Becoming her Salvation (Zanetti Famiglia Book 7)

by Hayley Faiman

  “Massimo, you can’t make me feel any worse than I already make myself feel on an every-second basis. I screwed up. I’m trying to fix it and protect the famiglia and the only family that I know,” I explain.

  Massimo and Pippa are silent after that. At least long enough for the waiter to come and take our orders. When he leaves again, they both watch me, then Pippa lets out a sigh.

  “You know that I love you no matter what. You didn’t have to go and get married though, we would have protected you.”

  Salvatore shakes his head before he clears his throat. “She didn’t want to come to you and honestly, I didn’t want her to, either. This guy is from a group that will not hesitate to kill all of you to get to her. They are on a mission to screw with the Zanetti famiglia and they will take no prisoners.”

  It’s this that makes Massimo sit up at full attention. Salvatore shakes his head once. “We’ll talk without the women, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Massimo growls.

  He wants to know what is going on to protect his wife and children and I don’t blame him at all. I don’t know what Miguel knows about me or how far he will go to accomplish whatever it is that his goals are.

  I would die if something happened to Pippa, Massimo, my niece, or my nephew because of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I couldn’t handle it. So, marrying Salvatore seemed like a better solution.

  A few minutes later, the men excuse themselves and I don’t even have to look behind me to know that they’ve just stepped into the corner of the room. They aren’t far, and I’m glad for that. I’m not sure that I want to be alone again, ever at this point, especially after running into Miguel today on the street.

  “He makes me happy,” I whisper to Pippa.

  “Salvatore?” she asks, looking confused.

  Nodding my head, my gaze meets hers. “He’s a good man. He’s kind and caring. I think that I made the right choice.”

  Pippa’s face softens, and she reaches across the table, taking my hand in hers and squeezes. “He is a good man, Rosana. He helped me so much when I was first married, and I respect him a lot. I just hope that this is what you want. Don’t settle because you feel like you have to.”

  Looking over my shoulder, I watch Salvatore talking to Massimo and I smile right before goose bumps cover my skin at the thought of him this morning, sweaty and shirtless from his run. Shifting my gaze back to Pippa, I can’t hide my smile, even if I wanted to.

  “I’m not settling, Pippa. I may not love him, but I made the right choice when I chose Salvatore. I can feel it, deep inside of me, to my core.”

  Her lips twitch, and she lets out a sigh. “That’s your coochie talking, but then again, I felt the same way when I agreed to marry Massimo. Granted, I went through a hell of a lot with that man, but in the end, it’s definitely been one of the best choices I’ve ever made.”

  “Maybe this is just who we are,” I say.

  She arches a brow, clearly confused by my words.

  “Maybe we just pick a man that we know is the right one subconsciously. I mean, all of us have done that, even Bellarosa.”

  Pippa smiles, but it’s kind of a sad one. “Or maybe, little sister, we’re just hot fucking messes.”

  “Probably,” I say with a shrug.

  We’re both laughing when the men reappear, along with the waiter with dinner. We eat, the conversation from earlier dropped and the rest of dinner we talk about babies, marriage, and life.

  It’s perfect.

  It’s beautiful, and I’m angry with myself that I avoided my sister and Massimo for as long as I did. That is done now. I’m going to make sure that I continue to see them regularly.

  I love them.

  SALVATORE

  We walk into the condo and it’s quiet, almost too quiet. “Stay right here,” I warn Rosana as I reach into my shirt and take out my gun.

  She gasps at the sight of my piece, but I lift one of my fingers to my lips and shush her. Quietly I tiptoe through the condo and clear it. Leaving her alone at the door isn’t optimal, but at least she could get out and run down the hall if she needed to.

  After checking every nook and cranny of the place, including closets and bathrooms, I frown and make my way toward her.

  “Someone was here,” I state as I approach her.

  She’s got her back against the wall and her eyes are wide. “What?” she breathes.

  “Can’t prove it, but someone was here. Tomorrow I’ll have full security installed. The building has security and is safe, but I don’t have surveillance in the house or on the balcony, that changes tomorrow.”

  “It’s too much,” Rosana warns.

  Smirking, I close the distance between us, lifting my hand and curling my fingers around the side of her neck.

  “It’s not. Not in the fucking slightest. It’s not enough, really.”

  “Salvi,” she breathes.

  My lips curve up into a grin. “You’re not sleeping alone tonight. Sorry, bambola, but I can’t shake this and I need to know you’re safe.”

  She lets out a breath and nods. “Okay,” she exhales.

  “Go on upstairs and get ready for bed.”

  “Salvi,” she starts.

  Shaking my head once, I chuckle. “I’m bringing dessert, we’ll eat in bed, maybe find something to watch on Netflix, yeah?”

  “Eat in bed?” Her brows snap together at my suggestion, which looks cute as shit. “I’ll bring plates and napkins.”

  She licks her lips, then her gaze flicks to the side where the fridge is, the place where all those snacks are hiding before she turns her attention back to me.

  “Okay, that sounds good.”

  Lowering my head, I touch my forehead to hers and close my eyes. “You were amazing tonight, Rosana. So strong.”

