Chapter 16
Christiano
As soon as we’re back in the SUV and Nico drives away from the Vitales’ mansion, I smile at Sienna. “You did well, princess.”
“Yeah?”
Noticing she’s still nervous, I say, “You can relax. The hard part is done and over with.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she mumbles, her eyes trained on the view outside the window.
“My father already knows we’re getting married,” I inform her.
Sienna’s head snaps to me, and her lips part with a gasp. “Oh, did he call you earlier?”
“No. Augusto returned my call, and I told him we’re getting married.” I lift my hand and brush my thumb over the swell of her cheek. “My father’s known for months that I intended to force you if you didn’t change your mind and give your consent.”
A stunned expression tightens her beautiful features. “And he was okay with it?”
“Of course. He understands that I can’t survive without you.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “You’ve survived just fine the past seven years.”
I tilt my head. “Do you really believe that?”
Her eyes dart between mine as all the heartbreak she’s caused us tenses the air.
“I’m sorry, Christiano,” she whispers, surprising me once again.
When she was doing everything in her power to convince her father that she wants to marry me, I almost believed her. Especially when she finally said she loves me.
But then she had a panic attack, and even though she played it off as just being overwhelmed, I know better.
Placing my hand on top of hers, I squeeze hard as I say, “After tonight, things will get easier.”
She turns her attention back to the window while whispering, “I doubt that very much.”
My eyebrows draw together as I keep staring at her. “Why?”
“Because putting your ring on my finger and ordering me to act happy doesn’t change anything. At the end of the day, I still don’t want to marry you.”
Nico brings the SUV to a stop behind Enzo’s Mustang. Sometimes I think if our parents gave him half a chance, he’d move back in with them.
Shelving the conversation between Sienna and me, I push the door open and climb out. I walk around the back of the vehicle, and taking Sienna’s hand, I link our fingers and lead her to the front door.
Not bothering to knock, we enter the house, and I follow the sound of Enzo’s laughter to the billiards room.
Mom’s relaxing in a recliner while Dad and Enzo are playing darts.
Enzo throws three bullseyes, and looking proud of himself, he says, “I’m kicking your ass, old man.”
A second later, he has to duck to avoid the dart Dad throws at him.
“Careful,” Mom chastises him.
Dad glances at her. “If he can’t avoid a dart, we have a huge fucking problem.”
When I take a step forward, Dad’s eyes instantly snap to me. Noticing Sienna, he takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
Mom picks up on Dad’s reaction, and her head swings to us. Her eyes lock with Sienna’s, and standing up, she crosses the room like the queen she is.
“Hi, Sienna,” Mom says, her tone warm and welcoming. “We’ve missed you.” She presses a kiss to each of Sienna’s cheeks.
“Hi, Aunt Gabrielle,” Sienna replies, her features tense with nerves. She glances at Dad, and her tone is filled with respect as she says, “Hi, Uncle Damiano.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and before she can continue, I say, “We’re getting married in a month.”
Neither my parents nor Enzo show any signs of surprise.
Mom’s gaze moves from me to Sienna. “By choice or by force?”
When everyone’s attention settles on my woman, I squeeze her hand hard to ground her.
An anxious smile flits over Sienna’s face, and her eyes dart to mine.
“By force,” I answer honestly.
While Dad doesn’t comment, Mom places her hand on Sienna’s shoulder and asks, “You loved Christiano once before, do you think you can learn to love him again?”
Just like she did with her father, she puts on a believable mask and lies, “Christiano is just pulling your leg.” She slaps my arm playfully, giving me a loving smile.
“I’d be honored to marry him, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for breaking things off with him. We were both so young back then.”
A smile splits over Mom’s face, and she reaches for Sienna’s hand, taking a look at the ring. “This makes me so happy. Congratulations.” Letting go of Sienna, Mom comes to hug me.
When she pulls away, Dad shakes my hand and quickly pats Sienna’s arm. I’ve only ever seen him hug Mom and my sisters. Oh, and Grandma, when she was still alive.
Enzo bypasses me and pulls Sienna into a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “Congratulations.”
I shoot him a glare. “Put her down.”
