Closing his eyes, he brings his face closer as he inhales my scent, licking his lips before taking hold of my wrist.
"You're my fucking temptation," he says as he sucks on each one of my fingers, tasting my arousal. "Do you know how many times I jerked off to the memory of your taste?"
I shake my head, heat climbing to my cheeks at the image.
"Too many times. Too many fucking times, sunshine."
There's an intensity to him as he tries to keep himself in check, going at my own pace. It would be sweet if my need wasn’t as great as his.
Giving me one of his lopsided smiles, he grabs my ass in his big hands, spreading my legs further.
"Give me that sweetness, sunshine," he murmurs as he lowers his mouth to my pussy, his tongue giving me a long swipe before settling against my entrance, thrusting slowly into me. My walls contract as I feel his tongue caress me on the inside, his touch feather-like and making me squirm in pleasure.
Of their own accord, my hands find their way in his hair, holding him there as he fucks me with his tongue. And as he wraps his lips around my clit, sucking on it, I know I'm losing it.
"Bass," my scream echoes in the apartment as I fall apart, tremors racking my body as my orgasm ripples through me. I can't stop shaking, especially as he continues to lick me, tease me so much until another one is imminent.
"That's it, pretty girl. Come for me. Let me feel that cream on my tongue, Gianna," he rasps. "Been too long without it," lick, "without you," lick, "without my fucking heart." He bites down on my clit, and pain and pleasure mingle in that tight bundle of nerve endings, making me open my mouth in wonder, no sound coming out as the entire world seems to dance before my eyes.
Words—even sounds—fail me as he makes me come for the third time.
"Bass, please," I whimper, pulling at him, knowing I can't take anymore.
"Making it up for the last time," he grumbles. "I know you didn't come last time, Gianna, and it's been fucking with my head. I want you sated, pretty girl. Sated and fucked. In that order, you get me? Your pleasure comes first. Always."
Languidly, I give him a nod that earns me a smile from him.
"But I want to get fucked now." I pout at him. "Pretty please?" I bat my lashes at him.
He chuckles, that deep voice of his touching every fiber of my being and making me even more turned on—if that's possible.
I watch, almost hypnotized, as he leans back, quickly taking off his pants and boxers. His cock immediately juts out, straining against his stomach as he moves towards me.
There's mild trepidation as he parts my legs, settling his hips against mine.
"Give me that mouth, Gianna," he orders, his hand on my nape as he brings my lips to his in a rough kiss.
Rubbing the head of his cock against my clit, he doesn't push in.
"Slow, sunshine. We're going slow," he says, almost to himself, his tender concern for me moving me to tears.
And as I open my eyes to gaze at him, I see it—I see everything.
There's love, acceptance, protection. Everything I've ever wanted before. There's him.
This hulking beast that I'd tried to fight and push away, but that had ended up worming his way into my heart. This man that broke my heart yet came back to put it together.
"I love you, Bass," I tell him, taking advantage of this moment when our souls seem to be in alignment.
"I love you too, Gianna. So fucking much." His lips pull up in a smile, and I bring my hand to cup his cheek.
"Not afraid of STDs now?" I joke, since he didn't bother with a condom.
"No," he answers immediately. "I trust you," he simply states.
His words warm my heart as I note the sincerity in his eyes.
"There's only ever been you, Bass," I move my thumb in a circle over his scar. "There will only ever be you."
"Ah, Gianna," he groans, closing his eyes. "You've been it for me since the first time I saw you, sunshine. I may have hated it, but any other woman ceased to exist from the moment I laid my eyes on you. You're my fucking everything,"
"Then make me yours," I urge, pressing myself against him. "I want to belong to you, feel you so deep inside of me..." I trail off as I feel the head of his cock at my entrance, stretching me.
There's still a slight burning sensation as he slowly pushes inside of me, but the pain from before is gone. And when he's seated fully within me, I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Don't hold back. Please, Bass. I want everything you can give me," I tell him, wrapping my legs around his waist and tilting my pelvis to fit him deeper.
