Chapter 44 Sophie
Sophie
The sixth building Vincenzo shows me has marble countertops and crown molding that are probably more expensive than the Arsenal’s annual budget.
“What do you think?” He’s watching me with those penetrating eyes, waiting for my reaction.
I trail my fingers over the pristine granite. “It’s beautiful. But it’s too much.”
His jaw tightens. “Sophie—”
“The people who can afford a place like this don’t need my food.” I turn to face him, trying to make him understand. “They want meticulous plating and servers who use words like ‘deconstruct.’ I make comfort food. Real Italian food that tastes like home.”
“Your food is better than anything in any of those pretentious places,” he growls. “You deserve this.”
My heart squeezes at the protective edge in his voice. “I appreciate that. But high-end isn’t better. It’s just different.”
The realtor, a woman in a pencil skirt who keeps eyeing my Vin like he’s dessert, clears her throat. “I do have another property. It’s in a different… price range.”
The seventh building makes Vin scowl the moment we walk through the door. And I fall in love immediately.
The kitchen is smaller, the equipment older, but there’s warmth here. Brick walls. Windows that let in golden afternoon light. And upstairs….
“There’s an apartment?” I’m already climbing the stairs before the realtor can answer.
The space isn’t large but it’s bigger than where I live now.
Two bedrooms, a bathroom with ancient tile, a living area and kitchen with nice appointments and a separate dining room or office.
The windows overlook the street, and I can already imagine waking up here, heading downstairs to prep in the quiet morning hours before the city wakes.
“Sophie.” Vincenzo’s voice is tight behind me. “You’re not living at work.”
I turn to find him filling the doorway, arms crossed. “Why not?”
“What if there’s another bomb?”
I flinch at the words, the Arsenal still smoking in my mind.
“Terrible things can happen anywhere,” I remind him. “You have to take risks when it’s important.”
I rub against him, pushing past him through the doorway and head back down to the restaurant where the realtor is waiting.
Vin practically groans as I brush against him. He follows close on my heels.
The second we hit the dining room, he barks at the realtor, “Leave us.”
Her heels click rapidly out the door.
The moment she’s gone, Vincenzo crosses to me, his hands sliding under my dress, rough palms on my thighs, and I’m laughing even as I’m kissing him back.
“Vin—”
“You’re impossible.” He lifts me, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carries me to the kitchen prep counter. “Stubborn. Fucking reckless.”
“You like it,” I gasp as he sets me down and yanks my panties aside.
“I fucking love it.” He’s already pushing inside me, and oh my gosh, the feel of him: thick and hard and exactly what I need. “You feel so good, princess.”
“So do you.” I arch into him, clenching fistfuls of his shirt as he fucks me.
He picks me up again, still buried inside me, and carries me to another counter. “So you like this place?” He’s grinning now, wicked and beautiful. “Are we christening it right now?”
I laugh breathlessly. “I can’t afford this place, Vin. But I like the idea of christening wherever I end up with you.”
“And thinking about my cock when you’re cooking?” He thrusts deep, making me moan. “You like that too?”
“You’ve conditioned me,” I admit, half-laughing, half-gasping at the angle of his cock inside me. “I can’t cook anymore without expecting you to bend me over.”
His eyes go molten. “Eating and fucking you. Let’s put those two together.”
Before I can ask what he means, he’s lifting me again, carrying me to yet another counter. But instead of pushing inside me, he bends me over it and drops to his knees behind me.
The first stroke of his tongue makes my knees buckle.
“Vin! Oh!”
He eats me like I’m his last meal, long, slow licks that make my toes curl. He grips my hips, holding me in place while I shake and moan.
His phone rings.
“Don’t answer it,” I gasp.
He ignores me, pulling back just enough to fish his phone from his pocket. “What.”
Even I can hear Matti’s voice through the speaker. Sharp. Urgent.
Vincenzo goes completely still.
When he speaks again, his voice is different, colder. It’s the voice of the man who sat at my kitchen table after the party that first night, sharp and violent.
“When?” A pause. “Where?” Another pause. “I’m on my way.”
He hangs up and stands slowly. The warmth is gone from his face.
“Vin?” My voice comes out smaller than I intend. “What happened?”
“They found Aurelio.” He’s already tucking himself back into his pants, his movements efficient. Mechanical. “It’s time to end this.”
Relief floods through me. “That’s good, right? That means—”
“Get dressed.” He’s not looking at me anymore. He’s looking past me at something I can’t see.
I pull my dress down. “This is what you wanted, right?”
He doesn’t answer. And that’s when I understand. Aurelio is his father. A monster, yes, a man who deserves everything that’s coming to him, but still his father.
“Vin.” I reach for him, my hand finding his arm. “Are you okay?”
For a moment, I think he won’t answer. Then he turns to me, and the look on his face makes me stop breathing.
“Bend over.”
“What—”
His hands are already on me, spinning me around, bending me over the counter. He pushes my dress up roughly and drives into my pussy in one hard thrust that makes me cry out.
“Vin—”
He wraps his arms around me, pulling me up to standing, holding me tight as he fucks me. “Just—FUCK. Just let me—”
He’s not degrading me this time. He’s holding onto me, anchoring himself.
I reach back, threading my fingers through his hair. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
He buries his face in my neck and pounds into me harder. “My good girl. My sweet girl. I’m gonna fill you up. I’m gonna—fuck!”
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, please.”
The angle is perfect, hitting something deep inside me that makes stars burst behind my eyelids. His hand slides around to rub my clit in tight circles, and suddenly I’m coming, my pussy clenching around him as I cry out his name.
The feeling of me coming undone triggers his release. He groans against my neck, his hips snapping hard as he empties himself inside me.
We stay like that for a long moment, both of us breathing hard. His forehead rests against my shoulder blade, and I can feel his heart hammering against my back.
“I have to go,” he says finally. But he doesn’t move.
“I know.”
“I can’t take you with me, and I I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here.” I turn my head back toward him. “I’ll be here, Vin.”
He’s silent for another few seconds then he pulls out of me, yanking my dress down and already reaching for his phone.
“When you’re ready, go back to the safe house with the guards and stay there,” he orders, as he tucks himself back in his pants and zips up. His voice is cold and commanding. “Make sure two guards are in the room with you at all times. ”
“I will, Vin.”
His eyes flash to mine and for a split second he softens, but just as fast, he’s gone, striding out of the restaurant without looking back.
I sink down onto the floor, my legs too shaky to hold me. I’m still having aftershocks after coming, but my chest feels tight.
He’s going to kill his father. After that, everything changes.
I wrap my arms around myself and stare at the empty doorway, wondering if the man who comes back will still be mine.