Black Tears A Marchetti Family Novel

by Nyx, Angel

I returned the hug Eli gave me and watched him race off toward what I assumed was the pool house so he could change into swim trunks.

  “He’ll be fine, Bella.”

  “He’s my entire world, Gio. If something happened to him…It would destroy me.”

  “I know, Carly. He’s safe here. You have my word.”

  I closed my eyes a moment. “I know. I believe you. It’s just habit.” My eyes opened and I focused on the man in front of me. “You grew up with wealth. You grew up with safety. I didn’t. I grew up in the Lower 9th Ward. If you know anything about New Orleans, you know it’s one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. I didn’t have the safety and security of a big house surrounded with a fence. You’ll have to forgive me for worrying about my son.”

  “Bella, Bella, Bella. I don’t fault you for worrying. You are a good woman and an even better mother, of course you’re going to worry. There is no shame in that. I merely meant to reassure you that he is safe here.”

  Gio pulled me into his arms and I rested my forehead against his chest. “I’m sorry. That was really bitchy of me. Thank you for understanding.”

  “There is nothing to thank me for, Carly.”

  I looked up into his dark eyes. When Gio lowered his lips to mine I melted. He was such an amazing kisser. Okay, sure, I didn’t have much to compare him to since the only other person I’d ever kissed was Rico, but in this I didn’t need a lot of experience to know he was good.

  The clearing of a throat interrupted the kiss and I pulled away from him. I could feel the heat in my cheeks and mentally kicked myself for forgetting where we were for even a second.

  “Sorry for interrupting you but it seems my big brother has forgotten his manners. He only introduced you to some of the family. I’m Rosa.”

  The younger woman, who maybe stood five feet, held her hand out and when I took it she pulled me into a hug. “Oof.” She was strong for being such a petite thing. “I’m Carly. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You don’t mind if I steal here for a bit, do you Gio? Didn’t think so.”

  I was tugged away from Gio before he could protest and Rosa laughed.

  “Sorry about that. I just wanted to get you away from him for a minute. Gio has never brought a woman home and I would love to get to know the woman who managed to really catch his eye. Has he gotten all Alpha Male on you yet? You know, trying to tell you what to do, oh, excuse me, he would call it ‘suggesting’ what you should do.”

  Rosa rolled her eyes and I found myself liking the younger woman. She was very outspoken. I liked that. “A little, yeah. What is it with men thinking they have to get all domineering? Haven’t they ever heard the phrase, you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?”

  “Exactly! Thank God someone else gets it! I swear, he tries to tell me what to do all the time. Then again, so does my twin, and my cousins. It sucks being one of only three girls in the family. It’s me and two cousins and all the guys try to boss us around. It’s so annoying.”

  “Men can be very frustrating sometimes.”

  “What do you do when Gio gets all bossy with you?”

  I flashed her a grin. “I push back. My mama didn’t raise a pushover. I grew up in the Lower 9th Ward, so I have that edge going for me. I just don’t let him walk all over me.”

  “Oh. I like you. You’re going to keep my big brother on his toes.”

  We both laughed at that. “I try.”

  “Attention everyone! It’s time to enjoy this massive feast that was prepared to celebrate Mama and Pop. So, let’s eat!”

  “That’s my twin, Amadeo. We all call him Deo. I swear he thinks with his stomach. I really hope we can get together sometime, Carly. I’d love it if we could be friends.”

  “I’d like that too, Rosa.” I watched her walk off toward her twin then turned my attention to where the kids were all coming back from the pool. The grin on Eli’s face made my heart ache. This was the happiest I’d seen him in a long time.

  “Are you having fun, Amato?”

  “Yes! We’re gonna play tag after we eat. Can I play too, Mama?”

  “Of course you can. Come on, let’s get some food in you so you’ll have plenty of energy.”

