29. Massimo
Chapter 29
Massimo
T he dessert plates have been cleared; the restaurant near to closing time. It’s been a pleasant evening if I ignore Margot glaring at me for a good portion of it. Of course, she’s sweet as honey to Antonio Rizzo and his wife, Gia, but whenever they’re wrapped up in conversation with each other, Margot’s expression morphs into pure disgust, aimed solely at me.
I suspect it has something to do with her near kidnapping that we have yet to talk about, at least properly. But it could also be because I’ve dared to breathe the same air as her. I can never tell what to expect from my wife.
“Do you two have honeymoon plans?” Gia asks, her features softened by the bottle of wine she’s drank.
Margot lifts her glass to her lips, muttering something that sounds a lot like, “Not a chance.”
I reach for her hand, gripping it hard enough to get my message across: Behave . It’s the one request I made on the twenty-minute drive here. Antonio and Gia live near me, so it made sense for us to meet somewhere local rather than trek into New York City.
With my free hand, I swirl the wine in my glass, leaning back in my seat. “I’m sure we will go on one eventually, but now isn’t the time.”
Antonio nods, sympathy and understanding filling his features. “You’ve had a lot to deal with, that’s for sure. I have no doubt that you have everything in hand, but I would still like the opportunity to discuss an allegiance. Perhaps we can get together next week to talk?”
Attacks or not, Antonio has been pushing for a family alliance since I took over from my father. For all I know, he could be part of the plot against us. Much like in a game of poker, I need to keep my cards close to my chest. I can’t trust anyone in this world, least of all a man who tells me he wants to help.
“Let’s not discuss business tonight,” I say, glancing around the restaurant before meeting his gaze again. “Besides, I’m certain things will be reaching a resolution by the end of the week.” A lie, but I keep my face neutral.
“That’s good to hear,” he replies, his fingers tapping on the tabletop before Gia covers them with her palm.
A hush falls over the table when he leans into her, speaking in low tones. I seize the opportunity to wrap my hand around the back of Margot’s neck, my grip firm and uncompromising. Pulling her into me, I press my forehead against hers, the action deceptively intimate for anyone who cares to watch.
“Whatever is going on with your attitude tonight, get rid of it. I won’t think twice about bending you over my knee and smacking it out of you, Margot. I don’t give a shit if it’s in the middle of this fucking restaurant.” My tone brokers no argument, but I know she’ll try.
She pulls back as much as my hold will let her, resting her hand on my chest over my heart. I force my body to relax, conveying none of the frustration that has been simmering inside me as the evening has gone on.
Margot tilts her head, her lips pulling into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’d like to see you try,” she purrs, walking her fingers up my chest. She hooks one into the collar where I’ve left the top two buttons undone, skimming them over my bare skin. “There isn’t a chance that you’d mess up this dinner.” She loops her arms around my neck, stroking her fingers through the hair at my nape. Her lips ghost over the shell of my ear as she continues, “If you had wanted a compliant wife, then you picked the wrong person. I don’t take kindly to the people I care about being threatened and cut out of my life behind my back.”
I fall back into my seat, forcing her to release me and pick up my glass of wine, draining the contents before setting it on the table. Tossing my napkin next to it, I stand, pulling a wad of cash from my pocket and throwing a couple of hundred dollars onto the tabletop. I feel Antonio and Gia staring at me and when I slide the remaining cash back into my pocket, I lift my head giving them a polite nod.
“It’s been a wonderful evening but there is something I need to take care of.”
Without waiting for a reply, I grab Margot’s arm, forcing her to stand and haul her from the restaurant. If she wants to behave like a petulant child, I’ll punish her like one. The thought sends a thrill racing through me. It’s always explosive whenever we come together with our anger at the forefront. And I, for one, can’t fucking wait.
Outside, my Bugatti sits at the curb. “We’ll meet you at the house,” I instruct my men, who jump into action at our abrupt exit.
A hint of what looks like surprise passes through his gaze, but without question, Daniele, who was waiting in the bar, heads for the SUV parked behind my car. I’ve never deviated from a plan, let alone told my men to leave me. But there’s something I need to do and it doesn’t require an audience.
Opening the passenger door, I wait for Margot to climb in. She huffs out a breath but doesn’t say a word. Urgency claws at my skin, demanding that I reclaim some of the control that seems to have slipped from my grasp. Every time she pushes back, I feel like I lose a little more.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, I fire up the engine, the roar it releases is powerful and calls to my frustration.
Without checking that she’s buckled in, I peel away from the curb, my tires squealing. It doesn’t take long for us to reach the winding roads that lead home. My foot grows heavier on the pedal, the car taking the corners with ease.
Margot’s delicate fingers hold on to my forearm, squeezing for my attention as she pleads, “Massimo, slow down.”
I only ease up on the gas when the turn I need appears ahead. We leave behind the main highway and travel along a gravel single-track lane. This car wasn’t made for a road like this. We creep along at an agonizingly slow pace, the quiet punctured by the sound of stones clinking under the chassis.
About a third of the way up the track, I pull over, killing the engine and plunging us into darkness. The moon overhead casts a pale light across the night sky, and when I look at Margot, her eyes are wide with what looks like trepidation. It radiates off her in waves.
Good .
“Get out of the car.” My voice is low and controlled, nothing like how I feel inside.
She shakes her head. “No.”
I close my eyes, blowing out a breath before growling, “Get out of the fucking car, Margot.”
Her movements are hurried as she fumbles with the door handle. Once she’s out, I exit, shrugging out of my jacket and laying it on my seat.
