Warning [Part Three]

by A. D. Justice

  After I showered, fixed my hair, and applied a little makeup, I walked into the bedroom to find Damon. He stood in front of the full-length mirror, attempting to button his shirt with one hand in a cast. I stepped between him and the mirror and took over dressing him. Within a couple of minutes, I applied the finishing touches to his custom-fitted gray pinstripe Armani suit. The pink shirt and matching tie he chose only added to the suit’s overall elegance—and to my libido. Merely the sight of him, dressed to kill with that inherently dangerous edge to his demeanor, made me weak in the knees, even with a bruised and battered face.

  “You keep looking at me like that, doll, and we won’t leave this room for a week.”

  “It’s your fault. Look at that sexy man in the mirror. How can I look away?”

  “You do wonders for my ego, doll. Keep talking.”

  I slipped my arms under his and around his waist, being extra careful with his still fresh injuries. “I’ll stroke your ego anytime, babe. It’ll be my pleasure.”

  “Block your calendar for two weeks. You’ll be locked in the bedroom with me the whole time as soon as I’m back to one hundred percent.”

  He pressed his lips against mine, his kiss full of need and desire. There was no gentle swipe of the tongue. No waiting for permission to enter. He claimed my mouth as his. He invaded me in every sense of the word—mind, body, and soul. The kiss was both the most simplistic and most intimate I’d ever known. I felt the words he didn’t say in his embrace. Love. Gratitude. Desire. Devotion.

  “Wow, what did I do to deserve that kiss? I’ll make sure I do it again.”

  “You deserve much more than that. I love you more than you know.”

  Before I could press him for more information, Vincenzo stepped into the room. “It’s time to go. Are you two ready?”

  “Yeah, we’re ready, Dad. We’ll be right behind you.”

  We walked hand in hand to the garage and slid into the back seat to ride with Damon’s parents to the funeral home. The somber mood permeated the car and kept conversation to a minimum. That was fine with me, though. Damon pulled me to his side, wrapped his good arm around my shoulders, and kept his lips pressed against my temple.

  The parking lot was already full of cars when we arrived, but the parking spot closest to the entrance was left vacant. When Vincenzo drove straight to it, I realized the family took care of even the smallest details for the Boss. Like saving the best parking spot for him.

  The moment we stepped inside, the low roar of chatter stopped, and silence filled the room. The Boss had arrived, and everyone was well aware of his presence. After Vincenzo greeted a few of the men, everyone else took their cue and resumed conversations. Damon and I kept walking through the crowd. Several people spoke to him when we passed, but Damon didn’t stop to engage with anyone.

  The respect they had for Damon was apparent in their expressions, but I couldn’t miss the way most of the family men sneered at me. Word that I shot Leo must have started working its way through the ranks. If they suspected the rumors were true, I wondered how long we had before they looked differently at Damon.

  True to his word, Damon led us to a set of chairs close to the open coffin. People walked by and said their final goodbyes, and Damon kept his hand wrapped around mine the entire time. Blatant stares at our joined fingers became more uncomfortable for me, but Damon’s resolve was unchanged. When a new wave of murmurs flowed through the room, I looked up just in time to see the crowd parting to give Carrie a clear path. A smile lit her face when she spotted me.

  Vincenzo approached us on the other side of Damon. “Son, come sit with me for a few minutes, yes?”

  “Sure, Dad.” Damon turned to me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, doll.”

  “I’ll keep her company.” Carrie took his vacated seat and hugged me hello. “How’s my preggie sister?”

  “I’m okay. It feels like forever since we’ve talked, even though it’s only been a couple of days. A couple of very long days. How are you holding up? What’s going on with you?”

  “I’m holding up okay, physically. Mentally, I’m trying to deal with everything that’s happened. As for what’s going on with my personal life—it’s complicated. I’ll tell you all about it when there aren’t so many snooping ears eavesdropping on our conversation.”

  Carrie turned her head and looked directly at the man who was standing unusually close to us. With his motive exposed, he tried to move away nonchalantly, but his curiosity got the best of him. His gaze dropped to us briefly before he walked away.

  “What’s the deal? They’ve been giving me dirty looks too.”

  “They think we let Geno escape on purpose. They think I did it for Lorenzo, and you did it for me. These men are worse gossips than little old women, making up shit as they go.”

  I checked around us for anyone standing too close for comfort before asking about what had been on my mind. “So they don’t know about what I did?”

  “No. There were questions and speculations, but Marco squelched it quickly. He told them he did it, and if they had a problem with it, they could take it up with him personally. No one has been too keen on tangling with Marco.”

  Carrie and I chatted for a while longer, limiting our topics to only those we didn’t mind the rest of the family overhearing. Every few minutes, I caught myself searching the room for Damon. He was in the far corner of the parlor, huddled around a table with a group of older men. His expression was impassive, his classic poker face when he was in business mode, but something was off in his body language. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I could tell he wasn’t pleased with the conversation.

  “Who are those men with Damon?” I shifted my eyes in their general direction but kept my face turned toward Carrie.

