CHAPTER 11
DOVE
My holiday high has mellowed out into something softer. I’m no longer in a haze of presents, sex, and a future with Angelo which feels inevitable. I didn’t mind the buzz though. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.
It would be far too easy to become addicted. And part of me is, without a doubt.
But not every day is a holiday.
Can we get through the boring days? The days when it feels like you’ll lose your mind if the other person breathes near you? The days when nothing goes right and all you want to do is go back to bed?
That’s where the truth of being with someone lives.
And we haven’t existed in the boring. Not yet.
Since the moment Angelo saw me, this has all moved so fucking quickly. There are times when the reality of it makes it hard for me to breathe.
Somehow Angelo always knows and then he’s right there. Holding me. Pushing my hair back from my face and looking at me with soft eyes. Kissing me until I’m breathless because of passion instead of doubt.
We’ve been in a self-imposed bubble. It’s safe in the bubble.
But it’s not real.
I’m determined to insert some sort of normalcy into our lives.
And one thing I always do after Christmas is shop some of the sales.
I remember the only year we had decorations when I was growing up, the last Christmas, was because she shopped the clearance sales the year before and actually managed to keep everything intact for an entire year.
At the time I thought she was a fucking superhero. Now, I realize that was pretty much the minimum amount of effort she could have put in.
But that memory did give me the idea for getting out of the house today. And then there’s how he’s been bugging me about picking out a car. I just know he’s going to try and spend some absurd amount of money.
I don’t think I can handle it.
When I walk into the kitchen, dressed and ready for the day, Angelo turns toward me and then looks me over.
I would have thought that he’s checking to see if what I’m wearing is appropriate, but the heat in his gaze tells a different story.
He’s not looking at me with judgement; he’s looking at me with want.
And it makes my pussy tingle.
But now is not the time. I have a plan, and I can’t allow myself to be derailed by the promise of a good dicking.
And it is fucking good.
I’ve never had a man so attuned to my body and so determined to give me pleasure. I swear he makes a promise to himself to make me scream every time we have sex. It’s the only explanation for it happening.
I’m not at all upset by it. I welcome it.
Because it’s so fucking good. Every single time. And the man likes to be buried inside of me as often as possible.
It’s almost too much, but I’m not going to tell him that.
Frankly, I can’t stand the idea of him pouting because of it. He’s pitiful when he wants to be. Who would have thought?
“I have an idea of what we can do today,” I chirp.
He eyes me warily while I lean against the counter in the kitchen. When I glance at the kitchen island all I can think about is him being on his knees in front of me and making me come with his mouth. I have to look away as I feel my cheeks heating at the memory.
My cheeks aren’t the only thing that get hot, but we don’t have time for that right now. Even though the hungry look in Angelo’s eyes tells me he would be more than willing to give me a repeat performance.
I have to fight against the shiver that runs up my spine at the promise of pleasure in his gaze as he looks me over. I’m dressed casually today in my clothes. I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely comfortable wearing a lot of the things Angelo got me for Christmas.
All of the items are so nice, and they fit like a dream, but they’re almost too nice. I’m not used to having things that are so expensive and luxurious. It almost feels wrong that they’re mine.
But I know Angelo wants to see me in those items. I’m working on it.
At least I have our initial necklace on. His eyes dart down to it, and I can see the satisfaction written all over his face. I almost roll my eyes, but I hold myself back because I can’t exactly deny how much I like his possessiveness. And not just because it makes me wet.
The way he wants me, the ownership he has over me, makes me feel safe for the first time in my life. It makes me feel wanted.
Who cares if I’m ignoring all of my man’s red flags?
And, yes, he is my man. I’ve come to accept it over the last few days. I just haven’t told him because he’ll be far too smug. It’s better to keep a man like Angelo on his toes.
“What were you thinking, la mia pace?” Angelo’s question is filled with curiosity.
I’m barely able to stop myself from smiling and keep my face blank. “Well, if I’m going to be with you,” I start.
Angelo cuts me off with a growl, “What do you mean ‘if’, Dove?” His eyes bore into mine, his obsession with me simmering just under the surface.
I can almost see it wrap around him and prod him to move closer to me.
He even takes a step which causes my lip to twitch in amusement.
“There is no if,” he insists, “you’re mine. ”
“Yes, well,” I say dismissively and wave my hand as if to brush away his words.
From the way he narrows his eyes, he doesn’t like it one bit.
The way his full lips press together in an unimpressed scowl is hot as hell.
“As I was saying,” I start again and narrow my eyes at him with a warning not to interrupt me, “if I’m going to be with you, then I’d like to be better prepared for Christmas next year.
While you did a good job decorating, we’ll need more for next year. ”
“We’ll just get what we need then,” he says dismissively.
I scoff and shake my head. “No way. The best time to stock up on decorations is right now. Everything will be on sale, and we’ll find some great bargains.”
His eyebrows furrow in the most adorable way. I can almost see the way he’s replaying my words in his head, but they don’t make any more sense the second time around than they did the first.
“Dove,” the confusion is clear to hear in his voice, “you don’t need to shop for bargains.”
“Everyone should shop sales.” I look him over with disapproval. “A deal is always better than paying full price. Are you sure you’re a businessman?” I can’t help but tease him mercilessly.
From the way his frown deepens, he’s not sure if I’m being bratty as part of a game or if something else is at play here. Am I testing him? Maybe a little.
I probably should feel bad about it, but I just don’t.
