Page 20

CHAPTER

TWENTY

ADALYN

O ne hour passed by. Then another with no end conceivably in sight.

I had even gone to the bathroom three times just to give myself something to do. Is it too childish to play a game on my phone? I was seriously contemplating pulling it out when the familiar head of disheveled raven hair and black suit caught my attention from across the room.

Marco had re-emerged off to the side of the dance floor.

However, my relief at seeing him didn’t last long. Quickly becoming tinged with irritation when I noticed a beautiful brunette at his side. She leaned forward to speak to him, a hand resting on his shoulder too close to his neck to be friendly. Her dress was the color of rain with a plunging neckline and slit up to the very top of her thigh. She all but screamed Jessica Rabbit , complete with hourglass hips and $10,000 boob job.

I hated how my irritation simmered into something more closely resembling insecurity.

I didn’t miss the way she seductively pressed her body against his as they continued talking. Or the way her other hand crept up to caress the other side of his neck.

The same side of his neck that I had moaned into last night.

“Jess.” I prodded the tipsy man next to me to get his attention. “Who is that woman talking to Marco?” I asked once I successfully got his attention.

His eyes followed my gaze across the room, landing on the woman as she smiled affectionately up at the Don, batting her eyelashes.

“That’s Sofia,” He answered with a shrug and tossed back some of his beer. “They used to have a thing.”

“ Used to have a thing or still have a thing?” I questioned, irritation making my voice dryer than intended.

“Uh… I can’t be sure to tell you the truth.” He scratched his chin awkwardly and coughed into his fist. “But you have nothing to worry about there, Bandit,” he said patting my arm condescendingly, as if he knew something I didn’t.

“And why is that?” I asked doubtfully.

“It’s worth more than my inheritance to tell you that piece of information.” He shrugged and laughed as my eyes narrowed at him.

Without permission, my attention drifted back over to the two figures across the hall. To my instant outrage, Sofia’s hand was now threaded between one of Marcos while the other toyed lightly with his hair.

Something that felt like crushing rejection sunk into my chest.

I can’t fucking watch this.

I got to my feet and immediately left the table, exiting out one of the nearby doors that lead onto a veranda. Alonso was hot on my heels, and I shot him a warning look that made him halt just inside the door. I didn’t stop until I reached the far end of the stone balustrade, overlooking the expansive gardens that surrounded the villa.

The view was so beautiful, it made it hard to remember the heartbreak that I had left inside.

I heaved in a deep, calming breath and looked up at the stars.

I knew that Marco would grow bored and move on to someone else. I had already made my peace knowing that my time with him would be fleeting, and that soon enough I would be relegated to the sidelines. I just hadn’t anticipated that it would be so soon… Could he be sleeping with us both?

The question weighed in my stomach like a rock.

“I thought I might find you out here.” The gentle words reached my ears at the same time as I heard footsteps approaching.

I was surprised to hear that the voice belonged to Eliyana La Torre. I turned and gave her a small smile as she approached.

She stopped beside me, resting her forearms on the stone and looking out across the gardens as I did. A small shawl was wrapped around her petite shoulders, shielding her from the slight chill in the air.

“It is a beautiful venue,” I offered, trying my best to keep my voice light.

“It is indeed.” She leaned in a little closer to me and then lowered her voice as if disclosing a secret. “Though it is a little ostentatious for my liking.”

I grinned. “I think I would have to agree with you on that one.” Her gentle laugh was as musical as her son’s.

A few moments ticked by before I spoke again.

There was something I needed to say to this kind woman, but I was struggling to find the right words.

“I owe you an apology, Mrs. La Torre-”

“Eliyana.” She insisted.

I smiled before continuing. “Eliyana. In fact…I owe you a great deal more than an apology.” I couldn’t keep my voice from trembling as I continued. “What my family did to yours was unforgivable and disgusting. I am truly, truly sorry.” I couldn’t help it as tears lined my eyes, remorse weakening the walls I so frequently built up.

Delicately, she took my hand and squeezed it affectionately. I was surprised to find her gaze held not an ounce of judgment or resentment.

“You are not to blame, cara mia. Your father must shoulder that responsibility alone.” She patted my hand comfortingly.

“Marco is very much like his father.” She continued after a thoughtful moment. “He is just as strong-willed and as practical as Manuel ever was. Loyal almost to a fault.” She gave a sad chuckle. “When my Husband died, part of Marco and myself died with him. It destroyed us and Marco wasn’t ready to become the Don to this family. Back then, all he wanted to do was play football and race around in his cars.” She smiled at the thought.

“But he didn’t have the luxury of time or choice. Today, he is one of the most feared Dons Sicily has ever known, hardened and ruthless like no other because he has had to be. But underneath that tenacious exterior…my son still exists. And I think you have seen him too.”

