26. Chapter 26 - Emiliano
T he sun streams in through the windows in an unfamiliar bedroom, and it takes me a moment to remember that it’s Cole’s. I meant what I said last night— everything . I can’t fucking live without him anymore, and I want to come clean; I just can’t. Not yet, at least. There’s too much on the line, my son included. So I’ll tell him soon. I’ll reassure him as soon as he wakes up, and he’ll have to understand. He’ll have to give me some time to get my affairs in order. I need to have a conversation with Matteo.
I’m proud of Cole for not looking for Natasha. I know that was hard for him—especially considering he thinks there’s something between us when there’s not. He doesn’t trust me when I say that, and there’s probably nothing I can do until I tell him everything I’ve been keeping to myself for the past twenty years. It’s hard for me though. It’s probably going to be one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life, and Matteo will never forgive this either. So all in all, I won’t get my son back, no matter what I do. I’m fucked.
When it comes to Cole, though, I know I can make things right. He loves me, and that has to count for something. He will forgive me, he will. And if he doesn’t, I’ll have to make him. He can’t get rid of me now; he’s fucking stuck. I told him forever—and I meant it. Cole is going to be my husband if it’s the last thing I do. I’m thinking of a spring wedding. People might think it’s too soon, but not for me. I already know he’s mine until my last breath. Why the hell should I wait?
Is it crazy that I’m ready to propose? That I bought a ring and hid it in a suit pocket in the closet? I haven’t even told him I love him, but I will. As soon as we make up, I’ll do it. I refuse to sound like I’m manipulating him into forgiving me—so I’ll have to wait whether I want to or not. But I do feel it. I do. This pinching sensation in my chest at the mere thought of losing him over something as stupid as Natasha is making me crazy. I can barely fucking breathe through it.
Cole stirs in my arms, tensing when he feels me spooning him. My arm is still over his waist, and I pull him into me when he tries to scoot away from me. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and inhale deeply, loving his coconut scent. It drives me fucking crazy. Who knew I’d like that? But fuck, I can’t deny that I love it. Everything about him makes me wild.
“Em,” Cole growls. “You have to let me go.”
“Never,” I growl back. He needs to understand he’s fucking stuck with me. He can’t go back on his word, not now, not ever. Nothing will keep me from him—he made me a promise of forever and he better fucking keep it. “You’re mine.”
Cole whimpers in my arms, and I smirk. He might try to act tough, but I know I have him. He’s weak for me, the same way I’m weak for him. I trail my hand up his sculpted chest, then wrap it around his throat tightly. He lets out a gasp, and my cock hardens against his bare ass. He’s such a fucking slut for me, pushing against me, rubbing himself against my erection. My cock slips between his ass cheeks, and I groan, tightening my hand even more. I let go suddenly, and he doesn’t even cough. I wrap my hand around his cock and pump him slowly. He doesn’t stop me; instead, he moans like the whore he is.
“You like that, don’t you?” I whisper against the shell of his ear. I am going to ruin him for everyone else. I’m going to fucking wreck him. “Are you gonna come with just my hand wrapped around your cock?”
Cole moans, but then swats my hand away, flipping over until he’s facing me. We look into each other’s eyes, and I wonder what he sees. Can he see how much I love him? Does he realize it?
This time, he’s the one who grabs my cock, lining the head of it with his. My foreskin goes over his tip, and I groan at the feeling of it. He wraps his hand tightly around it, fucking into it, and my eyes roll to the back of my head. It feels so good . Cole gets even closer until our lips are brushing, and moans.
“You like that, baby?” Cole asks softly, his hand tightening around us. “You haven’t felt anything yet. Just wait until I come in it.”
“Fuck,” I whimper, and his pupils dilate. “How are you so perfect for me?”
“I was made for you.” He groans, speeding up. My spine tingles with the telltale signs of my impending orgasm, and I press my forehead to his. “I was made to take your cock.”
