It was a question I didn’t have an answer to.
I gritted my teeth. I shoved into a sitting position, then stood. “I need fresh air. You stay in this room.”
Amelia didn’t protest. I threw on my fur coat and slipped on black boxers before leaving the room and locking the door. I didn’t yet trust Amelia, nor did I trust my guests.
Once out in the hallway, I sucked in a deep breath, trying to rid myself of Amelia’s potent scent and her grip on me. When I felt more like the man I had become, I moved downstairs, then out through the patio doors in the ballroom. A wide alabaster staircase led from the elevated patio down into the gardens, where white tents had been set up for the party. Servers carried drinks and food around, and a band played.
I stayed in the half dark behind the tents, watching the silhouettes of dancing people as I breathed in the evening air.
“Shouldn’t you be enjoying your wife?” a deep voice said from the shadows behind me. Tension filled my body, as it always did in the presence of others, except for Amelia.
I turned around to Remo, who stepped out of the dark. He scanned me, his eyebrows darting up at my attire, before he met my gaze, seeing things nobody else could. He and I weren’t so different in many regards. He, too, cared for someone more than himself: his brothers.
“I did,” I said. My body filled with triumph and heat at the memory.
Remo smiled twistedly. “Was she worth it? Worth the wait? Worth all the time and effort?”
“Tonight was worth it, yes,” I said. I couldn’t explain to my Capo how Amelia’s mere presence and not the claiming of her body made all the pain of her search worth it. Remo wouldn’t understand. For Remo, women were good for only two things: pleasure and business. And while I had every intention of enjoying Amelia’s body as much as possible and claiming more of the firsts that she had promised me, it was only a small part of what I wanted from her. The physical aspect was safer and easier.
Remo pushed his hands into his pockets, tilting his head to the side. “We have many tasks ahead of us. The Camorra needs you. I’m all for earning our soldiers’ respect, but others need to fear us like the devil, and you, Nestore, are evil incarnate in many eyes.” He chuckled. “Don’t go soft on me.”
I stared up at the night sky, marveling at its beauty, at its vastness. “The only soft thing about me is Amelia. She’s all that’s left of my humanity.”
“She’s your weakness, one our enemies will target.”
“I’ll tear them all apart limb by limb,” I snarled, rage turning my vision dark at the edges.
Remo smirked. “We should schedule your next cage fight to remind people what you are.”
“If they need reminding, I’ll remind them,” I muttered.
“Very good.” Remo scanned the tents. “I feel like spilling my cum down a throat.”
“I can recommend our club, the Medusa,” I said. “The girls there are very skilled.”
“I’ll look for Fabiano. He’ll want to join me. What about you?”
“I’m married.”
“That’s hardly an argument.” He shrugged, then moved closer, narrowing his eyes at me. “From what I hear, you never used our girls even before marriage, am I right, Nestore?”
I returned his gaze but didn’t answer. “I don’t see how this is relevant.”
“It’s relevant to my evaluation of your wife and how much protection she needs to ensure we won’t lose you.”
“I’m loyal to you and the Camorra.”
“That’s not what I mean, but I know your loyalty has its limits, and that limit is Amelia’s safety.”
I stiffened.
“No worries, Nestore. Amelia will be safe. Your story allows me to tolerate your divided loyalty.”
“I’m grateful for what you’ve done, Remo. You have my loyalty. I will lay my life down for you and the Camorra. You have my word on that.”
“But you wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I made a move on your precious Amelia,” he said, his gaze moving to where the window of our bedroom was. “That’s not what I call unwavering loyalty.”
A growl built in my throat. Remo was a formidable opponent. I had seen him in the cage. My chances weren’t good. But madness and my love for Amelia were on my side.
