Chapter 10 Aurelia
Aurelia
When I watched the news, I saw the coverage of the Pantheon. Constantine and Rocco and their men were never shown, but I could tell it was their doing. Vladimir and his cronies who operated the black market transplant enterprise had been killed, and the others at the facility had been arrested.
A couple weeks ago, this would have freaked me out, but now I accepted it.
It came with the territory.
The last time I’d talked to Con, he came by the apartment afterward, fucked me like some kind of booty call, and then left.
I didn’t mind that one bit. I didn’t even have to get out of bed. All I did was lie there and get some fabulous dick and then went right back to sleep. It was great.
I worked on my laptop at my dining table, going through all the edits that needed to be cleaned up.
I’d had a wedding last Saturday, and those were the worst because of the sheer number of photos I had to process.
I considered charging more for those events just so I would get hired for them less often.
My phone lit up with a text from Constantine. In the neighborhood. Can I stop by?
Is this another dick delivery?
Would you like it to be?
Yes—always.
I was gonna take you to dinner . . . but that works too.
I smiled, then put the phone back down. I had hundreds of photos that needed to be edited, but now, all I could think of was the sexy man about to walk through my front door in a couple minutes.
He arrived ten minutes later, letting himself in because I left the front door unlocked.
He commanded the room the second he stepped inside, a mammoth of a man, filling out his T-shirt with his hardness.
His eyes did a little dance at the sight of me, similar to the way Medusa looked at him when he came home—like I was his whole world. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey.” I rose to my feet, my cheeks warm from the flush that rippled through my body.
He scooped me up like he always did, and my body moved with his like it expected it. He carried me into my bedroom, laid me down on the queen bed, and after he undressed me, his big dick was inside me . . . and I was in heaven.
This was the position he always took me, his heavy body on top and doing all the work, while my only job was to fold and twist like a pretzel and just take it. Take his dick and come around it until he was finished.
He rolled off me, then immediately started to get dressed. “Hungry?”
I rolled onto my stomach and lay there. “And a little sleepy.”
He gave my ass a playful smack. “Keep lying like that with your ass out and see what happens.”
“Really gonna fuck me in the ass right now?”
He turned to me, his shirt in his hands, about to be yanked over his head. “Is that a challenge?”
I stared.
He stared back.
I decided not to call his bluff and got dressed.
He took me to a nice place close to the Pantheon, Armando al Pantheon. Our table was outside, so we had a view of the impressive monument. It would have been a beautiful sight—if the bodies weren’t still hanging there.
It was a little chilly, so I wore tight jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved top with a deep cut in the front.
If I were fully covered, he wouldn’t care for that.
Something needed to be on display, my tits or my ass.
He was the opposite of a controlling guy who liked all the goods hidden away. If anything, he was proud.
And no one was going to fuck with me because then they’d have to fuck with him—and that just wasn’t going to happen.
I tried not to stare at the bodies that moved slightly when a breeze came through. “You remind me of a cat who wants to show his owner the mouse he caught.”
He grinned. “You thought I brought you here to show you that? Nah, I just like this place.”
“How long are they going to stay up there?”
“Until it starts to smell.” He got the attention of the waiter and ordered wine and an appetizer for us to share, which told me he was pretty hungry because he usually just waited for the main course.
The waiter brought the wine, and Constantine took a big drink before he stared at me again. “What are you in the mood for, sweetheart?”
I looked at the menu. “There’s a spicy pasta that looks interesting. What about you?”
“I usually get the chicken.”
“Not the steak?” I teased.
He gave a slight smile. “It’s their popular dish here. Pretty damn good.”
“Then I’ll try a piece.”
When the waiter returned with the bruschetta, Constantine ordered for the both of us.
I thought I would be too disgusted by the dead men hanging from the Pantheon to have an appetite, but it didn’t bother me much. Guess I was used to being the girlfriend of a violent crime-lord emperor.
I took a piece of bruschetta and had a couple bites.
He finished his in a single bite, then stared at me the rest of the time, just watching me eat like it was as entertaining as a football match. “So, the dick delivery didn’t bother you?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “My door is always open.”
