Chapter Ten Callum
After Caterina tore herself out of my embrace, she sprinted out of the dining room. As I heard her feet pounding up the stairs, I remained rooted to my seat. Every fucking altercation with Caterina left me utterly and completely enraged.
But as usual, I’d been left with more than just anger. A white-hot lust and desire sentmy cock straining against my zipper. Once I knew she was safely in her room, I made my way upstairs. The last thing my sweet virgin needed to see was my erection tenting my pants. Even if it was all her fault.
Once I got inside my room, I headed straight for the shower. As I stripped out of my clothes, my need grew even more intense. It took everything within me not to stalk down the hall and barge into Caterina’s room. I wanted the smell of her pussy in my nose, its taste on my tongue, and its tight walls clenching around my cock.
Like a junkie desperate for a fix, my hand trembled as I palmed my stiff erection. As I jerked my hand up and down the length, I groaned as images of Caterina filled my dirty mind.
She’s laid out before me, naked and dripping with need. Her long legs are spread wide as I bury my head between them. I grunt as I imagine the taste.
Slowly, I drag my tongue through her lips, taking my time not only to taste every inch but to drive her wild. I suckle her throbbing nub into my mouth as her thighs tremble against my ears. “Please, Callum,” she whines as I drive her to the brink.
“Say it,” I command.
With a whimper, she shakes her head. “Say it, Kitten, or I’ll stop eating your sweet pussy.”
Her dark eyes shimmer with lust as she stares down at me. “Fuck me, Callum. Fuck me hard.”
I replace my tongue at her entrance with my cock. I slam into her, causing both of us to groan with pleasure. Her arms encircle my neck as her nipples pebble against my chest. I drive into her over and over again. Our pants of pleasure and the sound of my balls slapping against her ass echo through the room.
My hand grasps her throat, squeezing gently. “I’m coming!” she cries before she arches her back off the bed. As my hips piston faster, my release explodes. Dipping my head, I bite into Caterina’s neck, eliciting a moan. I mark her both inside and out.
In the shower, I barked out a cry as my cock jerked, and I came in a rush. When I finished coming, I grunted in disgust that at thirty-one fucking years old, I’d jerked off in the shower to my future wife. Considering Caterina’s virginal state and her continued loathing, I had a terrible suspicion I would be jerking off daily for the foreseeable future.
After drying off and throwing on a pair of briefs, I fell into bed and an exhausted sleep.
My sleep was plagued with dreams of Caterina. Some were illicit while others were darker where I was having to save her from an unknown assailant. Just before I could take a bullet for her, I seized up in bed with my heart beating out of my chest. As I tried regulating my breathing, I slowly shook my head. I had never dreamed about giving my life for a woman. Even when everything had happened with my father and Maeve, I had never dreamed of her. I couldn’t begin to imagine after just a few short days, why I would be dreaming of giving my life for this one.
Part of me argued that the dream was somewhat predictable. In my line of work, women and children were innocents who were to be protected at all costs. As my future wife, I would be expected to lay my life down for Caterina. Even though she drove me insane, I wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to her.
Although my still jet-lagged body called for more rest, I rose out of bed with the sun. After a quick shower and shave, I threw on some clothes and headed downstairs. Nera was at the stove cooking up some eggs. At her questioning look, I shook my head.
After pouring a cup of coffee, I bypassed Quinn and Kellan at the table. I didn’t bother asking where Dare was. He’d taken two bodyguards and gone into town last night. I was sure he was waking up in the local hotel next to a piece of ass.
Truthfully, when he’d texted me after I’d gone to bed, I’d been tempted to join him. Caterina had me wound so tight, and I needed relief that didn’t involve jerking off in the shower. While it had been over a week since I’d last fucked, I didn’t know how long of a dry spell lay ahead of me before Caterina consented to consummate our marriage. There was a part of me that said it didn’t matter when I fucked my wife. Just because we were married, I didn’t have to be faithful. My father sure as hell hadn’t. The only man I’d ever witnessed be faithful to his wife was Seamus.
I caught sight of him standing on the terrace watching the sun rise. From his stance, I knew something was weighing on him. When I stepped outside, he turned around. “Buongiorno,” he pronounced with a smile.
“Don’t you mean maidin mhaith?” I countered.
“I thought I’d adhere to the old adage when in Rome. Or I suppose I should say Sicily,” he quipped.
“I prefer Irish, thank you very much.”
