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He’s still rocking hard against me, eyes rolling back as he doubles over me with his own orgasm. Just then, I hear the first bout of thunder assailing the sky.
“Fuck. I could go another round in your heavenly pussy, but I don’t want to get caught up in the thunderstorm,” he manages to mutter into my ears. When he pulls himself away from me, his smile is so wide it crinkles his eyes.
I smile when he reaches out for the roll of tissue just beside my head so he can wipe us both clean. “How did you know to come here? Mia didn’t, by any chance, call you, did she?”
“Did you forget I’m a mafia don, Princess? Plus, I was worried you may have gone to spill stuff to your old man−or others−about me. I came looking for you onceI decided I’d given you enough time to cool off.”
My lashes flutter rapidly for a few seconds before I shake my head. “No! No... why would I?” I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth about my discussions with Mia.
A grin takes over his face as he yanks his briefs and pants up, buckling his belt into place.
“Let’s go home,Principessa.”
A small frown tugs at my lips. “I already promised Mia I’d be here till I leave for law school this weekend. My internship ends tomorrow.”
Surprisingly, he doesn’t argue, he just takes my hand in his, leading me outside to his car.
“That’s okay,” he finally responds as we arrive at his car. Reaching towards me, his warm lips cruise over mine in a sweet kiss. “I can always come here to see you. But I’ll have the honor of dropping you off at school, no?”
A low chuckle escapes my throat. “Anything for you, Donatelli.”
He gets into the car and slams the door shut. As he turns on the ignition and rain begins pattering lightly on me, I make a mental note to call Mia.
Now that I know the truth about Mario, guilt clutches at my chest, though I don’t know why. Or maybe I do.
With everything that happened, all the facts that I learned now, I don’t want Mia or anyone else going after Elio any longer. Because under that ruthless mask of his, I now realize that Elio does have a heart, no matter how deep it is buried. And I know that he has already started to unearth parts of it.
My hands reach to caress my stomach lightly. Maybe this pregnancy could be the breakthrough we need to work things out between us.
Maybe—just maybe—he’d even abandon his criminal life to start our own family−our ownnormalfamily. After all, it’s apparently not unheard of in the mafia world.
Turning to look at him maneuvering out of Mia’s driveway amidst the thunderstorm, a realization flutters in my stomach, bringing a tear to my eye.
I’m in love with Elio Donatelli. And I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make this work.
All along, I’ve been living for Mario and to get justice, but maybe now I can finally make peace with the truth.
Maybe now I can finally start living my own life with Elio and our baby.
Chapter thirty-three
Elio
I’ve always refused to gamble with that virtue called ‘trust,’ but with Aria, all my rules have come crumbling down.
She’s no longer the stranger I have to keep at arm’s length. I know I can trust her, that she’ll not bring me to ruin. The fact that she didn’t go running to her daddy the minute she found out about the circumstances of her brother’s death only validates my conclusion further.
Smoke unfurls from my lips in small circles while my legs cross at the ankles on my office table.
I would have loved to take her on a weekend getaway to thank her for her loyalty, but there’s no time for that now, not with Marcus Winston breathing down my neck.
Cortez leans against the desk, distracting my thoughts from Aria; his arms are crossed, his eyes sharp as they bore into mine. There’s heavy silence in the air, especially since it’s three days into the seven-day ultimatum Marcus Winston gave me, and I still don’t have a strategic plan.
He has proof that I executed Bruno Moretti in cold blood. If that footage leaks, it’s not just trouble for me. It’s the end of my family empire.
“We need to eliminate this Winston problem,” my voice is heavy with exhaustion, “before it’s too late.”
Cortez nods, a sober expression on his face. “What are you thinking of,Capo? I don’t think Winston is bluffing about exposing the video if we don’t comply. He has nothing to lose either way.”