Chapter 21
MIA
Leo’s eyes darken and he stalks forward—this time with a renewed determination. His hands land on either side of my body as he cages me in.
“And here I thought you’d make me work harder for it,” he says, his fingers curling around my chin and forcing my face upwards.
“Don’t push it,” I seethe, angling my hips closer to his.
“I will never stop pushing you. It’s my favorite thing to do,” he whispers before his lips are on mine.
As soon as our mouths connect, I lose all willpower. Everything fizzles into the air around us, and all I can focus on is pulling him closer until there’s nothing left between us.
His hold on my chin tightens as I hungrily open my mouth for him. His tongue plunges inside, clashing against mine in perfect harmony.
A loud moan rips from my throat, and I feel his lips curl into a smile against mine.
His hands work in tandem with his mouth, one traveling from my thigh up and the other from my throat down.
I whip my head backward as he resumes pressing kisses against the base of my throat. Each new mark sends a bolt of pleasure skittering across my body.
Unlike our last encounter, this one is more frantic and elevated, moving toward a barrier that I’ve been hesitant to give him access to.
His hands greedily slide up my thighs, taking the hem of my dress with them. My panties quickly follow.
“Jesus Christ,” he says, pulling away from my neck to see what he’s just unboxed. “Even better than I remember,” he sighs.
His tongue skirts across his bottom lip, making me burn up inside. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fuck me?”
Leo’s grin widens. “You’re lucky I like that smart mouth of yours.”
Excitement flares up inside me as he quickly goes to work on his own clothing, shedding pieces of his ensemble and giving me an unobstructed view of everything I should hate but want all at the same time.
Unable to wait any longer, I reach forward and grab a piece of his dress shirt still hanging off his body. I pull hard, forcing him to collapse onto me.
“So impatient,” he tsks, his breath feathering against my cheek.
I run my hands down his toned stomach. “I’m just trying to get this over with before I can convince myself it’s a bad idea.”
“Oh, it is a bad idea,” Leo says, desire burning in his eyes as he hooks his fingers into the waistband of his briefs and pulls them down. His cock springs forward, catching me off guard. “But I think we’re way past the point of caring.”
My mouth must pop open at some point because his hand shoots up to grip my chin and plunge his tongue inside. I moan into the warmth.
His fingers dance along my slit until he begins sliding them in and out in a torturous rhythm. I rock my hips against his hand, loving the feeling but wishing something else was pushing inside me.
“Do I need a condom?” Leo whispers against my lips.
“No,” I moan, moving my hips more frantically. “I’m on the pill.”
“Good girl,” he sighs, his fingers sliding out of me and moving toward my clit. I whimper when I feel the harsh padding of his thumb swirl around me. “You’re going to feel so good bare for the first time.”
And then he pushes inside me.
“Ahh!” I yell, shoving my face into his shoulder as my walls fold around him.
He smiles, gripping my hips tighter. He starts with slow thrusts, letting my body adjust to his size. There’s a slight sting, but every movement gets better and better, sending a delightful shudder up and down my back.
Just like everything else, he doesn’t let me stay comfortable for long.
My heart pounds as his thrusts increase, getting more and more vigorous with the heady sound of my screams.
His mouth switches between my neck and mouth, quickly transitioning to the peaks of my breasts after he grabs the straps of my dress and yanks them down.
It all feels amazing.
Intoxicating.
A wormhole of pleasure that I’m not sure I’ll be able to find my way out of.
“You’re fucking addicting, Cara Mia.” And each time he pushes inside me I understand it more and more.
Leo sticks his finger in his mouth before placing it back on my clit. I groan, throwing my head back and knocking it against the wall. “Fuck, Leo.”
“Are you going to come for me?” he asks, sliding my hips closer to the edge of the table and lifting me so he can get deeper. The sensation is almost too much, blasting through me in waves that get more intense each time.
“Y-yes,” I reply, hurdling toward my climax.
It’s a blinding white intensity that fractures my vision and sucks all the air out of my lungs. My walls clamp down violently around him, riding the high and slowly letting me free-fall into a release so good it makes my toes curl.
Leo lets out a feral growl in response, letting go of my hips to death grip the edge of the table. He delivers two more punishing, deep thrusts that are so powerful it sends one of the sparse paintings on his wall crashing to the ground.
His entire body goes tense as he unloads inside me and bends over with a ragged breath. Seconds stretch into minutes before he pulls out and buries his head in my neck.
