by Cecy Robson
He nods, though it seems to annoy him when I say his name. “Want to know what I thought when I saw you with him?”
“That you wanted to pound him to a bloody pulp?” I offer, although I’m not joking.
“Yeah. I did. There stood the perfect guy for my woman.” He pauses. “Someone you’d probably go for, if you weren’t with me.”
I realize what he’s saying. But Max isn’t who I want. “Salvatore,” I begin, only for my voice to trail when I catch his expression.
“I wear a suit,” he says. “That doesn’t make me a professional, or a man someone would picture you with. I’m not clean cut. I didn’t go to college. And I’m nowhere near where I want to be for us.” He glances briefly toward the picture of my dog, Moonlight. “That doesn’t mean I’m not trying. And it sure as anything doesn’t mean I want anyone else. You have the power to destroy me, Adrianna,” he says, stroking a strand of my hair away from my face. “You’re the one holding all the cards and you don’t even fucking know it.”
My hands slide over his shoulders as I search his face, my heart clenching over what he tells me.
“I wish you could feel everything I feel when I look at you,” he says. “I wish you could understand how alone I am without you. If you did, you’d never doubt who you are to me.”
His large hand smooths along my cheek to gently hold my face. I mean to say something, so he knows that I feel the same way. But as quickly as my thoughts come, so does his mouth against mine.
“I’m sorry,” he says once more, his breath a sweet whisper along my cheek. “Please, mia bella. Let me show you what you mean to me.”
He pulls me in to straddle him, his tongue eagerly welcoming my taste. My hips instinctively shift against his lap, rubbing hard. He scrunches his eyes closed and his head lolls back, exposing his throat.
I nip his chin and slide my tongue along his ear, adding more pressure to his lap. I expect him to flip me over and yank off my clothes, but he allows me to play and take control. As I nibble his neck and rock my pelvis, I pop the buttons loose from the front of my pajamas. When I reach the last, I pull his head forward, and offer him a breast to suck. My taut nipple skims over his lips just once. He cups the swell, his tongue flicking greedily.
My head snaps back and my hips grind harder when his pulls turn deliciously aggressive. He tugs off my bottoms as I free his erection, my body anxious to receive his.
My movements are clumsy, not as smooth as I’d like. But as I fall onto his lap and join our bodies, I tap into that wild side that wants nothing more than to please her lover. He groans as I increase my speed, alternating between bouncing and gliding. Our gazes lock as he continues to touch me.
“That feels so good, baby,” I whimper, biting down on my lip when my core tightens and grips him further.
It doesn’t take me long to peak, not with his lustful stare upon me, not with how his hold on my hips helps me go faster. Our lovemaking is loud, sinful, powerful, and he likes it. No, he likes me. I orgasm two more times before he finally releases, his body bucking beneath mine.
I smile as he fills me, rocking slowly and holding him gently. Yet when his stare drills into mine and his fingers tease the points of my breasts, I’m not sure either of us is ready to stop.
He rolls me onto my back, pushing up to stare at my face as his hand glides between my breasts. “I’m going to pull out, okay?” he says, his quick breathing making it hard for him to speak.
I edge up on my elbows, shifting my hips to draw his attention and keep him in place.
He lowers his lids and releases a curse. “Aedry, I’m not supposed to be here. Don’t make it harder for me to leave you than it already is.”
I gasp when he pulls out. Again, he curses, falling beside me. “You’re leaving?” I ask, tilting to face him.
He opens his eyes then, but only partly, stroking my face. “I’m supposed to go round with Vin. But I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing you, even for a little while. Lucca is covering for me.”
“You’re going to watch Vincent as he visits his other establishments?” It’s something he hasn’t done, or at least mentioned, in a while. I was hoping that after the last incident, someone else would accompany him. Or that Vincent would request a police escort.
“The businesses he’s checking in on are in a better area,” he assures me, likely reading my thoughts. “It should be fine.”
