Revenge

by Dana Delamar

He took her hand and placed it over the bulge at his crotch. She could feel his hardness through the layers of blankets and sheets, and she ran her fingers along its length. “Does that answer your question?” He kissed and nipped at her neck.

  “More than adequately,” she teased.

  He flipped her on her back and started to push up her negligee, kissing her throat, when he suddenly stopped and looked her in the eyes. The expression on his face was strange, almost angry. “What is it?”

  “I do not know if I should say this.” He evaded her eyes.

  “What’s bothering you?”

  He sighed. “This whole time, other than our first night together, I have been walking on eggshells with you, coaxing you.”

  “I hadn’t realized.” She stroked his hair. “Is there something I can do?”

  He nodded, his face reddening. “I had not wanted to mention it, but I have felt a little… frustrated. I have not asked for what I want.”

  She’d been so selfish, so wrapped up in her own head. Pulling him down to her, she kissed him on the lips. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t considered how you felt at all.”

  “It is all right. I just want us to be equals when we make love.”

  She smiled. “Is that really what you want? For us to be equals?”

  He held her gaze, going utterly still, something about the look on his face making Kate hold her breath. She waited, but he only watched her, saying nothing. What was troubling him? Had she hit the truth with her wisecrack? She stroked his jaw. “You’ve been my slave more than once. Perhaps it’s time I was yours?”

  He grinned then and relaxed. “I did not know you could read minds.”

  “You have but to ask.” She traced a hand from his shoulder down his back to his waist, feeling the cords of muscles beneath her hands. He was so strong, this man of hers, and yet he’d been so completely at her mercy. So afraid of losing her, he’d held himself back, even in this one place where there should be no secrets. That ended today. “So tell me, is there anything in particular you want?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know the word for it in English.”

  “Describe it.”

  His face flushed with color again. “That first time, you put your mouth on me.”

  She laughed at his blush. He was such a good Catholic boy. “You want a blow job?”

  He looked a little puzzled. “I do not recall you blowing on it.”

  “No. But that’s what it’s called. I’ll show you.”

  “I’d like to stand while you do it.” He rolled off her and met her eyes. Still looking for approval.

  “Rico, I’m your slave. Tell me and I’ll do it. I trust you.”

  A glint came into his eyes then. He stood up, pulled a pillow off the bed, and dropped it at his feet. “On your knees.”

  Kate grinned at the obvious delight on his face. She took her time getting up, enjoying the heat of his gaze upon her. Standing before him, she rose up on her toes and brushed her mouth against his, then she moved her lips to his jaw, kissing along the edge of it until she reached his ear. She breathed into it, a little moan that made him clutch her waist, his hard cock jutting into her belly. Smiling to herself, she continued lower, kissing down the side of his neck, her lips at last reaching the smooth skin below the stubble of his beard. There she kissed and licked him, nuzzling his tanned skin for a moment, breathing in his scent.

  She stepped back, breaking his hold, and pulled the negligee off. He tweaked the nipple of her right breast, then leaned down to suckle it. Fire tore through her at his touch, and she had to close her eyes. She savored the feeling, enjoying it when he cupped her left breast in his other hand and gave it attention too. Then she pulled away. “This is about you, remember?”

  He smiled. “Having your breasts in my mouth is one of my favorite things.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy them in the future.” She kissed and licked his firm flat pecs, her tongue tracing around his nipples. He inhaled at the contact and she made a mental note to do that again next time.

  Continuing her exploration, she sank to her knees and kissed his belly, her tongue tracing the ridges of his abs. She avoided the bruising on his left side. Had they ever made love when neither one was injured? She smiled against his skin, kissing him just above the swirl of his navel. Their course to true love certainly hadn’t run smooth.

  She brushed her hand over his cock, running her fingers up and down its length as he shuddered. Looking up at him, she took the root of it in her hand, her thumb teasing the underside of his hard flesh.

  When he met her eyes, she took him in her mouth, just the tip, her tongue swirling around the head. Hearing him moan, she would have grinned if she could have. Widening her mouth, she eased down, swallowing more of his length. She couldn’t take it all, but she’d make sure he enjoyed what she could do.

  Popping him out of her mouth, she ignored his little sounds of protest, and instead ran the flat of her tongue up and down the vein along the underside of his cock. He moaned and thrust up a little. He certainly liked that. She made another mental note. There was much about Rico she had yet to learn.

  Taking him in her mouth again, she lavished attention on the head, giving him all the gratification he’d given her so many times before. Then she began a slow descent, engulfing as much of him as she could, pleased by his groans and the feel of his fingers twining in her hair. How could she have neglected his pleasure for so long? She had a lot of catching up to do.

  The feel of her mouth, her tongue, was pure heaven as she resumed working on him, speeding up her movements. After what had happened with Vincenzo, he’d feared asking Kate for anything, he’d feared making any demands on her at all. He’d feared reminding her that he had needs too. But if he trusted her, he had to be honest. Fear was not the heart of love; trust was. Honesty was. Faith was.

