Chapter 27
27
Vivienne
T he first rays of sunlight warm my face, and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore stirs me awake. My eyes flutter open, and I’m met with a breathtaking view through the glass walls of the room.
The endless expanse of the ocean stretches before me, its surface glistening like scattered diamonds under the early morning sun.
I sit up slowly, the soft linen sheets pooling around my waist. The air smells of salt and something fresh, like jasmine.
My gaze sweeps across the room—minimalist yet luxurious, with whitewashed walls and rustic wooden furniture. My bed is massive, draped with gauzy white curtains that billow slightly in the sea breeze coming through the open sliding doors.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, my bare feet meeting the cool hardwood floor.
Nothing here looks or smells familiar.
The soft rustling sound reminds me that I’m wearing one of Antonio’s oversized shirts, the fabric brushing my thighs as I move. I vaguely recall him draping it over me last night after insisting I rest.
The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts in from somewhere, drawing me toward the open-concept kitchen and living space. But it’s the view that captures my breath. Just beyond the living room is a sprawling deck, complete with a small infinity pool that seems to spill directly into the ocean.
I step out onto the deck, the wood warm beneath my feet. The sand is just a few steps away, golden and untouched, as if this little stretch of paradise belongs only to us.
“Good morning, gattina ,” Antonio’s voice cuts through the serenity, deep and rich like the coffee I smell.
I turn to find him leaning against the doorframe, a steaming cup in one hand and that ever-present intensity in his eyes.
He’s dressed casually, barefoot like me, with the top buttons of his linen shirt undone. The sight of him here, so relaxed, feels almost surreal.
“Where are we?” I ask, my voice still rough with sleep. I can’t remember much from last night. I remember chaos erupting at the party and Antonio whisking me away from it, but the last memory I have is falling asleep in the car.
He takes a step toward me, his expression softening. “Somewhere safe,” he says simply, handing me the cup of coffee. His fingers brush mine, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “I bought this place for when I need to get away from the chaos in our world.”
I take a sip, the warmth spreading through me. It’s surprising how I don’t feel nauseous to the smell of it, nor do I feel the urge to throw up. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper, looking back at the horizon.
“So are you,” he replies, his voice low. And when I glance up at him, there’s something in his eyes that makes me believe he means what he’s just said.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and if I weren’t early into my pregnancy, I would have sworn it’s the baby dancing happily to the sound of its father’s voice.
My chest churns. I feel a mixture of guilt and fear. Guilt for keeping the truth away from him and fear that he may not accept our baby. What if he wants me to abort it?
“Are you okay?” he asks, his gentle voice dragging me back to the present.
I bob my head more times than is necessary. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.”
“Do you care to share?”
I shake my head. “It’s not something important.” It’s something beyond important.
“Do you want me to show you around the place?”
“Yes, I would like that.”
He smiles. It’s so warm and his eyes are so sparkly that I almost catch myself smiling back, save for the constant churning in my chest, reminding me of the secret I am keeping. I wonder if it’ll ruin everything if I tell him today.
He nods at my cup. “Finish your coffee, and I’ll show you around.”
I hurriedly finish my coffee and follow him outside the building. The entire place is so serene and beautiful that I wouldn’t mind living out the rest of my life here.
A smile plays on my lips as a mental image of raising our kids here and watching them run around forms in my head. I imagine Antonio running around with them. He’s not the grumpy mafia boss who eats the heart of his enemies for breakfast. He’s just my husband—our children’s father.
God, why do I keep dreaming of something I’ll never have? When did I go from looking for a way out of here to dreaming of a future with him?
My papa will be furious when he finds out. He’ll hate me, and I wonder how Harper will react to it. Will she detest the idea of being an aunt to Antonio’s daughter? To her, he’s nothing more than a villain who kidnapped her sister after all.
I don’t notice the tears sliding down my cheeks until Antonio reaches out to wipe them off. “Do you like this place so much that you’re crying?”
I stop walking right in front of the water and narrow my eyes as the morning sun scorches me with its rays. It’s hot, but not hot enough to leave a sunburn. “Yes, I do like this place. It’s just… I’ve missed my sister so much.”
There’s a flicker of sadness in his eyes, but it lasts only a moment before his expression goes cold.
