by Soraya Naomi
“Let’s go.” Adriano holds out his hand to me, and then he informs Carmine, “Mama will be fine. Thanks for staying. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Adriano—”
“Carmine,” he warns, stopping his line of questioning before it starts. “Tomorrow.”
We slip out of the apartment and ride the elevator up to the fortieth floor where Adriano escorts me into his dark brown loft with high ceilings and a huge designer TV that hangs at the opposite wall; definitely a bachelor pad. Floor-to-ceiling windows span one outer wall, and the city lights twinkle red and yellow beneath us.
“Is everything all right with your mother?” I pass a floating staircase on my left that leads to the open second floor. My fingers trace the brown brick wall that holds the plasma TV.
Adriano sets my bag on the bar of his shiny black kitchen as I turn to face him.
“She’ll be fine.” He hesitates before continuing, “She has lupus, but her medications keep it under control.”
A sudden quietness settles around us. Finally, we’re alone. And since he doesn’t elaborate, I try to lighten the mood because I really don’t know what else to say after the last intense hour.
“So”—I walk straight toward where he’s leaning against the bar—“you came on me?”
A grin tugs at his lips, and he crosses his ankles. “You didn’t give me much choice since you fell asleep.”
I stop halfway to him. “And you felt like your only choice was to spill your semen on me?”
“My semen on you?” He throws his head back and laughs. “Just call it sperm. Sperm, Cam.”
I cock my hip. “Fine! Sperm. My point is...” I don’t even know what my point was. “Never mind.”
Palming his neck, he admits softly, “Damn, Cam, I’ve missed you.”
Relief from months of fear and anxiety breaks free after his confession. “I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed us, our friendship.” He gives me time to speak my mind. “Ever since you found me two weeks ago, the joy of seeing you again has been overshadowed by your reluctance to let me in. I think it’s clear what I want.”
“Tell me with words,” he requests with a tender tone.
I let my emotions out. “I want you to give us a chance to be together, truly together. Rebuild our friendship without the mistakes of our pasts haunting us. I’ve always been drawn to you, and it’s more than...” My sentence trails off, and he doesn’t move, so I change my choice of words. “I understand that it’s a risk for you now that I’ve seen you with your family. You have an overwhelming sense of obligation toward your parents. That only makes me want you more. I’ve missed you so much, and still, you’re always so distanced from me, Adriano. I refuse to stay away from you. You know that by now. And I hope you’ll give me another chance. But if you can’t, then let me go. I can’t continue like this. Not again.” The stillness in his lack of response makes me insecure, but I wait patiently and soldier on. “What do you want? Speak to me.”
His palms brace the bar he’s resting against, and our eyes lock. “I want you too, Cam. I’m done fighting you. You’ve worn me down.”
He’s letting me in again. “I knew I’d get to you eventually. Especially after tonight,” I say bluntly, provoking him.
“Why?”
“Beneath that hard exterior is just a boy who adores his mommy,” I tease, tipping my chin and fluttering my lashes.
He strides toward me in a few measured steps and lifts me off the ground with his hands supporting my ass.
I shriek as I twine my arms and legs around him.
“Boy? I’ll show you how much of a boy,” he sneers the word, “I am.”
“Please do.” I bury my face against his throat while he carries me up the floating stairs, their height and lack of banister equally exhilarating as it is frightening.
At the top step is an entire upper floor of at least three hundred square feet. It’s a rectangular space with small windows and glass walls that separate the bathroom. A low king-size bed is in the center and faces another designer television.
Adriano puts me down, and at the back of the space, I see the brown marble tiles of the shower.
My heels click off the mahogany hardwood floors as I shift closer to touch the white bed sheets that feel like velvet. His bedroom is gigantic and absolutely not what I expected.
“Your loft is beautiful.”
“Don’t look so surprised.” He strolls closer with playful intent written all over his face.
“It’s definitely a shag pad.”
