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ALESSANDRO

T he howling moan outside the house has become a white noise almost forgotten like a lullaby in the background of our sleep.

Inside, the house is utterly silent. Like a bastion, a safe haven for us in the midst of turmoil. Just like the quiet inside my mind lying next to Isabella.

A strange, forgotten sense of peace that I haven't felt in years—maybe my entire life—holds its breath to see what happens next. In the midst of the chaos of my life, it’s a faint hope.

The release that I found with her unlocked something inside me. Something I’ve kept locked in the basement of my soul, the door long forgotten, the key lost.

Like a spark igniting a flame, she caused a fundamental shift.

The door isn’t flung wide open, no.

I won't allow that.

Still, it’s strange. New.

She's lying in my arms. Still fast asleep, the scent of her hair lingering in my nostrils.

The sensation of her skin against my skin makes my entire body ache, but most of all, my heart.

I wish this could go on forever.

But I won’t hold out for that.

I can’t be sure that this wasn’t simply a single night of passion, giving into the nature of the darkness and the firelight, the wine, and the good company. It was a perfect scenario for such a thing to happen between us.

But it's something that I'll never forget for as long as I live.

I feel her breathe deeply, stirring.

It triggers a little moment of doubt, debating whether I should just get up. Leave the room. Pretend this was what it probably was. A one-night stand.

But I can't bear to remove myself.

The cold outside the blankets is as good an excuse as any to stay right here with her for as long as I can. Although, a roaring fire would be a nice way to wake up.

I slip out from under her, laying her head gently on the pillow and stoke the ashes. Soon, the fire is crackling back to life.

When I look back, she’s propped up on her elbow watching me. Eyeing my naked body.

I didn't bother to cover myself.

Mostly because I want her again. I want to take her again right here, right now.

And I want her to see me in the daylight. I want her to want me like I want her.

The thought of possible rejection, however, leaves me feeling a bit raw, annoyed. More annoyed for how much this is all getting to me.

Warmth fills the room quickly, radiating out and prickling my exposed skin. I rise, snatching a blanket to wrap around myself and head to the kitchen, leaving Isabella lying there, curled up in the blankets.

She watches me leave, a little smirk on her face.

It makes my heart race.

Mostly because I have no clue what she’s thinking.

When I return with plates full of steaming hot porridge and bread, she watches me like a hawk, her expression unreadable. That indifference tugs at something deep in my heart.

Despite the chill in the room, she remains naked, only wrapped in a blanket, seemingly unfazed by her nudity in front of me. We eat in silence, sharing a few glances and appreciative sounds of good food.

A little hum escapes her lips as she finishes her last bite of bread and jam, licking her thumb with her eyes closed. It’s unbelievably adorable.

A little laugh slips between my lips and she looks at me, narrowing her eyes. “What?”

“You're just …”

“I'm just what?”

“You're cute when you eat.” It sounds odd coming out of my mouth. I don't say things like that.

“You’re cute when you walk around naked,” she snips back.

We finish our coffee in silence, both of us clearly reluctant to move or get up. Isabella keeps an eye on me the whole time. Like she’s waiting for something. “So. What do we do now?”

“We take cold showers from the looks of it, unless we can get the power back on.”

“You look like you might need a cold shower,” she remarks, dragging her eyes down my body, seeing how I react to her flirting.

“I wouldn’t need to if you’d share your blanket with me.”

She crawls towards me, running a hand along my arm as she covers us. “Better?”

“Almost.”

I take the chance, leaning over and cupping the side of her face gently. Her cheeks are so soft, even more so when they flush, pink and hot to my touch. Her eyelids flutter slightly and she bites her lip, her gaze dropping to mine.

I kiss her, grazing against her lips, tentatively, softly. Exploring her mouth with my tongue, hers caressing mine in return.

It lasts for minutes, simply sitting there, running my hands over her shoulders, her neck. I haven’t just kissed a woman like this for as long as I can remember.

It’s intimate, sensual.

And it gets me rock-hard, throbbing under our blanket.

We continue like this for a while. Feeling the soft silk of her hair between my fingers. Her naked body pressed against mine. I graze my fingers up along her thigh, finding that she’s more than ready for another round.