  “That’s the Marchetti Family Council. They’re probably talking about the chain of command with Leo’s death, Dad’s upcoming retirement, and Damon’s imminent promotion. Or they could be plotting to take over the world. Either topic is just as likely as the other.”

  When Damon stood from the table, he walked straight back to Carrie and me. One of his men moved quickly to place another chair beside me then he stepped back, giving Damon a wide berth to claim the seat. Damon nodded at him as a thank-you but didn’t speak. I recognized him as one of the two men from my fender bender with the dump truck that started me on this whole crazy journey.

  Damon was unusually quiet the rest of the time we remained at the funeral home. He answered when spoken to, but with as few words as possible. He was cordial but aloof. He didn’t make anyone feel as if they were intruding, but he wasn’t warm and welcoming either. He was part of the family, but he was all business. Damon Marchetti was an enigma I still hadn’t figured out completely.

  We walked out of the funeral home with Carrie at the end of the evening. “I’ll call you soon, and we’ll go grab some coffee together. I’ll fill you in on all the drama in my life.”

  “Sounds like a date to me. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.” We said our goodbyes while hugging each other. I still felt eyes boring into us from every direction. Seeing us together probably started the rumor mill up again.

  Vincenzo and Lina carried the majority of the conversation on the way back to their house. Damon and I chimed in when it was appropriate, but they mostly talked about wanting to return to Italy to see family and old friends who remained there. They wanted to stroll through the small village where they grew up and observe what changes the years had brought. Listening to them talk about doing the same things normal families would want was comforting, especially after the emotionally draining hours we spent listening to others recount memories of Benny.

  He died while trying to save me. I supposed that also had something to do with the side glances from the family. Had I not gone to confront Lorenzo, I wouldn’t have needed saving,
and Benny would still be with them. That felt like a debt I could never repay.

  “Do you want to have a nightcap with me before going to bed?” Vincenzo asked Damon when we walked into the house.

  One side of Damon’s mouth lifted in a half smile, but his eyes remained unaffected. “Better not. My nurse is waiting to shoot me up with pain medicine. I doubt she’d approve of mixing it with alcohol.”

  “You’re absolutely correct. She would not approve at all.” Michelle appeared out of nowhere from behind us, stealthy as a ninja. “No mixing pain meds and alcohol, unless you don’t appreciate breathing on your own anymore.”

  “I guess that’s settled, then.” Damon pulled me with him toward the stairs. “We’ll get ready for bed. Michelle, you can come up in a few minutes and knock me out.”

  “Just open your door when you’re ready for me. There’s no rush.” Michelle smiled good-naturedly before returning to her temporary guest bedroom upstairs.

  Inside our bedroom, I helped Damon remove his jacket and shirt, maneuvering the sleeve over his cast. “How did you manage to get this shirt on without me in the first place?”

  He shrugged one shoulder in answer to my question. “I just shoved it through. Didn’t care if it ripped the shirt or not.”

  Then I unbuttoned his pants, and he pushed them the rest of the way off. I didn’t want to pressure him in his current state, but not being able to run my tongue over every inch of his muscular physique while he wore nothing but his boxer briefs was cruel and unusual punishment. Not that he would’ve stopped me, but after I’d insisted on pleasuring him the night before, there was no way he’d sit on the sidelines for a second time.

  “What’s going on up here?” I lightly tapped his head with my finger. He grabbed my hand and pressed my palm against his cheek. The warmth from his skin flowed through me, relaxing and exciting me at the same time.

  “We make a pretty good team, don’t we?” His voice was unusually soft, yet his expression was sincere.

  “I think we do. We complement and balance each other well.”

  “For as long as I can remember, Mama has pushed all of us to get married and have kids. I’m convinced her only goal in life is to be a grandmother. When I was young, I’d daydream about what my life as an adult would be like. I’d placate Mama when she threw strong hints my way, telling her it would happen someday. Even though I knew nothing would make her happier, I couldn’t see myself as a husband or a father.

  “I couldn’t stand the thought of settling down. I wanted freedom and adventure. Fortune and fame. For my name to make people tremble with fear. I worked hard to get where I’m at in the family. My men worked hard for me because I earned their respect. I’m even in line ahead of my older brother to be the next Boss. I’ve achieved everything I set out to do—and more. But now…”

  Damon stopped speaking for several seconds while he stared at my slightly protruding stomach. Then he placed his hand over my baby bump. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, the muscles in his throat tightening as he swallowed.

  “And now?” I asked, prompting him to finish his thought.

  “Now, reality has slapped me across the face. If I don’t have you, I have nothing at all. Everything I’ve worked for and accomplished means nothing if you’re not by my side. I would walk away from it all as long as you walked with me.”

  I was stunned speechless. So many questions raced through my mind, but I wasn’t sure which one to ask first. The man had a habit of thoroughly shocking me—either with his brutality or his thoughtfulness. One extreme to the other, but never down the middle of the road.