“Yes.” I moan, and a second later I feel his cum explode onto the head of my cock. It lubes me up, and I fuck into his hand faster. It’s so tight and wet. So good. “Fuck, baby. I—” I moan. “This is way too fucking good.”
“Come for me, Emiliano,” Cole demands. “I want your cum.”
“Oh, fuck.” I moan as my balls rise, and I explode.
“That’s it,” Cole murmurs, letting go of me when my cock stops twitching. “God, I’m so weak for you. It’s not fair.”
There’s a mess between us, on Cole’s hand, on the bed. Neither one of us goes to move instead, we just stare at each other. His pupils are blown, a thin ring of blue surrounding pitch black. I know he feels it, this thing between us. We’re inevitable. After he left last night, I was desperate. It was so unlike me to fall to my knees and cry, but I did it. I thought for sure we were over. Fuck, I’ll admit it to him if it makes him forgive me. I’ve never felt like this before.
“I know you’re mad at me?—”
“Mad is the understatement of the year, Emiliano,” Cole says slowly. “What I feel transcends anger.”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry,” I whisper, looking into his eyes. “I’ll do anything for your forgiveness.”
“W-what?” Cole stutters.
“I’ll tell you everything,” I reply. “I have to talk to Matteo first. This involves him, and it wouldn’t be fair if he’s not the first one to find out.”
Cole nods. “Promise you’ll tell me?”
“I swear it,” I say with conviction, and he smiles softly at me, then presses a kiss to my lips. It’s soft, and it’s over way too quickly. “Just please don’t be mad at me. I can’t stand it.”
“Okay.” Cole sighs, and I melt into the mattress with relief. “I forgive you.”
I push him onto his back and get between his legs, uncaring of the mess between us, and press kisses to his face. He cups my cheeks, bringing my lips to his, and I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of it. His lips are so soft, so pouty, so full. I can’t get enough of this.
“We gotta go soon,” Cole says against my mouth. “Andrey is waiting.”
“I’m proud of you,” I tell him, and he stiffens. “You listened, even though you didn’t want to. You followed orders. Now I trust you can be by my side through all of this.”
Cole grins. “Well, I almost fucked up.” He shrugs. “But Luca made me see reason.”
“He’s a good one.” I chuckle.
“Let’s get up.” Cole sighs, and I do too.
I want to stay in bed for the rest of the day, but I understand why we can’t. We have the advantage right now. It won’t be long until the Pakhan realizes his son is missing, and then he’ll retaliate. We’ll be ready for it, though, and I’ll protect Cole at all costs.
After we’ve both showered and dressed, we’re on our way to our hidden warehouse. A new one I just acquired. One the Russians don’t even know about. I’m using it to my advantage while we still can, especially since I don’t know how long we’ll stay hidden for. Who knows if I can trust the men I employ. Some of them could turn on me if they’re offered even a little more money. I can’t buy their loyalty. Which is exactly why I’ve only revealed it to my most trusted men.
The ride there is silent, but it’s comfortable. His hand grips my thigh the entire way, and I just stare at him. How can someone be so fucking perfect? His face is so symmetrical too, it’s truly unfair. So handsome. I can’t stand it. I want to look away, but I can’t. He’s absolutely riveting.
Once we pull up to the warehouse, Cole is the first one out of the SUV. He walks to the door with purpose, and the two guards step away from the door to let him through. They nod as I approach, and I nod back, chasing after Cole. It’s dark in here, and Andrey is being kept in the back. Cole leads the way as if he’s been here a hundred times, even though this is our first time walking these halls.
We make it to the back room quickly, and Cole laughs loudly at the sight of Andrey’s fucked up face. It seems like my brothers already got started without us. Giovanni’s hands hang by his sides, brass knuckles dripping blood. He loves those. Loves to fight with his hands. Cole, on the other hand, loves sharp objects. Saws and scalpels being his favorite.
“My turn,” Cole murmurs, squeezing Giovanni’s shoulder before taking a scalpel out of his pocket. I chuckle, and my brothers’ heads swivel my way, their eyes wide. I’m not sure they’ve ever seen Cole in action before. Not like this. “I can’t wait to fucking end you, you piece of shit,” he says to Andrey, who just smiles.