“This way,” I instruct, nodding toward the tree line.
Margot looks at me, then over to the forest before returning her eyes to me. I can practically hear her mind working overtime, considering whether or not she should make a run for it.
In the dim light, I see her throat work, my cock twitching at the idea of wrapping my hand around it. She blows out a breath, wrapping her arms around her waist before she lifts her chin and walks in the direction I’ve indicated.
Her hatred for me in this moment burns bright, threatening to turn me to ash. And yet, I’ll gladly walk into her fire.
“If you’re going to kill me, make it quick,” she snaps.
I don’t respond. Let her think that’s what I’m going to do, maybe she’ll be a little more compliant. The corner of my mouth lifts at the idea of her doing as I demand without question.
When we reach the trees, Margot hesitates, looking over her shoulder at me. She must see an answer on my face to the question that’s swimming in her gaze, because she steps forward, disappearing into the shadows. I follow, some of the tension from earlier seeping out of me. Almost immediately, my nostrils fill with the scent of damp earth and pine.
My nonno used to bring me to this forest for target practice. I know these woods like the back of hand, the clearing up ahead perfect for what I have planned.
Margot comes to a stop in the middle of the space, dropping her arms to her sides.
With my hands in my pockets, I circle her, cataloging every curve, every minute detail, trying to commit it to memory. Fuck. She’s really something . “You said something back at the restaurant.”
She closes her eyes, dipping her chin before lifting it and looking at me. “Yes.”
“Remind me what it was,” I say, my tone calm and almost cajoling.
“Do we really have to do this?”
I come to a stop in front of her. “Humor me.”
Her eyes drop to the gun holstered to my chest, and I catch the flare of anxiety. I grip her chin, forcing her to keep her eyes on my face.
“I said you picked the wrong wife if you were looking for someone compliant to your needs,” she breathes.
I bare my teeth in a false grin. “That’s not quite what I was looking for. You told me that you didn’t take kindly to people being threatened and forced out of your life.”
She remains silent, her eyes fluttering as she tries to hide from me. “Look at me, Margot,” I demand, an edge to my tone. Reluctantly, she stares at me, the embers of a fire sparking in the depths. “I didn’t make any threats. I made promises.” My grip tightens a fraction before I release her and step back. “Tell me, what do you see around you?”
Rubbing her hands over her thighs, she looks around. “Nothing.”
“Exactly.” I move behind her, pressing my body to hers and snaking my hand around her waist, coming to a stop just under her breast.
Caging her in, uncaring that she can feel the hardness of my cock pressed into the softness of her ass, I murmur into her hair, “If I wanted to kill you, I could, and nobody would hear your screams or the thud of your body as it fell to the floor.” She sucks in a shaky breath, her body tensing before she forces herself to relax. “You are my wife , and so long as you remember that, Margot, I will not harm you. But I will do whatever needs to be done to protect our marriage .”
“I’m sorry.” Her words are so faint, I can’t be sure I didn’t imagine them. An illusion would make more sense than Margot apologizing.
“Stop fighting me at every turn.” I don’t bother to hide my exasperation. After all, it’s just the two of us here.
Her head tips back when I lift my hand to cup her breast. At least in this way we work . I knead the mound, leaning in to dust my lips over the space behind her ear. Margot moans, her hips grinding against me. It’s the little mewls falling from her lips that send me over the edge.
I yank up the hem of her dress, my movements rushed and desperate. My teeth graze her shoulder as my fingers seek out her clit, cursing under my breath when I find her naked beneath her dress.
“Massimo,” Margot cries out when I flick the swollen bud. She reaches back, hooking an arm around my neck and arching her spine.
“You’re so fucking wet,” I groan when her ass presses into my painfully hard cock.
I slide two fingers through her folds, sinking them into her with ease. Margot turns her face toward me, gasping breaths escaping her parted lips. I can’t resist closing the gap and swiping my tongue into her mouth.
We devour each other with hungry kisses, like this might be the last time. She tastes like the chocolate cake she had at dinner, but more importantly, she tastes like she belongs to me .
When we part, our breaths are labored, and the only sound I can hear in the quiet of the woods. I need to be inside her. Now. Guiding Margot to the nearest tree, my voice is raw when I grunt, “Hold on.”
She bends at the waist, giving me the perfect view of her bare pussy. Her arousal is clear, glistening under the moonlight.
Desperation fuels me, and I yank my zipper down, before stepping behind her and running my cock through her slick heat. Margot moans as I groan, the friction electrifying.
Fuck, she feels good .
I ease in slowly, her warmth enveloping me. The base of my spine tingles, the sensation a warning of how dangerously close to the edge I am. I dig my fingers into her hips, tipping my head back as I cry out, “Fuck.”
Pulling back, I slam into her, the power of my thrust knocking her arms out from under her. Banding an arm around her waist, I pull her back as I pound into her until black dots dance in my vision.
“Massimo.”
God . My name on her lips sends me hurtling faster toward the edge of my release. It just might be the best fucking thing I’ve ever heard. Margot reaches back, her fingers grazing my thighs and urging me on.
“So fucking good,” I growl, my body tightening in anticipation.
I don’t think I could stop even if I tried .
Pained groans spill from me. Within seconds, her walls clamp down, milking my cock. My balls draw up, and I cum with a strangled cry, burying myself in her as deep as I can and emptying inside of her.
She’s going to be the fucking death of me. And the worst part? I don’t think I’d want to stop it.