30. Cassandra
30
CASSANDRA
“ I don’t even know where to start.”
I sniff back another onslaught of tears as Teo closes the door behind him.
Rocco looks back at me, strong and courageous and the father of my unborn child. The man who fought the monster that was Giuliano Moretti, who was willing to sacrifice everything to keep us safe.
Not only had I misjudged him, but I accused him of a crime he didn’t commit.
But despite everything I’ve done, and almost betraying him for his own father, he opens his arms wide for me.
I reach for him in the space of a heartbeat, finding my home against his chest.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, I was just trying to…”
“It’s okay, Cas. I know. You were only trying to protect the baby.”
I swallow hard. “He lied to me. He said he’d help me, that he’d keep me safe.”
“I know.”
“I should have listened to you.”
He pulls away slowly, a solemn expression on his face when I look up at him. “I understand why you didn’t. What I did to you, Cas, it’s unforgivable.”
“Rocco…”
“Please, let me finish,” he steps away. “I meant what I said before. I’ll give it all up for you. Teo can take my place. I just want to be a part of our child’s life. In whatever little way will you allow me to be.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “I won’t let you do that.”
“I will never be able to atone for what I did, but please let me try in this small way.”
“Rocco!” I cry. “You didn’t kill my father.”
Rocco looks away, his jaw clenching. “I may as well have.”
“My father was manipulated and used by that monster to the point where he felt his only way out was suicide.”
“You weren’t there that night, Cas.” He swallows back his own tears. “I cornered him, challenged him, pushed him to his limit.”
“Would you have killed him?”
His eyes shoot back to mine in confusion. “What?”
“If he had gone with you, would you have killed him, eventually?”
He lets out a bitter laugh. “You know, I was making plans? I knew there would be several who would find the power transition a struggle. I needed a way to move out long-standing members of the Guild if their loyalties refused to shift.”
“Setting a new precedent,” I nod with a little smile.
He returns it weakly. “I was thinking about exiling them.”
“Where?”
“Ohio.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “So, if my father had cooperated…”
“he’d have finally been able to see you and your mom again.” Rocco’s smile falters. “But I took that reunion away from you.”
“Rocco,” I step forward, reaching to hold his face in my hands, “I don’t blame you for Carmine’s death. I grieve the life we could have had, but that is not your fault.”
His eyes flutter closed at my touch. “I won’t stop blaming myself.”
“Try,” I whisper back before summoning all my courage and standing on my toes to kiss him.
At first, he seems entirely frozen in shock. But then his mouth parts, responding eagerly to my desperation. Our tongues clash, passionately expressing every ounce of joy and relief we both feel to be reunited once more.
When I pull away, I feel dizzy. “I don’t want to think about the past anymore. I want to focus on the future. Our future, our child.”
Rocco rests his forehead against mine as we both look down at my stomach.
“I will do everything in my power to keep him safe,” he vows.
“I know you will.”
“If there’s even the possibility of a threat against either of you, we can leave, take whatever we can and disappear for good.”
I smile, finding it impossible to imagine any kind of danger that could even touch us right now. “If that time comes, I trust that you’ll be able to protect us.”
“I love you, Cas.”
His words find the space in my heart I’d unconsciously carved out for them. It’s as if everything we went through was just a delay to this inevitable conclusion.
I want to return the sentiment, but he pulls away once more, taking my hand as he goes. “Come on, let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”
There’s no rush as we make our way downstairs.
But when we reach the foyer, red and blue lights are flashing through the windows as the cops cordon off the place where Giuliano fell.
We find Martino stubbornly arguing with an officer who is clearly trying to convince him to move his car. But with little success.
To my surprise, the cop backs away as Rocco approaches.
Rocco ignores them as he opens the car door for me, and within seconds, the three of us are driving away into the night.
“What was that all about?” I ask as I peer out the back window for one last look at the disgruntled officer.
Martino laughs. “The NYPD owes us a favor or two.”
My eyebrows raise as I turn back to Rocco.
“You might have been able to forgive me for some of my crimes, Angioletta, ” he replies seriously. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things that might surface that you don’t agree with.”
I weigh his words carefully. The memories of Rocco killing the Cartel men in front of me rise to the forefront of my mind.
But my hands aren’t exactly clean, either.
“Well, from now on, you should probably let me commit crimes with you, too.”
The words sound so childish in my mouth, but Rocco doesn’t smile.
“This isn’t a life that you want, Cas.”
“I want a life with you,” I counter stubbornly. “And I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and turn a blind eye to this. If a threat is coming to you or our baby, I want to know about it.”
Martino swerves a little at the mention of the baby, and I wince slightly. I guess that particular cat is out of the bag.
“And don’t you dare tell me the Guild is no place for a woman. I know Mia is on your payroll.”
Rocco’s mouth curves up to one side. “The Candelabra is in desperate need of a new manager.”
I squeal a little as I throw myself at him, pressing his lips to mine in pure gratitude.
The moment the bedroom door closes behind us, Rocco is on me.
