Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 27737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
AAAAAAAH.
My body arches up as he tastes the most intimate part of my body.
Giancarlo...
Oh, Giancarlo...
My love.
I'm dying to cry the words out, but I can't.
I want to so, so much, but he deserves more than a burden.
Giancarlo, my love.
All I can do is sob and claw helplessly at the sheets as I come, my body shuddering helplessly under the relentless thrusts of his tongue.
I sense him moving up as my body grows heavy in the aftermath, and my eyes slowly flutter open.
"You're mine, Sarica."
Yes, I am.
"As I am yours."
Oh God, why?
"And that's why I will never let you go."
I believe him.
It scares the shit out of me to believe him, but I do.
And that's why...
My heart shattered anew when I found out Giancarlo had lied to me...days after his brother Cesare was arrested for murder.
Two Years Ago
Darkness
"SOMEONE JUST TRIED to bash Cesare's head against a...wall."
That sudden pause between Giancarlo's words is telling. I know he's barely stopped himself from swearing, and it only goes to show how everyone in the family is on the brink of completely losing control...and hell breaking loose.
"I expect all of you to make sure that he does not hear a single thing about what happened here. Capisce?"
No sooner than one call ends when another one starts, and this time Giancarlo is speaking in rapid Italian.
"Do what needs to be done. All I want is the assurance that she will sleep through the night, and by tomorrow, there will be no trace of what happened."
My conscience starts warring with the pragmatic side of my brain. Even though he hasn't mentioned a single name, I'm pretty sure he's just ordered the family physician to sedate Penelope, Cesare's fidanzata. The younger girl has been throwing up nonstop since Cesare's arrest and her grandmother's murder. So while I get why he wanted to keep Penelope in the dark about tonight's attack...
Ah, fuck it.
Penelope's one of the nicest girls I know, and if this is the only way to get her to rest, so be it.
Giancarlo is still on the phone when La Strega rejoins us. I reach for my cardigan, and just as expected, his grandmother has already switched the A/C on.
Maybe the Marchettis know something I don't, and lower temps have been scientifically proven to increase IQ?
"Was that Massimo?" La Strega asks when Giancarlo turns to face her.
"Sì. He's already gone underground. Have you gotten hold of Ezio?"
His grandmother nods. "Ezio will take care of Gazelle." The older woman suddenly turns toward me, asking, "How are you holding up, bambina?"
Even after all these years, being the recipient of someone's concern makes me feel uncomfortable, and I shrug awkwardly. "I'm fine. And...and I think I should be the one asking you that."
"We are all still alive," she answers crisply. "I cannot ask for more." She motions towards the door, saying, "Go and rest now. It is pointless for you to stay up while Giancarlo and I talk."
A part of me wants to argue, but I just nod and head back to my room. Potenziana Marchetti did not become Boston's ruling queen by being tenderhearted; if she needed my help, she would have asked for it from the start. And so if she wants me to rest, I know that's the best thing I can do if I want to do my part.
But this is easier said than done, and I spend the next hour tossing and turning in bed, my mind endlessly replaying earlier events.
News of Cesare's arrest had made rival gangs think this was their one and only shot at defeating the Marchettis. Local police won't have the exact figures until tomorrow, but I overheard one of the higher-ranking officials estimate the involvement of at least three famiglie behind the orchestrated attempt to seize Boston out of the Marchettis' control.
And they could have so damn easily succeeded...if not for Giancarlo being his paranoid self, and thus having countless safety measures in place.
A knock sounds on my door, and I'm already jumping out of bed in my haste to open it.
Giancarlo stares down at me, and he's still annoyingly gorgeous as ever despite the lines of weariness and tension etched on his features.
"May I come in?"
I step back and nod.
But as soon as the door closes behind him, I'm in his arms, and he's already carrying me back to bed.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Our clothes are on the floor in seconds.
My nails are scraping his back as his mouth latches hungrily to one erect nipple.
He suckles hard, and I cry out.
He thrusts his finger inside of me, and a moan slips past my lips.
I want it to last forever, but it never does.
He only has to touch me, and my whole body burns.
I come with a cry, my body shuddering under the dark intensity of his gaze, and not once did his eyes leave me.