  When he was getting close to the peak, he took her head in his hands, resisting the urge to thrust the way his cock urged him to. He didn’t want to come in her mouth, not this time. “Enough.” He was breathing hard, each inhale and exhale reminding him of the cracked ribs, though the pain was but a dull ache compared to the pleasure she was giving him. He’d endure it, he’d endure anything to have her. To be with her. To love her.

  She sat back on her heels and stroked her fingers along his thighs. “What now?”

  “I want to take you from behind.”

  “Like this?” She got down on her hands and knees.

  “Yes, but on the bed.”

  She crawled up on the mattress and presented herself to him, feeling how wet she was from sucking him. She looked at him over her shoulder, her discomfort at being in this position making her seek eye contact, reassurance.

  He stood behind her, his hands kneading her hips, then one slipped down between her legs and investigated her dripping pussy, two fingers sliding into her easily. “So wet,” he murmured, leaning down and kissing her just above the crack of her buttocks.

  She pushed back onto his hand, biting her lip to keep from groaning. “It’s been too long.”

  “And whose fault is that?” he asked, his tone light. His hand moved up to her clit, and he massaged it between two fingers, making her groan.

  “Mine, all mine. I admit it.”

  He laughed, then kissed her again at the base of her spine, his breath warm on her skin. His hand left her and his erection nudged at her opening. She pressed herself onto him, arching to give him the best angle. He sank into her, both of them catching their breath at the sensation.

  He worked in and out of her, withdrawing to his tip before diving back in, but his movements were slow, frustratingly so. Kate soundlessly begged him to speed up, to satisfy the need deep within her for something raw and urgent, but his movements remained teasing, taunting. She clenched her muscles around him, even urging him out loud to fuck her, but his only answer was a sharp smack on her buttocks. He was going to kill her with this. Every plunge of his cock was a sweet torture.
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  Her climax was building, but she would need something faster to reach her release. They both would. Finally, it came to her. What he wanted, what he needed to hear. What she needed to say. “I love you, Rico.”

  Hearing those words unleashed something inside him. “Ti amo, cara.” The words tore out of him as he gave himself over to the silent pleading of her hips, to the contractions of her inner walls as she gripped and released him. He could feel she was lost like he was, utterly lost to this, to their pleasure, to the joy of being together.

  He pulled her hips more firmly against him and delved deeper, abandoning himself to his desire to pound into her flat out, his breathing growing ragged with the effort to prolong their pleasure, to make the experience last. He never wanted to forget this moment. When she stopped fighting them both. When he started trusting her not to run.

  She rocked beneath him, enjoying the searing pleasure of each thrust, each plunge he made into the very core of her. They were joined. They were one. And she would never leave him again.

  CHAPTER 39

  Enrico and Kate had been home for a week, and after burying his father, he’d somehow managed to put up a grief-stricken front through Dom’s funeral. It wasn’t as hard to do as he’d imagined; even though he’d pulled the trigger, the reality of what he’d done hadn’t quite sunk in. He kept thinking of things he should talk to Dom about or that Dom would find funny, and he’d pick up the phone to call him and then abruptly remember all over again.

  Enrico was looking through the cosca’s financial reports, although he wasn’t in the mood to attend to business. His eyes fell on the picture of Toni by his computer, the reports completely losing his attention. He picked up the picture and went in search of Kate. He found her in the solarium, working on her laptop, transcribing records for the orphanage. She looked up when he approached. “What is it?”

  He showed her the photo. “It is time I deal with this.”

  “Are you sure? I understand if it’s not.”

  “I still love her. I always will. But she wanted me to carry on with my life, and I have.” His voice thickened. “You own my heart now.”

  Kate set the laptop aside and popped up out of the chair. She was in his arms in an instant. “Mio caro, you don’t have to say that. I know your heart is big enough for both of us.” She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “For all three of us.”

  He smiled, tears pricking his eyes. “My heart is no longer divided. It belongs to you now. You and our baby. I hope you know that.”

  She slipped her hands into his hair and drew him down for a kiss. “I am so very lucky to be loved by you.”

  He couldn’t speak, his throat was so tight. Instead he kissed her. How he loved her. More than he’d ever thought possible. More than he’d ever hoped for. When they parted, he wiped his eyes. He looked down at the picture in his hand. “I would like to leave one photo on display, if you do not mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  He took her hand. “Will you help me box up her things?”

  She nodded and followed him down the hall toward the stairs.

  Enrico surprised himself by not shedding any tears while they worked. Instead he told Kate stories about Toni as they came to mind, mostly funny or romantic things. She’d had a good life with him. They’d had a good life together. It had been too short, but now he had Kate. “I feel like I have been given an incredible gift, mia cara. This chance with you.” He touched his chest. “I used to have this horrible aching hole here. But now it is gone.”

