Reign (The Larussio Legacy Book 3)

by Via Mari

  “Shh, Tesoro, I know,” I say, closing off any more conversation by crushing her with my mouth. When I finish, she is breathless and quiet, just gazing at me, and now her eyes have taken on that hazy appearance for a different reason altogether.

  “We will talk it through later, Serena, but for now it is enough you are alive and with me. That is all that matters right now.”

  She leans up on her elbow, and her forehead crinkles with concern. “My brothers, they can’t be in harm’s way. They have families to take care of,” Serena says, and I pull her back into my arms, stroking down her cheek and then the long column of her creamy neck, attempting to calm her, smiling down at my beauty.

  She’s not scared that my Family is here, as I had feared she would be. “They care about you, and they wouldn’t be left behind when they learned you were in danger. Great-Uncle even went against his beloved protocols again to keep you safe. He called in some pretty big requests with other families to ensure the security team could get you out of that city alive. Our Family will owe favors as a result, but Great-Uncle did it on his own,” I tell her, pushing her dark hair from her face.

  “I’m so sorry, Giovanni,” Serena says, pushing up to kiss my lips.

  “Tesoro, you’re not near as sorry as you are going to be when I bend you over and spank your pretty little ass for your transgressions, but for now, that you are sorry is enough,” I say, holding her close.

  “I owe your great-uncle an apology, and Salvatore, too, for asking that stupid question in the first place. If I had just kept my lips quiet, none of this would have happened!”

  “You will learn. I will teach you what is acceptable and what falls outside of protocol. The Family is aware of your commitment to us. If it’s of any consolation, my great-uncle apologized that he asked us to hold you to the protocols, but what happened is not his fault, Serena. While our Family has historically taken orders from the don without question, you do not belong to him, and I will no longer live by those rules. I have made it clear to him that under no circumstances in the future will I take an instruction from him, or anyone else in the Family, where you are concerned. You are mine, Serena, to love and to care for in all respects. I have told Great-Uncle that I am the only one, apart from yourself, that makes decisions on your behalf. The fault for what happened lies solely with me. I do not want you to blame Great-Uncle for that. I should have said no and dealt with the situation differently.”

  She’s quiet as she absorbs what I’ve said and contemplates. “No, I am the one to blame. I knew that there were boundaries, and I just didn’t think. I was angered that these men want to hurt you. Then that horrible protocol happened. I accepted that treatment because I trust you and knew you wouldn’t hurt me, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that there have been women who had no choice, were forced to endure such a thing against their will. That is the part that hurts me, Giovanni, and they were subjected to much worse than me.”

  “I know it’s difficult to comprehend, Serena, but every one of those women I mentioned were undercover setups. These same women you defend tried to get in bed with any number of my cousins to gain information so it could be used to harm the Family. I know it seems like a horrible thing to do, and I’m not fully defending it, but in other families around the world they would have been shot, no questions asked. The women I referenced were given a chance to show their innocence, that they weren’t wired.” I don’t tell her that every single one of them was wired and those invasive searches were how they were found out.

  “I warned you away from me in the beginning, Serena. I am not part of these activities, but my Family very much is, and you know what my future holds when Great-Uncle passes. You have a right to go into a committed relationship with eyes wide open,” I say, stroking her as I watch the myriad of emotions play over her beautiful features.

  “I know, Giovanni, I know. My eyes are very wide open. We should get washed up and go and talk to the family. I owe them and my brothers an apology,” Serena says, looking up at me.

  I nod, because this she needs to do, but her eyes are not nearly wide open. She has not endured the punishment she is owed, and before I ask her to marry me, I want her to fully understand that I will care for her in every way imaginable, even when it means correcting her own behavior if it threatens to put her in harm’s way.

  And the shower will drown out the sound of her cries.

  Serena

  Giovanni cradles my head and kisses me gently. The water gently cascades over me as he lathers my hair, working his fingers through the long strands, massaging my nape before trailing his way to my scalp and causing goose bumps to form and my nipples to peak.

  I shiver as Giovanni massages the sensitive skin in the curve of my shoulder, trailing the creamy suds over my breasts, stroking and kneading my sensitive tips with a finger and his thumb. The mixture of ache and pleasure sends a shudder of delight through my body. He draws me closer, and I can feel the hardness of his arousal pressed firmly against me.

  “Feel that, Tesoro. All for you. This time we go slow, but with you bent over before me while the water cascades around you,” Giovanni says, turning me to lean against the stone wall of the shower.

  “Hold onto the ledge,” he instructs, positioning the showerhead so that it’s raining down the middle of my back and cheeks as his finger follows its trail.

  The heat of his touch fills me with giddy anticipation, and my center pools with need as he takes his time, exploring me with the heat of his touch.

  “I like this position for a lot of things, Tesoro. Perhaps this is how you receive your spanking, bent over, with your skin glistening and wet,” Giovanni says.

  My body heats with excitement at the dominance in his voice, and that’s the very moment his hand connects with my ass cheek.

  “Ouch!” I anticipate another slap to my rear and tense my body as I wait.

