Chapter 20
TWENTY
Lissia
The sun hadn’t even risen, but I couldn’t fall back asleep. There were too many conflicts swirling around in my head. I shouldn’t have gone to my dad and asked him for a favor on Nico’s behalf.
This is going to cost me.
My father was never the man I thought he was. The sooner I learned to accept that, the sooner I could move forward with Marchello.
Is the man who I sleep next to every night the man I think he is?
I propped myself on my elbow and gazed at Marchello as he slept. His hands were above his head and his quiet breaths were rhythmical.
My fingers twitched to trace the tattoos on his chest and side, but I didn’t want to disturb him. After what I put him through by going to my dad’s house yesterday, he deserved a few hours of sleep.
I slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake my sleeping beast, and crept into the bathroom. A hot bath might help my tense muscles and stressed mind.
Once the water was at an acceptable temperature, I dropped a strawberry bath bomb into the oversized tub, turned the jets on low, and waited for it to fill.
I tugged Marchello’s Princeton T-shirt over my head, then held it in my hands. What would his life have been like if he had honored his mother’s wishes and went to college? If Julia had lived, would her children have followed another path? Or was Nico too much of an influence over their choices?
The answer to that question was obvious.
I climbed into the tub and immersed myself under the steamy water, breathing in the fruitiness of the berries fizzling around me. Closing my eyes, I tried to settle down, but the conversation with my father kept haunting me.
It was as if my going to him to request help had turned into a Mafia 101 class. I didn’t want to learn from him, but I did find the skills exhilarating. If I had been a boy, would I be standing by my dad’s side like Marchello and Milo were with Nico? Would I be part of the family business?
If I had to be part of this world, I wanted to do it with Marchello. Did that make me a traitor? Wanting to be an Accetti was more appealing to me than being a Gallanti. That had so much to do with the way my father had treated me these past few months.
I didn’t want to feel betrayed—I wanted to be valued and for my opinions to count—but right now, neither men in my life were listening to me. Why couldn’t they realize that I could be the key to bridging this gap between the two families? If I could get them to agree to a truce, wouldn’t they be able to accomplish more within their own organizations?
The faucet squeaked and the water stopped. I sat up and opened my eyes to find Marchello standing over me, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. Even in the dimly lit room, I could appreciate his amazing form.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “It’s barely morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” He sat on the edge of the tub. “I would have helped you fall back to sleep.”
“You looked so content.” I ran my finger along his thigh. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Why can’t you sleep?” He took my hand in his. “What’s on your mind?”
“If you join me, maybe I’ll tell you.” I bit the corner of my bottom lip. “It’s big enough in here for the two of us.”
He stood, pushed his boxers down his legs, and stepped out of them, giving me an erotic view.
“I’m going to smell like dessert.” He lifted his leg over the side as I scooted forward so he could get behind me.
Once he settled in, I positioned myself between his legs and rested my back against his chest. He engulfed me in his muscular arms and rested his hands on my stomach.
We had sex all the time, but this moment seemed more intimate than anything we’d ever shared before. There was something personal about sharing a bath with him. I liked the sensation of his warm, wet skin against mine. Having his protective, strong arms wrapped around my body made me feel secure and comforted.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked again.
“Other than the new dress I ordered?” I laughed.
“The new dress you ordered better not be the reason you couldn’t sleep and made you leave my bed.”
“It isn’t.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s not one specific thing.” I couldn’t tell him what I had asked of my father. “So much has happened these past few weeks. Did you know next Thursday is Thanksgiving?”
We had spent so much time ensconced in our complicated lives that I didn’t even know what day it was half the time.
“Milo mentioned it.” He kissed the side of my neck. “With my father being away, I haven’t given the holidays much thought. I guess I don’t feel like celebrating.”
“That’s understandable.” I ran my toes along his foot. “My mother is going to Greece for the holiday. She’s staying with some friends. She asked me to join her.”
“Oh.” His muscles tensed against me. “What did you say?”
