Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
Joseph
His sweet angel lay on the bed. Her face was pale and eyes wild as she gazed up at him.
What a shit show they’d landed in. Worse yet, a dangerous shit show. One with a grief-stricken old man, a second in command psycho, and one of the worse trafficking operations one could imagine. As far as he could tell, Christopher knew basically nothing about Sergei’s dealings in the sex trade.
Pretending to be cold to Angelina hurt to the core, but not knowing what was up could have made things even worse. All those years of listening to his father claiming they’d come for those they loved, made him cautious of being too concerned about her welfare despite the anxious looks she was sending his way.
His new ‘grandfather,’ although depressed for year, appeared to be sane. Since he’d be fighting for his life soon, he’d been given some time with his fiancé. This was not the way he wanted to spend their evening together.
“You have a lot of nerve coming in here.” The fire in her eyes made her even more beautiful.
He quietly closed and locked the door behind him. Little good it would probably do as anyone could shoot their way in. Shedding his jacket and draping it over a nearby chair, he paced the room and ran his fingers through his hair.
“We need to talk.” Joseph turned on the TV, cranked up the volume, and took a seat on the bed. She tried to scoot off, but he pulled her into his arms.
“I want to go home.” Even though her jaw was set, she sounded like a lost little girl.
“I do too.”
“What? Give up your spot as the new leader? Was this your plan all along, did you know about this? How were we kidnapped?”
“Of course, I didn’t plan this. I have no idea how they were able to get past our security. I’m simply going along with things until help arrives.” He whispered in her ear while nipping the lobe.
“Are they watching?” Angelina mumbled and snuggled into his neck.
“I don’t know. Christopher gave me a tour. I didn’t see any cameras inside the house, only outside. It appears he doesn’t like technology too much.”
That matched with what Megan had said. “How do we get out of here?” She tried to shake out of his hold, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“We don’t. Our best bet is to do what he says. You need to appear unhappy and angry about being here and marrying me, which he wants to have done tomorrow.”
“That won’t be hard to do.” She paused and stared at him. “Excuse me? What did you say? I’m not getting married.”
“If you don’t, he’ll kill someone or start cutting off your body parts, and I like all your parts.”
“Seriously?” She screeched.
“That I like them or he will cut them off.” He refused to stop nibbling on her neck.
And she continued to let him. “Both.”
“I’ve already witnessed Sergei order the torture of one man who disobeyed. His henchman like to play head games with the women they take. Christoper appears unaware or doesn’t care. I haven’t figured it out yet.” He rubbed his nose along her neck. “You know how I feel about you. I bared my heart to you before we came here. Hell, I asked you to marry me for real.”
“It was just so fast. All those years we spent apart. I always thought we would end up together and then . . .”
“And then what?” Would he ever get the real answer?
She rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Angel. I have to fight Sergei in two days. I might die. Tell me. You can’t hold anything back.”
Tears welled up. He dropped little kisses on her face hoping to wipe away the fear. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Life is always uncertain. Please don’t hold back. Why did you leave me?”
“I overheard you and the guys talking one day.”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“It was after the sweet sixteen party. They were teasing you about me. Saying you were pussy whipped.” She gazed at the floor while wringing her hands.
“I was. I only had eyes for you.”
“The kid, Jason, said you needed to be with some other girls before you settled down with me. You said yes, you should. There were lots of hot girls looking to sleep with the Caponelli heir. I was heartbroken and left. Then I never heard from you again after you left, so I figured it was true.
He hung his head and sighed. “I remember that conversation, but you obviously didn’t stay to hear all of it. When I said heir, I meant Max not me. I suspected even then that maybe I wasn’t going to be boss. What I said was they wanted to be with him, not me. Of course, I knew there were others interested in me. There were plenty of guys who were interested in you. I only have eyes for you. Then you ghosted me. I was hurt, confused, rejected. I, ah, was lost without you. For years, I teetered on the edge. Not knowing what went wrong and where to go next.”
“I wrote, texted, phoned but they all went unanswered.” She bit her lower lip.
“Like I told you, I did the same. I was furious, yet happy for everything you have gotten to experience and accomplish. If we’d had married right away, I know you would not have pursued your dreams of studying abroad and designing.” She deserved to be out in the world and shine for all her accomplishments.
“I’m glad I did those things, but it still feels like I’m living someone else’s life.”
He brushed a lock of hair from her face. Her eyes were bright but wary. “I’ve felt the same way. Maybe this is our destiny. Maybe you are meant to rule here with me.”
“I won’t be a part of trafficking.”
“It’ll be the first thing I get rid of. Together we will find all these women and get them safely back home to their families.” His whole family would be onboard for that.
“Good. I want to help too. In any way I can.”
The impending fight flickered in the back of his mind. “We may not have any more time.”