A whimper escapes me at the sensation.
"Fuck, sunshine. You're going to kill me," he groans in my ear, slowly starting to move.
"Your pussy's fucking heaven. So fucking tight, and milking my cock... Sweet Jesus, but I don't know how I'm going to last," he rasps as he thrusts, his movements starting to gain speed.
I feel a tightening inside of me every time he pushes to the hilt, the head of his cock hitting something deep within me.
His thrusts become increasingly more aggressive as my nails dig into his back. He grunts his approval as he urges me to claw at him harder. His mouth on my neck, he sucks on my skin as he pummels into my pussy at a speed that makes me see stars, the combined effect of his cock stroking my walls and his mouth caressing my pulse perpetually having me on the edge but not quite ready to fall.
"Bass," I moan out his name, the pleasure so fucking intense it's messing with my brain.
Everything is foggy as pleasure seems to emanate from all parts of my body, my nails on his back already drawing blood.
"You're mine, Gianna," his teeth scrape at the sensitive skin right under my jaw. "All fucking mine, baby," he continues to lick the skin.
"Yes, all yours, Bass," I say as he brings his mouth to mine, swallowing my cries. His hands holding my hips in place, he thrusts into me like a madman, pulling all the way out before slamming back in.
Without warning, he switches position, his back hitting the mattress as I bounce on top of him, his cock buried so deep inside me, I can't help the moan that escapes me.
"That's it, sunshine. Ride me. Ride my cock, pretty girl. I want to see how you take all of me in that juicy cunt of yours," he says as he brings his hands up my waist, reaching my boobs as he palms both mounds in his hands.
My body is already flushed from the exertion, but his words only serve to make me hotter, my walls clenching around him.
"Ah, fuck, you're strangling the life out of me, Gianna. You're about to come, aren't you? My pretty girl’s about to come," he smirks, trailing his fingers down my front.
I can only nod, arching my back and riding him harder, pleasure building inside of me and waiting to be released.
"Then come. Come for me, pretty girl and drench my fucking dick in your cream," my breath hitches at his tone. "Now, sunshine," his command washes through me just as my orgasm hits.
My hands on his pecs, I grip him firmly to support myself as my mouth opens on a scream. My walls close around him, holding him so tightly his own shout of release follows mine as warm jets of his cum flood my insides.
I'm back on my back as he slips from my body, an emptiness already forming from his absence.
"Fuck. Me," he whistles, one finger trailing down my pussy. "Your pussy's greedy for my cum, sunshine, eating it up like honey."
I feel his cum slowly ooze out of me, but his finger stops it, pushing it back inside and smearing my walls with it.
"You're going to look so pretty swollen with our child," he drawls.
"Hmm, and how many do you want?" I ask lazily, opening my arms for him to nestle inside.
"However many you'll give me," he lays a kiss on my forehead before turning me so he's spooning me from behind. "Although I'm pretty sure I just put a baby in you," he whispers in my ear sheepishly.
I pinch him playfully, laughing at his words.
Little did I know that nine mo
nths later his words would come true.
Epilogue
EIGHT YEARS LATER,
"Shh, you have to be quiet, lovelies," I put my finger to my lips as I attempt to keep Arianna, my seven-year-old calm, while settling her four year old sister, Ariel, on my hip. "It's starting," I point to the screen.
The ceremony is in full swing as all the graduates are on one side of the arena, the camera focused on them.
I spot my ray of sunshine immediately, her honey blonde hair long and contrasting against the blue of her robe.
She looks nervous as she clutches her hands in front of her, waiting for her name to be called.
"It's mamma," Ariel lifts her arm to point at the screen.
"Yes, it's your mamma," I nod.
Both girls are in awe as they watch their mother walk on the podium to receive her diploma.
Gianna herself is looking flushed as she shakes hands with the dean.
