Chapter 27 | Bianca
Bianca
After three weeks, I was feeling much better. I’d always been a fast healer and was determined to regain my strength so I could support Michael as he completed the arduous task of eradicating Victor’s business once and for all.
I’d been working with Kenisha, who was an absolute saint with her patience and encouragement, and Dr. Zappa had been visiting for checkups every few days.
Michael had briefly informed me that the other two physicians would no longer be stopping by, and I wondered if they’d been threatened.
Regardless, I was thankful that Adrian was brave enough to help monitor my recovery.
When Kenisha left for the day, I showered and headed downstairs to help Carmen and Leticia prepare dinner. Burns stood in the foyer, holding a bouquet of white flowers in his hands.
“Where did those come from?” I asked.
“They were left outside the front gate.”
Narrowing my eyes, I approached him and studied the flowers. “They’re white lilies,” I said softly. “Funeral flowers. They symbolize death.”
Burns nodded.
“Show them to Michael when he gets home and tell him to come find me in the greenhouse.”
I walked through the kitchen and poured a glass of wine.
“I won’t be able to help you all cook today,” I said, shaken by the flowers. “I need to focus on something else.”
“Of course,” Carmen said, patting my shoulder.
I headed to the greenhouse and sat in the chair that faced the large curved window. Staring at the back yard, I slowly sipped as I formulated what I needed to say to Michael.
When he appeared, he leaned down to kiss my hair before sitting in the chair beside me. “Hey, stella. How was your day?”
“Good.” I drank the final sip of wine and set my glass on the floor beside me. “Actually, not good. I assume Burns showed you the flowers.”
Michael nodded. “He’s disposing of them now.”
Sighing, I leaned back in the chair, acknowledging the mess I’d made. “We need to talk.”
Michael remained silent, arching an eyebrow when I turned to look at him.
“What happened to Dr. Spano and Dr. Strong?”
Michael’s eyes darted between mine before he answered. “They received threats at their homes. Adrian is Italian and understands my business. He offered to take over.”
“Damnit,” I said, shaking my head. “I put them in danger.”
“They’re fine now, Bianca,” he said, squeezing my forearm. “I assigned a lookout at each of their places, and there haven’t been any incidents since.”
Resting my head on the high back, I stared at the ceiling. “I want you to teach me how to shoot. How to really shoot. I don’t want to be left vulnerable ever again. And I want a semi-automatic gun to carry with me.”
Michael rubbed his chin as he contemplated. “Okay. What else?”
I faced him and smiled. “That was way too easy. I was sure you were going to fight me on that.”
He slid his hand into mine and laced our fingers. “I find that it’s very difficult to say no to you when you smile at me like that.”
Squeezing his fingers, I bit my lip. “Please be serious.”
“I am being serious. I agree you need to know how to protect yourself. What else do you wish to discuss?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I steeled myself to tell him the truth. “I want you to be honest with me from now on. No secrets.”
“Okay.”
“And I promise to do the same. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the miscarriage. It was a long time ago, and it was something I pushed away because it was very painful.”
His fingers tightened on mine, offering support.
“It happened when Alexis had just turned seven. I was four months pregnant with our son. Victor and I got into a terrible argument in the hallway, right above the stairs one evening.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I forged ahead. “Victor backhanded me, as he did sometimes, and Alexis ran out of her room, screaming for him to stop.” I swiped the tear that fell down my cheek. “My biggest regret was that she witnessed me fall.”
“That fucking bastard,” Michael said through clenched teeth.
“He hit me again and I fell down the stairs. I was rushed to the hospital, where I learned I lost the baby. That’s when I had the D&C. It was...awful,” I said, swallowing the huge lump of emotion in my throat.
“I’m so sorry, Bianca,” Michael said, his hand fully clutching mine. “If I hadn’t already murdered him, I’d do it again.”
“Alexis knew I was hurt but was too young to understand the full complexity of the situation,” I said, wishing she’d never experienced any violence in our home.
“Victor and she had a complicated relationship. He was never violent with her, thank God, and I think he loved her in his own way...as much as any monster can love a child.”
Michael’s thumb tenderly caressed my hand.