Luckily for him, he does as he's told, then he comes to shake my hand. “I’m going to be honest, I never thought you’d convince Sienna.”
“Miracles happen,” I reply while wrapping my arm around Sienna’s shoulders and tucking her into my side.
“Have you told Franco?” Dad asks.
“We just came from my parents,” Sienna answers. “My mom says she’ll call you first thing tomorrow morning, Aunt Gabrielle.”
“We’ll have dinner at my place to celebrate next week,” I inform them.
Enzo picks up the darts and begins to throw again as he asks, “Not at one of the restaurants? You hate having people over at your penthouse.”
“I’m not taking that chance again,” I grumble. “The last time didn’t end well for me.”
I got shot and lost Sienna.
I feel a tremble move through her, and when I glance at her, she lowers her head so I can’t see her face.
“Right. I forgot.” Enzo buries all three darts in the middle of the board, then looks at me. “So what’s next on the agenda?”
“The Albanians, right?” Dad asks as he pours three tumblers of whiskey. “What would you like to drink, Sienna?”
“She’ll have a soda, Dad,” I answer on her behalf before pressing a kiss to her hair.
“We should have champagne,” Mom says, and as she walks to the bar to join Dad, she asks Sienna, “Are you okay with champagne?”
She hesitates for a moment, and I jump in again. “She doesn’t like the taste of alcohol, but you can have champagne.”
Still avoiding my eyes, she walks to the bar to take the glass of lemonade Dad poured for her. She only drinks a few sips, then heads to the board to pull out the darts.
“You should all take cover,” she jokes.
Mom and Enzo chuckle, and when Sienna attempts to throw the first dart, it slips out of her hand. I react instantly, and grabbing hold of her, I yank her body backward just as the dart hits the floor, missing her foot by a fucking inch.
I rip the other two darts from her hand and toss them on the table by Mom’s recliner while saying, “No playing with things that can hurt you.”
Her eyes are wide on me as she gasps, “That was close.”
I cup her cheek and press a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll never let you get hurt.”
“Aww…aren’t they just the cutest couple?” Mom coos.
Dad grumbles something I can’t make out, and Enzo starts to laugh while replying, “The word cute does not go hand in hand with Christiano.”
“Oh, hush.” Mom pins him with a playful glare. “You'd better be careful. Now that your brother is settling down, I can focus all my efforts on getting you married.”
He looks at his wristwatch. “Damn, would you look at the time. I should probably go home.”
“I just poured drinks,” Dad says. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Enzo walks to the bar and grabs two tumblers. He hands me one before taking a sip of his own. “So what’s next?” he reminds me of his question from earlier.
“Dad’s right. The Albanians, and you also need to clean ten million for Dragomir.”
Enzo’s been my underboss since I took over as the head of the Cosa Nostra.
It took us a while to find a system that works for us.
He takes care of all the money laundering and construction, while I handle the organization’s finances, bring in new business, and deal with threats like the Irish and Albanians.
Enzo’s eyebrow pops up. “Since when do I launder funds for him?”
“Since now. I’d like to keep the peace between the Cosa Nostra and the Romanians, so it’s up to you to make sure he remains happy.”
We only stay another five minutes, before I return the tumbler to the bar and say, “We’re heading home. I’ll message you all about the dinner next week.”
“Okay. Be safe out there,” Mom replies.
I get a chin lift from Dad and Enzo, and while I link my hand with Sienna’s, she says goodbye to my family.
As I lead her out of the mansion, I ask, “Feeling better now that we’ve told our families?”
“Yes.”
Her energy feels different, and as we near my Bentley, I pull her to a stop and grip of hold of her chin. Tipping her head back, I search her eyes. When I see fear trembling in her green irises, a frown forms on my forehead.
“Why are you scared?”
She pulls away from me and climbs into the backseat. I get in beside her, and while Nico shuts the door and walks to the driver’s side, I growl, “Talk to me. Sienna. Why are you scared?”
“I’m not!” Her breath catches, and she swallows hard right before she glances out the window. “I’m just tired. A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours.”
