Chapter 14
Iwatch from my place on the couch as Sera stares out the floor-to-ceiling window of her office. She’s lost in thought, chewing her fingernail. Her chocolate tendrils of hair obscure her face, concealing the majority of her exhaustion, but I know that this stress is taking its toll on her. Despite our best efforts, Serafina still wanted to continue as normal. It’s a new week, a new day, and our leader is determined to get back to business. Though it’s barely been two weeks, she’s refusing to rest, deciding to defy her doctor’s orders completely.
My eyes follow every curve of her body, the glow of the midday sun bathing her in ethereal light. With the sun at its peak, it’s barely concealed by the skyscrapers. The bay in the distance is what she’s focused on, and I’m in awe of how her face lights up, not only from the glow of the sun, but from the peace she takes from the view. The way the bay curls and the boats sway. The water glistens and glitters from afar, enticing you to dip just a toe to feel the way the refreshing coolness can soothe your skin.
I could lose myself just watching Bianchi. She’s stunning, but there’s an element of beauty that I can’t quite describe when I look at her. It’s like one look steals my breath; one glance in my direction and I could easily find myself on my knees for her.
“What are you thinking?” I ask trepidly.
“Nothing,” she murmurs, then reconsiders. “Everything.”
Pushing up off the leather couch, I slowly close the distance between us. The warmth from the sun fills the window, smothering us in heat. Yet Sera doesn’t turn away from it. I hook my chin over her shoulder and band my arms around her waist. We’ve been here before, only last time she had finally come to terms with losing Enzo.
Now, she’s having to come to terms with his sudden resurrection, and I can’t imagine what that’s like for her.
For me, I’m still pissed. He’s family, my blood, and he lied to me. But it’s so much more for Sera. There’s a profound connection that I know she’s fighting because Enzo meant everything to her. She lost a piece of herself the day he died, and now that he’s back, she’s probably trying to decide if that same piece fits back in the same place. After our meeting the other day, the tension has lessened somewhat, but I still feel Enzo’s eyes on me, watching every interaction between Luca, Sera and I. It feels like we’re back to being teenagers, where Enzo admires his best friend from afar, never taking that step out of the friend zone. I shouldn’t want him involved in our dynamic. He had his chance and he blew it, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve taken something from him Like I might be taking something from Sera too.
Those guilty thoughts don’t last for very long, though. Soon enough, I’m remembering exactly how I wound up in Sera’s life. Maybe Alfredo’s involvement was the reason behind Enzo’s betrayal. Maybe he really didn’t have a choice. But none of that matters because it all boils down to the fact he hurt Sera, and I was the one left to pick up the pieces. Sera trusted me enough to make me her second-in-command, and I won’t waste that.
But then there’s Giovanni. There’s so much to unpack that not even I can keep up. She let him in, trusted him. We all did. But Sera sacrificed the most, giving him a place in this family. Sometimes, I think she’s too good for this world; too kind, too forgiving. But then I see the strength she exudes, the focus and determination she portrays with every step, every command. She’s a leader, one I’d gladly step in front of a bullet for.
Sera slides her hands over mine, a gentle sigh deflating her chest. Though I can practically hear the thoughts whirring through her head, I don’t say anything. We just stand there, lost in the landscape, surrendering to our thoughts. There’s nowhere we need to be. I deliberately left today open in her schedule, with the aim of easing her back into her routine gently. There was no way I was going to overwhelm her with meetings from her more legal businesses, so I held off on them. And though I know she’s itching to get back to some semblance of normalcy, our normal has shifted gears.
“I meant what I said,” she tells me. “I will get Luisa back. I’ll get Gabriella back too.”
“You make promises that are difficult to keep, Bellissima.”
“Maybe I do. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.” She turns in my arms, resting her good cheek against my chest. I don’t see it, but I can feel the sadness wrap around her words. It makes me want to hold her tighter, kiss her harder, and harbor her pain so she doesn’t feel like the world is against her.
“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this for him,” I mutter. “Gio betrayed you, he doesn’t deserve your mercy.”
She sighs, bringing a palm to my chest. “His daughter doesn’t deserve what’s happening, either. And this is all happening because of me.”
