Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83776 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“Baby,” I say, peppering her face with kisses and wiping away her tears. “Oh, Stef, you think I give a shit about that?”
“Maybe you don’t, but I do.” She tries to pull away, but I grab her hips and lift her up, sitting her down on top of the desk. She wriggles, but I hold her tight.
“Listen to me,” I say, staring hard at her. “No, don’t make a face, just listen. I don’t want things. This marriage has been harder for you than it has been for me, because you’re the one that was uprooted and dragged out to live with a bunch of strangers. I’m keenly aware of that, and yes, I’ve tried to accommodate you the best I could.”
“You gave me walls. You hate walls.” She chews her lower lip. “I’m sorry. This is so pathetic, isn’t it?”
“You’re not pathetic. I understand what you’re saying, but I need you to believe me when I say that it doesn’t matter. I don’t need anything from you. I’m already happy.”
She goes quiet. I take the chance to wipe away the rest of her tears before licking them off my fingers. She shakes her head, fighting off a smile, and I grin fiercely at her.
“You’re a sicko,” she whispers.
I lean forward and lick her cheek. “You’re damn right.”
“You’re really happy though?”
“A happy, sick fucking freak.” I kiss her throat and hold on to her hips. “Does that scare you?”
She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me, slow and deep. I growl into her mouth, tasting her tongue, loving the way she whimpers in response, her whole body reacting to me.
Every time I look at this girl, I see something new, something good. She’s precious, she’s beautiful. She’s the light that keeps away the worst of my demons. I didn’t even know a person could make me feel this way. If I have any strength in me, it’s because she makes me want to dredge it up—she makes me want to be better, to stand taller, to fight harder.
“I want to take this seriously,” she whispers, breaking off the kiss before I can fucking devour her.
“That’s good, because I am seriously about to fuck you into a gooey mess right here on your new desk.”
She grins huge but shakes her head. “No, not that. I mean, yes, please do that, but I was talking about our marriage.”
That makes me pause. “You want to take it seriously?”
“Yes.” She bites her lip again. “I mean, if you want to. I want to do this for real. You know what I mean?”
I nod and kiss her. “I know what you mean.”
“Well? What do you think? Do you want to do this with me? You don’t have to, I was just thinking—”
I kiss her again, taking my time, because she doesn’t realize that I’ve been serious about this from the fucking start.
“Yes, baby,” I whisper as I pull off her shirt. She shivers, smiling like she just won the jackpot on a scratcher. “I want to do this for real. With you and only you.”
“You really know how to make a girl special. You’re only saying that because you want to see my tits.”
“I don’t need to say a damn thing to see them.” I unhook her bra and latch my lips onto one of her stiff nipples to prove a point. “I want you, Stefania. Do you believe me?”
“Yes,” she whispers as I kiss up to her mouth again, biting her and making them puckered and beautiful.
“I want you. I want this. And I’m going to have both.”
“Right now?” she asks, wriggling her hips, all nice and eager.
“Right now,” I confirm.
And I fuck her into a sticky, gooey mess right here on the top of her new, fancy desk, as promised.
Chapter 32
Davide
The Navy Pier on a beautiful day is packed ass to tits with tourists and sightseers. A busker plays guitar on the far corner while a small mob gathers around him, a few German-looking travelers swaying and singing along to a Bob Marley tune. I stand at the very far end, at the furthest tip against the railing, and stare out at the water.
“He’s late,” I say when Simon leans up next to me. My father’s pacing around nearby talking quietly into his phone as he coordinates the guard team. We have men spread out all around this entire complex, but the Pier’s an enormous indoor and outdoor spectacle with little kiosk shops, a children’s museum, and tons of bars and restaurants. It’s impossible to watch everything.
“He’ll be here.” Simon gives me his patently lopsided grin. My eldest brother was raised to run the Famiglia one day, and he went wild in his twenties when the crushing weight of all that responsibility nearly overwhelmed him. Now he’s much more serious and sober, but I still remember the fights he’d get in with my father. I was pretty sure they were going to kill each other.