by C. M. Steele
“Aria has always been repulsed by you, and for good reason. Say your prayers for forgiveness.”
“Fuck off.” Cormack pulls the trigger without giving him another thought. I take the gun from my brother-in-law. Cormack says a quick prayer and walks out of the building without a glance back.
I have everything I need, and he’s no longer a threat to Aria.
“Get rid of this scum,” I add to my men, giving the dead bastard one more glare before
“Go take care of your wife. You can fix it,” Nero says. I clap his shoulder and nod before leaving. Going to see Aria after everything between us will be difficult. Still, she’s my wife, and we’ll have to make it work out, even if it takes time. I’ve learned to be patient when it comes to waiting for her, so I’ll just have to try again until she understands that everything I had a part in was only for her own well-being.
As soon as I’m in my truck, I feel a sense of relief even though I should have been the one to take him out. Cormack had even more reasons which is fucking sick because I could never imagine killing my father. I look at him as he sits in silence. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”
“It was a long time coming. I just need to see Gloria now.”
“Let’s get our women.” The drive home goes by fast for me, but Cormack doesn’t say another word. I can’t even fathom what he’s going through right now. I could never hurt Niccolò let alone kill him. Then again, my brother isn’t a sick, twisted bastard.
I get home and climb the stairs, my body feeling sluggish. Ignoring the few guards in my house, I make my way to our bedroom door. Opening it slowly, I find the bed empty. I practically throw the door open, only to find my wife sleeping on the window seat, dressed in just her bathrobe. As I approach, I see the stains of the tears she shed from the weight of the last day.
Damn, it destroys me to see her like that. If it wasn’t for the tears, she’d look like a goddess sleeping there, similar to her painting where she waits for her lover.
Scooping her up in my arms, I carry her to our bed. Slowly she adjusts in my arms and sighs my name. “Domani.” She snuggles into my chest, and I feel for a brief moment that there’s a chance she’ll forgive me.
I regrettably set her down onto the mattress so that I can undress. She turns slightly, waking up just enough to notice I’m home. “You’re home. What time is it?” She sits up against the headboard, rubbing her eyes to wake completely up.
“It’s only been a couple of hours. Nearly two in the morning.”
“Thank you for rescuing me.”
“Don’t thank me for doing what shouldn’t have been necessary.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything I said. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. My father’s the one who kept me sheltered, even if it was to stop a war, but from what Peter said, it’s clear you two were only trying to protect me from being abducted.”
“Well, we didn’t do a good job because he got to you anyway.”
“Yes, but you were able to save me.”
“Just barely.”
“How were you able to find me?”
I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “Your ring. I made sure to attach a tracker in there.”
“Were you afraid I’d run away?”
“No. I was worried someone would steal you from me. You’re the most important person to me, my biggest weakness. From the first moment I made it known, I’d made you a target. Although when it came to that asshole, I thought he had no interest in you when questioned years ago.”
“You questioned people?”
“It was when the attempted abduction almost occurred. What they didn’t know is that I was so obsessed, I was stalking you every chance I got. You were on your way to school when I saw the bastard trying to swipe you up and my men apprehended him. He refused to tell us who hired him, but he had a southern accent, so our men went on the search. After that, no movement was made, so we concluded that he’d been working alone. We also uncovered that he was a serial killer, targeting young, beautiful women from sixteen to twenty.”
“Oh my goodness, so if you hadn’t been following me…”
“I don’t know if he would have been successful, but that was a chance your family and I didn’t really want to take. I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you—give you a choice.”
“Don’t be. When I think about it, I’m glad you both did what you did. I would have lived in fear, looking over my shoulder if you’d told me the truth. Knowing that he was a serial killer makes it worse, but Peter said that he tried to abduct me and he missed his opportunity.”
“Maybe you had two animals on you, but he hadn’t made his move before we stopped the other one. For years, I know I blamed myself for putting a target on your back, but I knew if I didn’t make my moves, then I’d be going to war with the other families. Your father promised I could marry you if I promised to not make contact with you until you were of legal age, so I did.”
“For real?”
“Amore, I’m a criminal, just like him. Laws don’t mean much to me, but respect does. Your father wanted me to prove my loyalty to you without trying to influence your choice.”
“Wow, so you’ve been in love with me for years?”
“Yes, amore. I’ve loved you from the first moment you crossed my path.”
“There’s something I must confess. I’ve been thinking about you even longer. I was thirteen when I got my first look at you. You were with your cousin. I wasn’t sure where you were going, but our vehicle and yours were at a light. You couldn’t see me behind the tints, but I saw you. I’d been looking for images of you for years on the internet. Then, when you were in the meeting two years ago, I felt a change. It wasn’t just a crush anymore. I hoped that you wouldn’t marry by the time I’d grown up.”
“You have, amore?”
“Yes. I love you very much. Why do you think I didn’t put up much of a fight? I wanted to be your wife, but I loved the gruff, sexy way you reminded me I was yours.”
“Wife, don’t tease me right now. You’ve had a rough day, and I’m too worked up. I’ll end up fucking you to the mattress all night long.”