I know she feels some profound sense of guilt, blaming herself for other people’s actions. It’s what makes her so fucking perfect. But the actions of misogynists are a product of themselves, not the victim.
“The Verdis are to blame, Sera. Not you.” I hold her tighter, letting her relax into my embrace. “You think they’re being kept in the same place?” I ask.
“There’s a high probability that they are. If Luciano took Gabriella, and Ronaldo has Luisa, I’d say they’re hiding them together. But Levi,” she sighs, lifting her head. Her eyes soften as she cups my face. “There’s also a high possibility she might not be—”
“Alive?” I cut in, gripping her hand. I lean into her touch before pressing my lips to her palm. “I have no expectations. I just want her to be as far away from the Verdis as possible.”
A solemn smile graces her lips before she pulls me to them. Her body melts into mine as she kisses me tentatively. All the anguish I’ve been feeling starts to ebb away, like clouds on a rainy day, finally giving way to the sunshine.
The kiss deepens and Sera starts to walk us back from the window. Every step is filled with determination, every stroke of her tongue against mine is laced with desire. It’s been a minute since we’ve been this intimate. I didn’t want to cross that boundary before, not while she was healing. But I knew Luca would be the one she reached out to. I don’t know why, but I’m glad it was him. His form of comfort is just what she needed.
Gripping the backs of her thigh, I lift her and move us toward her desk, dropping her on top of it. Our mouths move as one, hungry but patient, like we’ve got all the time in the world. And in a way, we do. Her kidnapping has left a dark reminder on my soul to relish every moment, savor every second because tomorrow isn’t certain. Everything I feel for this woman rushes through me like a tornado, messy and chaotic.
Our hands start to move desperately, frenetic energy palpating between us. My lips find her neck as she leans back, allowing me to devour her skin with kisses, painting it with adoration and lust. I’ve been patient, expecting her to shy away from intimacy after what happened to her. While I don’t know the full story, the state that Enzo found her in leaves little to the imagination.
“Levi,” she pants, her brown eyes gazing up at me with molten desire.
Somewhere along the way, I’ve frozen up. I’m not going to pretend my thoughts aren’t warring with my emotions. A part of me feels guilty that I’m leading with my dick and not my head. Another part of me wants to show her how much I care for her, how much I need her; not just physically, but emotionally.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, stroking her thumb across my bottom lip and frowning at the split still healing.
“I just…” I drop my forehead to hers. “I don’t want to hurt you.” She’s still wearing a bandage on her back, and though I know Luca fucked her with no problems, I’m struggling to get past that hurdle.
“You won’t,” she reassures, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips to tease me.
I sigh deeply, relishing in this contact. It might have only been three weeks since we last held each other like this, but the reality is surreal. “I missed you, I missed us.”
She smiles up at me, her eyes becoming glassy. But before I can soothe whatever flits through her mind, she lifts her leg and pulls me closer to her. “Are you going to fuck me or what, Marchese?”
Damn, I missed her attitude, too.
My hand slides up her thigh, pushing her skirt up over her hips. She gasps when I cup her ass, grinding her pussy against me. The heat between her legs ratchets up my own desire for her even more. I tuck my fingers into the side of her underwear, unable to contain the groan that escapes when my knuckles graze her soaked center.
She gasps, eyes closing as she arches into my touch. I’d forgotten how goddamn beautiful she is like this. When she surrenders to my touch. I slide my finger into her pussy, her walls instantly contracting around the digit.
“Fuck,” I grunt, her juices coating my knuckles as I pump in and out of her wet heat. The sensation is so intense that I’m struggling to ignore the way my dick punches against my zipper.
“Levi,” she rasps as I bury my face between her neck and shoulder.
She smells sweet, an addictive concoction of her Dior perfume and the scent of danger that seems to follow her. I run my tongue along the column of her throat, licking a path to her ear. “Yes, Bellissima?”
I draw my hand to my lips, sucking on my middle finger and groaning. My cock is hard as a rock, desperate to sink inside Sera. She tastes too irresistible not to.
“I need you,” she moans breathlessly.
With one quick gesture, I unbuckle my belt and slacks. My cock springs free as soon as I shove down my boxers, already lining up between her legs like it’s magnetized.
