Arianna
I wake up, and everything hurts, but my fingers feel like they’re on fire. I whimper, and my eyes close and open again. I turn my head to see I’m in my room, with Carmine asleep in an armchair he must have brought in here. I try to smile, but my mouth is so dry it feels like my lips will crack. I close my eyes again and turn my head the other way, looking at the window. Alessandro is standing there. His arms crossed over his chest as he watches me.
I try open my mouth again and wince. Alessandro walks over, knowing without a word what I need, he offers a straw to me, and I sip on some cool water. I lick my lips afterward and then have some more.
“How?” I croak out.
Carmine jolts up in the armchair, which makes me wince. He comes to kneel beside the bed, stroking my arm. “Oh, Ari, you’re awake.”
“She’ll get hungry shortly. Get her something to eat. Ask Mom for soup or something like that, so she doesn’t have to chew,” Alessandro orders.
I want to ask Carmine to stay, but Alessandro sits on the bed beside me. “There’ll be time for that later.”
I feel tears prickling my eyes, and I sniff, “It was awful.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Cup Cake,” he says gently, stroking the tears from my eyes. “But you’re safe now, and that fucker is dead.”
We both remain quiet for a moment before he strokes my arm. “I thought I’d lost you. I felt so hopeless and heartbroken like I’d never be happy again. I never want to feel like that again, Cup Cake.”
I’m too tired and emotional for kind words right now. I really thought I was going to die in that warehouse. I start crying a little harder, whimpering, “I was brave. I didn’t give up anything about the family.”
“I know. You make me so proud,” Alessandro whispers. “But there are more important things to talk about now… if you’re up for it.”
I slowly nod, swallowing hard. “I can try. I guess you want to know how I got taken and by who.”
“No, actually. Carmine filled me in on all that,” he says thoughtfully. “What I want to ask is if you’re absolutely sure
Carmine is the man you want to be with?”
“You’re asking my opinion,” I croak. “God, I must have died and come back.”
Alessandro smiles at my jab but doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “Alessandro, I know he’s the one for me. My heart tells me, and my brain agrees.”
“Katya is so mad with me,” he comments. “She says I try too hard to control the women in my life under the guise of protecting them. She says if she can be the head of a family, you should be allowed to choose who you can be with.”
“Your wife is smart. You should listen to her,” I say softly. “Can I have more water?”
He holds the straw to my lips, and I sip it gratefully before resting back. “Carmine will never hurt me,
Alessandro.”
“Katya seems to think the same thing. And I don’t know how you convinced Mom and Pa or Dominic, but everyone seems to be down my throat about this.”
I smile. “Because they’ve seen how much we love each other. Look, I know I’m a pain in the ass, especially to you, but I just want to live my life the way I want to.” Alessandro nods and sets the cup of water down. “I’m letting Carmine back into the family, but I swear to Heaven and Hell, Arianna, if you cry once for any reason because of his, even if it’s an accident, I will shoot his cock off myself.”
I try not to laugh, but my smile hurts just as much. “Deal. I’ll even hand you the gun.”
“Deal.” He leans down and kisses my head gently. “Also, I think it’s time we put your business skills to some use for the family. If you’re still interested in helping out?” I nod. “As long as you pay me well,” I say.
He grins and stands just as the door opens. Carmine comes in with a tray and sets it on the bed beside me.
He looks at Alessandro, who raises an eyebrow. “Well, you better feed her. She can’t feed herself.”
He’s switched back to ‘business Alessandro,’ and I have to say I love him for it. He walks around the bed and stands in front of Carmine. “If you ever so much as glance in the direction of another woman or if there comes a time that you are not bringing absolute sunshine and happiness to her life, I will shoot your cock off and leave you to bleed out.” “As an older brother should,” Carmine says calmly.
Alessandro puts a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for bringing her home, don’t let her out of your sight again.” “Of course, Don Alessandro,” he says respectfully.
I watch the interaction from my bed, my heart ready to burst in my chest.
Alessandro leaves, and Carmine sits beside me. First, he helps me sit up a bit better, propped by some pillows, then picks up the soup.
“No kiss?” I pout.
He smiles. “I thought you’d be in too much pain for a kiss,” he says, leaning toward me. He’s right; it does hurt when our lips meet, but I don’t care. I’m just glad we can be together.
“You can have a kiss for every quarter of this soup you finish. So four kisses on the line here,” he teases.
I settle and smile. “I’m ready.”
Carmine
“Just trust me,” Arianna says as I continue to follow her. She’s mostly healed from her attack, but she still has nightmares. At least now I can be there to soothe her when she wakes up.
