Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Elisa
W e don’t make love again because I’m sore, and Caleb refuses to hurt me, but we sleep contentedly side by side, and we have oral sex when we wake. After a gorgeous breakfast on the balcony followed by a dip in the hot tub, we get dressed and head out to explore the area, hiking one of the lower trails before making our way into the town where we find a cute diner for a late lunch. When we return to the hotel, we take a swim together in the pool before enjoying a couple’s massage. Dinner is at a different restaurant within the hotel tonight, and it's no less spectacular.
By the time we make it back to our suite, we’re both ravenous for one another, and we collapse into bed in a heap of tangled limbs. Caleb makes love to me again, and it’s even better this time. The following morning, I surprise him with a morning wake-up blowjob before I climb on top of him and ride his cock. We don’t bother getting dressed, spending the day between the hot tub and the bed, having sex all over the suite and in the shower.
I’m almost crying when Monday morning rolls around and reality comes calling. The Accardi Company private jet is waiting to take us back to New York, but I truly don’t want to leave.
“We can come back,” Caleb says, tucking me into his side as we exit the hotel and walk toward the car.
“I would love to buy a place here,” I say, daydreaming out loud. “A cabin in the woods overlooking the lake with a hot tub and a roof garden to admire the stunning views.”
“Leave it to me,” my boyfriend says with a glint in his eye. “It’s my job to make your every dream come true, and you won’t find me lacking.”
The next three weeks fly by, and we’re both busy. I’m setting my business up with the help of the PR firm Caleb hired for me and a new PA I recruited via Uncle Ben. Amie is a godsend, and together we are fitting out my new office, setting up a new website, and getting promotional material together for our launch campaign. I have settled into Caleb’s apartment like I always lived here. I’m adding a few personal touches to the place, and we even had my family over for dinner last weekend. I think Caleb and Dad bonded over the Sebastien situation and they are getting along, which is a huge relief. I knew once Dad saw how happy Caleb makes me he would come around. It helps that Mom is on our side. Even Romeo is thawing.
Life is good even if Caleb has been busy with mafioso shit and I haven’t seen him as much as I’d like. They didn’t get any useful intel out of the thieves because Cruz is smart enough not to give his location away. All contact between them was via an intermediary who stayed hidden behind the scenes. They have no clue where he’s hiding out, and The Commission is growing increasingly frustrated.
Fiero cracked the password on the USB key, and we discovered damaging intel, both real and fake, on every family except for the Accardi famiglia , naturally. If Cruz had gotten his hands on it, it would have spelled the end of The Commission and the Five Families. Everyone is hoping there isn’t a copy of the files out there somewhere, but for now, the threat seems to have ended. Finding and dealing with Cruz is the last item to be fixed. Everyone is keen to return to peace and prosperity.
It's Saturday, and I’m in the laundry room when Caleb sneaks up behind me, making me scream and jump when his hands land on my bare stomach under my crop top.
“Oh my god.” I playfully push him away. “You almost gave me a coronary!”
“Your powers of observation suck, angel. You make it too easy to sneak up on you.”
“Not that I’m complaining, but why are you home? I thought you had a meeting at Commission Central?”
“I did. Cruz has been spotted in Vegas, and the word on the ground is he’s planned a big takeover. It’s all-hands-on-deck, and I’m flying there with the other dons in an hour. I just stopped by to grab a bag. We might have to stay overnight.”
“At least it means the end is in sight.” My arms go around his neck. “I’ll miss you. Please be careful.”
“I’ll miss you too and always.”
I narrow my eyes at him because everyone knows Caleb has a reckless streak. “I mean it, Caleb. I know how badly you want to end Cruz. Promise me you won’t take any crazy risks. I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”
“I’m not the same man, Lili. I have you to come home to now, and that means more than revenge. I promise I’ll be careful. I won’t take any stupid risks.” He offers his pinkie. “Pinkie promise.”
I curl my pinkie around his, and then we kiss. It quickly turns heated, like always, and we strip in record time. My hands are on the top of the washing machine, with my ass in the air, as Caleb drives into me from behind, and I moan in appreciation. I love making love with him. We have so much sex, and every time is better than the last. We’re having fun learning how to turn one another on and exploring different positions. I can’t believe I have gone twenty-two, almost twenty-three, years of my life without experiencing the joy of sex, but I’m definitely making up for lost time. I’m insatiable, and my man can’t get enough either.
Caleb’s fingers creep around my body to my clit, and he rubs me fast in sync with his thrusts. My inner walls grip his cock as I get close to the promised land. “Now, Lili. Come now!” Caleb commands, pinching my clit as he rams inside me, and I shatter all over his dick. Caleb covers my body from behind as he comes while my body shakes and trembles from a powerful orgasm.