“I need to see my sister,” I say, pushing my luck. This could go awry, but I don’t care. I need Harper. Having her around me is the only way I won’t lose my mind. “I want to meet her just once. I need to talk to her.”
His eyes bore into mine. “And if I refuse?”
“You can’t.” The back of my throat starts to burn, and I sniffle to keep the tears welling in my eyes away. “You don’t understand me because you’ve never had?—”
He raises his hand to stop me. “Don’t say it.”
“You don’t have a family or someone you love more than yourself. You can’t understand how I feel.”
His eyes suddenly grow so cloudy that I take a step back.
I’ve crossed the line. I shouldn’t have said that. “I’m sorry.”
He ignores my apology and remains silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. The tension between us thickens, the breeze suddenly cold enough to make my jaw quiver.
And finally, after what seems like an eternity, he clears his throat. “I, too, had a younger brother. I had parents, and I loved them very much. We were happy.” He pauses. “Until that night when they were murdered. Everything changed.”
It’s the first time I’ve heard Antonio sound like he’s in so much pain, and it breaks my heart to hear him sound this way.
“I’m so sorry about that. I mean, how did you survive all on your own?”
“I didn’t,” he answers. “I lived on the street for weeks until Dante found me and took me home. Mariana loved me at first sight, and they both raised me as if I was their son.”
That is why he’s so obsessed with getting justice for Dante. He wasn’t just his mentor; he was his father, too. I wonder what my papa is doing. Can’t he just give Antonio all the details he needs so all of this will come to an end?
“I’m sorry,” I repeat, not knowing what else to say. Nothing I say can make him feel better.
He nods. “So you see, I know the feeling of loving someone. I’ve loved someone dearly, and I do love someone even now.”
My chest constricts. By love, does he mean Mariana, or is there a woman out there with whom he’s in love? I shrug the thought off before it can bloom further. I shouldn’t be thinking about stuff like that.
When I glance at Antonio again, he is paying full attention to the sea. He’s watching the water clap against the shore absent-mindedly, lost in whatever thought that has clouded his mind.
I want to make him feel better. I want him to know he could have a family of his own if he chooses and that I will always be here for him.
So, despite my fear that he may not be ready to be a father, I decide to share what’s supposed to be happy news with him. He deserves to know.
Reaching for his hand, I place it on my belly and wait for his reaction.
He lifts a brow. “Are you?—”
I nod. “I’m pregnant,” I say. “I found out not long ago, but I wasn’t sure how to tell you. I wasn’t sure you’d want the baby.”
Some of the ice in his eyes melts away. “Are you saying I’m going to be a father soon?”
My eyes prickle with tears. These damn pregnancy hormones. “Yes, you’re going to be a father, Antonio. We’re going to be parents.”
The world stops spinning for a moment. The sea stops crashing against the shore, and the wind stops whispering. Not even the bird dares to chirp.
For a moment, all that exists is me and Antonio. And all I can hear is the beating of our hearts synching into a perfect rhythm.
And then Antonio yells out with excitement, picking me up and spinning me around gently. “I’m going to be a father.”
I laugh because his joy right now is really contagious. I didn’t expect him to be this happy about it. “Yes, you’re going to be a father, Antonio.”
“Oh my God.” He puts me down and touches my belly. “There is a little human who’ll call me Papa inside your stomach?”
I smile and nod.
“Fuck! Yes!” He cups my face, and his eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?”
My cheeks heat with a blush. I’d been so busy worrying about his reaction that I hadn’t even thought of whether or not our baby would be a girl or a boy. “I’m not sure, but I’ll be more than glad if it’s a boy.”
He laughs heartily. “I want a little girl, one who looks just as beautiful as you. We’ll give her everything she wants and spoil her rotten.”
“A little girl or a little boy. Either one is fine by me.”
“What are we going to name her if she’s a girl?”
I think for a moment, but nothing comes up. “Don’t be in such a rush. I’m only seven weeks gone. We have more than enough time to think of baby names after we find out the gender.”
“Right, we do.” He takes my hand in his. “Thank you, Vivienne. Thank you so much for this gift. Thank you for everything.”
I hold his hand. “Thank you too, Antonio. A lot has happened, and I didn’t plan to get here, but somehow did because of you. Regardless of all that, I am beyond happy for our baby, and I hope we get to raise it together.”
