Epilogue
EPILOGUE
PART 1: ANYA
I grasp Dante’s hand and lead him down a darkened hallway. “Just listen to my voice and stay right against me.”
It’s dark for him because I just put a blindfold over his eyes.
But even without a blindfold, I feel like I’m navigating in pitch blackness. I take tentative steps, unfamiliar with this corridor. But I wanted to keep him away from anything that might give away the surprise. As far as he knows, we’ve driven somewhere.
Unless he realizes I drove his car in a convoluted circle, he won’t have any idea where I’m taking him.
I reach out my hand and grasp the brass doorknob, turning it slowly. I silence the gasp that’s about to escape my throat when I see the inside of the room.
Our room.
Soft white lights are wrapped in tulle and hung across the ceiling. They look like tiny stars glimmering down on us, stars I’ve only become acquainted with since moving out here to Las Vegas. The room is private, at least for this part of the night. There is one single table set up in the center, cascades of white roses and calla lilies spilling over the sides of a centerpiece. There are brass candelabras set up around the perimeter of the room, the flames flickering furiously and adding to the aura of the occasion.
It’s perfect.
Exactly the way I’d wanted it.
The past few months have been a whirlwind for us. After a lot of discussion, we decided to relocate to New York. It took a visit to Ivan Volkov and a lot of negotiation to release me from my previous role as one of the bratva’s hired guns. But in exchange, Matteo offered him a sweet business opportunity he couldn’t ignore. One of the stipulations was that Uncle Boris gets to run the new shipping operation. But it didn’t take much to convince Volkov since access to the piers in the Villani territory would be huge for business and Volkov is no idiot. And just like that, I became a free woman.
Dante decided he needed a change of pace, too, since we do eventually want to start our own family and a mom and dad assassin team wouldn’t necessarily provide the most nurturing environment. So instead, he is starting his own security consulting firm, just like Matteo had recommended. He’s already got a slate of clients anxious to work with him, and he’ll also partner with Roman to handle the family’s businesses in lower Manhattan.
As for me, I just got accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology.
I’m finally making my dreams come true.
All of them.
And I couldn’t be happier.
Lately, I’ve felt my parents and Maks’s presence a lot more, especially at times like this when I’m about to make a big bold move in my life. It’s a comforting feeling, knowing they’re there in spirit, smiling down on me. I know they always wanted the best for me, even though it took a long time for me to figure out how to make that a reality.
“Okay, we’re standing still. Can I take off the blindfold now? Or is there kinky shit I’m not allowed to see yet?”
I giggle. “There’s no kinky shit here. But hold that thought for a few hours.”
He breathes in. “Smells good. Are we eating? I hope so because I’m starving.” His hands fumble with my dress. “Although I could wait on the food if there’s something else I can eat in the meantime?”
“You’re insatiable!”
“Damn right,” he murmurs. “Now are you gonna let me see that gorgeous face or not?”
I bite down hard on my lower lip.
This is it.
I reach around the back of his head and unknot the scarf, dropping it on one of the chairs. “Happy anniversary, babe,” I say.
His eyes sweep the room and he flashes his famous sexy smile at me. “You brought me all the way back to our hotel?”
“Yes, but there’s a good reason why.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” he says, pulling me close and nuzzling my ear. He always knows exactly what part to suckle when he wants to melt me into a puddle of goo.
But I can’t melt right now.
Not yet.
I take a small step backward, still holding his hands in mine. My heart thrums against my chest, delicious shivers making my body shudder.
And then I drop to one knee, unable to keep the smile from spreading across my face. “Dante,” I say, tears springing to my eyes. “You once told me you were an unconventional kind of guy.” I sniffle. “Well, that must mean we’re a perfect pair because I’m an unconventional kind of girl. You gave up so much for me, and you’re ready to move across the country to help me realize my dreams. I believe that there were a lot of people upstairs pulling strings for us to find each other, and I am so thankful we did. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you know it.” I swipe away one stray tear and hold out a shiny gold band. “I love you more than you’ll ever know. Will you be my husband?”
He smirks. “Is this because I said I loved you before you finally said it back? You wanted to be the first this time?”
I giggle. “Maybe.”
