Page 22 of Ruthless Secrets (Alpha Mafia Daddies #6)

Chapter Seventeen

CLARA

Marco doesn’t come home for hours.

I try to kid myself that I don’t care that much about where he went, but in reality, I sit in the middle of my bed, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of him being gone for good. Even bathing and feeding Zoe did little to ease my anxiety, because it only made me think of Marco even more.

Eventually, I give in and go in search of a distraction.

Zoe is fast asleep, and the house feels oddly quiet as I head downstairs.

Thankfully, I find Lila in the kitchen, making what looks to be a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail, the end of which looks to be covered in flour, which seems to match the rest of her attire, despite the fact she’s wearing a pink apron.

“Clara? Is everything okay?”

“Uh…I’m not sure.” I head over to where she’s rolling out the dough and take a seat at the island. “Marco got a work call, and he’s been gone for a while. He also left without saying goodbye.”

Lila pauses for a moment, her flour-covered hands braced on the edge of the island, before she throws her head back and laughs.

I ignore the growing pit in my stomach. “It’s not funny! Something could have happened to him.”

“It’s a little bit funny.” Lila reaches into the bag of flour and sprinkles some more on the countertop. “You like him.”

“I have a child with him, which automatically means I worry about him.”

“Marco is fine.” she tries to hold back her smile.

“How do you know? Is he with Andre?”

“No, Andre is staying in the city tonight.”

“And you haven’t heard from Marco either?”

Lila shakes her head as she coats her rolling pin in flour and starts rolling out the dough.

I help myself to a handful of chocolate chips from the pack and shove them into my mouth. I guess I’ll just have to stress-eat until he comes back.

“If it makes you feel any better, I might have been married to a De Luca for a while, but I still worry too.”

“How do you cope?”

Lila smiles. “I bake. It’s oddly soothing.”

“Mind if I join?”

Lila chuckles. “I don’t think anyone is going to object to an obscene amount of cookies. There’s another apron in the pantry.”

Lila’s right, baking does help.

We distract ourselves by talking about our daughters while simultaneously eating raw cookie dough until we both feel sick. But I’d rather be sick from too much sugar than from worrying about Marco.

Lila puts the cookies in the oven. “It’s been so nice having you and Zoe here. Though I wish it was under different circumstances.”

I sigh. “Me too. ”

“But at least now the girls will get to grow up together. That is, if Marco doesn’t piss you off too much.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“We’ll see…” I get to work wiping down the countertops. “But I agree. I love that Zoe will have someone close to her in age that she can rely on. It’s something I always longed for growing up.”

“Me too, though one thing’s for sure is that the De Luca men put family ahead of everything. It’s reassuring to know that they would do anything to protect our children.”

I want to agree, but I can’t help but fear at what cost.

Lila stacks the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. “So, are you and Marco like an official couple?”

“Oh, uh…”

“Only because I’ve never seen him so invested in a girl before. He really likes you.”

I can’t stop my cheeks from heating. “I don’t really know what we are.”

Just like I’m not sure why I didn’t tell Marco about Ben this morning when he asked about my siblings. If we’re really going to attempt to make a relationship work, we need to be honest but for some reason, I found myself lying.

I mean, it might as well be true due to the fact I haven’t seen Ben in over a decade. There’s been a few times over the years where I’ve thought about reaching out, but my brother always brings with him a level of drama I don’t want in my life, especially now that I have Zoe.

“Do you want to be a couple?”

I never get a chance to answer her question as the sound of the front door slamming shut has me running out the kitchen. “Marco? Marco!”

I almost fall to my knees when I catch sight of Marco standing in the foyer. But when he turns around to face me, I let out a gasp .

“Oh, my god, what happened?” I take in the blood all over his shirt and his bloody and bruised knuckles.

“I’m fine, Clara.” He offers me that smile that under normal circumstances would make me melt but right now only makes me feel more uneasy. “I just needed to take care of something.”

“Something or someone?” I press as I fold my arms over my chest.

Marco raises his eyebrows at me.

“Do you really want the answer to that?”

When I don’t answer he lets out a long sigh.

“I need to shower. I won’t be long, I promise.”

I stand frozen at the bottom of the staircase as Marco disappears upstairs. I know I should be afraid of this darker side of him, but I’m not. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Maybe my judgment has been clouded by what happened between us last night, but I’m so desperate for more.

I had convinced myself that the first night with Marco after my failure of a wedding was a fluke. Considering the fact that I was drunk and heartbroken, I didn’t think it would take much to make me feel slightly better. But last night proved that it was anything but a one-time performance.

Marco definitely knows his way around the female body, and I’m eager to show him my own set of skills.

I start making my way up the stairs before my confidence decides to disappear.

Marco is already in the shower by the time I enter his room.

My heart is racing in my chest as I strip out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile of the floor by the bed, and pad into the bathroom.

It’s already filled with so much steam that all I can make out is the outline of Marco’s body through the glass .

His head is hung low and his hand is braced against the wall. He looks lost in his thoughts, and not in a good way.

Marco’s shower is more like a wet room, so I easily sneak inside without him noticing. It’s not until I wrap my arms around his waist and press my naked body against him that he realizes I’m here.

