Blood & Marriage (Dark Mafia Romance) (4 page)

My world took a tumble when he pulled me down to the long
leather couch and laid on top of me, already reaching for another kiss. I
bucked against his hand when he slipped his fingers between my pussy lips and
took a glance at my rapidly rising and falling chest. I worried that he’s
probably seen breasts bigger than mine, but he didn’t seem to mind in the
slightest, more than eager to kiss me again.

Just as I thought, he was heavy.

And I loved it.

Would he want me to touch his cock too? I kinda wanted to,
but how was I supposed to tell him that?

Breathless, I stretched under him, battling the
uncontrollable urge to rock against his hand, which somehow felt a hundred
times better than my own. It was unnerving to have so little experience when
all I wanted was to make him want me more and never forget me.

“You’re so hot,” Santo whispered as the rapid movements of
his fingers made my moans louder. He nipped on my bottom lip, pushing me to the
verge of pain before letting go.

I squeezed his shoulders and moaned again. They were rock-solid
with muscle. One of my legs slipped to the floor, and I opened up to him this
way, but it made me shift under him, and there it was. I could feel it. The
hardness of his cock pushing against my hip. Just thinking about it made me
excited and afraid at the same time.

I mewled and put my hand over my lips as Santo’s body slid
lower, his lips trailing over my breasts, then down the stomach where my dress
was folded like an accordion. I couldn’t breathe anymore. He was kneeling
between my legs, and I spread them farther without thinking.

All I could care about was how good it felt. He put me at
ease with his confidence, and I wasn’t even embarrassed about a man seeing my
pussy for the first time.

And then he made me gasp.

Santo grabbed my legs and hooked them over his shoulders.
The pure excitement on his face fuelled my own.

“I… I’m sorry, I needed to grow it out, because I was going
to wax it before the wedding,” I babbled, only now remembering the regrowth.
Would he think I was disgusting or unkempt? I wasn’t planning on anyone seeing
me naked before my wedding night.

Santo looked up at me with a chuckle, the arousal in his
eyes pinning me to the seat. “Baby, I don’t fucking care,” he said and leaned
in for a long lick between my pussy lips that sparked pleasure everywhere he
touched.

The sensation burned through my nerves, and my toes curled
up so rapidly it hurt one of my feet. But I didn’t care, completely immersed in
the sensation of his soft lips teasing me where I was most sensitive. The tip
of his tongue moved in circles all around my clit but didn’t touch it, only fuelling
the throbbing lust that overcame my whole body.

I slid my fingers into his hair and rocked my hips against
him, already imagining his cock pushing inside me, him hanging over me,
stronger and more handsome than any man I knew.

Santo’s fingers teasing the undersides of my thighs made me
cry out, and he didn’t back away when I rocked my hips against his skillful
mouth. His stubble teased my inner thighs and I couldn’t remember ever being
this turned on. And weirdly enough, in the clutches of this dangerous man I
felt as safe as ever.

When his stiff tongue pushed into my opening, his stubbly
top lip rubbed against my clit and I squirmed in the seat, biting my lips to
not cry out. It was all becoming too much, I was on the brink of orgasm and
couldn’t hold back any longer.

I squeezed my breast with one hand and rocked my hips
against his wonderful mouth until heat and frost washed all over me at the same
time, making me tremble and whimper his name without even a bit of embarrassment.
I was beyond caring.

I went limp and drowsy right after it finished, but he was
still holding my hips up, rubbing my flesh in his strong, rough fingers. Every
breath I took still had a whiff of tobacco in it, and it made me long for
Santo’s lips on mine.

His licks now became longer and slower, finishing off what
he’d already done.

He ruined me for any man that was to come.

“You’re so tasty,” he whispered and gave my pussy lips one
more kiss before untangling himself from my legs. “So tender and juicy…” He
crawled up my body, breathing hard and turning his attention to my breasts
again, kneading them and rubbing his thumbs against my nipples.

I was breathing heavily as the tension in my body slowly
dispersed, replaced by an ever-growing anxiety. The bodyguard knew where Santo
went, and if anyone noticed I was gone as well, this would be the first place
to look. I must have been completely mad to have decided to do this.

I pushed at his chest, enough to make him pull back and give
me space to rearrange my dress. “So... I better go back. They will be looking
for me,” I said, as I tucked my breasts back into the dress.

