Chapter 21
ANGELICA
I'm trembling as I lean into the wall.
I've never seen Dante so angry but the more I talk the more he calms down.
Still, he doesn't seem happy that I've been listening in.
I just couldn’t help that when I walked up to his office door to see if he'd like to help Sofia turn in, he was shouting.
I had to know what was going on.
"I don't need help from someone who doesn't understand how this world works."
I cross my arms more tightly, but he grabs one and starts dragging me toward his room.
"I understand more than you think." I gasp as his grip pinches me and stumble along to keep up with him.
"I worked in Antonelli's club for months. I heard things. I saw things. I know how his operation functions."
"That was six years ago. Things change."
"Some things change. But the tunnels haven't."
Just inside his room, I yank my arm away and stare at him.
I won’t back down from this.
I know I can help and it means that Sofia will be safer.
He goes completely still and narrows his eyes on me.
"What tunnels?"
I swallow hard.
He watches as my throat works around the lump there.
I'm terrified of his reaction, but he needs to hear it.
He needs an alternate route and this could work.
"The underground routes Antonelli's syndicate used to move product through the city. The authorities think they collapsed or were sealed off. But they didn’t.
They're still there. And if you need alternate channels to move a shipment without Antonelli knowing, those tunnels are your best option.
" My arms cross over my chest and my throat works again, swallowing to loosen it.
He stares at me. "You are talking about the old smuggling routes beneath Rome."
"Yes." I blink a few times, still frightened, but I'm loosening up. "You think they're decommissioned, but why would Gerard keep them active for so long and then just let them go in the past six years? That's foolish.”
"If Gerard had a method of moving drugs and weapons that would go unnoticed by authorities, he'd never give that up. If he controls those old tunnels, then there's every chance he still has them functional."
My breath is raspy in my chest as I try to calm myself.
"How much do you remember?" he asks.
"Enough to give you a starting point. I remember three locations they mentioned repeatedly. One near the Tiber. One in Testaccio. One close to the Via Appia. If those tunnels are still operational, they'd give you a way to move product across the city without using the main roads or the ports."
I'm shivering now, chilled by the sudden surge of adrenaline.
He steps closer to me.
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because you need it and Sofia needs you to succeed. If this war continues, we all end up dead."
Dante's scowl starts to dissolve in front of my eyes, especially when he rubs his hand down over his face and sighs deeply.
"You said you didn’t want to get involved in my world."
"I don't, but I'm already involved whether I like it or not. And if sharing this information gives us a chance to survive, then it's worth it."
He reaches out and cups my face in his hands.
I don't pull away, but I do feel tense.
He's right.
I haven't wanted anything to do with his world and when I first thought of this solution for him, I didn't say a thing.
I was angry and hurt, and I wanted him to suffer.
But seeing him be so angry, I felt guilty.
I had a truth that could fix this stress and I held it to myself.
"Thank you," he says.
"Don't thank me. Just use the information to end this."
My shoulders slump, but he pulls me tightly against his chest and breathes in a deep whiff of my hair.
"I'm sorry I frightened you, Angelica. It's the last thing I wanted to do." I'm startled by his genuine apology and I pull back to look up at his sincerity scrawled on his face. He really means it.
"Well, you have a lot of work to do in that department then, don't you?" I'm joking, but he grows even more serious.
"And I'll work harder every single day for the rest of my life to make sure you understand that I mean what I say."
His hand returns to cup my cheek and he leans down, brushing his lips over mine.
I'm moved by his confession, sucked into his gravity where I find myself floating between wanting to shrink back from his world and yet wanting to be closer to him, to know him more deeply.
His kiss stays gentle for a moment before I begin to respond, then it turns ravenous as his hands slide lower to my hips.
"Let me have you," he says gruffly. "I need to feel you against my body and let this stress melt off me. Let me have you…"
I can't even respond.
All I can do is nod and let him lift me and carry me to the bed where he lays me down softly.
His lips consume mine in a deep kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth as I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to deepen the contact.
He moves his mouth to my neck and kisses a trail to my collarbone while his hands unbutton my blouse.
The fabric parts to reveal my bra, and he pushes it up to expose my breasts.
He cups one breast in his rough palm and kneads it gently, the texture of his skin contrasting with mine. "Your body never stops surprising me," he growls as he enjoys fondling me.
I arch my back to press my breast into his hand as he lowers his mouth to my nipple.
He sucks with steady pressure, and his teeth graze the edge just enough to send a jolt through me.
He switches to the other breast after a moment and repeats the action with the same focus.
His free hand slides down to my leggings which he pushes down my legs along with my panties, and I kick them off the bed.
He straightens to remove his shirt then unbuckles his belt, pushes his pants and boxers down, and steps out of them.
He's rock hard already, like he really does want me this badly.
As he strokes himself a few times I pull the bra and shirt fully off, discarding them with the other clothes to the floor, and then he climbs back onto the bed.
He kneels between my thighs and aligns himself with my entrance, rubbing the tip of his head along my folds to gather my wetness.
"You’re already open for me, Bella," he growls. "I love that."
He pushes inside slowly, and the stretch fills me as he moves inch by inch until our hips meet.
I wrap my legs around his waist to pull him deeper.
He begins to thrust with long, even strokes, each one creating a steady friction along my inner walls.
His hands grip my hips to hold me in place, and his fingers press into my skin without leaving marks.
