by Cora Reilly
I sighed. “Of course it didn’t. How can I possibly convince Gianna that an arranged marriage won’t make her miserable? I’m the last person she would listen to.”
Dante smiled tersely. “You are right.” He took a step. “I’ll get back to work then.”
I didn’t try to stop him. Maybe a few weeks ago I would have made an attempt at seduction, but today I lacked the energy. I slumped against the counter as I watched Dante stride out of the kitchen.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I peered at the clock again. It was past midnight, but I couldn’t sleep. I longed for Dante’s closeness, for his touch. It had been more than a week since the dinner with the Scuderis, and two weeks since Frank had run off and Dante had fucked me. God, I missed him.
I slipped out of bed and left the room, not bothering to put on a bathrobe. It was dark in the corridor. I felt my way toward the staircase, then slowly descended it. At the end of the hall, light spilled out from under Dante’s office door. I knocked, then entered without waiting for a reply. Tonight I would take what I wanted. The silent treatment was over.
Dante sat in his leather chair behind the desk. His hair was disheveled as if he’d run his hand through it repeatedly. He’d thrown his jacket and vest over the sofa, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white shirt and rolled up the sleeves, revealing his strong arms. He hadn’t bothered to remove his gun holster. He was staring at something on his laptop but glanced up when I stepped in.
He looked tired. “Is something wrong?” His voice was gravelly from disuse, almost growly, and made me even more determined to distract him from his work and lure him upstairs. His blue eyes took in my skimpy silk nightgown as I walked toward him. “I was just wondering when you’d come to bed,” I said casually as I walked around his desk and stopped beside him.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes flitting between my naked legs and my face. A couple of months ago I wouldn’t have recognized the look in his eyes, but now I knew it was desire. Maybe he shut himself off emotionally, but my body definitely got his attention. I must have caught him at a good time: too tired to keep up his disinterested act.
“Las Vegas contacted me. They want a meeting.”
I nodded, but I had something very different in mind than a conversation about mob business. I reached out for his laptop and shut it.
Dante raised his eyebrows. “Valentina, I really need to…”He trailed off when I leaned over him and slowly knelt down, running my hands over his thighs. I began massaging them as I looked up at Dante with big eyes. “Can’t the work wait?”
Dante’s eyes darkened with lust. A bulge was slowly forming in his black pants as he regarded me, and I had to stifle a smile. “What do you have in mind?” he asked matter-of-factly, trying to appear unaffected. Of course, the hard-on straining against his pants betrayed him.
I cupped his erection through the fabric. “I don’t know.”
Dante smiled darkly. “I doubt that.” He reached for his zipper and dragged it down, then he pulled out his hard cock. He stroked it a few times, running his thumb over the tip already leaking pre-cum before he traced my mouth with his thumb. I licked my lips, tasting him on me, and Dante let out a low breath. “Stop teasing me, Valentina.”
I leaned forward and licked his shaft slowly from the base to the tip before I dipped my tongue into the tiny opening. Dante gripped the back of my head and gently held me in place as I trailed my tongue around his tip over and over again, barely touching him.
His fingers in my hair twitched and he nudged me slightly forward. “Suck my cock, Val.” It was the first time he’d called me by my nickname. I cupped his tip with my lips and began sucking, making sure to run my tongue around the rim now and then. Dante watched me through hooded eyes as he massaged my scalp.
I took him deeper and then started bobbing my head up and down how he liked it. Dante’s eyes never left me. He bucked his hips and tightened his grip on my head as I sucked him harder. “I’m coming,” he said in warning. I felt him tense as his climax overwhelmed him. His cock jerked and he erupted in my mouth. I tried to swallow while keeping up my sucking. Dante groaned, still rocking his hips, and his hooded eyes fixed on me. These were the moments he allowed me the occasional glimpse behind his guarded mask.
I could feel him softening in my mouth, and I released him from my lips. A defiant part in me wanted to ask him if that meant he’d forgiven me for the mess with Frank, but the reasonable side of me won.
