Chapter 9
Mario
Seduction is a delicate art form. One I never paid much attention to. It wasn’t logical. Nor was it an exact science. What worked in one instance may fail in another. That alone should have been enough to entice me to test methodologies and refine my approach.
Yet, I was at a loss. Allie, as pragmatic as she was, held herself open to knowing me.
That frightened me.
Not because I feared her. I was afraid of myself.
At least of what she would find as she uncovered who I was underneath the armor I presented the world.
Perhaps the true terror would be uncovering that I was truly heartless.
I’d worked so hard to prove my worth to the family, to my father, to the people who depended on my expertise, that I’d destroyed my ability to love.
Underneath all of that echoed the words I spit at my father. I regretted them, and they hung on my mind like weights. Or like a sword ready to slice through the fragile offer of hope I might be able to out maneuver my father. I’d be a fool not to grasp this opportunity.
If I were physically able to, that is.
Hiding my disability drained me. Yet pretending my wound didn’t hurt didn’t work on my new wife. She was too trained in physiology to ignore the silent ways I broadcast my pain.
“You need to rest,” she observed.
I studied her. “I need to know more about your sister, her itinerary, and her habits. It will help Loppa find her faster.”
“Only if you lie down. I will not have you straining yourself. Come on.” She held out a hand.
Such fine fingers. I marveled at their beauty, and strength.
My wife was a delicate woman, yet not fragile.
And, she was a stubborn soul. I let her pull me off my knees.
She was gentle with me. Not doing much more than a tug, but offering a bent arm to lean on as we climbed the grand staircase in my father’s home.
Loppa trailed behind in the shadows, aware of our location, but providing an illusion of privacy.
One Allie saw through. She addressed him. “Come on, I’m not repeating myself, nor letting him out of my sight.”
Loppa grinned and took a chair by the door as Allie laid out the plans she’d set for her sister’s honeymoon.
They were impressive. She’d accommodated for nearly everything and created contingencies to meet her sister’s tastes and mercurial moods. I could use someone like her on logistics.
What was I thinking?
Surely, she’d run to the hills, or the authorities if she knew my real profession. It was one thing to be part of a global operation, but fully another to be their sinister weapon when traditional methods failed.
I counted the carved squares in the ceiling as she spelled out everything Loppa needed to know about the sudden plan changes her sister might make. Once she finished, I reminded him of what was at stake.
“This man she’s with must not harm her. Understood?”
Loppa grinned. “I’ll take him out if I have to.”
Allie’s mouth opened. “That’s a little—”
“Necessary. I’m certain Loppa understands what she means to you, and how far he can carry his actions.”
“All I really need to know is that she’s safe, has everything she needs, and is enjoying herself. And, maybe join her.”
There was a note of longing in her voice.
“You’ve never been to Italy before, have you?” I asked.
“No.”
“You planned on being here with her?”
“No, I didn’t. But when she canceled the wedding, I… well, it isn’t every day you get to go to somewhere like this. Right?”
I sat up, prepared to adjust my plans. But Allie rushed to the bed and coaxed me to rest.
That was something I would not do. I held her hand and told Loppa to take care of locating her sister, and to plan an exodus from my father’s cage. Too soon, my father would figure out a way to trap me in his webs. And when that happened, I needed to be somewhere else.
When he exited, I confessed, “I can’t sleep.”
Allie put a hand on my chest. “You don’t have to sleep, just rest. Got it?”
There was one way I could do that. If she stayed with me. I covered her hand with my own. “Keep that there. But tell me, if you had to design a trip for yourself, what would it entail?”
She thought for a long time. The silence was soothing. But there was a pucker between her brows I didn’t like. So, I reminded her, “Remember, this would be only for you.”
Allie nodded, firming up the plans in her mind.
“I’d want to visit places that aren’t over-hyped.
Art and architecture are great, but I want to get to know the people.
How they live, how their ancestors lived.
See things that aren’t in the guide book.
Eat the real food, not the touristy stuff.
I’m not interested in the parties and costumes, and that sort of thing. ”
“I’m not either.”
She tipped her head to inspect my face. “That’s hard to believe. You seem so…”
Instead of voicing her true thoughts, she kept them inside. I didn’t want that.
“Insult me.”
“No.”
I smiled. “You want to.”
“No, I don’t. Although, I believe you may take offense.”
“Offend me then.”
She quirked up a brow, as if testing my resolve. But I wanted the truth.
“Please. I give you permission.”
“See? There it is. You’re… you’ve got an aristocratic air. It’s not nearly as pronounced as your father’s, but it’s there. You’re urbane. I’m… not.”
“I’m only that way when I have to be. This place brings it out whether I want it or not.”
Her smile was tight. “I think you were trained to be that way, and can’t help it.”
There was truth in that. “You haven’t seen my—”
What was I doing? Confessing that I had a brutal nature?
“Your what?”
“My rural side.” And if she stayed with me, she would see it all. Then I’d have to—
Her smile got wider. “You don’t have a rural side.”
On the contrary, I preferred the quiet life of the farmland over the city. “Let’s test that, shall we? Have you ever milked a goat?”
“Yes. Have you ever delivered lambs in the spring?”
“At least once.”
“Really? Where?”
That triggered a fond memory. “On Grandfather’s farm. The family has a villa in the mountains of Sardinia. His sons, his nephews, the grandchildren including me, all learned how to move the flock from the summer pastures to the homestead and back. It was a rite of passage—a good one.”
“You were a shepherd?”
“Amongst other things. “Is that hard to believe?”
She traced my brow with her fingertips. “Did you have any pets there?”
