by Soraya Naomi
“They’re my panties now,” he says and then frowns, recognizing the ambiguity in his statement.
“That sounds very weird,” I tease.
And we both break out in a laugh as we travel out of the garage. In comfortable silence, we head to my apartment to retrieve some of my belongings with our laced fingers in his lap.
CHAPTER 27
Luca
On Thursday, all three of us wait for Cam at Sylvia’s office, but we’re almost certain she won’t show because our soldier screwed up and wasn’t as smart as she was.
Monday night, Adriano called me, enraged that the soldier lost Cam right after she left the therapist’s office. I called Cam with Fallon’s disposable phone that night, but it was already disconnected, much to Adriano’s chagrin. It’s clear that she ran again.
Sylvia’s door opens, and Fallon has to start her session.
“Can you pick me up later?” she asks in such a sweet tone.
“Of course. I’ll be waiting downstairs.” Cradling her head, I press my lips to hers before she enters the office.
***
Later that day, Adriano’s foul mood is vibrating off him as we drive through the snow covered streets of the Loop, which is slightly amusing because only about Cam would he get this worked up.
Sal calls when we’re on our way to drop off papers at Security Simplicity.
“The hostess is definitely the fucking leak,” Sal states when I answer. The agitated timbre of his voice is booming in the vehicle.
“Where is she?” I request calmly.
“Gone. She didn’t come in to work Tuesday. She was tipped off, and we both know by whom.”
Adriano is balling a fist, and I can see the rage firing inside him because we’re losing control over this entire situation, and now his friend Cam is causing even more trouble for herself by warning the hostess.
While stepping on the gas to hurriedly catch the green light at the intersection, I comment, “So she’s missing too? Did you already send someone to her house?”
“She’s missing,” Sal confirms on a sigh.
“And Ashton?”
“Status quo,” he replies.
Now my own exasperation is rising. Ashton has been getting away with everything for too long, and that’s unacceptable to me.
I grip the steering wheel. “Sal, I want him off the streets. He’s a liability, not only to me, but also to my girl. This is starting to really grate on my nerves.”
Sal knows I crave to avenge Fallon’s parents’ death and retaliate for Ashton waterboarding me.
It’s quiet for a moment before he says, “I have one other boss I can reach out to. Perhaps he can be of assistance.”
“Grazie.” Thank you.
After I end the call, Adriano is unnervingly silent and rubs his hand over the back of his neck.
“We’ll find Cam,” I reassure him.
“I fucking miss her, and we were so close. I’m concerned as to what kind of shit she’s gotten herself into,” he confesses for the first time.
“I promise you that we’ll find Cam and help her out of this mess.”
Adriano has helped me repeatedly with regards to Fallon, so I won’t hesitate to support him with whatever he needs when it comes to Cam. And as of now, her mess is connected to Fallon’s predicament, definitely making it high on my list of priorities.
***
That night, I arrive at my penthouse to find Fallon curled up on my sofa watching TV.
She peeks from under the white blanket. “Hey.”
I loosen my tie while edging closer and press my lips to her forehead. “Please don’t tell me you’re watching Charmed again.”
She chuckles and sticks out her tongue. “No! The news.” And she holds open the blanket for me to join her.
Her warm welcome eases all the stress of this week. “Let me go change first. Did you eat?”
“No, I waited for you.”
“Order something,” I say, wandering into my bedroom to change into comfortable sweatpants.
It’s amazing how relaxed we are with one another again and how much I look forward to coming home every night knowing she’s here and that she’s safe. For a man who rarely wanted anyone in the sanctuary of his home, I can’t imagine being here without her – even though she’s only been here for four days. Little by little, we’re becoming Fallon and Luca again.
After agonizing months apart, it only took a few weeks for us to find comfort in each other again. She’s still my positive counterpart to every negative characteristic I have. Where I’m dark, she’s light. Where I’m controlled and guarded, she’s open and free-spirited. Not even her grief changed that part of her, and I’ve come to love her even more because of it. However, I do believe it’s time we talk about us. The conversation we’ve been avoiding needs to take place because I require a commitment from her. I won’t push her too hard, but I want some kind of promise that she won’t leave when all is said and done.
And I also want an answer to the one question that constantly infects my mind. I still wonder what happened the night she was in the hospital with Doc. What caused the distance between us and her sudden reliance on Wade the next day?
When I return to the living room, she’s standing at the kitchen island with different takeout menus scattered on the granite top, and without looking up, she shouts, “What are you in the mood for?”
“I’m here. No need to yell.” I grin as I stand across from her.
“You’re so quiet.” Her eyes move from my grey sweats to my naked torso. “What’s with you and no shirt lately?”
“That’s to entice you.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she lets out a huge laugh.
“I’m actually not in the mood for anything savory...I just want dessert.”
“Then order something savory for me and dessert for you.”
“Yes! I love how you never complain about my addiction to sugar.”
I perk a brow. “I would never. I love how your hips and ass are filling out.”
After she’s placed the order, she rounds the island to head back to the sofa, but I wrap my fingers around her wrist, halting her and swirling her pulse gently with my thumb.