Dante dropped his hand from my head and went limp, squeezing his eyes shut. I quickly wiped my mouth while he wasn’t watching and checked my décolleté for stains. My own arousal was a throbbing between my legs. Dante shifted, drawing my attention back to him. He stared at me with an unreadable expression until I started to feel self-conscious. I stood but Dante did the same, towering over me in his posh white dress shirt, gun holster and half-open dress pants. I searched his eyes, but as usual I couldn’t read him.
He cupped my neck and crashed his mouth against mine. I gasped in surprise and his tongue slid in. He used his body to back me up until my legs bumped into the edge of his desk. He gripped my hips, hoisted me on top of the cool surface, and stepped between my legs, still possessing me with his mouth and tongue, making my legs go numb and my heart slam against my rib cage. God, Dante could kiss. I wished he’d do it more often.
He grasped my shoulders, stopped kissing me and eased me down until I lay flat on his desk. I stared up at him, forcing myself to lie still and let him admire me, when all I wanted to do was rip the buttons off his shirt and have him inside me. Dante seemed to know what I wanted. The dark smile was back, and the cool sophistication had been replaced by something feral and hot. I bit my lip and spread my legs even wider, making my nightgown ride up.
I knew Dante could see what was below it: nothing. I wasn’t wearing panties.
He released a harsh breath, but he still wasn’t touching me and it was driving me to the brink of despair. I tried to grab his shirt but he stepped out of my reach. “No,” he said with authority. The voice he only used when he was giving orders to his soldiers. It was the sexiest sound in the world, but I was burning up with need.
“Touch me.”
“I’m still angry with you. Sex won’t change that. You disobeyed my direct order.”
He couldn’t be serious. If this was another form of punishment, I’d lose it.
“Let’s see if you learned your lesson. You will obey me now, won’t you?”
I almost moaned at the timbre of his voice and dark look in his eyes. “Yes,” I said quickly.
He took another step back, his eyes meeting mine. “Spread your legs wider.”
I didn’t hesitate. The air in his office felt cool against my heated flesh, but it did nothing to alleviate the burning need. Dante unfastened his gun holster without hurry, never taking his eyes off me. “Touch yourself.”
My eyes widened, but again I complied. When he used that voice, I had a hard time resisting. I slid my hand down my body and between my legs. Part of me was embarrassed. This definitely wasn’t something a respectable wife did, according to my mother. But the bigger part enjoyed the way Dante’s eyes darkened as he watched my fingers slip between my folds and the way his lips parted. He let the gun holster drop to the floor with a clunk. He was growing hard again as he watched my fingers draw small circles over my clit.
“Put a finger into your pussy.”
I shook with arousal as I followed his order. I dipped my index finger into my hot core. A muscle in Dante’s cheek flexed, and his cock was standing to attention. I could see how much he wanted to touch me, to fuck me, but Dante was nothing if not in control of himself and others. He stepped between my legs, gripped my wrists, and I slid my finger out of my tight channel, hoping he’d do it for me now.
“No,” he growled. “Keep fucking yourself with your finger.”
How could he sound so dangerous and sexy at the same time? How could that cold man say such naughty thin
gs with the utmost authority? I pushed my finger back into myself, even though my clit practically screamed for attention. Dante stared down at me, his jaw tense. He pushed the top of my nightgown down, revealing my breasts. My nipples hardened from the cold and Dante’s piercing gaze. He took my nipples between his forefingers and thumb, and started rolling them back and forth. I arched my back, but didn’t stop fingering myself.
I reached for Dante’s shirt, but he pinched my nipples in warning. “No,” he rasped. I bucked my hips at the sensations rocking through my body, the sensual pain I started to enjoy more than I ever thought I could. Dante’s fingers twisted and rolled my nipples relentlessly. My core quivered with the need to come. “Dante, please.”
He fixed me with a stare, then he released one of my breasts and gripped my arm, stopping me from touching myself further. He pulled my hand away and put it beside me on the desk. He pushed my nightgown up so my pussy was bare to his eyes. “Don’t come,” he warned.