Images of us eating McDonalds in my car flashed across my mind. Him doing donuts around the parking lot, just because I told him he couldn’t. Play fighting in the pool this morning because I’d pushed him in… The boy within Marco didn’t come out very often, but beneath all his cold indifference, that boy was there. I had seen him.

“You care for my son, don’t you?” Her question was more rhetorical, but I nodded anyway.

It was strange for me to feel so trusting of someone I had only just met, and yet not one part of me felt ashamed to admit my feelings to her. In fact, it was freeing.

“He cares for you too, you know.”

W-wait, what?

She laughed at the surprise on my face, “I know my son well enough to know the signs, cara mia. Did you know that he extricated some of his cousins for believing you should be killed when your father refused your ransom? It caused quite the stir.” She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “That’s when I knew you were something special.”

My brain refused to process the words she was saying, and I shook my head in disbelief. My thoughts flashed to the brunette inside and I internally compared myself to the other women he must have available in his life. There wasn’t even a comparison.

She chuckled gently, understanding my skepticism, “My son has had many friends in his time, but he has never defended and fought with his family over one before. Only you.”

I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing.

But what if she was wrong?

The consequences would have been too painful to bare if she was… but could she be? She was Marco’s mother and knew him better than anyone else, or at least knew how to read him better than anyone else did.

“That may be true for now but… I-he- I am just one person. I’m not enough for someone like him. The money, the power… he can have anyone he wants. It is just a matter of time before he grows tired of me.” My voice quivered as I let out my deepest insecurities to her.

“It’s a possibility,” She conceded, her tone gentle, “but love is never guaranteed forever, Cosa Nostra, Mafia or not. My son has played the role of an impervious Don for a long time now…but it isn’t a role one wants to play forever. Adalyn, you will either be the worst thing for my son or the best.”

A spark of hope lit in my chest as her words finally sunk in.

I let out a heavy breath, tension I didn’t know I was hiding lifting from my shoulders.

“Now let’s go have a dance!” She suggested, dispelling the tangle of emotions that lingered in the air.

Our conversation had been a lot to process, so in a daze of disbelief I let her lead me back to the hall and onto the dance floor. Aunt Catarina and Uncle Leonardo also joined us after the first song had passed. It was PG-13 dancing for sure, but nonetheless I laughed and moved to the music beside them. My heart was full of happiness with Eliyana’s words still ringing in my ears and amusement lined my lips as she waved her hands wildly out of sync with the music.

After the third song melted into a fourth, I met a few glances as I looked about the room, my eyes eventually finding the only person I wanted to see.

Marco sat in my seat next to Jesse with the boyish smile I had come to love gracing his features. His attention focused entirely on me.

For the first time in a long time, I felt true happiness.

For the first time in a long time, I felt free .

The party started to die down at around two in the morning. The music descended into background noise and only small groups of people still milled about as the tables slowly grew vacant.

After saying goodnight to Eliyana and Marco’s Aunt and Uncle, I found Jesse as Marco had once again vanished. I asked him for help with finding my room, completely lost in the sheer size of the place and without a hope in hell of figuring out which room was supposed to be mine.

Jesse thankfully led the way upstairs and we weaved through various corridors until he stopped at one of the ornate polished doors. He swiftly pushed it open and gestured dramatically for me to go inside.

The suite was just as grand as the décor downstairs, decorated in creams and golds. A beautiful bathroom, living area, and exterior veranda made up the lavish space. Thankfully, my bags were partially unpacked in the corner and my personal effects were lined neatly to one side of the vacant room.

Jesse did a quick, albeit unsteady, check of the room before stepping back into the corridor. “I’m right across the hall if you need anything. But please try not to need anything; Eloisa might be stopping by…” He grinned, shooting me a wink.

I recognized the name of one of the girls at the table earlier and rolled my eyes at him.

“Ew. Just don’t catch anything.” I muttered.

“Sure thing, Bandit.” He chuckled and left, closing the door behind him.

I sighed and unhooked my heels, pulling them off and dropping them to the floor.

I undid my dress in front of the vanity in the bathroom, pulling the heavy material away and laying it over a nearby chair. I pulled on my nightdress, just as I saw movement in my periphery.

I relaxed when I felt a familiar, warming gaze.

Marco leaned against the doorjamb to the living room, watching me silently as I approached the vanity and started scrubbing the makeup from my face.

I ignored him for as long as I could, but the silence was quickly becoming unbearable as numerous questions weighed on me.

“Who was that woman you were talking to earlier?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual and uncaring.

“No one important.”

“Didn’t look that way,” I muttered, allowing a little bit of my annoyance to seep through.

“Jealous, are we?”

“ Should I be jealous?” I asked, swiping away the red stain of my lipstick.

