La Famiglia : Elias : Part One The diRuggiero Mafia Family Saga

by Laura Sutton

  “I just thought maybe that… well, that you might want to go up to your room, but I understand.” Her eyes focused on his neck and not his face, and he had to lean in to hear her soft voice over the pounding music.

  Desire mingled with disappointment on her features, and he smiled; she wanted him, too, but she didn’t realize that waiting just a little a bit would make it so much better. Eli was good with restraint, always saving dessert for after dinner, and he ate it slowly, savoring every bite. That was exactly what he planned for Samantha: he was going to savor his time with her, make her burn and then watch her explode.

  “Oh, I want you, bimba,” he said, and thrusted his hips and ground his hard cock against her sensitive pussy once again.

  “Oh!” she breathed, her hips twitching against him.

  “But it’s getting late, and I don’t want you tired for the first full day of your vacation.” He pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and smiled a little when she leaned into his touch.

  “Do you and Roxy have any plans tomorrow? Any excursions?”

  The resort offered several things for the guests to do and explore– Eli himself had booked one excursion to see some pre-Columbian ruins. It would take an hour on a resort bus to get there, but he thought it sounded interesting.

  “We do,” she said, finally meeting his eyes again, her fingers dancing along the collar of his shift. “We’re going to see some ruins. It’s not really Roxy’s thing, but I booked it for the both of us.”

  Eli’s smile got wider at his good luck. Sometimes fate was in his favor. “Really? What a coincidence. I’m signed up for that, too.”

  “Really?” she asked, a smile blossoming.

  “Yup,” he answered her and gently shifted her off his lap, keeping her steady as she got her equilibrium back. He stood and leaned down and kissed her, threading their fingers together. His head was high and his gaze focused on the exit as they left; he wasn’t interested in seeing whether anyone was watching them with knowing eyes, aware of what they’d just done.

  “So the bus is set to leave at 9am. Do you want to meet for breakfast at eight?” he asked as they stepped into an empty elevator. He leaned against the wall and pulled her against his body, her back against his front.

  “Yeah, that works. Roxy hates early mornings, so she’ill probably be grumpy. Just ignore her until, like, 10am, trust me.”

  Eli chuckled, nodding and kissing the side of her head. “Sounds good.” The elevator dinged on her floor. “What about you? Are you grumpy in the morning?” He kept his hand in hers as they departed the elevator.

  “Eh, not really. At least not after coffee,” she answered, and he smiled.

  They were already at the door to her room. Eli leaned down and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth for a quick last taste of the night.

  “Goodnight, bimba,” he said against her lips, his arm around her waist, holding her close.

  “Goodnight, Eli,” she whispered back and pulled away a little, a little smile on her lips. She turned and slipped her key card into the lock and with one last wave, slipped inside her room.

  Eli licked his lips, still able to taste her. He was happy with how his vacation was starting out, and it looked like it would only get better.

  Chapter Five

  Samantha

  Sam closed the door, leaning her forehead against its cool steel, unable to face her friend right away, because when she did Roxy would know. She sucked in a steadying breath, turned, and tried not to smile too big or too goofy, and failed miserably on both accounts.

  “Tell me everything,” Roxy said from her bed. “Oh, you look pleased and guilty. I love it!”

  Sam slipped off her heels and fell back on her bed, still in her dress. She would have to get up and shower soon, but she wasn’t quite ready to wash the scent of Eli’s cologne from her skin. Sam closed her eyes for just a second…

  …and a pillow hit her in the face.

  “Hey! Less sleeping, more raunchy details! And don’t pretend like you don’t have any. That looks like an ‘I just had an orgasm’ face,” Roxy teased.

  Sam tucked the pillow under her head and turned on her side to face her friend. This time she didn’t even try to keep the ridiculous grin off her face.

  “Oh, Roxy, he’s so sexy, and he makes me feel so good,” she gushed, and Roxy made the universal motion with her hand for more info.

  Sam flopped over on her back and covered her eyes with her arm. Just thinking about how he touched her, how he kissed her, made heat ripple through her all over again.

