Chapter 24 Caterina
Caterina
“Vera is nice,” Harlow said as we left Roman’s estate. I made plans tonight, and now I needed to get her back to my townhouse so I could get her ready to be wined and dined.
“Yeah? She didn’t try to persuade you to leave me, did she?”
She laughed. “No, but I think she wanted me to sleep with her. She’s beautiful, but I have one woman who stole my heart and gives me mind-blowing orgasms.”
“Make sure you tell her that next time you see her. Now, we have dinner plans tonight. I need you to wear something nice and maybe a little warm. It’ll be chilly tonight.”
I planned a romantic dinner at a private restaurant Roman recommended.
Le Chêne Soyeux might be a French name for the restaurant, but the chef was skilled in multiple cuisines.
He said it was an experience, and the best part, they only entered the private rooms when they were summoned.
Roman said it was the best place to ‘wine and dine’ in more ways than one for a little more fun.
Harlow looked stunning drenched in black velvet. The dress hugged her like a glove and took my breath away. I was the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet, because I had her on my arm and with my last name. She was perfection personified, and she was mine.
I saw the surprise in her eyes when we stepped into the room. It was simple—a single table with a red table cloth, blood-red roses, and candles. She paused, taking in the intimate scene before her. “You did this? For me?”
“Bellissima, at this point I am offended that you would expect something less of me,” I teased as I removed her coat.
I watched her as she laughed. She was so full of life, so happy and free.
This was the version of Harlow I always wanted to have; then my mind wandered to the pain that was still etched in her eyes.
She deserved to be happy like this without the fear or the pain she’d experienced in life.
She was too pure for this world, but I was glad she chose me to love.
Without her, I would be in a dark abyss.
I felt like a sap because Harlow was my person, my everything.
“What are you thinking about?”
I brought my wineglass to my lips and sipped. “You. The sound of your voice, the way your forehead creases when you laugh. You are light, so full of life.”
“I have a reason to smile. I’m scared, but being scared gives him victory.”
“I’m going to give you the world one day, Harlow Moretti.”
She smiled, a blush kissing her cheeks. “Non ho bisogno del mondo perché tu sei il mio mondo, Caterina Moretti.” I don’t need the world because you are my world, Caterina Moretti.
My brows perched up. “Who has been teaching you Italian?”
“I’ll never tell my secrets. I wanted to learn it for you. And when we have our wedding, like our real big fat wedding, I am going to recite my vows in Italian.”
I would find a way to stay with this woman in the afterlife and even beyond.
She was the one thing I never wanted to lose.
I’d trade every dollar, every ally, everything I had for her.
I could rebuild my kingdom, fight for my power, but she was the one thing I could never replace or find again.
Harlow Moretti was it for me, and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I truly was.
“Those are the type of words that will make me fall on my knees and swoon.”
“I like it when you’re on your knees.”
Fucking hell, this woman was going to be the death of me. “Oh really? So if I crawled on my knees and had my dessert, you wouldn’t protest?”
“Then I’d say you better get to eating, Caterina. A girl doesn’t have all night to be wined and dined.”
Her wish was my command. There was a chance someone would come into our area, but I told everyone to leave us unless I called for them directly.
I dropped to my knees, crawling to her side of the table as I pulled my hair into a high bun.
My hands trailed up her thighs, caressing her soft skin until I got to her lace panties and tugged them down her long legs.
I lifted her dress and buried myself between her legs.
This was my favorite spot, and I could stay here forever if I could.
Being between her thighs was a paradise I never wanted to escape.
My lips trailed up her legs, nipping and sucking her skin before I got to her center. She was drenched and ready for me. Teasing her would be ideal, but she was the birthday girl, and whatever she wanted, she got. My queen was needy, and who was I to deny her of her pleasure?
I dove in, my mouth latching onto her clit as I speared two fingers inside her.
I sucked in long intervals as I curled my fingers.
Harlow was my favorite taste. When her sweetness coated my tongue, I went rabid.
My lips latched around her clit and I sucked hard.
There was no more gentle eating or even teasing on my mind.
“Oh, God!” she moaned, her hands tangling into my hair.