“Well, then, you know we Villanis like to have the last word. So…” He drops down in front of me and pulls out a small, black velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a glittering diamond engagement ring. “I’ll say yes if you do.”
“Oh my God, yes!” My hand flies up to my mouth. “Were you planning this all along?”
“Of course I was. I figured whatever surprise you had planned, you’d never see this coming as the cherry on top.”
“You’re right, I didn’t at all!”
“Happy anniversary,” he says, pulling me close. “And happy engagement.”
“Well, not yet,” I say.
He furrows his brow. “No?”
“You didn’t say yes! It has to be mutual!”
“Yes,” he says with a wink. “See, I told you I’ll always get the last word.”
I roll my eyes and let out a huff, but he snakes a hand around the back of my head and crushes his lips against mine. He tastes like spearmint, so cool and fresh and sweet.
“I love you so much,” he murmurs against my lips.
“I love you, too,” I say, wrapping my arms around him.
“Okay, so are you gonna tell me why you drove me away from here and then back again?”
“Well, I couldn’t very well throw us an engagement party at another restaurant, right?” I snap my fingers and the partition slides over, revealing the rest of our party guests, including my new bestie, Tommy Marcone.
Tommy grins, standing aside so we can see the two cakes he’s decorated. One says “He Said Yes” and the other says “She Said Yes.”
“I’ve never done a double engagement party where there are two engagements for the same couple,” he says in a dry voice.
“You knew!” I exclaim.
“Of course I knew.” He smirks. “The chef always knows.”
Dante hugs me close and drops a kiss onto the top of my head before everyone rushes over to me to get a look at the huge rock sitting on my left hand. I hold it out, admiring it along with the rest of them. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.
Heaven clasps her hands together. “A wedding! Yay! And it’s one where you’re not being forced to marry the groom!” She chuckles as Matteo snakes an arm around her waist and dips her backward as she lets out a squeal.
“I don’t hear too much complaining from you now,” he says gruffly.
“Yeah, that’s because her husband doesn’t suffer from the Irish curse,” Kaz pipes in, hugging his wife Lindy close to him. “No more peanuts for you, Heaven. Only Italian sausages.” Kaz points to Marchella and Jaelyn, Roman and Sergio’s fiancées. “Am I right, ladies?”
“Hell, yeah!” Jaelyn says. Sergio smacks her ass and grabs her close as Marchella spews champagne all over Roman while she chuckles.
Alek and his wife Gianna roll their eyes. “Kaz, seriously? You’re about as subtle as a hand grenade,” Gianna scoffs.
“Well, I know I can’t argue Kaz’s point about the sausage,” I say with a giggle. “I’m a lucky girl.”
Dante smacks my ass. “Damn right,” he murmurs against my ear. “And just wait until later for the real celebration.”
I lay my head on his shoulder, smiling at the banter between the Villanis, the Severinovs, and the Marcones.
“Nobody made a better borscht than my grandmother, you fucking guinea bastard!” Alek snips, rolling his eyes at Tommy. “Don’t even insult me by saying that!”
“So now you’re challenging me to make a better borscht than your grandmother? Game on, Ivan Drago!” Tommy bellows.
“Wait, wait,” Dante says, chuckling so hard he can barely get the words out. “Tommy, you remember that restaurant review you got awhile back? About how your gnocchi…wait, lemme get this right…’resembled a saggy ball sack?’”
Tommy’s wife, Gemma, doubles over with laughter. “Oh my God! I found that article and framed it for him as a joke.”
“Yeah, not one of your funnier ones,” Tommy mutters.
I spit out my champagne. “Wait, somebody wrote that?” I gasp through the laughter.
Tommy shrugs. “Yeah, and when he came to my restaurant, I fucking threw a chair at him.”
I can’t even breathe right now because my body quakes with hysterics.
And it doesn’t stop there. The groups laughs and goads each other for hours.
They are one-hundred percent family first, business associates a far second.
They all have each others’ backs, no matter what.
A tight-knit group that I am thrilled to be part of.
A real family.
I haven’t felt as connected and so much a part of something since I lost my parents and Maks. It’s been a long time, and I’m going to cherish it forever.