Santo sat back on the floor and licked his lips, following
me with his hungry gaze. “It won’t take much longer…” He cupped the front of
his pants making me panic even more. I’ve already gone too far, no matter how
much I wanted to see what he had in there.

I backed away against the door, frantically slipping on the
heels that had fallen from my feet who knew when. “That’s not...we didn’t agree
on more than that,” I said, searching for the lock button. “And...the dress...
I’ll give you the address of the store.”

His shoulders sagged, and he groaned, looking at me like a
wounded tiger. “Sure.”

“Okay...see you soon,” I said, falling into the street as
soon as I opened the door. One of my high heels caught against the rim of the
door, but I managed not to sprain my ankle, and rested my back against the
facade of the nearest building.

Santo watched me from the open car, and I quickly pulled my
dress lower, covering my bare ass before anyone else could see me in this
state.

Santo couldn’t find out how hard I was falling for him, or I
would be doomed.

It was so awkward to be alone with Santo after the thing we’d
done during my bachelorette party. He was all dressed-up and composed as he
waited for me by the car that would carry me away for good. As if nothing had happened.

Mona kept her face steady, although the lack of makeup gave
me a hint about what had been on her mind all night. I hugged her tightly,
savoring the private moment as the maid put my luggage into the trunk of the
limousine.

“I’ll see you soon, all right? Maybe we can have some time
out for just the two of us before the wedding,” I said, kissing her on the
cheek.

She studied our surroundings, as if to check if Father
wouldn’t overhear. “You think there will be a lot of handsome guys at the
wedding?”

I frowned, taken aback. “If I were you, I’d wait until
university,” I told her, squeezing her hands goodbye when Father gestured at me
to come and join him. I was looking at hours in only Santo’s and Father’s
company, which would only lead to the main and most stressful event of the
day--seeing my new home and meeting Seth Villani. My future husband.

The clothes I’d chosen were just the right balance between
what Father deemed acceptable and my own taste: a pencil dress in a pleasant
lilac color, worn with a yellow jacket and white elbow-length gloves. It was
retro, and turned me into an updated version of a perfect woman from the 1960s,
but in my own heart, the smooth fabrics and expensive jewelry were like a
shield to protect me from what was to come.

I sat in the car and waved at Mona once more, only to watch
the place I called home for eighteen years disappear when we drove off. Many of
my things were still there, packed into neat boxes that would be sent to my new
address once I settled in, and others—the ones I had already sent to the
Villani residence—were most likely unpacked and tidily stored in wardrobes and
drawers so that I’d feel at home as soon as I arrived.

But I wouldn’t feel at home there for a long time—that was
for sure.

*

After so many hours in the car, I was glad to hear we were
finally approaching our goal. The mansion was surrounded by a tall limestone
wall, and its gate—supervised by men, who seemed to be just sitting in the
shadow to protect themselves from the sun, but I would’ve bet anyone they were
armed to the teeth. I looked through the window at the immaculate garden full
of flowers and palm trees as the car drove toward a huge villa with pale walls
and wooden shutters.

Would I get to see Seth before I got out of the car? Brace
myself for the meeting itself for at least a few seconds? Would he try to
shamelessly kiss me as Santo had, or would he be a gentleman and wait until our
wedding day?

“Don’t talk too much when we meet your father-in-law. There
will be time for that later,” Father said, pulling me out of my thoughts, but
it was difficult to focus when we’d almost arrived at the steps leading to the
main door of the villa.

The silence around me was deafening. I didn’t want to see
Santo him sneer at my obedience, but I nodded anyway, cradling my little
handbag closer. Despite the anxiety eating me up I wanted to be out of the
vehicle more than anything. I reached for the handle as soon as the limousine
stopped in front of the staircase leading up to the door.

Father shook his head, so I stayed as I was, watching Santo
exit and walk around the car. He was the one who could let me out, apparently,
and as much as the sense of entrapment made my stomach clench, I still smiled
and took his hand as I stepped into the sun.

For a second, I worried I would wobble in my high heels on
the bit of gravel in front of the steps, but Santo’s arm was like cast iron,
and he didn’t let me lose balance.

As soon as I was safe on the steps, I and smiled, desperate
to make a good impression. I searched for any sign for which of the suited men
would be my future husband. It couldn’t be the man my father was greeting,
could it? That man was over fifty, surely.