Eliyana’s belief that Marco cared for me was unignorable. If she was right, then the brunette— Sofia —was just as attention seeking as the rest of the women that often flocked to him and Marco held no real feelings for her.

But was she right?

When he didn’t answer I sighed and turned to face him. His suit jacket and bow tie were now notably absent, his white shirt partially open at the top while his hands remained hidden in his pockets.

“No,” he said the moment my eyes flashed to his.

With one little word, the spark of hope Eliyana had lit earlier turned into a flame in my chest. A tingle ran down my spine.

“I spoke with your mother.”

He looked unsurprised by my words and waited for me to continue.

“She told me that you care about me. Is she right?”

His face remained pensive, and I thought he wouldn’t answer…but then he nodded his head slightly.

My heart thundered in my ears and my breathing shallowed.

He cares.

I gave my head a gentle shake, trying to process it all. He had called me his numerous times since he took me hostage, but I always assumed he’d meant it in a sexual or perhaps proprietary way…not in a way that coexisted with caring .

It suddenly felt like my whole body was on fire.

Marco crossed the tiled floor to me, slowly coming to a stop and cupping my face between his hands.

“Did you really fight with your family over me?” I asked, looking up into his eyes. The ice within them slowly melting away.

“Yes,” he said quietly, bringing his head down to place a kiss in the crook of my neck. I sighed in contentment.

As light as a feather, I felt his hands trail up my sides, bunching my night dress up and slowly pulling it off in one swift motion. He allowed it to drop to the floor between us.

Once again, I found myself completely naked before him, while he remained fully dressed.

With deliberate slowness, he palmed one of my breasts before bringing it into his mouth, his tongue tracing the sensitive skin. I groaned and arched myself toward him. His other hand trailed down my stomach, reaching to cup the sensitive skin between my thighs.

I let out a breathy “ahh” as his finger found its way inside me, making me ache for him even more. I unbuttoned the material of his shirt and pushed it from his shoulders, suddenly desperate to feel his skin against me.

He relinquished his touch on me to momentarily discard it, before pulling me back to him, crushing my lips to his in a bruising kiss that left me breathless. His tongue pushed between my lips at the same time he thumbed my nipple, and I moaned into his mouth. Marco’s responding growl was enough to elicit an ache deep in my stomach.

His hands skimmed the backs of my thighs for a moment before lifting me onto the dresser. The wood was cool against my flushed skin, and I yelped in surprise.

Before I had time to recover though, Marco was sucking on the inside of my thigh. He ran his tongue, teeth and lips dangerously close to my sensitive spot, and my hips rolled involuntarily, desperate for his touch. His shoulders shrugged beneath my legs as he lifted his eyes to mine, his expression was as dark as his soul.

It was so salacious I blushed.

“Tell me you’re mine,” Marco gritted out.

My insides melted as his breath fanned against me there .

“You know I am,” I said, hips rolling once again.

“Say it,” He demanded. His hands gripped my skin as if he was struggling to restrain himself while he waited for my answer.

“I’m yours.” I sighed, leaning backwards onto my hands.

“Who fucks you?” He pressed, his eyes lethal.

“You fuck me.” Desperation colored my voice and my body trembled with a need only he could sate.

He seemed satisfied with my answer, pressing his face between my legs and his tongue lapped from my entrance to my clit. I moaned so loudly it should have made me blush with embarrassment.

Instead, I burned and tugged his face closer.

He immediately complied. His tongue sweeping more forcefully than before and trailing around my entrance before plunging inside. He let out a guttural noise that made me shiver, before gripping my ass and tilting my hips up toward his face. His warm tongue languidly strayed to the sensitive skin between my cheeks and my body flushed immediately as he turned his attention to an entirely new area of my skin.

“Marco…” I gasped, fear and reservation constricting my lungs.

He pulled away slightly, “Don’t fear me.” He continued playing with the spot. “We’ll get there, but not tonight,” he said after a moment more, then proceeded to lick me from my ass to my clit.

A shudder ran through my body and a rumble sounded from his chest.

A second later, Marco got to his feet, lifted me by the back of the legs and walked us the short distance to the bed.

He dropped me in its center, looking down at me and I watched as he unbuckled his belt and stepped out of his shoes. The second his trousers hit the floor, I could see his hard-on beneath his boxers. My body ached with longing, muscles growing rigid as his gaze coasted over me.

The waiting was driving me to madness, and without thinking, I raised my arms above my head, spreading my legs wider. Showing him both my submission and my need. His muscles tensed at the sight, and he yanked down his boxers as if the material irritated him, climbing onto the bed the moment his erection was free.

He came to rest above me, the hard plains of his chest and stomach meeting my skin in a motion that released butterflies in my belly. My hips rolled against him in response and he hissed. Retreating slightly.

