Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
The plane is bursting with people, but surprisingly, it is oddly quiet in the cabin. There are only a few hushed whispers among the men, but most of the soldiers have their eyes closed to get as much sleep as possible before landing in Rome.
Vitali has me tucked in a plush blanket, his lap pillowing my head as he runs his fingers through my hair. It isn’t much longer before we land in Rome. I’ve managed to gain a few hours’ sleep off and on, but the anxiety bubbling inside of me keeps me on edge.
They murmur quietly to keep from disturbing me, but it doesn’t matter, sleep isn’t going to come for me anymore. The plan is simple. Which is how plans need to be. If they become too complicated with too many moving parts, then things could easily go awry.
Simple. Always simple.
But then why does everything feel so complicated? It’s as if the ground beneath me is shaking in warning and I can’t catch my footing. Like the breath is stuck in my lungs and the air my body desperately craves is suffocating me .
I’ve never believed in omens, but it is as if one is hanging over my head, taunting me.
Closing my eyes, I try to ward off the ominous thread of doubt slipping through me. I clutch the blanket tighter to my chin and snuggle into Vitali’s lap. Then, before I know it, sleep claims me.
I’m not sure how long I was out, but when I open my eyes again, a bright light causes me to wince when it catches me in the eye. Blinking, I rub at my tired eyes before sitting up, the comfortable feeling of sheets beneath me a stark difference from the cool leather of the plane seat I’d fallen asleep in.
“ Buongiorno, principessa ,” Vitali greets me, a wide smile on his face. I yawn and give him a sleepy smile as he hands me a cup of espresso. The first sip is bold, intense, and unapologetic, and I groan in appreciation. It’s been months since I’ve tasted the pure perfection of lingering bitterness clinging to my palate. Coffee in America is about convenience. In Italy, coffee is something to be savored.
“ Grazie , marito .” The way his eyes deepen with hunger as he licks his lips when I call him husband in Italian has my thighs clenching beneath the satin sheets. I take another sip and let out a peaceful sigh. “What is on the agenda today?”
“The men are getting prepped and ready for departure,” he tells me as he sits on the edge of the bed. “We’ll hit your father tonight. Tomas will join us once everything is clear.”
I nod my head and finish off the rest of the espresso.
“But first,” he clears his throat. “You are getting a tracker embedded.”
My brows bury themselves in my hairline at his rather audacious statement.
“No, I’m not,” I growl at him. “You can’t just chip me like some dog. ”
Vitali huffs a breath. “We all have one,” he tells me. “Even Vanya.”
“Evaline didn’t have hers embedded,” I point out.
“Because Kenzo didn’t have any other choice but to put it in her wedding ring at the time.” He shifts on the bed so that he is facing me more. “The doctor who does the chips was unavailable, and now she can’t get it because she’s pregnant.”
I scoff. “And what? We just happened to bring the doctor with us?”
He smirks and pulls out a large metal syringe from his pocket.
“Oh hell no!” I scoot back against the headboard and kick out my feet, but it doesn’t do anything but get them stuck in the sheets. “You aren’t getting that thing anywhere near me.”
His smirk deepens, and he stands up, syringe at the ready.
“It will be over quickly, piccola cerva ,” he promises. “You’ll barely feel it.”
“Feel this, asshole.” I toss the espresso cup and saucer at his head, but he effortlessly dodges it, as if he were expecting that exact response. I scurry toward the opposite side of the bed, but he’s already grabbing onto my ankle and dragging me toward him. With surprising ease, he flips me fully on my stomach before dragging me until I’m bent over the edge of the bed, ass in the air on display.
He hovers over me, his body pressed against my back. I can’t help but squirm when I feel his erection pressing against the curve of my panty-clad ass. “If you are a good girl,” he whispers, licking the shell of my ear. “I’ll reward you.” He trails his tongue down the side of my neck, eliciting a moan from me. “Be a bad girl and I will have to punish you.”
I wish I could say that my panties aren’t soaked at him threatening to punish me, but they are. One of his hands trails along my back until it comes to a stop at my panty line. Slowly, he pulls the lace down my legs until they pool at my ankles. He straightens himself slightly before he kneels behind me. I jerk when he kisses my right cheek and then my left.
He leaves several kisses across my ass, licking and nipping at my skin, running his nose along the cleft until his face is hovering above my pussy. He parts my thighs until I am completely on display for him. When he tilts my hips up, I groan when the edge of the bed connects with my swollen clit.
He slides his tongue into me, making me forget why I am even in this position in the first place. All I feel is his mouth and tongue as he devours me. Everything he does to me feels sinful and wicked. It feels wrong but in the best way possible. His fingers dig into my thighs, spreading me even wider, tilting me more for his eager pleasure. The long, slow licks he is giving me are making my eyes roll back in my head and pulling sounds from me I’ve never known were possible.
Vitali owns my body. There is no doubt about that. Even if he didn’t, I’d sure as hell give it to him. A raspy moan falls from my lips when he latches onto my clit, sucking and licking until I’m screaming his name and pushing back against his face, begging for more as I fuck his face like a wild woman.
When the euphoria begins to dim, he keeps his mouth on my clit, his teeth grazing the sensitive nub, sending aftershocks of pleasure zipping through me until my whole body is melting beneath his ministrations. I’m so blissed out that I don’t feel him pinching the skin of my right ass cheek until the sting of the needle buries itself in my muscle.
