One Step Closer (Erotic Romance) Book 1 (The DeLuca Brothers)

by Lucinda DuBois

  Frank buried himself inside her with one strong thrust, a long, drawn-out groan escaping his lips as he came to rest against her ass. Sofia drew a shuddering breath, every muscle in her body quivering as a combination of pain and pleasure rocked her body. She hadn’t had anything other than a finger or two inside her for over two years and, before that, it had been only Gio, and while he was a little above average, he was nowhere near the size of his cousin. Frank began to thrust before she was ready and she bit down on the throw pillow to muffle her cries. Each stroke stretched her more, turning the almost-painful sensations into pleasure as her body adjusted to the intrusion. Frank drove into her again and again, the force of each thrust driving the air from her lungs, preventing her from making any true sound. Then the arm at her waist shifted, allowing Frank’s hand to slide between her legs.

  One light touch to her clit and Sofia was cumming, her body shaking as her climax crashed into her and over her and through her. She felt tears, hot and salty, spill over and stream down her cheeks to wet the pillow she was screaming into. She’d forgotten it could be this good. Things hadn’t always been gentle and tender between them, but no matter how they came together, there was always this sense of merging, of working towards that place where they didn’t know where one ended and the other began. She could feel her body climbing towards that place, building on her orgasm to reach even higher.

  Frank continued to rub her clit as he pounded into her, his arm quickly becoming the only thing keeping her from falling on her face. His other hand slid from her hip as he bent his body closer to her. His fingers danced across her belly up to where her breasts swayed with the rhythm of his thrusts. He cupped one in his large hand, his index finger and thumb rolling and tugging on her nipple until she was cumming again, keening, every nerve in her body humming. As her pussy clenched around him, his hips jerked once, twice and then his cock was pulsing as he emptied himself inside her. Even as he came, joining her in ecstasy, Sofia gave herself over completely to that moment, putting aside all that had gone on between them and just letting themselves merge together, two parts of a whole.

  He turned them slightly as they slumped down onto the couch so that he wasn’t lying on top of her, but he kept his arms around her waist. Sofia snuggled back against him, feeling a sense of completeness that she hadn’t felt in years. Even after he withdrew from her and she felt the stickiness of their combined juices on her inner thighs, she still felt that connection she’d been missing from her relationship with Gio. It was still only Frank. It had only ever been him.

  “By the way,” Frank finally spoke. “Hi.”

  Sofia laughed, a truly joyful sound that bubbled up from deep inside her. After a moment, Frank joined in, his deep rumble vibrating against her back. Frank pressed his lips against her temple and Sofia let herself relax. She’d missed this. Not just the sex, though she had missed that too, but the way they were with each other, the way he’d always made her feel. Safe. Protected. Loved.

  As she lay in his arms, Sofia found herself daring to hope that this meant something more than just fucking. That what she’d seen on Frank’s face and felt in his kisses hadn’t just been a physical desire, but a rekindling of deeper feelings for each other. Something that meant things were going to chance. Questions flooded her mind. Could they put aside their past, move forward? Was it possible, after all these years, after all they’d been through, that they could start again? That, this time, things could be different? She knew it was dangerous to think this way, that she would most likely end up being hurt again, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself, and, if she was completely honest, she didn’t want to stop herself from hoping. If this could be true, it would mean that she could have everything she’d ever wanted.

  Frank’s fingers traced lazy patterns on her stomach and Sofia was suddenly aware of how exposed she was with her torn shirt, her bra pushed up over her breasts and her pants and panties now around her knees. She glanced at the clock and sighed. For a brief moment, she let herself entertain the idea of rolling over and kissing him, of using her mouth to explore his body, to re-learn it. Taking his soft shaft between her lips and loving on it until it swelled, full and ready. They could undress, see each other once more, run their hands over curves and planes. She could ride him then, set the pace to something slow and gentle, draw out their pleasure until they were lost in bliss. They would sleep after, curled around each other, their bodies entwined.