  “Still, and do not tense, Tesoro. Take the spanking you deserve,” Giovanni scolds before the flat of his hand smacks the middle of my upturned ass, sending a shocking sting again, this time on the other cheek, repeating the pattern with continued swats and steadily more pressure as he goes.

  It is not by any means unbearable, and not pleasurable, yet my center is starting to heat with a building pulse, causing it to warm and slicken with desire.

  “I think you’re warmed up enough, Tesoro.” His open hand fully connects with my ass cheek, and I’ve barely had time to comprehend what that means before he is peppering my ass with swats, rotating between cheeks and heating my ass with fire.

  I try to move my hips away from the line of heat, but he places his hand on the small of my back, holding me still.

  “You’re doing so well. Stay in position, Tesoro. Twenty more and we are finished for now,” Giovanni says.

  I gasp as the next one connects with the tender underside of my ass. I don’t think I can endure two more, much less twenty, but he clearly hasn’t heard my one-sided conversation.

  “Why am I spanking you?” Giovanni demands.

  “Because I put the Family in a bad position and should have never asked what I did,” I say.

  The swat of his hand against the wetness of my ass in response not only sends a sting to my rear but sounds around the bathroom. “Try again!”

  “Because I left!”

  “Because you left without letting me and security know. You put your life and those that were protecting you in jeopardy, Serena.”

  The swats have continued to intensify, and I’ve lost count. I don’t know how many more until we’re finished, but all of a sudden all I can do is cry about the entire situation, the mess I’ve made, all the angst I’ve caused, and the intense pain still peppering my ass! The flood gates open, and I find myself sobbing through the last four swats.

  When he is finished, he strokes my lower back and runs his fingers along the curves of my heated as
s. “Stay where you are while I wash you,” Giovanni says, drizzling the cold liquid onto the heated flesh along my back and ass, causing me to shiver. He strokes the soft cloth and sudsy material along my spine, rubbing gently as he soothes it over my cheeks before trailing the cloth lower and running the warmth through my folds.

  I stay in position as he washes me, stroking me gently until my already aroused center can barely take it. I am embarrassed that the spanking has brought out so many feelings and aroused me to this state, but he seems to know.

  “Your body is aroused,” Giovanni says, continuing to caress me.

  I am almost certain to come before he tells me to if he keeps this up, but he knows exactly what my body needs. He slides two fingers deep as he continues washing and stroking, and then his fingers tease, in and out, stroking along that special spot until I can barely take it. I’ve almost reached the point of no return, with no possible chance of holding back one second longer, but he already knows this.

  “Come for me, Tesoro,” Giovanni commands, and the deep timber of his voice causes me to fall over the edge, shaking violently as my body trembles its release.

  He strokes my spine, sending goose bumps over my skin, and then lifts me by my waist, and turns me to face him. He positions us both under the gentle spray and then gently wipes the remaining tears.

  “I’m so sorry, for all the pain, all the worry, for everything!” I say, and I start to say more but he quiets me with his lips, kissing me gently. “Shh … let me take care of you,” Giovanni says, reaching for a soft large bath towel, drying me from head to toe, and handing me a smaller one for my hair. I wrap it while he’s drying himself. When he’s finished, he scoops me into his arms, takes me into the bedroom, lays me on the bed, and curls me tightly into his embrace.

  “You are done apologizing to me, Tesoro, but you must apologize to everyone else for the worry and the danger.”

  “It was selfish and foolish. I could have found a way to have time and space to think without putting myself and others in danger,” I say, and the tears start again thinking about Mrs. Caruso, who was kind enough to provide me with a place to stay, and her guests, who could have been seriously hurt. I put those people in harm’s way, knew someone could have been tracking me, but yet I went to stay with her anyway.

  Giovanni wipes my tears, pulling me against his bare chest and beating heart. “Tesoro, all is well this time, but there can never be a next time, capiche? Our security is there for a reason.”

  I nod as he holds me, stroking my back and letting his hands run through my hair for the next half hour. “Can we go downstairs now? I’d like to get this over with.”

  His dark brown eyes are watching me intently. “We can, but first there is something I want to ask you: Do you ever see yourself being able to get past what you now know about my Family, Tesoro?”

  I contemplate this, but not for long. It’s all I’ve been thinking about, what I needed to gain perspective about, with space between us and without that intense magnetic pull and attraction that seems to supersede my every thought and action whenever he is near.

  “Your Family is why I’m alive, and Nonna and I are no longer being blackmailed.”

  He starts to say something. I know exactly what he’s thinking and cut him off with a gentle hand to the lips. “Giovanni, it is no matter that it ended up being your cousins who were responsible. You were willing to find out who it was and take care of the situation for me and my nonna. The fact that it turned out to be your Family, your own blood, and you, Sal and your other cousins stood by me and still dealt with it, speaks volumes.”

  His eyes darken and his hold on me tightens as I talk.

  “Even when I left and caused trouble for your entire security team, you allowed me the space I needed, when you could have had me picked up and taken back to that estate. Instead, you put security in place so I could get my head clear, spanked me for putting myself in danger, and then took care of me. I love you so much, Giovanni,” I say, before kissing his lips.

