Chapter Twenty-One
Lilianna Genovese
Matteo’s gaze relayed more than any words could, and of everything that had just happened, all I could consider were the words he’d spoken so freely. So fervently.
She is mine .
I didn’t know why those words had been exactly what I’d needed to hear. They were everything. I hadn’t been looking for assurance, but hearing them had been enough to solidify my position.
I’d just entered into a lifelong commitment with the mafia, and his claiming me was still the sole thing that lingered on my mind. It was the most important thing. I didn’t just swear myself to my father’s men by staying.
I swore myself to him.
He was the reason it felt so easy to make the decision.
As I continued staring into his deep, nearly black eyes, pride and longing danced there, alongside a bit of mischief. Everything about the way he looked at me sent my mind reeling. His hand rested firmly on my lower back, and there wasn’t a single part of me that hesitated before I lifted my palms to his chest. I remembered my bleeding hand at the last moment, and he pulled out his handkerchief and passed it to me.
“I think this is going to work,” I noted as I wrapped my hand in the white cloth. “I think enough people support me now, that this might get us somewhere.”
Matteo’s chest expanded, and he held his breath for a moment before taking a step back and toward the door. He opened it, and for a brief second, I wondered if I’d gotten it all wrong. Had I been seeing things? Was he about to leave me here?
“Come get this fucking body!” Matteo shouted into the hallway. Four men came running, and they stormed the room, clearing away the mess in an instant.
One of the men tried to ask a question. “Do you want us to clean the carpets right now, boss? We have—”
Matteo slammed the door closed, and through the one-way glass windows, I watched the man look around uncertainly before finally walking away, deciding not to bother his boss further.
I hadn’t moved from my spot at the side of the table. He rushed toward me fast enough that I took a small step back before he swept me from my feet. I squealed, wrapping both arms around his neck as he lay me back on the wooden conference table, hovering his body over mine.
“I waited just like you asked, but I’m done waiting,” he growled. His chest rose and fell quickly, showing just how much he had been restraining himself. One hand rested beside my head, fingers splayed across the table, and the other rested on my lower abdomen.
He wanted this so damn bad, and I couldn’t blame him.
I wanted it, too.
“I’ve been in meetings all day, and my hand is bleeding,” I remarked. I held up my bandaged hand. His eyes darkened at the reminder. “There are a lot of sexier ways you’ve seen me.”
He chuckled, and shivers ran down my spine. It wasn’t a humorous laugh, and nobody would mistake it for one. He grabbed my palm and unwrapped it, before he brought it to his lips, kissing the tender skin there. “There are few things sexier to me than showing a room full of men that you’re my equal and in no way subservient to me.”
God, my panties felt soaked, and all he’d done was talk. “I’m sure there are moments you’d like me to be subservient to you,” I teased.
The sound that came from the back of his throat couldn’t be considered anything less than animalistic. Words weren’t needed as he grabbed my tight leggings and pulled them from my body. I heard the fabric tear, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away from the predator-like man who hovered over me.
“I’d rather you show me your true colors while I’m fucking you, Lilianna,” he challenged.
My breathing stuttered for just a moment as I considered whether I wanted this. But what was there to consider? I wanted him as badly as he wanted me.
“Right here?” I asked, pulling myself onto my elbows and looking through the one-way glass. People milled about, but they wouldn’t come in here. They would hear us though.
Even if they did, I wasn’t sure I cared.
All I cared about were his damn hands. He ran a knuckle down my bare thigh, and when I glanced at the other, I found it fisted beside my head. He waited for my go-ahead, and I knew I wouldn’t stop him this time.
“I’ll show you my true colors,” I mused, giving him a conspiratorial grin. “If you promise to show me yours in return.”
The words acted as an unleashing.
Matteo lunged forward and captured my lips in his. He gripped one of my hands and pinned it above my head beneath his, using the other to tug my panties down my legs. I couldn’t focus on any part of my body long enough to make a difference. The haze of erratic and uncontrollable need consumed me entirely.
His fingers tightened on my hand as his other hand moved up my center, grazing the apex of my thighs in a way that had me bucking in need.
“Easy,” he rasped against my lips.
I shook my head quickly. “I don’t want it easy, Matteo. I don’t want you to hold back. Not with me.”
I’d never heard my voice sound so seductive.
Matteo didn’t pause for even a moment as his lips moved to my jaw, then down to my neck. He broke his touch just long enough to pull my shirt over my head and toss it aside.
When he saw I didn’t have a bra on, he moved even more quickly.
