Dangerous Beauty: Part Two: A Mafia Princess (28 page)

“My son has plenty of sense, Anastacia,” Angelo said coolly. “It’s his responsibility to protect his wife. Paolo crossed the line, and now he will deal with the consequences.”

Anastacia looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Are you crazy?” She turned back to Nathan. “Paolo Luchini is a fucking lunatic. He’ll come here just to test you.”

Nathan smirked. “I’m well aware of who Paolo Luchini is, Anastacia.”

Her jaw ticked and Nathan saw frustration in her hazel eyes. “Look, Nathan. I mean no offense, but you are fairly young. You’re barely twenty-five. I understand that your father may be okay with letting you do something as crazy as poking a beast, but since this involves my daughter, I have to advise against it. I can’t let that happen. It’s my job to protect her—”

“With all due respect, Anastacia, the moment Carterina took my hand and became the most important person in my life was the moment it became my job to protect her,” Nathan said firmly. “I have no interest in ‘poking a beast’. As a matter of fact, the only one who should be fearful of poking a beast is Paolo. Your ignorance is understandable— you as my mother-in-law will never face me in such a manner— but I assure you, Paolo Luchini will never lay one finger on my wife. I’m not an idiot—”

“I never said you were—”

Nathan silenced her by continuing. “I discovered all there is to know about Paolo Luchini months before I met you. I know everything— from what side of the bed he sleeps on at night to how many times a day he takes a shit. So instead of worrying about Paolo Luchini, you should probably focus on tomorrow’s meeting. My gut is telling me that what you have in store for us tomorrow is far more important. Am I wrong?” Nathan asked. His voice was calm, but he might as well have yelled the words at Anastacia.

She was silent for a moment before she looked over to Nathan again. “Fine. We will make a deal then. If Paolo comes to New York and you’re around, you get to handle him. Pull out all the stops. But if he comes to New York while I’m around, I get to handle him as I see fit.”

“And if we’re both around?”

“Then we do it together. It will hurt worse that way.”

Nathan laughed, and Carter rolled her eyes. How appropriate that Nathan and Anastacia would bond over the possibility of killing someone. Carter didn’t give a shit. She’d kick his ass herself if she had to. She was sick of the name Luchini.

***

The meeting only lasted a little while longer before everyone tired. Once the hour grew late, they ended the meeting, planning to meet again the next day in New York.

Carter said her goodnights and left Nathan to see everyone out. She walked to her bedroom and headed straight for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she was sinking into her favorite tub. The hot water blanketed her skin, and she let out a relaxed sigh. She laid her head back on the soft headrest and closed her eyes.

She really needed this. She needed to relax and clear her mind of everything. And that’s exactly what she did. Carter let all of her stress melt away. She stayed in the tub until she was sure every bit of the jasmine fragrance had absorbed into her skin. Stepping out, she dried her body and made her way to the walk-in closet. After slipping on her pink silk mini nightgown, Carter headed over to her vanity to begin her nightly routine. She started with her favorite body cream. She massaged the cream into every part of her body, enjoying the way it made her skin feel. She was finishing up her last leg when she decided to acknowledge his presence in the room. She’d felt his eyes on her, but had decided to ignore him until she’d finished her task. She was still a little upset with him, but she didn’t like not speaking to him all day.

“They kept you long,” she said. “Was everything all right?”

When he didn’t answer, Carter turned to look at him. He stood silently, leaning against the door frame, staring at her.

Carter fought against her sudden shyness and turned away from him to reach forward for her hair moisturizer.

“Are you going to answer me, or will you just stare?” she asked.

“Am I not allowed to look at my wife?” he asked.

Carter shrugged and applied the moisturizer to her hair. Once she finished, she grabbed her brush and ran it through the long strands.

“You can do what you want, Nathan,” she said softly. “I’m yours to look at.”

He said nothing after that. Carter didn’t say anything, either. She just continued brushing her hair and hated the distance that she had created between them— all because she refused to talk it through with him.