  “We may have made out a little in the club,” she started, then stopped as her body clenched around the emptiness that remained when his fingers had left her.

  “Only ‘made out’?” Roxy asked in a teasing tone.

  Sam turned to face Roxy again, her face hot. “Okay, more than ‘made out’,” she blurted.

  Roxy’s smile became one the Cheshire Cat would be proud of. “How much more? Did you do the dirty in public, you naughty girl?”

  Roxy had long said that Rick was too boring and, in turn, made Sam boring. That there was a sexy seductress buried under all her brains and sense of duty. She’d never really believed it, but tonight dancing and more with Eli made her think maybe her friend was a little right.

  “We didn’t have sex,” she hedged, but Roxy’s knowing smile did not fade.

  “But...” she prompted and Sam groaned.

  “But I might have sat on his lap while he fingered me, and it might have been the best orgasm of my life.”

  “Even better than that wild night with those two cowboys?” Roxy asked, and Sam groaned.

  Dean and James had been so hot, tender and sweet, exactly what she had needed to help her get over Rick, but even that night with them couldn’t compare to the way she had burned when Eli touched her. Hell, when he even looked at her.

  “Yes, even better than the night with them,” she admitted.

  “Wow,” Roxy said with near-reverence. “So why are you here with me and not in his bed, having the best sex in the universe?”

  “We have an early morning, remember?” Sam reminded her.

  Roxy groaned. “Ugh, you’re so lucky I love you. I have no desire to explore the jungle and look at a bunch of old ruins. You are the only person I would do that for, when I could be sipping a fruity drink by the pool instead.”

  “Well, Eli is signed up for the same jungle ruins, so it won’t be just us,” Sam said around a yawn and moved under the blankets. She could sleep in this dress, fatigue made her decide, and just shower in the morning.

  “Oh, is he?” Roxy turned off the lamp between their beds.

  “Yup, and he’s meeting us for breakfast at 8am.”

  Sleep pulled Sam under so quickly she didn’t even hear Roxy’s reply.

  Loud buzzing interrupted Sam’s very interesting dream entirely too early the next morning.

  “God, make it stop,” Roxy groaned .

  Sam groped for her phone and sat up with a groan. She hadn’t thought she’d had a lot to drink yesterday, but the late night, combined with the drinks all day and the night spent at the club with Eli, had left her with a headache and a terrible dry mouth. She peeled back the blankets and remembered she hadn’t even changed out of her dress last night.

  “Hey, Rox, I’m gonna take the first shower,” she told her friend as she stood from the bed, gathering her robe and toiletries from her suitcase.

  “Sure, have at it,” Roxy mumbled and flopped face-first into the pillows. Sam shook her head and smiled at her friend. Mornings had never been Roxy’s thing.

  Same had just made it into the bathroom when a phone rang somewhere in the room, and she was surprised to see one hanging on the bathroom wall. She snatched it up quickly, thinking Roxy had called down for a wake-up call. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, bimba. I wanted to make sure you were awake so you didn’t miss breakfast.” Eli’s voice, still a little husky from sleep, m
ade her shiver.

  “Oh! No, I’m up, just about to shower, actually.” Her knees were feeling a little weak and she sat on the closed toilet lid.

  “Oh, the shower, really? Are you naked yet?” His voice deepened. From the background came the rustling of cloth, and she knew it was his sheets rustling.

  “Um.” Should she be sexy and say ‘yes’? Roxy would probably tell her to lie, but she really wasn’t the best liar. Not the best trait for a lawyer, but it was the truth.

  “No, no, I’m not. I had just gotten into the bathroom when you called, actually,” she told him honestly.

  “Oh, so still in your PJs, then? What do you sleep in?”

  She laughed a little. “I never actually made it into my PJs. Roxy and I talked a little bit, and I was just too tired to change.”

  “Did you talk about me?” he asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

  “I’ll never tell,” she teased right back. “But If I don’t get in the shower, we really won’t make it to breakfast, and I need coffee more than I need air, right now.”

