by Cora Reilly
A shudder went through her. I lightly stroked her inner thigh, my silent apology.
“Did it hurt because you took my, you know…” Aria squirmed, her cheeks turning red.
Holy shit. “Your virginity?” I said roughly. “No, principessa. I’m not that deep in, and I want to claim that part of you with my cock, not my finger.”
Had I just called her principessa? I wasn’t even sure why. I’d never heard anyone call a woman that. Hope flared in Aria’s eyes, hope that shouldn’t be there because what she was hoping for wasn’t going to happen.
I withdrew my finger and brought it up to her parted lips, tracing it over them before I dipped it inside. I wanted her to taste herself, and Aria caught me by surprise when she licked the digit as if it were a lollipop, or better yet, my cock.
My dick jerked in my pants. I’d definitely die of blue balls. I kissed her harshly, tasting her but still needing more. Always more with Aria. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me. Maybe it was the thrill of having to wait, first three years until she was of age and now for her to be ready. Maybe that was why I was so fucking obsessed with my wife. I’d never felt like this before, and it was starting worry me. Maybe once I claimed her, that burning need would finally subside and I could return to being my normal self. No tight chest or strange sensations anymore.
I straightened. “Let’s go inside. I want to lick you again.” Aria blinked up at me. “Will you let me put my finger in you again? This time I’ll go really slow.”
The second she said yes, I got out of the pool and lifted her into my arms. Aria slung her legs around my middle, pressing that wet pussy against my abs.
I hurried inside, my fingers digging into her ass cheeks. After I’d set her down in our bedroom, I went into the bathroom to grab a towel. I took my time rubbing her dry. Her lashes fluttered shut as I massaged her shoulders and arms, then moved onto her back and stomach. Goose bumps pimpled Aria’s skin when I slid the towel over her breasts.
“Are you cold?”
Aria opened her eyes, peering up at me in a way no one ever had. I wasn’t sure what it meant. I released the towel and caressed her bare arms.
“A bit,” she said.
“Lie down. I’ll warm you up.” Aria climbed on the bed, giving me a prime view of her ass before she stretched out on her back. I reached for my wet shorts and shoved them down, not wanting to get the bed wet, but even more than that: wanting to feel Aria as close as possible. My erection bounced and Aria’s eyes were drawn to it.
Her expression shifted, turned anxious then wary. She pushed back against the headboard and tugged her legs against her chest protectively. What the hell?
“Aria?” I said carefully, unsure how to react to her obvious fear. I reached for her leg but she jerked and pressed it even tighter against herself.
Seeing Aria like this brought up emotions I wasn’t familiar with, emotions I didn’t want to deal with. Emotions were weakness, and a Capo couldn’t be weak. “What now?” I muttered, annoyed at myself and at Aria because she evoked those sensations in me.
I sank down beside her, trying to be patient and keep my frustration at bay. “Say something.”
Aria shook her head. “This is too fast.”
Too fast? I hadn’t fucked her in our wedding night like everyone expected, still hadn’t fucked her or gotten more than a hand job. That wasn’t fast in my world. The frustration of the day, the confusion over my emotions began to catch up with me, and I knew I couldn’t let it. “Because I got naked?” I asked in a moderately calm voice. “You’ve seen my cock before. You even jerked me off.”
Aria flushed. “I think you’re trying to manipulate me. If I gave you the chance, you’d go all the way today.”
“You bet I would, but I can’t see what manipulation has to do with it,” I gritted out. Didn’t she understand what kind of man I was and what men like me usually did when they had a beautiful woman, their wife, at their disposal? “I want you. I never lied to you about that. I’m going to take whatever you’re willing to give, and you were willing in the Jacuzzi.”
Aria’s eyes flashed with anger. “Not about the finger. Maybe you’ll try the same with sex.”
I laughed at her cluelessness. “That won’t work. My cock won’t slide in that easily, believe me, and it will hurt a lot more.”
