AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nicola
Earlier,I allowed my anger to fuel my confessions of the origins of the scars because I hate being vulnerable, and telling Domino was hard enough without becoming an emotional wreck. I’m so used to people discarding me that I seem to lash out when this man is nice to me. I say or do things I don’t mean when in truth, I wish he’d hold me a little closer. Kiss me a little bit harder.
Belonging to Domino Cardarelli is the one thing in my life that feels like fate has stepped in. It’s one of the few things I desperately want to be true. But it also feels like every time we get close, he starts to pull away. I don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it.
Dinner was a beautifully crafted shrimp linguine dish with perfectly crusted garlic bread and a lovely salad. I’ve never been a wine drinker, but the sweet tang of the rosé Domino chose had me imbibing in more than one glass.
Slightly tipsy now, I lie in the lush grass of the garden I’ve admired for months that’s just off the back patio and stare up at the moonlit sky, wishing we weren’t in the city because then I could see the stars. Maybe even a shooting star. Possibly make a wish.
Domino has been silently watching me from his chair on the stone patio since we finished dinner. I can feel the intensity of his stare, the caress of his eyes. It’s almost as tangible as the warmth of his fingers as they glide up my thighs.
“When I was a little girl, I used to dream of one day being a princess. Living in a castle, having Prince Charming as my own. I believed in fairytales and pumpkin carriages, mice turning into horses.” The wine has made my lips loose. “I remember wishing I was blonde like Cinderella so a man would love me. The first thing I did after Santo bought me was dye my hair. It didn’t matter that my complexion would never match or that my dark roots would always shine through. I just wanted one part of the fairytale to be true.”
A temperate breeze blows the salty ocean air up and over the side of the brick wall. “I thought I had it all. I had everything. Loving parents, glamorous home. Money. My life was perfect.”
Except it was all a charade. Just like the carriage.
“And then it expired. Midnight struck, and the truth was revealed. I was nothing to them. Just a dollar sign. Or many dollar signs. And I thought Santo was exactly the same. First chance I got, I ran. I would never have come back to him either.” If I had known it was his car, I wouldn’t have tried to steal it. “The car was so old and rusty, I’d never have guessed it was his.” Looking back, I see Domino leaning forward as I spill my story.
“He was nice, you know? It took more than a year for me to trust him enough that I didn’t barricade my door every night, cowering in the closet and wondering if he was going to take advantage of me.” I still feel terrible for that year.
“What changed your mind?” Domino’s head tilt reveals his genuine curiosity.
“Evelina.” I smile, thinking of the woman who laughed when I answered the phone by accident. “Santo had no idea how to tell her about me. About what he’d done. So when I picked up the phone one day, her lilting laughter entranced me. She was never angry or judgmental. She spent hours asking me questions, completely forgetting that she called to talk to her husband.”
“That’s my mother for you.” I can hear the love in his tone.
Rolling to my stomach, I lean up on my arms and stare at him. Domino is a truly beautiful man. His hair is just slightly longer than I imagine he wore it as a cop. The blond locks are dark enough that he could be mistaken as a brunette. His shoulders are broad, muscular, like he could hold the weight of the world on them and never tire.
“He told me about you.” I’m shocked by his confession. “Before he bid on you. Before he came back here. He told me.” He sounds tortured. “I told him to hand his information over to the police. That he had enough on his plate, and he shouldn’t get involved.” I can’t deny the cramping in my chest is a painful reminder that I’m a nobody. “I’m so fucking glad he didn’t listen to me. I was young, naïve, new to the police force. I never in a million years could have believed a father would actually sell his daughter and get away with it.”
I can tell he feels remorse about his guidance, but I have no idea how to respond, so I remain silent and wait.
“I’m so fucking glad he didn’t listen to me, Nicola. So fucking glad.”
“Why were you never here with him?” I’ve never been brave enough to ask the one question I could never find an answer to. “I know Santo loves you all very much, so it doesn’t make sense.”
Standing, Domino saunters towards me. Gripping the back of his shirt, he pulls it up over his head and drops it next to me on the ground before he kneels between my legs from behind.
“You know he was maintaining position for the Morellos, yes?” I nod, enjoying the feel of his comforting chest over my back. “My mother is American. He met her on a trip there and never left, but the Cardarellis, Lupos, and Morellos remained close families. When Vincent Lupo was murdered and Natale Morello was nearly taken out, Papa knew he had to come home. He had to be here so the Morellos could heal after they sought vengeance.”
Domino’s hefty arms bracket mine as he explains. “The Lupos?” I ask. It’s the only name I’m not familiar with.
“Yes, Vincent Lupo was Carlo Morello’s right-hand man for years. When he died, Santo took his place. Because of me, Mom never wanted to leave the States. I had just finished high school, been accepted to the academy, and she didn’t want to leave me on my own. It was then decided that once the Morellos came back to Sicily, we would all follow.”
Domino lifts my dress’s skirt and drags my thong to the side as I feel the girth of his cock rubbing against the seam of my ass. Moaning, I shift back into him, letting him know I want him just as much.
“Raise your arms and lay your chest flat.” I do as he says as his hands grip my hips, raising me up to meet his thrusting pelvis.
In one smooth move, Domino is deep inside my core. Our coupling is sweet, soft, intense. It has all the markers of lovemaking while the first time was unfettered fucking. I can feel tears pricking at the back of my eyes with the way Domino gently caresses my body. He worships me in a way I never understood could happen. I feel loved and safe, and when we finally collide into ecstasy together, I forget to breathe, forget where I am. Who I am. For this one moment in time, I belong to Domino Cardarelli, and I don’t fight the truth. I embrace it.
Chapter 7
Domino
Monday morning rolled around all too quickly, and now that Nicola is back in school, I’m constantly checking the time and my phone, worrying she’ll get into trouble because I know Gina Santini is lurking the halls. I don’t expect Nicola to keep her cool any more than I’ll be able to when I finally get my hands on the Salvatores.
That family has ruined my woman’s life in ways they couldn’t care less to understand. They took from her everything she deserved and had nothing but bad intentions from the start. They will pay for that. But first, I have to obliterate the Santini’s good name.
