Chapter 19 Bianca #2
“Did we?” I look up at him, and I know he can see the fear in my eyes despite my efforts to hide it. “Because it feels like they’ve been planning something specific while we’ve just been, I don’t know, waiting.”
Alessandro moves around his desk to stand in front of me, his hands settling on my waist as he pulls me into his chest. “I already told you—whatever they announce, we’ll handle it. You’ve passed three trials already, Bianca. You’re stronger now than you were when this started.”
He’s right. I am stronger.
I’ve discovered things about myself that I never knew existed, learned to embrace parts of my nature that I used to fight against.
But I’m also scared in a way I wasn’t before.
Because now I have something to lose.
Not just my life, but Alessandro. Our future together. The fragile peace I’ve made with Matteo and the family.
“I need to call him,” I say suddenly, pushing away from Alessandro and patting my pockets. “Matteo. He should know about this.”
Forty-five minutes later, we’re back at the compound, this time in the formal sitting room instead of Matteo’s study.
It feels more serious here, with the expensive furniture and family portraits watching from the walls.
Matteo sits across from us, reading the official announcement that came with the envelope.
“‘Final trial to determine suitability for leadership succession,’” he reads aloud, his eyes quickly scanning the text.
“‘Trial parameters and objectives will be revealed at the announcement ceremony.’” He looks up at me, his blue-gray eyes serious.
“‘Attendance by candidate and approved partner is mandatory.’”
“At least I get to bring Alessandro,” I say, trying to inject some lightness into the moment.
“It’s a grand ceremony,” Matteo continues, scanning the document. “All family heads will be present, plus selected representatives, myself included. This isn’t just about you anymore, Bianca. This is about making a statement to the entire organization.”
I swallow nervously. “What kind of statement?”
“That depends on what they announce.” Matteo sets the papers down, his expression troubled. “The formal ceremony, the mandatory attendance, the emphasis on leadership succession, they’re building this up to be significant.”
“Significant how?” Alessandro asks, though I think we all know the answer.
“Significant enough that failure won’t just mean you don’t inherit,” Matteo says quietly. “It’ll mean public humiliation for our entire family. Maybe worse.”
The weight of that settles over the room.
This isn’t just about proving myself anymore.
It’s about protecting everyone I love from the consequences of my failure.
No pressure, I think sarcastically.
We spend the next several hours going over every possible scenario, every type of trial the Families might devise.
Combat situations, strategic challenges, loyalty tests, moral dilemmas.
By the time we finish, my head is spinning with contingency plans and backup strategies.
“I should go,” I say finally, when the sun starts setting outside the windows. “I need to get some sleep before tomorrow.”
“Bianca,” Matteo says as Alessandro and I head toward the door. “Whatever they announce tomorrow night, remember that you have choices. You don’t have to accept a trial that’s designed to be impossible.”
“Yes, I do,” I say simply. “Because backing down now would be worse than failing.”
He nods slowly, understanding what I mean.
In our world, showing fear is more dangerous than showing weakness.
Refusing a challenge is worse than losing it.
“Then make sure you don’t lose,” he says.
Back at the penthouse, we’re both too wired to sleep despite the late hour.
I’m pacing the living room while he sits on the couch with a glass of wine, watching me wear a path in the expensive rug.
“You’re going to drive yourself crazy overthinking this,” he observes.
“I know.” I stop pacing and look at him.
He’s loosened his tie but is still mostly dressed, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his hair slightly mussed from running his hands through it.
Even worried and tired, he’s beautiful. “I just keep thinking about all the ways this could go wrong.”
“Then think about the ways it could go right.”
I raise an eyebrow at him and he shrugs. “Like what?” I ask.
He sets his glass down. “Like the fact that you’ve surprised everyone—including yourself—with what you’re capable of. Like the fact that you’ve passed every challenge they’ve thrown at you so far. Like the fact that you’re not the same person who walked into that first trial.”
He stands and moves toward me, his movements fluid and confident. “You’re more than just Giuseppe and Sophia’s biological daughter. But you’re also something they never were.”
