by Lux Miller
Dante scowls, but shuts his mouth, grumbling under his breath instead.
I cut my eyes up at him and tease, “If you’d quit trying to jerk off at night, you wouldn’t be so stiff in the morning. Well, your shoulder wouldn’t be anyhow. The rest of you’d probably be more stiff. You call Luca a horndog. Let me remind you how thin the walls are and that you are not a quiet dude. I swear your hand sees more action that anything else in this house.”
Dante snorts, “Hardly. There’s only two things that keep my brother in a good mood -- when Momma cooks and good sex. Since Momma hasn’t cooked for us in two years, I’m going to assume that his relative good mood lately is due to you keeping his pipes clean…”
Red-hot embarrassment flashes through me at Dante’s statement and my mouth drops open. He smirks knowingly. “Knew it.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I push his arm back up over his head and smirk as he howls in pain, “Ow, ow, shit Emily… stop!”
I know I’m not pushing him to a breaking point. The nurse advised me that it would take a lot of force, more than a fun-sized tormentor like me could ever produce, to truly hurt Dante. But she did tell me that if he got smart, to remind him who was boss. Which I'm currently doing. I push his arm just a little further as a single tear cascades down his cheek. When I’m satisfied that he’s learned his lesson, I ease up and let his arm drop back down to his side.
Smirking at him, I swim over to the side of the pool and pull myself up onto the concrete edge. Plopping my ass on the tile surround, I cross my arms over my chest and watch him as he wades over, looking sheepish. He shakes his head. “I will never understand why that rehab nurse gave you so much ammunition to use against me. I swear that hurt worse than being kicked in the dick!”
I shrug a little. “Maybe because she’s met you before, Dante. She knows what I’m up against here. And let me tell you, she taught me enough suitably painful rehab exercises to ensure that the odds are NEVER in your favor…”
He glares at me as he grunts his disapproval. He cocks his head to the side and groans as he rolls his shoulder slowly. “You know I do appreciate what you’re doing for me, Em.”
I laugh and nod. “Yeah, despite your whiny attitude and your constant threats of revenge, I know you appreciate it. Now stop scratching, Dante!”
I swear I hear a whimper coming from his direction, but when I look up at him, he’s scowling and rubbing his forearm against his side. “But they itch!”
I do feel bad for him. He’s absolutely miserable in his recovery. His wrist is minimally functional and will require at least two more surgeries to be of any use to him. His shoulder has been repaired, but the healing process is proving to be slow and uncomfortable for him. The tissues will take a long time to recover from the assault of the bullet fragments.
What he complains about most are the shallow wounds where the bullets grazed him. Those weren't even counted in the total of nine that hit him. His upper body is an angry roadmap of raised welts and puncture wounds. They’re healing well according to the doctors. The puckered silvery marks are a stark reminder against his olive skin of the harrowing ordeal he went through. And how lucky he is to have survived it at all.
“I know they itch, Dante, but scratching them only risks ripping them open and starting the healing process all over again. Which means more pain, and a lot more itching. Now come over here so I can wrap you up and you can do your favorite part of the rehab…”
Dante’s nose twitches and his mouth drops into a morose pout. “Ugh, do I have to?”
Nodding, I stand up and walk over to the chaise lounge where I left the waterproofing supplies. “Yes Dante, you have to. You and I both know that the swimming strengthens all of your muscle groups and keeps you from becoming a skinny brat who would get blown away on a windy day.”
Dante snorts as I walk back over to him, my arms laden down with supplies. He wades over to the edge of the pool and I set about carefully wrapping plastic wrap around the wrist cast that he has to wear for another four weeks. Then he’ll undergo surgery to put in a rod and pins to stabilize the wrist while it heals.
I’m satisfied that the wrist will stay dry during his prescribed laps. I gently manipulate his shoulder. I'm finally able to secure the waterproof wrapping around the tightly wound gauze that covers most of the damage done there.
“Doc says thirty minutes should do it… do NOT overwork it and don’t get stupid. Just slow, gentle laps and carefully go through the motions so that you don’t tear anything.”
Dante put his hand to his forehead and salutes me, chuckling as the back door opens. “Ever punctual I see…”
I flick my gaze to the sliding glass door as it slides open. A lump leaps into my throat as he steps onto the lanai. Despite the scowl on his face, the sight of him makes my heart do flip flops around my chest.
Luca’s eyes meet mine across the crystal water and it’s like time stands still. I jump up off the chaise lounge, but I know better than to run and jump into his arms. This isn’t a rom-com movie. He’s a crime lord and I’m the woman he’s decided to share intimacy with. That doesn’t mean he’s game for butterflies and soaring love songs.
He inclines his head in my direction and he rakes his eyes over my scantily-clad body. Despite the relative warmth of the New Orleans autumn, my nipples instantly pebble against the damp fabric of my bikini. A smirk twists his lips as his eyes hover over my breasts.
Turning to Dante, Luca calls, “Yo, you done taking up my woman’s time?”
Dante rolls his eyes from where he’s slowly swimming along the perimeter of the pool. “She’s all yours.”