But when Santo led me up the stairs in silence, I finally
realized to whom he was herding me, and my husband-to-be seemed just as nervous
as I felt.

Seth’s body language spoke of tension, even though he was a
muscular bull of a man. He was sexy in the dark suit, which only emphasized how
wide his shoulders were. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than
Santo.

All eyes were on me when I approached him and finally stood
on the same level as him. Santo was tall, but Seth…? I barely reached to his
collarbones. Seth’s brows were gathered into a slight frown, and he licked his
lips, making panic roll through my body like a typhoon. What if I wasn’t his
type at all? What if instead of petite blondes, he liked voluptuous brunettes?
I looked down when he gathered my hand in his, and mine was like a child’s when
enclosed in his thick fingers. I wasn’t ready for this at all.

Staring into my eyes with something that seemed like
shyness, he kissed the back of my hand. Maybe he really was as nervous as I was
and tried to make a good impression? Despite his remarkable size and roughish
good looks, he acted like the perfect gentleman, so differently from Santo, who’d
stolen a kiss from me without even being my intended.

Maybe things would go well after all? I just needed to give
it my best.

Father chose this moment to comment that it seemed to him
that we liked one another already. My cheeks went aflame.

“Hi,” I said, trying to be as pleasant as possible.

“Hi,” Seth said in a quiet, low voice that sounded like an
invitation to bed. “Would you care to come inside?” he asked after a pause, and
extended his arm to me, but that meant I had to let go of Santo, the slippery
rock that had nevertheless supported me throughout the journey here.

I nodded at Santo without glancing at him and let Seth walk
me into the bright, spacious entrance hall, where used wine glasses filled
trays, and the smoke made the air heavier than it should have been.

The interiors were elegant and expensive, though fashionably
understated, not too flashy. In this way, it reminded me of my former home,
even though the house of my future father-in-law seemed larger, more grand.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said, unable to stand
Seth’s silence anymore. He wasn’t even all that focused on me, as if something
distracted him.

The group of men surrounded us as we walked, a whole
whirlwind of new faces that I needed to learn. I spotted a few women hanging
out farther into the house, surely trying to get a glimpse of me.

Seth turned toward me and finally smiled, which made him
even more handsome. His eyes were a dark chocolate hue, his lips succulent
enough for me to wonder how a kiss from him would taste. This was good. A
husband like this would make me forget all about Santo.

“You as well. Did you have a pleasant journey?”

“Pleasant enough. It took so long that I’m glad to stretch
my legs,” I said and gently petted his forearm. We walked into a sitting room
where he led me to a small sofa by the coffee table. All eyes were sliding over
me, scrutinizing every detail, my every move. The heat of Seth’s thigh against
mine gave me goose bumps, but I kept my gaze on his face.

Seth nodded, flushing slightly, and my chest swelled with
the need to keep his attention. As long as he was absorbed by me, I wouldn’t
have to deal with anyone else. “It feels like I’ve been waiting for this day
forever.”

My father, who sat across the coffee table with my future
father-in-law, gave a jovial laugh. “Don’t be so nervous, Seth, she doesn’t
bite.”

I cleared my throat, embarrassed yet again. It would have
been so much easier if it hadn’t been for all the other people there. My eyes
darted to the back of the room, to a man in a sleek blue suit, whose pale eyes
drilled into me with such intensity it made me uncomfortable. His gaze wouldn’t
leave me even as I exchanged pleasantries with Seth’s father, and with wine
soon on the table, we all made a toast for our future union.

Seth poured himself much more wine than a glass should hold
and drank it all too quickly. My stomach sank. Was he that unhappy to see me?

He drank another glass when our fathers elaborated about us looking
good together once more before proceeding to exchange comments about each of
us, as if we weren’t within earshot. It was getting increasingly difficult to
pretend it wasn’t all happening, so I was relieved when Father suggested Seth
and I take a walk in the garden.

Dino Villani, Seth’s father, smiled at me as if he weren’t a
powerful mafia boss whom my family has worked with for years. “That is a good
idea. I don’t want to bore your daughter to death.”

I exhaled, trying to keep calm, but my eyes strayed to
Santo, who watched me from a chair close to the open terrace doors, the glass
of wine in his hand barely touched.

Seth got up and gave me a hand after a moment’s hesitation.
“The weather is especially nice for a walk today,” he said the most neutral
thing that I’d heard in my entire life.

