by Rye Hart
She was already dragging it everywhere with her while Cassie grabbed one of her presents.
“The hell’s this?” she asked as she opened the envelope.
“Probably should’ve opened the big one first,” Camillo said.
“It’s just a bunch of jumbled up letters and numbers,” she said. “Thanks?”
“Open the big present beside your knee, Cassie,” he said.
She ripped it open, and her eyes widened when she saw the Keurig. I couldn’t help but throw my head back and laugh while her fingertips scanned the packaging. It was like Camillo had given her the holy grail of presents. He’d revived her mornings with the coffee machine of her dreams. She reached for a smaller gift and unwrapped it, pulling the massive coffee mug, tailored only for her, from the packaging.
The cursive on the coffee mug was in all the colors of the rainbow and it read, “Coffee… because it’s too early for wine.”
She threw her head back in laughter while the boys tried to get their new handheld game consoles going.
“The jumbled letters and numbers are the username and password to the website on the back of the card,” Camillo said. “It’s a site that specializes in nothing but k-cups for your machine. It’s a premade account with a thousand dollars loaded onto it.”
“A thousand dollars?” Cassie exclaimed. “What?”
I looked at Camillo with widened eyes and a smirk crossed his face.
“Enjoy the next three years of coffee on me,” he said.
I couldn’t believe my ears.
“Camillo,” I said, whispering. “What in the world?”
“I believe it’s your turn,” he said, smiling.
He handed me a small gift and I unwrapped it carefully. It was in a beautiful velvet box, complete with sparkling edges. I held my breath as I opened it, revealing two beautiful pearl earrings that sparkled in the Christmas morning sun streaming through the windows.
I felt tears crest my eyes and my gaze panned up toward him.
He handed me gift after gift. A matching pearl necklace and lingerie that made me blush. New outfits to take home with me and makeup he somehow knew I adored but could never afford. There was a perfume fragrance that entranced me and a pair of high heels that were absolutely astounding and, somehow, all of it was just perfect for me.
And then there was a manila envelope he handed to me.
“This was a last-minute adjustment in plans. There’s a combination gift for you and Cassie behind the tree, but I want you to open this first.”
I nodded at Camillo before I plucked the envelope from his fingertips.
I opened it up and pulled out a bunch of official documents with words I didn’t understand and percentages that made no sense. I scanned the lines like I understood what I was looking at, but I could feel the grin crawling across Camillo’s face.
He knew I had no idea what I was looking at until I got to the letter he wrote at the back.
Rose,
In this envelope are the documents to two different investment bank accounts. You are the primary name on both of them, but the secondary names are different. One is for Kevin, and the other is for Ana. Both of them have five hundred thousand dollars in them, and they are designated as educational accounts. Schooling children is expensive and I want them to have the best start possible. By the time they reach college age, there should be around one million dollars for each of them to use for whatever purpose is necessary.
I don’t want you to have to worry about their future when you’re always so preoccupied with their present.
Love,
Camillo
Tears stung my eyes, and I brought my hand to my mouth. I gasped, my chest hiccupping with tears. One million dollars. For each of the kids?
I held the documents close to my chest while my eyes sobbed tears of joy and relief.
“Oh, my gosh. Camillo. You shouldn’t have—”
“Save your words, my little songbird,” he said. “Cassie. Get the present from behind the tree.”
I dragged my eyes over to her as she pushed a massive box along the plush carpet of the living room. She grunted and groaned, her lips muttering curses underneath her breath as she pushed it to my feet. I looked up at Camillo with a quizzical look, wondering what in the world he’d done now.
“Just in case you want me gone,” he said quietly as he nodded toward the gift.
I held my breath while Cassie and I opened the present. The wrapping paper revealed a box, and Cassie immediately took to working the tape off. She ripped it from every direction while the two of us flipped open the lid, and the moment my eyes settled on what was inside, I shrieked with shock.
Inside was nothing but wads and wads of cash. Like the wad he’d pressed into my hand the night he came barreling back into my life.
Cassie was so stunned that no sounds were coming from her throat.
“What the hell is this?” I asked as I cried.
“I wanted you guys to be all right,” Camillo said. “I wanted you guys to be okay if things went south.”
“What does that mean?” Kevin asked.
“Nothing, sweetheart,” I said breathlessly. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Lining the bottom of the box are gift cards to various places. Restaurants in town and furniture stores. You can replenish the house you have now or buy a new one. You can invest the money and never have to work again, or you can use it to put toward your retirement and keep on working. I don’t care what you do with the four million dollars, but—”
“Four million dollars?” Cassie exclaimed.
“In cash, yes,” he said matter-of-factly. “There’s more in gift cards at the bottom.”
I felt dizzy as my eyes took in the sight.
Immediately, I took Camillo’s hands within mine and pulled him from the couch. I looked at Cassie and told her to watch the boys and not to worry about the mess. She was still staring intensely at the box, her head nodding to indicate she heard me.