Desire flashes in Luca’s eyes as he closes the distance between where he’s standing and where I’m glued to the concrete. I'm watching him as he prowls closer to me like I'm a piece of meat he’s about to devour.
My eyes snap shut as he slides his arms around my waist and rests them against my ass. He shoves his fingertips underneath the clingy fabric without shame. His eyes swim with lust as he looks down at me.
I offer him a small smile as I raise one eyebrow. “Tough day at work?”
Luca shrugs, burying his face into my hair and inhaling deeply. “Something like that. You still torturing my brother?”
I nod with a laugh. “Always. He called me a she-devil soul-sucker today, so we’re making progress. I know it hurts him, but he's really come a long way in the last couple of weeks. They’re wanting to do his wrist surgery right after Christmas. That gives me another four or five weeks to get him as healed as I can…”
Luca sighs against the top of my head, then trails his lips down along my cheek until he reaches my neck. I moan softly as he brushes his mouth over the edge of my collarbone. He nips me in response. I jump, startled, pressing against him.
I tear myself away from him the moment I realize that I am getting his thousand-dollar suit wet. “Oh God, Luca… I’m so sorry!”
He shrugs and wraps an arm around my waist, lifting me up onto his shoulder. “You got me all wet, so I guess I'll have to return the favor." He slaps his hand sharply against my ass and it elicits a little squeal from me. He groans in response, “Fucking hell, Emily. I’ve been imagining you moaning with pleasure all day…”
I shudder on his shoulder and slap at his back. “Then what are you waiting for?”
He walks inside the house and pushes the glass door closed. Dropping me down off his shoulder, he turns me around. He presses himself against my back so that my body is pushed against the glass door. “Absolutely nothing,” he growls in my ear as he shoves his hand down the back of my bikini bottoms.
Before I can protest, he cups his hand between my legs and slides his middle finger along my opening. He instantly assaults my clit with his index finger. The unexpected pleasure rips through my body and I gasp in surprise as he sinks his finger inside of me. My body tenses at his intimate touch.
“That’s right baby… tell me how good it feels.”
My eyes snap close
d at the lustful tone in his voice. I bite down hard on my bottom lip as he inserts a second finger. Then he curls his fingertips up along the sensitive spot that makes my toes curl. “Luca…”
He leans his mouth down to my ear, his body pressing against mine. He continues to finger me roughly in full view of anyone who may walk by. I have no doubt that Dante is getting quite the show as well, though he’s likely not even paying attention.
“What are you doing, Luca?”
He growls softly as he licks along the outer shell of my ear. Pulling his hand out of my bikini bottoms, he brings his fingers up to his mouth. “Look at me, Emily…”
Swallowing hard, I crane my head around so that I can see his face. He smirks as I do and swirls his tongue around his fingers, licking my essence off them. I shudder at the sheer desire that rushes through my body.
He smirks and his hands disappear between our bodies. I can’t see what he’s doing because he still has me pressed against the glass sliding door. It doesn’t take long for me to figure out his intention, though. He brings both of his hands to my hips and shimmies down my bikini bottoms. He uses his hands to spread my ass cheeks as he slides his erection along my crack with a groan.
“I have been thinking about being inside that tight little snatch of yours all day…”
I groan as he bends me forward, my cheek resting against the glass. I hear the distinct sound of a foil packet ripping, then he tugs my ass against his body. He grinds against me, then uses his hand to guide his throbbing dick so that the tip of it is pressing against my opening. Despite my lust-filled haze, I’m still aware that we are very much in public and it causes me to tense. “Luca… your men… what if they’re…?”
Luca grunts and rams himself inside of me. I let out a sharp scream at the sudden intrusion and rapid-fire thrusting as Luca pounds into me from behind. My breathing becomes irregular as he fucks me roughly. “Let them watch, Emily… it’s my name you’ll be screaming, not theirs...”
I bite down on my bottom lip as his right hand digs into my hip. He snakes his left hand around my body, edging it underneath my bikini top. His calloused fingers roll my nipple into a tight bud and it takes everything in my power to keep my knees from buckling as he grunts primally behind me. It doesn’t take long before he’s swearing in Italian over my head. At least I think it’s swearing. It sounds like swearing.
Luca lets out a feral yell as he speeds up. His thrusts shake the entire sliding glass door every time he shoves himself inside of me. He drops his hand from my breast into the front of my bikini bottoms as he resumes his plucking and flicking against my clit.
Pleasure ripples through me as I squeeze my eyes shut, my pussy clenching tightly around his cock. Within moments, his entire body tenses against mine. He pushes himself deep inside of me and stills, his erection convulsing inside of me. I whimper as my orgasm latches onto him, my insides shaking with pleasure as he buries himself balls deep inside of me.
Several minutes pass before I finally release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Luca grunts behind me as he slowly pulls out, leaving me with a suddenly empty feeling. Once he’s semi-hard erection slips out of my body, he turns me around to face him. He presses my back against the glass and assaults my mouth with his. His tongue thrusts so deeply into my mouth that I almost choke out of surprise.
His kiss is feverish as his teeth clink against mine and his tongue battles for dominance inside my mouth. He tears his lips away and rests his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged. “Goddamnit Emily… you feel so amazing at the end of a crappy day. Your mouth, your arms, your pussy..."
