“You two are closer than I’ve ever been to anyone.” I stroke a lock of hair behind her ear. “Except you.”
Her smile brightens her big eyes. “You feel close to me?”
“I’ve been inside you, sweetness.” I lean down and brush my lips across hers, savoring her breath against my skin.
She shivers and licks her lips. “I know. I want more.”
My cock thickens and aches. “I want more, too. But you’re sore.” I kiss her forehead.
“I’m all right.”
I stare at her. She stares back. I keep looking into her blue eyes until she blinks.
“Ugh, okay, I’m a little sore, but it’s not bad.”
“I want you, Bianca.” I kiss her lips more deeply this time, then pull back. “Never doubt how much I want you. All the time. Every breath. But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I know.” She nuzzles into the crook of my neck. “I know you’re afraid of that.”
Fear isn’t something I’m well acquainted with–at least not fear coming from me. I instill fear in others with ease. But I don’t experience it the same way. Being the biggest, the strongest, the most depraved–all these traits have insulated me from ever being truly fearful. Bianca has changed that. Changed me.
“You’ve got that serious look again,” she says.
“You can’t even see my face.” I stroke her hair.
“No, but I know it’s there.”
She’s right, of course. My mean mug tends to stay stoic at best, terrifying at worst. I try to wobble my eyebrows and wrinkle my nose, but then my face goes back to ‘murder’ setting as always.
“You make me smile.” I kiss her crown.
“I know.” She snuggles closer. “I love it when you smile.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I even love it when you glower, when you’re super serious, when you look at me like you’re confused because I’ve said something that is most likely nonsense–I just love you.”
Nothing has ever felt so good. Nothing ever will. Hearing her say those words makes me want to be someone she can always trust, always want, always depend on. I will be.
“Do you want kids?” she asks.
“I thought I didn’t.” I can’t stop touching her, running my fingers through her hair and along her back. “But then I kidnapped this beautiful woman who says she loves me. Now I’m not sure.”
“Where is she? Are you hiding her in the closet?” she whispers.
I tickle her, and she lets out a giggle and squirms in my lap.
“Fernando!” She squeals and tries to scoot away from me, but I capture her easily in my arms and cage her against my chest.
She looks up at me, and I kiss her again, feeling every bit of love and promise that our future could hold.
My phone vibrates on the counter. I ignore it and kiss her more, my fingers tangling in her soft hair as I lift her onto the counter and grab her waist.
The phone keeps buzzing.
She pulls back and looks.
“Ignore it.” I chase her mouth.
“Wait. It’s Angelica.” She swipes it from the counter and hits the answer button.
I groan.
“Hey, what’s up?”
I feel when her demeanor changes, see when her shoulders slump.
“When?” she asks. She listens for a short while, then nods. “Okay. I’ll, um, I’ll tell Fernando. See you soon. Love you.” She ends the call and meets my gaze. “The Frangiones know. They found out you took me, and they want Antonio to hand me over.”
“Never.” I grit my teeth, my body going tense. “I’ll never give you up, Bianca.”
“The other families have arranged a meeting to hash out what’s to be done.” She sets the phone on the counter. “They want me there.”
“No.”
“If I don’t go, then all the families will take the Frangiones’ side by default. They’ll come for Antonio, Angelica, you, and me.”
I fist my hands and try to think through all the avenues we have to escape. But when I think about the full force of all the families being brought to bear against the only people in this world I love, I sigh. They wouldn’t survive. Antonio would fight until his last breath, but not even he could survive a consolidated attack.
“It’s okay.” She cups my cheek. “I’ll be okay.”
I meet her eyes again, then kiss her like I fucking mean it. Because I do. She’ll never become a Frangione bride because she’s mine. Always will be. The families be damned.
20
BIANCA
I wonder if there is some mob rule book? There has to be some kind of loophole or something that we can use to our advantage. I’m no longer a virgin. For all I know, I could be knocked up. What if I’m already married? Then I can’t marry someone else. Unless they kill Fernando. My stomach churns, and I wring my fingers together. I want to go back to our little cabin and stay forever. It was our own bubble without the rest of the world.