He groans. “Clara…”

“I’m here.” I kiss the skin between his shoulder blades. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He turns to face me, and his body instantly relaxes as I run my hands over his chest. It’s as if he can’t comprehend that I’m really here. That, despite what I just saw, I’ve chosen to be with him.

I guess I’ll just have to show him how much I want to be with him.

“I’m here.” I lean forward to kiss his chest.

My hands continue to explore his body, roaming over his shoulders and down his arms.

Marco stands incredibly still, letting me take my time learning every hard line of muscular body.

When I drag my fingers down his stomach, Marco tenses, and I smile as I finally let myself look down at his cock.

My pussy instantly clenches as I think of how good it feels to have him inside me, but right now I want to give Marco pleasure. I want to get him out of his head and back with me.

I reach down to take his cock in my hand, and he groans as I gently stroke my fingers along his thick length.

“Fuck.” He leans forward to rest his forehead against mine.

I roll my hand over the tip. “I want to touch you.”

Marco sinks his fingers into my hair, pulling hard on the strands. “Clara.”

“But not with my hand. ”

The guttural sound that builds in Marco’s throat has my clit throbbing.

He removes his fingers from my hair, and I slowly sink to my knees before him.

Up close, his cock is even more magnificent, and I eagerly lean in to run my tongue along his length.

He shudders as I flick my tongue over the tip, moaning at the salty taste, before wrapping my lips around the head and gently sucking.

Marco groans so loud that I’m glad we’re doing this in the shower so it can muffle the sound.

As the warm water cascades over our bodies, I start sucking and licking Marco's cock, reveling in the taste and feel of him.

“Look at me, Clara.”

I look up at Marco under my lashes and watch as his gaze turns molten as I slowly take more of him into my mouth.

He’s too big for me to take all of him, so I wrap my hand around the base and squeeze as I hollow my cheeks and suck.

His hand goes to my head. “Christ.”

I moan as I start to move, taking him as deep as I can while stroking my hand up and down the base of his cock.

Marco’s eyes never leave mine as he watches me.

I’m never so bold, but Marco brings out a different side to me. I don’t feel shy around him, especially when it comes to sex. If anything, he makes me feel empowered.

I start to increase my pace, taking him deeper into my mouth as I move my hand to his balls, massaging and squeezing them as I bob my head up and down.

“Fuck, yes, baby. You’re doing so good.”

I swallow a spurt of precum. “Mmm…”

“I want you, Clara.”

My pussy clenches at his words, but I don’t stop .

Just when I think he’s about to climax, Marco grips my hair and slowly pulls my mouth off of him.

“Do you want me to stop?” I feel self-conscious all of a sudden.

I thought he was enjoying himself, but maybe not…

As if Marco can read my thoughts, he lifts me to my feet and pushes me back against the cold tiles of the shower wall.

“I want nothing more than to come in your mouth, Clara. But right now, I need to be inside you.”

My legs almost buckle beneath me.

“While I go and get a condom, I want you to turn around and place your hands on the wall. Can you do that for me?”

All I can seem to do is nod.

Marco grins as he reaches out to run his thumb along my lower lip.

“Good girl.” He dips out of the shower.

I’m gasping for breath, but I do as Marco says.

The shower has a built-in shelf to keep products on, so I bend over and keep my hands on the edge of the shelf to keep me steady, my pussy clenching in anticipation for what’s to come.

When he enters the shower once more, I look over my shoulder and smile at the look on his face as he takes in the sight of me.

He eyes my ass. “You’re going to kill me.”

I bite my lip as I wiggle my hips, spreading my legs just enough to give him a view of my already glistening pussy.

“What a beautiful fucking sight.” He crosses over to me and starts to palm my cheeks.

I arch my back further, pushing against him so that his cock presses against my ass.

“I knew you were secretly a dirty girl.” He runs the tip along the seam of my ass.

“Marco… ”

“So many things to explore with you.” He dips his cock between my thighs and runs his head along my center. “But right now I need this.”

He doesn’t give me any warning before he buries himself inside me with one swift movement.

I cry out as he fills me, but he doesn’t give me a chance to adjust before he’s sliding his cock free and thrusting inside me once more.

“Well done, love.” He runs his calloused hands up and down my back as he moves inside me.

His pacing is more brutal than last night, but I’m loving it just as much.

“I want to come home to this every damn night.” Marco reaches between my thighs to start rubbing my clit as he fucks me harder.

I grind against his hand. “Yes!”

His cock inside me as well as his fingers on my clit are enough to get my orgasm building. Add in the heat from the water too and I’m gasping for air.

I push back against Marco, doing my best to meet his thrusts. “Harder.”

Marco grips my hip with his free hand as he pounds into me. At this angle, he’s hitting my most sensitive spot that has my legs trembling as I reach the edge. From the sound of Marco’s grunts, he’s getting close too.

“Please, Marco!” My head falls forward.

“Come on, love. Come with me.”

My legs buckle as I orgasm, but Marco wraps an arm around my waist and holds me upright as he thrusts inside me one last time before he climaxes.

I cry out his name with each rush of pleasure that surges through my body, and his answering groans have my skin breaking out in goosebumps.

When we’re both done and catching our breaths, Marco pulls me up so that my back is pressed against his front, and I angle my head so that he can kiss me.

I rest my head against his shoulder.

He kisses me again. “I mean it, Clara. I want to come home to this every night.”

“I think that can be arranged.”