Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Emiliano
M en in the cartel didn’t take women home to spend the night. That wasn’t only because I lived with my parents and my father was a lieutenant. It was because truly no one could be trusted. As I woke to sunlight streaming through the open curtains and the glass doors opened, a primitive and unexpected feeling filled my chest.
It was trust.
Pure, unadulterated trust.
Isabella trusted me, and I trusted her.
As I turned to my side, Isabella’s beautiful face was inches away, her eyes closed, golden hair a tangled mess over the pillow, and her lips slightly parted. For a moment, I simply stared in awe that she was mine. Memories of the night before flooded my thoughts.
There was no question that the timid girl back at the capo’s was no longer a caterpillar. She was a beautiful butterfly, no longer caught in her cocoon. While I’d watched Isabella spread her wings at the apartments, I didn’t know what to expect on our wedding night. I’d heard stories of couples who didn’t consummate their marriage until further down the road. If my wife had asked for us to wait, I would have complied. I might be a monster when it came to running our streets and dealing with our enemies, but I wasn’t and never would be with the woman I wanted at my side for the rest of my life.
Not only did my wife willingly participate, but she also initiated. The idea of spending fifty more years with her in my bed brought a smile to my face.
Battling with myself about whether to wake her or not, I gently teased strands of her hair from her cheek. Her long eyelashes fluttered, yet she didn’t move.
A check of the clock told me it was nearly seven thirty, Saturday morning. That was much later than I usually slept. No doubt, Jano would want to meet soon with the lieutenants. Hopefully, everyone had a late night—taking the edge off.
Isabella and I hadn’t closed our eyes until after two. I leaned closer, hearing her even breathing and gently kissed her cheek. Again, she didn’t move. If it wasn’t for seeing her eyelashes flutter and hearing her breathing, I might panic.
Quietly, I eased out of bed.
Walking nude to the glass doors, I closed them and shut the curtains, giving Isabella darkness to continue her slumber.
Once in the bathroom, I closed the door. The bloody washcloth on the vanity satisfied an animalistic need in me. I hadn’t set out to marry a virgin, but now that I had, I couldn’t deny the knowledge that no other man had ever been near her moist pink pussy satisfied me. My fingers were the first. My tongue was the first, and my cock will be the last. As I ran the cloth under warm water, rinsing away the blood, I recalled Father Gallo’s question.
Fuck him for asking Isabella and not asking me. Her virginity wasn’t what she pledged to me, although she had given it to me. She pledged her complete self. That was what I wanted—all of her.
After a quick shower, I entered the bedroom. My wife was still sleeping in the exact position she was when I woke. Going into the closet, I scanned the clothes racks. I would need to move my things around to make room for Isabella’s things. Dressing in clean jeans and a different black t-shirt, I picked up my socks and shoes.
While I hated to leave with Isabella asleep, I also couldn’t bring myself to wake her. The flowers on the table caught my eye. I found a piece of paper in my desk and wrote a note. Plucking a yellow and white daisy from the bouquet, I left the flower and note on my pillow before stealthily making my way out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me.
In the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of coffee and turned to the stares of both Mom and Lola. Mom’s eyebrow quirked, and Lola smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Mom said. “How is Isabella?”
“She’s asleep.”
“Did everything go well?”
I shook my head. “Not a conversation I’m having with my mom.” I had a thought. “Are there any of Cat’s or Camila’s clothes still here?”
“ Sí ,” Lola said. “There were things Camila didn’t want anymore. I was supposed to donate them.” She turned to Mom. “ Lo siento . I haven’t.”
“No, that’s a good thing,” I said.
Both women looked at me. “Isabella came here last night with literally only the clothes on her back. Could you take her a few things” —I shook my head— “I don’t know. Whatever women need. Later today, she can retrieve her belongings from el Patr?n’s home. And we can send for her things from Kansas City. Fuck, she can buy a whole new wardrobe. I don’t give a shit.”
“Emiliano,” Mom scolded.
I pressed my lips together. “She just needs something for this morning.”
“Do you have a minute?” Lola asked me.
“I need to get to Jano’s. A minute for what?”
She hurried toward the back staircase. “Come with me. I know there are some items your wife might want. You could take them to her now so we’re not disturbing her.”
My wife .
Leaving my coffee, I followed Lola up the back stairs past the door to Isabella’s and my room and into what used to be Camila’s room.
Lola first went to the dresser. “I only saw your wife from a distance last night.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You should have joined us.”
Lola shook her head. “It was family.”
“On Sunday, you’ll be a guest.”
Pink filled her cheeks. “ Gracias , Emiliano.” She opened the top drawer of the dresser and removed a pair of my sister’s panties and a bra.
“Whoa.” I lifted my hands and turned.
“Senor Emiliano, you are a husband. Husbands know about things like their wives’ underclothes.”
“But those aren’t Isabella’s. They’re Camila’s.”
Lola nodded her chin. “Once you give them to Senora Isabella, they’ll be hers.”
I inhaled. “You’re right, Lola, as usual.”
Opening Camila’s closet, she came out with a soft long robe and slippers. She also had a sundress and sandals.
“I’ve never seen her wear a dress.” And then I remembered. “Oh, she did have a dress on at the birthday party.”