She grabs me by the back of my neck, tugging my mouth to hers. Our lips twist, our tongues twine, the heat of our bodies ramping our need for one another until desperation laces our breaths.
I press up against her pussy, my cock sliding between her slick folds as I move back and forth, slowly inching in.
“Levi,” she begs, her back arching off the desk as I tease her.
I pull all the way out, then thrust into her hard. The warmth of her pussy swallows my dick, squeezing with a punishing grip that I could get lost in for days.
She screams out, her hand sliding through my hair, nails digging into my scalp with every punch of my hips. Her body jostles against the desk, her moans filling the room, and her legs tighten around my waist, like she’s drawing me as close as possible. It’s the proximity that connects us, the sliver of air between us that closes as soon as our mouths slam together once more.
I’m so lost in her, so enthralled by this woman. She’s the epitome of fierce, yet she holds a subtle vulnerability that she’d never admit. It’s moments like this that galvanize my feelings for her. I’m not just her second in command anymore. I’m more than that.
Drawing my lips along her throat, I pepper kisses to her flushed skin. Her fingers card through my hair, tugging and pulling, guiding me to where she wants me; everywhere. I punch my hips harder, feeling her sweet pussy clench around me as her moans grow louder. Even though I know we’re alone, I can’t help but notice how loud we are.
But I don’t care.
Hearing those sounds, listening to her fall apart is what spurs me on. The crescendo of her orgasm spasms around me, my cock twitching as my release finally fills her. I collapse on top of her body with a sated moan, sealing the moment with a tender kiss that she whimpers delicately into.
Her chest rises and falls with mine, her smile matching my own as I pull away. All the tension from the last week seems to dissipate, like the sun breaking through the clouds. Sera is the bright light I’m drawn to, the beacon I seek. I love that everything about her seems to spread lightness to the morbidity that floods my mind. Her being here, in my arms, soothes the ache and longing of her once being only within my grasp.
She’s home.And this is the moment that cements my reality.
Pulling away, I tug her upright and drop a kiss to her swollen lips. She slips her arms around my waist, my cock still seated hard inside of her. As we fall into a gentle silence, I realize all the warring thoughts surrounding my sister have evaporated. I know it’s down to Sera, despite Luca’s attempts to console me. This is what I needed.
I needed to find that connection again, that tether that felt like it was fraying despite there being no cause to it. Sera’s kidnapping has made me see things in a different light. It’s made me realize how much I take for granted, and how much I want to take advantage of time. Because at the end of it all, time is something none of us can afford to lose.
“I won’t let them win,” she murmurs against my chest.
I hold her a little tighter, her body relaxing into me. “We won’t let them win,” I assure her. I hate all the hurt that has been brought to her front door. I despise the fact I can’t take away the pain. Whatever her father’s intentions were, he still hurt his daughter. He knew how close Sera was to Enzo, he knew that the loss would bring her close to a breaking point. Unless we talk to Alfredo, we’ll never know what went through his head. So it’s up to Luca and I to help her see she doesn’t need to hurt anymore.
My phone ringing cuts through the silence that has fallen between us and this tender moment. I pull it out of my jacket, a small smile lifting my lips as I see the name on the screen. “Pretty Boy,” I breathe out.
“How’s our girl doing?” he asks as soon as I pick up. That simple question has my heart squeezing my chest.
Looking down at Sera, with her hair splayed out, a thin sheen of sweat glistening across her temple, my chest tightens. So many emotions flood through me that I can’t keep the smile from my face. I push away an errant hair, my dick twitching inside of her as her big brown eyes soften.
Yeah, I’m not finished with her yet.
“We’re just catching up,” I supply.
“Good.” I can practically hear the smirk in his voice. “Desk or couch?”
A chuckle bounces around my chest as I shake my head. “Desk.”
Sera rolls her eyes, pushing me away so she can rearrange herself, and the ghost of her pussy around my cock leaves me throbbing for more. That’s okay, we have the rest of the day to make up for lost time.
I watch her make her way to the couch before I tuck myself back in and return my attention to Luca. “What’s up?”
“Raf’s found something.”