Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
I groan and cover her mouth with my hand. “Please don’t talk about my sister that way.”
Her eyes widen, and she stops trying to talk against my palm. “That’s my sister, Carina. I called her back here from boarding school because of everything that’s going down. The closer she is, the safer I can keep her.” I pull my hand away.
“Your sister?” She swallows hard. “B-but the way you two were talking. And it seemed like you were …”
“Like we were familiar with each other?” I laugh and sit back on my haunches. “I suppose we are. She’s my bratty kid sister who managed to distract me from my work with a game of chess and fifty questions about you. She’s nosy. Always has been.” He rolls his eyes.
She’s quiet for a while, possibly digesting this news, then her face softens. “I love my sister, too. She’s everything I’m not.”
“Carina is the same for me. Kind, open, honest. She’s a good kid.”
“You’re not kind or honest?” she asks.
“Only to my family, only to the ones I love. The rest of the world? I will destroy whatever I must to keep you safe and happy, angel. You have to know that.” I take her hand and kiss her palm.
“How could I know that? We only just met! You didn’t even want to be married to me.” She smooths my shirt down, covering herself.
Though I want to pry her legs apart and feast on her–and I know she’d love it once I pressed my tongue against her wet flesh–she’s right. She doesn’t know me, not really. She’s a virgin mafia princess who’s never been with a man, and certainly not one like me. She needs more time to get to know me and my family.
So though it pains my heart and my balls, I stand and lean down, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Let’s talk at breakfast, all right? You and Carina can meet, and we can all get to know each other. We’re family now.”
“Where are you going?” she asks as I grab her hips and settle her into the bed again, covering her with the sheet and blanket.
“I’m not letting your father get away with coming after you, angel.” I cup her cheek and kiss her again, more deeply this time. I’m starved for her, but I force myself to pull away. “He needs to learn that you’re a Palermo now, and we don’t take kindly to anyone threatening us.”
She nods. She may not understand the depths to which I’ll go to retaliate in her honor, but she knows it must be done. It’s how our world works.
“Get some rest, angel.” I turn and stride to the door.
“Um, Antonio?” Her voice is hesitant. “Will you come to bed later?”
I can’t stop the shit-eating grin that spreads across my face or the way my heart warms at her question. But I don’t turn around and let her see it, either. Otherwise, she might storm out of bed and try to smack me again–which, honestly, doesn’t sound so bad.
“I’ll come to bed with you, angel. Every night for the rest of our lives.” With that, I leave and keep the door cracked so Diablo can come and go as he pleases.
I find myself whistling as I jog down the stairs, and Gilly raises a brow at me as he follows me into my office.
“So things are good now?”
“She wants me dead.” I nod.
“And that’s good?” he asks.
“She also wants me in bed with her as soon as possible.”
“She does?”
I ignore his surprise. “Of course she does. To that end, let’s get some killing done sooner rather than later. I want to take out at least four soldiers and one general, perhaps two if we get lucky. Tell me who we can get our hands on within the next few hours.”
His eyes go grim, and he closes the door to my office as we get to work on our revenge.
Once I’ve washed the blood from my hands, I’ll slip into bed with my angel and sleep without a single regret. She’s worth every bit of vengeance I’m about to enact, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving that to her.
10
ANGELICA
I moan, having the best dream. My whole body buzzes with need. It’s the same need Antonio keeps pulling to the surface every time he touches me. My mind replays us being in the shower together. His fingers between my thighs, strumming my clit. I’m so close.
“Antonio.” I gasp and open my eyes when something hard starts to press inside of me.
“Do not move,” Antonio says through gritted teeth. His hands are holding my hips in place. I blink, quickly realizing I wasn’t fully dreaming. I’m on top of my husband, straddling and humping him in my sleep.
Heat rushes to my face. He’ll never let me live this down. I don’t recall him coming to bed, but he must have slipped in at some point. I drop my forehead to his chest to hide my face as my hips push down, my body demanding that I give it what it wants.