“I don’t trust you, though,” I tease, “because whenever you talk about me to your brother, I’m sure he figures out another way he’d like to kill me.”
“It’s nothing,” she insists, but the cheeky grin on her face tells me otherwise.
I take her arm and pull her to me, kissing her softly.
“Just tell me before you go in.”
“It’s nothing, trust me,” she murmurs again before slipping out of my grasp and knocking on Alessandro’s door.
“Come in,” his voice calls from inside.
I follow her in, knowing she’s up to something and that big mouth of hers is going to get me killed.
“Alessandro,” she says with a smile as she walks in.
Alessandro glances up from the paperwork on his desk and pauses. “You only ever have that shitty smile on your face when you want something you know I won’t give you.”
I nod, and he glances at me, so I stop. “I have no idea what it is. She won’t tell me.”
“I feel stifled,” she says, sitting in an armchair in front of his desk. “I don’t have any freedom to do things I want to do.”
“Things?” Alessandro asks. “What sort of things?”
“They are of a personal nature,” she says calmly, and I stare at the back of her head, willing her to keep quiet.
Alessandro coughs slightly. “What is it you want?”
Arianna shines with happiness. “My…our own place,” she corrects herself quickly. “I know you want me close by for business, so I propose the cottage on the edge of the property we use for storage. It should be emptied so
Carmine and I can move into it.”
Alessandro rubs the five o’clock shadow on his face. “I don’t know, Arianna. I don’t think it’s a good idea you’re out of the house just yet.”
Arianna frowns. “I’m almost twenty-six, Alessandro. You need to give me more freedom, and having my own place will do that.”
“What freedom can you have in the cottage that you can’t have here?” Oh, I wish he hadn’t asked that because I already know the answer.
“Wild, horny sex,” she says instantly. “If I can’t have rampant bunny sex all over my own space, if I can’t feel comfortable having sex, then I’m not happy. Couples have sex, Alessandro. It’s what they do.”
He looks at me sharply, and I swallow hard, flustered slightly.
Arianna raises a hand. “Look at me, not him. He really didn’t know I was going to do this.”
“I’m sure he’s fully aware of what he does to you, though,” Alessandro growls.
“Alessandro, keep to the point.”
“Fine, you can have the cottage, and Carmine can stay there with you,” he throws his hands up. “Any other demands?”
“No, thank you,” Arianna says, getting up. “It’s always a pleasure chatting.”
We both walk out, and I can feel Alessandro’s eyes on me the entire time. As soon as the door is shut, I look at her. “What were you thinking?”
“Shock value always works,” she says with a grin. “Now we can have our own place and do what we like.”
“We were doing what we liked anyway,” I point out.
“Or did you already forget this morning?”
“Oh, I remember,” she purrs, pecking my lips. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
I grin and take her hand gently in mine. Even though the bandages are off, I don’t want to hurt her. It’ll be a while before her nails grow back.
I drive us to Fifth Avenue to the bistro the family owns. The hostess is expecting us and seats us in a private booth in the back.
All through the meal, a part of us is touching: our legs, our hands. She has consumed my very being, and I have no regrets. I still work for the family, and I don’t mind doing that because she doesn’t mind. She knows I have a job to do and that I’m loyal, and she respects that.
I draw a luxurious bath as soon as we walk into the house. Arianna sneaks a bottle of champagne to the bathroom, and we both settle into her large tub, sipping out of crystal glasses.
“If Alessandro knew what we were up to, he’d throw a fit,” I point out, sighing.
“Well, if we’re going to get in trouble, we should go all the way,” she says back, smiling mischievously.
“Again?” I chuckle. “You’re going to wear me out.”
She sets her glass down and shifts onto her knees. “I don’t know about that. You seem to have a lot of stamina.” “Then to the bed we go,” I say.
“Oh no, right here…” she reaches between my legs and gently feels around until she finds my cock. At her touch, it twitches slightly, and I lick my lips. “You’re really going to play me dirty like that.”
“I love it when I play you dirty,” she teases. “Shift up.”
I shift around until her legs are on either side of me, and then she reaches down and strokes me. I lean my head back with a small groan. “You are amazing,” I murmur, my eyes closed.
I hear her giggle, and I smile, enjoying the firm grip she has on my dick, which is steadily growing hard.
I lift my hands and place them on her hips. “Save a horse, and ride a cowboy, baby.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “That’s terrible.” “I saw it on a shirt,” I chuckle.
She raises her hips and holds my cock in place before she slowly rubs it between her lips. I bite my lip as I watch her, my eyes feeling heavy.