  It was just a fantasy, she knew. They didn’t have the time for any of that. She had to get up.

  “Is something wrong?” Frank asked.

  Sofia knew that the concern in his voice was about what they’d done, that he was afraid she was regretting it, but she didn’t know how to reassure him without telling him the real reason she was disentangling herself from his arms. She tugged her bra back down over her breasts, catching a glimpse of the purple, bruise-like marks Frank’s mouth had left.

  “No,” she kept the answer short. She stood, pulling up her pants. She grimaced at the feel of the wet cotton against her skin, but she would need to offer an explanation if she changed completely. What she did need, however, was a new shirt. “I’ll be right back.” She gestured towards her torn t-shirt and hurried upstairs.

  A thousand thoughts raced through her mind and she knew she didn’t have much time to sort through them. Part of her wanted to rush Frank out of the house before Tommy came home. She didn’t know what this meant for them, and she had Tommy to think about now. It wasn’t just her own happiness at stake anymore. Then there was the fact that an introduction to Tommy was going to have to go one of two ways. She could lie, tell Frank the same thing she’d let everyone else believe and hope that he’d be willing to accept a child he believed was his cousin’s son. Or, she could tell him the truth. That, of course, meant confessing that she’d been lying to everyone, including him, for the past eight years. The only person besides her that knew the truth was Gio and he’d sworn never to tell. He’d never treated Tommy as anything less than his own flesh and blood, so there was also that. Tommy was a bright kid and knew enough to understand the difference between a biological parent and the one who raised him, but if she told Frank the truth, she’d have to tell Tommy as well.

  It would be easier, then, to just make Frank think that she had to go somewhere or do something than it would be to introduce him to her son, but she couldn’t deny that she wanted them to meet. She wanted Frank to see the beautiful, intelligent, wonderful boy that was his son. She knew that Gio would understand and she’d make sure he’d still be a part of Tommy’s life. He’d been a great father, but she knew that not only did Tommy deserve to know where he came from, but Frank deserved the truth as well. If only the truth wouldn’t hurt so many people. When she’d first decided to lie, she hadn’t been thinking beyond the immediate future and hadn’t realized how much pain her choice could cause.

  Maria suspected, Sofia was sure. She always took Tommy over to see Maria, claiming that it was because her own parents were so far away, but she’d seen Maria’s shrewd eyes watching the boy, seeing the slight differences between him and the DeLuca side of the family. She could see some of herself in her son, but he was so much like Frank that Sofia was often shocked that more people didn’t see it. Tommy loved his Grandma Marie and his uncles, and they him, but Sofia sometimes felt guilty that they didn’t know that they truly were family.

  She grabbed a shirt and pulled it over her head as she headed for the stairs. She didn’t have much time in which to make her decision. She could only hope whatever she decided was the right thing. As soon as she crossed into the living room, however, she saw that all of her worrying, all of her debating, had been for nothing.

  Frank stood next to the couch, his hair a mess, but fully clothed, even if his shirt was missing a few buttons. Less than five feet away was Tommy, a wary look on his young face. His book-bag was still in his hand and he seemed to be trying to decide what to do next.

  “Tommy,” Sof
ia’s voice shook as she hurried to her son.

  “Mom,” Tommy looked up at her. “Who is that man? He looks like Uncle Sal.”

  “Tommy, this is Grandma Maria’s oldest son, Frank.” The truth and a lie by omission was the best solution Sofia’s panicked brain could come up with on such short notice. She turned towards Frank, her stomach sinking at the expression on his face. This wasn’t how she wanted this to go. “Frank, this is Tommy.”

  “Hi there, big guy,” Frank’s voice was pleasant, but Sofia could hear the tension below the surface. “How old are you?”

  As soon as Frank asked the question, Sofia knew that everything was going to come crashing down, and she was helpless to do anything but watch.

  “I’m seven and a half,” Tommy answered, all suspicion gone. His implicit trust of Grandma Maria’s sons had immediately extended to Frank. “I’m in third grade.”