“What’s that?” I whisper, heart drumming a staccato against my chest as Alessandro nears me, his eyes never leaving my face.
“You’re someone who can love and be loved without losing your edge. Someone who can be dangerous without losing her humanity completely.” He reaches me, his hands sliding up to frame my face. “You’re someone worth fighting for.”
The words wrap around me, and I feel tears prick at my eyes.
“I don’t want to lose this,” I whisper. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.” His voice is certain, absolute. “We’re stronger together than anything they can throw at us.”
I believe him. Standing here in his arms, feeling solid and grounded for the first time in days, I believe him completely.
Overwhelmed, I lean forward and press my lips against his.
His lips are soft—smooth like satin and tasting like wine.
Alessandro’s hands move from my body up to my face and into my hair, where his fingers intertwine with my locks.
Slanting his mouth against mine, he lifts me toward the bedroom.
Opening my mouth slightly, my tongue moves forward to move across his bottom lip.
Alessandro groans in response before meeting me in the middle, our tongues dancing together like they have before.
I breathe him in, his scent assaulting my senses. His smell always calms me down. He always feels like home.
Pulling back and breathing heavily, I stare at him and he stares back at me.
His eyes are dark with desire, his full lips swollen.
“I love you,” he tells me. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I need you to know that.”
“I know,” I whisper, because I do. “I love you too. Always.”
Our mouths crash together again, his tongue flicking against mine.
The gesture is subtle but it makes my knees weak.
Thank god he’s holding me or otherwise I would fucking collapse.
Working clumsily, I start to fiddle with the buttons of his shirt.
I need him bare.
If god forbid tonight is my last night, I want it to be with me underneath him.
Alessandro bends his head and presses hot kisses to my jawline.
I gasp, letting my head fall back, my hands forgetting what they’re supposed to do.
He nips at my skin, tongue soothing the little marks he leaves behind.
Moaning, I resume my number one task to get that goddamn shirt off his goddamn body.
With deft hands, I unbutton his shirt before tearing it from his shoulders.
I greedily explore his chest, tracing down the faded scars and dips from his muscles.
In turn, he reaches to the hem of my shirt before separating momentarily—long enough to rip it over my head.
I reach behind my back to undo my bra, letting it fall to the floor.
It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been nude in front of Alessandro, but the way his eyes widen as he looks at my breasts makes me feel wanted.
Desired.
I’m drunk on the sensation, having this man devour me with sight alone.
“Fucking perfect,” he whispers, lifting his thumb to trace across my nipple. It puckers as if he’s commanding it. Like he’s commanding my body.
And dammit, I will succumb to his wishes.
He kisses me again then—the pressure increasing.
But it’s not just the way his mouth moves against mine.
It’s deeper in my core, a mounting sensation that makes my toes curl and my skin sing.
Delirious.
The back of my legs hits the side of the bed and I fall back, Alessandro discarding his pants quickly before climbing on top of me.
He slides a hand under my back and pulls me up until I arch for him.
His lips move from my lips to the curve of my jaw, imprinting himself on me.
They move to my mouth—kissing, sucking, nipping in a way that makes me moan.
His hand moves to palm my breast, fitting inside his hand perfectly.
Like a perfect puzzle piece.
His tongue traces down my chest to my nipple, swirling around the bud as I keen, his teeth biting down just so, eliciting a delicious pleasure that radiates from my chest across my body like the sun—burning heat.
A noise escapes my lips as I feel liquid pool between my legs.
Fuck—it’s insane how much I want this man.
How much I cannot get enough of him. How much I want to be devoured. Consumed.
And I want to consume him in return.
Reaching down, I undo the button at the top of my pants, kicking them down my legs.
There’s too much barrier and I want skin. Friction.
After a moment of struggle, the fabric of my underwear and his boxers are the only separation between our bodies—preventing the connection I so desperately need.
Alessandro chuckles. “Someone’s eager,” he murmurs, his lips ghosting along my jaw.
“The audacity,” I murmur.