Then I tugged Camillo upstairs into my room before I slammed the door behind me.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asked as he sat on the bed.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Tears were dripping down my cheeks while his eyes connected heavily with mine.
“Thank you,” I said. “So much.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For the best Christmas our family has ever had.”
I saw his ears perk up at my statement and his gaze grew firm.
“I have a present for you now,” I said.
“You do?” he asked.
“I do.”
“Where can I find this present?” he asked.
I sauntered over to him and straddled his lap, my arms threading around his neck before my forehead rested against his.
“On the tip of my lips,” I said.
His eyes studied mine while I nuzzled my nose with his. He tried to kiss me, but all I did was lean back, teasing him while his hands grasped the small of my back.
“How can I enjoy this gift if I cannot reach your lips?” he asked darkly.
“Because the gift isn’t a kiss,” I said.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s an invitation, Camillo. To join our family.”
My eyes found his and, for the first time, I watched his icy blue stare melt into something akin to warmth. A sparkle in his eye I’d never seen before twinkled and, soon, I felt my body being lifted into the air. He spun me around and I laughed. His face buried into the crook of my neck while I held him closely.
Then I felt my back hit the door and his lips were upon mine like a madman.
He pressed kiss after kiss against my lips and planted his hands against the door while my legs wrapped around his waist. My hands cupped his cheeks and our lips drank in the other’s taste.
Our bodies slid to the floor, him kneeling before me while I clung to him. My back sank to the floor,
the plush carpet coming into contact with the backs of my legs as he pressed me into the carpet. I could feel his cock growing against me, slowly and steadily, while his hands explored my skin.
Then, as if I weighed nothing, he picked me up into his arms and carried me into his bathroom.
Chapter Thirty-Four – Camillo
I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. As I carried Rose into the bathroom, my body was vibrating with happiness. I had the family I’d always wanted—the family I’d come to love and fiercely want to protect. The mother of my child loved even the monster within me and I loved her in return.
I set Rose down onto her feet and slowly began peeling her clothes from her. Every inch of her skin glistened for me, flushing with a beautiful desire, while her hands undressed my own body. Bruises and scratches and stitches came into view and, each time she found a new one, she pressed her lips against it. Her touch was warm and gentle.
Finally, when there was nothing left separating us, I reached into the shower and turned it on. The steam filled the room as I opened the massive glass shower door and ushered her in. She sighed as the water hit her skin, the dirt and grime from the past few days swirling down the drain as I began to wash her.
I paid attention to every single part of her body, including the treasure trove between her legs.
My soapy hands parted her pussy lips, feeling her dripping for me as her back pressed against my chest. My fingertips found her swollen clit, throbbing against the pad of my thumb while the rose-scented bubbles popped against her skin. Her legs shook and her breath came in short pants, every inch of her shaking and jolting while I nipped and kissed at the beautiful skin on her neck.
I was intoxicated with the way the white soap bubbles blended in with her beautiful pale skin.
“Camillo. Yes. Please. Don’t stop.”
Her breathless commands were my promises as my fingertips made quick work of her body. She was shivering against me while the hot water battered our bodies and I could tell she was close. Her ass ground back into my cock while her fingernails dug into my arm that was holding her against me and, soon, her head was cocking back, searching for my lips while she came.
I reveled in the way my name dripped from her lips as her legs gave out from underneath her.
We sank to the shower floor, and I began washing her hair. She laid there, curled up in my lap while I shampooed and conditioned her beautiful black locks. Her hair had grown well past her shoulder blades, the perfect length for braiding it. So when I had the conditioner spread throughout her hair, I braided up its thickness before sliding the band off her wrist and tying it off.
“A deep condition this morning?” she asked breathlessly.
“Don’t you think you’ve earned it?” I asked.
She turned around and straddled my lap, hovering her beautiful pussy over my throbbing cock. She smiled at me, encompassing my lips with hers just before she sank down onto it. I felt her juices slick over my skin while her walls throbbed around me and, in that moment, there was only the two of us.
My hands crept up her back while she slowly began to rock in my lap and, soon, the two of us were bucking wildly against one another.
Trails of hot water dripped from her pert nipples and I couldn’t help but pull one between my teeth. Her fingernails scratched my scalp while her head lolled back and my hips pounded up into hers. I could feel her pussy humming around me, sucking my dick deeper into her body I rose up from my seated position and quickly had her on her back, the water pooling around us as it dripped off my face.
Her hand raised to cup my cheek before I resumed burying myself deep within her body.
Her cries of pleasure were muffled by the steam and the intensity of the water pouring onto us. I threaded my fingers with hers, pinning her hands to her sides while my hips rolled desperately into her.
“I love you, Rose,” I said heatedly.
Her eyes flew open and studied mine intently as I slammed myself deep into her pussy again.
“I love you, too, Camillo,” she said, moaning. “I love you so much.”