I lift my hips to meet his movements, and the angle shifts to let him hit a sensitive spot inside me.
Sweat forms on his brow as he maintains the rhythm.
"Oh God, yes, do that," I whimper.
My core is pulsing and aching for climax while he nods and adjusts his grip to support my hips higher before behind to kiss me again with a hunger he can't hide.
Each thrust now carries more force, and the pressure builds in my belly.
I reach between us to circle my clit with my fingers, adding to the sensations.
He notices and replaces my hand with his own, his thumb pressing with precise circles.
The combined stimulation of his thrusts and his thumb pushes me toward release. "I want you to come for me," he says, his eyes locked on mine as he maintains his rhythm.
My muscles tighten around him as the tension peaks, and he continues to drive into me at just the right angle.
"Yes… oh God, right there, just like that," I tell him in a whimper. And he only makes it more intense.
"God, you're so sexy when you're on the edge," he grunts, and I don’t know how he does it but I'm trembling, so close to breaking loose, I can't even speak.
"Dante…" I groan, and I come with a sharp gasp.
The orgasm is strong, forcing my hips off the bed to buck upward into his body.
The sensations are so powerful they're almost painful, twitches and spasms that have me gasping and clawing at his sides, until slowly they begin to wane.
My body relaxes first, then my breathing, but Dante continues thrusting into me gently, pulling every last jolt of pleasure, until I'm a puddle of sex and ecstasy under him.
Then he slows his thrusts and kisses me again.
My breathing steadies, and he pulls out to turn me onto my stomach.
I rise onto my hands and knees, anticipating his next move as he positions himself behind me and spreads my thighs wider with his hands.
"God, I'm going to enjoy this."
His lips brush the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, and I shiver at the warmth of his breath.
He moves closer, and his tongue flicks out to trace my folds, tasting the slickness there.
Then, he presses his mouth fully against me, his tongue circling my clit making me grip the sheets to steady myself as he sucks gently, each pull sending a pulse through my core.
His hands hold my hips to keep me in place while his tongue explores deeper, dipping into my entrance before returning to my clit.
The rhythm builds steadily, and I push back slightly to meet his movements.
"Tell me how this feels," he murmurs against me, the vibration adding to the sensation.
I moan softly and say, "It’s fucking incredible—don’t stop."
He intensifies his efforts, his tongue moving faster in tight circles.
My thighs tremble as the pressure mounts, and I'm on the edge when he pulls away leaving me whining for more.
Dante enters me again, and the new angle allows deeper penetration that sends fresh sparks through my body.
"Shit, you feel good," he says, his voice tinged with strain as he grips my waist.
I push back against him to match his thrusts, and the mattress bounces slightly under us.
Each stroke stretches me farther, amplifying the heat building again as his hand slides around to my front, and his fingers find my clit again.
He rubs in tight circles, syncing with his thrusts to create a steady buildup.
My arms tremble from holding the position, and I let my chest press into the mattress as he groans in pleasure.
The pressure mounts faster this time, my body still sensitive from the first release.
I rock back harder to deepen each thrust, and his fingers press more firmly on my clit. "Now… oh, God, now," I gasp just as the second orgasm hits, stronger than the first, and my muscles clench around him as I moan into the pillow.
This time, it's so intense I feel pressure in my head, fireworks detonating under my skin.
I buck and jolt, and his hands pin me against his body shoving his cock as deep as it can go.
I feel him pound into my cervix and it only makes the pleasure greater.
I'm clawing the sheets, whimpering into a pillow as he presses a thumb to my ass and I groan again, louder this time.
He continues thrusting through my climax to extend it, and my body shudders under the intensity.
After a moment, he comes with a low, drawn-out groan, and warmth fills me as he pulses inside.
I feel the languid pulses of his dick, the way his seed drains out of my body around him and down my thighs.
Then I feel his lips press to my shoulder blade and his stubble scrape my skin.
He pulls out and sex is over, but I don't want him to leave even when I know well and good that he has a time limit.
I'm probably not going to see him much while he finishes things, and I find myself hating that.
I roll to my side and he leans down to kiss me again.
I taste the salty musk of my own body fluid on his lips and smile.
"Stay here…" I ask, but he closes his eyes and pushes his forehead against mine.
"You know I can't. But you have no idea what it means to me to hear you ask that." His words make my heart swell. He's right. It's not like me to ask him to be around me.
We've been back and forth, wrestling over his job and his violent tendencies and his rights to Sofia.
I don't even know where I stand.
I just know what I want right now.
"Then let me go with you. I can help. I know Antonelli's business better than you from the inside."
Dante pulls back and scowls. "I can't let you do that."
"Why not?" I ask, feeling defensive. "It's safe for you but not me?"
He stares at me for a long minute and I don't see an ounce of yielding in his expression. "I can't stand the idea of losing you, Bella." His hand cups my face. It smells like our sex, but I lean into it. "I need you to stay here where it's safe."
"But if you need more insight… more help…"
"Then I'll call you. I promise." He kisses me again, but I'm no fool. "Your job is to keep our little girl safe and happy here for tonight. Alright? Let me do the hard work. I promise I will call you if I need you."
I don't for a second believe him, but I do finally feel like he understands to what lengths I'm willing to go to end this war and protect Sofia.
She is my world, and I'm starting to see that it's not just Sofia that Dante is fighting for.
Maybe this will turn out alright, after all.