We both stop there trying to catch our breath. My skin is slick with a satisfying post-orgasm glow and every inch of my body tingles with sweet release. I feel relaxed for the first time in months.
“Just wait until we have more time,” he sighs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder before pulling away. “But we should get going. My mother is going to kill me if my sister doesn’t first.”
“Wait, what?” I ask, pulling the straps of my dress back up and using Leo’s hand to guide me off the table. “I thought we were getting dinner just the two of us?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re having dinner at my family’s home.”
The calmness surrounding me evaporates into thin air.
“You’re joking, right?”
“No,” he smirks, tucking a rogue strand of hair behind my ear. “But I am enjoying the look on your face right now.”
His eyes darken as his fingers dig into the side of my neck. “You said you’re mine. There’s no going back.”
I’ve never met a boyfriend’s parents before. I’ve never stuck around long enough to get that far.
And I most certainly have never met a stalker/blackmailer/kind-of-fuck-buddy’s parents before.
A hysterical laugh threatens to break free, but I clamp my lips shut before it can escape. This isn’t happening.
Except it is.
And Leo DeLuca is taking off his jacket casually like this entire situation isn’t weird and entirely awkward.
I tried asking him how he is going to introduce me in the car ride over here, but he just said he’d handle it. Not to mention, he couldn’t keep his hands off me, and I had to keep swatting him away even though every bone in my body wanted to do the exact opposite.
I thought the best way to get him out of my system was to get him into it. But I’ve never been more wrong in my life.
Banishing the lingering vehemence in my body, I smooth my hands down my dress for the hundredth time.
I try to calm myself down, but as my eyes flicker across all the family photos on display, I spot a young Leo with his mom and dad anchored at his side with huge smiles on their faces.
He looks happy in the photo. Probably no older than thirteen. It’s the first smile of his I’ve seen without any ulterior motive behind it. And then I remember something.
“I thought you told me your parents died?” I ask, turning toward him.
His face tightens. “They did. Frank and Cecil DeLuca adopted me when I was ten.”
“Oh,” I say with an entirely new narrative painted in my head as I spin to the hall full of family photos. A large picture hangs front and center with an older version of Leo surrounded by his adopted parents and two more people tucked beside him.
“Are those your siblings?” I ask. Leo walks up beside me and curls his arm around my backside as he sweeps me toward the bustling noise around the corner.
“Yes. Frank and Cecil had two children but always wanted a third. My brother, Gio, is a few years older than me, and my sister, Maribella, is the youngest. She just turned 26.”
I nod, absorbing all the information Leo’s willing to give me. Maybe he’s just invited me into my way out. I wonder if they know what their son does with his power.
“It’s about damn time,” a man grunts as soon as we round the corner into a cute little sitting room. It’s the complete opposite of Leo’s home and full of warm colors. It feels like the kind of place I should instantly feel comfortable in, and yet, I feel like I’m ready to crawl out of my skin.
I don’t belong here.
“Relax, Gio,” Leo says with a hint of amusement in his tone. “You’re lucky I showed up at all, old man.”
Leo releases his hold on me to greet his brother.
Gio is handsome like Leo, but in a more rugged way with his beard and light brown hair. He’s wearing a suit, which seems like overkill for an intimate family dinner. His eyes are a similar color of green, but lighter, and he’s giving significantly less serial killer vibes than his brother.
“Holy shit, Bro,” Gio says, inching his head around Leo’s tall form. “Did you bring a date?”
“Let’s keep the frat boy talk to a minimum, Bro,” Leo chides playfully, turning back to me and wrapping his arm around my waist.
“This is Emilia. Emilia, this is my brother, Gio.”
“You can call me Mia. Nice to meet you,” I say, holding my hand out to shake his. He smiles smugly back at me as he grips my hand and gives it one affirmative shake before dropping it.
“Please forgive my enthusiasm, Mia. Leo has never brought a woman home. It’s almost enough to excuse the fact that he didn’t get me a birthday gift.”
“You just turned thirty-six. I think you’re a little too old for birthday gifts,” a feminine voice calls out from behind us. “Leo, Mom is pissed you’re late, so I hope you’re ready to grovel.”
“And this is my sister, Mariabella,” Leo says.
“You can call me Mari. Did I overhear you say your name is Mia?” She smiles, pushing back her thick, curly brown hair that falls down her back.