We walked toward the terrace doors and it was unnerving to
have all those eyes on me. My jacket wasn’t long enough to cover my ass, and I
could feel all the stares focused there when we walked away from the crowd of
men. The pencil dress gave my walk a wiggle, but there was one pair of eyes I
didn’t mind on me.

“Quite chilly though. I’m happy I took my gloves. My fingers
get cold easily,” I said, gently brushing them over Seth’s arm as we walked
toward the French doors.

“You look very elegant. My mother always liked to wear
gloves to formal occasions. She was even buried in them, actually,” Seth said,
making me go silent. Sure, I wanted to get to know him better, but this was a
bit much.

My skin crawled under the leather when I thought about
myself buried in the white gloves. Before I knew it, I stumbled over the
threshold and was saved only by Seth’s arm. In the corner of my eye, I saw
Santo twitch as if he wanted to get up, but he stayed in the chair.

Instead, I saw someone else following us. The-long haired
man who had stared at me without the type of interest I usually got from men.
But judging by his handsome symmetrical features and the perfect suit, he most
likely had women fall into his lap. I remembered my mother telling me not to
fall for the pretty ones. That they wouldn’t value me the same way an average
man with a heart of gold would. Too bad I was already knee-deep in the sinking
sands of Santo’s charm.

The long-haired man stepped outside, walking a couple of
steps behind us, but he stopped at the edge of the terrace at Seth’s father’s
command.

“Acerbi, get back here. We’re practically family anyway.”

I tried not to look too relieved. So he was my fiancé’s bodyguard.
It made some sense, considering Seth would be the future Don, but Santo’s words
came back to haunt me. He told me Seth wasn’t the type of man who could protect
me. And he never said that Seth wouldn’t want to. He said that Seth couldn’t,
whatever that meant.

I cleared my throat when Seth glanced over his shoulder, as
if he missed his shadow already.

“I’m sorry to have brought that up,” he muttered and smiled
at me, leading the way between the flower-beds that created elaborate patterns
around us.

I nodded, eager to make him feel more comfortable. He didn’t
seem like a mean person, so even if I wasn’t the ideal future wife he’d
pictured, surely we could work something out. “Don’t worry about it. You must
be as stressed as I am.”

Seth exhaled and squeezed my hand lightly. “Yes. I wasn’t
expecting all of this when I came back from the US. But the moment I saw you, I
had no regrets,” he told me, and all of a sudden, something about his face
changed, the earlier insecurity gone as if it had all been an act for the eyes
of the others. Maybe it had been? Maybe he just wanted to reassure my father
that he wasn’t a sexual predator, or something?

I bit my lip, sensing the heat streaming to my face. “Thank
you. I’m not disappointed either. The pictures didn’t do you justice,” I said,
not wanting him to think I was a puppet of my father’s, who pushed me into the
arms of a man I could potentially hate. Even though that was exactly what
happened. The compliment made him flush slightly, and I mentally high-fived myself.

Away from prying eyes, we walked into the shadows of a vine
tunnel. The greenery and the soft singing of birds had a calming effect on me,
and with each step, Seth’s arms felt steadier. He seemed like such a
sweetheart, not like Santo, who was incredibly confident and sexy but lacked
respect for me.

“I heard you studied abroad. What was it?” I asked, eager
for more information about him.

Seth led me to a grand old gazebo at the end of yet another
alley made out of shrubbery. Here, we were alone, and I could truly get to know
him. Or at least skim the surface of who he was.

“Yes, I did some courses in International Politics, some in
Communication studies.” His smile became wider, as if those were fond memories,
and I couldn’t help but wonder what a man like him was doing trying to become
the future head of the Villani family. Was he simply chosen because he was the
only son and his father wanted him to lead the business in the future?

“That is so interesting. I can imagine you’ve seen many interesting
things,” I said, leaning against one of the wooden posts. I couldn’t decide
whether I was jealous of the freedom he’d had or sorry for him that as someone
who seemed so normal he’d have to fill the mold prepared for him. But then
again, I didn’t know him yet. For all I knew, he could have the nature of a
brute.

Though it was hard to imagine him hurting a fly when his
eyes lit up. “They had a really good sports program at my university. I did
climbing, volleyball, tried kite surfing when I went to California for a while.
You have any favorite sports?” His hands, thick enough to break a neck,
squeezed each other nervously.