Chapter Twenty
Noah
When Sailor first stayed with us at the hotel, I’d planned on pampering her until she would never want to leave. Part of me hoped it would resolve my guilty feelings, and part of me thought she deserved it for all she’d been through. Her leaving early had ruined those plans.
Naturally, once I’d convinced her she didn't need to avoid me like the plague, I wanted the chance to spoil her.
Assuming I could let her go long enough that she could get downstairs.
“Noah,” she moaned as I kissed my way along her throat to her ear.
“Yes?”
“You promised you would let me enjoy this spa day you arranged.”
Pressing forward, I ensured she felt what she was doing to me. “I’m having trouble letting you go.”
She shivered. “You really make me feel good about myself, you know that?”
“Good.” Moving my mouth to her cheek, I kissed her there and on her mouth. “I want to protect you, hold you, listen to you talk about your day, and let you soothe my overworked brain.”
“All that?” she whispered, running her hands over my back.
“Mm-hm.”
Sailor held me tightly, and I returned the hug. She seemed to like them almost as much as any other affection I gave her, and I was more than happy to oblige her.
There was a knock on the adjoining door, and Sailor lifted her head. “Benito, I assume.”
Without releasing her, I said, “Come in.”
My father grinned like crazy when he saw us hugging. “Ah, giovane amore.”
“Young?” I asked.
“Younger than me,” he replied with a shrug.
Reluctantly, I released Sailor. “Go enjoy yourself while Dad and I work.”
Reaching up to touch my face, she said, “Don’t work too hard. Bye, Benito,” she added over her shoulder as she left.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Dad pounced. “Aren’t you glad I pushed you in her direction? You were too far inside your head until I showed you what was right in front of you.”
Sighing, I aimed a glare at him. “Considering your disgusting ultimatum, I’m lucky that it turns out I have feelings for her.”
“How could you not? She’s delightful.”
“And scared shitless of the talk of family.”
He frowned. “I noticed that the other day.”
“I can’t blame her for worrying about the future, so I’m trying to ease her into the idea that she’s it for me.”
“As I told you, she’s worried about hurting you, but she never mentioned that she thinks you’ll hurt her.”
Even though it was barely past noon, I had an itch to pour a bourbon. “It’s inevitable that I will. She knows what we do, even if it’s the media-coated version. How do I protect her from that?”
“There must be some truths, mio figlio, and you'll have to take care with how you tell her. But we never divulge all our business dealings with the women.”
“You and Mom discussed it when you assigned me to take out our enemies," I reminded him. “There’s no way to explain that to Sailor without her turning on me.”
“I see your conundrum. She’s a life-saver, and you’re a life-taker.”
“The word is murderer.” And it burned a hole in my gut to think she could see me differently once she knew the entire truth. She could leave me, and she’d have every right.
Dad set his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve stepped away from that.”
“Have we?” I snorted. “We’re here to discuss the hit on Alex Lombardi.”
“It’s my name on the letterhead, so to speak. My orders.”
“That doesn't make me any less your accomplice.”
“They tried to kill us,” he said in a steely voice. “We fight fire with fire, returning what we get tenfold.”
Giving in to the temptation, I made myself a drink and offered him one. “We need the name of the unknown man. Our only intel is that he’s not a family member of any of the current mafia generation.”
“He’s an outsider, thinking he can ingratiate himself and no one will bat an eye.” Sipping the drink I handed him, Dad added, “He’s wrong, and so are the Lombardis.”
“So, our plan is to follow them until they’re alone and clip them both?”
It was the best solution anyone had come up with so far, especially since we didn't want to go the route of bombs.
“We have snipers. We’ll use them.”
“Normally, I’d have Lorenzo do the tailing.” It still bothered me that he’d been taken out for no reason other than an asshole wanting to make a move on our territory.
“We have plenty of men who can follow them discreetly.”
“They have to have their radar up. They targeted us intentionally and then started crowing about it.”
“As I said, discreetly.”
It felt unsettling to know that was our master plan. We hadn't needed to go guns blazing in years, preferring to keep a low profile instead.
“Are you taking Sailor out this evening?”
Somehow, he always brought the conversation back around to my girlfriend. “Yes, I’m having the personal shopper take her to the boutique after her massage and facial to pick a dress. I have reservations at Scalini Fedeli.”
And I hoped she’d enjoy herself. She was more the fast casual type than the fancy Italian restaurant type, but once in a while, I wanted to do something nice for her.
“How marvelous. When do you think you’ll ask her to marry you?”
I growled, feeling a headache pounding into my eyes like an ice pick. “What the fuck? You said there was no timer, and we’ve only been together a few fucking minutes.”
He put his hands up. “I’m just asking. You’ve never had such deep feelings for a woman before, and we both know that’s where this is headed.”
Jesus, he wouldn't even let me breathe. “I’m not trying to scare her off, for fuck’s sake.”
“Still, you know she wants this too. The permanence. The family.”
“Stop twisting the knife! We’ll get there when we get there! Jesus Christ, go bother your other child if you’re in need of a wedding fix.”
“Fine, fine.” Muttering the entire time, Dad left me alone.
Since Sailor wouldn't be finished any time soon, I got some other work done while I waited for her.
We were tentatively setting up another sale, mostly because we couldn't hide like cowards, but also because the money had to keep flowing.
We had too much on the line to watch our bank account slowly dwindle.
The men had sent in their reports for the month, and we were doing well on that front. Extortion wasn't really our thing, but every soldier paid up the line. Every penny they earned was split between us, their capo, and then themselves.