“Then I should get shagged.” He suddenly bends, placing his hands behind my knees, and pulls forward, causing me to shriek and bounce on the mattress when I fall back.
His chests covers mine, and I laugh when his beard tickles my skin as his mouth trails down my cheek and throat, and then he stands against the side of the mattress and yanks off my skirt and panties in one fluid motion.
His hands roam up my legs, spreading me wide. “Cam, your skin feels like satin. You’re so incredibly beautiful. Built just for me,” he growls, and one finger flicks my core, making my thighs quiver. Then he crooks his finger, ordering me to sit up, and wrenches off my top and easily unfastens my bra with a snap of his fingers.
Kneeling up on the bed, I start unbuttoning his dress shirt and slide it off his thick biceps. I press my lips against his toned chest while looking up through my eyelashes, seeing pure, unadulterated lust behind his.
Then I scrape my fingernails over the hard lines and muscles and down his abdomen, which flexes under my caress, and I unzip his pants.
Adriano kicks off his shoes, pants, and boxers, and I bite my lip, taking in his beguiling body that emits passion and authority.
I let my hands wander down his sides and trace over the complex pattern of the compass rose tattoo on his side and ribs with my nail. Then I kiss the small ‘V’ of hair down to his hardening arousal.
He jerks my head back as I lick the tip, and suddenly, I’m flipped over on the bed, my back on the mattress and my head hanging off the side, looking at him upside-down.
His palms massage both my breasts roughly. “I’m going to do everything to you that I’ve deprived myself of for too long.” His voice drops to a whisper as his eyes are fixated on my body.
He takes his hard-on in hand and traces it over my lips. “Open.”
Digging my feet into the mattress, I grip his ass and open my mouth.
Adriano kneels against the edge of the bed, hissing, while I wrap my lips around him. Slowly, his hips roll forward, and I bask in his familiar taste. Blood is rushing furiously to my head, and a carnal daze has me moaning around him. He’s controlling me in my completely exposed position.
“Fuck! Cam! I want to eat your pussy.” He hits the back of my throat, and I grip his ass when he bends forward and shoves my legs apart.
Adriano continues thrusting inside my mouth, and then his lips are on me between my legs, his tongue moving feverishly over my center. I try to focus on breathing through my nose while he devours me. Sucking hard, I whimper from the absolute pleasure that’s rocking my body.
My nails dig into Adriano’s hips as he fucks me with his hard-on and tongue. His firm muscles are sleek with a layer of sweat.
I’m about to come and squirm beneath him when the loss of his tongue has me groaning around his shaft. He pulls out of my mouth and with my head still hanging off the edge of the bed, he kisses me upside-down while fisting my hair.
Our mingled tastes arouse me more.
“You have the sweetest little pussy. I missed eating you, Cam.” His tone is low. “Do you want to be fucked?”
“Yes,” I whisper, and he tugs me up into a kneeling position on the edge of the mattress, facing away from him.
“I’ve waited too long to feel you with my cock.” His breath is scorching against my earlobe, and my arms wind back around his neck.
“I want to feel you,” I murmur.
“How badly?” His arousal slides along
my wetness and the tip pushes inside.
“Come on…” I try to move my hips.
I feel his lips crooking up against my shoulder, and I widen my knees when Adriano’s large hands coax the inside of my thighs apart. He lifts me ever so slightly off the bed and glides inside in one powerful thrust.
My head falls back against his chest and every push lifts me off the mattress. “Take all of me, Cam.”
I arch my back so he’s filling me entirely, owning my thrill, directing the sensations that rush through me. Adriano’s hands touch me everywhere, and I meet his thrusts. Palms move up my sides, grasp my breasts, and lock around my throat as he plunges into me from behind. Wild and brutal.
I’m pushed downward. “On your hands and knees,” he orders and doesn’t slow his pace.
“Adriano...” His name leaves my lips continuously in moans.