“There’s nothing you can do to me that will make me out my family.”
Cole tilts his head to the side, assessing Andrey. “I’m sure there’s plenty I could do.”
Cole walks closer to Andrey, and the man whimpers weakly. He might not want to give up information, might even hold it all in and not give us shit, but the reality of it is that he’s scared—as he should be. Cole isn’t fucking around right now. Andrey is a dead man. Once the Pakhan finds out about this, he’ll really put a target on Cole’s head. I have to do whatever it takes to protect him. This is all a horrible idea, and I might regret it later, but the least I can do is give him closure. He needs this.
I blink, and Cole’s scalpel is suddenly in Andrey’s arm. He drags it through muscle, and it bleeds profusely. A guttural scream escapes Andrey, and I wince. Cole is pissed off, and when he’s angry, he’s unpredictable. You really don’t want to be on his bad side.
He steps away from Andrey with a manic grin on his face, and Giovanni shivers beside me. Yeah, brother, Cole is just a tiny bit crazy, but I love that about him. I don’t have to worry about breaking him. He can handle himself and this life. He can be my equal. We can do this together, and one way or another, we fucking will.
“Jesuuuuus,” Giovanni mutters when Cole sticks his fingers into the tattered skin of Andrey’s arm, making him scream. “That’s disgusting.”
“Just a little bit,” Alessandro says with a grin, clearly enjoying the show. “But this is entertaining, that’s for sure. Cole has it in him, after all.”
“We’ve always known that, though,” Lorenzo says with a shake of his head. “He’s kind of insane.”
“I can hear you,” Cole says, turning around to face us. There’s a smirk on his face, and he looks unbothered by my brothers’ monologue. “I’m right here.”
“Well, you are crazy.” Tony chuckles.
“Come here,” I tell Cole, and he dutifully walks toward me until he’s standing in front of me. His Vans are touching my very expensive loafers, and I smirk. We’re so different from each other, but we work anyway. I grab the back of his head and kiss him softly, pressing my lips to his. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth, stroking languidly, like we don’t have an audience. “God, I can’t get enough of you.”
“Same.” Cole smirks, stepping away from me, going back to Andrey’s side.
My brothers are staring at me with a grin; everyone but Alessandro, the grumpy bastard. He’s never happy, I swear to God.
Cole crouches in front of Andrey, stabbing his leg and dragging the scalpel through muscle, away from the main artery. Andrey screams once more. “Here’s how this is going to go,” Cole tells Andrey. “I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer.”
“Never,” Andrey whispers.
“Where’s the safe house?” Cole asks. The safe house is where the Pakhan and Natasha must be hiding by now. They’re not going to stay at their headquarters when Andrey has been kidnapped from there. “I want to know.”
We’re met with silence except for a deep groan from Andrey. He’s clearly in a lot of pain and bleeding profusely. He’s not going to make it very long if Cole continues this little game.
“Where is it, Andrey?” Cole asks through gritted teeth.
“There are too many to count,” Andrey whispers, clearly in pain.
“Then where is your father?” Cole asks him again.
“Not telling you that.”
Cole smirks, stepping away. “Shame.” He sighs. “I was going to kill you quickly, but it seems like you want to play for a while, and who am I to deny you?”
Andrey whimpers. “Fuck you.”
Cole looks at me. “Have the doc stitch him up, babe.” Oh, fuck. He’s not playing games. “I’m not done with him.”
I nod. “Consider it done.”
He walks toward me, his hands bloody, and I’ve never seen him like this. Sexy. Uninhibited. I should’ve been present for more of his jobs. I’m regretting staying away right about now. This has been entertaining, to say the least.
Cole washes up in the sink behind me, then dries his hands. Once he’s done, he walks toward me and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the warehouse until we’re back in the SUV. He kisses my cheek and smiles, and my heart flutters in my chest. I want to say it. Those three little words, but I hold back.
This is not the time.
Not yet.