Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Lissia
As I stared at my phone on the nightstand, I fought the urge to pick it up and call my father. I wasn’t sure what I would say, but I didn’t like these unresolved emotions.
I hadn’t spoken to him since Marchello and I left him the other day. There was no expectation on my end that he would reach out to me. Why would he? He drew a line in the sand. I could cross it, but I would have to forget what he had done to me—how he had treated me. I would be forced to abandon Marchello.
That was something I would never do. I had chosen which side of this war I wanted to be on. And if I had any doubts who I should stand with, they were removed when my dad ordered a hit on Marchello.
I wanted to make peace, but that option didn’t appear to be in our immediate future. There were too many factors at play and too much at stake. Neither family was going to back down. No one would give in.
How could we all come back from both men trying to eliminate the other? We couldn’t. Our only choice was to move forward and see how this all played out, no matter how dangerous that seemed.
My heart thumped when Marchello stormed into the room and slammed the door. My tall, dark, and brooding gangster looked fit to be tied.
Am I the target?
Was I terrified or aroused?
He kicked off his shoes and tugged at his socks before tossing them in the corner of the room. I stood by the window in my sheer black nightie, gawking at him as he pulled his shirt over his head. The tense muscles popped from his back, matching his demeanor.
His relentless gaze devoured my body as he stalked toward me, his eyes narrowing to accentuate the harsh lines under them.
I could only imagine the horror and despair he had witnessed through the years. The murder of his mother right before him. The absence of his father when he needed him most. The death and destruction he had bestowed on others in the name of his family business.
How did a person come back from that?
Those were demons that could only harden a man. No matter how much love I gave him, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to make him whole.
Most sane women would have run from him the first chance they got. But not me. No, I wanted to be shackled to him. Not because I was submissive or a dutiful girlfriend; I was a willing captive because together we were stronger.
I am his.
There was no disillusion here. I couldn’t change him, and I didn’t want to. I loved all of him—his flaws, his demons, and the fierceness in his soul, especially when he protected me.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me to his tense body. His mood had changed since dinner. During our meal, he had been lighter and carefree. He and Milo even shared stories of past holidays from when they were children.
I enjoyed hearing about their memories, and I was honored they shared them with me. There had been a hint of sadness in both of their voices, but I also saw the fond memories in their expressions as they gave me a glimpse into who they once were. It didn’t matter the men they grew up to be; they were still kids at one point.
Their family had been blown apart. They lost a mother and a sibling, but despite all of that, they were able to give me a glimpse into who they once were. How the past had shaped them into the men they were today.
Marchello had only been in the room for a few minutes, but his silence made me uneasy. I didn’t want to fight or provoke him, but the longer he stayed quiet, the more chance there was of me creating a problem.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out.
“For what?” His low, irritated voice worried me. “Why are you apologizing?”
“For whatever I did to make you mad.” I stroked his cheek. “I didn’t mean it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t on purpose, but I’m still sorry.”
I wanted our first holiday together to be special, despite what had happened between our families. I didn’t throw any tantrums or demand anything. I appreciated the effort he had put into ordering dinner and carefully choosing an appropriate wine.
I replayed the day in my head, but I couldn’t come up with a single mishap on my part. If I had done something to put him in a vile mood, it wasn’t intentional.
“You didn’t do anything.” He kissed the inside of my wrist and arched his eyebrow. “At least, not that I know of.”
“Ah…” I thought for a moment just to be sure. “No, I haven’t.”
“Then we’re making progress.” He stepped back, keeping my hand in his. “You look hot.”
“I’m wearing this for you.” I smirked.
“I thought you only wore stuff for you.” He raised my knuckles to his mouth and brushed them with his lips. “Isn’t that what you keep telling me?”
“I made an exception.”
I would make every exception for him.
“We’re definitely making progress.”
He brought me back to him, taking my face between his hands and planting his signature explosive kiss on my lips. The one where I lost my breath and my knees wobbled.
“I’m one lucky man.”
“I’m pretty lucky too.”
“Let’s get lucky together.” He pushed me onto the bed. “I need to feel you.”