In the meantime, I'm trying to juggle a child in one hand, and a camera in the other so I can immortalize this moment forever.
Since I'd had quite a bit of money stashed away, Gianna didn't have to work anymore. Instead, she'd spent her time studying. She'd breezed through college, earning the respect of her professors for her intelligence and work ethic, and she'd quickly received an invitation to apply for their doctoral program in cognitive psychology.
After she'd been accepted, it had been a hard couple of years as she'd started her own research, filled with sleepless nights and copious amounts of coffee. It hadn't helped that Arianna had been a toddler by then and she'd soon fallen pregnant with Ariel.
I'd taken over most of the chores around the house, staying home with the girls while she'd continued her research.
Though it had been a rocky road, she successfully managed to complete her PhD program almost two years earlier, graduating with an offer to continue her postdoctoral work with her senior professors.
In the years that had passed, I'd watched Gianna bloom from a young woman who'd been afraid of her own shadow into a smart and confident woman who knew what she wanted—and of course, always got it.
There's nothing I wouldn't do for her and seeing the smile on her face as she waves her diploma in the air for us to see on screen, I know I did the right thing when I decided not to return to work and take care of our little girls instead—giving her the time to pursue her dreams.
With the ceremony done, she hurries towards us. The girls immediately jump from their seats as they dash towards their mother, both hugging her and giving her the flowers we'd bought her.
"Congratulations, mamma," Arianna and Ariel tell her, kissing both her cheeks.
"Thank you, sweeties," Gianna gives them a hug before turning her gaze towards me.
"Looking hot enough to eat, Doctor," I wink at her, opening my arms for her to fly into them.
"Hmm," she purrs against my chest. "You can eat me later all you want," she whispers right before our girls call our attention again.
"You said we're going to the restaurant to celebrate," Arianna reminds us.
"Yes! Restaurant! I want pizza," Ariel chimes in.
Holding my hand for Gianna, she gives my cheek a quick kiss as she takes it, signaling for the girls to follow suit. They jump up and down as they talk about some new fashion, the stifled energy from before fully unleashed.
"I'm so happy, Bass," Gianna says as she places her head on my shoulder. "I'd never dreamed I would get here. And yet... Here I am. Sometimes it feels like a dream."
"Me neither. Maybe we didn't have the best start, but this..." a smile pulls at my lips as I nod towards our little girls. "This is the best gift I've ever been given."
"Do you ever miss it? That life?" She asks suddenly.
"Why are you asking this?" I frown, wondering where it had come from.
"You gave up your work, your family..."
"Gianna, you and the girls are my family. That's it," I interrupt her. "And there's nothing more important than you three." She looks up at me with those gorgeous eyes of her that even now never fail to mesmerize me. "What brought this on?"
She shrugs, pursing her lips.
"My colleagues were talking the other day, and some were saying that it's weird you'd choose to be a stay at home dad while I pursued my studies."
"Sunshine," I groan. "You know I never cared about that. Seeing you happy while pursuing your dreams has been my one priority, and you know how proud I am of you."
"I know," she sighs, nestling closer to me.
"Besides," I lean in to whisper, "how many made men do you know whose wives have a PhD?"
"None," she answers cheekily.
"See? I hit the jackpot," I wink at her.
Because it is true. I'd never give up the life I made with her and with our girls. And that's why my grudge towards Cisco had faded with time too—especially considering the bastard is still alive and well. Without him sending me on that mission, I would have never met Gianna. I would have never known what I was missing in my life.
I would have never known happiness. Plain and simple.
"Yes, we're going for pizza," Gianna chuckles as she takes Ariel in her arms, Arianna quickly coming next to her to grab her mother's hand.
Looking at the three of them together, I can't help the way my heart swells in my chest.
Yes, I made the right choice.
Because there had never even been another choice.
TWO MORE YEARS LATER,
"Bass, love," I call out to my husband.
The kids are already asleep as I make my way towards our bedroom. He's already in bed, a book in his hands as he looks up at me.