“Since your wife is Italian, I would think you should learn the language.”
I scowled around the mouth of my cup. “Caterina is Italian-American, and she speaks perfect English.”
“It might come in handy to learn a little.” He gave me a knowing look. “Especially when she’s conversing with her brothers.”
“Is this your way of telling me you’ve signed me up for an Italian language course?”
He grinned. “A private tutor would be more beneficial.”
“Is she young and sexy?”
“HE is middle-aged and balding.”
“You’re no fun,” I grumbled.
“When we get back to Boston, you’ll have a very young and very sexy wife at home, so you won’t need an attractive tutor.”
“An attractive tutor might be a lot more accommodating than my virgin bride.”
“It can be very pleasurable breaking them in,” Seamus argued with a gleam in his eye.
Groaning, I swept my hand over my face. “Can we not allude to your sex life, you dirty old bastard?”
Seamus chuckled. “Once again, I’m only forty-five. You act like I’m on a walker and wearing adult diapers.”
Since my cock didn’t want me focusing on breaking in Caterina, I decided to change the subject. “Did you have something to tell me besides the fact I’m about to learn Italian?”
“After the initial trouble of finding a local trustworthy priest, I finally resorted to flying one in from Belfast.”
“Which one?”
“Leahey from St. Benedicts.”
“I suppose he’ll do.”
“In the end, I think one of our own will be better. That way we don’t have to worry about anything being lost in translation with a Sicilian one.”
“That makes sense.”
“When will he arrive?”
“On the eleven a.m. plane. I’m sending Quinn with a bodyguard to collect him.”
I chuckled. “That’s quite a message sending the family enforcer.”
“While Leahy’s proven he’s trustworthy, it never hurts to give a reminder.”
With Leahy arriving, the proverbial noose tightened around my neck. “So today is my wedding day?”
“Aye. And a lovely one at that.”
“It might as well be storming,” I grumbled.
Shaking his head, Seamus countered, “It’s not as bad as all that.”
“And it’s still not too late for you to marry her.”
“She’s meant for you, Callum.”
“We can barely stand each other.”
“You can’t fault her for fighting you like a caged animal. The poor girl was spirited away in the night and taken away from everything she knew. She’s also coming to grips with the fact she’s about to be married to a man she doesn’t know.”
“Even when I try to make sacrifices, she fights me every step of the way. Like last night, I made a bargain with her to go to university and to have a career. I even promised not to marry off any daughters we had. But was that enough for her? Feck no.”
“Be patient with her.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “She tests my patience with every breath she takes.”
Seamus laughed. “Beautiful women tend to do that.”
“Then I wish she was ugly as gobshite.”
“You lie. You’d have my arse if I’d brokered you an ugly bride.”
I laughed. “I suppose you’re right.” Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed Caterina’s bedroom window. “I guess I better go tell her the priest is coming.”
“It’s still early. Let her sleep.”
“You’re no better than my brothers when it comes to her.” With an angry shake of my head, I replied, “Too fucking soft.”
“Everyone needs a soft place to fall.” He shot me a pointed look. “Perhaps once you’re wed, you can be that person for her.”
“There’s not much softness about me, Seamus.”
“Even among the hardest of men, you’ll find a tenderness that they only show to the woman they love.”
“That sure as hell wasn’t something my father would’ve believed.”
Seamus’s expression darkened. “You should never want to align yourself with your father’s beliefs. He made cruelty his religion and worshiped at an altar of sadistic malice. When I think of what he did to his own daughter…” Seamus swallowed hard. “The worst parts of hell aren’t good enough for him.”
“Aye, I agree.”
“Thankfully, you aren’t him, Callum.”
“I sure as shite don’t want to be.”
“Then open your mind and your heart to Caterina.”
I scrubbed my eyes with a grunt. “Why is this love bullshit worse than fighting the Russians or the Triad?”
“Because matters of the heart are always infinitely more painful than the physical ones.”
“Tell that to my thigh.”
“You’re a fecking lost cause,” Seamus grumbled.
I held up my hands. “Fine. I’ll try, okay? Will that make you happy, old man?”
“I’m only fifteen years older than you.”
“But you look at least forty years older than me.”
“You know if I dragged you over the side of this terrace, my life would be a lot easier.”
“Dream on.”
Seamus chuckled. “Is there anything you’d like me to do around here before the ceremony?”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that our wedding would take place at the house. We were trying to keep a low profile. “Considering her faith, I’m sure Caterina will be disappointed not to be married in a church.”