He’s breathing raggedly from all the excitement earlier. “We will raise our child together, Vivienne. It’s a promise.”
His thumb brushes my cheeks lightly. Heat from his thumb seeps into my skin and works its way all the way to my core.
My heart is beating faster, and my brain is fogged with images of him pinning me somewhere around here and fucking me until I cannot walk.
As if listening to my thoughts, Antonio leans in and kisses me passionately. I kiss him back, tipping myself on my toes and kissing him back.
His hands slide down to my waist, pulling me closer as our lips move in perfect harmony.
The world around us fades away once more, leaving only the heat between our bodies pressing against each other.
Antonio breaks the kiss, his forehead resting against mine as we catch our breath. His eyes, dark with desire, search mine. “Can we do this? With the baby, I mean?”
I nod, my fingers tangling in his hair. “It's fine. More than fine. I want you, Antonio. Now.”
A low growl escapes his throat as he lifts me, my legs wrapping around his waist. He carries me to a nearby tree, pressing my back against its rough bark.
The contrast of textures – Antonio's smooth skin and the tree's coarse surface – sends shivers down my spine.
His lips find my neck, trailing kisses along my collarbone.
I tilt my head back, giving him better access as I moan softly.
His hands roam my body, caressing every curve in a way that makes my heart swell and a pool of wetness forms between my legs.
“You're so beautiful,” he whispers against my skin. “So perfect. So mine.”
I pull his face back to mine, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. My fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Antonio helps, shrugging off the garment and tossing it aside.
The cool air hits my skin as he lifts my shirt over my head. His eyes darken further as he takes in the sight of me, half-naked, save for the lace red thong I am wearing.
“Antonio,” I breathe, pulling him closer. “Take me, please. I want you inside me right away."
His lips quirks with a smug smile. “You’re the only one who can order me around like that.”
He doesn't need any more encouragement. He slides down my panties, pressing a finger between my folds and gliding it back and forth repeatedly. “You’re wet,” he says in a deep, husky voice.
I gasp at his touch, my hips bucking against his hand. “Only for you,” I moan against his lips.
Antonio's fingers work magic, circling my clit before dipping inside me. I moan loudly, not caring if anyone might hear us in this secluded spot.
“That's it, mi amor ,” he whispers, his breath hot against my ear. “Let me hear how much you want me.”
I'm practically trembling with need as he continues to tease me. “Antonio, please,” I beg, my nails digging into his shoulders.
He chuckles, a low, sexy sound that sends shivers down my spine. “Good girl. I like it when you beg me to take you just like that.”
In one swift motion, he unzips his pants and frees himself. I feel the tip of his hardness pressing against my entrance, and I whimper with anticipation.
Antonio enters me slowly, filling me inch by inch until he's fully sheathed inside. We both groan at the sensation, our bodies perfectly joined.
“God, Vivienne,” he breathes, his forehead resting against mine. “You feel sweet and tight. I love the way your pussy clenches around my cock.”
I wrap my legs tighter around his waist, urging him deeper. “Fuck me,” I plead. “Fuck me hard, Antonio.”
Antonio begins to thrust, setting a steady rhythm that has me gasping with each movement. The tree's rough bark scrapes against my back, but I barely notice, lost in the pleasure Antonio is giving me.
His lips find mine again, swallowing my moans as he picks up the pace. One of his hands snakes between us, his thumb finding my clit and circling it in time with his thrusts.
I cry out from the pleasure that cocoons me. I feel his touch everywhere as he explores my body.
The intensity builds between us, our bodies moving in perfect synchronization.
Antonio's thrusts become more forceful, driving deeper with each movement. I cling to him, my nails raking down his back as waves of pleasure crash over me.
“That's it, gattina ,” Antonio growls, his voice thick with desire. “Come for me. Let me feel you.”
His words push me over the edge. I cry out his name as my orgasm hits, my body shuddering against him.
Antonio groans, burying his face in my neck as he follows me over the precipice, his hips jerking erratically as he spills inside me.
We stay like that for a moment, panting and holding each other close.
Antonio peppers soft kisses along my jawline, his hands gently caressing my sides.
“I love you,” he murmurs against my skin, the words catching me by so much surprise that air stalls in my lungs. “I’m in love with you, Vivienne.”