“Don’t say that.” Angelina framed his face with her hands. “Do you think our families are coming?”
“They have to be. There are trackers on everyone. Hell, there’s one embedded in my arm. Your jewelry.” When it was cold it ached.
“Is that why you gave me the ring?”
“Like I said, I asked you to marry me because I have, and always will, love you. We’re being forced to marry tomorrow. When we get out of here, I will marry you for real. When you’re ready and willing with our families around us.” He cupped her face with his palms.
“I’m willing now.” Her checks flushed as she lay back on the bed.
“Are you sure?” The last thing he wanted was for her to feel pressure.
“I’m not sure of anything, but if you die without ever making love to me, I will haunt you the rest of my life.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“You’ve haunted me for years. I will not stop fighting for you even if it’s from the grave.”
“Make me yours, Joseph,” Angelina pleaded.
“You already are.”
Her lips were heaven and tasted of coffee and sweets. If he could drink her in, and take her to go, he would. The little moans she made were heaven in the hell surrounding them.
The expectation of shyness wasn’t to be. His woman already had the back of his shirt pulled up, her fingers caressing his skin. Settling between her legs, Joseph was careful not to crush her. How could he go slow when simply kissing her had him going from zero to ninety in six seconds. He paused to slip her top over her head. Her hair was a sexy mess begging for his fingers to untangle it.
Angelina fumbled with her bra. He moved her hands and easily unhooked it to free her breasts. Perky and full, they filled his hands to perfection. She arched her back and he nuzzled, tweaked, and sucked her nipples.
“Joseph. Don’t stop.
His name never sounded as good as it resonated from his beauty’s breathless mouth. “I’m just getting started.”
He ravished her lips again then worked his way down to her panties, the scent of her arousal leading the way. He slid them down and tossed them to the floor. His gaze met hers, drunk with lust. She was his. All his.
Inhaling deeply, he knelt between her legs to lavish her most intimate spot. Her hips rose as did her breathing. Soon the little beauty panted and gripped his shoulders. She was close so close. Before long, his angel was singing his praises as she climaxed. Never had Angelina been more beautiful. Her lips were swollen, her face and chest flushed with a look of relaxation and pleasure on her face.
“I’m not finished with you yet.” Joseph quickly shed the rest of his clothes. His love rested on her elbows to better see him. “I don’t have a condom but I’m clean. Are you on birth control?”
“Yes, but even if I weren’t, I’d still say yes.”
It was unspoken, but they both knew their time together might be winding down. If help didn’t arrive soon and he had to go through with the fight, things could go downhill fast.
He had to say what was in his heart. “You know I love you?”
“Yes. I love you too.” Angelina threaded her fingers through his hair.
He melted into her. It was the only way to describe it. They were one. He filled her completely. Joseph stopped when she flinched.
“Did I hurt you?” He brushed his thumb on her chin.
“You’re my first.” Her cheeks flushed even brighter. “I’ve only ever wanted you.”
The organ in his chest threatened to burst. She was giving his heart a workout in more ways than one. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” She smiled. “I’m all yours now.”
Slowly he began to move, never leaving her gaze. The last thing he wanted was to do something she didn’t. Joseph reached to bend her legs higher; the change in position made her eyes widen before closing. Pleasure replacing her hesitation. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but he wanted it to be as special as it could be. Her face glowed. She briefly relaxed then stiffened as another climax raced to the finish line. Massaging her breast, he focused only on her.
Angelina closed her eyes and her head thrashed back and forth. Her cries rose until she reached the peak. It was music to his ears. He quickly followed before collapsing in her arms. They held each other tight both lost in thought.
“I want to make love to you all night long.” And every night after that.
“There’s nothing I want more, but you need to rest for the fight.” Concern filled her eyes.
He slipped from the bed and gathered a warm, wet cloth from the bathroom to wash her. It was soon light pink from her blood. “I think you are the one who needs to rest.” Tossing the cloth in a nearby hamper, Joseph got back into bed and pulled her into his arms.
“I don’t want you to fight for me, I want to fight with you.” She was so brave. A warrior princess and his dark angel all in one.
“I can’t believe no one is here yet.” The last thing Joseph wanted to do right now was think about anything besides her. To keep her safe, he had to keep his mind on what was going on. To do anything less would be failure. Where the hell were their families?
“Do you think they are waiting for something?” She rested her head on his chest, her fingers nestled on his chest hair.
“I wish I knew what was going on. Just trust me, okay.” He squeezed her tight. “Don’t do anything to grab attention. Do what they say, when they say. Christopher thinks I’m all in, but I don’t know him. I don’t want to cause any suspicion.” The last words were whispered in her ear.
“No one needs to force me to marry you. If we go down, we go down together. As friends, lovers, or man and wife. I’m with you forever.”