Vengeance: DARK MAFIA ROMANCE

Eighteen

Savio

I've stopped thinking, stopped planning, at least for this one moment. Her slim fingers fumble with the button on my jeans, freeing my cock to rub against her warm skin. She holds the shaft tentatively. When I bite at her hard nipple, her grip tightens uncontrollably, nearly pushing me to the edge. "I won't go in," I murmur in her ear, pushing my cock down so it slides between her legs. I move my hips experimentally, distracting her with deep kisses on her neck, ready to react if she panics. Instead, she churns her hips against mine, gasping with a desperation I've never heard from her before. When she threatens to get too loud again, I playfully slide my fingers into her mouth. Her tongue wraps around my finger, sucking and tugging, and I have to fight to hold on a bit longer.

When I judge that she's right on the edge, almost forgetting to breathe, I lean close to her ear. I rub against her even more urgently, forcing her to feel how hard I am. "You did this," I hiss. "You did this to me." She comes immediately, pressing her lips tightly together and shuddering in my arms. I reward her silence by kissing her cheeks, her lips, her eyelids. Pinning her to the wall with one hand, I let her down own her own feet, stroking myself as I stare at her. She's flushed and panting, her long hair tangled and messy. Her pajama pants are tangled around her knees. Under my gaze she shyly wraps one arm around her torso, trying to hide herself but not covering anything up. There's a look in her eyes, open and beautiful and wanting, that scares me and makes me come at the same time.

"Savio?" she murmurs as I zip my fly and reach for the lock on the door. I want to leave, before I can open up or do something I regret, something that breaks down my weakening resolve to destroy her. But I hesitate. "I booked us a boat trip, in Naples. A lunch. I don't know what your plans are, but we can do it any day."

The handle of the door creaks under my hand. She's so hopeful, desperately trying to sound casual despite the quaver in her voice. Feelings I haven't experienced in decades flood me. I want something other than the life I've been given, but I have lived long enough to know that it's a pointless wish. Still, I can't bring myself to turn her down. "We'll see."

***

No matter how much I travel, I can't help but feel the jet lag as we descend the ramp from our plane to the warm concrete of the Naples Airport. I give Natalia a hand, as she's too busy gazing around with wide eyes to pay attention to her feet. Lazy midmorning haze half conceals the city from us, while the two peaks of the nearby mountain loom up into the clear air. Natalia gasps when I tell her that it's Mount Vesuvius.

Excitement wars with fear on her face as the rest of my men join us and we stride through the airport to the area where our private cars wait. Luca sits in the front next to the driver, while Natalia and I ride in back. She's glued to the window, drinking in the beautiful old world yellow and white buildings with the occasional pop of red, the majestic green hillsides, and the locals buying groceries and gelatos on crowded thoroughfares.

At one point she spots a pair of fuzzy little donkeys, led by their owner along the side of the road. Without a hint of the anxiety and caution that haunts her every day, she spins around and grabs my hand, eyes sparkling as she tries to show me the cute animals before they disappear behind us. It feels...right, while at the same time taking me aback. This isn't the child of the mafia I have committed myself to destroying; this is a girl who brings my dead heart to life without even realizing it. The dreams of hurting her, of making her scream as she watches everything she loved stripped away from her, are growing fainter and less satisfying, and I'm terrified. Without revenge, what do I have left?

She doesn't let go of my hand after the donkeys vanish. Her narrow fingers lace through my strong ones, anchoring her to the one mafia man she beliefs can save her. If only she knew. I feel like everything is going to come crashing down in the next few days; maybe I can hold on for one more minute. I tighten my grip and tug her closer to me for a moment, bringing my mouth to her ear. "Did you make a reservation for today?" She nods, surprised and eager. "Let's go after we drop our bags off at the hotel." I can hold off the inevitable a little longer.