Aria blanched. I could have kicked myself for my words. It was the truth, but she didn’t need to know it. Gathering what remained of my patience, I continued in a softer voice, “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
But I had. It was plain as day on Aria’s face. I caressed her side, showing her that I still had every intention of being gentle with her. “Tell me that you enjoyed what I did to you on the roof.”
“Yes.”
Thank god. I leaned down to her. “What did you enjoy the most? My tongue fucking you? Or when I ran my tongue all the way over your pussy? Or when I sucked your clit?”
Desire replaced the apprehension on Aria’s face. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe I need to show you again?” I said, then slid my hand between her legs and covered her pussy with my palm. Aria moved to lie down, but I shook my head. This position was perfect. “No. Stay like that.” I began to stroke her as I held her in my arms. The way her legs were still pressed against her chest, additional pressure was added to her pussy and she loosened up in no time.
“Relax,” I encouraged her before I dipped one finger against her opening. I took my time entering her this time, allowing her to grow used to the intrusion. The sight of my finger sliding into her pussy was the best.
I dragged my eyes up, catching Aria watching my hand. “Look at me.”
Aria cast her eyes up.
“You are so wet and soft and tight. You can’t imagine how fucking good this feels,” I told her. The tip of my cock dug into her thigh, leaking pre-cum all over her smooth skin. I kissed her, tangling my tongue with hers as I kept finger-fucking her gently. This time, when I pulled my finger out, Aria let out a huff.
Chuckling, I knelt between her legs and entered her with my middle finger. It slid in as easily as my little finger had done. I watched Aria’s face as her walls encased it. When I began swirling my tongue around her clit, Aria threw her legs open, giving me better access. Smiling against her pussy, I licked and sucked her as I slid in and out of her. Aria’s thighs began quivering and then she jerked under me, rewarding me with her release. Would the sight of her coming apart ever not lodge my breath in my throat?
Fuck me.
Wiping my mouth, I climbed back up, kissed her cute belly button and stretched out beside her. Aria ran her fingertips over my slick tip.
I thrust up with a groan. “I want your mouth on me.”
Aria gave me a look as if I’d asked her to chew on broken glass. I almost laughed again, but I could tell that her mind was already going a hundred miles an hour worrying about my request.
“Is this because you don’t want to, or because you don’t know how?” I asked. “You can jerk me off like last time.” I stroked her hair, searching her eyes for a clue about her feelings. I really wanted to come in her mouth, but not if she gave me this panicked look. I’d feel as if I were molesting her.
“No, I mean, I think I want to do it.”
“You think? But?”
Aria tilted her head to the side in contemplation. “What if I don’t like it?”
I really hoped that wouldn’t be the case. “Then you don’t. I won’t force you.”
Aria leaned down, bringing her mouth closer to my cock. My fingers in her hair tightened, and it took me all my willpower not to guide her head down. Aria paused with a small laugh, casting those baby blues up in embarrassment. “I don’t know what to do.”
Fuck. My cock twitched. Aria laughed again, this time without restraint, and I couldn’t help but grin. “You like to torture me with your innocence, don’t you?”
Aria blew against my cock, causing me to twitch ag
ain. I felt like a goddamn teenager. “I don’t think that’s why it’s called blow job, right?” Aria asked, biting her lower lip playfully, her eyes full of mischief.
A laugh burst out of me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d felt this…at peace. “You’re going to be the death of me, principessa.”
Again, principessa. Fuck if I cared that sweet talking to Aria made me look weak. Anyone who thought I wasn’t still the same brutal asshole than before would get a taste of my monstrous side.
“Don’t laugh. I don’t want to do something wrong.”
“Do you want me to tell you what to do?” I asked.
Aria nodded.
“Okay,” I said, trying to relax against the pillows. “Close your lips around the tip and be careful with your teeth. I don’t mind it a bit rougher, but don’t chew on it.”
