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“You’ll come to learn no one has power over everything. Some things are simply beyond our control. Constance and I did everything we could to keep you, your brother, and your mother safe.”
Mr. Belfiore never failed to mention how he helped us when it benefited him.But he also lied. He let me believe he’d done more to keep my father behind bars but hadn’t. On the other hand, staying angry wouldn’t get me anywhere. We still needed each other. “Fine. I’ll go back to Westchester.”
He exhaled down the line. “Then it’s settled. You’ll stay here.”
My shoulders dropped as relief washed over me. I didn’t want to stay with my grandparents, but I knew I couldn’t pretend everything was fine with the Marinis either. “All right. Talk to you tomorrow—”
“Wait, Adelina. One more thing…Uh, picking you up at the airport isdelicate. I’d rather you not discuss it with Rocco. Not because it’s a problem, but he has a lot on his plate.”
I smirked at the phone. My grandfather obviously wanted to hide my going back to their house from Rocco. Why? Staying with my grandparents wasn’t a big deal, but not telling him felt like deceit. “Rocco won’t see it that way. I need to tell him—”
“No, you don’t, just leave it to me. I’ll explain to him that since he called off the wedding—”
“He postponed it because of his grandfather’s funeral—”
“Yes, well. In the end, it’s the same thing. You’re not married, and I never agreed for you to become his live-in girlfriend. He has a funeral and lots of work to do. You’ll just be in the way.”Charming. Thank you, Grandfather, for always making me feel wanted.
Rocco wasn’t alone. His whole family was around him, and they’d need him to focus on them.Would he miss me if I was gone?At the root of it, though, was fear of being without him. How had I become so attached to him so soon?Rocco did this to me. He seized every waking moment of my life since he took me away, bonding in such a way that Icravedhim. Truly, it wasn’t safe to be so vulnerable when everything in my life was uncertain. The only way to protect myself was to leave—before I fell for him completely, before I let myself believe he truly cared.Besides, he canceled our wedding without hesitation. I winced at my thought. Even to my ears, it sounded like a lame excuse and copout, but my grandfather gave me a way to blame everything on him.And I’m the coward that’ll let him do it.
“Fine, I’ll leave it for you to tell him.”
“Good. Glad you understand the need for censure. As I said, it’s a challenging time for Rocco. He’ll more than likely become Luca’s successor. Many changes will come with that, and some of them could affect our agreement. We must be prudent.”
A trickle of fear bloomed in my chest. Would Rocco still marry me?Maybe.But what would be my fate if he didn’t? Would I have to marry Percy Sterling? My grandmother mentioned him as my only option should Rocco back out of our arranged marriage. Was that why my grandfather wanted me to stay at their home? I had to know.
I touched my churning stomach. “Is something else going on?”
“No. Just me picking you up. Uh, nothing else.” He coughed.
I didn’t trust my grandfather, but staying with him would give me time to figure out why Mr. Marini, or whoever it was, left the papers for me to find. “All right.”
“Where’s Rocco now?”
I glanced over at the closed door. “He’s with his mother.”
“Good…good. Then it’s settled. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
We ended the call. I went to the bathroom and took a couple of aspirin to fight the pounding in my temples. However, there was nothing for my conscience. Was keeping this from Rocco the same as lying?I didn’t know what to do. But I returned to bed, and even with all my worries, I drifted….
Warm hands touched my stomach, and I shivered.Am I dreaming?
My eyes shot open, and Rocco was behind me in bed, pulling up my nightshirt.
This. I’ll miss this.
Rocco’s firm, warm body pressed hard against my back. His fingertips stroked low on my stomach, sending a flutter through me. “Mmm,” he hummed, burying his mouth in my neck, nuzzling. The stubble on his squared jaw grazed my skin. I inhaled sharply, my lungs filled with the scent of spicy leather, and a shiver went through me in his arms. I snuggled closer, and he held me tighter, his chest expanding. For the first time tonight, I felt like a weight lifted off me. He had a way of making me feel protected, even in the dark. I couldn’t see him, but I had imprinted every part of him to memory. The way his dark, wavy hair fell across his forehead, the startling blue and starburst of gold in his eyes when he looked at me—they bore in and fused. I could never look away for long. I’d felt the muscular curves of his chiseled cheekbones when I held his face and wondered if he’d known how mesmerizing he was to behold. His full, sensual lipswould dazzle with a smile but were soft and intoxicating on my body when he’d kiss me all over. At a distance, I could tell myself that he didn’t matter as much to me, but in his arms, I wanted to stay.
“Mmm, you smell so good, you feel so good,” he whispered. His hands moved higher up my nightshirt, teasing my nipples that grew tighter beneath the thin fabric with every touch. I squirmed, making the fabric ride higher, eager to feel his hands all over my bare skin. His touch was intoxicating, and once he started, there was never enough.
Rocco’s hands moved quickly, tugging the shirt over my head and down my arm, stripping me bare. Just the graze of his hands and the coolness of the night raised goosebumps on my skin.
“Ohh,” I moaned, sighing heavily.
“Mmm,” he groaned as he turned me over on my back—his hands eager, clasping my breasts, moving his soft lips over them, and closing his mouth on a nipple to suck. He drew on it hard, and the sensation was sharp and intense.Oh, Rocco. I let out a loud moan, arching my back for more.
“Mmm, you love the way I suck,” he whispered darkly, sucking and kissing over my breasts.
“Ohh…oh yes.” I cradled his head, feeling the soft waves, the heat of his neck, moving my arms down his strong biceps, feeling the muscles grow firmer by my touch. He lifted my arms and pulled them above my head, placing my fingers on the headboard. For a second, I came to my senses.Should we be doing this?