  She laughs softly, then sighs. “I wasn’t and I’m not, but thank you for thinking that.”

  Humming, I lift my head and look into her eyes again. “You are and you were.” Letting my hand fall from her neck, I take a step back to give her room. “Trust me, Rosana. I have seen weakness. You don’t have a weak bone in your whole fucking body.”

  She blinks, her eyes watering, but I don’t let her cry or say anything else. “Go on now, go get ready for bed, I’ll bring you a sparkling water and some treats.”

  “Okay,” she breathes.

  Turning away from her, I head into the kitchen and do exactly what I said I would. I grab a plate and put two cupcakes, two cannoli and two cookies on it, then pick up a couple of napkins before I head upstairs to her.

  I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be better than I could have ever imagined. Well, as soon as we work out all of the kinks.

  Chapter Nine

  SALVATORE

  Pulling her close to me, my cock nestles between her ass cheeks and this is exactly what I wanted to avoid just a few days ago. However, now, not so much. She doesn’t love him, she doesn’t want anything to do with him and I don’t think that I can keep my hands to myself much longer.

  Patience is definitely not something I possess. I thought that I could be patient with her. I thought that I could take my time, seduce her in every way possible. Not so much. I want her so fucking bad that I don’t think I can see straight.

  My arm is wrapped around her, my palm pressing against her stomach. I touch my lips to the side of her neck and I think about last night. The only way it could have been a better evening spent inside was if we had each had a few orgasms.

  She hums, and I taste her flesh. Then she surprises me when she stretches her arms up and wraps her fingers around the back of my neck, turning her head slightly.

  “Good morning, Salvi.”

  I grunt as she rolls over in my arms, lying on her side to face me. She smiles a sleepy, sexy smile, and not for the first time do I realize how incredibly lucky I am to be married to a woman this fucking gorgeous.

  Lifting my hand, I tuck a piece of hai
r behind her ear. “Good morning, beautiful bambola.”

  “Why do you call me doll?” she asks.

  It’s my turn to smile. “You look like a little doll. You’re petite and sexy, your eyes are bright blue, your hair is dark as night and your skin is porcelain.”

  “Am I breakable like a doll?” she asks.

  Chuckling, I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me. I wish that we were naked. It would make a conversation easier because I could just show her why I call her doll and what I think about her, how I feel.

  “You’re breakable, but not in the sense you probably think. You’re strong and sexy, you’re so strong that I think you don’t realize just how much strength you possess, and I’m afraid that you will break at some point. I don’t want that.”

  She presses her lips together, rolling them before she speaks. “You don’t think that I’ve been through enough things that could break me and didn’t? That I can’t handle more.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt that you can probably handle anything, but I don’t want you to have to.”

  Slowly, she lifts her hand and she cups my cheek. Since we’ve been married, just the few days, she’s never really initiated touch with me. I don’t mind, but feeling her fingers reach out for me, it sends desire throughout my entire body.

  “You make me feel brave enough to take on the world, Salvi. I don’t know why or how, but you just do.”

  “Good.”

  Turning my head to the side, I kiss her palm, then roll away from her and sit up on the edge of the bed. If I stay in that bed lying beside her much longer, I’ll fuck her. I’m not ready yet and neither is she. My patience is on a very thin string and it’s in danger of breaking any fucking second.

  I feel her moving around me, then her palm touches the center of my back. Turning my head, I look over my shoulder at her.

  “I know we haven’t been married long,” she begins. “But I think I want more. Waking up with you, it was nice. Don’t go to the other room.”

  “Rosana,” I hiss. “You can’t say shit like that to me.”

  “Why?” she asks, her voice not hiding even an ounce of her confusion.

  Standing, I lift my hand and run my fingers through my hair as I begin to pace. I stop, looking at her. She’s sitting on her knees in the middle of the bed, her eyes wide, and fuck me, she’s not wearing a bra beneath her thin sleeping tank top, I can see through it and her nipples look like they need my mouth on them.

  It’s a goddamn need. They’re practically begging.

  “Because I want you too badly, bambola.”

  “That isn’t a bad thing,” she says, her eyes wide, and she looks so goddamn naïve that it causes me to ache.

  Clearing my throat, I shake my head again. “It’s not, but what I want should last a lifetime, and as much as I want you right now, I need you to feel right about it when it’s over. I don’t think that you would yet. My patience and control are hanging on by less than a thread. As it is, I’m probably going to fuck this up and move too quickly, what I don’t need to do is move at goddamn lightning pace.”

  I don’t give her an opportunity to respond, instead I walk to the bathroom, locking the door behind me and start the shower. I need to take a cold shower and meet with her new guard. I need to make sure she’s going to be safe while I’m at work. I need to try to get her off my mine—she consumes me.

  When my shower is finished, I wrap the towel around my waist and open the door to the bedroom. I’m surprised to see that she’s no longer sitting in the middle of the bed.

  I don’t know why, but I thought that she would be there waiting for me. I was hoping her big naïve, wide and bright eyes would meet mine.

  Hurrying, I change into my suit for the office, then head downstairs. Looking around, I frown when I don’t see her in the kitchen or in the living room. My gaze flicks around and then I see her dark hair, piled high on her head, sitting out on the balcony.