  Gio moved to my side and when his arm wrapped around me it felt...right. I was in so much trouble. I wanted to guard my heart, but it seemed the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to do that.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Gio

  I watched Carly help her son fix a plate before they made their way to a table. I’d let go of her when we’d reached the buffet table because Pop had motioned me away from everyone.

  “Does she know? About la famiglia?”

  “No, she doesn’t, Pop, and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible.”

  “Gio. You know that isn’t wise. Not if you intend to continue pursuing her. We may be the only official famiglia in New Orleans, but we have enemies. Should one target her, she needs to know why. If you don’t want her to know anything, you need to en this, now.”

  “I can’t do that, Pop. I’ll keep her safe.”

  “How do you plan to do that, Gio? Are you going to lock her up and throw away the key?”

  “No. I’d never do that to Carly. I’ll figure it out.”

  “For her sake, and yours, I hope you’re right.”

  Pop’s words weighed heavily on me as I made my way to Carly’s side.

  “Everything okay?”

  A frown creased her brow and I leaned down to kiss her. “Si. Pop just needed to ask me a business question and didn’t want Mama to know. She’d box his ears for talking business today.”

  Her soft laugh eased something in my chest. I’d keep her safe from our enemies. I had to. There was no way in hell I was letting her go.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Carly

  As afternoon turned to evening, and the party continued, I watched Gio with his family. They were very close. A part of me envied the fact he had such a large, close-knit family.

  I’ll admit I’d been a little surprised when we first arrived and I saw that both Tony and Frankie were there. I’d even questioned Gio about it while he was introducing me to everyone. They were cousins. I’d had no idea.

  “So, Boss Lady, you tired of all the hugging and cheek kissing yet?”

  I was sitting at one of the many tables scattered around the expansive back yard and looked up to see Tony standing next to me. “It’s not so bad. Then again, I didn’t grow up with it so maybe that’s why. I didn’t know that you, Frankie, and Gio were cousins.”

  “We tend to keep familial ties out of business. He brought us in because of our skills, not because we’re related.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Relax, Carly. I’m just giving you a hard time.”

  I watched him sit down across from me and arched a brow. “Looks like you’ve got something on our mind.”

  “How do you feel about Gio? I mean, what are your feelings? Is this just something to pass the time? Before you get your feathers ruffled, I’m just trying to protect my cousin. I’ve never seen Gio take this much interest in a woman.”

  “I’ve been told by both his mother and his sister that he doesn’t bring women to family gatherings.”

  “No, he doesn’t. When he does date, it’s usually casual. When he looks at you, there’s nothing casual about it. Don’t break his heart, Carly.”

  “Who says he won’t be the one doing the heartbreaking?”

  “I know Gio. You’d have to do something really terrible for him to walk away. So, like I said. Don’t break his heart.”

  There was a bit of threat in Tony’s voice. It should have bothered me. It should have raised red flags. It didn’t. All it did was make me glad Gio had family looking out for him.

  “Mama? Can I stay for a sleepover? All the other kids are staying tonight and my new friend, Matteo, asked if I could stay, too. Can I, Mama? Please?”

  I
started to say no. I didn’t know these people. But then I saw the hopeful look on his face and just couldn’t do it. This was Gio’s family. Eli would be fine. “Of course.”

  “Thank you, Mama!”

  His squeal of happiness was all I needed to know I’d done the right thing. “There’s just one small problem. You don’t have anything to sleep in, or clean clothes for tomorrow.”

  Gio’s mother must have overheard us because she approached just as Eli started to pout.

  “I’m sure Matteo will have some extra pajamas, he usually does, and we can wash Eli’s clothes tonight so they’re clean in the morning.”

  “Really?”

  “Si, picollo, really.”

  “Can I stay, Mama?”

  “Of course you can. I already said so. You be a good boy.”

  “I will, Mama! Promise!”

  I watched him rush off to presumably tell his new friend the good news.

  “He’ll be fine. You aren’t used to him sleeping elsewhere, are you?”

  I blinked at Carmela. “Am I that obvious?”

