Page 82 of His Vicious Vow

“In a relationship there are two people. I’m guessing you aren’t the only one thinking that right now. Especially when I wasn’t surprised at all when Sandro told me you showed up at his office pregnant. Gaetano took his eyes off you at the wedding maybe a handful of times.” I pat her back.

“Not just with him. You. I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be. I get it. You were losing the only person in your life who loved you unconditionally. Then you found out there were conditions and rules where there never were. It’s completely understandable you hit out at me since you couldn’t hit out at Sandro.” I hand her another tissue.

She shakes her head again. “No wonder he fell in love with you.”

The words stun me.

Bianca tilts her head to study me. “Um, I thought you knew already. It’s why I hated, resented you. In addition to all the other stuff you said. He went to Chicago with a stiff upper lip and his teeth clenched over what he had to do. When he came back he wouldn’t stop talking about you. Carina this, Carina that, you’re going to love Carina—he made it sound like it wasn’t an option.”

I want to ask questions…was she sure but she keeps talking in a rush.

“He chewed me out for the ring I picked out. And I might have said some things about how you…have curves in all the right places and I’ve never seen him so angry before. Not at anyone but especially not me. And you get here and you looked through him, hiding in your room and him hiding in work. I was so angry for you not loving him, caring for him the way he did you. But I see now you didn’t realize. I do have to say I’m sorry. Thank you for understanding.”

Sandro really…not the time. Focusing on Bianca I fake a smile. “Your welcome. I have a big sister too. I’m not sure I would have made it to this age without her.” I shrug. Her stomach growls. “Want to have a late lunch with me? I’m hungry too.”

Wiping her eyes she nods. “Sounds good.”

I spend the afternoon with Bianca. I’m a little frustrated by her unwillingness to talk about why she’s so unhappy but give in. She immediately recoils when I give her Ruth’s card. But I urge her to have someone she can talk to who can’t and won’t tell anyone else. Although she takes the card, the casual way she tosses inside her purse tells she won’t be using it. With the way the mafia is adamantly against therapy I don’t push more. Instead we talk about our pregnancies, she’s having a boy and I share the news we’re having a girl. Once she feels better she drags me to something called the Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet.

From the outside I’m wary. Inside is the most fun ever.

I’m inside an everything is a dollar area and I’m up to probably fifty dollars when I see a faux diamond tie clip. Sandro doesn’t own any, admitting one of the things he liked most about three piece suits was tucking his tie inside the waistcoat so it wasn’t all over the place. “Hey, maybe you can help me. For Sandro’s birthday tomorrow, what can I get him? I finally figured out his favorite would be chocolate cake for his birthday cake so the to-die-for pastry place in the hotel is making it as we speak. But other than that the man is driving me crazy as far as gifts go.”

“That’s right it is his birthday tomorrow.” I’m slightly annoyed at her for forgetting his birthday. “Hm, he’s not into birthdays. He’s also an experiences kind of person, stuff you can’t get in a store. He said one time nothing truly worth owning can be bought.”

Yeah, that sounds like Sandro. Well, hell.

When we part almost two hours later Bianca’s hug is tight. “You’re going to call me and we’ll have lunch.” It’s an order.

She laughs. “Yes, I’ll call you.”

I’m in the elevator when the answer to my Sandro gift problem hits me. He wants to spend all day with me naked in bed. Done. But he deserves more than that and I’m not going to let him think he doesn’t.

* * *

Sandro

Waking up with Carina in my arms will never become something I will take for granted. There is no better way to wake up than her body against mine. My dirty girl would say it’s with me inside her. I don’t dislike it but I love it more when I can leave our bed without waking her. Week over week her need for sleep has increased so I especially try to not wake her when I get up or come to bed late.

I’m a dirty bastard to match my dirty girl and pull the covers away from her body. She is definitely spending the next twenty years pregnant because with every day her body changes my cock gets harder for her. What I want is run my hand over her stomach as satisfaction rolls through me at the confirmation yesterday of Carina having a girl. The first of many, I hope.

If I stay in bed with her I’m going to wake her up. To let her sleep I get out of bed. As I tuck her back in I spot what surprised the hell out of me on the wall in front of our bed. It’s an enormous television, at least sixty inches maybe more.

Carina was asleep when I got home so I couldn’t ask her about it. I’m guessing it’s a birthday gift. It’s not a bad gift. There is no way in hell I’m going to tell her I don’t want a television in our bedroom. I’ve heard a bunch of horror stories of people caring more about what was on television instead of the person in their bed. I also had a tendency to get sucked into a show because of how rarely I watched it, I wanted to see as much as I could before I got busy again.

Out of the shower I find Carina still sleeping. I go into our walk-in closet and pull on some shorts so I’m not naked when breakfast is delivered.

It isn’t until I’m finishing breakfast when Carina wakes up and finds me in the dining room. She’s wearing the silk kimono-style robe she loves with her long hair wet from her shower.

“Good morning,” she yawns as she makes a beeline for me.

I pull her into my lap. “More like afternoon. But good morning to you too.”

Burying her face in my neck she inhales and sighs with pleasure, fuck she makes my cock hard in seconds. “You were so late last night. I stayed up until midnight for you.”

Fuck. “I’m sorry, piccolina. I finished with business only to come back to an issue on the property. Paul couldn’t do the evening walk because his daughter was sick and shit went sideways.”

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