Alessio and Faro left shortly after, and I went to the dog park with the children and Loulou. Surprise pervaded me when Mansueto limped up to me no more than ten minutes after we arrived.
“Gianna, may I join you?” he asked. Elia immediately stood up, making room on the bench.
“Sure,” I said, suspicious of his motives. “How did you know I was here?”
“Domenico.” I nodded, casting an oblique glance at my older bodyguard, but he was looking away. Mansueto turned to Elijah.
“Give us some privacy.” Elijah headed toward Simona and Daniel, who were watching Loulou play with a dachshund. Domenico had taken the guard a good distance away. I blew through my hands to warm them, aware of Mansueto’s intense scrutiny.
“I would like you to reconsider your decision not to get pregnant.”
My eyebrows shot up. “It’s not just my decision. It’s Alessio’s, too. He doesn’t want any more children right now. Simona and Daniele need all our attention.” Mansueto observed a group of dogs chasing each other. “That’s because he prefers to pretend that the children are his.”
“You don’t know that they are not. Andrea and Gaia might have said that to hurt him.”
“So he told you everything?” I bit my lip. “You should accept Alessio’s decision.”
“He would change his mind if he knew the truth.” “What truth?”
Mansueto stared at me with a sad look. “That the children are not his.” “You don’t know that.” “That’s not true. I did a paternity test without Alessio’s knowledge.” I froze.
“What?” “Neither Simona nor Daniele are his. The test confirmed that. They are Andrea’s.” My heart sank. “Why are you telling me this?” “Because Alessio doesn’t want to know. If I tell him… He can be very stubborn. I need your help.” “I won’t even tell him. He doesn’t want to know, and I respect his wish.”
“Then don’t tell him now. One day he will find out. It is bound to happen. At least, make sure Alessio has an heir by then. Give him a child. Don’t you want a child of your own, Gianna?” Simona and Daniel giggled as Loulou and her dog friend had a tug of war over a long branch.
“I can’t do anything.”
Mansueto touched my hand. “Alessio won’t be upset if you forget to take the pill and accidentally get pregnant. You are young and have a lot to do.” I couldn’t believe what he was suggesting.
“No,” I answered firmly. “I will not deceive Alessio in this way. Please don’t ever ask me such a thing again. Let Alessio believe that Daniele and Simona are his, if that’s what he wants. He loves them.” Mansueto gave a grave sigh.
“No wonder he is infatuated with you.” Daniel spotted Grandpa and rushed toward us, throwing his little arms around his neck. Mansueto stroked Daniel’s head.
“You are quick, sweet child.”
Daniele smiled at him and began to tell him about Loulou and her dog friends. I got up and grabbed Simona, who had tripped twice in her haste to follow her brother and was screaming. Mansueto lifted Daniel onto his knees and pointed to a Great Dane. Slowly, I returned to them. Simona was beaming at her grandfather, who stroked her chubby cheek with a gentle smile. He treated them as his grandchildren. Before he went home, I cornered him alone.
“Please promise me that you won’t let Daniele and Simona get away with anything. Daniele is getting better. He is talking. He loved his first day of kindergarten. I don’t want old wounds to open because blood is more important than anything else.”
“You should remember who you are talking to.” “I am not a person who disrespects. But I will protect these children, even against their own grandfather, if necessary.”
Mansueto let out a croaky laugh and then patted me on the back. “Alessio is a lucky man.” He turned and limped back to the black limousine with his bodyguards.
“Everything okay?” Elijah asked.
“Yes.” I hoped I had convinced Mansueto.
Alessio worked late and I fell asleep next to Daniele. When I woke up after midnight, I followed the thread of light downstairs and into the cigar lounge. Alessio sat in the armchair in front of the fireplace, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared into the flames. His jacket and tie were thrown dangerously over the second chair. He still wore the jacket, but the first buttons of his shirt were undone, as were the cuffs. He rubbed his beard with the palm of his hand, as if it had been arranged that way for an aftershave or a whiskey commercial.
“You’re brooding,” I said as I entered the room.
“I’m not.” I locked the door. Alessio’s eyebrows rose as I approached in stride.
“Yes, you are. You keep worrying too much.” He shook his head.
“There’s too much to worry about.”
“Talk to me about it.” I stopped in front of him. He looked tired and weary. He was working too hard, worrying too much.
“It’s business, Gianna.”
“Is it because of my brother?”
“It’s part of the game. Luca has stirred up a lot of shit with his brutal attacks these past few months. It’s only a matter of time before Bratva and the bikers get their revenge. But you shouldn’t worry. You can’t do anything about it.”