“Then find some ways to make it up to her.”
I grimaced. “You want me to be romantic?”
“Don’t tell me you’re incapable of wooing your future bride?”
“I can woo the fucking nun’s knickers right off of her.” I raised my brow at him. “Have you ever known me not to have any woman I wanted?”
“Romance and lust are two very different things.”
“Give me pure and unadulterated lust any day.”
“It’s not going to work with your untouched bride.”
Since I was never one to stand down from a challenge, I cocked my head at Seamus. “You want romance? I’ll give you fucking romance. Stand back and watch the master work.
With a chuckle, Seamus replied, “Oh, I look forward to this.”
After the three phone calls with Guido translating and almost an hour spent in one of the shops, I’d gone farther for Caterina than I had for any other woman outside Mam and Maeve. I suppose I’d expected to feel differently about what I’d done. Like I would be repulsed by my actions. If my father were still alive, I’m sure he would’ve had something to say about it. He’d probably use his hands to express his disgust.
But in the end, a peculiar sense of pride filled me. I hadn’t backed down when Seamus had called me out for being unromantic. Even though it was about proving a point to him, there was also a part of me that wanted to prove it to Caterina. To show her I was more than just the mafia criminal who’d kidnapped her. Although it was still too soon, I wanted her to want me. I wanted her to reach a point where she could be grateful I’d swooped in to save her from a life she wasn’t truly destined for.
When I returned home with an enormous white garment bag thrown over my shoulder, Quinn and Dare exchanged curious glances. “What the fuck is that?” Quinn questioned.
“None of your damn business.”
Quinn tilted his head. “While it looks like a bodybag, I can’t imagine anyone choosing white ones.”
“It’s not a fucking bodybag.”
Dare flashed Quinn a grin. “Ooh, it’s something for Sister Sassy I’d wager.”
With a roll of my eyes, I replied, “Stop calling her that.”
“I will if you’ll tell me what’s in the bag.”
Kellan snorted. “You’re completely daft if you don’t know what that is.”
“Okay, smartass. Enlighten me.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, my shit of a little brother replied, “It’s a wedding dress.”
Both Quinn and Dare’s jaws unhinged at his comment. “You actually bought her a dress?” Quinn asked.
At the same time, Dare questioned, “You went to a wedding dress shop?”
“They’re called bridal shops,” Kellan corrected.
“Have you lost your balls along with your self-respect,” Dare asked Kellan.
“Fuck off,” Kellan replied.
“Why don’t you all fuck off!” I growled.
Dare slowly shook his head back and forth. “I never thought I’d live to see the day you’d do something so….”
Taking a step towards him, I growled, “What?”
“Nice,” Dare replied.
“Thoughtful,” Kellan added.
“Decent,” Quinn said.
“Are you all insinuating I’m an arsehole?”
Quinn cocked his brows at me. “When it comes to women? Absolutely.”
“Suck my cock,” I spat, as I started for the stairs.
“It’s a good thing, Callum,” Kellan argued. Ignoring him, I’d gotten halfway to the landing when he added, “It’s good because it means you aren’t him.”
I froze. Although I shared everything with my brothers, I’d never shared with them my fear of becoming my father. Deep down, I knew it was an unspoken fear for all of us. While I welcomed the bloodlust and venom of my father’s DNA when it came to running the family, I never, ever wanted to be him when it came to women. My father was incapable of love, and I didn’t want to ever be imprisoned by being unable to give or receive love. I didn’t want that to be my legacy.
After taking the stairs two at a time, I made it to Caterina’s door and knocked with my free hand. “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Kitten.”
I heard the rustling of bed covers before feet scurried across the hardwood floor. When she threw the door open, I was surprised to find she hadn’t put a robe over her nightgown. It only came halfway down her thighs and showed off her exquisitely long legs. Not to mention the thin straps and plunging neckline gave me an excellent view of her tits, which caused me to groan inwardly.
When she cleared her throat, I drew my eyes up to hers. “Good morning,” I pronounced.
With a suspicious look, she replied, “Good morning.”
“I wanted to let you know the priest will be here at noon.”
Caterina’s expression grew grim. “Oh, I see,” she murmured.
I tried not to let it bother me that she was so visibly disappointed that her days as a single woman were up. I wouldn’t allow my ego to be bruised over such things. While she might not want to be my wife today, there would come a time very soon that she would be grateful. Especially after all I’d bartered with her.