“I need you, Domani. I need a reminder that we’re meant to be together.” I’m on her, giving her purchase as I claim her mouth in a fierce kiss that I’ve been waiting for all day. I pull off just enough to let her breathe, skimming my lips along her face, creeping down her neck and back up.
“Domani,” she sighs. The sound hits my soul, deeply calling to every part of me. I slip my fingers into her hair, tugging her head back so that I can lick her neck.
“Who do you belong to, Aria?”
“You. You are the only person I’ve ever wanted.”
“Good.” I tug on her tie, opening her robe. Her nipples stiffen as I graze the soft cotton across her pebbled skin. My eyes linger over her body—perfect, gorgeous, and all just for me. “These are all mine,” I breathe out, sliding my tongue over her sexy breasts, sucking on her plump curves. Soon they’ll be full of milk to feed our sons. She shivers as I swipe along her hard nipples. I bite down lightly so I can hear her moans. Every sound is breathy, need shooting from her lips. I slide one hand over her soft skin and along her silky curls, only stopping when my fingers find their target. Pumping one finger into her soaked core, I love how wet she is. “Do you want to come for me? Only me?”
“Always you. Only you.” I pull my fingers from her cunt and slip them into my mouth without taking my eyes from her. “You taste so good, but I have to be in you or I’ll lose my mind.”
“Take me. I need to feel you deep inside. Please Domani.”
“You never have to beg.” I stand and strip out of my clothes as fast as humanly possible and then position myself at her entrance. With another deep kiss, I slam inside of her tight hole, claiming my wife all over again. She’s gonna need—better yet, I’m gonna need—to be reminded daily that she belongs to me.
“I have and will always be yours,” she says, tugging her hands through my hair and bringing my face to hers for a deep, soul penetrating kiss. I lift one leg up, wrapping it around my waist as I turn her slightly on an angle, driving into her intensifying my thrusts with every whimper and moan.
“Fuck, Dom, I’m coming,” she screams out and I let go as well, jetting my load into her womb.
I flip us around so that she’s resting on top of me. Brushing her hair out of her face, I kiss her lips and say, “I love you so much, Aria.”
“My love for you has been years in the making, Domani.” She tells me about the day they headed to the wedding. Had I known, I would have gone with her and then fucking killed Peter a long time ago with my bare hands.
We roll around as I piston in and out of her, fucking all night long, coming repeatedly until we’re unable to move.
Epilogue
Domani
“What the fuck do you mean you have a witness? Get rid of them,” I shout at Nero as if he’s not aware of how we operate.
“I thought we didn’t hurt innocents?” Nero never even bothers to ask questions; something has to be up.
He’s in the middle of a shitty subdivision in the southwest suburbs. The area has gone from an expensive neighborhood to a fucking cesspool in a matter of a decade. “Since when is there an innocent in that area?”
“She’s a sales rep from a solar company.” A she. Fuck, that’s even worse. If it was some asshole that I could tempt or scare into keeping quiet, that would be better, but an innocent woman is another story all together.
“Solar company?” I tap my pen on my desk, wondering who would go into that area to install solar panels. That shit better be insured because it’ll be plucked off of roofs and sold in a heartbeat to another company.
“Yeah, authentic and everything. She’s going door-to-door and shit, like it’s fucking safe,” he snarls as if he’s pissed about her type of employment. Is there more to this?
“Damn it. What’s really going on, Nero? I get you don’t want to hurt her, but we can’t do nothing.”
“We can’t hurt her,” he roars, making me laugh. Yep. My guy, my second-in-command, has the same problem I had: falling for a woman he couldn’t have. “Wait, Dom. I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to keep her hostage and change her mind.”
“What?” I play along, but I can read his tone of voice and know all I need to know.
“Let’s just say I can’t hurt her.”
“This is on you, Nero,” I remind him because I’m still the boss, and if this goes south, we could all be fucked.
“Domani, where are you?” Aria calls out, sounding fucking annoyed, which means I’m in trouble for something even though I haven’t done shit to earn her ire.
“I’ve got to go; the queen is summoning me.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” Humor returns to his voice, and I end the call.
“Domani, there you are,” Aria huffs, coming into the room with our baby boy on her arm.
I’m up on my feet and around my desk in a flash. “What’s wrong?”
She grins from ear to ear and squeals, “He said his first word.” God, she’s beautiful. I live for that smile.
“What?” I ask my little man who is also my pride and joy. We had to wait a couple of months before Aria became pregnant with Luca. I anxiously waited every month, but the damn period came anyway. He was my Christmas present though. Aria surprised me Christmas morning with the news that I was going to be a papa.
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“Papa.” My eyes fly open because I expected him to say “mama” or “baba” or something else. We spend a lot of time with him, but I’m dealing with business matters most of the day, both the legal and illegal side, so he doesn’t see me anywhere near as much as he does Aria.
“Say it again for your papa,” I coo, grabbing his chubby little fingers.