  “Seven and a half?” Frank’s smile tightened and Sofia could see him doing the math in his head, though she wasn’t sure which conclusion he’d come to when he finished. “That’s great.” Frank’s hands curled into fists and Sofia could feel the anger radiating off of him. Without another word or even a glance in her direction, he started for the door.

  Sofia couldn’t breathe. She had to fix this. She couldn’t let things end this way, not when there was even a shred of hope that they could work things out.

  “Tommy, sweetie, why don’t you go put your things in your room. I’ll be right back,” Sofia spoke as quickly as she could, hoping to catch Frank before he made it outside, but Frank was slamming the door behind him before she’d finished her first sentence. As Tommy went to do as he’d been told, Sofia ran out of the house. “Frank!” She called out his name, desperately hoping that he’d come back, that he’d let her explain. She looked down the street towards the DeLuca house and could see Frank walking. “Frank!” She yelled, but he didn’t turn. She took a step as if to go after him and then realized that she couldn’t leave Tommy, and she sure as hell couldn’t take Tommy with her, not unless she wanted to reveal his true parentage in the most awful way possible. So she stood, unable to move.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?” Tommy was at the door, a puzzled expression on his young face.

  Sofia choked back the cry of frustration that wanted to escape and forced a smile onto her face. She turned towards her son, trying not to let him see the heartbreak and despair currently running through her. “Nothing, sweetie. Let’s get you a snack.”

  Chapter 7

  Seven and a half years-old.

  Frank couldn’t get the boy’s words out of his head. They echoed in his ears, taunting him as he stormed down the sidewalk. In the distance, he could hear Sofia calling after him, but he didn’t acknowledge it. How could he go back there, knowing what she’d done? He now understood everything. Why she’d left eight years ago, leaving him with just a note. Why she’d never called or come back. Why she’d had to marry Gio so quickly. And, now, even why she’d run when she’d first seen him. It also explained Gio’s behavior. Anger at his cousin flared up again. This wasn’t just a matter of Gio finally having a shot at Sofia after they’d broken up. What they’d done was unforgivable.

  He threw open the front door with more force than necessary, wincing as it crashed against the wall. He hadn’t meant to do that.

  “Francis DeLuca!” Maria’s sharp voice came from the couch. “You know better than to do that.”

  “Sorry, Ma,” Frank muttered the words automatically. He knew he should sound more respectful, but he couldn’t quite manage it.

  “Are you all right?” Maria stood.

  “I’m leaving,” Frank avoided her question. There was no doubt in his mind that his mother and brothers had known about Tommy – Sofia and the boy’s references to them by familial names had been enough to confirm that. And there was no way that they hadn’t been able to put together what the boy’s age meant, even Anthony who didn’t pay attention to things like that. The fact that the most antagonistic of the bunch hadn’t said anything was just proof, in Frank’s opinion, that the family had all known.

  “Talk to me, Francis,” Maria crossed to where Frank stood. “What’s happened?” She glanced at the door and then at his disheveled appearance. To her credit, she didn’t bother with disapproval. “Did you go to see Sofia?”

  “Oh I saw her all right,” Frank raked his hands through his hair and walked over to the couch as if to sit down before he changed his mind. “I saw her and her son.”

  “Tommy,” Maria didn’t bother to try to hide the fact that she knew about the boy.

  “He’s seven and a half, Ma,” Frank turned away from his mother so she wouldn’t see the anger on his face.

  “Yes,” she didn’t sound as if the revelation meant anything.

  “I did the math,” Frank closed his eyes and then opened them again. He kept seeing the two of them together, Sofia and the boy, standing there, watching him with those same eyes, one set curious, the other full of fear. “And now I know why she broke up with me, why she and Gio had to get married so fast.”

  “You do?” Now Maria sounded genuinely surprised. “And you aren’t still there with her and Tommy?”