His hands follow the curves of my hips down to my ass, giving it a firm squeeze as his tongue explores every inch of her mouth with careful precision, causing a wave of goosebumps to pinprick across my skin.
“I’m never letting you leave my side again,” he declares possessively as he strips me of my clothes.
I giggle as my pants pool at my feet. “Are you going to try and lock me in here again?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
His lustful eyes soften for a moment as he studies my face. He cups my cheek and plants a soft kiss on my lips.
“You want me to be gentle with you?”
The sudden vulnerability catches me off guard, “Never.”
His smirk returns, and suddenly, he’s lifting me up. I squeal as he throws me down on the bed and immediately gets to work tying my hands to the backboard.
“Now you can’t escape.” He leans back, examining his work proudly.
“Has anyone ever told you how possessive you are?”
Those gray eyes meet mine again, insatiably hungry, and my breath catches.
Wordlessly, he lifts up my bare leg and begins kissing and nipping down from my ankle. Each placement of his lips sends shocks of pure desire straight into my veins.
Unable to reach for him, I can only wait with agonizing impatience as he makes his way closer and closer to my throbbing core. His hand grips my ass again as he pulls away.
I whimper as his mouth disappears from my skin.
“You need to promise that you’ll stay,” his cruel, cruel voice goads from above.
“Anything you want,” I beg breathlessly. “I’ll stay. Please, don’t stop.”
He smirks as he pulls on my leg again, bringing my throbbing core closer to his teasing lips. He buries his face in my thigh, teeth teasing the skin before smoothing the twinge of pain with his tongue.
I almost come then and there.
“Please,” I beg again. “I’ll stay.”
I can feel my wetness building, pleading for any kind of friction or pressure. The longer Rocco ignores it, the worse it gets.
Finally, his nose skims across the fabric of my thong. His teeth find purchase on the frilly material, and he pulls it to one side just as my body shudders with a wave of overwhelming delight.
I spread my legs for easier access. “I want you to taste me.”
Whatever self-control Rocco was exercising crumbles in that instant.
His tongue licks me up in one earth-shattering movement.
Suddenly, he buries himself within me with his tongue. His fingers bruise my ass as he holds me firmly in place.
My eyes roll back as he sucks harder, deeper, feasting on me as I try to wrench my hands from their restraints to pull at his hair.
Suddenly, he moans, causing delicious vibrations to erupt from his lips directly onto my most sensitive spot.
“Oh, fuck.”
The pressure reaches its boiling point. I can see the stars beginning to form around my eyes and…and…
He disappears once more.
“Rocco!” I cry out, desperately wrapping my legs around him to bring him back.
He straightens to undo the buckle and zipper of his pants, chuckling to himself. “So impatient.”
I bite down on my lower lip to stop another protest from escaping as I behold his well-endowed cock with heated anticipation.
Rocco roughly strokes himself, eyes turning dark as they ravage me where I’m tied up on his bed and unable to do anything but succumb to him and his pleasure.
I part my lips in invitation and his stroking increases.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” His voice is gruff with desire.
“Then fuck me,” I plead. “Take me now. I’m so fucking wet for you, Rocco. Please.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. The next thing I know, his lips are crashing against mine, his tongue plunging into my mouth desperately.
I can taste myself on his lips, and I groan at the sensation of it all. It will never get enough of this.
I’m so distracted I barely notice that he’s lining himself up at my entrance. When he plunges into me, groaning with pleasure until he is fully sheathed inside, the stars return with a vengeance.
“I love you,” I gasp.
Because there’s never been a moment when that hasn’t been more true.
But to my dismay, Rocco stops again. My straining core is struggling with the effort of keeping him within.
A gentle hand tilts my chin upwards, and I meet his endlessly gray eyes. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
His mouth meets mine again as he finally, finally begins to move. But this time, his movements are powerful and relentless.
He growls possessively, “Tell me you’re mine.”
I have to grip onto my restraints to keep myself anchored so that every time he pounds into me, he still hits that delicious mark.
“I’m yours.” My tongue dances hungrily with his.
I lose myself to the rhythm of our joined sexes.
My orgasm explodes from me in a violent ecstasy, but he doesn’t stop, doesn’t offer me any relief until my second has grown to a breaking point, and then he too, shudders with the outburst of our desire.
We cum together, wrapped around each other in an inseparable union. The restraints around my wrists loosen as if knowing that their purpose has been served.
For what feels like hours, we simply lie there, basking in the beautiful joy of each other's bodies.
“Nothing has ever felt so right.” Rocco breaks the comfortable silence first.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” I agree.
He plants a gentle kiss on my forehead. “And soon, we’ll have a little one to add to our joy.”
I hum noncommittally before I bury my face in his neck. My tongue darts out to lick the sensitive spot I know sends him completely wild. “I guess there’s nothing else for it.”
Rocco props himself up on his hand, pulling himself away. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, we can’t exactly be doing this all the time when the baby is born,” I point out.
His eyes twinkle mischievously. “I suppose that means we should go again.”
“You took the words straight out of my mouth.”