Page 77 of Mafia Darling

“Why?”

“Because I want to know about your life before me. I’m curious about Lucia.”

“Nothing good can come of digging into the past, amore.”

I tilted my head to stare at him. “Will you just tell me and stop being so dramatic?”

He sighed heavily and caressed my stomach. His platinum wedding ring winked in the moonlight, a sight that made my heart sigh with happiness. He said, “The ceremony was held at the castello, followed by a nine-course dinner. I could feel her getting more nervous with each course that passed. The crowd also grew rowdier, with chants of ‘bacio’ louder and louder as the night went on. I hadn’t slept with a virgin before, so I had no idea what to expect, but I assumed she had been prepared by her mother or her sisters.”

“Or Google,” I added.

“Esattamente. When we got upstairs, it was clear she was ignorant of what was to come. I knew I had to treat her carefully, as a wife and not a mantenuta. There is a very clear distinction here between the two.”

“Except for me.”

His grin was wicked. “Except for you. Allora, I tried to be patient with Lucia, but she wanted it over with as quickly as possible. As if she was determined not to enjoy it, capisce? And we needed the blood on the sheets.”

This didn’t sound like it was going in a positive direction. “So?”

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my stomach, his breath warm and moist on my skin. “I was not as careful as I should have been with her. She endured it and then it was over. My father was pleased by the blood, though.”

He hardly ever talked of his parents. I had hundreds of questions burning my tongue, but I held them. Something told me I could only prod him so far tonight, and I’d already opened up the wound on his first wife.

His tongue swirled in my belly button. “You are so beautiful. It makes my heart ache just to look at you.”

My chest swelled, and I ran my fingers through his soft hair. “Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?”

He dropped more kisses where our baby was growing. “It does not matter to me. I have an heir already, so whatever we have is a gift. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to a daughter.”

“The powerful mafia king, sitting at tea parties and letting her paint your nails?”

“It would be an honor. I always wanted many children.”

“That’s because you get to do the easy part.”

He chuckled and repositioned his body between my legs, his mouth moving toward my mound. “Let me repay you, then.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Fausto

Early the next morning I was back at my desk, reviewing a city contract we were bidding on. Mayor Volpe assured me the job would go to my construction company, even if my bid was twice the others. That was the way of things here. No one got ahead by playing fair.

The Mancini twins landed in Toronto during the night. Mancini asked about the wedding, but I didn’t feel like talking. I wanted as little to do with Francesca’s family as possible. That part of her life was over. She belonged to me, no one else. Her future was with me and my family, this estate. She would remain at my side until I died.

My wife.

I would never tire of saying the words.

After screwing in the vineyards last night, I brought her inside to clean up and then fucked her again, this time in a bed. My back screamed in protest this morning because of it, but I didn’t regret it. I’d take her as often as she’d let me.

Giulio entered with two cups of espresso. I was impressed. He was up early, clear-eyed, and well-dressed. It gave me hope. “Buongiorno,” he said and sat one cup near my papers.

“Ciao.” I thanked him for the espresso. “Have you—?”

My phone rang and I checked the display. Marco was due any moment, but it wasn’t my cousin. This was a number from Piedmont, one I didn’t recognize . . . but I suspected. Not many people had my direct number, except for the other ’ndrina leaders and governmental officials I worked with closely.

Exhaling, I slid to answer then put it on speaker for Giulio’s benefit. “Pronto.”

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