Reign (The Larussio Legacy Book 3)

by Via Mari

  “If Alfreita’s men are worth their salt, they knew the minute a communication lock was close and redirected it. It’s not safe,” Great-Uncle says, unwavering on his position.

  Sal smiles widely, and his jaw shifts to the left as he glances at me. I have no idea how Great-Uncle has learned this stuff over the years, but he never ceases to amaze us with his vast knowledge of things that we pay others to do for the Family.

  “I’m sure the team has it well under control. If it makes you feel better, we can pull a meeting together with Jay and have him go over all the plans in detail with the three of us. If anything needs to be altered, we can do it at that time,” I say, taking in that the tenseness that crept back into his posture slowly starts to dissipate.

  “Very well, but if I am not completely satisfied with the plans, we do not go.”

  I hold back a smile. No need to mention that Sal and I want him to come to the States with us. He’s clearly just invited himself.

  “Agreed,” Salvatore and I say in unison.

  “In the meantime, I need to make a few calls and some arrangements for the public grand opening of The Larussio. The VIP guest opening went extremely well, and Katarina is working on the next public grand opening. She and our marketing team want to extend an invitation for the entire city to come in and take a look, win some prizes, and stuff. I think Katarina’s even more excited about this than she was about the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

  Great-Uncle turns his scowl back to me “My great-niece should be resting, and you have her working on a grand opening for the entire city?”

  I’ve managed to get on Great-Uncle’s bad side, and I have no doubt I’ll stay there until his concern for Serena is alleviated. Sal suppresses a smile and turns away from us, walking toward the sideboard to place his empty glass on the crystal tray that will be removed by the waitstaff later in the day. “You do know that I have absolutely zero control over what my cousin does and does not do? Perhaps you should put in a call to Chase. He’s about the only one she listens to about things like this.”

  “I will indeed. She needs to stop working so much. All the details and all the organizing, that can lead to stress. Exactly what she is supposed to be avoiding until the babies come!”

  I nod, silently agreeing with him, but I just have too many other things to contemplate right now and so many things to do. “I trust you’ll call Chase and see what he can do to intervene. We have plenty of people that could be taking care of all the details if she would just hand over the reins,” I say, smiling to myself because I already know that’s highly unlikely.

  I see how Katarina drives herself and others, so much like her father, pushing until every single thing is perfect, but right now I need to deal with one thing at a time, and there is much to do in a very short time if everything is to go as planned, including getting all of us from this safe house back to the Larussio estate safely. In two days, we will be married and on a plane to Vegas to put an end to this nightmare.

  Serena

  The dress I’ve chosen is neither frilly nor long, instead a short and fitted chic design with delicate straps to hold up the low-cut bodice, white in color and adorned with simple lace gloves. I twirl in the mirror and gaze for a moment at the image staring back at me. I can barely believe that today I will become Giovanni Larussio’s wife, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I am also vitally aware that after this celebration, we will finally leave these walls, and with that, be giving our enemies the opportunity to snatch me or outright kill Giovanni.

  I inhale deeply. This is what I want, to be free, to be by his side, regardless of the risk. I know he has only relented so that he can personally safeguard me and our child, and I can’t help the nagging little dash of fear that seeps in, try as I might to keep it at bay.

  I instead concentrate on adjusting a wisp of hair that has fallen from the pearl slide comb the hairdresser used to sweep my hair on one side, letting the rest fall around my shoulders and down my back. I touch up my lipstick and inhale deeply. It is time.

  I walk slowly down the hall to the top of the curved staircase and meet Aramis, who will give me away to a man that we’ve always viewed as the enemy.

  “You look radiant, absolutely glowing. Are you okay?” he asks, kissing both of my cheeks.

  “I feel fine, really. I’m just a little nervous. It’s a big day.”

  “I never thought I would give my only sister to a Larussio, but I’ve never seen a man more devoted. Giovanni loves you with all he has, and even Nonna has accepted that. She’s actually sitting downstairs next to Giovanni’s great-uncle. She said to keep him in line,” Aramis says.

  It’s all I’ve wanted, her acceptance of the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I thought the day would never come, but it is here, and as the organist begins piping music through the chapel and it drifts upstairs, I know in my heart that I am ready.

  Aramis guides me slowly down the stairs to the great room. Everyone in the adjoining Larussio chapel is seated, and turned to watch us through the large double doors that have been fully opened for the occasion. We reach the bottom, and walk through the great room and into the chapel. We take the rehearsed pause as the organ grows softer, before continuing down the aisle. I can feel the heat of Giovanni’s gaze burning into me, heating my skin, searing it with his want until it reaches my face.

  His dark eyes are full of emotion, and his eyes mirror my own with the love reflected there, as Aramis guides me to his side. When the priest asks who gives us in marriage, I look to the family gathered, expecting my brother to respond, but to my surprise, Great-Uncle is sitting next to Nonna, assisting her with a mic she’s been given, and her voice rings out clearly: “I do. Her grandmother,” and the smile on her face as she gives her blessing thoroughly warms my heart.