I felt him reach toward the nightstand and I heard a crinkling noise somewhere near my ear, but I didn’t want to wait. My hips grinding dangerously against him.

“Need a condom. Wait.” He growled.

I didn’t.

Fueled by my burning, aching need for him, my hips moved against him again of their own accord. This time the force was enough that his tip slipped inside.

I stilled and he simultaneously went rigid.

A second later he let out a groan so loud I felt it vibrate against my chest.

I moved again, sinking a bit more of him inside and let out a whimper of relief as the empty ache turned into a blissful burn. My insides stretching to welcome him.

“I haven’t got one on.” Marco growled. Unmoving and tense inside me.

“It doesn’t matter,” I murmured, sucking on his neck.

I didn’t fully understand why I did it, but I knew it wasn’t just on impulse.

In the back of my mind, I knew it was because I wanted to be different to him. Different from Sofia, from Lexi and every other female he had ever been with. I wanted to share something with him that he hadn’t with anyone else.

I’d had sex before, that much was true, but Marco was the only man to have ever touched me. He had explored, tasted and kissed every taboo part of my body… and whether it made me reckless or not, I wanted to mean something to him as well.

Marco remained still above me, his eyes scrunched closed, jaw taut. Spurred on by the arousal I saw on his features I moved against him again, pushing in more of his length.

“God, you feel… you’re so fucking soft.” He spat, racking in an unsteady breath. “I gotta stop, I got to—" His eyes met mine, conflict swirling amongst the darkness.

“No, you don’t. I’m on the pill,” I whispered, meeting his gaze so he could see I wasn’t lying. A small piece of indecision still marred his features, so I added, “I haven’t done it without one either.”

His eyes burned into me for a couple more seconds before his uncertainty dissipated.

“Ask me to fuck you,” he said, voice ragged as he leaned down and begun trailing kisses down the side of my neck.

My hands tangled in his hair. “Please fuck me, Marco.” And just because I was more turned on than I had ever been before, I murmured against his ear. “I want to feel you come inside me.”

Any remnants of restraint died away as pure hunger took over him.

With a half growl he thrust the rest of his length into me. A whimper tore from my throat as a familiar fullness made my body flush. He hovered there a second, allowing me to adjust before pulling almost entirely out. I cried out as he rocked into me again, my back arching to meet his hips.

“Fuck.” He pressed his lips to mine, his tongue delving into my mouth, and I sucked on it gently. His hips picked up their pace.

Our kiss was wet and rough, leaving me breathless and disorientated. He tasted like the whiskey he always drank, and his spicey smell drove me wild while the friction of his skin burned deep into my stomach. I ran my nails down his back, gripping his toned ass.

“Harder,” I moaned, feeling myself at the precipice of an orgasm and wanting so desperately to fall off the edge.

He ignored me and kept his rhythm the same. I huffed in frustration. “Ask me nicely.”

“Please,” I said breathlessly.

“Please what, Ada?” he ordered roughly.

“Please fuck me harder.” I sighed as the dirty words left my lips.

He immediately complied, rolling his hips with more force than before and rubbing himself against me. The friction burned across my most sensitive area, driving me to the brink of madness.

I let out a breathy moan and resorted to begging, feeling dangerously close. Just two more. One more.

My orgasm was fierce. The intense release of pressure and tension made my body violently shudder.

Marco made a soft sound in his throat as my body contracted around him. He had stilled, concentrating on the feeling and watching me as I orgasmed, waiting patiently for my body to settle.

The moment it did, he began moving again. This time his strokes were much more intimate, reaching deeper inside me with an excruciating slowness.

He leaned his forehead against me. “I’m going to come inside you now.”

I nodded, watching as his own pleasure enveloped him and contorted his features, knocking him into a half-lidded daze.

Marco on the brink of release was the most erotic thing I had ever seen, and it sent a shiver skating across my skin.

His grunts turned into a moan as he came, echoing so loudly in my ear that my stomach pooled with arousal and my hips arched into him, pushing him deeper. He stilled, trembling for a moment as warmth spread between my thighs.

He collapsed on top of me, chest to chest with one arm supporting his weight. I felt the gentle pressure of his lips brush against my forehead.

“Well, that was a first.” He breathed and I flashed him a triumphant smile.

“A good first?” I asked. A pang of nervousness hitting me as I waited for his answer. My hands rubbing his back aimlessly.

“Put it this way…” I felt his lips trail across my hairline. “I’ll never be the same.”

My breath caught as he pulled out of me, falling to his back. I felt his familiar warm gaze rest on my skin, and I looked over to him, feeling about as happy as I ever had. The boyish smile I had come to love lit up his face.

Then I realized something.

It wasn’t just the boyish smile I loved—I loved him .