“Of course I said no.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t think that a hostage could go off on a vacation without her captor. I didn’t tell my mother that, though. I told her I didn’t want you and I to spend our first Thanksgiving apart.” I looked up at him. “Don’t you want to be with me? Even if we’re not celebrating the holiday?”
“I don’t want you to go to Greece,” he said. “But not because I’m holding you hostage. I’ve been giving that arrangement some thought, especially after you snuck out.”
“I promise, I’ll do better.”
“I don’t believe you.” He glided his hand over my thigh. “That’s why I’m setting you free.”
“What?” I turned so fast, water sloshed out of the side of the tub and hit the floor. “No, I won’t go.”
I pushed him too far when I snuck out. I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t take it back now.
“You’re not leaving.” He took my hands in his. “I’ve come to realize that you shouldn’t be my prisoner. Climbing down the fire escape and getting into a car with someone you didn’t know was out of control.”
“No one has ever accused me of being in control.”
“Which is why I’m giving you your freedom.” He arched his brow. “Within reason.”
“Okay.”
“There will be rules.” He lifted me onto his lap, positioning my legs on either side of his thighs. “I’ll assign you a guard who will be responsible for you when I’m not. He’ll also be your driver. You never leave this penthouse without him or me.”
“Is it going to be one of those big men who stand outside the door and glare at me every time I open it?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but it won’t be Ricardo if that’s what you’re hoping,” he said. “You’re free to have him accompany you as an extra security measure, but I don’t trust him to protect you.”
“He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”
“He wouldn’t mean to, but your poor judgment would get you both into trouble.”
“You’re right.” I smoothed my hand over his chest. “I don’t want you to kill Ricardo.”
“Rule number two.” He took my hand and ran his lips along my wrist. “You can’t lie to me.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious. If you want us to work, you have to be honest with me.”
“Will you be honest with me?”
“As honest as I can be without compromising my business.” He grasped the side of my face. “There are some things I can’t share.”
“If it’s something I need to know, will you tell me?”
His lips formed a hard line as he stared into my eyes. “I’ll share as much as I can with you without putting you in danger. That’s the best I can do.”
“I can accept that.”
“I have another rule.”
“There’s a lot of rules.” I sighed.
“This one might be a little more difficult for you. You’re going to have to work at it, but it’s necessary.”
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
“No more impulsive actions,” he said. “I can’t tolerate that behavior anymore.”
I dropped my gaze and bit my lip. How could I promise such a thing?
“I’ll try,” I said. “That’s the best I can do.”
“Lissia?”
“Marchello, you said I couldn’t lie to you. If I tell you I won’t act on impulse, I would be lying.”
“You don’t understand.” He moved his fingers along the scar on my hip. “I love you too much to lose you. I’d go insane without you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Your impulses are going to get you killed.”
“My impulses could keep me alive.”
“Right now, they’re more of a detriment, and that scares the shit out of me.” He tangled his fingers in my hair. “No more erratic behavior or I will make you my hostage again.”
“That’s not really a threat, you know?” I licked his lips. “The thought of being your captive makes my nipples ache and my pussy tingle.”
“Damn, woman.” He raised me up and eased me onto his hard shaft. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Mmm…” I rocked into him, riding him until he was deep inside me.
“But what a way to go.”
* * *
I cleared the kitchen table of the breakfast plates as Marchello checked his phone. After the bathtub sex, we had gone back to bed for a little while. I hadn’t fallen asleep, but being in his arms helped relax me.
“Thank you for making me breakfast.” I kissed his cheek as I reached over to get the syrup bottle. “The blueberry pancakes were incredible.”
“I’m glad we got to spend time together this morning.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I enjoyed it.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll order dinner for Thanksgiving,” he said.
“But your dad…” I didn’t want him to celebrate if he was missing his father. “We can wait until he comes home.”
“I don’t know when that will be.” He set me on his lap. “I want more than anything for it to be before Christmas, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
“I know why he’s gone,” I admitted. “Ricardo told me.”
“Ricardo talks too much.”