“But you don’t know for sure, do you?” I ask.
He strokes my hair. “If he didn’t need a security team, he wouldn’t have hired me. North Jersey, it’s getting worse when it comes to gang violence and people desperate for money. I have to make sure someone running a business and trying to stay ahead like Vin succeeds. You understand?”
“I suppose,” I say. “I only wish it didn’t have to be you.”
“It’s either that or strip for money,” he adds, smiling. “Both pay about the same. If you prefer, I’ll consider switching professions.”
“That’s a great idea,” I say, beaming. “Maybe I’ll do the same. Ripping off my clothes in front of a room filled with lonely men has to pay more than counseling.”
I crack up when he scowls. “What’s the matter?” I ask. “Can’t the brooding wall of muscle take a joke?”
“You’re lucky I like you,” he says, adding the smirk that makes my toes curl.
Our humor dwindles as we both remember he needs to leave. My arms encircle his neck, anyway. “Can you encourage Vincent to hire police protection, or perhaps use Lucca more frequently?” I don’t know Vincent, and this is my first time hearing Lucca’s name. The idea of anyone getting hurt, even people I don’t know, upsets me. But the thought of anything happening to Salvatore terrifies me. When I think about what happened the last time he rounded with Vin, I just want to hold him against me.
“There’s a reason Vin hired me to look after him and those he associates with. I’m good on my feet and even better with my hands. It’s my job, Aedry. Lucca . . . he’s still new. He’s learning, but Vin still wants me to handle the majority of his security.” He shrugs. “As far as the cops go, there’s a lot of shady shit going on within the county. Nothing ever came of the police report we filed last time, so Vin doesn’t feel cops are people he can count on.”
“Oh,” I respond, not bothering to hide my disappointment.
“Give me time, okay?” he asks. “I’m trying to figure out a way I can do something else. Believe me, I don’t want to keep doing what I’m doing.”
I nod. Although he doesn’t discuss his work much, I know he’s not happy at his job, and that it’s not something he looks forward to.
“I have to go,” he reminds me, although I’m still not ready to let him go.
“Will you at least stay for dinner?” I ask. “I ordered a lot of food. I was really hungry.”
“I noticed,” he says, watching me carefully. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”
My body warms. “No, just hungry. I skipped out on lunch to check on a student.”
He frowns. “You went to someone’s house? I don’t like it,” he says, before I can answer. “Anything can happen to you.”
“It was at a shelter where she’s staying. I’m trying to keep her in school.”
“I still don’t like it,” he says. “Nothing can happen to you, ever. Understand?”
“I think I do,” I say, returning his focus so he’ll see I worry about him, too. “Please be careful tonight. And call me when you’re done so I know you’re okay.”
He nods, as if he doesn’t want to think about things, but then his stare skips to my alarm clock. “Shit,” he mutters. “I have to go.”
He shuffles to the edge of the bed, fixing his pants. Sometime during our lovemaking, my laptop fell to the floor. I didn’t notice until he lifts it and places it on the mattress beside him. He glances over his shoulder, giving me a wry smile. “You know you don’t need that, right?”
With the exception of my pajama top drap
ing my arms and shoulders, I’m completely naked. I know I shouldn’t tempt him, but it’s hard to watch him go. I crawl across the bed on all fours, straddling him before he can protest.
He hauls me close, kissing me hard. I moan, the crotch of his pants pressing against my tender folds in a way that both aches and entices. I bite down on his lip in a way that drives him wild.
“Are you sure you have to go?” I say, gasping as the throbbing in my core accelerates.
He spits out a curse and drops his gaze. But when he returns his focus on me, I know I’m not the only one who craves more. “I don’t want to leave you or the sight of this face,” he tells me.
His words cause me to smile, even though they’re not the ones I long to hear. I try to make a joke, realizing I’m making it harder for him to leave and hoping to alleviate some of the growing strain between us. “Even when this face looks like this?”
