The dishes were left on the table, and we didn’t make it upstairs to bed. He threw me on the couch and pinned me in the corner before he folded me into place. He entered me with a single hard thrust and smashed into my cervix like he wanted to hurt me just to remind me how big a man he was.
My shirt was bunched up above my belly button because he was in too much of a hurry to undress me completely.
His massive dick hurt, but I didn’t tell him to stop because I liked the pain. I liked being with a man so big that my cervix was always in the way. But the tears started in my eyes, not because I was about to come, but because the discomfort continued to grow beyond my tolerance.
He pulled back and only gave me what I could handle. His thrusts slowed down too, and he dipped his face to mine as he kissed the corners of my eyes and caught my tears with his lips.
I hooked my arms around his neck, and I kept him close to me as his thrusts turned into gentle rocks. I closed my eyes as I felt him continue to kiss my pain away. Then his mouth moved to mine, and he kissed me hard on the lips with a passion I’d never felt from another man. He expressed so much emotion without words, embraced me with his affection, made me hurt and then made me feel whole in the same breath. “Baby, I would die for you. A million fucking times.”
2
WOLFE
We had construction at the property to begin repairing all the damage. Part of the main villa had been ravaged by fire, the windows shattered from gunfire, bullet holes across the entire house. Not to mention all the other destruction. Don Mancini knew all the right people, and he had a crew out there quickly to start the repairs. It was important to restore the property and erase the memory of what our enemies had done to us. It was no different from hiding an open wound from your opponent.
Business paused momentarily so we could take care of everything. My skills were better used in other capacities, but I was a team player, so I helped out like everyone else. Don Mancini wasn’t around much, staying in his office or attending the funerals that he wasn’t even welcome at.
I saw Francesca around the property sometimes, and it was torture. Torture to look at her and not touch her. Torture to pretend like she wasn’t the single most important person in my life. The lava-hot feelings that bubbled within my chest rivaled the heat inside Mount Etna. I felt like I would erupt every single time I looked at her, whether she was dressed in one of her cutedresses while at work or when she wore a messy bun and my t-shirt around the house. I always felt like my heart was about to crack in two.
I watched the construction team and painters work to repair the bullet holes in the walls. I’d somehow become the property manager for this thing. My eyes lifted to the shattered window when movement caught my gaze. “Figgh’i buttana…”
I caught a glimpse of Francesca, a hint of the pastel blue dress she wore. I didn’t see her face or anything else. Repairs hadn’t started in that room yet because we were waiting for a shipment of a particular wood from the mainland that Don Mancini wanted, so she had no reason to be there, to expose herself to the secondhand smoke lingering from the fire the assholes had caused.
I left the workers and headed upstairs in the villa. I walked down the hallway that had felt like a mile when the shootout took place. I’d driven like a madman to get to her and sprinted down the hallway to make sure I saved her in time. I lived for that rush of adrenaline in moments like that, but when it had actually happened and Francesca’s life was on the line, I hadn’t felt any adrenaline at all.
Only fear.
I approached the office and spotted her inside, wearing her pretty blue dress and her platform sandals to give her some height since she was so petite compared to me. Her arms were crossed over her chest like she was cold, but it was a warm day with the sun coming through the window, so she was probably just uneasy.
Uneasy standing in the room where she’d fought on her own.
She tilted her head back as she looked at the soot and fire damage that went all the way to the ceiling. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice me staring at her in the doorway. Her throat shifted when she swallowed. Her eyes trailed back down again and she turned toward the doorway, but when she realized I was there, she gave a jolt in surprise. “Cristo…” She released a quiet gasp before her hand went to her chest.
I continued to lean against the doorframe. “Looking for something?”
“No. I just…” Her eyes went back to the soot marks. “I don’t know… I thought it would help.”
She’d had a couple nightmares, but she hadn’t spoken of it since. I’d assumed she was moving past it. “Don’t underestimate yourself, baby.”
She turned her head to look at me again.
“They came here for you—but you fucking annihilated them.”
Her eyes flicked away like she couldn’t take the compliment. “I was so fucking scared.”
“Which makes it even more impressive. People panic and lose all sense of direction, but you continued to load and shoot.” I respected Don Mancini for a lot of reasons, but I respected him the most for how he’d raised his daughter. Trained her for military combat so well that she was able to do what she needed to do without having to think about it. It was instinct. “And when you didn’t have a gun, you cut them open.”
“Only because of what you taught me.”
“That’s my job,” I said proudly. “And I’m going to keep teaching you everything I know.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m cut out for this.” She stared at the wall again.
I studied the side of her face, watched her fall into consternation. “I think so.”
She turned to look at me again, and this time, she turned her entire body toward me. Her eyes were full of hesitation and trepidation. She’d been so calm and confident when I’d met her, but she seemed to have lost herself momentarily.
“Remember.” I stepped toward her and entered the office, drawing closer while she didn’t move away. She didn’t seem to care if anyone walked by and saw us together because she let me wrap my arm around the small of her back and slide my hand into her hair. “Remember exactly who the fuck you are, Francesca Mancini.”