  “Okay, okay. Go take your shower, bimba, and try not to think about me and what I’m going to do to you later this evening, when I have you all to myself.”

  Her body clenched at his words. She was grateful he couldn’t see how just his words could turn her on.

  “Bye, Eli.” She wanted to hide at the breathlessness of her voice.

  “Oh, you’re going to be thinking about me. Bye, Samantha.” The line disconnected.

  She put the phone back in its cradle and leaned against the wall for just a moment, trying to rein her body back under control. She had it so bad for this man.

  “Ughhhh,” she groaned and started the shower. She really needed to get a move on and, more importantly, get herself a cup of coffee.

  Twenty minutes later, she was freshly showered and feeling almost human again and expected to see Roxy awake and waiting for the shower. What she found, however, was her best friend, dead asleep and doing the world’s best imitation of buzz saw as she snored.

  Sam pulled out a pair of denim shorts, a black tank top and a lightweight cotton button-down shirt with long sleeves. She had purchased mosquito spray from the gift shop yesterday, but the less skin available for the little buggers to munch on, the better. To this, she added a pair of boring black panties and matching sports bra. The perfect ‘hiking in the jungle of Costa Rica’ outfit, she thought with pride.

  “Roxy,” she called as she brushed out her damp hair, but the snoring continued. Sam glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was already 7:15; if Roxy didn’t get a move on, they wouldn’t make it to breakfast.

  “Roxy,” she repeated, this time shaking her friend, and Roxy jerked awake.

  “I’m up!” she cried and sat straight up, looking around in confusion. “Wha…”

  Sam laughed as Roxyflopped back down on her pillows.

  “Roxy, get up!” Sam pulled at her arm, making her sit back up.

  “Why?” Roxy moaned, still half asleep.

  “Because we need breakfast before we go out on a jungle excursion.”

  Roxy rolled her eyes at Sam and slumped back down on the bed, pulling a pillow over her head.

  “I’m not going,” Roxy mumbled into the pillow.

  “What do you mean, you aren’t coming? Of course you’re coming!” Sam pulled the blanket off of the once-again snoring woman.

  “Hey! Stop that!” Roxy grumbled and pulled the blanket back over her.

  “Come on, Rox, it’ll be fun,” Sam finished, sitting on Roxy’s bed.

  “No, it will be fun for you. You know I hate the heat, and bugs, and history. That’s your thing, and I was happy to do it so you wouldn’t be alone, but now thanks to Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, you won’t be alone and I can sleep until ten, and then lounge at the pool while you discover ancient relics in the jungle,” Roxy patted Sam’s leg and closed her eyes again. “It’s win-win, really.”

  Sam sighed and knew she’d lost that battle. Now she would spend all day with Eli without Roxy as a buffer, and she was worried. Was she interesting enough? Would he still want her after spending hours on a bus and all day in the jungle? She stared at herself in the mirror dismayed at how boring and plain the reflection was. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and at least that helped to elongate her face, but she refused to wear any makeup – it was too hot and humid.

  “Tie the ends of your shirt together under your boobs. Highlight your assets, girl,” came Roxy’s sleepy voice from the bed. Sam turned and gave her a worried look. Roxy just smiled back and nodded.

  Sam obediently tied the shirt under her boobs. Even with the sports bra on, she still had a more-than-ample chest. Too ample, really.

  “There you go,” Roxy said, and Sam moved to the bed to put on her hiking boots.

  “Sam, don’t be nervous. He obviously likes you. Now, I doubt he’s Mr. Right, but he is Mr. Vacation Hottie.”

  “How many names are you gonna give him?” Sam asked, laughing.

  “As many as I damn well please, but that’s not the point. I know the douchebag,” Roxy’s favorite name for Rick, “hurt you and dented your confidence. But you are beautiful and super-intelligent, and any guy would be lucky to spend any time with you.”

  Sam forced a smile, not exactly convinced.

  “Besides, thick girls are in,” Roxy teased and Sam shot her a more genuine smile.

  Then there was a knock at the door, and suddenly all the butterflies Eli had caused her the previous night were back.