“You take these to her, so she’ll find them when she wakes. Once she comes downstairs, I’ll offer her anything else she would like from Camila’s things. If your sister wanted these things, they would be in Missouri.”
“Thank you, Lola.”
I took the items and headed across the hallway. Turning the doorknob, I opened the door quietly. To my surprise, the bed was empty. Laying the clothes on the bed, I looked out on the balcony. It was also empty. That was when I heard the water from the shower running.
The bathroom door was closed.
A flimsy doorhandle lock wouldn’t keep me out. Then again, if she wanted privacy, kicking in the bathroom door wasn’t a wise move. I debated before trying to turn the knob. To my relief, it turned. I pushed the door inward.
Steam floated out of the glass enclosure. Through the foggy panes, I stared at the sexy silhouette of my wife. Isabella was stunning—a goddess. She tipped her face up to the spray allowing it to saturate her long golden hair. I reached for the glass door and opened it a little.
Isabella startled, jumped, and covered her breasts.
“Too late,” I said with a grin. “I’ve already seen them, licked them, sucked them, and even bitten them.”
She shook her head. “You scared me. I thought you were gone.”
My gaze scanned from her painted toenails, up her shapely legs, to the V between her legs, covered by a small patch of golden curls, up the hollows of her stomach, and the roundness of her breasts. By the time I was looking into her milk-chocolate gaze, my cock had doubled in size. “It’s taking all of my fucking willpower for me to not step into this shower and run my soapy hands over every inch of that gorgeous body.”
Isabella ran liquid soap over a loofah and wiped it over her breasts. “Like this.”
“Fuck.”
I kicked off my boots and threw my wallet, keys, and phone on the vanity.
Isabella giggled as I stepped under the spray wearing the rest of my clothes. “You’re crazy.”
“Crazy for you.” I put out my hand. “Give me that loofah.”
“Don’t you need to go to work?”
The water soaked my hair, plastered my t-shirt to my chest and added another ten pounds to my jeans. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “Be a good girl and give me the loofah, and tonight, I’ll let you come again, with my mouth.”
“You’ll let me?”
I nodded.
With suspicious eyes, she handed me the loofah.
I added more soap. “Turn around.”
“Em.”
My timbre slowed. “Turn around.”
She did.
“Put your hands on the wall.” When she didn’t move, I lowered my face to the crook of her neck and kissed her sensitive skin. “Good girls get to come.”
Her nipples beaded as she obeyed.
I glided the soapy sponge over her shoulders, down her back, and over her sexy round ass. Then I reached around, washing her arms, breasts, and down to her pussy. “Are you sore?”
Isabella nodded.
“Let me know when you’re not. Because right now, my cock wants out of these jeans.”
She craned her neck and flashed me a smile. “Maybe tonight.”
“No rush, my love.” Using my soapy fingers, I gently massaged her clit. Isabella’s lips opened, and her forehead fell against the tile as moans and whimpers filled the stall. Her body quivered as she laid her head back against my chest. With one arm around her waist, I kept her from falling as she bounced with my touch. While I was careful not to penetrate, I didn’t stop until Isabella called my name and shuddered in my grasp. She looked up at me and smiled. “I must be a good girl.”
“You’re very good.”
“I feel like a ragdoll.”
I kissed her hair. “Sorry?”
Isabella shook her head. “I like it.”
I helped her to the corner bench. As she sat, I gently added shampoo to her long hair. Removing the detachable showerhead, I rinsed as the suds flowed down her perfect body and down to the drain.
“Conditioner?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, that’s not something I use. Make a list and we’ll get whatever you want.”
“My things are at Mia’s.”
I turned off the water and unbuttoned my jeans.
Isabella’s eyes opened wide.
“No, Izzy. You’re not ready for more fucking. I don’t want to get the bathroom wet.” She watched as I stripped out of my clothes. Despite my mind knowing she wasn’t ready for more, my dick was ready to go. And the look of desire in her eyes as she fixated on my bobbing cock wasn’t calming the beast.
Once out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and began drying my wife from her beautiful face down to her toes.
“You do know I can wash and dry myself.”
I lowered my lips to hers. “My job to take care of you, remember.” We kissed. Once we separated, I lifted my phone. It was now almost nine, and I had two messages and a missed call from Jano. “Fuck. I do need to go.”
“Don’t tell el Patr?n that it’s my fault you’re late.”
“It was your fault.” I kissed her again. “But I’ll take the blame.” I remembered why I’d returned to the bedroom. “We will get your things from Jano’s today. In the meantime, Lola found some things Camila left here.” I shrugged. “If you want clean clothes.”
Isabella sighed. “Oh, I do. Lola?”
“Our house manager. My father is probably already where I am supposed to be. It’s just Mom, Lola, and Miguel downstairs. They’ll take good care of you.”
“Miguel?”
“Mom’s bodyguard. He won’t bother you.”
Her expression radiated happiness and contentment in a way I’d never seen before. “I’ll be fine. I’m home.”
“I fucking love you.”
Isabella blew me a kiss as I grabbed my things from the vanity, walked out of the bathroom, and entered the closet to dress for the second time today.