Chapter 12
TWELVE
Lissia
Being back in Manhattan didn’t do much for my current situation. Nico was still MIA, Danny hadn’t resurfaced after that day in the woods, and I was no closer to resolving this absurd war between Marchello and my father.
Being a mafia princess wasn’t always easy.
Gazing out at the city skyline, memories of my childhood seeped into my thoughts. My parents were never happily married. The amount of affairs both of them engaged in through the years were countless at this point. Looking back on their relationship with my adult eyes, I accepted that they were toxic for one another.
It was really sad—sad that they had stayed together despite their hatred for one another.
But the one thing that stood out now was how they had both managed to keep me happy and secure. Most of that was accomplished because they gave into my every whim and spoiled me beyond belief.
They didn’t do me any favors.
They created the woman I was today.
I never thought there was anything wrong with me until I met Marchello. I wasn’t in denial that I was a spoiled brat, but no one had ever challenged me. No one other than my parents had ever paid much attention to me.
Marchello wasn’t afraid to put me in my place. That was why I acted out with him. I craved his attention. I wanted him to notice me. But now that he had, I put myself in the middle of a senseless battle. One that I was determined to get out of.
“There you are.” Marchello joined me in the sitting room. He carried a pretty box wrapped in shiny purple paper with a matching satin bow. “I had this delivered.”
“For me?” I met him in the center of the room as excitement bubbled inside me. “What is it?”
He had never given me a present before. He bought me beautiful clothes, shoes, and accessories but never anything that I had to open.
He sat on the sofa and patted for me to sit next to him.
I plopped down so close our bodies touched. The current from his skin transferred to my own, connecting us in ways I never thought we could be bonded. Did he feel it too?
“I think it’s about time I let you have one of these.” He handed me the box. “Don’t make me regret it.”
“That’s an interesting way to present a gift.” I lifted the lid from the box and smiled. “Oh.”
“Is it the right color?”
“A purple phone with a purple case. You remembered.” I took the coveted present from the package, admiring it like I had never seen one before, then slipped into his lap and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“Full disclosure,” he said. “I’m tracking you with that.”
“I didn’t expect anything less. Can I track you?”
“No.”
“Thank you for the phone.” I turned it on. “I can’t wait to set it up.”
“My tech guy retrieved all your information from your previous phone. It’s all on there.”
“How did he get my stuff?”
“Don’t ask.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Enjoy your new phone.”
“I can’t wait to call my mother.” I opened my text messages and frowned when I saw there weren’t that many.
There were a few from my mother and father when they couldn’t find me shortly after Marchello took me to the safe house, some from various retailers I had signed up with, and the occasional group messages from people from college wanting to get together for drinks. But there was nothing particularly specific to me. The last one was from Lorenzo when we were in Miami.
Talk about out of sight, out of mind . I didn’t have many friends, but I had been missing from socials for almost two months. No one thought to check on me?
“What’s wrong?” Marchello asked.
“Nothing.” I swiped out of the messages. “I really appreciate the phone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I can’t wait to catch up on all the things I’ve been missing. Fashion, celebrity gossip, you know, all the important stuff.”
All the things I thought were important before I met Marchello. Looking back, what purpose did I have? Other than spending money and going to clubs with people who couldn’t bother to reach out when I disappeared.
“I have to go into the dealership tomorrow,” he said.
I figured he would have to leave eventually. He had been by my side since we returned from Florida. I appreciated the company, but he couldn’t hover forever.
“I’ll be fine here.” I held up my new phone. “I have this to keep me busy.”
Ricardo checked in on me every afternoon too, so I was sure he would be here to arrange lunch and dinner. Marchello seemed to tolerate him a few hours a day.
“I won’t give the guards any trouble, if that’s what you’re worried about. They don’t like me.”
“Why would you say that?” Marchello asked.
“They don’t even look at me.”
“That might be my fault.” He traced his finger up and down my arm. “They think you’re a flight risk.”
“Why?”
“After what happened with Ricardo, I was pretty clear to all of the team that you were not to manipulate any of them. I threatened that if any of them fell for your tricks, I would personally kill them.”
“Well, no wonder they don’t like me.” I stared at him. “Thanks for adding to the list of friends I don’t have.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re not supposed to be friends with the guards.” He took the box from my lap and placed it on the end table. “They are here to protect you.”
