Chapter 16
Anna
Alone during the day, filling my time with a workout, shower, good books from the small library shelves in the corner of the room, and joined for dinner every night without fail by the dark-eyed devil who’s managed to capture more than my interest physically.
Being kissed by the boss of the DeLuca family has thrown me for a loop.
His kisses shouldn’t impact me like this.
It’s not like I haven’t been kissed before but I’ve never been kissed like this.
So completely devoured with the power of his kisses, the intimacy we share at night, that I find myself waiting for him to walk through that door every single evening, waiting with butterflies in my belly until he snakes his arm around me and claims my lips with his own, searing me with his desire.
Sophia would say I’ve lost my mind, and maybe I have.
I should be fighting this attraction, telling myself it’s not okay to be completely drawn to my captor, but I’m a realist and this is about as fucking real as it gets.
Never has my body responded to a touch the way that I respond to his.
I swear I feel him through that door before he even rattles the knob to let himself in with his key.
Two weeks, the same pattern, dinner with him feeding me from his fingers. Tonight, when we’re sated and he has me cradled in his arms, I lay with my head on his chest. “Do you know anything more about Gallini? At least that you’re able to share?”
He kisses the top of my head drawing me closer. “These are no longer your worries, princessa. They are mine to deal with now.”
I trace a pattern around his muscular chest, my hand slowly making its way south until my finger teases his navel before I revel in the way his abs tighten as my fingers find his cock.
Rock solid, velvet, hot and always ready to play. I stroke him, just the way he likes, watching his face as the pleasure takes hold. I could do this for hours, watching him like this.
But Vincenzo can only let me be in charge for so long. I’ve learned that about him, and I don’t mind at all. Maybe a liberated and strong woman should, but in this, I love the way he takes the reins.
He not only takes them, but he also controls every second, rolling me on my back before thrusting so deep inside of me that I can barely breathe, wave after wave of pleasure building as he hits that little button that makes me want to explode, teasing me, holding me where he wants me until that very minute when he demands that I come and fills me with his seed.
Our bodies haven’t even calmed yet before he rolls me over, cradling me to him. His favorite position of all. I stroke his face. “I’ve never experienced something so good. Did I tell you I never once had an orgasm with him?”
He traces my lips with a finger and then gently presses his to mine. “I’m sorry. I love watching you come, princessa. It’s my favorite part of the night.”
“Sometimes I really can’t believe that I’m here for good. That I’m not being sent somewhere else.”
His brow furrows. “I told you; I’m keeping you, princessa.”
“But you’re not letting me out of this room again because I talked to Nicolo?”
Vincenzo doesn’t answer, just strokes my hair as he contemplates my question. “No, it has nothing to do with Nicolo,” he says, pressing me against his chest as my eyes begin to drift.
The next morning, I wake up to a wide open door.
Surprise after the way he didn’t answer my question last night, and then excitement bloom in my belly.
I slip into a satin pink robe that while not sheer would show him all my lady bits if I bend over, because panties are not an option around the dark-eyed devil.
These feelings, I have to get a handle on them, or I’m headed for an emotional rollercoaster that I simply don’t want to ride. Fun is one thing, but these feelings for Vincenzo are getting stronger, and I know it.
No one, my sister, her ferocious husband who’s going to absolutely lose it when he finds out that a rival don has me, or anyone of the entire Roselli family is going to accept the fact that I’m with a DeLuca.
They may not be outright enemies, and have helped each other when called up to do so and for mutual benefit, or when a debt was owed as in the case with Vincenzo rescuing me, but still.
There are lines, and they don’t get crossed.
And if Massimo isn’t aware that Vincenzo has me, that not only crosses every line but obliterates its very existence. Massimo will never forgive Vincenzo, and neither will my sister for that matter.
And if Barcelo’s brother finds me, it will mean a life of repentance for his brother’s death. Vincenzo may think he can protect me, but the reality is that Bastian knows I’m alive. It’s just a matter of time before he finds me. And then what happens to Vincenzo, to Nicolo, to his family?
My heart feels heavy with the burden as I wistfully watch the ships that twinkle in the distance, still torn between this life and one on the run because life on the run would keep everyone safe, not just me.
I feel Vincenzo before I turn to see him standing in the doorway, his black Armani dress pants tailored over his thighs and hips perfectly, the buckle of his belt drawing my eyes past his crotch and toward the upturned lips that gently smirk.
My lips purse in annoyance. “You’re as stealthy as a bobcat. Were you taught that as a boy?”
His eyebrows arch. “Hardly. You were a million miles away when I came in.” He looks out the window toward the ships in the distance. “You know most of those ships pay us to protect them. Not a good idea to get on board and be brought back by my men.”