“Keep lying, princess,” I sigh. I watch Sienna closely as I lay a trap for her by saying, “It’s only a matter of time before I find out what you’re withholding from me.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” she snaps, playing right into my hand. Her strong reaction tells me precisely what I wanted to know.
As I stare at her, I see the moment she realizes she’s just given herself away.
Leaning into her, I drag my nose over the line of her jaw until I reach her ear. “Don’t ever lie to me again, Sienna.”
As I pull back, a heavy silence settles around us, and by the time we get to Sienna’s apartment building, I can feel the tension coming off her in waves.
I get out of the vehicle with her, and taking her hand, I glance around us, making sure the area is safe.
As we enter the courtyard, Ciro and Alfia get up from the chairs they were sitting on.
“Why aren’t Billy and Lucio on duty?” I ask.
“Their shift starts in thirty minutes,” Alfio informs me, while he goes up the stairs to the second floor to unlock Sienna’s front door. I wait for him to complete the search, and when he appears again, I lead Sienna to her apartment.
Even though Alfio just checked the place, I do a walk-through to make sure she’ll be safe before I stop in front of her. “Get a good night’s sleep, princess.”
Surprise flutters over her face. “You’re not staying?”
“Do you want me to stay?”
Without any hesitation, she shakes her head, and it hurts like a motherfucker.
When I step around her, she grabs hold of my hand and darts in front of me. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just need some time alone to process everything.”
Letting go of my hand, she grips my shoulder and pushes up on her tiptoes. As she aims a kiss at my cheek, I turn my head at the last second and claim her mouth.
Pushing her backward until she knocks into the wall beside the front door, I proceed to devour her, savoring how fucking sweet she tastes.
She might be giving me hell about getting married, but when it comes to the intense attraction between us, Sienna gives as good as she gets.
Only when she’s breathless and putty in my hands, do I break the kiss. Her eyes are clouded with desire, and when I cup her between the legs, I feel how hot and wet she is for me.
Just as her hips gyrate and she searches for more friction, I pull away and say, “No orgasm for you. Next time you’ll think twice about lying to me.”
Lifting her chin, the corner of her mouth lifts seductively. “A vibrator can take care of the problem for me in a couple of minutes.”
Is that so?
My eyebrow lifts, and when I cross the living room, she calls out, “Don’t you dare dig through my stuff!”
The instant I step into the bathroom and reach for the cabinet, Sienna grabs hold of my arm, her body plowing into mine while she shrieks, “It’s in my bedside drawer!”
Her strong reaction has my head snapping to her, and when I take hold of the door to open it, she slams her hand against it and growls, “I swear to God and everything I hold dear, I will never speak to you again if you look in the cabinet. Respect my privacy.”
I stare at her, taking in the fear, panic, and anger swirling in her eyes.
My mind races to think of everything people keep in their bathroom cabinets that she doesn’t want me to see.
Could it be because she keeps her tampons and pads in there?
Growing up, Gianna and Valentina were very private when it came to things like that.
Pulling my hand back, I say, “No need to go feral on me.”
I take hold of her shoulders and move her out of my way, then go to her bedroom. Yanking the bedside drawer open, I find a vibrator that looks like a real-life cock, veins and all.
“Jesus, woman,” I chuckle. “This is only a few inches shy of my size.”
She sounds out of breath as she says, “Just as well it’s so big, or I would’ve been in a lot more pain when you fucked me.”
When I look at her, the panic is still in her eyes.
“Please tell me you’re not going to walk out of here with my vibrator in your hand. The guards will see.”
I go back to her bathroom, and grabbing one of the towels, I wrap it around the rubber cock.
When I pass Sienna on my way to the front door, I order, “Your pussy belongs to me, princess. Nothing besides my cock goes inside you.” Stepping into the corridor, I glance at her. “Sweet dreams, my bride-to-be.”
She doesn’t say anything as she shuts the door in my face.
Laughter escapes me as I walk toward the stairs. I give Ciro and Alfio a chin lift, and as I go to where the SUV is parked, I pass Billy and Lucio.
“Keep my woman safe,” I tell them, my tone carrying the threat of death should something happen to her on their watch.
“Will do, boss,” Lucio replies.