“I thought that was your job.”
“With you, I need all the help I can get.” He grinned. “As I started to say, I have to go into the dealership tomorrow. I thought you might like to join me.”
“You want to take me to work? How come?”
“You’ve been cooped up here for the last few days. I thought you might want to put on a pretty dress and be seen.”
“Really?” His observation impressed me. He knew what I needed.
“Or you can stay here with the guards who won’t talk to you.”
“No!” I bolted off his lap a little too quickly, causing a brief twinge of pain in my hip, but it wasn’t enough to stop my enthusiasm. “I want to go with you.”
I hurried up the stairs.
“Hey.” He chased after me. “Slow down. You’re still recovering.”
“I can’t.” I raced into the bedroom with him close behind. “I need to find the right dress.”
He stood behind me as I flung open the closet door and rifled through the dresses.
“I like the teal one, but I might not have the right shoes. And the yellow one is pretty, but I definitely don’t have the jewelry for it.” I grabbed the lavender halter dress with the light purple flowers on the sides. “What do you think about this one?”
“You look gorgeous in anything.” He took the dress from me and hung it back in the closet. “Are you going to tell me what this is about?”
“Picking out clothes to go to work with you tomorrow.” I motioned toward the closet. “I want to look nice.”
“It’s this sudden change in mood that I’m more concerned with.” He reached for my hand and brought me over to the bed. “You had a weird moment when I gave you the phone, and now you’re bubbly and unaffected. What the hell is going on?”
“What?” I bit the corner of my lip, surprised he knew me as well as he did. When did that happen? “I’m excited that you want me to go with you tomorrow. Even if it’s because you’re afraid to let me out of your sight.”
“I’ll admit that leaving you alone makes me a little uneasy, especially after what transpired in Miami, but you’re deflecting. Tell me what you were feeling downstairs.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Why don’t you let me decide?” He guided me to sit on the edge of the bed with him. “What happened?”
“It’s silly, but when I turned on the phone and saw the lack of concern for me when you took me…well, when I disappeared, it made me realize that I don’t really have any friends.”
“It wasn’t public knowledge that I kidnapped you.”
“I was still off-the-grid, and no one was concerned. My so-called friends didn’t even text to ask where I was.” I curled my legs underneath me and shrugged. “Then it got me thinking how the guards don’t interact with me. I guess I felt a little sorry for myself.”
“That’s not like you at all.”
“It was a brief moment. I’m over it now.”
Maybe I had been a shitty friend. It had always been easier to entice people to be my friend by buying them stuff and lending them money just so I wouldn’t be lonely. With my father’s line of work, it was difficult to make lasting relationships. Sometimes, I got rid of people before they could dump me.
“I already told you why the guards are keeping their distance. I couldn’t risk you charming them into letting you do something stupid.” He arched an eyebrow at me. “We both know you’re capable of that.”
“True.”
“Your last guard was quite fond of you.”
“Michael? He was paid to like me.”
“Ricardo adores you, and I know how Lorenzo feels about you.”
“Again, these are people in our orb. I’m friends with them because of the circumstances, not because I found them and we connected.”
“Princess, that’s how our world works. We can’t bring outsiders in. My best friends are Milo and my father. I don’t need anyone else.”
“I know.” I looked down at the comforter, wishing he saw me as a friend too, but most of the time he didn’t like me either. “It’s good you have them.”
I wished more than anything his dad could come back and help him with all the crap he dealt with. It wasn’t fair he had to suffer through all of this without his father’s guidance.
“I have you too.” He tilted my face up. “Don’t I?”
“I keep waiting for you to see that.” I got up on my knees and rested my hand on his shoulder. “I’m here for you.”
“Because I kidnapped you.” He pushed me onto my back and settled in next to me, propping himself on his elbow.
“I don’t hold that against you anymore.”
“What I’m trying to say is, we’re in one another’s orbit because of who we are.” He traced his finger along my throat, then lowered his face to mine. “We found each other because of who we are. You don’t need outsiders. You need me.”
“I do need you, Marchello.” I ran my hand down his arm. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“You have me.” He brushed his lips along mine, kissing me softly.
I trailed my hand down to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them as we kissed. I smoothed my hands along his chest, pushing the shirt from his shoulders.
I sat up, breaking our connection so I could tug my shirt over my head.