"What is it, sunshine?" He places his book on the nightstand next to him, lifting the blanket for me to snuggle inside.
"Someone knocked at the door, and when I opened it, I found this."
I show him a white envelope. It's entirely blank—no sender, or receiver.
"That's odd," he frowns, taking it from me to inspect it.
"Right. Who could have sent it?"
"Well, let's open it up and see," he says, making quick work of tearing a corner and opening the entire thing up.
Inside, there's only a folded piece of paper.
"What..." I mumble as I take it out, reading the few short lines.
Father is dead. Cosima is dead. Rafaelo is gone.
You can come home, sister.
No one will harm you while I'm in charge.
-M
"That's..."
"Michele. It has to be Michele. But what does he mean that they are dead? And what about Raf?" I shake my head, unable to comprehend what's happening. "Do you think it's safe to return?" I ask Bass, a sliver of hope blooming inside of me.
I haven't seen my brother in ten years. Not since he'd renounced me as his sister, telling me to never come back.
I must admit I'd thought about him often over the years, since our type of bond isn't one to be severed so easily. But that doesn't erase the hurt in my heart for what he'd said to me.
That also doesn't erase the fact that I'd failed him as his sister.
"I don't know. I'll make a few inquiries," Bass grunts, not looking too pleased about the possibility of returning. "Do you want to, though?" He eventually asks.
"I... I don't know. I miss Michele. I'd love to see him. But," I purse my lips. "I'd never willingly bring Arianna and Ariel into that life. You know how they treat women," I shake my head, the thought of putting my children through that absolutely appalling.
"My thoughts exactly. We can arrange for you to meet with your brother, but I don't think it's wise to resume our affiliation—with any family."
"You're right," I sigh.
His arms come around me as he takes me in his embrace, making me forget about all my worries in the way only Bass knows how to.
But as the days pass, I can't take my mind off the letter, the thought of seeing my brother again becoming close to an obsession.
He'd be twenty-
four this year. A young man. I wonder if I'll even recognize him.
And as I find myself thinking about him more and more, I finally relent and ask Bass to set up a meeting.
"Wow, you're quick," I exclaim when he tells me it's all done. Michele had agreed to meet me in Central Park so that it's neutral territory, agreeing to all Bass' terms.
"I'll be waiting at the entrance," Bass tells me. "And if anything," he says grimly, "press your alarm button and I'll come get you."
I nod. "I'm sure I'll be fine," I give him a tight smile.
I'm the first to arrive at the designated location. Sitting down on a bench, I wait.
A young man catches my eye as he strides towards me. He's dressed all in leather, his dark hair long and curling around his shoulders. He has a pair of sunglasses on his face, and as he stops in front of me, lowering them down his nose, I come face to face with a pair of startling amber eyes.
"Michele?" I croak, a feeling of familiarity suddenly enveloping me.
"Sister," his mouth pulls in a crooked smile.
His voice is deep and smooth, and I note that puberty's really done a number on him. There's a cockiness to him that's not unwarranted, his pale skin making him look like a young Lestat waiting to take the country by storm in a rock revolution.
"It's been... forever," I say the first thing that comes to mind, because really, it feels like talking with a stranger.
"Indeed, it has," he takes a seat next to me, leaning back and placing his leg over his knee.
Pulling a cigarette out of his jacket, he extends one to me too.
"I don't smoke," I tell him.
"Not anymore?" His brows pull up.
"No," I reply, a little thrown off that he'd know that small detail from ten years ago.
"You look the same, Gianna. Just as beautiful," he drawls, looking me up and down.
There's something about him that doesn't sit well with me though. There's a coldness to him that chills me to my bones, and it takes everything in me to act normal.
"Thank you for reaching out," I start, "but I won't be able to come back. I have my own family now."
"With the bodyguard," he nods.
Frivolous: A DARK MAFIA AGE-GAP ROMANCE Page 32