“I didn’t tell you about the D&C,” I continued, “because it was so long ago, and I stupidly didn’t realize it could affect future pregnancies.
I didn’t know my uterus was scarred or damaged, or whatever was wrong with it.
I was fine with not having more children.
Alexis is enough for me.” I turned my head to gaze into his soul.
“But I don’t want to deny you children, Michael.
You still have time to have them. You’ve given me so much already, and I won’t let you choose me over having a blood legacy if that’s what you want. ”
“Bianca—”
“Just let me finish, and then I’ll let you talk, okay?”
His lips curved, and I thought he was going to argue, but he just continued to hold my hand as he nodded.
“I think once I saw how compatible we were in bed,” I said, feeling my cheeks turn a thousand shades of red, “I started to believe this was a real marriage. I pushed aside all the practical reasons and just felt...happy. But you offered me your protection and I offered you things in return. We both knew a child might not be possible since neither of us are exactly in our prime,” I wrinkled my nose as he laughed in acknowledgement, “but I did want to try.”
“Oh, darling, I love trying with you,” he said, his tone teasing.
I bit my lip as I grinned. “But I also offered to pledge my loyalty to you and help you defeat Victor’s loyalist. I’ve royally fucked up every single thing I promised you. If I were you, I’d cut my losses and kick me out on my ass.”
Michael shook his head, emotion blazing in his dark eyes. “No, you wouldn’t. You’d take care of me just like I’m taking care of you. And you might get your chance one day. This silver fox isn’t getting any younger.”
“Michael,” I said, exasperated. “I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” he said, shrugging.
Playfully rolling my eyes, I continued. “I guess I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry.
I created a terrible situation for you with John, and I no longer even have the possibility of giving you a son.
I’m not sure this marriage is advantageous for you anymore, and if you want to end it, I won’t blame you.
I want to do whatever I can to ensure your success.
..and your happiness.” My throat closed as I squeezed his hand.
“I really want you to be happy, Michael,” I whispered.
“Stella...” he whispered.
“You offered to save me all those years ago, and were horribly tortured for it. I’ve brought you so much pain and chaos. I’m just not sure it’s fair to you.”
“Are you done?” he asked, arching a dark eyebrow. “Because I have a lot of things to say.”
“I’m done,” I said, unable to control my smile at his teasing exasperation.
He tugged my hand, pulling me to my feet and led me toward the Italian bellflowers.
“Do you know why I built this greenhouse, Bianca?”
“Because you like flowers and fresh herbs?”
He smiled. “Because Carmen told me your favorite flower was the Italian bellflower, and they can’t grow outdoors in the New York climate. So, I built this greenhouse to ensure I could send them to you each year, and that maybe you wouldn’t forget me before I could finally claim you.”
I glanced around the greenhouse. “You built this for me?”
“I had a plan,” he said, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing the backs of my fingers, “and unfortunately, it took way too fucking long. But the end game was making you my wife, as I failed to do all those years ago.”
He drew me toward him, aligning our bodies as he gazed into my eyes.
“I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you, Bianca Santoro.
It was a young love that grew, year by year, and one I cherished very deeply.
I don’t care one goddamned bit about you giving me a son or you complicating my life.
Hell, I love how you complicate my life.
You make it full, and I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted. ”
“But...” I stuttered as I searched for words. “The things you said that day I came to you...well, the day you technically kidnapped me.”
Chuckling, he rested his forehead against mine. “Mia, I would’ve said anything to get you to marry me that day. I thought of every excuse to sway you. I would’ve loved to raise a child with you, but it’s not in the cards for us, and that’s okay.”
“But who will you leave the business to?”
“Nick,” he said, his tone resolute. “That’s always been the plan.”
My heart pounded uncontrollably as I tenderly cupped his face. “You love me?”
“Jesus, Bianca,” he breathed, shaking his head against mine. “For a very bright woman, you are incredibly dense about my feelings for you. I’ve loved you for decades.”
I searched his eyes, the love evident in his gaze.
“And Katia?”
“She knew how I felt about you. We took comfort from each other, but you always owned my heart.” He slid his arms behind my waist and pulled me closer. “I tried to tell you that. Don’t you remember? Nel mio cuore, sei sempre stata mia.”