  I swallow past the lump in my throat as I say my vows, repeating after the priest, and promising to love and obey my husband until death do us part. I do not miss the importance of that promise, nor heed it lightly. When I finish, he inhales deeply and his eyes turn dark with emotion as he repeats his vow to love and honor, and forsake all others, and to keep me in sickness and in health, until death do us part. When the priest pronounces us husband and wife, Giovanni has me in his arms and needs no instruction to kiss his bride. Cheers ignite the room, and when he lets me up for breath, his eyes are dancing with delight and devotion.

  He lifts me, twirling me around before placing me on my feet again. “I love you, Tesoro. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. I am a husband and soon to be a papa,” Giovanni says, cradling me against him before guiding me down the aisle and past our close friends and family. I blow a kiss to Nonna and Great-Uncle, and their eyes are moist with emotion.

  We are greeted by photographers who move us from area to area, capturing pictures in and out of the gardens, doing their best to capture the magic of the day. When finished, Giovanni guides me inside to the receiving line, where our family and friends greet and congratulate us.

  Giovanni manages to free us from our well-meaning friends and family and leads me up the curved stairs to our room. “Let me take one last look at you before I peel you out of this dress,” he says, twirling me to unzip my dress before pulling me back against his hardness.

  His mouth finds the soft shell of my ear and travels down my neck as he peels the dainty straps of my dress from my shoulder, letting his mouth capture the sensitive skin between my shoulder and neck, causing me to moan as he bares my breasts, letting the silky material of the dress fall to the floor, gathering in a pool around my high-heeled feet.

  “Officially mine, Tesoro,” Giovanni says, picking me up and placing me on the bed while he quickly divests himself of clothes. He is built like an Adonis and completely erect, his cock is pulsing and hard with desire, but he is in no hurry, kneeling by the edge of the bed to spread my legs.

 
He kisses my mound, tracing around the freshly bared skin, teasing me with his breath as his hands slip beneath me, caressing my hips and grasping my cheeks with his firm hands. He caresses me with his tongue until the desire at my center is almost too much to bear and my hips seemingly rise of their own accord.

  He nips my mound, a warning. “Still, Tesoro, I will give you your pleasure,” Giovanni says, dipping his tongue lower, licking right around that bundle of nerves but never touching it, teasing me until I have to grasp the coverlet in order to remain still.

  “You did so well, Serena, you deserve a reward,” Giovanni says, finally letting the warmth and wetness caress my swollen clit.

  I moan with desire as he strokes and caresses me, over and over, softly, just a little pressure, building my desire, just teasing until I can’t take it any longer.

  He captures my clit with his mouth, sucking hard as I tremble around him, wave after wave spilling through me, and he takes his time, capturing every drop and extending my pleasure before he stands, pushes my heeled ankles around his neck, and plunges into my wetness with one quick thrust.

  My center is still pulsing and sensitive, and he drives deep, all the way to my core, hitting that special little spot that builds a different type of pleasure deep inside of me. He knows exactly what he’s doing as he grasps my ass and thrusts deeper, angling himself to hit that special spot over and over, again and again.

  “You’re going to come again for me, Tesoro,” Giovanni says, knowing it’s right around the corner, and then, just as the swell of pleasure is too much to hold back, he tells me to come, and my entire body trembles with obedience as he drives hard and releases deep inside of me.

  He rolls me over, cradling me in his arms, pushing the hair that has managed to work its way out of the comb from my face so that he can kiss me. I love Giovanni’s kisses and curl into his body’s firm warmth.

  “As much as I’d love nothing more than to keep you in my arms, we need to go downstairs, cut the cake, and then we need to leave,” Giovanni says, kissing me gently as we recover from our lovemaking.

  “I thought we were supposed to have dinner and leave after we said goodbye to everyone tomorrow.”

  He smiles gently, taking pity on the fact that I’m just too curious not to ask these things, but silences me with a finger to my lips. “We have multiple cars leaving for the airport. The first few will be the safest. Anyone watching will assume we would stay for the entire dinner.”

  I should have just let myself believe it was because he couldn’t wait to have me by himself, but there is danger in leaving these walls, and he has clearly prepared in advance.

  “We must take precautions, Tesoro,” Giovanni says, gently caressing my cheek.

  “It’s okay. I should have known that we wouldn’t do what was planned and would be known by others. It makes complete sense. I’ll jump into the shower, and then we can go eat cake, smile for more photos, and say goodbye to our family,” I say, and hurry to the bathroom, clipping my hair before turning the water on to let the stream run down my back.

  I intend to quickly rinse off, but Giovanni walks into the shower and smirks at my attempted look of indignation. “This is part of the obey part. You have to do what I say, when I say,” he quips.

  “Oh, really! And just what is it that you want me to do right now, sir?” I ask.

  His eyes light up at the salutation. “Oh, I like that very much. While there are a multitude of things I want to teach you right this very moment, time is of the essence, so raise your hands and hang onto the bar while I wash you,” Giovanni instructs, soaping his hands with the creamy wash and gliding them over my skin, starting at my neck and working his way down my body, taking time to stop at all my pleasure points, paying extra attention to getting my nipples extremely clean.