  “She lied to me, Ma, why would I want to stay and talk it out?” Frank turned towards his mother. “She cheated on me and you’re acting like it was just some little fib.”

  “Cheated on you?” Surprise turned to bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”

  Frank’s temper flared. Did he really have to spell it out for her? “Sofia got pregnant before she and I officially broken up. That means she and Gio were fu – sleeping together while she and I were still together.”

  “You think…” Maria stared at Frank. “Sofia didn’t cheat on you, Francis.”

  “There’s a little boy down the road who proves otherwise,” Frank only just managed to keep from snapping at his mother.

  Maria shook her head. “And here I thought you were smart.”

  “What are you talking about?” It was Frank’s turn to look puzzled.

  “Do the math again and don’t be an idiot this time.”

  “Ma?”

  “Gio may have claimed that boy as his own, but anyone with eyes can see who Tommy’s father is. That boy is a perfect blend of you and Sofia.”

  Frank took a step back and shook his head. It couldn’t be true. Sofia would’ve told him if he had a son. That would have brought them together, not broken them up. “She – she told you that?”

  “She’s never come out and said it,” Maria admitted. “But I’ve pieced together enough over the years to know that Sofia has never stopped loving you, even when she was married to Gio. A girl who’s been in love with you for as long as she can remember doesn’t just up and cheat on you.”

  “She would’ve told me,” Frank found himself giving voice to the reasons why it couldn’t be true. “That’s the kind of thing that brings a couple in love together, not breaks them apart. I would’ve married her and she knew it.”

  “You’re right,” Maria nodded. “Sofia knew that you would’ve proposed. You would have given up everything you’d been working for to come back here and take care of your family. Sofia loved you enough to sacrifice her happiness, her future with you and her own reputation so that you could have the life you wanted. She never wanted to hold you back and she didn’t want a proposal because you were obligated.” Maria’s voice hardened. “If you love that woman, Francis, if you ever loved her, you need to stop being a selfish bastard and do the right thing.”

  Frank stared after his mother as she left the room. The silence was deafening as he sank down onto the couch, the strength draining out of his legs. Was she right? Was that boy really his son? And if he was, why had Sofia hidden him? Could his mother be right about that as well? After all of these years, was it possible that he’d been wrong about why Sofia had left him? Had she been trying to do what she’d thought he’d want?

  That led him to a more important
question. What did he want? If Tommy really was his son, what did that mean? Before he’d known about the boy, Frank had been thinking about the possibility of trying to work things out with Sofia. That had been one of the main reasons he’d gone to her house to see her. The other reason had ended up taking precedence, but he’d intended for their time together to include a conversation about where they each were now in their lives and if they had room for each other.

  The sex had just solidified for him that the attraction had still been there. Then he’d seen Tommy. At first glance, he’d thought the boy was younger and that Sofia just hadn’t had the opportunity to tell her about him. He’d had a few seconds to consider if he still wanted to be with her if she had a child. He’d still been debating it when he’d realized that the boy was older than he’d originally thought.

  All thoughts of starting again had fled the moment he’d thought she’d cheated on him, but now, things had changed again and he had an important decision to make, one that wouldn’t just affect him, but his entire family, Sofia, and Tommy.

  If Tommy really was his son, what was Frank going to do about it?

  Chapter 8

  Sofia sat on the edge of Tommy’s bed as he climbed underneath the covers. She’d managed to make it through dinner and two rounds of Go Fish without losing her composure, but as she tucked her son into bed, she could feel herself starting to lose control. She leaned over and pressed her lips against Tommy’s forehead. His eyes were already starting to close as she stood.

  “Good night, sweetheart.” Hot tears pricked at the backs of her eyelids but she didn’t give in, not yet.

  “Night, Mommy,” Tommy mumbled even as sleep claimed him.

  Sofia swallowed hard against the lump in her throat as she hurried from the room. The tears started as she climbed into the shower. She washed methodically, breathing in deep the scent of her lavender body wash and trying not to look at the marks Frank’s mouth had left on her body.