He doesn’t return my smile, cementing me in place with the power of his stare. “This face is the one that haunts my dreams and lures me to your bed. I can’t be without it, and I especially can’t be without you.” He releases a heavy sigh. “It’s taking everything I have to leave you, Adrianna. I don’t know how the hell I ever lived without you . . .”
Chapter Nineteen
Salvatore
I walk into my apartment to find my brothers and Aedry dancing in the living room. The TV is blasting with some shit that can’t possibly be real music. Aedry is in a red dress that looks painted on, giving me a view of her perfect curves as she moves. Her dark hair sweeps along her shoulder blades like a silk sheet. She hasn’t cut it since I told her I like it long. And the way she looks . . . damn, she’s gorgeous.
My shoulder falls against the wall as I watch her shake, bulging the jewelry box stuffed in my coat. I dropped a few bills on it and I still think it wasn’t enough, not for what she means to me. The thing that’s eating at me is it’s not the ring I want to give her―the one where I ask her to be my wife.
Lies. All I’ve fed her is lies about what I do when I’m away from her—telling her anything to make her think my work with Vin and everything he’s a part of is legit. I painted him to be a victim, an honest businessman fighting for the little guy. It’s a hell of a task. Everything he does makes me sick.
My only cure from it all is Adrianna and how I feel when I’m with her.
Christ. How many rings did I look at before settling on the bracelet? Hell, I don’t know. That gnawing feeling, and the way my gut clenched when I realized I might be making a mistake, shifted my attention to the other side of the store. It’s not that I don’t want her to be my wife. It’s more like I’m afraid she’ll say yes.
I want a big house with a big yard for her, my boys, and whoever else comes along. But until I save enough, the only way to have the cash I need is to move up the ranks the way Vin’s expecting. But I can’t.
As much as the world will be better off without some of the scum he deals with, I don’t want those same tainted hands that pull that trigger or dig that knife to touch the beautiful woman dancing in front of me. No, I can’t soil her with my sins any further. And I can’t look my brothers in the eye, and tell them to be good men, when I can’t even manage to be a good man for them.
When it comes to my future, I do a lot of thinking, but my thoughts always return to Aedry and how much I want to marry and make babies with her. But each time I deal with Vin’s shit, I’m reminded that I can’t bring a child into the world knowing that from one breath to the next, I could leave this world and Aedry to raise our babies alone.
I shove the velvet case deeper in my pocket, knowing that for now, I’m making the right choice by waiting to give her that ring.
I push off the wall and step forward as the three of them spin to whatever the hell they’re dancing to and see me standing there. Aedry squeaks and stumbles back in surprise, while my brothers scramble to the couch, like I didn’t see them shaking their asses to that stupid song.
“Hi,” Aedry says, smiling brightly and hurrying into my arms. “I didn’t see you there.”
My eyes cut to my brothers as my hands glide along her bare back. “I can see that,” I say. “What’d you do? Lose a bet?” I ask them.
“Leave them alone,” Aedry says, kissing my lips. “We were just having a little fun.”
“It looked it,” I say.
My brothers smirk, but they can’t hide their reddening faces. They always act tough, except around Aedry. Like with me, she has a way of drawing out their not-so tough sides.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“Yes. I just need my shoes.” She walks back to the side of the couch, lifting a pair of spiky black platforms from a box beside a pair of silver stilettos.
My brothers couldn’t figure out what to get her for her birthday. She seems to like shoes, so that’s what I suggested. Damn fine choice by the way her hips sway when she walks toward my brothers after slipping them on.
She bends to kiss Apollo on the head. “Happy Birthday, Aedry,” he tells her, swinging his arm around her.
“Thank you, cutie,” she says, turning to hug Gianno. “And thank you both for the shoes.”
“Yeah. Thanks,” I say, as she strolls back toward me.
Gianno frowns. “You’re the one who picked them out,” he points out.