He pulled his pants down with one hand, his erect length bulging free from the fabric. His hand moved back up my body as he slid his cock between my thighs and ground it into my sensitive skin there. I bucked into him as his hand moved up my body, fingers flicking at each nipple. He continued moving upward while ravishing my ear, and I spasmed as his incessant grinding caused a ball of need to grow within me.
His hand stopped at the base of my throat as his mouth bit and sucked.
“Matteo,” I moaned.
His name on my lips had his hand tightening on both my wrist and neck, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. The pleasure that had been building between my thighs exploded, and I cried out, wrapping both legs around his waist and thrusting upward.
“Keep quiet, Lili,” he growled. “Unless you want people to know what we’re doing in here.”
He managed to keep himself from plunging into me as he continued grinding. Stars danced in my vision as he stared down at me, his jaw set. I glanced toward the glass windows and watched as people walked around the main lobby area. It felt like they could see me. Like they could see what we were doing.
Arousal cascaded through me as I continued watching. Doing this out in the open should have felt inappropriate, but I couldn’t help but moan louder.
“Do you like this, Lilianna?” he asked, using his thumb to gently stroke my cheek. “Do you like to imagine people watching us? Do you want them to see all the things I’m doing to your body?”
“Yes,” I whimpered as the tendrils of ecstasy continued wrapping around every inch of my consciousness. “I want you to fuck me, Matteo. I want them to hear us.”
“What filthy words for a beautiful mouth,” he chastised, moving a hand back to my breast and rolling a nipple between his fingers. I arched into his touch, jerking as the overstimulation of my orgasm debilitated me. “There’s no rush.”
I threw my head back, breaking free from his grip on my wrist and wrapping my arms around him. “Let me suck you off,” I begged him.
I watched as his shoulders stiffened at my words, his jaw ticking. He released me and stepped back. I felt cold from the loss of contact, but my body still burned from the inside out. The molten core between my legs hadn’t yet been fully satiated. I may have come for him, but I still needed the fullness of him. I needed more, and I knew exactly how to get it.
I dropped to my knees before him. Matteo reached behind him and grabbed one of the office chairs, falling back into it. His legs fell open as he rested his forearms on the armrests and looked down at me with a smirk. If the people in the lobby could see in here, would they notice the impressive length of him, or they might have focused on the way I licked my lips, salivating at the thought of what I was about to do.
“Take off your shirt,” I demanded as I nestled my body between his knees.
He lifted the hem of his shirt, and I took my opportunity to suck him as deeply into my throat as I could take him.
I knew he was large, but feeling his fullness between my lips sent a jolt of need through me. I hummed through my arousal, wrapping my hand around the base of him and moving in tandem with my mouth.
“Fuck,” he snarled as his shirt dropped beside us. He shuddered beneath me as he grabbed my hair and guided himself deeper into my throat.
The taste of him sent prickles through my entire body as I imagined where else he could put his cock. As he began thrusting wildly into my mouth, I quickened my pace, pulling back only when his tangled grip on my hair was bordering on painful.
I licked my lips, enjoying the taste of him.
“Are you ready to fuck me yet, Matteo?” I asked, standing in one fluid motion.
All semblance of control left him. His eyes had gone black with lust, and he didn’t hesitate before standing from his seat. The chair slammed into the wall behind him as he turned me and pushed me over the conference table. His hand pressed tightly into my lower back, the other pulling my head back with a fistful of hair.
I gasped at the bite of his tug, but his mouth quickly closed over my neck again, leaving scorching kisses down it and across my shoulders.
“Fuck, I’ve thought about this for too long.”
In one swift motion, he thrust himself into me. I shouted in both surprise and discomfort as he stretched me in a way my body hadn’t grown used to. He didn’t hesitate to thrust again, this time hitting something deep inside of me that sent a subtle tinge of pleasure through me.
“Show me how well you can take my cock,” he roared behind me.
I cried out as he thrust harder, this time sending pleasure exploding through me. I rocked back into him as he smacked into me from behind.
This was what I’d wanted. What I needed. I’d waited for too long, but this was worth the wait.
It was worth everything.
He pressed his lips all over my body, and I devoured each sensation. I basked in the touches and heated pleasure his thrusts brought . The pain of his ministrations morphed fully into something hardier and more refined. The pleasure swam deeper inside of me than ever before. There was no stopping it as he pulled back on my hair again and thrust hard.
My release exploded through me in an instant, and I screamed out in satisfaction as it filled every corner of my consciousness.
“God, you sound amazing,” he praised me, his voice as hoarse as mine.
I cried out louder.