“Pa-pa. Pa-pa.” A little drool dribbles out of his mouth, so I pull out my handkerchief and wipe it away. One day he’ll rule all of this, but for now, he’s my little bambino, my pride and joy who needs me to care for him the way a father should.
“Good boy!” I take him from his beautiful mama and kiss his head, which is covered in jet black hair. He takes after both of us so much, although everyone says he’s gonna look just like me—but I don’t mind if he looks like his mama. Either way, the little man is going to be a heartbreaker.
“He’s learning quickly. According to the books, he’s ahead of schedule,” Aria cheers, clapping her hands softly. Luca grabs her hands and claps them for her. He’s an intelligent baby for sure.
“He’s going to be a smart little one like his uncle Niccolò.” Aria and I are above average, but my brother’s a genius and a nerd, so I wouldn’t mind at all if he took after him.
“Speaking of, Niccolò. He’s been taking some time off lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, your mom and I went to go get some coffee this morning at the one café in town that we love, and Niccolò was there.”
“Yes, well, the owner owes us a pretty penny. I have Nico checking out the financial stability of the place.”
“Si, but that’s not what he’s doing. He’s watching the girl behind the counter. I don’t know if it’s his first time being there or if he’s been going there, but he was watching her like the way you watch me.”
“What? He’s falling too?”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s possible. He’s got that Domani look that says, ‘Mine.’”
“You mean this one?”
“Mm-hmm,” she sighs as I press my lips to hers.
“That’s because us Bianchi men know what’s ours and claim it.”
"Whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going, buddy?" He's getting stronger and searching for independence every day. At eight months, he's already standing up against surfaces. It won’t be long until he’s walking.
“He’s ready to run, Domani. Aren’t you, Luca?”
“He’s gonna be just like me. We’re in for it, for sure. I used to run up and down these halls until I cracked my head open—right here.” I point to a faint scar in my hairline.
“Let’s hope he doesn’t have any major accidents. I don’t think my heart could take it.” Luca stretches out his hands for Mama, tugging away from me. I hand him back so he doesn’t fall because he’s too damned stubborn like his daddy.
“So do you want to come out to the pool with us?”
“Yes, my queen. I could use some time with my little family. Besides, I believe you said you had a new bikini for me to see.”
“Maybe I should wait to wear it. I’ve gotten a little heavier lately.”
“Are we going to have this discussion again? I think you are sexy, even if you put on another hundred pounds.”
“Hardly, but I mean… well, I suppose if I don’t wear it now, I might never get a chance with you putting babies in me.”
“Babies? Amore, are you pregnant?”
“Surprise?”
“Yes. Hell, yes, Aria,” I growl, sliding my hand into her hair and pulling her close to me. Our boy pats my face, but I need to kiss my wife so I take him out of her arms and set him down in the play yard I have in my office. I might be a mob boss, but my kids mean the world to me—every single one we’re blessed with. Dragging Aria to me, I press her body to mine as I taste her soft lips. “Forget swimming; I need to get you alone.”
“Well, then, I guess it’s good that I asked your mom to watch Luca for the afternoon. All we have to do is drop him off in her wing.”
“I’m on it,” I growl, scooping up my little guy and hearing Aria’s
laughter give way as I march out of my office to my parents’ part of the house. Although we share the majority of it, they do have a private bedroom for the grandkids to come. Luca’s the first of many on my side of the family. Gloria and Delaney have gone about it the good ol’ Irish Catholic way, and they’re on baby number four. We won’t be far behind if I get my way.
Right now, they’re in Ireland so that Delaney can handle matters over there because his brother ran their name to shit. I still regret killing Peter so quickly, but I can rejoice that he no longer walks the earth, and it will be the same for whoever tries to harm my family, because they mean everything to me.
“Wow, I thought you would have gotten here faster,” my mother teases.
“I was reveling in the fact that my little man said my name. Now here he is. You need anything, send me a text, but I think Aria could use some time to celebrate.”
“Enjoy. Say bye-bye to Papa and Mama.”
“Bye,” he coos. Aria spins around and I follow suit, giving my Luca another kiss. It takes us another ten minutes to pull away from him, even though we’re ready for an evening to ourselves.
“So, did you arrange this today?”
“Nope. I just mentioned that I was tired, and your mama demanded that I bring Luca for the night.”
“Are you tired?”
“My arms are tired, but I love holding him.”
“He’s gonna be too heavy for you to be carrying soon. When do you see the doctor?”
“Tomorrow, and then she can tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing,” she says, glaring at me with that attitude that’s going to get her fucked nice and hard.
“Are you getting smart with me, wife?”
“I’ve always had a smart mouth. I’ve just been a really good girl lately.” Her eyes dart upward as she purses her lips sweetly.
“Little liar.”
She presses her hand to her chest. “Who, me? I’m an angel.”
“You’re the devil’s angel, and I’ll take the good, the bad, and the dirty any time, amore. Now, get on your knees and make up for that mouth of yours.” She smiles up at me, knowing damned well that’s exactly what she wants. Aria gets horny as hell when pregnant, and thank fuck for that.