Aria snorted in the most undignified way ever, but then she became very quiet. I could tell that she was nervous, which she really didn’t have to be. I knew she didn’t have any experience and didn’t expect her to blow my mind with her skills. The way my balls were already throbbing, I’d probably shoot my load the second her lips touched my fucking dick.
When Aria didn’t budge, I stroked her scalp until I cupped the back of her head. Again I had to fight the urge to push her down like I would have done with my past fuck buddies. Finally, Aria closed her lips around my tip. The sight of my cock in her mouth was the best thing I’d ever seen. All I wanted was to thrust upwards and bury myself in her.
“Now swirl your tongue around it.” Aria’s brows furrowed as she tried to move around my thick head. “Yes, just like that.” She slowly got the hang of it, and I gave her the time she needed, wanting her to learn enjoying this. “Take a bit more of me into your mouth and move your head up and down. Now suck as you move. Yes, fuck.” This felt amazing, because seeing Aria turned me on like nothing ever had. I thrust up without thinking about it. Aria flinched away when I hit the back of her throat. She coughed, eyes watering.
“Fuck, sorry,” I rasped. I stroked Aria’s lips before I settled back once more. “I’ll try to stay still.”
Aria surprised me by licking my entire length, base to tip. She paused. “Is that okay?”
“Fuck yes.”
She began licking my dick as if it were a popsicle, and fuck it felt good. My balls tightened. “This feels really fucking good, but I really want to come.”
Aria peered up at me. “What do you need me to do?”
“Suck me harder, and keep looking at me with your fucking beautiful eyes.”
Aria began working my cock in earnest now, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked me harder while her fingers tightened around my base. Pleasure built in my balls. Fuck, so good. I wouldn’t last much longer. “If you don’t want to swallow, you need to get away,” I got out.
Aria pulled away, and I came all over my stomach and thighs. My eyes fell shut as I drew in a ragged breath, my cock still twitching. I rubbed my fingertips along Aria’s scalp then began to pull away to reach for a tissue. Aria grabbed my hand and leaned into the touch.
I opened my eyes in surprise. Having her cheek pressed against my palm felt good. Her eyes searched my face nervously, as if she worried that I would refuse her. I stroked her cheekbone and, slowly, her lips pulled into a grateful smile. My stomach filled with warmth. I tore my gaze away from my lovely wife and took in the sticky mess I’d made. “I need a fucking shower.” I wiped away the worst of it with a tissue before I slid out of bed before I could get my cum all over the sheets.
Aria rolled over to her side, positioning her arms and legs so she was covered.
Did she think I’d leave her lying there? “Come on. I don’t want to shower alone.” Aria quickly took my hand and I pulled her with me into the bathroom.
I turned on the water, then stepped under the hot stream. I tugged Aria against my body and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She beamed up at me like I’d given her an expensive gift. I began washing her, enjoying the feel of her skin under my hands. Aria relaxed, her eyes closing. I’d never washed another person, never felt the urge to do it. I embraced her from behind, then bent low until my mouth was close to her ear.
“So was it okay for you?”
Aria nodded with a sheepish smile. “Yeah.”
I pressed a kiss to her throat, my arms tightening around her middle. “I’m glad, because I really enjoy being in your mouth.”
Aria turned red but I could tell that she was pleased. Had she been worried I wouldn’t enjoy it?
She tilted her head to glance up at me. “Are you angry that I didn’t, you know, swallow? I bet the women you’ve been with so far always did.”
She was right, but I’d never warned a woman before. They’d been able to tell the signs of my orgasm and could have pulled back if they’d wanted. They never did though. “No, I’m not angry,” I said honestly. “I won’t lie, I’d love to come in your mouth, but if you don’t want that, it’s okay.”
I really hoped Aria would give it a try and enjoy it.
Ten minutes later, we returned to bed. It was close to midnight and I had an early day ahead of me, but sleep deprivation was definitely worth it. Aria snuggled up to me and put her cheek against my chest. I turned off the light then wrapped my arm around her. How could this feel so right? As if it had never been different?