Carter was trying to maintain a cool demeanor even though she felt as if she were suffocating. She hadn’t seen him smile all day, nor had she heard him genuinely laugh. Neither of them had been in a good mood, and all because Carter was afraid of what tomorrow’s meeting had in store for her. To be honest, she didn’t even think she was mad at him anymore. She was just hurt.

She sighed as she finished brushing her hair. It didn’t matter really. Just because she wasn’t mad at him didn’t mean she was willing to talk to him about it.

Carter set her brush down and stood from her vanity. After pushing her chair in and turning off the light on her side of the closet, she turned to go back into the bedroom. As she was about to leave, Nathan caught her arm. Startled, Carter’s body tensed under his touch, but that didn’t stop him. He pulled her to him and pressed her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body and hugged her close. Carter inhaled deeply as she suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion. She didn’t know where it had come from, but it hit her hard. Tears gathered in her eyes as she fought weakly against his hold on her.

“Nathan, stop,” she cried softly.

“I can’t do this, Carter,” he whispered. “I need to touch you, hold you. Do you know how hard it’s been to watch you smile and laugh with everyone except me today? I wanted to cut Lucca’s arm off because you let him touch you. You let him hold you, but you wouldn’t let me,” he confessed. “Do you know how fucking low I feel for wanting to cut off the arm of my own cousin?”

“Nathan, let me go,” she whispered and fought against his hold again.

“Please, baby,” he begged in a pained voice. “I can’t take any more. I’m losing my mind. Tell me what I need to do. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t talk to me. You hurt me.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Carterina. You know that, baby. I just didn’t want to put too much on you. After finding out who ordered the hit on your father, the Mitchell attack, the head injury, and your mother’s arrival, I just didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Carter pushed out of his hold and turned to face him. “Nathan, I need you to understand that I have to be able to trust you.”

“You can trust me,” he argued.

Carter shook her head firmly. “Not if I’m constantly afraid that you’re keeping something from me. I need you to be on my side in this.”

Nathan frowned. “Why would you say that? I am on your side. Every decision I’ve made, I’ve done it with you in mind.”

“You didn’t tell me about your talk with Anastacia, Nathan. You’ve been talking to her about things regarding me behind my back! You’ve been making decisions with her regarding my safety without even consulting me first! That’s not being on my side!”

“Carter, I just wanted to protect you.”

“I know that, Nathan. But in the process of protecting me, you left me in the dark, alone. You’re all I have! I need you to be with me in this because I’m terrified,” she cried. “I went into this completely blind because I knew I had you with me. I let this woman who had abandoned me into my life, and I still don’t even know why she left. I feel like I don’t know anything! My life was filled with lies, secrets, and withheld information— but not with you. You belong to me, and I belong to you. We have no secrets or lies, and we don’t withhold anything from each other!” Carter took a deep breath through her sobs. “I don’t want you having secret conversations with her about me, Nathan. I don’t like it. I’m your wife. If she comes to you with something like that, then you come to me, and we discuss it. I’m the one you make decisions with, not her! Stop shutting me out.”

“Is that how you really feel? You think I’m shutting you out?”

“Yes,” she cried. She was hoping that she was helping him understand what she was feeling. She was afraid that if he didn’t stop shutting her out, if he didn’t start trusting her enough to make decisions
with
her, and not
for
her, their marriage wouldn’t make it.

There was only a brief moment of tense silence before Nathan pulled her into his arms.

“I’m so sorry,
мое красивое Роуз
. Please forgive me.”

Carter threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as she cried. “I’m sorry, too,” she said as relief washed over her.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. I shouldn’t have kept anything from you. I’m trying not to be so damn controlling, but it’s such a hard habit to break.”

“I don’t want you to change. You don’t have to stop being my controlling, overprotective husband. I just want you to talk to me first. I want to be included. I want you to trust me. Even if we disagree, we can make a decision together. I should’ve told you how it made me feel a long time ago, but I guess it just didn’t matter until now.”

Nathan pulled back from their embrace and cupped her face. “I promise,
мое красивое Роуз.
From now on, we make decisions together. You and me. No one else has a say in what we do.”