“I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’ll do.”
“I have to warn you, I’m in an aggressive mood.”
“Aren’t you always?” I got up on my knees and unbuttoned his pants. “Whatever is bothering you, just take it out on me.”
“I don’t want to take anything out on you.” He tucked my hair behind my ear, holding the side of my head in his strong hand. “I want to be with you. I want you to understand how much you mean to me.”
“Be with me.” I kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’m all yours.”
“You’re right about that.” He lowered me onto the mattress before dropping to his knees. “I’ll make sure of it.”
He glided his fingers along my inner thigh, reaching for the tiny black thong and then whisking it down my legs. Sliding me closer to his face, he rested my ankles on his shoulders.
“Oh…” I clawed at the comforter when he spread me open and flattened his tongue along my slit.
I raised my hips in the air, pulsing my lower half up and down as he pushed his tongue inside me. He slithered his free hand up my stomach and to my breasts, gripping one and playing with my nipple while he kept a steady rhythm, alternating his fingers and tongue.
Shifting my hips, so I could fuck his face, I ached for more. My thighs quivered when an explosive sensation took over.
“Marchello,” I screamed.
Mid-climax, he grabbed one of my legs and flipped me onto my stomach, but it didn’t stop me from coming. I was too aroused to protest when he raised my hips and pressed on my back. The heat of his breath swept along my wet sex.
“I need to taste how sweet that cum is.” He inserted his fingers deep inside me, thrusting them in and out before kissing my backside and trailing his lips to my soaking wet core.
“Fuck,” I cried out when he pleased me with his tongue again.
This time was so much more intense. The position he had me in allowed him to lick me from a different angle, and I was still keyed up and tingling from the first climax.
His hot saliva mingled with my arousal as it seeped down my inner thighs.
I twisted and got up on my knees to face him. I tugged the nightie over my head and tossed it across the room. A shudder jolted through me when he licked his lips and took in my body with his wicked gaze.
“Had enough?” He caressed my throat.
“Never.” I lowered his zipper. “All that licking makes me want to suck your cock.”
I slipped off the bed and dropped to the floor.
“Unless you don’t want me to,” I said.
“If you start, we’re going to finish that way.” He swept my hair from my face as I took his length in my hand. “Because you have me seconds from erupting down your throat.”
“It’s early.” I bit the corner of my lip. “We have all night for you to get inside me.”
“I’m going to take you up on that because I’m far from done.”
I gazed up at him and opened my mouth when he shifted his hips forward. He plunged deep, hitting the back of my throat. I closed my lips around his shaft, breathed through my nose, and let him take control.
He set a grueling tempo. Fast, hard, and rough. His relentless actions forced me to keep up, but my desire to please him guided me through. Knowing I could unravel him was the best reward.
“Lissia…” He tangled his fingers in my hair, gripping the strands tight and tugging in time with each of his powerful thrusts. “I want to come inside your mouth and watch you swallow all of it.”
His groans and grunts fueled me to push him over the edge. When I squeezed his base and scraped his shaft with my teeth, he rewarded me with a spurt of hot, salty liquid. I swallowed around him, taking everything he gave me.
“That was fantastic.” He rubbed my scalp. “You’re amazing.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at him with pride. “You taught me everything I know.”
“You’re a quick study.” He joined me on the floor. “I still have much to teach you.”
When he kissed me, I tasted myself on his tongue. I licked his lips before kissing him long and slow. I never wanted us to end. I had fallen so deeply in love with him that nothing else mattered.
“I’m ready for more.” I spoke against his mouth. “I want so much more with you.”
He tightened his hold on my face. “I’m glad to hear that. Because we’re getting married.”
“What?” Did he just ask me to… Wait, did he tell me we were getting married?
“We need to get married in the next few days,” he said.
The seriousness in his tone made it sound like making me his wife was his duty. That didn’t seem right. Not at all what I had imagined this moment to be like.
Was anything ever the way I imagined it should be between us?
Only he could turn a marriage proposal into some sick demand. Did he think I was still his hostage?
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I jerked out of his hold. “No.”