  Making myself a cup of coffee, I head out to see her. Her feet are up on the railing as she looks toward the city buildings and I stop at the door, coffee in hand, as I just watch her for a moment. Her wedding ring catches the sun, the flash of light causing my lips to curve up into a smile.

  This is my life.

  She is my life now.

  I can’t deny that the thought of waking up next to her, of finding her in my robe, on the balcony in the mornings doesn’t fill me with pure fucking peace.

  Maybe it’s because I feel like with me, she’s safe. I’ve been able to save her, unlike Abriana. Or maybe, I just like my wife. Either way, it doesn’t really matter, not when I look at her and feel the way that I do.

  Opening the door, I make my way outside and sit down in the chair next to her. Neither of us speaks immediately, but then she turns to me. I continue to keep my gaze forward, waiting for her to speak, sensing that she has something on her mind.

  “Salvi,” she begins.

  Only then do I turn to face her. She licks her lips and I realize that this is the first time I’ve really looked at her. I’ve seen her, I’ve watched her, but really looked and examined her? I haven’t done that, not until this moment. She’s stunning. She doesn’t need makeup, hell, she doesn’t even need to brush her fucking hair.

  “You’re leaving today, for work?” she asks.

  Nodding, I bring my cup to my lips and take a drink. “I am. Do you need me for something?”

  She shakes her head, then presses her lips together. She doesn’t say anything as she shifts her focus to her lap, no longer looking at me, and worries her bottom lip.

  “Rosana,” I call out.

  She lifts her head to look at me.

  “I’m going to be fine, you’re going to be fine. Want me to come and get you for lunch?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen and they actually brighten from my question before her lips turn up into a smile. “Yeah, I think I would.”

  Matching her smile with one of my own, I nod my head. “Okay, bambola, then we’ll have lunch together. Break up the workday for me.”

  “Yeah,” she murmurs. “I like that.”

  We stay out on the balcony together for a few more moments until her guard arrives and I meet with him. I don’t know all of Gavino’s men, but I trust him to make the right choice for Rosana, for us.

  ROSANA

  “This is Valerius, he is going to be your guard. Go nowhere without him, understand?” Salvatore says, his voice stern and serious.

  Nodding, I give him a smile. “I won’t, Salvatore, I promise.”

  He nods his head, then he takes Valerius around the corner and starts to talk to him in a low murmured voice. I don’t listen in, instead, I tell them that I’m going to go and get dressed for the day.

  Slipping upstairs, I lock the bedroom door, then the bathroom door before I strip down and shower for the day. It doesn’t take me long, it’s not a hair wash day so I’m ready in about forty-five minutes, although I don’t know what I’m ready for exactly.

  My phone starts to buzz on the nightstand and I frown, almost having forgotten about it completely. I haven’t really looked at my notifications in days, too nervous to see if Miguel has messaged or called me.

  The newest notification I have is from Pippa. It’s a text message and I sit down on the edge of the bed to read it.

  PIPPA: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out. You and Salvatore look happy and he is a good man. I trust him to treat you right. I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t come to me. I love you.

  My heart squeezes from her words. She doesn’t really understand my dilemma and that’s okay. I didn’t always understand what she went through when she left our aunt’s house to marry Massimo who was a perfect stranger.

  I knew I could come to you. I didn’t want to burden you. I attempt to explain.

  I don’t know why, but texting her seems a hell of a lot easier than talking to her in person. The three little dots appear at the bottom of the text and I know that she’s
writing something, I bite the corner of my lip waiting for whatever it is to appear, knowing that it’s going to probably make me feel guilty as hell.

  PIPPA: I love you. Come to me anytime you need anything at all. I hope that you being with Salvatore means that we’ll see you more often?

  You can count on it.

  PIPPA: Good.

  The conversation is short and sweet, but all in all, I feel better about it all. Sure, Pippa is probably going to be hurt forever that I didn’t go to her with my problem. However, she can’t get mad at me for trying to fix my own fuckup myself.

  Scrolling through my notifications, I ignore the missed calls and texts from Miguel, deciding to delete them all without even reading them. Maybe I should have read them at least, even if I don’t respond, but I can’t. Seeing his texts makes me feel incredibly stupid.

  Then as I continue to scroll, I realize that I have a missed call and voice mail from my boss. I groan. I haven’t talked to Salvatore about this yet, about my work. I know that I can’t go into the building, not with Miguel there and he’s so cocky that I also know he hasn’t left.

  I’m not sure if Miguel got the job just because of me, or if he always intended on working there and it was all just happenstance. It doesn’t matter, though, I’m not going back. Not with him anywhere near me.

  Biting the corner of my lip, I make a decision to quit. I can talk to Salvatore about options later, but I cannot go back to work there. Not now, not ever. Even if Miguel quits, if he was there just to stalk me, I don’t think I could ever walk into that building again. I fucked up in that building—majorly.

  “Where are you?” my boss demands as soon as he picks up the phone.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmur.

  “Sorry? I have five clients waiting and you’re the one who is supposed to do the work on their files. What the absolute fuck?”