How did I explain to Sailor that I was my father’s underboss?
Or even that I was a member of the mafia?
Did she realize that sweet old Benito Costa was actually a stone-cold killer?
Every day, he put on a persona for her, and she bought it.
Yes, he liked her and was nice, but he was not that man for everybody.
More often, he was harsh, unforgiving, and sometimes savage.
The same could be said about me.
I had a good relationship example to go by, and though it had been cut relatively short, it was mostly long and happy.
My parents had been married for thirty-two years, and obviously, they’d have gone the distance if given the chance.
They talked everything out, and she knew more about Dad’s business than he tried to make me believe.
She advised him countless times, especially when he wanted to push me in a certain direction.
Mom tempered Dad’s impulsivity, and he worshipped her.
It had been six years since she died; six years that somehow managed to feel like yesterday.
Her murderer had infiltrated our organization, making himself invaluable for years, until he applied to move to the position of her guard.
We'd missed what he truly was, all of us, but I vetted him when he applied.
I saw his commendations from the capos, saw that he was valuable and loyal.
Little did I know he’d been holding onto a revenge plot way back from my first hit at eighteen. He’d played the long con perfectly, and we’d never seen him coming.
Maybe Sailor and I could bond over the loss now that we were more comfortable with each other.
She’d tried bringing it up on our first date, and I’d shut her down.
Perhaps I was too scared to open up those old wounds, but it might bring us closer if I did.
Then again, if her parents died tragically, then she might not want to talk about it.
I heard the mechanism in the door work as it unlocked, and looked up at Sailor coming in.
“You have to feel this!” she exclaimed, trying to force her shopping bags to fit through the door with her.
“What is it?” I asked, rising from the chair and heading over to take her things from her.
“My skin. I’ve never felt anything as soft.”
She smelled divine, and her face was glowing. Whether it was from the facial or her excitement, I wasn't sure.
Setting the bags on the couch, I stroked my fingers over her arm. “That is soft.”
She giggled. “Unbelievable, huh?”
Her pureness and enthusiasm for something I took for granted stole my breath, and I pulled her close to me, crushing my mouth against hers.
Immediately, she clung to me, digging her fingers into my hair and tugging my head closer.
The scent of her surrounded me, making me hard, and I forgot about all my worries as we kissed.
“This has been a great day off,” she mumbled against my skin as she kissed my throat.
“Better now that you’re back.”
“Do you want to see what I bought?” she asked breathlessly.
“In a minute.”
Picking her up, I carried her through the open bedroom door and laid her out on the coverlet.
She gasped when I yanked on her pants, desperately removing any barrier to what I wanted.
Spreading her thighs wide, I kissed her scar and down to her pussy before sucking her clit into my mouth.
She cried out, and I felt how wet she was when I added two fingers inside her.
Curling them, I went deeper and licked her harder, faster, needing to hear her come more than I needed anything else.
“Noah,” she ground out.
I kept working her until she exploded, the sound of my name changing to a scream. Only once she was trembling on my bed did I stand up, looking down at her.
“Massages, shopping, and an orgasm all in one day.”
I chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
Holding her arms out to me, Sailor silently asked me to join her.
Shedding my clothes as fast as possible, I watched her remove her sweater, displaying her tits for me.
Laying beside her, I grabbed them, lowering my mouth to suck on them.
She surprised me by sitting up, throwing her leg over my waist and straddling me.
When she sank down on my cock, I groaned loudly, grasping her hips to move her as fast as I could.
“Goddamn.”
She looked so beautiful above me, her hair falling out of its updo and tangling around her shoulders. Her eyes glowed down at me, more golden brown today, and I felt my chest tighten.
I would give up anything for her, and that brief thought terrified me. Seeing her happy and safe was more important than shady deals and generations of tradition.
“Oh, God.”
Her words brought me back to the moment, and I focused on her face as she clenched around me. “Ride me faster, baby.”
She sped up, reaching down to touch herself, and I felt her fingers graze over my cock. Gritting my teeth, I pounded up into her as the need to come overwhelmed me.
“That’s it, that’s it,” she moaned.
When she came, I let go and came with her. We sprawled back, completely spent.
“I love you,” she whispered.
My response came automatically. “I love you, too.”
“Somehow, I thought we’d wait until we got back from dinner for that."
“Once I saw how happy you were, I couldn't wait.”
She kissed my face. “I like the sound of that.”
“You smell amazing.”
Burying her face in my neck, she replied, “I bought the lotion they used because I love the scent.”
“Good.”
When she spoke again, her voice was tentative. “I didn't use the credit card you gave me.”
“Why not?” Sitting up abruptly, I tried not to headbutt her. “I specifically wanted to spoil you today.”
She nibbled on her lip. “I’m not used to you spending money on me yet, and I know how much the damn dress cost, not to mention the restaurant you’re taking me to.”
“I have the money, Sailor.”
“Well, I’m not a broke bitch, either.”
“It’s not a comparison that I’m after.” Holding her face in my hands, I said, “It was to show you my affection. To give you something you’d enjoy.”
“You paid for the spa and the dress. I paid for the skincare and the, um.”
My brows went up. “The what?”
Her cheeks tinged red. “The lingerie.”
“Oh, my fuck.”
The white cotton bra and underwear she normally wore didn't bother me, but the idea of her in lingerie made it difficult to focus.
“When can I see it?”
“After dinner, silly.”
I had to try hard not to grin at her. “Promise?”
“Oh, definitely. The look on your face right now is already making it worth it.”
“I can’t wait.”
The painful talks would have to wait for another day.