  “Only to another mother, one who had the same trouble letting go. It’s hard when they start to grow up, no?”

  “That it is.” I dug into my bag for the notepad I kept in it and jotted down my number. “In case there are any problems.”

  “Of course. I’m sure it’ll be fine, though. I will call you in the morning once they’ve had breakfast and he’s ready to go home.”

  I watched her walk away and put my face in my hands. Letting him spend the night away from me was hard as hell.

  “Are you okay, Bella?”

  “Yeah. I’m just not used to Eli sleeping over at other people’s houses so this is kind of scary for me.”

  “I can understand that, Tesoro. He’ll be fine. And so will you.”

  He pulled me to my feet and wrapped me up in his arms. “Come home with me tonight.”

  The question made me freeze. I knew what he wanted. I knew why he was asking me to go home with him. Was I ready for that? I studied his face for several minutes before I finally answered. “Okay.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Gio

  To be honest, I wasn’t expecting her to agree to go home with me. When she agreed, it stunned me. “Are you sure?” At her nod I dipped my head and kissed her. “Let’s say our goodbyes.” I wanted to get this woman home and get her naked.

  “All right.”

  We made our rounds and when we got to Mama and Pop, I leaned in and kissed Mama’s cheeks.

  “Be good to her, mio figlio She’s good for you.”

  “I will, Mama. As good as she’ll let me be.”

  “Good boy.”

  Mama patted my cheek then hugged Carly and kissed her cheeks. I could see she was still a little stunned by how affectionate and accepting my family was.

  The last one we said goodbye to was Eli. I waited while she fussed over him before she finally let him get back to playing.

  The drive to my home was a quiet one. I kept my hand on Carly’s knee the entire way there. I couldn’t wait to get her out of the skirt she had on. I wanted to see her curves in the moonlight as it came through the french doors that led to the balcony off my bedroom. I wanted to trace every luscious inch of her body.

  The instant we were inside my home, I pinned her against the door. “I’ve wanted to do this from the moment we met.” My lips crashed down on hers, claiming them, claiming her. A growl of pleasure escaped me when her arms wrapped around mt neck and the fingers of one hand slid into my hair. “Fuck, woman. You make me crazy.”

  “Gio…you should know, I haven’t...I haven’t been with anyone since Rico died. Sure, there were opportunities, if I’d wanted them, but raising Eli has been my main focus since he was born.”

  I stared down at this beautiful, amazing woman before me and the trepidation in her eyes nearly broke me. “Oh, Bella. I’ll take very good care of you.” As much as I wanted to just bury myself in her, she deserved better.

  It was a struggle to rein in my desire but after a moment I got myself under control. Scooping Carly up in my arms, I headed upstairs to my bedroom. Tonight would be all about her. Her head rested against my shoulder and a fierce protectiveness consumed me. I would do anything to keep this woman safe. The feeling scared the shit out of me but, for now, I chose to ignore it. Later. Later I could deal with it.

  Once we were in my bedroom, I set her on her feet and kissed her. This kiss wasn’t like the hungry one I’d given her when I’d had her pinned against the door. No, this one was a slow, sensual kiss designed to ignite a fire inside her. I wanted to see her eyes filled with unbridled passion.

  I held her face in my hands as the kiss continued, only moving them when the kiss ended and my lips trailed nibbling kisses down her throat. Sliding my hands down, my fingers slipped beneath her shirt to caress her warm skin. She felt like silk beneath my fingertips.

  “Gio.”

  The huskiness in her voice went straight to my cock. “Trust me, Bella.”

  “I do. I don’t know why, but I do.”

  Fuck. This woman. I leaned back and slowly withdrew her shirt. My fingers caressed her skin and my breath caught at the sight of the black lace bra she wore. “Breathtaking.” Dropping to my knees, I slid her skirt down. If I thought she took my breath away in the bra, seeing her standing there in matching lace panties, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

  “If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

  “No dream, Bella. This is all very real. My hands have wanted to trace your curves since the night we met.” I kept my eyes on her face as I put the words into action. The green in her eyes darkened as her desire grew.