“And I promise to tell you when something is bothering me, just like I want you to tell me when something is bothering you. I don’t want to fight every time we have a disagreement, Bubby. That’s not us. I want us to talk it through.”

Nathan nodded and kissed her lips. “Me too. And I do trust you. I’m not going to hold you back anymore, Carter.”

Carter shook her head. “You don’t hold me back, Nathan—”

Nathan silenced her by placing a soft kiss on her lips. He looked into her eyes. “Yes, I do, Carterina. You are far braver than I am, and I see that now. I’ve held you back because I was afraid to lose you. But it’s time for me to put the same trust in you that you put in me. I want you by my side in everything I do. Both here and at work. All right?”

Carter nodded. “Okay. And I’m sorry for making you want to hurt Lucca,” she said softly.

A smile pulled a Nathan’s lips, and he shrugged. “It wasn’t the first time I’ve wanted to hurt him, and it won’t be the last.”

Carter smiled. “We’re making up,” she said, both relieved and happy. She hated arguing with Nathan. And the distance between them today had been torture.

Nathan nodded. “We are.” He gazed into her eyes. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you, too.”

She stood on the tip of her toes and kissed him, feeling as if she hadn’t kissed him in weeks. Her tongue parted his full, soft lips and entwined with his as they deepened their kiss, pulling each other closer. Nathan’s strong hands caressed every curve of her body, and her body’s response was instant. Carter wrapped her arms around his neck as their kiss became urgent. She moaned into his mouth as his hands slid down her body and he cupped her behind. He gathered up the silky material of her gown and groaned when his hands came in contact with her naked flesh. A familiar heat spread rapidly throughout her body. Every nerve suddenly sprang to life, making her skin sensitive to even the slightest touch of his fingertips.

He pulled back from the kiss with a sly smile. “No panties?” he growled.

Carter smiled shyly. “I never wear any to bed, Nathan. You know that.”

“I thought I told you not to wear clothes in the bedroom.”

Carter giggled. She remembered when he had made that stupid rule. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“That was so long ago, I forgot,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. “If you think I spent all that money on these cute little nighties just to keep them in the drawer, you must be crazy, Nathan.”

Nathan frowned. “But I want you naked.”

He pulled at the hem of her nightgown, and Carter hit his hand away.

“I don’t think so, Mr. Salerno,” she said, laughing. “We may be friends again, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting any.”

Nathan smirked and advanced toward Carter, backing her up against a wall.

“Nathan, stop. We have to get up early tomorrow.”

“But I thought you said we were friends again,” he said with sexy smile.

“We are,” Carter replied softly, biting her bottom lip to hide a smile.

He looked down at her. “You’re not gonna let me touch it?”

She shook her head no.

“Can I kiss it?” He ran his fingertips up her inner thigh. “Just a little taste?”

She shook her head again, even as her body temperature rose rapidly. She inhaled sharply when his fingertips reached the top of her thigh and brushed against her sex. He parted her now-slick flesh and ran his finger back to front over and over again.

Carter moaned as her body relaxed back against the wall. Her hips began to move with the motion of his finger. Hot, tingling sensations shot through her body, and she ran her hands up and down his arm, hoping to hold him in place.

He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against her ear. “Your pussy is so wet for me, Carterina.”

His words against her ear made her body tremble with desire. Chills slowly traveled up her spine as her breathing became more rapid.

“Do you want me to stop, baby?”

Carter shook her head vigorously. “Don’t stop,” she moaned. “P-put your fingers inside me,” she said breathlessly. Carter had become very good at telling Nathan what she wanted. And right now, she wanted his long, talented fingers to slip deep inside her.

Not one to disappoint, Nathan dropped to his knees in front of her and pushed two fingers inside her. He leaned forward and ran his long, thick tongue over her heated core.

“Nathan!” Carter cried out as her hips jerked forward.

He pumped his fingers into her while his mouth began a glorious assault. Carter tossed her head back and screamed out her pleasure, uninhibited and unashamed. Her hips bucked against his face, moving with both the rhythm of his fingers and tongue.