I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have gotten my family for Christmas. Faster and faster, I pounded into her, watching her tits bounce for me while she gasped with pleasure. I bent myself back up and took her within my arms, twirling her around and pinning her to the shower wall before our lips met one another’s again.
Only this time, my fingertips trailed down to her pussy lips and found that swollen little clit of hers that was peeking out for more attention.
“Camillo. Yes. Holy hell. I’m gonna come. Please let me come. Please.”
“Come with me, Rose,” I said. “Come with me, my beautiful songbird.”
In an instant, her pussy was clamping down around my cock. She was singing her song for me. A song only I could pull from her lips. She wailed and moaned while her fingernails raked across my shoulders and I buried myself deep within her soft wetness as I peppered her neck with kisses. I emptied myself into her, my cock twitching and vibrating with pleasure, while her pussy pulled every ounce of hot cum I had from my balls.
Then the two of us simply stood there, her back pinned to the foggy shower wall, while our lips danced lazily on top of one another’s.
“I have one more present for you,” I said into her skin.
“What in the world could possibly top all this?” she asked.
I smirked before I pulled my cock from between her legs.
I undid her braid and washed her hair out one last time before I cut the shower off. I reached for a towel, wrapping her perfect body up within it before I helped her out of the shower. Her legs were wobbling and I felt a surge of pride swell within my chest, happy that I could still make her tremble with the pleasure I could afford her.
I sat her on the bed before I grabbed my own towel, wrapping it around my waist before I pulled a box out from my bedside table drawer.
“Open it,” I said.
Her fingertips studied the small box with a tiny little bow on it. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she popped the box open. But the moment she did, her mouth opened with shock before her gaze whipped back up to me.
“Camillo?” she asked. “What is this?”
“This,” I removed the diamond ring, “was my mother’s. Given to me by her on my fifteenth birthday. It was the ring my father first bought her when he proposed and she passed it on to me to give to the woman I would ultimately hand my life over to.”
Tears filled her eyes as I got down onto one knee and took her hand within mine.
“Rose, you are everything I could’ve ever wanted in a woman. You are a divine mother and a sensual woman. You are passionate, dedicated, and unwavering. Like a mountaintop rising far above the rest of the world. I promise you, my life of violence is behind me and I will love and protect you and our family forever.”
Tears were dripping down her face as I slowly plucked the ring from its confines.
“Will you marry me?”
Her watery gaze slowly panned down to mine and, the moment she nodded, a smile crossed my face. I crashed my lips up into hers, laying her towel-wrapped body down onto my bed while she slid the diamond ring on her finger. Our tongues battled heatedly and she pulled the towel from around my waist, casting it off to the side while my hands made quick work of opening hers.
Her legs parted to encompass my body as I settled on top of her silky, soft skin.
“I love you so much,” she said as my lips trailed kisses down her neck.
“And I love you,” I murmured into her skin.
I couldn’t wait to start my new life with my new family. Even with the bruises that covered my ribs and the stitches still healing at my sides, I felt a new Camillo being resurrected. My lips trailed down this beautiful woman’s body as she gave herself over to me, wholly and completely, in every way I’d only ever dreamed of. My lips slid between her legs while my tongue parted her beautiful folds and I drank her pleasure from between her legs.
>
“Oh, I love you, Camillo,” she said, whispering. “I love you so much.”
Epilogue - Rose
One Year Later
I was excited to be back in New York City for Christmas. Even though last Christmas on the island was absolutely unforgettable, there was nothing quite like Christmas in the city.
Camillo and our family had spent most of the year here, simply getting to know one another. We took our time explaining to the boys what was going on and how we were handling things from here, but the moment we told them they were going to be brothers, they were ecstatic.
We even told Cassie she had a place with us forever, if that was what she wanted.
Camillo had actively rolled back most of his duties from his criminal empire. He cashed in what he could, sold off what he couldn’t, and turned people in where necessary. He wasn’t just willing to turn the criminal domain over to someone else. He wanted to be rid of it completely.
Now, we were simply enjoying our extended vacation. He had purchased a massive penthouse apartment for all of us to live in whenever we traveled to New York City and Kevin simply couldn’t believe his eyes. The boys were still hellbent on sharing a room and we’d employed Mrs. Barker as their full-time nanny. Camillo was still spending every waking moment he could with Ana and, the more time they spent together, the more my heart melted for them both.
I didn’t think I could feel love for any two individuals the way I loved them.
During the past year, Camillo insisted that I pursue my culinary dreams. He even went so far as to build a test restaurant on a plot of land he purchased that would eventually be the site for our new home together as a family. We’d decided to get out of the Poconos and put ourselves in the middle of a city the two of us loved dearly.
And Crystal was happy to have us closer to her.
Camillo hired a wonderful chef to be my mentor in this test restaurant of his. I’d learned a great deal under his tutelage and I was closer than ever to achieving my dream. He taught me all of the techniques I would’ve learned in culinary school and tested me just like a school would have. Pretty soon, I was challenging him in the kitchen with tastes, plate designs, and food pairings.