  “Go get ’em, tiger. Text me if you have service, but not until after ten. I’m going back to sleep. Do all the things I would do,” Roxy said loudly, right as Sam pulled open the door, revealing Eli on the other side.

  He was wearing jeans and a light blue T-shirt that pulled tightly across the muscles of his chest and showed off his well-toned biceps. He looked effortlessly gorgeous and Sam groaned internally at the thought. They were so mismatched in the looks department.

  “Good morning, bimba, you look beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his hands coming to touch her waist.

  “Good morning,” she told him, blushing at his compliment and the familiarity with which he touched her. She slung her backpack over a shoulder and stepped from the room, closing the door behind her.

  “Roxy not coming?” Eli asked, his face a strange mix of curiosity and hopefulness.

  “Nope, you were her excuse to sleep in,” Sam answered as they headed for the elevator. Eli reached down and took her hand, his fingers threading with hers. She was figuring out he was very tactile, and he seemed to enjoy touching her; it was the complete opposite of Rick, and she found that she liked it.

  “Well, as long as she’s not sick.”

  “Oh no, nothing like that. She wasn’t too excited about this excursion anyway. She’s not very outdoorsy.”

  “Well, I’m happy she’s not ill… and I’m happier I get you all to myself today. Though I warn you, I’m a nerd for this stuff. I’ve been reading books on the pre-Columbian cultures that lived in this area. I can’t wait to see the ruins for myself, and not just in pictures.”

  Sam couldn’t believe his words. This kind of thing was the best part about traveling. Yes, the beach and pools and shopping were fun, but she enjoyed learning about things she didn’t encounter on a day-to-day basis. But many didn’t think like that.

  “Me too! I’ve been excited about this since I booked this trip two months ago.”

  He dropped a kiss to the side of her head and then untangled from her without dropping her hand as the elevator doors opened to the lobby floor.

  “Well, then, let’s get some food in us and start our adventure!” His smile was so wide it almost blinded her, but in a good way.

  “Yes, let’s do that!” She smiled back and while the butterflies remaine, her worry from before faded. Now that she knew the trip wasn’t going to bore the heck out of Eli, Sam had a feeling that vacation might just be the
adventure of her life.

  Chapter Six

  Eli

  The resort breakfast was a lavish and diverse buffet, with what might be considered ‘normal’ breakfast food, to cater to the largely American and Canadian visitors to the resort. Eggs cooked several ways; heck, you could even order an omelet and a chef would make it to your specific tastes. There were also hash browns and sausage and bacon, pancakes and waffles. Also on the buffet were Costa Rican-inspired breakfast dishes: rice with black beans, plantains, tomato salsa. Eli loaded his plate, not just with what he knew he liked, but also with foods he’d never had before. He was going to experience all that Costa Rica offered, in every way possible.

  Eli made his way back to the table, smiling to see that like him, Sam had opted to load her plate with what an American would consider traditional breakfast fare and Costa Rican delights.

  “Hey, I got you a cup of coffee,” Sam told him.

  He set his plate down and gazed at her. She looked so cute in her denim shorts and hiking boots. He’d been half-afraid she would head out to the jungle in tennis shoes or, heaven forbid, sandals.

  “If you don’t like coffee, it’s okay– I do, so I’ll drink it.” Sam had been more efficient than him in his foraging, because there were also glasses of ice water and orange juice on the table.

  Eli pulled the chair out for her to sit and he enjoyed the bashful, brief smile she gave him and her slight blush. He was a lot of things, most of them dark and not terribly good, but he was also a gentleman– his mother had made sure of that.

  “Thank you, bimba, I’m actually a coffee drinker, as well.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek before taking his own seat.

  Eli added sugar and milk to his coffee as Sam enthusiastically dug into her food.

  “Oh, this is good,” she mumbled, more to herself than to him, and gathered up another forkful.

  Eli enjoyed her passion. She seemed to have it for all things – the food she ate, when she was talking about her upcoming job, when she danced. He knew that passion would translate well to having her in his bed. Last night’s preview in the club had shown him that much.