CHAPTER 28
Fallon
I walk past Luca after ordering an arrabbiata pasta for him and a blueberry panna cotta for me, but I’m stopped when I feel my wrist being lifted from behind, trapped in the heat of his hold.
“Fallon.” Firmly yet slowly, he pulls me to him, closing the already short distance between us until my shoulder hits his chest.
“What happened that night at the hospital?” he asks as he sweeps his nose over mine, and I close my eyes.
Luca’s referring to the night of the abuse, and this is the moment when I decide to tell him everything because we’ve grown so close in such a short amount of time. No more lies, no more deceit, no more dancing around each other. Life can end in a split second, and I don’t want to die with regrets. Only it’s too difficult for me to speak the words, so I lead him to his bedroom.
Grabbing the diary from my suitcase in his walk-in closet, I clutch it against my chest and stand before Luca, who’s sitting on the edge of his bed with a frown.
“I didn’t start therapy because of my parents’ death. I actually started prior to their murder.”
He places his hands on the back of my thighs and tugs me to him. Then he looks up with expectant eyes as his palms slide over my hips, urging me to continue.
I swallow back my impending tears. “You’re right; something happened that night, but I’d rather you read it from my diary than for me to relay it and have to relive it. Please just read it entirely before you say anything, and try to understand why I couldn’t tell you.”
I hand over the diary hesitantly, and he takes it with a serious expression.
“Promise me, you won’t be mad,” I insist.
He lifts a brow yet slowly nods, making me believe he realizes that he’ll learn something dreadful.<
br />
“I promise,” he vows, so I try to turn, but his hand that’s still holding my thigh stops me.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“Uhm...I don’t know if I can stay.”
“Let’s go to the sofa together. Lie with me there.”
We snuggle together on the couch where Luca stretches his legs, feet resting on the table, so I can lie with my head in his lap as he strokes my hair while reading the diary.
CHAPTER 29
Luca
From the moment Fallon hands me the diary with moisture pooling in her eyes, I sense that I’m going to read appalling words, so I want her near me. She rests her head in my lap, and I cover her with the white blanket as she watches TV.
Opening the purple hardcover diary, I scan through several pages and notice that not much has been written yet, so I just start at page one. By the third sentence, I’m already clenching my jaw while trying to hide my reaction from her by calmly winding my fingers through her hair. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the unadulterated rage storming through me as I read about how Ashton raped her at the police station. My hands are sweating, and I can feel her tensing up as my entire body becomes rigid, but I keep tangling my fingers through the strands of her hair in an effort to soothe her.
My sweet Fallon. The woman I will grow old with has been through so much more than I could ever imagine. Sweat trickles down my neck and my fingers dig into the paper of the diary as I have to read how that fucker assaulted her in the worst way. Evidently, Ashton is an even bigger madman than I realized. He gets off on physically hurting people. I should’ve known that after I witnessed the horrific scenes in Club 7’s fight club.
When Collopy attacked her, I was already infuriated like never before, but now, there’s no limit to the carnage I’d wreak. My need for retaliation against Ashton just magnified a hundredfold.
I will get you vengeance, dolcezza, whether you want it or not.
A newfound respect for Wade grows as I read how he helped her, and I’m beginning to understand the nature of their relationship. Surreptitiously, I wipe the sweat from my upper lip, but I can’t control my enraged breathing anymore.
And then she sits up with wide eyes, anticipating my reaction, so I immediately hug her to me, and she climbs onto my lap, burying her face in my neck as unbearable cries rake through her body.
Stroking the back of her head, I soothe, “Shhh. Why would I be mad at you, sweetheart? My god, I would never be mad at you. But I do hurt for you.” My own eyes water as her tears pour down my neck, and I press my lips to her hair.
I swear to god, Ashton will pay!
Her arms clasp tightly around my middle, and I return her embrace, needing her to feel safe with me as guilt darkens my soul. I was horrendous to her the day after she was raped. The day I decided I was done with her. The day she probably needed me most.
She hick-ups while trying to speak. “I’m...sorry for not—”
“Don’t. There’s absolutely no need for you to say you’re sorry – you did nothing wrong.” With both my hands on the side of her face, I look her straight in the eye. “You don’t need to apologize, okay?”
She nods almost unnoticeably, and I kiss her forehead.
“You are so brave, and you’re one of the strongest women I know. After everything you’ve been through, look at how you keep going.”
Not only did I underestimate her strength, but I completely undervalued the warrior hidden inside Fallon.
“Do you want to talk about it with me?” I ask cautiously.
Shaking her head, she rejects the offer. “Do you?”
“I want what you want.”
“Then no, not now.”
“Let’s—” I’m cut off by the buzzer announcing that our food has arrived, and Fallon takes this chance to end the conversation.
So we eat on the sofa in companionable stillness, sitting intimately close together, and I touch her continually to reassure her that I’m not angry in the least. Not at her, anyway; my fury will be unleashed on Ashton.
My resolve to talk about our relationship evaporates after reading her diary, and I can’t bring myself to push her for answers right now.