I continued to switch between sucking and flicking as my fingers worked inside her.
She was close to her orgasms, and I was ready to lap up every last drop.
I was a selfish woman because I loved having her firsts.
Everything that happened to her was null and void.
How I love her, please her, and cherish her, was all that mattered.
She was everything to me, and I was glad she chose to stay with me.
Harlow’s thighs latched around my head as she held me in a vise grip as I lapped her release. When I pulled away, I wiped my lip with a smirk. “Delizioso, bellissima. Il mio preferito.” Delicious, beautiful. My favorite.
I planned this last minute, but I wanted Harlow to see Central Park.
Before I showed her the surprise, I grabbed her, pulling her close to me and opening my camera.
I was never the type to take selfies or pictures in general, but Harlow was gorgeous and I wanted her to see how beautiful she was to me.
I had an album in my phone, and I planned on creating a scrapbook with our memories.
It would be her Christmas gift, and I wanted it filled with the life we were creating.
There was a white horse-drawn carriage waiting for us at the entrance of the park.
New York was breathtaking at night, and I could see the way Harlow lit up inside as I took her hand and guided her to the carriage.
Anything with Harlow was a dream come true, and I would watch paint dry with her if it was what she wanted.
The carriage swayed gently as the horses’ hooves hit the pavement beneath, sounding like a soft drumbeat as the city moved with us. We were silent, but the way she held me spoke volumes. We were enjoying this moment together, taking in the city she dreamt about.
The horse pulled us through the park and towards the lakefront.
I loved seeing the city lights reflected off the water, creating an ethereal setting.
The city was the place I was always meant to live.
New York was beautiful, but Chicago was my home and no place could compare.
I knew that would shift when Caterina showed me the world, but that was the city that gave me my soulmate.
The city never caused me any pain, so when I looked at the beauty sketched by nature, I felt at peace.
I had the driver stop when we got to the lake front before I jumped out and extended my hand to help me. The lake looked beautiful with the evening reflecting on the water.
“I figured a romantic walk would be beneficial for both of us,” I sang as I twirled her. “And if anyone wants to harm us, I will just shoot them, so don’t worry about your pretty little head. But I also have some of Roman’s men up the street just in case.”
“How do you feel about doing a spread in our magazine?” I asked, twirling her in a circle before pulling her into me.
“Like someone takes pictures of us?” I nodded. “And they get shared with people?”
“Yes. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular and you can say no. I’m not going to make you do it, bellissima. It’s your choice.”
Her brows furrowed. “I like the idea of having our pictures taken, but what if someone from before sees them? I don’t…can I think about it?”
I pulled her in closer to me, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course. Everything in this life is yours to choose. You never have to feel obligated because you want to make me happy.” I pressed my lips to her forehead, and she leaned into me.
“I love you.”
“And I love you, più di ogni altra cosa.”
We continued to walk hand in hand until we got to the railing of the reservoir.
The sun was starting to set, and the city was coming to life.
I’d witnessed death a lot in my life, had enough blood on my hands to scare Satan himself, and I saw enough fear to permanently scar a normal person.
But when I saw the light come back into her eyes, I finally understood what it meant to live.
For years, I was surviving, killing, and fighting because in this life, that was expected.
Love was rare, and a love that ignited the cosmos was risky.
The feeling in my chest when Harlow was around me was something raw, something real.
I wanted to feel this forever, and I wanted to see that smile until my dying breath.
And then I saw the tear roll down her face.
“You know, for ten years, I never thought I would be free. I had all these broken pieces, and you picked up every shattered piece of my soul and showed me what it meant to truly live.” She wiped her eyes and leaned over the railing, looking at the water.
“I’ve spent so long in the darkness, but you showed me how beautiful the light is. ”
I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she leaned back into me as we watched the lights dance off the water. “You showed me how beautiful the light is. I never saw the world in color until I met you. I might’ve saved you, Harlow, but you showed me what it meant to live.”
“Who would’ve known that the big bad mafia boss would be such a teddy bear?”
“I am only a teddy bear for you.”
She turned in my arms. “Take me to bed, Caterina.”