“What?” I gasped, but the sound turned into a moan when he slid his two middle fingers into me. My muscles clenched around him, gripping his fingers in an iron grip. He started fucking me slowly, his warning gaze on me. “Don’t, Valentina.”
I dug my nails into my palms, trying to fight off the climax. Dante pushed his fingers deep into me and kept them in place while his thumb brushed my clit. I gritted my teeth, my body starting to spasm.
“Do not come,” Dante said huskily.
“Dante…” I shook my head back and forth, sure I was going to burst any moment. Dante curled his fingers in me and pressed down hard on my clit. “Now,” he ordered harshly, and my release crashed down on me with blinding force. My butt arched off the desk as I cried out. My hands slid over the smooth surface of the desk, searching for something to hold on to.
“That’s right,” Dante said, his eyes on me. I stilled, feeling drained and sated. Dante slowly pulled his fingers out of me, sending another spike of pleasure through me. He unbuckled his belt, the only thing keeping his open pants in place, and let them drop to the floor. His cock was hard and red and glistening. “Turn around.”
I slid off the desk, and stood on unsteady legs for a moment before facing the other way and bending forward. I braced myself on my elbows and jutted my butt out. Risking a peek over my shoulder, I found Dante taking in the sight of me. He kneaded my ass cheeks before gripping his cock and guiding it to my entrance. In one swift movement, he buried himself deep inside me. I exhaled and curled my fingers around the edge of the desk, trying to steady myself as Dante started pounding into me. I gasped as he drove himself deeper and deeper inside me, making my nipples rub against the cold, smooth desk.
“Am I forgiven?” I gasped out.
Dante growled. He leaned over me, his fingers finding my nub. “I shouldn’t forgive you,” he said between grunts, accentuating every word with a hard thrust. “But for some reason, I can’t stay mad at you.”
A grin tugged at my lips but dropped off my face when Dante hit my G-spot and made me shatter under the force of my climax. Dante tensed behind me as his own release overcame him. My legs were seconds away from collapsing, and my chest was probably chafed from rubbing over the desk. Dante wrapped his arm around my chest, pulling our bodies flush together and still pumping into me as he left a trail of kisses up my shoulder. He shuddered again and licked my ear. We stayed like that for a couple of moments before Dante stepped back. I pushed myself to my feet. “Will you come upstairs with me?” I asked as I gathered my clothes.
Dante hesitated but then he nodded. I walked ahead to hide my elated expression from him. This felt like a major victory.
After we’d showered, we slipped into bed. I snuggled up to Dante’s back and slung my arm over his stomach. When I’d almost fallen asleep, his hand gently covered mine.
* * *
Several weeks passed as we fell into the same routine we’d established before the Frank fiasco. Dante fucked me at night, engaged me in talk about the casino during meals and otherwise mostly ignored me. Every morning I woke alone, no matter how long Dante had kept me up the night before.
This was also the case the morning I was woken from cramps. When I sat up, a violent wave of nausea hit me. I stormed into the bathroom and threw up what little I had in my stomach, gasping for breath and feeling dizzy. Gradually a suspicion wormed its way into my mind. My period was overdue at least a week. But then, my menstrual cycles had always been rather volatile, so I hadn’t paid it much heed.
Was I pregnant? Slowly I straightened and walked toward the washbasin to rinse my face and mouth. It would be the logical explanation. Dante and I had been sleeping with each other for months without protection. When I was certain that my dizziness had passed, I took a shower before I dressed in casual chinos and a pullover, pulled my hair into a ponytail and made my way downstairs. I had to find out if I was pregnant.
I called for Taft and told him I needed to go to a pharmacy. Enzo still had his arm in a cast, so he couldn’t work as my driver at the moment. Taft didn’t ask why, for which I was glad. I didn’t want anyone to suspect anything yet. I needed to know for sure before I told anyone. Taft waited in the car as I headed into the pharmacy and bought two pregnancy tests. Once back in the car, my purchase safely hidden in my bag, I turned to Taft. “Please drive me to Bibiana.” Since I’d started working in the casino, I’d had less time for her, but this was something I wanted to share with her.