  “Damon…”

  “This is part of why I interrupted your little talk with my dad earlier. When I heard you volunteering to be our first female capo, I nearly had a stroke. I realized, right at that moment, my heart already knew what I wanted. My mind just had to catch up and accept the truth.”

  “What do you want?”

  “A safe home for our kids. A happy life with my wife. You know, I realized I’ve had a lot of ‘firsts’ with you. First time I got shot. First woman to hear me utter the words ‘I love you.’ First time I went against my dad’s decree. First woman to carry my baby. And now, I’m about to admit something I’ve never felt or even thought about before meeting you.”

  He stroked my cheek with his knuckles while piercing me with the intensity of his eyes. When he stared at me like that, I had the distinct impression he was peering into my soul.

  “Tell me.”

  “I’ve never needed anyone before. I’ve stood on my own two feet as long as I can remember. My men carry out my orders, but if one fails me, another is always waiting in the wings to take his place. Maybe I’d be mildly inconvenienced without most people in my life, but not you.

  “Need isn’t a strong enough word for how I feel about you. When I said I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you, I wasn’t exaggerating. I need you more than my next breath. More than I need food or water to sustain me. The reason I get up in the morning and continue to wade through all the bullshit that’s happened over the last few days is because I have to protect you. There’s only one thing I can’t live without, and that’s you. Without you, I wouldn’t have a reason to live.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Damon. Why are you telling me this? Why do you think you’ll have to live without me?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Damon

  “Death is an inherent part of the business. There’s no way around that, doll. I’ve known it my entire life, but I was never concerned about it before. Our love gives me strength, makes me feel invincible at times. Other times, it’s the source of my greatest weakness and my worst fears.”

  I placed my hand on her slightly swollen belly, still amazed over the new life growing inside her. We stood there for several minutes, both of us staring at her stomach, but in my mind’s eye, I saw our future. Before I could voice what I knew was coming at us next, I felt movement under her skin.

  My eyes flew up to meet hers, my jaw slack and my heart racing. She covered my hand with hers and moved it toward the opposite side, and I felt it again. A beautiful, beaming smile covered her face before she released a giggle, amused over my reaction.

  “Yes, that is our babies doing somersaults you feel. They’re very active. Makes me wonder what you and I are in store for after they’re born.”

  I dropped to my knees in front of her and pushed up her dress. Then I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips to her smooth skin. One taste wasn’t enough. I’d never get enough of her.

  “Take your dress off, doll.”

  “Damon, you’re still injured, and your nurse is waiting to come in.”

  “She can wait longer, and I don’t care about my injuries. I’d have to be dead not to want you. Take. It. Off.”

  She pulled her dress over her head and let it fall to the floor behind us. I slid my thumbs under her silky panties and dragged them down her legs. When I reached her ankles, I saw her bra land on top of her dress. I looked up at her perfect body from my kneeling position and couldn’t wait another second to have her.

  “Lie down on the bed.”

  Jillian sat on the edge and slid backward until she was in the center of the bed. I followed closely behind her, crawling up her legs until I reached the sweet spot. The rise and fall of her chest increased with each passing second, her anticipation building inside her along with her arousal. I planned to satisfy every single one of her carnal needs, even if it took all night. Especially if it took all night.

  Slow and tame was never my preference, but thorough and meticulous had an enticing ring to it. I devoured every sound of ecstasy that escaped from Jillian’s throat, her passion further fueling my desire while I greedily consumed her body. She writhed under the flick of my tongue, her back arching and her nails clawing t
he sheets as she reached the climax. When she first cried out, succumbing to the mounting intensity inside her, I slid my fingers into her warmth. The added sensation drove her further over the edge, leaving her body trembling and shuddering under my touch.

  “Fuck, Jillian. I could watch you do that all fucking night long. In fact, that’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time.”

  Even with one hand in a cast, I shed my briefs in record time and settled between her legs. I lowered my head to capture her mouth with mine, our tongues sensually gliding and tangling. Then I curled my hips forward, sliding inside her at an intentionally slow pace. The sharp pangs from my injured ribs dissolved into thin air the instant her body wrapped around mine. Pure fucking ecstasy was all I felt at that moment.

  “You’re exactly what I’ve needed. Fuck the medicine—you’re the only painkiller I want from now on.” I pulled her head to one side and slid my tongue down the erogenous column of her neck. Her inner walls gripped me tightly, and her heels pushed against me, urging me on.

  The friction from my skin gliding across hers heated our bodies, causing beads of sweat to cover us. The moisture only heightened my senses, making my movements easier and faster. The thought crossed my mind that I’d pay for such vigorous exercise the following day, but the pure hedonistic bliss of having my cock buried deep inside her was more than worth any price it cost me.

  Every wave brought us both closer to the edge, though I fought against mine to delay the inevitable as long as possible. I felt her climax building with each thrust, with me delving inside her over and over as far as she could take me. Soft moans and wanton sighs filled the room rather than the cries of pleasure she held at bay. Her velvety soft inner walls began to quiver, gripping and stroking me as if her hand was wrapped around me. She was on the verge, ready to crumble to pieces at any moment.