Page 42 of Veil of Vengeance

Is someone clapping?

“Well, this definitely wasn’t what I had expected to see when I walked into the kitchen.”

Someone’s voice causes us to rip away from each other. Emiliano’s chest heaves as he avoids looking at me. Breathless and heart racing, I look behind me to see Romiro smirking, his arms crossed over his chest.

CHAPTER 12

EMILIANO

There are only a couple of times I’ve fucked up and regretted it. Kissing Valentina Moretti is definitely not one of them. I scowl at Romiro, who’s still standing in the kitchen, smirking at us like he’s caught us with our hands in the cookie jar. Valentina’s gaze is set on the marble tiles, refusing to meet my gaze. I sigh and walk past her, stopping with my back to her.

“Go to your room,” I whisper, low enough for Romiro not to hear, and then continue toward him.

“Come on.” I drag him by his elbow out of the kitchen. I ignore the looks he keeps throwing at me as we make our way through the hallways.

“I told you, you had a thing for the Moretti girl,” he teases. I continue to ignore him until we've reached my office.

“I thought I told you to go check on Dom.” I stand behind my desk with my hands in my pockets.

Romiro shuts the office door before speaking up. “I know, but something happened that needed your urgent attention.” Alarm bells ring in my head as I take a seat in my office chair.

“What is it?”

“They found another dead girl. This time, a socialite from the Hoffmann family.”

Fuck.I groan as I rub my hands over my face, trying to make sense of who could be killing these girls.

“Has Ernie contacted us yet?” I ask.

Romiro shakes his head.

That means he’s either scheming or grieving. There wasn’t an in-between for the Hoffmans.

Placing my elbows on my desk, I rest my chin on my fists.

“Rom, I need you to call up the Vipers and see if they’ve had any dead girls in their territory. Also, check on Dom before coming to see me.”

He nods before turning to head out.

“Eli, don’t think I forgot what I saw in the kitchen, and when I come back, I want to know what's going on,” he says, his hand on the door knob. I blow out a breath.

“As my friend, or as the Capo’s advisor?” I ask.

His shoulders stiffen before he replies, “Both.” The door closes with a click and the office settles.

I lean back into my chair and run my thumb across my jaw. Pink pouty lips, flushed cheeks, and wide doe eyes.No!I can’t let this happen again. She is the fucking enemy. I groan into my hands. I can’t believe I fucking kissed her, and if Romiro hadn’t walked in that second, I know for sure that I wouldn’t have stopped.

I really need to get laid. This whole thing is so messed up. Her inexperience was clear as day, but that didn’t give me pause. It only makes me want to corrupt her, completely ruin her for anyone else. A twist of possessiveness buries itself into my chest at the thought of anyone else having her.

The sound of laughter drifts into my office from the open window. As I rise from my chair, another laugh makes me stop in my tracks. It’s soft and airy, as if the person laughing doesn’t have a worry in the world, but I know that it isn’t true. I stand by the window and watch my brothers, Mara, Ma, and Aunt Clarissa, and Valentina, all sitting by one of the trees on a wooden bench.

I can tell by their body language that they are enjoying themselves. I can only make out the faintest words of their conversation as it floats in my direction.

I leave my office and head to my bedroom, needing a shower to clear my thoughts. The room has been tidied up and all my papers are stacked on my coffee table in front of my fireplace. I yank off my suit and throw it over the couch, unbuttoning my black dress shirt as I head toward the bathroom and fling it on the floor. When I’m finally in the bathroom, I’m left in my slacks and socks. I quickly discard them and set the shower to the highest temperature.

The scolding water drums down my back as I step under the showerhead. I squeeze my eyes shut and the image of Valentina’s lips flash in my head, another of her on my bed making my stomach flip, and my cock hardens. I breathe harshly through my nose, gritting my teeth.Just this once, I think to myself as I grab the base of my hard cock and begin to slowly stroke it. Soon, my groans fill the steamy bathroom, and I speed up my movements as I squeeze my eyes shut. I see myself between her legs, taking my sweet damn time with her. Gritting my teeth, I feel the control slip from between my fingers. My hips thrust forward, trying to create more friction, while my hand continues its frantic stroking. As I imagine Valentina between my legs, waiting for my cum, my breaths come out harsh and I’m unraveling.

My chest heaves with the effort of trying to gulp as much air as possible, dick now limp as cum drips off the head and swirls in the drain. I watch it, feeling worse than I did at the beginning, before I decided to fucking masturbate to a fantasy that will never fucking happen. I calm my breathing down, then proceed to finish washing my hair and body before wrapping a towel around my midriff.

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