“My apologies for being the bearer of such bad news,” I mused.
She scowled at me. “It’s not like I didn’t know it was going to happen.”
“You just hoped for more time.”
“Maybe.” Crossing her arms over her ample chest, she asked, “What about the contract?”
“You still don’t trust me, do you?”
“Call me jaded, but no.”
“It’s downstairs. We have to sign it together with witnesses.”
“Let me throw on my robe, and we can do it right now.”
With a smirk, I said, “Look at you being all eager to join forces with me.”
“My only eagerness is in ensuring you don’t try to deny what you’ve promised.” It was then she appeared to notice the white garment bag in my arms. “What’s that?”
“Your wedding dress.”
Her eyes bulged. “Seriously?”
“You didn’t expect to get married in yoga pants in a t-shirt, did you?” I teasingly asked.
“Actually, I hadn’t given it much thought.”
“I’m sorry you couldn’t pick it out for yourself, but we couldn’t run the risk of you being seen.” When she remained staring at the bag, I said, “Here let me bring it inside for you.”
She stepped out of the way before watching wordlessly as I strode across the bedroom to the closet. After I had hung it from the door, I unzipped the bag. “Want a little peek?”
Caterina stared between me and the dress. I could only imagine the thoughts swirling in her head. I knew a part of her wanted to see the dress very much, but another railed against anything that was a symbol of what she was being forced into.
“Don’t tell me you’re not even slightly curious about what it looks like?”
“I think it’s more fear than curiosity driving my thoughts at the moment.” She then scooted me out of the way. After she worked the dress out of the bag, she gasped at the sight of yards of creamy white satin on display. “Oh, my,” she murmured.
“Does that mean you like it?”
“It’s exquisite.”
“Really?”
She nodded her head before staring at me in almost disbelief. “It’s exactly what I would”ve picked, and everything I would have wanted in a wedding dress.” She frowned. I knew she had to be angry with herself for admitting that. “I’ll make sure to write a thank you note for the sales lady who picked this out.”
“I didn’t have a saleslady pick it out.”
Her brows furrowed. “Then who?—”
“I picked it out.”
Caterina’s eyes grew comically wide while her perfect red lips formed an “o” of surprise. After a few moments of staring at me, she questioned, “You picked out a wedding dress?”
“Aye.” At her continued disbelief, I said, “What about me makes you think I would be incapable of picking a dress for my future wife?”
“I would think the part where you’re an Irish mobster.”
I barked out a laugh at her summation. “I suppose men like me don’t often patronize bridal shops.”
Caterina smiled. “I would’ve given anything to be a fly on the wall to see the expressions of the workers when you walked in.”
“I think they already knew I was a commanding presence considering I paid to close the shop just for me.”
Her jaw jutted stubbornly forward. “Did it ever escape your mind that perhaps I would’ve liked to pick out my own dress?”
“Sorry, love, but like I told you before, we couldn’t run the risk of you being seen in the village.”
“I could’ve worn a disguise,” she protested.
Planting my hands to my hips, I bellowed, “Maybe you should just be thankful I got you an arsing dress at all.”
Instead of cowering at my tone, Caterina merely rolled her eyes. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”
“Since when do you say knickers?”
Jerking her chin up defiantly, she countered, “Since I’m going to be an Irishman’s wife.”
With a smirk, I replied, “Perhaps I’ll have to teach you Irish.”
“Are you sure? Once you teach me, then I’ll know what you’re saying to your brothers about me.”
I snorted. “I’m sure.”
After nibbling her bottom lip for a moment, she said, “Thank you for the dress, Callum.”
“You’re welcome.” With a grimace, I said, “Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t have delivered it to you myself.”
“Why not?”
Scratching the back of my neck, I replied, “You know, because it’s bad luck on account of seeing you before the wedding.”
A laugh bubbled from her lips, which hit me straight below the belt. Fuck me if I didn’t love the way her laughter sounded. She so rarely did it in my presence. “After kidnapping me from a religious order, are you really worried about luck today, Callum?”
“A real man makes his own luck, which is why I’m marrying you.” When the amusement started to fade from her eyes, I added, “But I want our union to be blessed.”
“You just want me not to drive you crazy.”
I shot her a cheeky grin. “Only in the bedroom will I appreciate that, love.”
