Page 20

CHAPTER 20

M assimo

Lea downs the wine in her glass and pours another while I take us close to where the dolphins visit the shallow waters.

“Hit that button for me,” I say, motioning to one over near her.

“What does it do?” She turns, seeing the sign as soon as she does. “Oh, it’s the anchor. Okay.”

Lea leans forward to press the button and I kill the motor. The anchor makes the boat rock a little as it goes down, and I glance over my shoulder at her.

“Are the motion sickness patches working?” I ask.

“Yes, I feel a lot better this time. Thank you so much.” She smiles and drinks some of her wine, so I pick up my glass and do the same.

“You’re welcome. Ready to see the dolphins?” I ask, walking toward the door.

“Yeah,” she replies, trailing behind me, but her face lights up when she sees several dolphins swimming nearby. She hurries to the edge of the boat and leans over.

“Wow!” she says with some genuine excitement in her voice.

“Snorkels and stuff are in this box,” I say, walking over to it. “But the water is fairly shallow here, so we can just go in with goggles if you can swim. If not, we’ll put on some gear.”

“I’m not an Olympic swimmer or anything, but I can float in the water,” Lea laughs, walking closer as she downs the rest of her wine. “And if I go under, I know you’ll save me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, putting on her goggles and making sure there is a tight seal.

“So, you said goggles are all we need?” Lea asks, walking over to the edge of the boat.

“Let’s hope so,” I say, turning away to take a sip of wine before slipping my goggles on.

When I turn around, my eyes nearly bulge out of my head. Lea has removed her swimsuit entirely and is completely naked—except for the goggles I put on her. I feel my dick getting hard at the sight of her gorgeous curves on full display.

“That wasn’t what I meant, and you know it,” I chuckle, not looking away from her. “Put your swimsuit back on.”

“Why?” she asks, tilting her head slightly. “We can go skinny dipping with the dolphins.”

“No, come on. Put your swimsuit back on,” I mutter, imagining things I shouldn’t.

Lea turns and walks closer to the edge of the boat, completely defying me.

“I don’t see the harm in skinny dipping,” she replies, leaning forward like she’s about to jump.

“Don’t,” I growl. “We’re the only ones out here right now, but that doesn’t mean other boats won’t drive by, and?—”

Before I can finish, Lea grins and jumps into the water. I stomp to the edge of the boat, a flicker of anger sparking inside me. She’s treading water, looking up at me, and giggling. She’s already had too much wine, or she just wants to be disobedient right now.

“You’re going to regret that, bambina ,” I sigh, jumping into the water.

I hit the water with a splash, locate her swimming a few feet away, and emerge right behind her. Lea is still giggling, and she turns to face me, but starts swimming backwards. I don’t have to worry about her drowning, at least. She’s a much better swimmer than she let on.

“You’re not really mad at me, are you?” she asks, continuing to swim backwards as I tread water and move in the same direction.

“You think you can get away with being disobedient?” I grumble, narrowing my eyes at her.

“I’m sure everyone skinny dips in the ocean at least once,” she says. “Let me have my fun. I’m supposed to let the island guide me, remember? I guess the ocean counts, too.”

“You can have your fun,” I say. “But you’re still getting a spanking tonight.”

“I was probably getting one of those anyway,” she laughs. “So, I might as well earn it.”

Lea dips under the water and starts swimming toward the dolphins, so I follow, keeping an eye out for any sign of danger. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about, but I’m not taking any chances. Luckily, it’s clear as far as the eye can see, and quite serene, except for the two of us.

I get closer to the dolphins and stop. Lea surfaces for air, glances back at me, and goes underwater again. I get distracted by two dolphins that are getting closer, and the next thing I know, Lea’s fingers are tugging on my swimsuit.

“Hey!” I yell, but she clearly can’t hear me.

I don’t want to kick her, but I try to nudge her away. It doesn’t work, and she yanks my swimsuit down to my ankles. It gets caught there for a moment, which makes me sink as I kick it off. I mutter angrily until Lea emerges a few feet away, holding my swimsuit over her head like a trophy.

“You’re really trying to earn it, aren’t you, bambina ?” I threaten.

“Maybe,” she giggles, swimming away from me.

“You better not lose it!” I call out.

She’s being a brat. Probably on purpose. The wine might have something to do with it, but I’m sure my rejection didn’t help. I doubt it was easy for her to offer herself to me like that. Her virginity. Her innocence .

I’ll admit I’m struggling right now. My thoughts are in disarray. I’m having a hard time fighting the feelings clawing their way through the malice and poison.

“This one seems to like me!” Lea says, cautiously swimming toward a curious dolphin.

“Just be careful,” I say. “They’re rarely aggressive, but if they feel threatened, they can certainly defend themselves.”

“I’m not scared of a dolphin,” she laughs. “Especially one this cute. Hi, what’s your name? I think I’ll call you Louise.”

“ Louise might be a boy,” I chuckle, circling from a distance so she can have her fun. I keep my eyes peeled for any sign of danger, but don’t see anything of concern.

“Then I’ll call you Louie!” she giggles.

Lea is having fun with the dolphins, so this excursion is already a success. With her distracted, I can’t escape the thoughts churning in my head.