I nod, wrapping my arms around his neck. “How bad was your day that you had to take me in the middle of the fucking kitchen?”
Luca sighs as he rolls the used condom off of himself, then tucks his semi-hard penis into his pants. He adjusts my bikini bottoms so that I’m covered and shrugs as he tosses the filled condom into the trash can. “Oh it sucked today. Fucking Rossi’s still nosing around, asking questions. Father’s getting antsy with all the accusations flying… and he’s constantly all up in my shit. Whoever said that working with family will try your patience wasn’t kidding. Now he’s all in my ass on every route I run. And the news I have to give him isn’t good.”
Luca groans and drops tiny kisses along my exposed skin, making me shiver. “Parker’s long been a burr in my butt, but lately, he’s getting bold. Two of his establishments are behind on payments and now we’ve got bigger problems. Today was the second time a prostitute turned up dead in our territory. Mouth sewn shut, throat slit… no reason, but bearing all the hallmarks of a mob hit. I swear, if Rossi doesn’t stop shadowing me, I’m gonna lose my shit…”
I bring my hand up to his face and pat his cheek gently, “Luca… do NOT get your ass thrown in jail. New Orleans’ prisons don’t allow conjugal visits…”
Chuckling, Luca pecks my lips and stands upright, skating a hand through his hair. It’s gotten longer since we first properly met. It now hangs in his eyes when it isn’t styled and at the end of the day when the copious amounts of gel fail. “Noted. I don’t know what kind of witch you are, Emily, but those sweet little lips of yours have put a spell on me. You own me.”
I roll my eyes at him and shift against the door, suddenly feeling very exposed. Despite the fact that we just had animalistic sex in this very spot five minutes ago, I now feel like I’m being watched. A feeling that Luca must sense as well, because he leans his lips down to my ear and whispers, “Go upstairs and get a shower. I have plans for us tonight. Wear something pretty and nothing underneath. You’ve been dutifully milking my cock daily. I think it’s time I treat you more like my girlfriend and do something for you… something proper… it’s time I take you on a real date.”
TWENTY-TWO
“Give it to me straight, Dante. Does this dress make my butt look big?”
Dante groans as he sits down on my bed and leans himself back against the headboard. His shaggy hair is still wet from his rehab session and it falls into his face as he watches me. He glares from beneath his bangs, then tosses them back out of his face. “You know I’m damned if I answer that question and damned if I don’t. The last time I answered that question honestly for a woman, she damn near took my head off with a right hook.”
Plopping my hands on my hips, I turn to look at him. “You’re getting my pillows wet! And considering my ass should come with a warning label, I wouldn’t be surprised if this dress made it look big. Luca won’t tell me where we’re going. He just said that I deserve a proper date. Like I haven’t already been on a dozen dates with him at expensive restaurants. You know the ones where he orders the champagne that’s not even listed on the menu.”
Rolling his eyes, Dante gives an apathetic shrug. “You could show up in a muumuu and my brother still wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off you. Wear something comfortable with sensible shoes if you really want to get his attention. I wish I could tell you what he has planned, but I’ve never seen the man take a woman on a date that wasn’t some charity function to boost his reputation. Besides, why are you asking ME? Don’t you have Royce on speed-dial?”
I turn my back to him and yank off the flowy maxi dress, letting it fall to the floor. “Yes, but he’s busy tonight. I have a wardrobe that would make Hollywood starlets jealous. I just have to figure out which one will knock Luca’s socks off.”
Despite Luca’s request, a pretty peach set of lacy undergarments covers my naughty bits as I pace around the room. Dante sighs as he keeps his eyes glued to the ceiling. “Emily… my brother may have marked you as his, but I am still a fully functional man over here. Stomping around in what basically counts as lingerie in front of me is probably not a good idea.”
I blush as I realize what he’s implying. “Dante! I’m not trying--”
Dante cuts me off with a sharp bark of laughter, “I know! You know, I know… hell, Luca probably knows that too, but have you seen how possessive he is of thi
ngs that he deems to be his? Brother or not, if he thought I was getting even the tiniest sample of what’s his… well, you were there at Halloween. My jaw is STILL bruised because he thought I was macking on you.”
Shuddering at the memory, I wag my finger at him even though I know he isn’t looking. “Dante, you were kissing me and making declarations of ownership in front of Luca’s men. You and I both know you kinda deserved it…”
The grunt of agreement that comes out of Dante is almost laughable. He sighs heavily as he fidgets on the bed. “You were pretending to date him. To be fair, I could have easily assumed that you were fair game, just like his men did. Just pick something and wear it before I have to explain to Luca why his girlfriend is prancing around in front of me in what I hope to God is underwear. Luca loves purple. Put on something purple and he’ll be thrilled.”
Laughing, I disappear into the closet. I have to admit that Dante is being far more chivalrous than anyone I’ve ever met, except maybe Mike. But Mike is old enough to be my father and acts like he could be. Dante is more like the annoying little brother. As I tug on a form-fitting purple dress, I realize with a start that there's questions I have about Luca that I never bothered to ask.