I texted her so she’d know I was coming and I wouldn’t surprise her and her husband at a bad time again. Luckily, Tommaso wasn’t home when I arrived at Bibiana’s. There were no visible bruises on her body, and I hoped it was because Tommaso was treating her better and not because he targeted less visible places since Bibi had spent the night at my house. “Are you okay?” I asked by way of greeting.
Bibi nodded. “Tommaso has been in a good mood recently.” She led me into the living room. “I’m so glad to see you again. Don’t you have to work?”
“I don’t think I’ll go today. I’ll give Leo a call later to let him know.”
“Has something happened?”
I pulled the pregnancy tests out of my bag.
Bibi’s eyes grew wide. “You’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I bought these. I wanted you to be there when I found out.”
“Wow. Does Dante suspect?”
I shook my head. “I want to know for sure before I tell him.”
“I understand. He’d only be disappointed if you told him and then it wasn’t true.” She took one of the pregnancy tests. “So do you want to do it now?”
I nodded, nerves fluttering in my stomach. Bibi led me to their guest bathroom. I walked in alone. I’d never mastered the talent to pee with other people in a room with me. Once I was done, I set both tests down on the edge of the washbasin and opened the door. Bibi wrapped her arm around my waist, as we both stared at the tests.
“I think it’s time,” she said after a few minutes.
“Okay.” I reached for the tests and with a deep breath, stared down at them. Both were positive. “I’m pregnant.”
Bibi hugged me tightly. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you. Dante will be so proud when he finds out. He’s waited long enough for children, and you’re finally giving them to him. Will you tell him today?”
I considered that. “I think I should get confirmation from my gynecologist. As you said, I should be absolutely sure before I tell him.” And the other reason was that I needed some time to get used to the idea myself. I’d always wanted kids, and Dante and I had never taken countermeasures, but now that I knew I would be having a baby in less than one year, I was hit by nerves.
“I couldn’t keep it a secret. Especially since Tommaso is so desperate for me to get pregnant.”
“Maybe we’ll be pregnant together. That would be great.”
She smiled. “Go on, call your doc.”
“I will,” I said with a laugh. She looked more elated t
han I did.
As usual I got an appointment for the next day. My gynecologist was associated with the Outfit, so I never had to wait long.
* * *
That evening when Dante and I sat down for dinner together, the truth was on the tip of my tongue. I was still feeling nauseous and didn’t eat more than a few bites of Zita’s delicious lasagna. My glass of wine stayed untouched and I could manage only few gulps of water. Dante peered at me over his wine. “Are you all right? You’ve barely touched your food.”
“I don’t feel well. Maybe I caught the stomach flu.”
Dante’s brows crinkled. “Should I tell Zita to make you tea and chicken soup?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just go to bed early.” I stood and had to grip the edge of the table as a wave of dizziness gripped me. Dante was beside me immediately. “Should I call the doc?”
I shook my head, then regretted the movement. “No. I’ll feel better once I lie down.” Dante didn’t budge from my side as he led me upstairs, his hand resting on my hip.
I changed into my pajamas as Dante watched me. Then I slipped under the covers. “Do you want me to join you?” he asked.
I hesitated. “I don’t think I’m well enough for sex.”
Dante perched on the bed. “Valentina, that’s not what I meant. I’m not that kind of bastard.”
“I just thought…” I trailed off. “You usually approach me only when you want to sleep with me.”
Dante exhaled, then shook his head. “Would you like me to keep you company until you fall asleep?”
I didn’t want to look needy, but even more than that, I wanted him to stay with me. His baby was growing in my body, and if my gyno confirmed what the tests had said, I’d tell him. “I don’t want to keep you away from work.”
Dante sat back against the headrest, his legs hanging over the edge so his shoes weren’t touching the sheets. I moved closer to him and rested my head on his stomach. When his fingers started massaging my scalp, my eyes fluttered shut. Maybe a baby would bring us closer together. It had worked for some couples in the Outfit.
