Chapter 28 Carlo
Carlo
Her walls squeeze me like a vise when she comes, an irresistible mix of pleasure and pain, and my thrusts turn uncoordinated as I spill.
With a final groan, I pull out of her slowly, noting a light pink sheen on the condom.
Fuck, it was only her second time, but I hadn’t meant to make her bleed again.
Even so, she’s smiling up at me, her fingernails idly scraping my shoulders. I catch a flash of the diamond and rubies on her hand. My cold, black heart does a strange thud-thud in my chest. Her talk of freedom stung more than I like admitting. How could I ever let her go?
Not wanting to crush her, I roll over so she’s on top of me. She smells sweet and musky, that lavender fragrance lingers on her skin combined with the headier scent of sex and me, marking her as mine. Fucking mine.
She dips down to kiss me. I can’t say why a kiss initiated by Frankie feels like a precious gift. I simply know it is. I brush back her messy red curls, and she’s still smiling when she tucks her head into the crook of my neck. “Thank you,” she murmurs.
That thudding sensation quickens. I’m not entirely sure I like it, but I suspect that won’t make it stop. I raise my head, trying to see her face. “Why are you thanking me?”
“For last night and this morning,” she replies as if that’s a clear answer. “You’ve shown me consideration every time we’ve been intimate.”
I nod, wondering at that, too. She need never fear me. I’ll go slow for her, but I can’t deny her talk of corrupting her calls to my true nature, my darkness. Yet, there’s satisfaction knowing she feels safe in my arms. I like that she sought my closeness after her nightmare.
Patience, when it comes to females other than my blood, isn’t something I’ve practiced often.
My first few times were with women who worked for us.
My father took me to one of our establishments right after my initiation and said, “Choose one you like.” Not wanting to be looked at as a boy any longer - even if I still was one by normal people’s standards - I chose two.
After a while, I preferred seeking beautiful, willing women that weren’t paid to be with me.
Always outsiders, women I could show off when it suited me, girls to have fun with and then drop once they became a hassle.
But with Francesca, I’m discovering it’s very different and patience is indeed a virtue.
It had been hard not to indulge in what she offered me the other night.
I kept wondering why I’d refused her and myself, but I want sex to be a positive thing for us both in this marriage, not a bargaining chip or power play.
So, I struggled to be patient, hoping she might come to me instead of me pushing her.
And last night, I was rewarded for that patience, more than I deserve.
At first, I wasn’t sure if it wasn’t another attempt on her part to control things or if she had some motive for snooping in my office. If I ever caught her lying to me, manipulating or attempting to betray me… I have to take a calming breath at the mere thought. It won’t come to that. It can’t.
“Who did you message earlier?” she asks, sounding drowsy where she still lies on top of me.
I stroke her soft skin along her side to the swell of her breasts pressed against my chest, wishing there was nothing more urgent to do today than lie in bed with her.
“Faro. I told him I didn’t need him until later today.
We’ll be driving over to Juilliard this morning to get your schedule sorted. ”
Her head pops up, and her eyes widen to nearly cartoonish proportions. “Really?!” She squeals when I nod and jumps out of bed.
“Where are you going?” I huff.
“To shower! And brush my teeth! And to pee!”
Chuckling, I follow her into the bathroom, hoping she might want to share that shower with me.
***
“You’ll be okay here without me?” I ask her once we’re finished in the admission’s office. “It turns out Renato will be guarding you today.”
“Guarding me? He’s sixteen,” she says, rolling her eyes in that manner that's too damn adorable to annoy me.
“I trust him.” Sixteen, he may be, but my youngest brother is certainly capable, and that I would trust him with her life for even a few hours says volumes about my faith in him, something she likely doesn’t realize.
Frankie nods distractedly at my words, staring down a hallway where someone can be heard singing. Her program advisor joins us again and offers to give her a tour and introduce her to a couple of professors before she starts next week. My wife quickly looks my way, her eyes wide and pleading.
“Go on then,” I tell her, brusquely.
She starts to follow her advisor but surprises me when she spins back around. “This is the most amazing day already.” Rising to her tiptoes, she seals her words with a swift kiss.
“I hope part of the amazing included this morning’s activities,” I murmur in her ear, enjoying her blush in response as much as her nod of agreement.
I watch her hurry down the hall after the woman, wondering again at my urge to spend the entire day with her.
Business won’t wait indefinitely. Father called a meeting but didn’t give me details.
It’s one of the very few drawbacks of not living under his roof anymore.
There’s only so much we can safely share over the phone.
Faro arrives with a sullen-looking Renato. “Why do I get stuck babysitting when there’s a nest of Bratva bastards to exterminate? I wasn’t there, but I want a hand in torturing those who supported the wedding attack.”
Surprised, I glance at Faro who nods, violent eagerness shining in his eyes. “That’s what the meeting is about?” I ask.
“Three of Maksim’s soldiers were captured, and it appears he supplied the automatic rifles at De Luca’s reception.”
“Did he now?” Alessio cleaned house in Vegas, but the fucking Bratva are getting bolder everywhere. That twisted fucker I keep hidden behind my expensive suits is sharpening his claws, knowing soon he’ll get to come out to play.
“I’m not a boy,” Renato grumbles, still surly over being excluded.
“You acted like one getting your ass suspended for fighting at school,” I tell him, ruffling his shaggy hair.
He glares at me but knows better than to retaliate in front of one of our soldiers, even one as trusted as Faro.
“Guard Francesca. Take her wherever she wishes to go before you take her home but, most of all, keep her safe for me, fratellino. I’m counting on you.
Next time, I’ll convince Father to allow you to join us, okay? ”
Satisfied with my promise, he nods. Standing taller and adopting his public mask of brutal efficiency, he adjusts his jacket to ensure his gun is out of sight.
With one last glance back, I realize Francesca is out of sight, too.
Hopefully, I’ll be home in time to share dinner with her tonight and then spend the rest of the evening in bed with her.
“Goddamn cocksuckers,” Faro snarls as we step outside, drawing me out of my domestic daydreams.
I glance over to see what he’s looking at, then tip an imaginary hat at the very obvious dark blue sedan with government plates parked behind my new Ferrari.
The driver is startled by my gesture. “Who’s the new girl with Miller?
” I ask Faro out of the corner of my mouth as the seasoned agent in the passenger seat mimics my courtesy.
“I don’t know. Some GI Jane wannabe turned Fed probably. Fucking FBI. They’re worse than fucking locusts.”
I let Faro rant as we climb into my car, understanding his hatred. I suppose I’d rant, too, if my father was in Attica… because of the fucking rat who’s technically my father-in-law.