He pulls me back into the cradle of his hips, slapping our skin together. Fingers dig down my spine, and he molds my ass roughly while grunting and moving so deep inside with one foot on the edge of the bed.
I almost burst instantly from the kick of his fierce fucking. And when he hauls me up against his chest, rolling my nipples between his fingers, I feel the pressure building and am unable to hold back. It smolders as Adriano thrusts harder, rounding his hips as I scream his name in satisfaction. My thighs quiver, and I fall forward with my palms on the sheets. I’m still trembling as his hands fondle my sides and ass.
“You’re so fucking wet, Cam.” He shoves my body flat on the bed without pulling out. Rolling his hips, he bites my neck.
The sheets wrinkle when I clutch them in both fists, and Adriano pulls my earlobe between his teeth as he pistons into me. Then he slows, and his finger trails down, between my ass cheeks. I clench my butt in response, and he smacks me hard, holding still inside me.
“Hmm…” A whimper of titillating hurt.
“Open, Cam.”
And I comply instantly. His finger doesn’t enter; he only adds pressure and rolls his hips again, making the familiar tingles burn inside. Adriano changes his angle, and another unexpected climax surges through me. Moaning, I shake my head and shout his name when I come again.
He covers my fisted hands with his. “Fuck, you feel too good. Addictive.” His teeth scrape the shell of my ear, and I can feel his body stiffening against my back as he powers inside one more time, and then stills, resting his forehead against my hair.
We lie across the bed in that position for several minutes, trying to calm our breaths.
Adriano’s voice is muffled in my hair when he utters, “Incredible.”
Both sensationally exhausted, we doze off with him spooning me.
CHAPTER 28
Adriano
I’m skimming my fingers over the contour of Cam’s hip while I’m moving my morning wood against her ass. Relieved at last. After months – no years – of denial, she sucked me in with just a few words. Dread overcame me when she mentioned that I had to let her go, and I vouched that I’d never do that. No one will dictate my life. And If I must, I’ll probably risk everything to be with Cam.
I realized from the beginning that if I slept with her again, there would be no turning back for me. I’ve faced many obstacles in my life. I’m a man who takes what he wants, and I’ve denied myself her pleasure for too long, trapped in my own body by resisting the tie that’s between us.
I’m not meant to live as a saint; I’m a sinner at heart. Now, I’m prepared to fight. I’m primed to risk everything to make her mine – officially. She’s a strong woman, but I can bend her to my will. She has a stubborn streak that always attracted me. And she’s the only woman that keeps me coming back.
Even though her indiscretion will always sting my pride, I’m still arrogant enough to believe that she’ll be faithful if I commit to her. She deserves a commitment for staying loyal and not giving up on us. Without her determination to keep fighting for us, we’d still be apart and miserable. But to even have a chance to build a relationship, I’ll need to conjure a plan concerning James.
Nuzzling her vanilla scented hair, I tangle our legs.
She’s probably still tired from the turn of events of the previous night.
Dawn breaks, and soon, the reality of our lives will need to be discussed. I’m undecided whether Cam realizes that we have limited options. Choices are slim and will affect everything in our lives, but I’m ready to take the risk. Is she truly ready? Has she given thought to the consequences? She’ll always be safe as James’s daughter, but my life as a Capo will be over.
Cam stirs and squints as she rolls onto her back. “Morning.”
Her voice is even huskier now, thick with sleep.
I press my lips to her temple. “Morning. Still tired?”
She nods with eyes closed, and I pull the sheet down to her hips, exposing the bare skin of her upper body. My thumbnail rakes down her cleavage, and a tremor flows through her.
“You need to wake so we can talk.”
“No!” She tugs the sheet up and curls away from me, hiding her face in the pillow.
I easily press her onto her back by her shoulder. “James will be here soon with Luca and Salvatore.”
That gets her attention. “I’m up. I’m up.” She smiles and rubs her hand lazily over my jaw.
Again, I slide the sheet down because I want to see her naked body displayed on my bed. And it fills me with pride and peace now that I’ve given in.