  His hands are quick to snake under my hair, grasping my nape, and he captures my lips with his own in an aggressive kiss, exploring my depths as though we’ve been apart forever.

  I can barely breathe until he lets me up for air, kissing my forehead, pulling me to his chest, and holding me tightly, before lifting my chin so that I am looking into his dark, stormy, and passionate eyes.

  “Marry me, Tesoro. You are already mine; I will never let you go, but tell me you will take my name, Serena. Let me care for you always,” Giovanni says, stroking my cheek and pushing a straying strand of hair away from my eyes.

  The word escapes my lips without thought or hesitation. “Yes,” I say, and his lips crash down on mine. He rolls on top of me, and in one quick thrust, sinks deep inside of me, claiming what belongs only to him.

  Gio

  One little word, yes, and the need to be joined with Serena again is primal. My cock is hard and erect again, craving her heat with a need to consume her. Her pebbled nipples and hazy eyes tell me she’ll be ready for me, and with one thrust I am deeply connected with my dark-haired beauty. Serena is hot, soft, and so very wet, and she moans so prettily as I sink deep. I allow time to acclimate, letting the pulse from my body throb against her special little spot before drawing out and dipping into her sumptuous heat.

  Serena’s light panting causes my balls to tighten and ache with need. “Wrap your legs around me, Tesoro.”

  She does as I ask immediately, pulling me in tight, causing me to groan with need.

  I smile down at my beauty. Serena thinks I’ve given her a little control, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I want her in the position that will allow me to sink even deeper against that little spot, the one that drives her crazy, ensuring she is helpless to wiggle away from the pleasure. I drive deep, right to the very end of her, and she moans loudly, causing my cock to throb even harder.

  “Giovanni!”

  I thrust my length inside of her tight velvety folds, over and over again, sliding through her heated center, watching her build while her little moans begin filling the air. When she reaches the point of no return, I drive hard and deep. Serena screams my name as she comes, trembling and squeezing my cock with her heated center, bringing me over the edge and spilling strand after strand of seed deep inside of her.

  I rest my forehead on hers, keeping the weight of my body on my elbows, and smother her with kisses. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, Tesoro. I love you so much.”

  Her beautiful doe-like eyes begin to fill with tears as I watch. I scowl, and wipe them with my finger. “Tesoro?”

  “I love you, too, more than I even know how to express, Giovanni.”

  I kiss her again, claiming her lips and tasting her tears as they continue to fall. “The tears, tell me why. Why all the tears, Tesoro?” I demand, wiping them as she continues looking at me through the glassy film of her emotion.

  “I just wish my family would accept your Family,” Serena says.

  I push the hair from her face and wipe the straggling tears. “Aside from wanting to keep your entire family safeguarded, one of the reasons for bringing Nonna to my estate was to spend more time with her. It is my hope that seeing you happy and getting to know us better will help her accept me and my Family over time. We will return to my estate and continue to build our relationship with your family. Surely she will soften when she learns that we are to be married. We will go slow with her; I know how much she means to you, Tesoro.”

  She nods, and more tears fall as she hugs me tight. “I love you so much. I don’t know what I’ve ever done in the world to deserve you, but I will never ever take you for granted and I will never leave you,” Serena vows, kissing my lips.

  I don’t know how this woman has become my world, but everything stops for her. The multitude of business deals and adventures, all of that, even t
he Larussio legacy, is nothing if I don’t have her. “You are mine. I will come after you, and next time you won’t get off with the light little spanking that I gave you,” I growl, turning her to swat her on the backside.

  Her mouth opens wide. “That wasn’t light at all, my cheeks are still stinging,” Serena says, pouting up at me.

  I laugh with delight. “Tesoro, those were love spanks, when what you really deserved was a real punishment. That stinging feeling is just letting you know I’ve been there and reminding you not to do that again,” I say, kissing her pouty lips.

  “Hmm!” she huffs, sliding out of bed and walking beautifully nude to the full-length mirror. I sit up, admiring the gentle sway of her ass as she walks to the other side of the room. She spins and glances back into the mirror, giving me a beautiful view of her long curvy body, beautifully full breasts, erect nipples, and the tight little waist and belly that trail down to the dark little strip of fuzz that she thinks keeps me from seeing all of her.

  She turns back to look at me. “Well I guess it’s not as red as I thought,” Serena concedes.

  I laugh because it’s just barely a nice shade of pink and it will be gone within the hour. “Go and wash up. We need to get downstairs before they send a search party for us!” I tell her, and she sticks out her lip but does as I ask, heading to the bathroom.

  I take a moment to lean back in bed and just let myself soak in the events of the day. I am engaged to the woman I love, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, both inside and out, and she’s going into this arrangement with her eyes wide open. She has been exposed to things that I didn’t know she would be able to grasp or accept, but she has, and still agrees to be mine in every sense of the word.

  I sit up and glance at the huge wide grin spread across my face in the dresser mirror. She said yes, even with all the baggage that is my Family and a sore ass, she said yes! That stupid-as-fuck grin staring back at me isn’t going away anytime soon. I reach for my phone and send Sal a message that we’ll be down shortly, and his response is almost immediate.