  My center is aching with desire by the time he begins heading south, soaping my stomach and fingering my belly button. “All the little parts have to be clean,” Giovanni says, his eyes dancing with delight as I squirm with desire. He strokes lower with soapy fingers, caressing and washing me, leaving me a puddling mess of desire before reaching for the bottle of lube on the ledge of the shower. He drizzles the clear liquid onto his fingers, all the while watching my reaction, before turning me around and guiding me into a bent position with the gentleness of his touch.

  “Spread for me, Tesoro,” he instructs as he trails his fingers between the slope of my cheeks, spreading me until he finds the little button he’s looking for.

  He rubs gently, stroking the circle of muscle before sliding one finger in firmly, the tight ring giving way to his insistence before he inserts another. He crosses them, stretching the delicate tissue before removing them and gently sliding a plug into place.

  “This was made especially for you, Tesoro. It will allow me to control your pleasure with one click of the remote until I decide it is time to remove it,” Giovanni says against the sensitive shell of my ear, causing me to shiver with uncontrolled desire.

  He spins me to face him, giving my mound a quick kiss before standing up and taking the showerhead from the wall and lightly rinsing me.

  “So much more I want to do with this little water wand, but we must hurry, we will finish this later,” Giovanni says, kissing my lips, silencing my moan of frustration at being left with a pulsing and needy center.

  Gio

  The act of restraining myself from driving my cock into her sweetness again and again before we leave is pure torture, but we are on a tight timeline, and security protocols need to be followed to the letter. I turn off the water and dry my pretty and pouty wife with a soft, fluffy towel and then swat her ass playfully. “Get ready and be quick. I’ll be out in two minutes.” She’s finished brushing her teeth and is touching up her makeup as I get out of the shower and dry off.

  Her cheeks are turning a nice color of rosy as she sneaks a look at my hardened length and her greedy little hand reaches out to stroke me. I move in closer, unable to deny her just this touch, but she strokes longer and rubs my length against the silky bareness of her freshly waxed mound. “Serena, behave yourself, and go get dressed or we’re going to miss our flight,” I growl good naturedly, pulling her in for one quick kiss before reluctantly letting her go.

  When we’re ready, I guide her down the stairs with a possessive hand to the small of her back. We enter the great room, and it is bustling with family who are all enjoying the chef’s rich hors d’oeuvres and champagne before dinner.

  “While it’s not tradition to cut the cake first, you all know what a sweet tooth my wife has,” I tell the crowd, and catch her fake glaring at me. I smirk at her; she can’t deny her love for chocolate! I am so right about that!

  The crowd gathers around us and the cake at the small table where it is displayed. “Please help us enjoy the memory of cutting the cake before it’s time,” I say, taking Serena’s hand in my own as we cut the first piece of the three-tiered cake together. We each take a forkful and feed it to the other while the photographers capture the memories of our adventures, but now it’s time to go.

  I guide her purposefully through the throng of family and into the kitchen. Antonio and Nate are ready and bustle us to the back of the room. “Tie up your hair, put this on your head, and then the jacket,” Nate instructs Serena, who quickly does as she’s asked.

  Nate pulls the visor a little lower on her face. “Good, you next,” he says, handing me a jacket and instructing me to use the hood. “It won’t look suspicious since it’s just started raining like there’s no tomorrow,” Nate says, opening an umbrella for us as we are ushered through the back door by a team of security.

  A large black Lincoln is waiting. Security holds the door open as I assist Serena in and slide in next to her. The door is quickly closed, and Nate and Antonio jump into the front seats. “All clear, let’s move,” Nate says.

  Serena watches out the window as w
e drive through our property, each second getting closer to leaving the safety and security of the family estate. A part of me wants to call this off right the hell now, take her back inside, never let her out of the house or off of these grounds, to keep her protected from all the evil that I know lives beyond these walls, but I know that is not what she wants, and Sal’s predication is right. She would wither and die, so I swallow past my uneasiness as we make our way through the gates of the estate that would keep her safe, though a prisoner to its walls.

  “Jay’s got an update. Mind if I get Sal and your great-uncle on the line and then patch it through the speakers?” Nate asks, pulling me out of my reverie.

  “Do it!’ I say.

  “Roger that,” Jay says, and I smile at the saying I’ve become accustomed to hearing from him and the rest of the team.

  “Nate, you have me on speakerphone?” Jay asks from overhead.

  “Roger that, we’ve got everyone on the line. We’re all ears,” Nate says.

  “Gentlemen, the team got absolute confirmation that Alfreita’s son is calling the shots, and others who are involved are in the process of being identified. They tried blocking our communications lock, but our intel team is par excellence. We were able to scramble the redirects and unlock the codes. We were able to get filters in place so they won’t be able to detect we’re monitoring. That’s the good news, folks. The bad news is that hell is about to head into the city of Las Vegas, and they’re coming in from multiple directions, and many are on two wheels.

  “We’ve got a dozen or so members of Alfreita Jr.’s gangs heading into the city by way of European flights. Some of our best men are already getting into position and will have them secured before they even set foot through the airport door. The larger problem is that we have about four hundred motorcycles from a badland gang in California heading to Vegas under Mancini’s direction. He’s been moving product through them all over the United States.”