“Why is the cartel making it so difficult for your dad to return? If he doesn’t know who is responsible for Miguel’s disappearance, why are they keeping him from returning? Doesn’t his absence put their business in jeopardy?”
“When did you become an analyst for mafia business?”
“I guess I did pay attention when I was growing up. Maybe I blocked it out.”
“You’re better off not knowing things,” he said.
“But now I know this, can you help me understand it?”
“The cartel is very powerful. My father is important to them, and he can also gain valuable information while he’s underground.” Marchello gently picked the strands of hair that had fallen over my eye away from my face. “Some of it has nothing to do with Miguel’s disappearance. The longer my father searches for answers, the more intel he gathers.”
“The cartel is using him?”
“Inadvertently, but Miguel went missing on my father’s watch. If he doesn’t make this right and find out what happened, things could get ugly between the Accettis and the cartel. None of us want that.”
“So your dad is staying away to protect his family?”
“He wants to come home, and Milo and I need him here, but he is an honorable man. He wants to get answers and make things right.” He kissed me. “You don’t need to worry about any of this.”
Too late.
“I’ll order dinner for next week. Milo can join us.” He slid me off his lap. “I have to go take a shower and head to the dealership.”
“You already had a bath, remember?”
“How could I forget?” He smirked. “I can’t go to work smelling like a strawberry field. I do have a reputation to uphold.”
“A tough gangster reputation.”
“Exactly.” He hurried toward the back staircase. “Research some of the top restaurants in the city. See who has the best turkey dinner.”
“It might be a little late to order, don’t you think?”
“Not for me.” He laughed as he went up the steps. “I can make it happen.”
I believed that.
As I rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, I had to stop and smile at how effortless this task had become. Two months ago, I was appalled when Marchello requested such a menial task from me. But now, he made breakfast and I cleaned the kitchen.
It might not have seemed like much for some, but for me, it was growth. I was still spoiled and entitled, but there were little changes in both of us that amounted to big steps toward our future.
I sat down at the center island and sipped my coffee. Knowing I didn’t have to stay locked up in the penthouse all day gave me a new perspective. Ricardo and I could have lunch in the city and then visit Marchello at the dealership.
That place needed a remodel. Maybe I could convince Marchello to let me tackle the offices. New paint, furniture, and sleek flooring would really enhance the space.
My phone vibrated on the counter. Who would be calling me so early? No way was my mother out of bed yet. I reached for the phone and the screen lit up with a picture of me and my dad at my college graduation. My stomach twisted with a knot of anxiety.
I glanced up at the staircase, making sure Marchello wasn’t there before answering the call.
“Hello.”
“You’re awake,” my father said.
“Why are you calling?”
“I see you want to skip the pleasantries and get right to the point.” He laughed. “I like that.”
Was every interaction I had with my father going forward going to be a lesson in how to run his business?
“I may have something that might be of interest to your roommate.”
“Already?” How could that be? Nico had been searching for months and had come up empty.
“Don’t be surprised,” he said. “I’m resourceful when I’m motivated.”
I dashed over to the steps and looked up into the hall. “What did you find out?”
“I don’t think we’re done negotiating.”
“What do you want?” I didn’t have time for this.
“I have some information that might be useful to the Accetti family, but it’s not free.”
Nothing ever is.
“In exchange for the information,” he said, “I want your word that you’ll leave Marchello and come back home.”
“What?” I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
“You should want to help me because you’re my father and I asked you for this.”
“What you’re asking of me is more complicated than getting you shoes or a bag that hasn’t been released yet. I’m going to have to call in a few favors from people who I don’t like dealing with.”
“Maybe you could work with Nico and form an alliance?”
“Ha!” He laughed harder than before. “You have a lot to learn.”
“I don’t want to learn from you.”
“But yet, you asked for my help.”
I was desperate. But now that I had gone to him and there was a possibility that he could get the information needed to assist Marchello, wasn’t I obligated to get it?
“Lissia, what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Will you bring Nico home and come back to your own family, or will you deny Marchello the reunion with his father and stay with him to spite me?”