Although at night, I come up with an idea to surprise her this weekend. We fall asleep with our bodies entangled, arms and legs hooked together to find comfort in the warmth of each other.
***
“Where are we going?” Fallon grins at me enthusiastically as the sun is setting on this cold winter night.
“Stop fishing, Miss Impatient. And get in the car.”
After almost an hour of driving, we pass the sign she recognizes, and she beams at me. “The cabin. I love that cottage.”
“But wait, there’s more,” I say while parking my vehicle in front of the cottage, equally eager because I want to spoil her, take her mind off everything.
Jumping out, I round the car to help her out and lead us to the door. After I unlock it, she steps inside, and her mouth drops open at the décor.
“Oh, Luca.”
Dozens of scented candles light the room, and the already-fired-up hearth warms the cottage. The aged wooden table is filled with desserts: chocolate muffins, crème brûlée, red velvet cake, and dark chocolate cake.
Swiveling around, she jumps into my arms, twining her arms and legs around me. I hold her up by her ass and lead us to sit in front of the fireplace while she presses her soft lips to mine.
I trace her mouth with my tongue before excitedly delving inside as she grinds her hips against me, and I hurriedly remove our coats while avoiding to break our kiss. She lies back on the white angora rug, pulling me down with her.
“I need your touch to make me feel safe again. I need to know that I’m still desirable to you. Make love to me.” Fallon rubs her palm over my hardening length through my dress slacks and coaxes my mouth open with her tongue.
Her soft moan spurs me on. All rational thoughts fly out the window. I grab her hips and wedge myself between her legs. “You will always be desirable to me, but I want you to talk to me, tell me what kind of intimacy you want. I want you to take the lead, and if at any time you want to stop, we’ll stop immediately, okay?”
She covers a hand over my jaw, and I rub my cheek against her palm.
“Talk to me,” I urge.
“I want it to be the way it always was, not different,” she confesses as my thumb strokes the corner of her full lips.
“That I can do.” I smirk and pull her sweater over her head and yank down her tank top to lavish her hard, pink nipple with my tongue, causing her to squirm and arch in anticipation. “Just focus on the pleasure I’m going to give you.” I place a delicate kiss on one nipple, and then the other.
With slow movements, constantly brushing my lips against her bare skin, I remove every item of clothing until she’s naked and lying back on the thick, white rug. I know exactly what she loves and plan to give it to her.
“Spread your legs,” I order while unbuttoning my collared shirt, and she pulls up her knees and lets her legs fall open seductively, offering herself to me.
I groan and strip my clothes as she watches me. Then I kneel down and my palms skim a path from her feet, up her legs, and over her outer thighs and hips. And she trembles when I press my lips to her inner thigh, and her hands clench in my hair. Another kiss, a little higher, and then one right between her legs that causes her to moan, so I lick her once, briefly, just to tease.
“Ah...Luca.” Her breathing is shallow, full of expectation.
She starts to writhe and circle her hips, but I move up, kissing my way over her stomach and marking her by biting the curve of her breast, making her mewl my name. Taking her hands in mine, I intertwine our fingers while pinning them beside her head, and I grind my erection between her legs as I push my tongue into her mouth.
She’s always been desirable to me, but I worship her voluptuous body with wider hips and fuller breasts even more now. As I move away from between her th
ighs, her eyes open lazily, and I stroke myself as she bites her lip.
“Sei da mozzare il fiato.” You’re breathtaking.
CHAPTER 30
Fallon
“Sei da mozzare il fiato.” You’re breathtaking.
I smile because that’s actually one of the first Italian phrases I researched since Luca said that a lot when we first met. And I smile because his kisses have healed the wounds of pain and loss of the last few weeks. His touch builds up my trust and makes me whole again, one step at a time, providing me a heavenly sense of security – what I’ve been longing for.
Luca’s smoldering eyes trace my naked body, and I get a magnificent view of his sculpted chest while he kneels beside me. My fingers explore his well-defined muscles, tracing the dark line of hair down from his navel as he hisses from my touch, locks eyes with me, and catches my wrist before I reach his erection.
“On your stomach,” he orders in a throaty voice, and I obey instantly.
I look back over my shoulder at him, expecting he’ll give me what I need: hard and fast. Luckily, I’m right. Pulling me back up by my hips, he places his hand between my shoulder blades so that my cheek stays on the soft rug, and he bites the swell of my behind before moving his mouth over my center, the sensation intensified by my exposed position. With the flat of his tongue, he licks up deliciously slowly, tormenting me with anticipation. Repeating his licks, he puts extra pressure every time until I’m writhing and begging.
“More, please.”
“Anything for you.” His hands shift over the shape of my ass and his tongue pleasures me while I push back against his face, and he growls and sucks hard until I almost come.
But then he stops, so I meet his eyes, and his salacious expression promises me so much more. Eagerly, I lift up, on my hands and knees now, as his fingers mesh into my hair and down my back. Then he softly presses his lips along my spine, placing featherlight kisses as his hands skim up my sides and he covers my body with his.
“I’m going to give you what you want. I’m going to fuck you now, Fallon,” he whispers against my ear as he rubs the head of his arousal against my center.