She slowly lowers herself down, guiding me inside of her.
I grip her hips tightly, and the water sloshes as we both move slowly. “Don’t make a mess,” she whispers in my ear.
The ends of her hair are wet, and it tickles my skin. I leave one hand on her hip and grab her hair with the other, pulling her down for a hungry kiss as I thrust a little harder. Water splashes onto the floor and I groan.
“Come on, cowboy,” she says as she sits up. “Let’s take this rodeo to the bed.”
I grin as she climbs out. She doesn’t even dry off. She just walks, wet and naked, out of the bathroom. I follow suit and watch as she gets onto all fours at the end of the bed. “Hell, yeah,” I say quietly as I get to position myself behind her. “Tell me you want me to fuck you, Ari.”
She looks over her shoulder at me with fiery eyes.
“Fuck me hard, Carmine.”
I swallow slightly, my balls clenching tightly at her words. With my cock in my hand, I guide myself back into her, just the tip. Once she starts rocking back and forth, I grip her hips and start moving in and out of her, slowly building up a rhythm until the sound of wet skin slapping wet skin fills the room.
I see her grip the bedsheets, and for a moment, I wonder if it hurts, but then she clenches around my dick, and I groan, moving harder. I put a hand on her back and move my hips quickly, doing my best to get in hard and deep because I know she likes it.
She clenches again, and this time my balls respond. I push deep inside of her as I come.
I pull almost all the way out and slam back into her to elicit a seductive “Ah” from her.
I grin, pull out, and slam back into her with my own moan and another, higher-pitched “ah” from her.
Arianna
After I’ve hammered the nail into the wall, I pick up the painting on the floor below and hang it up, making sure it’s straight. I turn to see two of the movers bringing in a sofa. “That needs to go in the living room there,” I point.
They’re followed by Sofia, who grins at me. “I thought
I’d come help.”
“If by help you mean drink wine, then sure,” I say with a grin, leading her to the kitchen. I pour us each a glass of white wine and rest back against the counter.
“The cottage is coming along nicely,” Sofia comments, looking around. “At least Carmine isn’t as stubborn about furniture and decor as Dominic is.”
“Are you kidding? He is so militant! God help me I don’t make my side of the bed perfectly,” I laugh, and then I notice something sparkling on her left hand.
“Is that an engagement ring?” I ask with a wide smile.
She sets down her glass and holds out her hand. “Yes! He asked me last night.”
“Oh, Sofia.” I set my wine down and hug her tightly.
“I’m so happy for you guys.”
I pull away from her and hold her hand regarding the ring. “Huh! My brother didn’t hold back. Good thing he knows how to treat you properly. So, does this mean there’ll be a baby soon?”
She throws her head back and laughs, and when she’s done, she smiles at me, her eyes shiny with tears. “No, but that’s the first thing your parents asked. I want to finish studying first, and Dominic is a bit hesitant about being a father.”
“I think he’d make a good father.” I sip my wine.
“Follow me; I’m going to unpack some boxes.”
We unpack a few boxes in the living room and talk about our men. Sofia leaves, and it isn’t long before Carmine walks in.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he says, walking over to me.
I stand and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. “Hello, handsome.”
He grins and grabs my ass, holding my body against his. “Did you hear the news?” he murmurs.
“About Sofia and Dominic? She told me today,” I grin, releasing him reluctantly. “Let’s make dinner.”
I take out some vegetables and start to chop them up as Carmine prepares to fry some steak. As we eat, he tells me about his day, and I tell him about things I want to do to the cottage. Before too soon, we’re both in our bed, with me resting against his chest, his arm around me. He hums softly, and I find it comforting.
When it stops, I glance up and find him staring at me. “What?” I ask.
“Nothing, I just…do you think one day we’ll get married and have kids of our own?” he asks with a cheeky smile.
I grin. “Maybe we should try for a child now. I bet we could have twins.” I stroke his chest softly.
His eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “Ari, I love you, but I don’t think either of us is ready to have kids. I mean, you’re still healing from your attack, and the cottage is definitely not big enough. God, all three of your brothers and your father will murder me for real.”
I laugh heartily and smack his chest playfully. “Relax,
I’m only joking.” I rest my head on his chest again. “Maybe in five or ten years, we can have kids. I don’t want to be too old, but I also want to have a lot of fun before I settle down.”
“I hope this lots of fun plan includes me in some way.” He strokes my back gently, and my eyes feel heavy.
“Hmm, you are all the fun,” I murmur. I drift off slowly, content just to rest in his arms.
*****
THE END