Without warning, Angelo nods and stands up as if he’s calling my bluff. “If that’s what you want to do today, then that is what we shall do,” he offers like some magnanimous ruler, and it makes me want to roll my eyes at him. “Since we’ll be out, there are a few errands I need to run.”
Suspicion has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. He’s up to something. But I’m willing to let it play out.
“Deal,” I agree with a nod.
It doesn’t take us long to leave the house and start our day. When I direct him to a big bargain store that will have all sorts of goodies on clearance, he glances between me and the store a few times before his shoulders drop while he lets out a sigh.
He’s dutiful as fuck as he follows me around while pushing a shopping cart. And I was right—there are a lot of decorations still in stock and everything is on sale.
When I pick up a decidedly creepy elf, I turn it toward Angelo with a big smile on my face.
My voice is bright, “What do you think?” My big mob boss man eyes it but doesn’t say anything at first. “I think it would be perfect on the mantle. We could do a whole collection of elves there. Like a family of them on vacation from the workshop in the North Pole,” I offer.
Angelo studies my face to figure out whether I’m joking or not. I am, but he doesn’t need to know it.
“I’m not going to lie to you, la mia pace,” he starts with a slight grimace on his face, “that thing is creepy as fuck.”
I gasp and cover one of the elf’s ears while whisper-shouting, “Why would you say something so cruel? He can hear you.”
Angelo barks out a laugh, and I can’t help but smile. When he takes it out of my hands, I’m fully expecting him to put it back on the shelf. He surprises the hell out of me by putting it in the cart along with every other elf in the aisle.
“That is a lot of elves,” I mumble.
He just winks at me before strutting out of the aisle while pushing the cart which is now almost overflowing with decorations. The only thing I can do is follow behind him.
When we’re checking out, the poor cashier doesn’t know where to look. It doesn’t help how Angelo’s face is completely blank. My man has really perfected his resting menace face. If he hadn’t just been pawing through clearance Christmas decorations with me, I might be intimidated as well.
But I know he’s really a softie at the center of it all.
Well, at least he’s that way with me. That’s all I really care about.
Salvatore appears out of nowhere when Angelo wheels the cart out of the store. He eyes everything stuffed into the bags which are spilling out over the edges of the cart and making me wonder if we might have gone a little overboard. Not that I would change a damn thing.
“You’ve got a lot of decorations here,” Salvatore comments. He teases, “Did you leave any decorations for other people to buy?”
I can’t help but chuckle while Angelo glares at him. Salvatore isn’t at all bothered by the warning look he’s getting.
While he doesn’t stick around long whenever I see him, I have met the man who Angelo considers his second in command. He was polite when we met and ensures there is distance between us whenever he’s come by. I have no doubt it’s because of rules Angelo has expressed.
My man’s possessiveness is sexy as fuck.
I was a little surprised to find out Romeo doesn’t hold the second position, but it makes perfect sense. Romeo isn’t the kind of man who can be trusted. Apparently that fact hasn’t even escaped his family.
I’d almost feel bad for him if he weren’t such a horrible person.
The cart disappears but I’m sure everything will find its way back to the penthouse. The men who work closest with Angelo seem to be more than willing to bend over backwards for him. I have a feeling he hasn’t earned that loyalty through fear, even if he will kill a man without an ounce of guilt.
From the limited interactions I’ve seen, Angelo respects those who work for him as long as they earn it. And everyone he has close to him has earned it.
I slide into the car after Angelo holds the door open for me, and I can’t help but smile. I’m not entirely sure what I thought was going to happen, but Angelo didn’t balk. He just spent time in a big box value store without blinking an eye while sticking out like a sore thumb.
I have to give him his due.
After getting in behind the wheel, Angelo glances at me with the promise of retribution in his eyes. “Now it’s my turn, la mia pace.”
My stomach knots and I look over at him warily. “Where are we going?”
“I could just take you to go and pick out your new car, but we’ll be doing that later. First, we’re going somewhere to pick up something special.”
He lets his words hang there and I huff out an annoyed breath. I can’t help but prod him by asking, “And where would we be going to pick up that something special?”
One side of his mouth tips up into a sly smirk while he navigates the streets of Seattle. “You’ll just have to see,” he tells me, his words ominous as fuck.
The only thing I can do is look out the window and try to figure out where we’re going. But I have no fucking idea.
When he pulls up right in front of an upscale boutique with dresses in the window, all I can do is stare at it. He can’t be serious, right?
It’s not the same store where I tried to buy him cufflinks just a few days ago, but it’s very similar. My stomach knots even tighter and nervousness makes it hard to swallow as my mouth goes dry. I hate this feeling.
I glance over at Angelo to find him already watching me. Of course he is.
“What are we doing here?” I can’t help but ask even though my words come out thicker than I want them to.
“You need to pick out a dress.”
I blink at the man a few times trying to understand his words even though they make perfect sense. What I don’t understand is how they apply to me.
“You just gave me a bunch of dresses,” I remind him.
“True,” he concedes before leaning across the center console of his car as his hand wraps around the back of my neck and pulls me closer. “But this dress is special. This will be the first time you’re on my arm at a party and I want you to feel and look your best. That means something new.”
“What party?” I practically screech the question before I swallow hard to stop myself from being sick.
“It’s a New Year’s Eve party and you belong on my arm.”
With those words, he kisses my lips softly before pulling away and climbing out of the car. As much as I wish I could get out of this, I know I can’t.
Damn it.