“What does it mean?” I softly asked.
“In my heart, you were always mine.”
“I...” I ran my thumb over his lower lip. “I think I was afraid to believe it,” I finished softly.
“You never need to be afraid with me,” he whispered, brushing his lips against mine. “I adore you, sweetheart. I just want to give you the life you deserve. That we both deserve, after all this time.”
“Michael,” I whispered, overcome with emotion. “I love you too. God help me, I love you so much.”
His breath washed over me, full of relief. “It’s about time, woman. Jesus. I was sure you were going to make me wait two more decades to hear it.”
Tossing my head back, I couldn’t control my laughter. “Gangsters aren’t supposed to be this funny.”
“Oh, now I’m a gangster?” he asked, squeezing my ass in both hands.
Laughing, I nodded. “We said we were being honest.”
His lips captured mine, and I held on for dear life, so thankful for my thoughtful, protective man. My husband. My soul mate.
Michael groaned into my mouth, his tongue circling mine before he murmured, “Can I make love to you? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Adrian said I can if we’re gentle.”
Michael drew back and took my hand. “I don’t think I like you calling the sexy surgeon Adrian,” he said, leading me out of the greenhouse and toward the stairs. “I prefer you use Dr. Zappa.”
Laughing, I squeezed his hand as we walked up the stairs and entered the bedroom. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re the only sexy silver fox I want.”
Michael led me to the bed, gently lifting me before placing me atop the covers. He gazed at me, emotion simmering in his eyes as he slipped off my clothes before removing his. Once we were naked, he crawled over me, cradling my face as he settled between my legs.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered, pressing his lips to mine. “I worked my whole life to win you, Bianca. I can’t lose you.”
“I’m here,” I whispered, wrapping my leg around the back of his thigh. “I love you.”
His warm breath washed over my face before he licked his fingers. Lowering them between my legs, he gently slid them to my core. They circled my opening, preparing me before he glided inside, ready to claim me all over again.
“Is this okay?” he asked, tenderly moving two fingers inside me.
“It feels so good...”
We gazed into each other’s eyes as my honey gathered on his fingers. Lowering his head, he drew my nipple into his mouth, causing me to whimper as slick rushed to my deepest place.
His tongue toyed with my nipple, the sensation so pleasurable, until I couldn’t wait any longer.
“Fuck me, Michael.”
He smiled, taking my hand and resting it beside the pillow. Lacing our fingers, he positioned his strong body over mine, his cock searching for my deepest place. Squeezing my hand, he began to gently push inside.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he whispered, his breath labored. “Fuck, sweetheart. You feel so good. I missed this.”
My hips undulated against his, working in tandem as I welcomed him home.
“I love you...” I said again, loving how his body quivered at the words.
He captured my lips in a torrid kiss, sucking my tongue into his mouth. “Tell me again.”
“I love you...” I rasped, only beginning to understand how important the words were to him. How happy they made him. “Forever, Michael.”
“Bianca...” he breathed into my mouth, his firm body moving against mine with firm, measured strokes.
The time would come when I would be strong enough for him to fuck me with abandon. I knew he was holding back so he wouldn’t hurt me, and I dug my nails into his shoulder.
“Come inside me. I need every part of you.”
He released my hand and licked his fingers before lowering them to my clit. He circled the taut bud, bringing me to the edge of release as sweat formed on his brow.
We writhed together, taking each other to the peak before diving over the cliff together. Our breaths mingled in the quiet room, and our bodies shuddered together as we experienced the ultimate pleasure.
Eventually, he fell against me, sated and sanguine. I ran my nails over his scalp, loving how he stretched toward my fingers, like a cat on a sunny windowsill.
His muscles relaxed completely, and I felt him slip from my body.
“Will there ever be a time that you don’t fall asleep after we make love?” I teased.
Michael grunted and burrowed deeper into my body.
“I mean, it’s exceptionally cute, but I do need a little aftercare.”
“I’ll clean you up in a minute. Be quiet and let me hold you, stella.”
“Is that an order?”
Silence was my only response as he exhaled a heavy breath.
Smiling against his temple, I resigned myself to the fact that my husband was a serial post-sex snorer.
And God help me, I couldn’t have been happier.