“A few. Mostly working dogs, but there are barn cats. Although, they are not pets. I believe they think they own the farm and we were merely their minions.”
Allie laughed. “I’ve known a few like that.”
Ah yes, her profession. “Tell me about your job.”
Her face froze.
Now who was hiding secrets?
“What part of being a vet do you like?”
“When the animals get better.”
As opposed to the times they obviously did not stay that way. I brushed one of the locks of hair that had fallen into her face aside. “What part don’t you like?”
Her face tightened. “Not being good enough to fix everything.”
I brought her fingers to my lips and kissed the tips.
We were alike in certain ways. The reason Ringo was as good of an assassin as he was could be attributed to planning and preparation.
Which was my strongest contribution to our system.
His betrayal hurt. Worse? I wondered if he resented me.
I’d done my best to make him the most feared and ruthless killer he could be.
But in doing so, had I created a monster capable of hating me?
“Allie?” I wanted to kiss her.
“I was fired.”
What? “From your job?”
She nodded slowly. “It wasn’t because anything I did. It was my grandfather. His money…the clients.” Her mouth turned down. “The firm couldn’t have a mobster’s granddaughter tending to the children’s puppies, right?”
“They were idiots.”
“I think I understand what you just said.”
I grinned. “It wouldn’t take much to figure out.” I broke down the words for her.
She repeated them back to me.
They were. “Kiss me.”
“I don’t know that one.”
“Yes, you do.” Instead of translating, I slipped my hand around the tender curve of her neck and tugged her close.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
Our lips met, the touch so soft I thought I imagined it. But Allie groaned and the vibration shot from my lips to my groin.
Screw caution and tenderness and all that foolishness. I needed this woman. My grip clenched in her hair and I strained upward to deepen the kiss.
And regretted it instantly.
She broke the kiss. “You’re not resting.”
“And you are making me work too damn hard for a simple kiss.”
“What was that about a kiss?”
Her Italian was improving. “Lie next to me.” I shifted to give her room.
“No…that’s dangerous.”
I laughed. “Truly, it is not.”
“What about your code?”
I paused. The temptation to say, “screw the code,” was forefront. But she reminded me that I’d promised not to pressure her. Yet there was a loophole. “We are married. It is…acceptable. Should you want to rest with me. Do you?”
Her smile was cagey. “I think you’re trying to trick me.”
“Me? Never.” I was such a terrible liar.
Without breaking eye contact, Allie placed one knee on the bed, then the other. Gracefully, she slipped into the space next to me. “You will not strain yourself, agreed?”
“There is no such thing as strain when you make love.”
Her eyebrow went up. “I think I know what that meant. In English, you…naughty man.”
“I will not strain myself.”
“You’re such a liar.”
It was good we were on the same page. Slowly, I turned to be face to face with her. She’d tucked her hands in front of her, like a prayer. I pulled the top one away and laid it against my heart. “Listen with your fingertips.”
This close, her perfume was a secondary note to the sensuous warmth of her body. In that heat was the essence of her, my queen, my life, my…
I had a wife.
And she was beautiful. All I had to do was touch her, please her…woo her. My heart beat faster.
I traced her eyebrow first, starting slowly, then trailing my fingers along her tender cheekbones and along the fine hairs curling by her ear.
I traced that shell, finding out she was ticklish.
The arch that formed the top curve was the most sensitive.
It caused her to curl protectively with one shoulder closer.
But along the bottom, she relaxed and let me explore.
In retaliation, she traced my face, starting with my lips. The sensation shot to my gut and despite the tensing of my muscles, it was magical. Yet, I couldn’t stand the torture long. I nipped at the pad of her finger to warn her away.
“He bites.”
“Are you surprised?”
She caught the soft curve of her lower lip between her teeth momentarily. I kissed the pinched flesh.
“You are an exceptional kisser.” Her breathy voice was music to my ears.
“I must have removed that stick up my ass.”
She reared back. “Oh. I’m sorry I said that.”
“Forgiven. Come back. I want to kiss you again.”
“You do?” That curious spot between her brows tightened.
“Very much.”
The hesitation and the movement as she swallowed warned me she didn’t trust me enough.
“I won’t bite.”
“Now I know you’re lying.”
“I thought you didn’t understand.”
Her expression turned mischievous. “Cats bite. Dogs bite. A lot of animals bite. And when I learned Latin I learned that word. Unless it means something else?”
I smiled, trying to keep my secrets from her. “Do you understand this?” I kissed her deeply.
She gasped, and I pulled her close. In the breaths between kisses, I traced her skin, then her body. The soft fabric of her clothing didn’t hide the lovely curves and shape of my bride.
In turn, she unbuttoned my shirt, revealing my skin and giving her access to scrape her fingers across my chest. The light scratch of her nails urged me to tear her clothing off and make love to her with a fury that boiled in my soul.
Yet, I kept to my promise not to strain myself. Slowly, I unbuttoned her shirt until she matched me, save for the exquisite lingerie she wore underneath. I traced the embroidery on the fabric that cupped her breasts. “My compliments to the stylist.”
Allie’s skin flushed pink. “This isn’t… I mean, my sister packed these. I don’t normally wear anything this fancy.”
Fancy or not, I should remove it. Perhaps toss it somewhere it would get “lost.” Then I would be forced to spoil her rotten and buy my wife custom lingerie. I slipped my hand under her open shirt to find the closure.
A knock on the door interrupted us. Loppa peeked in. His face was a ruddy color as he tried not to look at Allie scrambling to right her clothes.
“Forgive me, Don Valentini, Signora Valentini.” Loppa’s head dipped. “Don Manca has arrived.”