It would be so easy to say fuck it and put a bullet-sized hole in Emilio’s plan. I could call off the hitman, return to Las Vegas, and confront my brother. Put a bullet in his head before he could even try to explain what the fuck he was thinking.

But that isn’t the right way to do things. The right way is to go to my father, explain everything, and let him make the final call. It’s his right since he sits at the head of the table, and I’m always respected his authority, even when I didn’t agree with him.

I’ve played it out in my head a thousand times. My father won’t give the order. He’ll hesitate. Emilio will find out I’m still alive. Then it’s war. Good men forced to choose sides so they can lose their lives for absolutely nothing. Brother against brother, while Las Vegas burns.

And what kind of prize does the winner get? A family that will never be the same, after being torn apart by civil war. If I’m the one left standing, my niece and nephew will grow up without a father. They’ll never understand—never be able to forgive me. Never smile and run outside to greet me when they hear my car again. I can’t do that to them. I’m better as a memory.

That’s all I truly offer Lea. Memories .

“Alright, ready to see the sharks?” I ask, noticing that she no longer seems to be as enthralled with the dolphins as she was when we swam over.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she says, moving in a circle around the dolphin that seems fond of her. “Bye, Louise… or Louis. I hope you never get eaten by a shark!”

“Dolphins are good at avoiding sharks,” I tell her, moving closer and motioning to her. “Give me my swimsuit.”

“Fine,” she relents, putting it in my hand.

As soon as Lea gives me my swimsuit, she ducks under the water. Her hands touch my chest and move lower until she’s rubbing my cock. It stiffens in response, and I sigh. I can’t deny it feels good, so I let her have her fun until she finally has to surface for air.

“You just keep making your spanking worse, bambina ,” I growl, taking the opportunity to slide my swimsuit back on.

“I can handle it,” she giggles, swimming toward the boat.

“Keep it up and you’re going to get my belt,” I warn, following behind her, my eyes roaming her gorgeous curves.

“You wouldn’t really spank me with your belt, would you?” she asks, glancing back at me with an apprehensive look behind her goggles.

“If you don’t stop acting like a brat, you’re going to find out,” I reply.

Lea has already felt my belt on the palm of her hands. She knows how much it can sting, and that was barely punishment. But there are other ways to punish her that won’t leave welts. I’ll save that for when she truly deserves to be punished.

We make it back to the boat, and I get an intoxicating view of Lea’s pussy as she climbs the ladder. I’ve touched it. I’ve tasted it. My dick wants so, so much more. I fight those urges as I climb the ladder.

“More wine?” Lea asks, walking over and pouring a glass.

“Yeah,” I mutter, nodding in agreement.

Lea pours the wine and brings me my glass. I take a sip and look around the boat.

“It’ll take about twenty minutes to get to the other boat, so why don’t you dry off in the sun until we’re closer,” I suggest, picking up a towel and walking to the front of the boat, where I spread it out. “That way I can keep an eye on you while I drive.”

“You just want me to stay naked, huh?” she teases, taking a sip of her wine.

“I might have ulterior motives,” I chuckle, motioning to the towel. “On your stomach, bambina .”

Lea grins, downs more of her wine, and lies on the towel. I make sure she’s comfortable before walking inside the enclosure and raise the anchor.

I’ve got a fantastic view from the helm when I start the motor. Lea—naked as the day she was born, on full display while I drive. Some men would kill for a sight like this. Taking a bullet with their name on it would be the last thing on their mind. They’d burn everything to the ground for one more day with a girl like her.

And I want to. I’m imagining things that are impossible. Not just Lea in my bed. I could have that, regardless of what happens at the end of the week. I’m thinking about the future. Imagining her in a white dress as my blushing bride. Imagining her belly swollen with the heir to the Morandi family. Imagining a life I was robbed of, and never expected to even think about.

“I think I’m already dry!” Lea calls out, shifting so she can drink some wine.

“I’ll let you know when you need to put your swimsuit back on!” I yell, motioning ahead. “We can’t even see the other boat yet!”

I glance at the marine radar. Nothing on that yet, either. Plenty of time to enjoy the sight of this gorgeous girl while the sun kisses her delicate skin. Plenty of time to imagine all the things I’ll never have. They’re nothing but a fantasy. I know that. Still, I can let my mind wander. That’s certainly better than dwelling on all the reasons that make it impossible.

When I see the other boat’s blip on the radar, I slow the engine to a crawl and walk to the front of the boat. Lea looks up at me with a grin on her face, and all I want to do is kiss her. I swallow hard and gesture to her swimsuit.

“Alright, bambina ,” I say. “Get dressed.”

Lea sighs and does as she’s told. My dick throbs to attention as I watch her shimmy into the swimsuit and adjust her skirt. It’s getting harder to resist her by the second.

“Oh, I see the other boat!” Lea says, turning away and pointing toward the horizon. Then her expression changes to one of worry, and she glances at me. “You’re sure there’s nothing to worry about with the sharks?”

“There is no danger at all, because we’ll be in a cage when we go underwater,” I say, trying to ease some of her concerns. “And if it’s too much, we won’t stay long. This is supposed to be fun, remember?”

“I like having fun with you, Massimo,” she says, nudging me with her hip.

“So do I, bambina .”

I like it way, way too much.