“As if anything is going to happen between us in the bedroom,” she shot back.
“Already talking like a true wife,” I replied with a wink.
“I’m sure I’ll feel more like one when I put on this dress,” she lamented.
As she ran her fingers over the satin, I said, “I suppose in the end, it only matters that I haven’t seen you in the dress yet.”
“That’s probably right.” After she tore her attention away from it, she motioned her hand to my side. “What’s in the bag?”
”Oh, the stuff to make your face up with.”
“Cosmetics,” she replied with a slight smile.
“Aye, that’s what the woman called them.” I handed the bag over to her. “I know you probably weren’t allowed to wear any in the order, but I thought you might like to now.”
She cocked her brows at me. “Are you sure that it isn’t you who would like me to wear it?”
I threw up my hands. “I could give a shite less if you wear any of it. I think you’re the most stunning woman I’ve ever met just as you fucking are.”
My compliment sent pink streaking across Caterina’s cheeks. “Thanks,” she murmured.
“You’re welcome, Kitten.”
After gazing back into the bag, her expression turned suddenly sheepish. “The truth is I adore makeup. Before I entered the order, I was ridiculously vain, and I had drawers upon drawers of lipsticks, mascara, and eyeliner.”
It was hard to imagine her being that Caterina. The woman before me didn’t appear to have a vain bone in her body. “I’m glad I got some for you.”
When she pulled out a bottle of what the saleslady had called foundation, her brows rose. ”But how did you?—”
”I showed the lady a picture of you. She said if the colors weren’t right we could bring them back.”
After turning over a few of the tubes and boxes in her hands, Caterina smiled at me. “I think they’ll work just fine.”
With a nod, I replied, “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
After setting the bag down on the dresser, Caterina turned her attention back to the dress. As she nibbled on her lip, I knew there was something she dared not ask. But there was nothing to stop me from bringing it up.
“While I might’ve picked out the dress, the saleslady got together the intimates you would need.”
Instead of seeming grateful that I hadn’t been pawing through her potential underwear, she had the nerve to appear angry with me. “Was there something wrong with that?”
“You seriously have to ask if there’s something wrong with getting me lingerie?”
“I didn’t order you any bleedin’ lingerie.”
“You said you did.”
When I realized what she meant, I grunted and rolled my gaze to the ceiling. “Christ, woman, I meant the right bra and knickers to wear with the blasted dress.”
Caterina blinked at me in surprise. “Oh,” she murmured.
“That’s all you have to say after biting my head off?”
“What would you have me say?”
“Maybe that you’re sorry for implying that I was some randy bastard who wanted you showing your tits and ass off in some scraps of lace.”
With a scowl, she replied, “Fine. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“Don’t act like it killed you to apologize.”
“And you shouldn’t get used to it because I won’t be doing it again.”
Fucking hell, this woman was going to be the death of me. She had me half-mast and wanting to beat the hell out of someone. Placing my hands in front of my bulge, I barked out, “Be ready and downstairs at noon!”
I’d stalked halfway back to the door when her voice stopped me. “Um, I’ll need someone to help me get dressed.” When I whirled around ready to blast her for being a spoiled princess, she held her hands up. “It’s not that I’m helpless. The back of the dress has a lot of buttons.”
Fuck me. The last thing I needed to do was to be anywhere near Caterina when she was half naked. Just me thinking about her exposed breasts and pussy was making me even harder than before. With me out of the count, I realized there was no way in hell I would allow any of my brothers, not even Saint Kellan, to be near her.
“Since she’s the only woman in the house, I’ll send Nera.”
“Thank you.”
With a nod, I escaped out of the bedroom and ran into Quinn. “Easy, man, where’s the fire?”
Before I could respond, his gaze honed in on the bulge in my pants. His expression darkened. “What were you doing with Caterina for that to happen?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not a fucking thing.” At his skeptical look, I threw up my hands. “What do you want me to say? That I’m a masochist who gets off on riling up my future wife? Or that just being in the general vicinity of Caterina makes my cock hard, like a randy teenager?”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. “As long as you’re not laying a finger on her, then I don’t give a shite.”
“Just as I promised Caterina, out of honor to Maeve nothing sexually will happen between us until she comes willingly to my bed.” At Quinn’s nod of approval, I added, “I’m sure my dick will rot off from lack of use before she ever does that.”
A chuckle rumbled from Quinn’s chest. “Aye, that’s a definite possibility.”