Dante holds me tight against him as we toast again with bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne.
I really do have everything I could ever want.
* * *
I let out a soft giggle as Dante’s lips assault the back of my neck. “I can’t get the key in the lock,” I murmur. “You’re distracting me.”
“You need to work on your focus so I can get you inside…and then I can get inside you ,” he whispers against my hair, his low voice full of wickedly delicious promise.
It is so damn hard to concentrate right now, with his demanding tongue trailing a path around my ear. I gasp, sliding in the key once more and doing an inward cheer once the lock beeps. I turn the door handle, drop everything in my hands, and wrap my arms around my fiancé. He gathers me in his arms and carries me outside to the balcony, letting me down in front of one of the day beds.
He reaches around my back and unzips my dress, then he slides the shoulder straps down so they fall to my wrists. The dress slips off easily, falling to my feet. Dante’s eyes take on a predatory look as they run over my almost-naked body. I swear I hear a growl rumble deep in his throat and a shiver runs through me, despite the heat.
Even at night, the temperatures out here are sweltering.
I take a step toward him and unbuckle his pants as his fingers reach behind me to unhook my bra.
“You know you made me the happiest guy on the planet tonight, right?” he murmurs, kicking off his pants once I finally get them to his ankles. He pulls off his shirt and tosses it behind him.
I look at his massive, stiff cock and grasp it, stroking it as I nod my head. “And I’m the happiest girl.”
“What the hell kind of fate is this, huh?” He reaches behind my head, fisting my hair and drawing me toward him.
“It’s twisted, that’s for sure,” I whisper with a soft giggle. “Just like we are, I guess.”
“Twisted and crazy and fucking hot,” he says, his lips lifting into his signature sexy grin. He gives my ass a smack, and I squeal before he tears my thong right from my body. “Sorry, I hope you didn’t love that pair,” he says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes. “ We’re some pair, huh?”
“And we’re gonna have some life,” he says, pulling me down onto the day bed. He straddles me from behind on his knees, reaching an arm around me as his cock presses into my pussy. He pulls me against his chest as he thrusts inside of me, his fingers flicking my clit.
“Dante…” I choke out, my breath hitching. “Oh God, oh God, oh God!”
His movements speed up, his dick sliding all the way out and then driving into me, sliding against my clit with every movement. His thick cock pulses and throbs deep inside of me and my quiet whimpers quickly morph into wails for release.
My gut clenches as I squeeze my muscles, pulling him deeper. A tingling sensation in my core shoots out to my limbs, deliciously numbing every cell in my fingers and toes as the orgasm tears through me. My head falls backward onto his chest and he clutches me tight as his movements speed up. His body trembles, slow at first until full-blown tremors make him tense up. A guttural roar erupts from his chest as he makes one final thrust inside of me.
We sit there for a minute, plastered against each other, panting, sweaty, and swimming around in our little bubble of erotic bliss.
I peek up at him after a few more seconds pass. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
He winks at me. “For that massive orgasm? You know you’re always welcome.”
I shake my head. “No, for giving me back what I thought I’d lost forever. For giving me a family. You, me,” I smile, biting down on my lip. “And hopefully a baby of our own,” I say, rubbing my belly.
“Is that what you want?” he asks, trailing his fingertips down the side of my face.
I nod. “Yes, because it’ll be us. And there’s nothing more perfect than that.”
“Perfect,” he says. “And forever.”
Yes, forever.
I really love the sound of that.
PART 2: LILY
“So, how do you win the game, Zeno?” I ask in a raspy whisper, the innuendo catching in my throat and choking me like a noose. My God, I don’t know what the hell is happening to me right now. I’m being sucked into his very provoking, very sensual funnel cloud, and I’m so ready to take that ride.
“I can be damn convincing when I want something,” he says. His voice, so husky and thick, sends goosebumps shooting up my arms and down my legs.
“I can’t imagine that you’d need to be.” My voice hitches, his raw, musky, and manly scent wafting under my nostrils. I breathe in, letting it infuse and empower me.
He closes the space between us, his hot breath fluttering against my cheek. His blue eyes darken, framed with thick, dark eyelashes that make me envious. “You don’t know me,” he murmurs. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“You don’t know me, either,” I breathe, my heart hammering against my chest.