I caress her belly button. “James is coming over to talk about our plan of action.”
“What do you think will happen?”
“I don’t know. James has been standoffish lately. I’m hoping that will stop now.”
She pulls her lip between her teeth and starts to trace my tattoo. “What about us?”
“Everything will change, Cam, if we want to be together.”
“I don’t understand why I just can’t tell James that I love you, and I want to be with you,” she says, looking at me.
Her confession doesn’t shock me; I knew she felt more for me. What I feel goes beyond lust. It’s a need to possess her. A deep-seated need to have her as mine. It’s love too. Without her, I’m hollow.
“I’m his daughter. I do understand the rules and the importance of following them, but if it’s mutual, then why can’t we tell him together?”
I circle her nipple, making it hard. “That’s not how this works, sweetheart. Don’t forget that James is the Capo crimine for a good reason; he can be ruthless. You just haven’t seen that side of him. We are all cruel men.”
Does she get that?
“I want to be with you, Adriano, more than anything.”
“There will be consequences. I’ll need time—”
“No! Don’t pull away. I won’t accept that. I want you…with me.”
She tries to sit up, but I cup her chin and turn her face to me. “I want that too, Cam.”
A loaded sigh blows from her lips. “This is the first time you’ve actually admitted it.”
“I’m positive that I want you. And I’ll risk a lot to make that happen. But you must understand that our lives will change drastically. Your life will change again – just when you’ve found your father. A life within the Syndicate with me as Capo and you as Mafia princess is not one of the options.”
“Then what are our options?” She wrenches her chin free.
I love how feisty she is. She’s spewing her frustration at me; I’ve tested her limits for too long. When I grip her breast, she gasps and squirms. “We’ll have to keep it a secret for a while. Until I decide how to disengage myself from the Syndicate. I also have Security Simplicity with Luca to consider. It won’t be easy, Cam. I’ll need to think about how to provide for my family, because my income will be stripped – that’s what James will do.”
“But why would he do that to you? And hurt me in the process?”
“Because I’ll be made an example of what happens when someone disobeys the code of honor.
I’m going against hierarchy. That’s punishable by death.” Shock registers on her face, so I massage the swell of her breast.
“But... How will that work? We’ll have to sneak around? And then what? Meanwhile, you’ll do your job? How will we get out? I’m not even sure I want to.”
My movement stills. “You’re not sure you want to? What the hell, Cam? If I do this, then you better be with me all the way. You must choose me too.”
“Wait! You’re misunderstanding me. I just meant that I’ll lose the family I haven’t even gotten to know yet.”
These are the consequences she needs to ponder.
“So we run?” she asks.
“Eventually, yes, unless I can think of some other scenario. I’m going to discuss this with Luca because he’ll always be on our side. But until I tell him, you can’t confide in Fallon. She tells him everything – trust me. And he needs to hear it from me first.”
“I won’t tell Fallon.”
“Or anyone else,” I warn.
“No one will hear it from me.” She turns onto her side toward me, and my palm moves down her luscious ass. “For now, it’s a secret, but I want to see you and be alone with you as often as possible.”
I smile as her admission fills me with satisfaction. “I believe that I’ve proven I can’t stay away from you.”
“Does that mean I get to stay with you?”
“It means you’re never leaving my bed!” I growl and press her onto her back with all my weight.
She laughs and holds me tight. “I’m so relieved you’re finally letting me in, Adriano.”
“Me too, Cam.” I place a kiss on the tip of her nose. “But I do have to get up now. Before the men come.”
Tightening her grip, she whispers, “Just let me hold you for a second.”
And I can’t refuse her sweet request.
I kiss her throat and pull back. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Her face glows with happiness, sending me into a better mood than I’ve been in for months.
“If anyone asks what we did last night, you say we stopped by my parents’ and then came to the loft and immediately went to sleep. You slept up here, and I slept on the couch. Our stories always need to align.”