“Better than what life holds in store for me if the Gallinis get me. That’s who’s coming, right?” I know what he’s said, but after everything that happened with Barcelo, it may be impossible for me to trust anything anyone ever says again.
He closes the inches between us with one step, effectively eliminating any personal space to speak of, the fresh scent of his soap wafting under my nostrils. Why the hell does he always smell so good. And look so good.
His finger settles underneath my chin. “Look at me, Anna.”
My eyes meet his dark intense orbs and I inhale a breath as his finger shifts and pushes a trailing tendril of hair from my face. “I told you, you are mine. I won’t let them hurt you.”
Vincenzo wants me to trust him but he won’t even let me call my sister, her husband, or my best friend.
Keeps me here and I should trust him. He may be irresistible in some areas, and I may have given him many firsts in the bedroom, but my trust, when so many lives are at stake is a very big ask.
The last time I fully trusted a man, gave him my heart, my soul, and everything that he asked, he used me until he realized I was of no use to him, and then turned on me, beating and torturing me in an attempt to make my father give him his way.
Delz used to always say, “If you aren’t one hundred percent sure, trust no one.” In our life there’s always someone trying to get to us, especially the daughters of mafia heads for position, power, or just to use us as pawns in their sick little power games.
Delz’s sharp voice burns in my memory. Trust no one, understand, Anna, Sophia?
Repeat it! No wonder Papa trusted Delz to train us as young women in this world.
Papa may not have made good decisions where Barcelo was concerned but I don’t blame him like Sophia does.
He didn’t know what Barcelo was like. I didn’t know what Barcelo was like until it was too late.
But once I learned… A shiver runs down the length of my spine causing Vincenzo’s eyes to narrow. His hand snakes beneath my hair, the width of his palm settling at my nape, his thumb caressing the tender skin as he draws me closer.
My breath catches. He’s going to kiss me.
He’s so close that I can smell the minty scent of his toothpaste, but he doesn’t kiss me.
His lips hover so close, causing my heart to race.
His dark eyes meet mine. “Stop thinking about ways to escape the safety of my home and instead try to remember that you’re here so I can keep you safe. Out there I can’t protect you.”
I nod, still unsure but Vincenzo seems so sure, so convinced that it makes me want to believe.
“What do you know about the deal your father made with Barcelo?” he asks.
The thought of my father, bloody and tortured beyond recovery, still holding out even under the torture that Barcelo inflicted causes my heart to squeeze.
“Papa wouldn’t break. He wouldn’t give his estate to Barcelo once he knew what kind of man he was.
Once he saw what he was capable of doing to me. ”
Vincenzo’s eyes search mine. “So nothing to your knowledge was signed formally or even spoken about giving him rights?”
“No, but Barcelo said that it didn’t matter in the end. Papa had agreed on my marriage to Barcelo to combine the territories.” I shrug. “Barcelo was always going to get what he wanted.”
Tears come to my eyes, and I swipe them away. Never show emotion. Never let the enemy see your true feelings. Only I no longer know if Vincenzo is the enemy or my protector at this point because everything about the man and this entire situation is confusing as hell.
Vincenzo wipes the tears from my face with a finger. “Let your tears fall, princessa. It’s good for your soul.”
I swallow through the emotion at the back of my throat. “What would you know about what’s good for a person’s soul? Sometimes I feel like you’re the devil himself.”
He laughs out loud, and for some odd reason although the tears continue to flow, I find the sound calming. “Believe it or not, I am not the enemy, princessa. But you have to trust that I have your best interests at heart.”
Vincenzo dries the rest of my tears before taking my hand. “Come, I’ll show you around. You’ll have free rein in the penthouse but not outside of it, princessa.”
My heart swells with an emotion I can’t seem to describe, too caught up in the feeling that this might be real. I may just be safe here in his penthouse, under his protection, and in his strong and capable arms at night.
But that little voice… Trust no one.
It still keeps me vigilant and aware, taking in every single detail as he walks me through the vast living area, past the dining and spaciously open kitchen that I have already seen, down the hall to the other large rooms, a couple that look like guest rooms, a large gym and a space that could only be his office.
His cell rings and he unpockets it from his suit coat with his left hand, listening for a moment before grimacing.
“I’ll be there shortly.” He disconnects.
“If you can’t find me, I’m usually here working.
” His hand settles on my lower back, guiding me back down the hall toward the kitchen.
“I need to meet with Nicolo. Help yourself to what’s in the refrigerator.
It was brought up fresh this morning. I’ll be back later in the day.
The remote for the television, lights, and stereo is on the fireplace. ”
Vincenzo lets go of my hand and places a finger beneath my chin, raising my eyes to meet his. “And princessa? I know it won’t be easy, but I want you to trust me.”
My eyes meet his and I give him the best smile I can muster before he turns and walks out the door. He could probably ask me for anything else, but trust.