“But I do,” he says. “I know you’re out here celebrating something tonight. That tells me you accomplished something pretty major. You feel proud and excited, I can see that, too.” He leans close still, his face almost touching mine. “And you want to let loose and have fun…do something you’ve never done before because tonight, you’re on top of the world and nothing can touch you.” He grins. “Unless you want it to.”
My jaw drops slightly but I recover quickly.
“So that’s your read, huh?” I say with a roll of my eyes. “That I want to take a walk on the wild side for once and be free because I finally convinced myself that I can be? Because I feel good about my future?”
Shoot.
I said the words in defiance, but…
They are kind of true.
Sitting here with this gorgeous stranger, not knowing anything about him other than the fact that he makes me hotter than I’ve ever been in my life…which is saying a lot, considering that I suffer through the summertime in Vegas where it’s one-hundred-and-twenty degrees at night.
“You said it, not me.” Zeno’s lazy grin widens and he takes another swig of his drink.
“Well, it’s not true,” I say in a huff. But still, I can’t seem to pull away from him, I can’t escape his carnal net. I’m stuck with no desire to escape, no matter what I say to the contrary.
Dammit.
I am such a liar.
And my body is a traitorous bitch.
“Okay, tell me the truth, then. What do I need to know about you, Lily?” His voice. God, that voice! It’s low, masculine, and seductive enough to get me to do anything that he asks.
The control I feared I was losing?
The bigger concern now is that it’s been lost completely.
“It’s true that I was just accepted into a very competitive program, and my friends took me out to celebrate,” I say, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear so I have something to occupy my fingers with when they really itch to massage his massive biceps. “And yes, I do feel good about it. Amazing, actually. It makes me feel like I can accomplish anything, that I can do whatever I want.” My lips curl upward and the vixen takes hold. “On my terms. Nobody else’s, for once.”
His eyes flicker with a bit of curiosity at my last words and I take a beat, hearing them myself.
My terms.
Nobody else’s.
For once.
“I did this on my own,” I continue. “I didn’t have any help. I set a goal and I achieved it. And now I feel like I proved that I can finally stand on my own two feet.” I give my head a shake. “I’ve never admitted that to anyone.”
“What was it that held you back before?” he asks, the intensity of his stare making my legs slam against each other. The excess of alcohol, coupled with this drop-dead gorgeous man’s interest in me, is making my resolve falter.
I wanna be bad.
Oh, Lord, so very bad.
“My life isn’t, ah, typical. I have a pretty overbearing family and I love them to pieces, but I needed to separate myself from them, to prove that I could create my own future.” I smile. “And I did, so yeah, it feels really good.”
“Overbearing families.” He snorts. “Yeah, I have one of my own. But I have no out. I just keep getting sucked in deeper and faster.” His jaw twitches, his expression pained. “My future is always questionable.”
Our gazes lock and I find myself sliding closer to him. “I thought that, too. And a few months ago, it was.” I bite down on my lower lip. “I didn’t think I was in control of my life, and I still worry that the rug will be torn out from under me. But I won’t stop fighting for it. For myself.”
He nods, raising a hand to the side of my face. His fingertips brush against my cheek and I breathe him in…a spicy musk tinged with angst and anticipation. My eyes float closed as the pads of his fingertips make a trail down the side of my neck. “That’s good,” he murmurs. “That’s really good. Don’t ever let anyone steal that control from you.”
“I won’t,” I whisper as his fingers gently graze my shoulders. My throat tightens as the growing lump cuts off my ability to suck in a breath. Well, I don’t know if it’s the lump, or the fact that he has my body lit up like the Fourth of July and I don’t want these sensations to fizzle by me breaking the spell with an involuntary gasp.
His arms snake around my waist, scaling up the slope of my spine and then down the sides of my torso. The fabric of my dress sizzles against my skin as his fingertips navigate a very determined path over it. My eyes flutter open to find his blazing with need…a need that matches the ache deep inside of me, an ache I didn’t realize was even there. It’s been latent for so long, I didn’t know if it would…could…ever be awakened.