“Only ’cause I knew she’d look hot in them,” I say, nibbling on her ear when she reaches me.
“Behave,” she murmurs.
“Only because we have company,” I murmur in return.
I pull away and help her with her coat. “Don’t stay up too late,” I tell my brothers.
“What time will you be home?” Gianno asks.
He lifts the controller to his PS5, trying to act casual. He’s slick, but the shift in Apollo’s posture gives him away. “Soon,” I respond.
“Soon?” he questions.
I smirk. “Soon enough to catch whoever you plan to sneak in,” I answer.
They grumble as I lead Aedry out. Yeah, I know them a lot better than they think. I stop to kiss Aedry for real as we wait for the elevator.
“Happy Birthday,” I tell her, holding her close. I reach beneath her coat, pressing my palm on her lower back, my lips passing along her crown. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she says, sighing softly.
“You okay?” I ask.
She starts to nod when I peg her with a look that tells her I know she’s lying. “Rough day. It’s better now that I’m here.”
I keep my arm against her as we step into the elevator. “The kids at school giving you shit?”
“No, but because of budget cuts, I maybe out of a job,” she says.
I clutch her hand and lead her out, trying to keep my voice steady. Aedry wants to save the world, one kid at a time. And some of these kids need serious saving. To hear she won’t have that opportunity seriously pisses me off. “Why you?” I ask, opening the door to my ride for her. “You’re the best counselor they have.”
She doesn’t answer until I slide into the passenger seat and lock my seatbelt in place. “No, I’m the newest full-time counselor they have. The principal is trying to see what he can do to help, but it doesn’t look good.”
I try to keep my face relaxed as I pull onto the main road, aware that I’m frowning. “All those kids you’re seeing? What’s going to happen to them?”
“They’ll be divided among the part-time staff they keep,” she answers, trying to keep her composure.
These kids count on Aedry in ways that extend past her duties. I get that they need to let people go. It’s happening everywhere. But she’s the one the staff should be fighting to hang on to.
“Have you thought about going into private practice?” Not that it’s something I want. I don’t like the idea of her being alone with someone who could hurt her.
“It’s not something I can afford to do at this time.” She slips off her coat. Now that it’s late March, it’s not as cold. But there�
�s something in the way she wriggles out of it that catches my eye.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
“I don’t want to talk about this now,” she says, her voice growing sad.
I shake my head. “Aedry, you can’t say something like that and expect me to let it go.”
She rubs her hands against her thighs. “Even if the principal comes up with more money, it will only be a part-time position at best. I can’t make my expenses on such a small salary. He said . . .” She gives herself a moment. “There’s a chance he might have to let me go before the school year ends.”
“The fuck?” I say. “How can they do that to you—and these kids?”
At first, I don’t think she’ll answer. “There have been some expenses they hadn’t counted on, including damage to the roof following that bad snowstorm in February and some vandalism that occurred over Winter break. He has to make some difficult choices and, in his mind, it’s easier to lose one counselor than one teacher.”
“Quit,” I say. “If this is the way they’re going to treat you, leave.”
“Salvatore . . . I can’t.”
I pull onto the road leading to the restaurant. “Move in with me or not. Either way, I’ll support you until you can get a better job and less misery.”
Her hand finds its way to my lap. “I can’t leave those kids until I’m asked,” she says.
And I’m not moving in, she doesn’t bother saying.
We don’t talk the rest of the way to the restaurant. But maybe it’s better. She’s heartbroken over the possibility of leaving a job she loves and is committed to. Me, I’m pissed they broke her heart.
She pauses when the valet opens her door. “Let’s forget about what I said, okay?” she pleads. “I just want to have a good time.”
I throw my door open when she steps out, dropping the key in the valet’s hand. I don’t say anything as we make our way into the restaurant. If she were my wife, I’d support her, take care of her, and that’s all there would be to it. But she’s not and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Not now.