  He stroked a few hairs out of her face. How he’d once longed to do such a simple thing. Now this precious creature was finally his. And she knew him, knew who he was. What he was. And still she loved him.

  Kate smiled, her eyes blurring with tears. She took his hand and pulled him close, then leaned against him, listening to him breathe. For the first time in a long time, she felt at home.

  He held her for quite a while. When he released her, he got down on one knee and produced a small black velvet box from his pants pocket. He opened it, revealing a ring inside, its diamonds sparkling. “I have been carrying this around with me since just after we got out of the hospital. I was going to do this someplace romantic, but now…” He gestured around the closet. “For some reason, this feels right. Marry me, Kate.”

  Her chest filled with warmth. “Of course I will.” She held out her hand, watching as he slipped the ring on her finger. Then he stood and took her in his arms, kissing her. “You didn’t have to ask me again,” she said when they parted. “I already agreed. In fact, I believe I asked you.”

  He looked down at her, amusement on his face. “I know. But I wanted to do it right this time. With neither one of us bleeding or drugged. Or recovering from surgery.”

  She smiled. “Traditionalist.”

  He laughed. “Nothing about the two of us has ever been, or will ever be, entirely traditional.”

  “And isn’t that what you like about us?”

  He grinned and pulled her into a kiss. “That’s what I love about us.”

  EPILOGUE

  Dario Andretti leaned against the windowsill, looking at what was now his view of the lake. Turning his eyes to the west, he spotted the Lucchesi villa. How should he proceed?

  His father had failed spectacularly and nearly gotten them both killed.

  But Carlo had proved to be a father to him in the end. He could have revealed Dario’s role in Rinaldo’s death, could have condemned him and ruined everything. But he hadn’t.

  Dario’s heart still ached. Lucchesi believed he’d given him the Andretti cosca, that he hadn’t earned it with his father’s consent. But better to live to see another day than to die over his pride. At least it was some consolation that Lucchesi hadn’t seen what had happened right under his nose. Lucchesi was so sure he knew Dario, so sure he wasn’t like his father.

  But he was his father’s son. He hadn’t lied about that. And he’d put a plan in motion some time ago, a plan that would bear bitter fruit for Lucchesi. If it worked. The odds of success were slimmer now that Franco Trucco was dead.

  Someday Lucchesi would learn who he truly was. Someday he’d see the truth.

  But by then it would be too late.

  THE END

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  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Due to the high level of secrecy maintained by the ‘Ndrangheta (the Calabrian mafia) and the relative scarcity of former members turned state’s witnesses, there are few resources detailing the inner workings of the society. Therefore, I have used artistic license in portraying certain aspects of the ‘Ndrangheta, particularly as regards La Provincia.

  Until July 2010, it was widely believed that there was no overarching body in charge of the ‘Ndrangheta. However, with the arrest of several prominent ‘Ndranghetisti, it is now believed that there is a capi di tutti capi (boss of all bosses) who oversees a commission (La Provincia) with direct power over the individual families. Revenge does not reflect this type of organization, though the formation of such an organization comes into play in later books.

  Additionally, to make this series easier to read for American readers, I have used the term cosca rather than ‘ndrine to indicate an individual crime family. I have also greatly simplified the organization of individual crime families and have chosen to name crime families after their c
apo’s blood family; in real life, a cosca’s name may consist of a region or place, or a hyphenated combination of the names of the two or three primary blood families that control the cosca.

  In Italy, women typically don’t take their husband’s last name; for simplicity’s sake, I have chosen to reflect the traditional American practice of taking the husband’s last name upon marriage.

  Note that all persons mentioned in this series are fictional; no resemblance to actual people, living or dead, is intended. The family names used in this series were deliberately chosen not to reflect names of actual crime families.

  MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

  Revenge is the first book in the Blood and Honor four-part romantic suspense series, which is set in Italy among the underworld of the Calabrian Mafia. Each story features a hero and heroine forced to make difficult choices in a world where vendettas are quick to erupt and burn for generations; where family ties, both blood and criminal, drive every decision; and where passions flare up and threaten to blaze out of control.

  The Blood and Honor series

  Book 1: Revenge (available now)

  Kate Andretti is married to the Mob—but doesn’t know it. When her husband uproots them to Italy, Kate leaves everything she knows behind. Alone in a foreign land, she finds herself locked in a battle for her life against a husband and a family that will “silence” her if she will not do as they wish. When her husband tries to kill her, she accepts the protection offered by a wealthy businessman with Mafia ties. He’s not a mobster, he claims. Or is he?

  Enrico Lucchesi never wanted to be a Mafia don, and now he’s caught in the middle of a blood feud with the Andretti family. His decision to help Kate brings the feud between the families to a boil. Attacks from without and within push them both to the breaking point, and soon Enrico is forced to choose between protecting the only world he knows and saving the woman he loves.