“Fucker!” I curse him angrily, making him laugh. A whimper slips through me when he pulls the needle from my skin.
“It’s all over, little deer,” he whispers lovingly, one hand kneading the muscle he aggravated. “I told you good girls get rewarded.”
“Asshole,” I mutter, going to stand, but his hand on my back keeps me flat against the bed. My ass clenches at the sound of his belt, and he chuckles.
“Don’t worry, baby.” He lowers his zipper. “You’ll get a spanking sooner or later, I’m sure of it.” My core clenches at the promise, and if I wasn’t so turned on, I’d be embarrassed at how easily his threat turns me on.
Anticipation coils inside of me as the head of his cock presses insistently against my slit, sending a shiver of expectation through my body. His hand tangles itself in my hair, and I wince slightly at the sharp sting on my scalp as he uses it to pull me firmly against his chest. My head turns towards him, and he captures my lips with a fervent kiss, his mouth urgent and demanding. Despite how wet I am for him, a sharp gasp escapes me, breaking our kiss as he pushes into me, a mingling of pleasure and pain coursing through me.
“Such a good little girl, my wife,” he whispers against my lips. “Your tight little pussy takes me so well.”
“Vitali,” I moan as he slides all the way in, filling me completely, his thick length stretching me, igniting every nerve ending. His tongue, velvet and hot, dances with mine. He fucks me languidly, his free hand roaming over my skin, tracing fire across my flesh. He works his hips deliberately, hitting the deepest, most secret spots inside of me, stoking a blaze within my belly.
Removing his hand from my hair, he cradles my face, his calloused fingers gentle against my flushed cheek. His kiss is soft—reverent, a stark contrast to the storm raging between our bodies.
“God, I love you,” he growls, his voice a low rumble, like distant thunder. The words rip from him like they’ve been clawing their way out for ages, desperate and raw. Does he even realize he’s said them? Or has the truth finally slipped past his control, too big, too consuming to keep buried? His hips circle, grinding against me, striking every live wire my body has, electric jolts coursing through my veins. I can feel the weight of those words pressing into my skin, sinking deep, curling around my heart like they’ve always belonged there.
“I love you, too,” I whisper against his lips, my breath ragged. The words taste foreign yet inevitable, like they’ve been waiting for this moment to finally be set free. My heart clenches, a dizzying mix of fear and relief crashing through me. Loving him isn’t safe—it never has been—but it’s impossible not to.
My fingers tighten against his skin as if holding on might keep this moment from slipping away. Because now that I’ve said it, now that it’s real, I know there’s no turning back. I let out a long, keening moan as my climax washes over me. My body convulses, clenching tightly around him, forcing him over the edge with me. His cock pulses inside of me, his body tenses, muscles clenched and strained, as his release comes hot and heavy, filling me until we are both spent. My entire body is shaking beneath his, quaking with the intensity of our shared release.
His lips find mine again, his kiss slow and languorous, keeping himself buried inside of me as he grows soft, not wanting to break the contact between us. His tongue licks lazily against mine as if we have all the time in the world—as if this moment, this connection, is all that matters.
“Who knew you were such a softie,” I tease.
Vitali gifts me with one of his rare, full smiles. “Don’t expect me to turn too romantic, little deer.”
“Promise.”
I let out a soft moan of protest as he withdraws from me, breaking the intimate connection between our bodies.
“I know, my love,” he murmurs soothingly. With a tender touch, he turns me to face him, lifting me effortlessly by the hips and laying me gently on the cool sheets of the bed. His lips brush mine in a lingering kiss before I watch his perfectly sculpted ass disappear into the bathroom.
Moments later, he returns, a warm, damp cloth in hand. He carefully glides the cloth over my skin, his eyes twinkling with a teasing smirk as I flinch slightly. Despite him being gentle, his size has left me with a lingering soreness.
“I love seeing you red and swollen from me.” He grins and I groan, embarrassed. Chuckling, he gives me a wink and helps me up. “Get dressed, little deer. We need to get ready to go.”
Striding purposefully toward my suitcase, I hurriedly throw on my clothes and follow him out of the bedroom. The gentle laughter that had filled the room just moments ago fades into silence as we make our way down the hallway to join the others. Vitali’s expression shifts as we enter a large, dimly lit conference room situated just beyond the kitchen, where everyone is supposed to be waiting. But instead of a gathering of familiar faces, the room is eerily empty, the air thick with an unsettling quiet.
Puzzled, I turn to face Vitali, my brows furrowed in confusion, but his face remains an unreadable mask, stoic and impassive. Suddenly, a flicker of movement in the hallway catches my eye. I see Tomas approaching, his broad figure casting a shadow as he strides forward. I begin to smile at the burly Russian, but my smile falters and drops when I notice the glint of steel in his hand—a gun, gripped tightly and menacingly.
“Vitali,” I shout, my voice echoing with desperation, but the warning comes too late. Tomas’s arm swings with brutal efficiency, and before Vitali can react, he’s struck down, crumpling to the floor with a sickening thud.
“I’m sorry about this, little one,” Tomas murmurs apologetically, a note of regret adding weight to his words. I barely have time to register his apology before he lunges at me with surprising speed. The world blurs and spins, and then everything plunges into a suffocating darkness.