“I can make you feel better.” He shook his head, but stopped when I knelt between his legs. He exhaled as he set the glass down on the table. Smiling at him, I pulled down his zipper and massaged him through his boxers until he was hot and hard under my palm. Alessio’s breathing had deepened and desire was swimming in his eyes. I freed his cock from his boxers and took only the tip into my mouth. My gaze found the glass on the coffee table. I picked it up and popped the ice cube into my mouth.
Alessio looked at him with half-closed lips, his chest puffed out. I sucked on the ice for a couple of seconds before letting it slide back into the glass, then closed my now cold lips around Alessio’s tip again.
“Oh fuck,” he cried, his head falling back. After a moment, he tilted it down again so he could look at me with his eyes half-closed. I took him deeper into my mouth, inch by inch, using my tongue to tease the sensitive tip, really taking my time, savoring his heat and taste. Alessio kept his hands, palm flat, on the armrest and let me pleasure him. For once, he let me be in control. I wanted to show him that I cared for him because I cared for him — because I loved him.
I loved the sounds he made when he was near, the low moans and the sharp breaths. I loved the way his fingers flexed against the leather armrest, the way his muscular thighs trembled under the expensive fabric of his Brioni pants. But most of all, I loved the possessive gleam in her eyes a second before she let go.
“Yes, honey,” he replied. He stiffened and came with a little shudder, his eyes closing. My lust was hot and heavy between my legs, but I ignored it for the moment. I swallowed and continued to work him with my tongue and mouth as he twitched from the last aftershocks of his orgasm. I lightly stroked his balls and held him in my mouth, sucking him only gently. When he stopped and looked at me, he stroked my cheek. I let his cock slowly slide out of my mouth, making him moan again in my throat. I kissed his thigh.
“Better?” He let a raw giggle escape. “Yes.” He leaned forward and grabbed my hips.
“Now it’s my turn.”
“It was about you.”
“I know.” He lifted me to my feet, then slipped his head under my nightgown. Slipping a finger under my panties, he moved them to the side, revealing my swollen flesh. He slipped his tongue between my lips and I gasped. He grabbed my thigh and lifted one of my legs so that my foot was on the armrest, opening me for him. As I had done, he took the ice cube and sucked it into his mouth before dropping it into his hand and sliding his cold tongue between my folds.
The cold electrified me, making me arch my back in pleasure. He slipped his tongue inside me and I grabbed his head for better leverage so I could move my hips and push it even deeper inside me. He pulled back and then his fingers touched the ice cube on my pussy.
I cried out at the sensation. Alessio slowly rubbed the cube over my folds until I was covered in the cold liquid, then he leaned forward again and gently sucked the moisture from my sensitive skin. I shivered with the force of pleasure, but held myself back. Alessio thrust two fingers into me, freezing from grasping the cube. I shook my hips, needing more, desperately wanting more. One of his fingers found mine and pushed in.
“Oh God,” I gasped. Two fingers in my pussy, the tip of one in my ass and Alessio’s mouth on my clit, I fell apart with a violent shudder. He held me closer to his face and, as he did so, slid deeper into my rear entrance. The force of my orgasm dulled the pain. I slumped on his lap, sated and exhausted.
“What was that?” I finally did it. “I wanted to do more than just slap your beautiful.” I huffed.
“Did you like it?””I’m undecided, but I’m leaning toward no.”
He laughed deep in his throat. “Maybe I’ll be able to convince you.” “Maybe. But you’ll have to be very convincing with your tongue before I give it another try.” He stroked my iliac bone and my back, and I smiled to myself. I had been worried all day because of the conversation with Mansueto. Now I felt lighter. Nothing had changed. I would keep the truth hidden from Alessio, for himself and the boys. “I think Simona is starting to talk.”
“What did she say?” Alessio sounded tired, his voice even lower than usual.
“Dada. Sounds a little like Dad.” Alessio squeezed my arm but said nothing.
“I wondered what he should call me. I know Daniele calls me Gianna, but…” I swallowed, worried about expressing my idea “… but I thought maybe Simona wants to call me mom. She doesn’t remember Gaia, and it would be sad if she never had someone she could call mom. She…” Alessio finally interrupted my rant by pulling back and kissing me.
“You’re right. You’re her mother now, so that’s what she should call you. He will probably get confused at first because Daniele calls you Gianna.”
“Yes, but that’s okay. I will move at their pace. I’m just happy that they both accept me.”
“It’s because you accepted them from day one. You never resented them or me for the burden of your responsibilities.”
“At first it felt like a responsibility. Like something I had to master, but that is no longer the case. This family is part of my life now.”