Page 40 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

“Diavolina,” he growled. “Do as I say.”

I nuzzled his jaw with my nose. “Why is your sister here?”

“Because I asked her to come. No more questions, bella.” He began thrusting, his hips snapping, and I watched his cock glide through my grip, every push causing his abs to flex.

Lean and strong, this man’s body was a goddamn crime.

More blood trickled from his wound as he moved, but I didn’t want to stop.

I liked driving him wild, seeing him so frenetic and desperate for my touch.

“Fuck, yes. Squeeze me.”

I tightened my fist and worked the sensitive head.

He liked to talk right before I climaxed, pushing me over the edge, so I decided to return the favor.

I told him exactly what I was thinking. “You’re so sexy, baby, the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.

I think about your cock all the time, how it’s so thick and stretches my pussy until I feel like I might pass out. How I want to be on my knees for you?—”

“Fuck!” he called out, his palm slapping the tile.

Then his shaft swelled and pulsed in my hand, jets of come shooting between us, coating my hand and mixing with the blood, and I stared at his handsome face, now slack with pleasure.

Emotions rioted through me—giddiness and exhilaration, longing and obsession.

Too many to name, but they combined somewhere near my heart, cracking it open and flooding the organ I’d spent so long trying to protect.

This sure didn’t feel like just sex and I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover from this man.

Sono fottuto.

Whatever I was feeling, I couldn’t ever let him know.

I’d keep these unwanted feelings to myself.

I wouldn’t cling, I wouldn’t beg. He’d return to Toronto and I would get on with my life.

It would be hard, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t experienced loss before.

Losing Vito was nothing compared to losing both your parents in one tragic afternoon.

Eventually I would be fine.

When his spasms eased, he began kissing me softly. “I would’ve driven through a goddamn hurricane for this,” he whispered. “All I was thinking about was coming back to you.”

Oh, god. Why did he have to say things like that?

Tongue thick and my throat tight with emotion, I whispered, “Let’s get out and I’ll bandage up your side.”

Vito

The cottage had a decent first aid kit, and a few butterfly closures took care of the worst of it. I sat on the bathroom counter while Maggie finished cleaning and bandaging the wound on my ribs.

Paloma, as well as my men, argued over driving back tonight.

They tried to keep me in Queens, saying it was too dangerous and we didn’t have enough experience driving in snow.

I wouldn’t hear of it. Nothing was going to prevent my return.

The thought of Maggie waiting in the cottage during the storm, alone and worried, was intolerable.

So I took the wheel and the responsibility.

The roads had been shit, the visibility practically nothing.

But the SUV had four-wheel drive, so we went slowly, all of us silently concentrating on staying alive.

Only once did we slide off the road into an embankment.

It took all four of us, but we finally got the SUV back on the main road, my scrape the only injury.

Maggie’s warm exhales coated my skin as she gently worked on me. I rested my hand on her back, just needing to touch her. The wound was nothing—I’d certainly had worse over the years—but I enjoyed her attention. First the hand job in the shower, now this. I was a glutton for anything she’d give me.

“When was your last tetanus shot?” she asked.

“Within the last few years, don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief. At least you won’t come down with lockjaw—which would be a real shame for such a talented mouth.”

Smiling, I tucked a piece of wet hair behind her ear. “What did you do all night?”

“My friend Sam and I hung out until the snow started. We used your jacuzzi and Maz brought us dinner. There’s some left, if you’re hungry.”

I was starving, actually. I hadn’t eaten since this morning. “Then what did you do?”

“Watched this show I’m currently obsessed with.” She squinted up at me. “Do you watch much TV?”

“Movies, yes. TV, no.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Not at all?”

“Not really. The last full series I watched was when I was on the yacht with my brothers.”

“What was the show?” She reached for another butterfly bandage.

“ Gomorrah . A mafia crime drama set in Napoli. It made my brothers and I laugh all the time.”

“Laugh, because it wasn’t realistic?”

“It was realistic, but the characters were so stupid. No real mafioso would be so careless, so reckless.”

“How do you keep from getting arrested?”

My palm stroked her back as she leaned over. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes. Why else would I ask?”

Her tone was sharp, but I liked it. Her rough edges didn’t bother me. “Most of what we do is legal. It’s easier to hide the bad stuff that way. If you know how to work the laws, you can do almost anything and get away with it.”