“You feel so fucking good,” he growled as his thrusts quickened. “Fuck.”
I felt as he came right alongside me, his seed oozing out of me as he pulled himself free. His breathing filled the room. Our breathing filled it. I rested my head on the cool tabletop as he leaned over me, both hands planting themselves on either side of my head.
“Jesus,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath.
“You’re like a drug, Lili,” he responded against my skin. “The way you smell. The way you look. The way you feel. ”
I felt the same way. Everything about Matteo called to me. The only reason I’d ever considered letting him go was to stay away from the mafia, but now, I was here. The only thing that held me back previously was now the sole thing that insisted we be together.
I’d wanted physical, but I’d gotten something much more than that. I’d fallen for the mob boss.
There wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop the feelings.
Now, all that remained was the truth that I’d been keeping from him. It was the only thing that was holding us apart. He knew everything else about me and my life. He knew me better than anyone.
The war I waged within myself made my life feel incomplete. All the reasons I’d kept Matteo in the dark were valid, but I couldn’t imagine keeping all the pieces of my life separate any longer. I couldn’t have Matteo entirely if he didn’t know about Callum.
But the danger of the mafia life still had me hesitating.
It didn’t matter now as much as it had in the past, though. By coming home—by swearing myself to the mafia—I’d taken away that safety net. I had to stay now, and the only piece that remained was telling Matteo about Callum.
It wouldn’t impact Callum’s safety any more than I already had by staying.
Hell, there was no black-and-white answer. Not in this life. His safety was my first priority, but it seemed like diving into this world headfirst was the best way to ensure that safety. At least then, I’d have armies of people protecting him.
I’d have Matteo protecting him.
“Matteo,” I muttered, pulling myself up. He removed his weight from me and took in my expression.
His eyes went wild as he saw my inner turmoil. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head adamantly. “No, you couldn’t,” I assured, placing a hand atop his. “You didn’t. It’s just—”
I cut myself off, trying to figure out the best way to tell him the truth about our connection. It wasn’t just a physical or emotional one. We were connected by a human being, and he deserved to know. I should have told him weeks ago, but I’d been too afraid.
He reached to my cheek and stroked it gently.
“What’s wrong?” he asked again.
The words felt like they sat on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t push them out. It was time to stop hiding the truth of Callum’s lineage from him, but I knew it would hurt him. How could it not? I’d been hiding his child from him for years. Would Matteo ever be able to forgive me once I told him the truth?
But if I didn’t…everything moving forward would be a lie. The longer I waited to tell him the truth, the worse his reaction would become. I couldn’t hurt him more than I already had to by waiting.
I allowed the words to dance on my tongue for just another moment before pushing them free.
“Callum is yours.”
He didn’t look like he fully understood the words as he stared blankly at me.
“I left when I learned I was pregnant,” I continued, unsure of how else to explain. “I planned to tell you three years ago, but my father told me that I was betrothed to the Petrov heir, and I couldn’t do it. I would have sworn myself to you instead for the sake of appearances. There would have been no choice. I wasn’t ready to marry. I wouldn’t let a child be raised in this life if I had another choice.”
His eyes remained locked on mine as the openness and happiness from sex fell away, and shock replaced it. His mouth fell open as I watched him go from surprise to furious, all in the span of three seconds. His eyes darted back and forth as he took in the information and processed it.
Then, all those emotions fell away, replaced with the cold stare I’d seen time and time again when he played the role of the Don.
Should I keep talking? Should I wait for him to speak?
“Matteo, I didn’t know I was staying until a few days ago. Not for sure. I know you would make a great father, but I still couldn’t take that risk. Not until it was necessary. But you were right. Because of my name, I’ll be hunted wherever I go. So will Callum. I had to get ahead of this, and that means staying.” I reached for him, but he took a step out of reach, dropping the hand that still lingered on my face. I stood bare before him, both emotionally and physically, and for the first time, I felt it. “Matteo…”
“Callum is my son?”
I nodded slowly.
Why wasn’t he showing any emotion? I had expected betrayal. Anger. Hurt. Maybe even hatred.
Instead, he showed nothing.
He reached to the floor and gathered his clothes. He put them on quickly before pausing and looking me over again. This time, no lust sat in his gaze. Only coldness.
He turned and strode out of the room, using his body to shield the gap in the doorway. Even in his anger, he didn’t allow a single person to see my naked body.
He pulled the door closed behind him.
He didn’t let me in on a single thought or emotion.
He locked me out of his reaction entirely, as if I meant nothing to him after what I’d done, and I knew what that meant.
I’d ruined everything.