A handsome smirk moved over his face. “It’d be nice if you were there every night I came home.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice.” There were four pieces of the bruschetta, so I took another one, the olive oil and the tomatoes so scrumptious. I hadn’t eaten much today. Didn’t have any groceries in the kitchen, and I’d been stuck to my computer most of the time.
“It would be nice,” he said. “So how about you move in with me?”
I’d just gotten the last bite into my mouth when he asked me a question I hadn’t anticipated whatsoever. It was an awkward exchange because my mouth was full and I desperately tried to get it down.
All the while, he just grinned wider and wider like this was hilarious.
I finally swallowed. “Are you serious?”
“I’m always serious.” He took a drink of his wine.
“Just to make booty calls more convenient?”
“Come on, that’s not the only reason.” He wore the most handsome smile, a grin that lit up his entire face, making him irresistible. “It’s a big reason, sure.”
“Constantine, I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“I’m not joking.” He turned serious and dropped his smile.
“I planned on asking you tonight before the dick-delivery jokes. This relationship is pretty fucking serious now, and I want you home with me. I don’t have my guys watching you—as per your request—and that’s just not working for me anymore. ”
“You can have your guys watch me if that makes you feel better.”
“I want you to live with me. I want you in my bed. I want you there with me always.”
I’d literally met him six weeks ago—and now he wanted me to live with him. The craziest thing about it? I wanted to say yes. Wanted to jump headfirst into this man’s ocean. My apartment was fine when I moved in, but now I felt out of place whenever I was there . . . like it wasn’t home.
“I know it’s fast—”
“Yes.” I should have second-guessed Enzo a million times and I never did, but I knew I shouldn’t second-guess Constantine ever.
Was it too fast? Yes. Was this fucking crazy?
Yes. But I didn’t have one foot out the door anymore.
I’d put all my chips on Constantine the moment I got him back. “I want to live with you.”
The grin that stretched over his lips . . . to die for.
“I hate my apartment anyway.”
There was a twinkle in his eyes, a warmth that rivaled the summer heat in August. There was a softness there too, a masculine gentleness he seemed to show only me. He rubbed his jawline with his fingers like he wanted to map the smile that seemed permanently carved into his mouth. “Attagirl.”
I packed a bag, and he took me to his place afterward. Medusa greeted us when we walked inside, and as always, Constantine stopped everything he was doing to give her a rubdown and a kiss on the head.
I loved seeing him with her. I’d heard that you could judge a person’s character based on how they treated animals—and that meant Constantine had a heart of gold. She was a big dog to share our bed, but I’d already formed a connection with her the second our eyes met, so I didn’t mind.
I carried my bag to his closet, and when I came out, Medusa had already jumped on the bed. “I guess I should introduce you to my friends.”
“Damn right you should.”
“But you’re going to have to tone down the emperor thing.”
He chuckled. “What do they think I do?”
“Personal security, like what you said in Taormina.”
“Why not just tell them the truth?”
“Well, they’d probably think I was lying. And if they believed me, they’d probably be terrified.”
“Whatever you want to do, sweetheart.” He started to undress, more of his hard body and black ink revealed as he got undressed. I’d never cared for tattoos either way, but his were absolutely gorgeous against his skin.
He tossed his clothes aside, then got into bed.
Medusa methodically got in the middle to make sure she kept us apart.
“Baby girl, sleep on the couch tonight.” He spoke to her like she could understand what he said.
She kept her chin on the top of her paws.
“Baby girl.” He deepened his tone. “Mommy and Daddy need their alone time.”
She released a quick sigh before she left the bed and jumped on the couch.
“Wow . . . she understood you.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve had to ask.” He pulled back the sheets and patted the bed beside him. “Now get that fine ass over here.”
I undressed down to my thong and one of his T-shirts and got into bed.
Like an animal, he was all over me, grabbing on to me and pulling me hard.
He released a growl against my collarbone before he kissed my neck, before his big hand pulled my little thong free.
Like he hadn’t taken me before dinner, he moved over me and in me, sealing his dick in my airtight vault. “Fuck, sweetheart . . .”
Constantine’s driver, Roberto, pulled over outside the restaurant so we could hop out.
“Nervous?” I asked as he took my hand.
“No,” he said with a smirk. “Should I be?”
“Well, I’d be.”
“I’m good, sweetheart.” He continued to smile as he opened the door for me.