He took in my bare chest with his hungry gaze before bringing me back to him. Gently caressing my back, he swept his lips along my throat. I unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, hastily lowering his zipper.
“Lissia.” He pulled back. “You were shot a few days ago.”
“I want to do this.” I stroked his erection. “I need you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He sprinkled kisses along my jaw as he cupped my breasts in his hands. “We don’t have to do this tonight.”
“Please.” I pushed his pants over his hips. “I want to feel you.”
“I always want to feel you, baby.” He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks before standing and removing his pants and boxer briefs. “You have to tell me if it’s too much.”
“It’s never enough.” I got up on my knees and draped my arms over his shoulders. “I always want more.”
He pressed his lips to mine as he coerced me onto my back, eagerly kissing me until I couldn’t catch my breath. It didn’t matter. He could breathe for both of us.
Shifting his focus to my neck, he hauled his lips along my simmering flesh, working his way to my breasts.
I arched my back when he circled his tongue around my nipple. He shoved his pelvis forward, pushing his length between my clothed legs. My panties dampened, and his stubble scratched my skin as he slithered down my body.
He swiped his lips along my stomach and dropped to his knees in front of me. I pushed up on my elbows, locking my gaze with his as he tugged on my pants, dragging them with my panties to my ankles. I kicked out of them, flinging them to the floor with my foot.
He smoothed his hand up my leg and to my bandage-covered hip. I didn’t want to think about the scar the wound would leave. Marchello gently traced his fingers over the white covering, being careful not to put any pressure on it. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t comment.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I said.
“It shouldn’t have happened.”
“Let’s not think about it.” I fell back onto the bed and spread my legs for him. “It’s just us right now.”
He kissed my injury, carefully and tenderly. He didn’t need to blame himself. I didn’t.
“Marchello,” I moaned when he stretched my opening with his fingers and ghosted his tongue along my slit.
He wasn’t as hasty as he usually was. Instead, he took his time. He teased and tormented my clit with just the tip of his tongue, adding his fingers every few seconds. His licks and kisses propelled me into a blind ecstasy as my arousal trickled down my thighs.
The building in my core intensified, causing every muscle to constrict. The pleasure outweighed his slow assault on me. I gripped the comforter when he lifted my legs and set them on his shoulders. Scooting closer to his face, I rocked my hips forward.
“Ah…”
He slipped his hands under my backside, holding me tight against his mouth, driving his tongue deep inside me. With one last swirl, my muscles uncoiled, sending me into a hard, long orgasm that left me hot, wet, and thirsty for more.
Marchello didn’t disappoint. He lowered my legs from his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist, thrusting into me without warning.
“Fuck,” he roared as I hooked my legs around his back. “You’re so tight.”
I shifted my pelvis, keeping up with his relentless pace, but when he looked at me, something in his expression shifted. He took my face between his hands and slowed his tempo. His strokes were still strong, but they were deliberate.
Under his intense gaze, I faltered. I didn’t care if he didn’t respond the way I wanted, I had to tell him.
“Marchello,” I whispered in breathless desire. “I love you.”
Stilling inside me, he caressed my cheek as a gentle smile graced his lips, softening his profound features. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Why are you so reckless?” He pulled out of me and flipped me onto my stomach, entering me in one quick thrust.
He pushed on my back, holding me in place as he pounded into me. The tenderness of a few moments ago was replaced with powerful, wild movements. My words unleashed the darkness inside him. The sins that I couldn’t break through no matter how much I tried.
Acceptance was all I could offer him. That was all he would take from me.
“Lissia,” he moaned.
I braced myself as he shuddered against my back, emptying his hot arousal inside me, triggering another climax for me as he drove his cock into me. This time my release wasn’t as fierce. I was quiet in my pleasure. Relaxed and sated.
Was it my confession that purged me? Now that I had spoken the words that had been on my mind for weeks, maybe I wouldn’t be as impatient in my relationship with him.
He collapsed onto my back, running his hand along my leg and kissing the side of my neck. The closeness of the moment settled me. I hoped it did the same for him.
“I heard you,” he whispered.
A tear streamed down my face when I understood he was making an attempt. He just couldn’t let himself be vulnerable.
“Why don’t you want me to love you?” I asked, knowing the question could trigger him.
“Because I want you to stay alive.”