataldi organization are seated in the large private space in the back of the bar that usually houses backroom card games.

  Tensions are high when we walk in and the Cataldi men see me standing next to my cousin.

  “Can’t say I saw this coming,” Dario, one of the Cataldi capos, says when I sit, Finn to my right and Mario on the other side of him.

  “I won’t keep you long, gentleman,” Finn starts. “It’s no secret my family and the Cataldis haven’t exactly coexisted peacefully the last several years.”

  “Or ever,” another capo, Leandro, mumbles. Both he and Dario are on the younger side, maybe midforties, while the other four sitting at the table have been around since the beginning of Francesco’s reign.

  “That’s fair. But a lot of the high tensions, shall we say, were the result of your former boss, Francesco, pinning several murders on my father when, in fact, it was Francesco who ordered the hits on his men.”

 

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