He pulls me on top of him, positioning me so that I’m pressed against his cock. It thickens under me as he slides me against his jeans, the friction agitating my pussy. Wet heat coils inside of me as he slides his hands up the sides of my thighs, looping them into my thong.
My knees straddle him, my hair tumbling over my shoulders as I gaze down at his lust-filled expression. His hands grip me tight as he pulls me toward him, clutching me close to his chest as he attacks my mouth with his own.
His lips hungrily attack mine, his tongue plunging inside, coiling with heat and a hunger that cannot be sated. A moan slips out as he devours me with a voracity I’ve never experienced, much less imagined.
With a thundering heart, I rotate my hips over his, grinding my pussy against him. His cock jerks and I want so badly to touch it, to stroke it, and to feel it inside of me.
Not because I want to be reckless.
I just want to be free.
To do something I want without anyone looking over my shoulder.
That thought, coupled with Zeno’s hard body plastered against mine, makes my body ignite with unbridled passion I didn’t know had even taken up residence. My eyes float open and I scan the darkened room. It’s quiet and empty, but anyone could walk in here and find us dry humping on this couch.
A shiver flutters over my bare skin, my already-racing pulse rocketing at the possibility.
Wow, I must be completely depraved if being watched can make my body temperature soar that much more, even with Zeno’s cock rubbing against my clit.
He slips his fingers into my panties, pushing them aside as he strokes my wet folds. I gasp as he plunges them into me, pressing them deep. He slides them in and out, his thumb rubbing my clit at the same time. I clench around them, gritting my teeth as I throw my head back. He attacks my neck, his tongue and teeth nipping at my ear and driving me damn-near insane.
I guess that’s one of my spots.
Huh, who knew?
A tiny mewl tumbles from my lips, followed by another as his mouth scorches a path down to the neckline of my dress. I drag one strap down, uncovering one of my breasts. His fingers work me, his thrusts increasing in intensity as he flashes a sexy smirk before turning his attention to my taut nipple. I arch my back, driving my hips against his fingers as he tugs and suckles the dark pink bud with his teeth. I dig my fingertips into his back, squealing as sparks of the most erotic bliss explode deep in my core, shooting out to my fingers and toes. Euphoria consumes my body and mind, paralyzing me as the sensations ripple through me.
I quiver, panting as my body calms, his fingers quelling a need I didn’t even know existed before a few minutes ago. He slides them out of me, and with his deep-set gaze focused on my face, he sucks them dry, his blue eyes glittering with promise.
Holy Jesus.
That is the sexiest thing I think I’ve ever seen.
Heat spreads from my core, blanketing my insides with pent-up need.
How could he just stop?
Oh, Christ.
How could I want to keep going?
“You wanted a taste of freedom, yeah?” he says in his devilishly sexy voice, pulling me against him and covering my mouth with his. Our teeth crack together, our tongues hot, coiling with desire as we claw at each other, our hands desperate to close the space between us.
I lose all track of time, forgetting where we are and that whatever is happening between us will be over once the night ends.
How could it not be?
I have a plan for my life, and it doesn’t include random hookups with hot foreign guys in nightclubs.
When we finally pull apart, breathless and flushed, the fog surrounding my mind thickens. Conflict consumes me…my body craving far more than my mind will allow it to take.
Loud voices coming from just outside of the room shatter the otherwise still air and I slide off of Zeno’s lap, smoothing my hair and fixing the top of my dress. He grins lazily at me.
“I prefer it the other way.”
I let out a nervous giggle. “I don’t…I mean, I’ve never done that before. Like, in public.” And the fumbled attempts to do it in private have never made my heart race faster than a thoroughbred trying to win the Triple Crown.
“I know. That’s why I stopped,” he says.
“Well, maybe I didn’t want to stop,” I quip, smoothing the front of my dress. “Maybe I liked where it was headed.”
“I gave you a taste,” he mutters as Kat and Chloe come dancing into the VIP room. “That’s what you wanted. And for the record, I don’t think you could handle what I really want to do to you.”
I hope you’re ready for SAVAGE HUNTER, the dangerous, dark and dirty bodyguard romance between Zeno and Lily!