18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Emilio
F uck. I had survived shootouts, sat through high stakes negotiations, and killed men, but the hardest thing I would ever have to do would be to sleep next to Luciana in this bed and not fuck her.
But she was still a virgin. She was definitely not ready for sex yet, and I was holding true to the promise I made her - I was going to have her begging for me our first time.
I took a long shower before bed and spent plenty of quality time with my hand. My mind’s eye was filled with Luciana as I emptied my load against the cool tile wall, the shower quickly washing away any evidence of what I had done.
After achieving a bit more clarity, I slid on my pajamas. I crawled under the covers next to Luciana, who had chosen the worst possible night to wear her most revealing sleep attire. It was a cropped tank top that would sometimes ride above her chest, and bottoms with so little material they could barely be called shorts.
Fuck.
I outstretched my arms, and she buried herself in my chest. Normally, I would get home and she would be sound asleep, and I would wrap my arms around her from behind. This was foreign. It was…oddly intimate.
The thought of doing it with any other girl sounded awful. But somehow, with Luciana, it wasn’t bad. Holding her against me eased what was on my mind and made everything feel right.
I couldn’t help myself. It was selfish, but I wanted to taste her, feel her lips against mine just once more tonight. Gently, I lifted her chin and leaned in to kiss her, capturing her lips with mine. I gripped the back of her head, deepening the kiss as my hand trailed down her body, her skin soft beneath my fingertips.
My lips were rough and insistent against her perfectly soft ones, the contrast between our mouths igniting a spark of desire. My hands stayed strong and possessive on her skin, trailing over every curve and dip as if mapping out her body. I could feel the heat radiating from her, fueling my own passions and driving me to explore every inch of her.
I was getting hard again. This had to stop.
I abruptly pulled my lips from hers. “It’s bedtime,” I said, flipping her over to our normal spooning position.
She let out a small noise that could only be described as discontentment.
“Goodnight, Jaws.”
“Goodnight, Emilio.”
Her voice came out soft and sleepy. I hoped her dreams would be filled with sunshine and daisies, everything beautiful that she so deserved. I prayed she wouldn’t dream of the man who hid under the covers, a monster next to her innocent soul.
I slowly stroked her hair, watching as each strand danced in the moonlight that streamed through the curtains. Her waves felt like silk beneath my fingers, a stark contrast to the rough callouses etched deeply into my palms from handling guns and knives.
I hadn’t been to the field in years. It reminded me of happier times, before my mother ran off and left me when my father died. The two of us would play on the grass, then eat a lunch that she had packed.
Back then, I thought she had loved me. But when she ran off without taking me after my father died, I saw the truth. I was a hinderance, a ball and chain tying her to him.
I didn’t know why I had brought her up to Luciana. Memories of my parents had been buried deep within me, and I hadn’t spoken of them in years.
I’d make it a point to not talk about it again.
Our group gathered in Ettore’s office, awaiting news on the shooting that had happened at the gala. It was the normal crowd - Vincenzo, Rocco, Felix and myself. We were a bit of an odd crew, bonded by years of friendship and loyalty to Ettore, our leader.
Ettore opened his office door, an irritated look on his face. “Sorry for being late,” he said. “Unforeseen circumstances.”
“Anything wrong, boss?” Rocco asked.
“Tch. Just keeping my eye on someone.”
The way he said it wasn’t in the same tone as when we were talking about tailing or kidnapping someone. I wondered who this mystery person was.
“Anyway,” Ettore said. “About the shooting at the gala. As it turns out, Emilio just caught up in the middle of someone else’s shit.”
“The fuck?” Vincenzo said.
‘The fuck’ was right. Luciana had almost died because I took her to the wrong place. If I ever got the chance, I decided I’d kill whoever orchestrated this myself.
“From what we’ve gathered so far, the primary goal was political. We’re not sure who did it yet, but because it doesn’t affect us directly, I’m not too worried about it.”
“Who did they hire? The Bratva?” I asked.
“Too soon to say,” Ettore responded.
A heavy silence settled over the room, broken only by the distant whir of machinery. We liked to hide in plain sight, and this warehouse was one of many legitimate companies. The district contained many construction companies, so there were always loud noises going on. We chose this location intentionally - if there was a scream in a non soundproofed room, no one could hear it.
“So, what are we doing?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Ettore said. “It doesn’t involve us. It’s unfortunate that you were caught up in it, but we suffered no losses and have more pressing matters.”
The destroyed warehouse had been the most pressing matter at hand, demanding our attention. Leads had been scarce, and it felt like we weren’t making any progress.
But that twenty million dollar warehouse meant nothing compared to Luciana’s life.
“That’s bullshit,” I said.
“It’s final,” he responded. “Look, it sucks that you and your wife got caught up in that shit, ok? But you survived, which can’t be said for a lot of mafiosos and their families that were there.”
Ettore paused, cracking his knuckles before continuing. “And you can bet when the affected families find out who did it, they’ll torch the goddamn earth in response. Anything we would do would be nothing compared to families who have lost loved ones.”
This wasn’t the first time Ettore had prioritized business over personal sentiment, but something about this dismissal stung more than the previous ones. My fingers twitched, eager to draw a blade or a gun, to fight for Luciana’s near escape from death. But Ettore was right, as much as I hated to admit it.
“God damn it,” I muttered.
“So, let’s get back to our first priority. I found a lead…”