Just as she's about to crawl into my lap, the radio crackles from my office.

“Fucking Adri…” I grumble, rising. “I guess I should go get that.”

Isabella laughs softly, pinching her bottom lip with her fingers.

“I'll. Be. Right. Back.” I trot from the room naked, immediately regretting it as I step into the freezing foyer, the tile floor making me hop from foot to foot.

“ Merda! ” I manage to make it to my office, sliding into my chair and grabbing the receiver. “Ay!” I yelp as the leather of my chair chills my ass cheeks. “Adriano?”

“ zzz -Good morning to you too.- zzz ”

“It was…” I grumble.

“Aless, what the hell? I’ve tried to reach you three times.”

“I was sleeping.”

“Yeah, I bet you were.”

Slipping a spare robe off the coat rack in my office, I wrap myself, shivering. “What’s the news, little brother?”

“ zzz -It's gonna be a few days before we can make it up the mountain. The storm is still going strong. But I wanted to check in on you. Power went out in town for a few hours last night.”

“Yeah. Here too. We started a fire in the fireplace, stayed in the den.”

There's a little pause on the other end of the line.

“Good idea, keep each other warm.”

“Shut the fuck up. I don’t need color commentary from you.”

If it were Ciro, he'd be busting up laughing right now, but Adriano is cool, dry.

“Touchy, touchy. I’ll chalk it up to the cold. You sure you know how to turn on the generator?”

“I’ll be fine. You don't have to ‘manage’ me all the time you know?”

“Fine, fine.” Pause. “But you do remember how to do it, right?”

“Yes, dammit. Turn the fuel valve on, put the choke on, ignition.”

“Right. But then you have to pull the recoil cord and set it to ‘run.’”

“I know .”

“I know you know. Just reminding you.” I hear the sly tone in his voice.

“Thanks, Nonna. We’ll manage just fine.”

“You know, I wouldn’t have to manage you if you just?—”

“Yeah yeah. Maybe you can manage to pull your head out of your ass before you come back,” I snap at him.

“You should try that yourself, unless it’s warm in there. Go get the generator running before you freeze to death. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Hey, great idea. I was craving a hot shower.” The idea of a hot shower with Isabella sends shivers down my back that have nothing to do with the cold.

“I don’t need the sordid details…”

“Ha, ha. Did you have a chance to check the mail yet?”

“Oh, yeah. The twins filled me in on what’s been brewing. Some gang called the Serpent’s Head is behind all of the hits on our turf. Sounds like?—”

“Like Domenico Vipera’s bad idea of a joke.” My best friend never could grasp the concept of subtlety.

“Well, whether it’s him or not, the group is targeting specific members of our organization. Heads of old families, allies. They’re putting pressure on them to break ties with us, but it’s not clear what the reasoning behind it is, yet. I should have more info for you in a few days.”

“Fuck. I hate this. What the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime? I’m guessing you took your laptop with you, so there’s nothing for me to look over numbers-wise.”

“Here’s an idea. Try taking a break, Aless. Let us handle the investigation for now. Ciro’s got our business assets in hand, the shipments are still flowing. Ero is moving in the shadows, undercover where he can.”

“Great,” I droll, “good to know the empire can get by without me.”

“Hardly. If anything happens to you Alessandro, we lose everyone. Everything .”

“I know. I’m just being a grouch.”

“Just a little longer, Aless. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay. You too.”

“Stay safe up there and stay warm.”

“No shit. I’m hanging up now.”

“Is everything all right?” Isabella peaks into my office.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” I grunt, stretching out fully in my chair. “Looks like we’ve got a few days to ourselves. Which means we need power. I'll have to go check the breaker outside. See if snow knocked out a wire or something. And if that doesn't work…”

“You have a generator, right?”

“Vincenzo usually took care of this stuff, so I'll have to figure out how to turn it on. It's been a little while.”

“Seems like you know how to turn things on just fine,” she mutters.

I swoop in, catching her in the doorway, wrapping my arms around her. “And you know just how to get my motor running, too. Hold that thought until I get back.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Are you kidding? It’s blasting snow outside.”