“So you’re saying everyone is corrupt.”

“People who play by the rules get taken advantage of. You’ll never get ahead by being nice or fair.” D’Agostinos were taught this lesson from the cradle.

“That’s pretty harsh.” She placed a bigger hydrocolloid bandage over the butterflies then smoothed it with her fingertips. “Did you have something to do with a biker that’s missing?”

Despite my shock, I forced myself to stay loose. Relaxed. “What are you talking about?”

She straightened, confusion etched into the lines of her face. “Something Sam said tonight. One of the dancers at Sparkles told her there was a hot Italian man there, asking about some bikers. And now one of those bikers has gone missing.”

Fucking small towns. I hadn’t expected the gossip to start this soon—or for it to reach Maggie so quickly—but I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t admit that I’d killed Jimmy because he’d murdered Gaetano.

I leaned closer to her ear and lowered my voice. “I like that you think this hot Italian man is me.”

“Vito, I’m serious.” She pulled back to search my face. “I know what you do is dangerous, but . . . I know Jimmy. He wasn’t a bad guy.”

She was definitely wrong about that. But I had no choice except to lie.

I never looked away, kept my voice even. “I went in to ask about the bikers, yes. After what happened with your former chef and that biker hanging around here, I wanted to make sure you were safe.” Which was true, even if I didn’t tell her the whole story.

“Oh.” She relaxed and closed her eyes briefly. “That’s a relief.”

“This is why I want to improve your security here. There are bad men in these gangs. I don’t want you at risk.”

“I’m not at risk. No one would hurt me here. There’s no reason to.”

“You don’t know that for certain. The world is harsh, angioletto mio.”

“Maybe your world, but not mine. Nothing bad ever happens in Paesano.”

I smoothed her hair back, rubbing my thumb on her temple. “Your world is my world, at least for as long as I’m here.”

She nibbled on her lip and seemed to think this over. Then she began putting the medical supplies away. “How did you end up in Toronto?”

“My brother is married to the daughter of a boss there. That boss grew too sick and I was given the territory.”

“Ah, so you’re a nepo baby.” Her mouth twisted, like she’d amused herself.

I dug my fingers into her ribs, tickling her, and was rewarded when she squirmed and tried to escape. I held her fast, though. “I know what this means,” I growled, continuing to torture her. “And you will pay for it.”

She slipped out of my grip, a big grin on her beautiful face. “Too bad you’re weak and injured.”

“I will show you weak.” I jumped off the counter and started for her, but she ducked out of the bathroom.

In the bedroom, she dragged on one of my hoodies. The gray fabric fell to her knees and I was momentarily distracted by how good she looked in it. Fuck, she was adorable.

“I’ll heat up some food while you’re getting dressed,” she said as she walked out.

She wore no panties.

I ran a hand down my face as blood rushed to my cock. I was going to play with her pussy the first chance I got.

Collecting my damp clothes, I decided to do laundry.

Maggie’s lack of underwear probably had more to do with not having clean clothes here than any attempt to seduce me.

Not like she had to work hard on that front.

The woman only needed to look in my direction and I was ready to fuck her through the floor.

I took her clothes and mine, along with our wet towels, to the washing machine on the bottom level and started it. When I came into the kitchen she was pulling a plate out of the microwave. “Did you just start laundry?”

I came up behind her and let my hands slide up her bare thighs. “I thought you might like some clean clothes, though I have decided you don’t need to wear panties.” I smoothed over her ass, then reached around to cup her pussy.

She let her head fall back on my shoulder. “A man who does laundry is super hot.”

“Yeah?”

“Watching you fold it might give me an orgasm.”

The words were ridiculous, but they made me grin. She did that a lot. “Is that all it takes? Housework?”

“Yes. I’m a goner for a man who helps around the house.”

Was this from experience? She wasn’t a virgin when we first met at the casino, and I was suddenly jealous of all the other men she’d fucked over the years. I let her go and went to the refrigerator. “Would you like sparkling water?”

“Yes, please.”

As she heated the food, I retrieved silverware and drinks, setting everything out on the bar. The snow was still coming down at a decent clip, with at least twelve centimeters already on the ground. “This cottage needs a fireplace,” I told her.

“We thought about it, but it was too much money.” She set one plate on the island, then put another in the microwave. “We built the second deck off the master bedroom instead.”