  Slowly, my fingers traced the edge of her panties before I gripped them and slid them down, baring her to my hungry gaze. As soon as they were gone I leaned in and breathed her in. “Put your hands on my shoulders if you need to, Tesoro. I will not let you fall.” Tracing her with the tip of my tongue, I couldn’t stop the growl that escaped. “Ambrosia from the Gods.” I could worship at the altar that was Carly for the rest of my life and die a happy man.

  With every flick of my tongue against her, I felt Carly shudder. Soon, whimpers and moans escaped her parted lips. I watched as the emotions played across her face. Her eyes were closed in pleasure, her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, and her skin was flushed.

  My lips wrapped around her swollen clit, suckling the sensitive nub. Flicking my tongue across it, I felt her entire body jerk.

  “Gio...please...oh, God, please.”

  I pulled away for just a moment. “Tell me what you need, Bella.”

  “To come. Please...make me come.”

  “Your wish is my command.” The need in her voice nearly had me spilling my load like a teenager having his first sexual encounter.

  I returned my attention to her pussy and attacked it with a vengeance. Soon the only sounds in the room were her cries of pleasure.

  When her legs started to give out on her, I supported her weight and eased her down to the bed. That freed up my hands and I slipped first one, and then a second, finger into her, curling them to stroke that sweet spot inside her. My eyes shifted up to watch her face as I pushed her over the edge. Watching Carly come undone was, by far, the most erotic thing I’d ever seen.

  Kissing a path back up to her lips, I felt her arch into me. I couldn’t wait to be buried inside her. Locking eyes with the beauty stretched out beneath me, I reached out to the bedside table and withdrew a foil package from the box resting in the drawer. “You take my breath away, Bella.”

  “Let me.”

  My breath hitched when she took the packet from me. I watched as she tore it open, removed the condom, and rolled it down over my aching cock. “Fuck.” Her hand wrapped around me felt so damn good.

  “Fuck me, Gio.”

  The need, the hunger, in her voice had me smirking. “Far be it for me to deny a beautiful woman what she desires.”
/>   I pressed against her and the tip of my cock slid inside, making us both groan. Slowly, inch by inch, I filled her until I was buried deep. Eyes locked, I watched the play of emotions on her face before I finally started to move.

  Her hands gripped my shoulders before I felt her nails rake down my back. I wouldn’t be surprised if she drew blood, and fuck if that wasn’t a turn on all on it’s own.

  The sound of flesh meeting flesh filled the room and mingled with our moans of pleasure. All too soon, I felt my balls tightening and I knew it was only a matter of moments before I came. I wanted her to hit that peak first. I shifted just enough to slip a hand between us and my thumb flicked across her clit, causing her tenuous hold to shatter. Her scream of pleasure was music to my ears. When her inner walls clenched and spasmed around me, it pulled me over the edge with a roar of my own. We hung there like that for what felt like eternity before I collapsed atop her. I kissed her and rolled off, removing the condom and tying it off before I dropped it into the small trash can next to the dresser. My arms wrapped around her and I pulled her close, tucking her still quivering body against me.

  Chapter Thirty One

  Carly

  I’d thought sex with Rico was amazing. My memories had nothing on what sex with Gio was like. Maybe I should have fooled around some before now. Maybe then it wouldn’t have been so earth-shattering. After all, I didn’t have much to compare it to. I’d been a teenager the last time I’d had sex. Or, maybe it still would have left me feeling like a puddle of goo. Maybe Gio was just that damn good.

  I lay there in his arms and relearned how to breathe. “That was...I’d like to say amazing, but you’ve already got a huge ego. No sense in giving you a swelled head. Well, unless it’s the one below the belt.” I flashed him a grin that made him laugh.

  “Ah, Bella, you do have a way with words.”

  “Good to see you noticed.” I closed my eyes a moment and rested against him. “I should go home.”