Page 26 of One Savage Union (Crimson Bonds #1)

ROCCO

M ornings are different now.

Then I would shower and meet Maria in the kitchen for breakfast, which consisted of three hard-boiled eggs, fresh olive oil, and thinly sliced prosciutto, served with toast.

“Mmmm, that feels good.”

I lift my head to look at her, but she pushes my head back down. “No, don’t stop. Please.”

I smile against her cunt and dive back into my breakfast. She’ll come twice on my tongue before she gets to eat the strawberry waffles she loves so much.

I swear, if I don’t stop indulging her, we’ll both be too large to fit through the door.

But it’s impossible to say no to her over small things when I know I can never give her the things she really wants.

She desires independence and a career as a classical pianist. Instead, she’s married to the mafia and the daughter of one of the most dangerous men in America. Life’s not always fair, but I think I can manage to bring a bit of joy into her life.

I long to protect her from worry and danger. Right now, all I can do is overwhelm her with pleasure and spoil her rotten. Enzo lost track of Leo, and we have no idea where he is. He hasn’t reached out, and his silence is ominous.

What is that little fucker up to?

“Ahhh Ahhh Rocco…” Lucia moans and pushes my head further into her sweet honey. Her taste makes me forget all about Leo and his treachery. After she trembles and climaxes, she releases me from the sweet prison between her legs.

I’m preparing for round two when I’m interrupted by a knock at the door.

‘What!” I yell. Whoever is on the other end of the door has a death wish.

“Uncle Roc, it’s me!” A cute four-year-old voice calls out, and my heart clenches.

Lucia giggles, and I wink as I slap her thigh. “Come on, get dressed.”

My Aria is here. I know Enzo is using her as a decoy. He knows not to disturb me in the mornings. The early hours belong to my sexy wife, but I can’t bash his head in front of his daughter and my godchild. Smart Man.

He disappeared on me two days ago to fly to Chicago unexpectedly. I was told not to worry and to enjoy my wife; so if he’s here, shit must be bad.

“Do I finally get to meet the infamous Aria? Enzo hides her from me as if I were a leper. ”

I barely register what she’s saying because I’m mesmerized by the show taking place in front of me.

Watching Lucia get into her “skinny” jeans is the equivalent of soft porn.

All that jumping, tugging, and grunting while the smooth denim swallows up all that ass makes me hard every single time.

Black-Italian women are a wonder and a prayer.

I clear my throat and throw on a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Don’t take it personally, piccola ragazza. Enzo is extremely protective of her, and he trusts very few people. The fact that he’s brought her here now proves you’re growing on him.”

She shakes her head and laughs. “ It’s more likely that whatever he has to tell you is desperately important, and he has no choice. I know you told them not to bother you in the mornings. You ain’t slick! But I’ll take it, because I love kids.”

That makes me pause. “ You do?”

She smiles and nods eagerly. “ Of course! My mother was a teacher, and I taught music to kids after school for years. They’re so innocent and ready to learn. And when they are as small as Aria, they’re full of love.”

I don't know why. But hearing her say that she wants kids makes my entire body vibrate with anticipation.

In my line of work, we don't have the luxury of anticipating the future.

You could be here today and gone tomorrow.

That comes with the territory. Our thing is all about living fast, living well, but not living long.

The last part made me all but vow to never bring a child into this world that would be forced to mourn me the way I mourned my parents.

But the idea of Lucia around my child is hard to resist. Her being heavy with my seed is the ultimate sign of ownership.

Not to mention, it’s a serious turn-on. Having my child would finally make her completely mine.

Knowing that my legacy could live even after I leave this earth is enticing.

A part of me would still be in this world, and for the first time in a long time, that makes me hopeful.

All at once, I want her pregnant, happy, and I'll take her barefoot if I can get it.

I already want to wrap Lucia up in a cloud of indulgence and hide her away from this dark world and its disappointments.

As the mother of my child, she will only bring out the caveman in me even more.

I'll go crazy worrying about them being safe and protected.

However, it's worth it if I can have a little bambino or bambina with her eyes in my world.

I walk over and land a tender kiss on the top of her head. “Hmm, I'm glad to hear that.”

That's all I say before running to open the door. I take a quick glance back and see that Lucia’s mouth has dropped open. I don't know if she's surprised that I'm glad that she likes kids or that she realizes her admission might have just invited me to plant my seed in her womb.

When I open the door, Aria jumps up and down and smiles. She extends her arms, waiting for one of my infamous bear swings.

“Mia cara!” I scream as I pick her up under her arms and whirl around in circles.

Her giggles and laughter always wash away any pain and uncertainty in my life.

When she came into our lives, she was a breath of fresh air.

Every time she's around, she's like a drug.

There are not many pure things in this life, but this little girl - she's everything good and pleasant.

Once I put her down, I hunched down to her level and looked into her eyes. “Tell Uncle Rocco what you have been doing since the last time I saw you. It's been too long, my darling.”

“I know!” Aria squeals. “But you came all the way to Italy without telling me. I was still in Chicago waiting for our pancake Saturdays!”

Displaying my best face of guilt, I apologize. “I’m sorry, mia cara. Work got so busy, but we can have pancakes today if you like!”

