52. Alessia
“ I don’t like surprises,” I whine.
“You’ll like this one, cara mia .” He bends his head down to capture my lips. My body automatically arches to fit against his and his tongue sweeps in to brush up against mine making me moan.
“How about we postpone this surprise just a little bit?” I murmur.
“I promise we’ll have plenty of time to do this with the surprise.”
I cling to him with my arms around his neck and pout. “But I want you.”
“Oh, gattina . You make it near impossible to say no to you.”
“Then don’t. Let’s fuck.” I kiss him.
Massimo chuckles when I climb him like a tree and wrap my limbs around him. I swallow it up and begin kissing him deeply. He does not disappoint or deny me.
Quickies are never unsatisfying or underwhelming between us. The orgasms are always just as earth-shattering, and we’re still gasping for air by the end.
“Pack your bags, bambina ,” he says when we peels his hot body from mine. “We’re going to Italy.” He smacks my butt and uses my state of shock to slip away from me.
“Italy?”
It turns out the whole De Luca clan is headed off to Italy. Our wedding was two months ago, and because of so much going on, we only had time for a short honeymoon to a private island in the Caribbean. And when I say short honeymoon, I mean way too short. I could’ve spent weeks with Massimo on that island.
At first, when he informed me his siblings were coming, I was a little disappointed not to have him all to myself, but then he assured me that where we’re staying, we’ll have plenty of privacy. As long as I can have him as much as I want, I’m satisfied because he will be satisfying me multiple times a day.
The flight to Italy is about nine hours, so we leave around midnight. I cuddle up to my husband and fall asleep in the private room. My husband, whom I now trust wholeheartedly.
I was again faced with the same decision I had years ago. I could choose to trust him, or I could spend the rest of my life driving myself mad with doubt and paranoia. I may still hold a tiny grudge, and I’m not too proud to admit that I can be morbidly petty. But he’ll have to accept that because there are certainly many things I have to learn to accept about him, like the constant power struggle.
So, we both agreed to raze our walls and put our faith and confidence in each other. Equally. And there’s no one on this planet I trust more than him now, including my own family. He’ll always know me best inside and certainly out.
Mamma of course has been pestering me about when she’ll be getting some grandchildren out of me, but I keep tossing the attention back over to Armando and Lesina who still only have little Alba and they’ve been married for years now.
And I happen to know about Tullio and Sarita’s secret affair, and it’s so tempting to out them just for a bit of drama. But something makes me want to let them be for a while so I can continue enjoying the entertainment it brings me. It’ll be interesting to see how it ends.
I wake up to kisses being gently placed all over my face. “Mmm.” I flutter my eyes open and find Massimo’s handsome face hovering over me. “ Ciao, bello .”
He smiles. “ Ciao, bella .” He kisses my lips. “We’ll be landing in an hour. Come eat something.”
“Mmm.” I stretch my arms up above my head. “Okay.” I stand up. “Let me go wash up first.”
After washing up and changing my clothes, I head out and everyone is sitting around chatting and having breakfast at the table. The only open seat is between Massimo and Vita.
Vita spent sixty days in rehab and has been clean ever since. Her homecoming has gradually brought their mother out of isolation, reviving life into Celia’s faded gaze.
Vita and I still don’t speak to one another unless it’s in passing or in greeting. The hospital room altercation lingers unpleasantly, and her lack of acknowledgement only souring the memory further. I suspect the animosity towards me stems from somewhere deeper, more personal, than the issue of her father. Perhaps she’s envious of the immediate connection I’ve established with her family. Envy is an insidious emotion that festers and preys on its host from within.
I don’t pay her any mind as I take my seat, and Massimo automatically kisses me on the lips. There’s a plate of food in front of me, so I dig in and join in on the conversation. “Ezzo, I hear you might meet your future wife while we’re here?” I ask.
“Possibly,” he replies.
“Not possibly,” Massimo says in a low voice. “You are meeting your future wife.”
Ezzo sulks and I bite back a giggle. “Arranged marriages aren’t always so bad,” I muse and pop a grape into my mouth.
Massimo relaxes in his seat, draping an arm around me. He twirls a lock of hair around his finger and gives it a playful tug. He smirks when I shoot him a look.
“And sometimes they are,” Celia says lightly, raising her glass in salute making us chuckle.
“Have you seen pictures of her?” Vita asks.
“No,” Ezzo replies.
“I have.” Sarita grins.
“And I’ve asked her not to say a thing,” Ezzo rushes out looking at her sternly.
“Why not?” I ask, enjoying the way Massimo nonchalantly plays with my hair.
“He says he doesn’t trust my judgement,” Sarita answers dryly.
“If she’s ugly, I’ll soon find out for myself. But if Sarita says she’s pretty and gets my hopes up and she turns out not to be…” he trails off.
“You chooch ,” Ass . I chide him, and everyone laughs. Ezzo throws me a wink and I shake my head smiling. He and I effortlessly slipped into a brother-sister dynamic. He’s nicknamed me Harley and I couldn’t be more flattered. Maybe I’ll ask Massimo for a giant mallet for my birthday to use at the warehouse.
Trips with him to the warehouse is kind of foreplay for us. Something about watching him bleed information from someone gets me going. Sex is always nasty as fuck afterward.
I haven’t been to Italy in almost five years and I cannot wait to feel close to my Italian heritage. Mamma was born in Italy and didn’t come over to the states until she was almost a teenager, but my father was second generation in the states. We used to visit Italy quite often, but it had already been close to a year before Massimo and I got engaged, then so much has happened since then.
Massimo and I get into our own vehicle when we land. “Are you ready for your surprise, amore ?”
My legs are draped over his lap, and he has me tucked into his side, making a light trail up and down my exposed leg. I look up at him. “I thought this was my surprise.”
“It’s not.”
I turn into him. “What is it?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Massimo,” I whine, and he shuts me up with his lips. The scars around his mouth are hardly noticeable, mainly because of his facial hair. But even without the hair covering them, I meant what I said. I love this man. The scars honestly only add to the appeal because I am batshit crazy in love with him.
By the time the car stops moving, I’m a mess. I want Massimo so badly. “If you don’t take me as soon as we get out of this vehicle, I will kill you and have my way with you anyway.”
He laughs against my lips. “You sick bitch.”
“Yes,” I croon. “So, you better give me what I want.”
“Yes, Mrs. De Luca.”
“That’s signora to you.” I finally peel my eyes away from my handsome husband and they widen when I take a look at where we stopped. It looks like a castle in the middle of the countryside. “This is where we’re staying?” No wonder why he said we’d have no problem having our privacy.
“No, my love,” he rasps in my ear. “This is for you.”
I almost bump heads with him when I whip mine around. “For me ? What do you mean?” I practically shriek.
“Come.” He opens his door and slides out then offers me his hand. It takes me a moment to shake myself from the stupor and climb out. “Remember when we first got engaged and I disappeared on you for a few days?”
“You mean when I accused you of having an affair?” I ask, my eyes bouncing everywhere, trying to take everything in.
“Yes,” he growls. “I was here, buying this as a wedding gift.”
I stop in my tracks abruptly and face him. “You bought this for a wedding gift? To me?”
“Yes, Alessia. A queen deserves a castle.”
“I—” I stare up at him, wholly speechless and astounded. “I don’t even know what to say.”
He uses his knuckles to drag down my cheek. “You don’t need to say anything, my beautiful wife.” Threading his hands into my hair, he wraps them around the back of my neck to pull me in for a passionate kiss. “Before giving you the full tour, let me show you to our room first.”
I thought he’d never ask .