“Alessandro, I am perfectly capable of handling myself, and it’s safer if we stick together. Besides, you may need an extra set of hands.” She's right. As much as I don't want to admit it.

“Hmm. Fine. But we need to find something for you to wear. There might be some old ski gear laying around. I’ll go check the closets in the east wing.”

“Sounds good. I’ll stack the fire for when we come back in.”

Isabella heads up to the den while I dig through the old wardrobes. Several items should fit, including a newer coat that must belong to Ava or Carla.

A quick trip to my room has me layered, bundled, and waiting by the door. A few minutes later, Isabella comes waddling out into the foyer. “Bold fashion statement.”

“Yes, brown and hot pink are so in this year,” she grumbles, fidgeting with the scarf wrapped around her face. “Let’s do this.”

I nod, opening the door. We’re both knocked back by the gust of frozen wind and the pattering of flakes. “You sure you want to do this?”

“Try and stop me!” Isa yells over the din.

We’ll see if you’re singing the same tune when I have to drag your frozen ass back into the house.”

“You should be so lucky…”

The first few steps out are shocking, and I check over my shoulder to make sure Isabella gets the door closed. Even with my goggles, I can barely see a few feet in front of me.

Every step is a huge effort, dragging one foot out of the snowpack, clomping it down, waiting to find my footing, and so on. Within a few steps I’m huffing and puffing, sweating under my gear.

Isabella has it only slightly easier, following carefully in my footsteps.

We reach the side of the house, the pole where the wiring meets the house. The entire thing is frosted over, icicles crusting the outside. I try for several seconds to knock some of it loose, but to no avail. My face is aching, my nose feeling like it might blister.

Turning back, I give a thumbs down and Isabella nods, her arms wrapped around herself. “Back inside!” I shout, but she shakes her head. “Why not?!”

I realize the second time she shakes her head that she can’t hear a word I’m saying. Pointing back to the house, I start the grueling trudge back, reaching out for her hand.

It takes us twice as long moving uphill and into the wind.

By the time we make it back inside we’re both gasping for breath, sloughing off a thick layer of snow from our outfits.

“Fucking altitude,” I heave, my hands on my knees.

She laughs, stripping off another layer. “Well, that was pointless.”

“Valuable lesson, though.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the lesson? Snow is cold?”

I shake my head, making my way down through the kitchen still wearing several layers. The boiler room is out through a covered, but uninsulated hallway, in a separate building.

By the time we get all the way to the boiler room my fingers are numb.

Three tries later the thing finally kicks on, rattling to life.

“Oooh, fuel, then choke,” Isabella stifles a laugh.

“You’re worse than Adriano.” I clench my hands, thankful that I didn’t punch a hole right through the fuel tank.

I check the wiring, making sure everything is plugged in properly and selecting only a few of the breakers. We don’t need power to the whole house.

“I’m only giving us power to the furnace, some lights, and the hot water heater. It’ll conserve gas, that way.”

“As long as we have hot water. A shower sounds incredible.”

“Definitely.”

Stripping down as we go, we make our way through the house. We’re both shivering as I crank on the hot water in my shower.

The rest of our clothes pile against the door as steam starts to billow out of the spout and Isabella wraps her arms around me, our bodies reflecting warmth immediately. Without a thought, I pull her into a kiss, rubbing the skin of her back.

The water feels like needles when we step into the shower. Even before it heats all the way, it’s glorious, spraying from my overhead rain spout.

I feel Isabella’s nipples press into my chest, peaked and pebbled.

Rumbling softly at the feel of her naked body against me, I lick the edge of her ear, murmuring her name softly. The shiver and inhale of her breath tells me she’s just as eager as I am to get warm in another way.

She shoves me back into the wall of the shower, reaching down to grip my aching, erect cock. I immediately gasp, flexing and she pauses.

“Your hand is freezing ,” I hiss.

A little smile curls her perfect, pink lips as Isabella drops to her knees in front of me, the steaming water trickling down through her hair, cascading over her tits.

She looks up, licking her lips and my heart skips a beat.