He laughs before he sits up, ripping my underwear off before he removes his boxers to expose every last glorious inch of him.
God, seeing him naked is such a treat. I so deserve this.
Reaching forward, I wrap my hand firmly around his cock.
He’s just so thick and big.
Every time we have sex, I worry he won’t fit.
He groans—a guttural noise at the back of his throat as I pump him a few times, running my fingers down the vein protruding underside.
“You’re fucking wicked, Bianca,” he murmurs, moving forward as I let go of his cock.
He positions himself at my entrance and his hazel eyes meet mine. I give a single nod of consent.
Without waiting another second, he moves his hips forward, pushing the length of his cock into my pussy.
I cry out at the stretch, my fingers grasping at the bed sheets, pulling them up as my body adjusts to him sheathed inside of me.
“You okay?” he whispers, his body bent over mine.
“Fucking perfect,” I murmur in response. “Now move.”
He chuckles. “As you wish.”
And he does.
Goddamn, if the entry is exquisite, then the removal and return is heavenly.
I move my hands to his back, nails digging into his skin as I try to get him closer.
Is that even possible?
I have the proximity, but now I need the speed.
His pace increases, pulling me excruciatingly slowly, letting every inch of our skin become intimately familiar before slamming back into me in a way that makes me feel breathless.
I lift my hips to meet his, to find our connection in the middle.
He’s panting, kissing me like his oxygen depends on it.
Suddenly, he pulls out of me.
Before I have a chance to voice my disapproval, he flips me onto my stomach, pulling me onto my knees.
I feel his hands grasping at my cheeks.
“Have I ever told you?” Alessandro asks reverently. “You have an incredible ass.”
He spreads me apart and enters me again.
The angle only thins the line between pleasure and pain.
His size alone is that of fantasy, and with this position, he’s pushing beyond what I thought my limits were.
The only action I can take is to hold onto the sheets for dear life as he rams into me.
Noises, words, phrases break free of my lips.
I can’t hear what I’m saying, so can he?
The pressure between my legs is mounting, so close to the cliff edge but too far for my wanting.
Pressing a forearm into the bed, I reach one of my hands up to my clit, rubbing furiously for relief. To prolong this.
“Oh fuck, Bianca. That’s it. Play with yourself for me.”
His prompting only makes me moan, makes my fingers move faster against myself. I can see stars across my vision. Almost there…gods, almost there…
Alessandro moves faster against me, his breathing rapid.
He pushes out of me, flipping me onto my back once again.
He hikes my legs up before slamming into me.
“Fuck, oh my god, Alessandro—”
“I want to see you come,” he gasps, slamming his cock into me. “Fuck, I want to see you when I come. Your perfect fucking breasts—your face like this—for me, all for me—”
He kisses me as the pressure in my core reaches its peak. Pulling back, he whispers against my lips. “Better than wine. You taste fucking divine.”
And I shatter.
I fling into my orgasm, like the gate bursts open.
My pussy spasms around his cock as his speed increases.
In the back of my mind, I can hear him—That’s it, Bianca. Fuck. Come for me. Your beautiful fucking pussy, squeezing me like that—but I can’t even think.
I can’t do anything but feel.
Alessandro follows me over the cliff, his hips stuttering as his hand slams into the mattress above my head, grasping at the sheets.
His lips press down against mine, his breathy moans meeting mine in combination, somewhere between me and him.
It may have been a minute or an eternity, but eventually he rolls off me, landing on his side of the bed.
I stare at the ceiling, trying to return to this plane of existence after feeling galaxies beneath my fingertips. Alessandro reaches over and pulls me against his chest.
“Are you ready?” he asks quietly, his lips on my temple again.
“Yeah,” I say, surprising myself with how certain I sound after what just happened and after all my anxieties from earlier. “I’m ready.”
Whatever the Families have planned, whatever trap they’ve spent weeks designing, I’ll face it as myself.
Tomorrow night, they’ll find out exactly what they’ve created.
And I have a feeling they’re going to regret underestimating me.