“No! That’s OK. I already had breakfast. Daddy came and got me yesterday, and we rode on the big plane.”

“I look at Enzo and try to read the worry etched along his face. Something significant must be happening if he thought he needed to bring Aria from Chicago to Ravello. Leo might be causing mischief earlier than I thought.

“Well, I for one am happy you're here, and I have someone significant for you to meet.”

She steps on her tippy toes to look over my shoulder and eye Lucia. I turn and watch Lucia give her a small wave and her beautiful smile.

“Is that your wife, Uncle Rocco? Daddy told me you got married. Is she a Princess?”

I laugh. “No, darling, you're a princess. She's a queen. Would you like to meet her majesty?”

“Oh yes!’ she giggles.

I pick her up and walk her over to Lucia. “Lucia Fieri, meet Aria Bianchi; the love of my life.

Aria scrunches up her nose and hits my shoulder. “I can’t be the love of your life, silly.”

“Why not?”

“Because your queen has to be. Aren't you the king?”

While I’m at a loss for words, Lucia raises her eyebrows and laughs. I quickly changed the subject. Lucia is critical to me. She’s my wife and someone I want in my life for the long haul. She’s the woman I want to bear my children. But love? There’s no space for love in our arrangement.

“Aria,” I say. “Why don't you tell Lucia all about your American Girl Doll Collection while your daddy and I talk?”

Lucia steps right up. “Hi Aria. It's very nice to meet you.

How many dolls do you have? As Lucia reaches out her hand, she shoots a glance at Mario and me to make sure everything is okay.

Enzo nods, and I do too, and when Aria takes her hand and starts blabbing about her latest doll acquisition, I slip out with Enzo.

“What's going on?” I asked brusquely.

“Leo attacked your uncle's house last night. We barely got the don out, and he’s badly injured. That's why I had to rush back to Italy. I can't have Aria in danger. Her nanny got killed in the blast, but she doesn't know it yet.”

“Fuck, and you think this was Leo? “Does he even have the balls to blow up his father’s home?”

Mario looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Rocco, if the man has balls enough to hire mercenaries and plot the demise of his own father. He would blow his house up. We even got some footage of Leo’s car leaving, along with more mercenaries he has hired.

Once again, they're all Armenians.” Mario rubs his head and exhales.

“This is getting bad. I feel like he's getting closer to us.”

I shake my head. “If he knew where we were, he would attack us, not my uncle.”

Enzo crosses his arms across his chest. “I'm not so sure about that. His actions feel like a diversion of sorts. I have a feeling Leo knows exactly where we are butis waiting for the right moment to strike.”

I scoff. “Leo doesn't have that kind of self-control. If he knows where I am, and he knows what I'm planning, he’s attacking. There’s no way that hothead would wait. Is the drug swap setup? It's supposed to go down in three days. If anything, he's preparing for that.”

Enzo shakes his head. “Rocco, you have a blind spot when it comes to Leo. You think the drugs and power are his prize, but it’s deeper than that. This is personal for him. He hates you and his father. That kind of hate can focus a man.”

I leanagainst the door and look at him carefully. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I'm talking about the fact that you still think of Leo as your idiot cousin who's been your rival since he was sixteen. However, you need to realize that you’re both grown up now and have matured intomen. He may be more of a psychopath, but he's a smarter one than he was ten or twenty years ago. I’m pretty sure he knows we have Lucia, but I don’t think he cares. If we’re all babysitting her out here in Italy, then he can wreak as much havoc as he likes back in Chicago.

He doesn’t need her to get Ricci's attention if he takes out the head of the Romano family.”

I stare at him. He may be right, but I’m not ready to admit that Lucia may be a diversion.

Enzo paces in front of me. “Look, I think someone else is advising him. It’s all too coordinated, and he must be getting the money for all these men from someone with deep pockets. Something about this doesn't feel right, Rocco and I feel like we're missing agiant piece of the puzzle.”

I straighten up and approach him. “Well, brother, isn't it you and Mario’s job to put the puzzle pieces together?

Lucia and I can take care of Aria today.

We will keep her busy and safe. You two need to go and shake some trees and find out what my cousin is up to.

It's time to put an end to this. We may need to reach out to Matteo Ricci and push up the date of our plan.”

Mario looks towards the door. “Are you sure we can trust him? Can we trust her?”

“Yes, “I growl. Lucia is trustworthy. Her father wants her to be safe. Don’t question her loyalty again, Enzo. She’s my wife, and she doesn't have a dog in this fight. Not really. We will take care of your little girl. Just go and bring me back some news.”

“Enzo nods but hesitates. I can tell he doesn't want to leave Aria, but he knows an order when he hears one, and he leaves.

I take a moment to think about all he said.

He's right about one thing; it seems that Leo is trying to divert us.

I don't understand his end game or why he would attack his father directly like that.

It doesn't make sense for him to show his hand this early without all the pieces in place. I have the most significant piece he’s seeking, my wife.

Perhaps he is working with someone else.

Maybe the Armenians aren't just mercenaries. Possibly, Leo is collaborating with them to advance his ambitions. Something is rotten in Denmark, but today I don’t want to focus on that.

I want to show my two girls a good time.

I want Lucia to see how good it can be between us and how we can be good parents, even in this life.

I know just the way to do it. A beach day never fails.