“Fucking hell, Lil.” Caleb hugs me from behind. “I’m addicted to making love to you.”
“Good, ’cause I demand it multiple times a day.”
“Perfect,” he murmurs, tracing my earlobe with his tongue. “So. Fucking. Perfect.”
He pulls out and cleans me up with some tissues before helping me back into my clothes. “I’ll text you when we arrive,” he says, grabbing his bag from the floor.
I walk him out to the door, peppering his handsome face with kisses while he lingers in the doorway. The two soldati on guard at the door are new, but I’m not surprised he’s taking precautions. I’m sure all the dons are. It could be a trap because you never can tell with Cruz DiPietro. The men pretend not to look as we make out like we’re never going to see one another again. We can’t ever say goodbye without overdoing it because we’re just that gone for one another. “You better go, or you’ll miss your flight.”
He kisses me one final time before walking to the elevator. “Oh,” he adds, turning around to look at me. “Don’t plan anything the week of your birthday. I have a surprise.”
My heart turns somersaults in my chest, and I wonder if it’s a trip to Paris. Caleb hasn’t hidden his desire to marry me sooner than later, and I can’t think of a single reason to wait. He has always been it for me, and he’s an amazing boyfriend and partner. Even better than anything I ever imagined. “I look forward to it.” The elevator doors glide open, and I blow him a kiss as he steps inside. “Love you. Be safe.”
He flashes me a signature grin before blowing me a kiss just as the door closes.
I return to my laundry, and when it’s done, I make a chicken salad for lunch. I have just opened my laptop to do some work when the doorbell chimes. I don’t bother checking the camera feed because there are bodyguards on the door today, and they wouldn’t let anyone get close if they were dangerous. Still, I check the peephole before opening the door, inwardly groaning when I see who it is.
Anais has kept a relatively low profile of late, and she hasn’t bugged Caleb or me, so I don’t know what she wants. She presses the bell again, and I sigh. She won’t back off, so ignoring her isn’t an option. Opening the door, I instantly frown at the panicked expression on her face. “Thank fuck.” She grabs my arm and yanks me out into the hallway.
“What the—” I cut myself off when I spot the slumped forms of my bodyguards on the ground. “What’s going on?” I wrench out of her arm, immediately suspicious just as an alarm goes off, shrieking a high-pitched tone and sending red flashing lights darting across the private lobby.
“We’re under attack. There’s no time to explain,” she says, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the door to the stairwell.
“Stop.” I grip her wrist and dig my heels in, not going anywhere until I call Caleb. This smells off.
“There isn’t time, Elisa!” she screams. “It’s Cruz. He’s come for me, and he’s coming for you too.”
“No.” I shake my head. “He’s in Vegas. He’s?—”
“He’s not!” she roars, tugging on my arm. “It’s a trap to get all the dons out of the city. I knew he’d come for me, and I know the way his brain works. He won’t leave you here, Elisa. He’ll take you as payback.”
“I need to call Caleb.” My cell is on the island unit in the kitchen.
“You can call him from my cell,” she says, dragging me toward the door. “We need to get out. I think this building is going down.”
The door to the stairwell opens, and a somewhat familiar guy pops his head in. “Come on! We need to get out of here stat.”
“I’m trying, Giotto!” Anais says, and I remember the name. He’s the soldato from the third floor she’s been fucking.
“He’s in the building, and he’s coming for you now, Elisa,” Giotto says, stalking forward. “Caleb will pump me full of bullets if I don’t get you to safety.”
I stare at his face, and there’s something off about it and him and the entire situation. Nerves fire at me from all angles as goose bumps sprout on my arms. “I’m just getting my cell, and then we’ll leave,” I say, shucking Anais’s arm off and backing up.
They exchange a look, and all the hairs lift on the back of my neck. Adrenaline courses through my veins as my fight-or-flight response kicks in. I turn and run, but I’m too late.
Giotto tackles me from behind, taking me to the ground. “You just had to make this difficult, didn’t you, Lili ,” he says in my ear in a completely different voice. “It doesn’t matter anyway because very soon there won’t be anyone left to stop me.”
I kick and fight as he manhandles me to my feet.
“Shut up, bitch,” Anais says, lunging at me.
I scream as pain pierces me in the side of the neck, staring in shock at the large empty needle she’s holding in her hands. “What did you do?”
“Don’t worry, Lili ,” the man in front of me says. “You’re just going to sleep for a little while.”
I sway on my feet, and my vision turns blurry, but I see enough as he peels the mask off his face revealing his identity. “No!” I gasp, staring at Cruz in horror right before I pass out.