I wasn’t even sure where exactly I’d dropped my gun. I always knew where I had my weapons when I was around other people, but with Aria…I just didn’t feel the need.
“When your father told you to marry me, what was your reaction?” Aria’s voice drew me out of my thoughts.
I wondered what she expected me to say. “I’d expected it. I knew I’d have to marry for tactical reasons. As future Capo, you can’t let emotions or desires rule any part of your life.”
Aria didn’t say anything. I was glad for the dark, because I knew she would have looked for something in my eyes again, something that would never be there. “And what about you?”
Aria exhaled. “I was terrified.”
“You were only fifteen. Of course you were terrified.” She’d been so young and innocent. She was still too innocent for me.
“I was still terrified on the day of our marriage. I’m still not entirely sure you don’t terrify me.”
This side of me, the side Aria got to see, it was one no one got to see. It was as gentle as I could ever be and she was still scared of me? “I told you, you have no reason to fear me. I’ll protect and take care of you. I’ll give you anything you want and need.”
She only had to ask. Father didn’t give a fuck how much money I spent. We had more than enough, and soon everything would be mine anyway.
“But the Famiglia always comes first. If you had to kill me to protect the business, you would.”
My fingers on her waist clamped up in shock.
Born in Blood. Sworn in Blood.
I could practically feel the sting of the tattoo needle when the motto of the Famiglia had been inked into my chest.
I’d sworn my life to the Famiglia. Becoming their Capo, leading my men, was the future I’d been raised for, the future I lived for. Every breath I’d taken so far, every life I’d ended, every wound I’d suffered had brought me closer to my goal. There had been nothing else in my life. Before Aria, my first thought when I got up in the morning had been about business, and so had been my last before I’d fallen asleep.
I’d never considered that something or someone could ever share the spotlight with the Famiglia, that anything could ever matter at all in comparison to my life as a Made Man.
Love is a weakness a Capo can’t afford. My father’s words rang loud and clear in my head. I’d always rolled my eyes when he’d uttered them, convinced that they were a waste of time and effort considering that I was incapable of giving the slightest shit about a woman.
Yet, the woman in my arms had wormed her way into my thoughts—and worse, my heart. More than once I’d caught my
self thinking of her while being away for business.
This wasn’t love. I wasn’t capable of love. This was…I wasn’t sure. I cared about Aria. I wanted to protect her, wanted to keep one woman in my life safe.
It wasn’t love, but it was more than my father would ever tolerate. If he found out my wife wasn’t just a fuck thing for me, a beautiful trophy I paraded around, then he’d make sure to erase what he considered a risk from my life.
Aria’s body had softened in my hold, and her breathing evened out. I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in her vanilla scent. She’d be safer if I treated her with cold detachment, if I made her hate me. It would be so easy to get her hate. Nothing was easier. I’d only have to take what was mine without consideration, without care. But the idea of doing so, of having Aria watch me the way my mother and Nina watched my father, it turned my stomach to ice.
Fuck.
CHAPTER 15
My ringtone tore me from sleep. I opened dreary eyes, fumbling for my phone on the nightstand. When I finally had a hold of it, I pressed it to my ear without looking at the screen. “Can’t you deal with whatever shit came up alone? I have a fucking boner to take care of, Matteo.”
“Good Morning, Luca,” Nina said.
I groaned. Aria lifted her head, looking thoroughly disheveled, and fucking kissable.
“Nina, what do you want?”
“Salvatore asked me to invite you to dinner.”
Fuck. He was way too eager to have Aria and me over. I hated the old bastard. “In case you didn’t notice, Matteo and I are busy dealing with the Russians.”
“I’ll have the cooks prepare a feast for tonight. Be here at seven.”
“I don’t have time, Nina,” I gritted out. Hearing my stepmother’s high-pitched voice this early in the morning gave me a fucking migraine.
“Luca, your father was very adamant about having you over,” she said. There was a moment of silence. “You will come?”
