His cellphone going off a few minutes later made us both groan. I cracked open an eye, saw that it was after ten in the morning and reached for a pillow to throw at the bedside table in hopes of shutting the damn phone up. Ciro reached blindly for it and I swatted at his hand. “No.”
“It might be important, vita mia,” he murmured, before brushing his lips over mine.
“Please?” I pouted. “Can’t we have just a few more hours?”
His deep chuckle vibrated through my entire body, turning my burn into an inferno. “You have me for the rest of your life, baby. Let me get this.”
I wasn’t happy about it, but I didn’t argue any more. Turning on my side away from him, I pulled a pillow over my head to block out the sun trying to peek through the window. I heard Ciro growl at the caller even as he molded his big body to mine, pressing his hard chest against my back.
“Ma.” His growl disappeared. “Yeah, Ma. She’s right here beside me…When? Think you can get everything planned in two weeks?”
I heard his mother scream, then start yelling at him, and my pout completely disappeared. I grinned and tossed the pillow aside, loving that he was being chastised by his mother. Obviously he’d told her he was planning to ask me to marry him and she had been impatiently waiting to find out what I had said.
I turned my head to watch Ciro’s face. His eyes were glued to the sight of my ass, however, and he wasn’t even paying attention to what Mary was yelling in his ear. I tapped him on the cheek, forcing his blue eyes up to mine as my pussy grew wet with want. He dropped the phone and cupped my jaw as he lowered his head to devour my mouth.
The kiss went on for an eternity, but ended far too soon. I was panting, ready to climb on top of him and have another taste of the ecstasy he could give me. But Mary was yelling even louder now and I could hear her just as plainly as if she were standing beside us.
“I can’t plan a fucking wedding in two weeks.” I was pretty sure I’d never heard Mary utter a curse word in my entire life, but her son asking her to plan our wedding in so short a time had shot her over the edge. “Ciro Donati, don’t even think about doing that to me. That girl needs a dress. And there are flowers and a cake to arrange. How the hell am I going to get all of that done?”
I couldn’t contain the happy giggle that bubbled up. Ciro dropped his head, burying his face in the valley between my breasts as he tried to hide his own laughter. Taking pity on the woman who was about to become my mother-in-law, I grabbed the phone and lifted it to my ear. “Mary?” Her yelling was effectively cut off and I heard her blow out a frustrated breath.
“I’m so happy you said yes to my idiot son, but seriously, Scarlett, I can’t put together a wedding in that short a time frame.”
My fingers stroked over Ciro’s head and his entire body seemed to melt against mine. His weight pressed me into the mattress, his hand moving to stroke over my leg. I could have lain like that for the rest of my life. This was paradise to me.
“Mary, I don’t need a big wedding. All I need is your son and a priest. Everything else is irrelevant,” I tried to explain.
“Maybe to you,” she burst out. “But this will be my son’s only wedding. It will be big and it will be beautiful and you will both suck it up and deal with it. Now, do you think your grandmother and cousin Allegra will be able to come over from Sicily and help me? And Victoria. She will definitely have to come home. You can’t get married without her as your maid of honor.”
I pulled the phone away from my mouth as she continued to make plans that apparently didn’t include either me or her son. Ciro lifted his head until he met my gaze. “She’s lost her mind,” I whispered.
“Let her have her fun, vita mia. All that matters to me is that you show up at the church ready to marry me.” He reached for my left hand, pressed his lips to my ring finger and then dropped his head back onto my chest.
It was only then that I actually looked at the ring he’d put on my finger the night before. What the holy hell? That wasn’t a ring. It was a little bit of platinum with a huge-ass rock on it. It needed its own zip code it was so big. I didn’t understand how my hand didn’t feel like it weighed twenty pounds, because that diamond sure as hell must have weighed that much. As I brought it closer, the little bit of sunlight streaming through the window hit the diamond, nearly blinding me.
“Where did you get this ring?” I was doing a little yelling of my own now.
He snorted. “I knew you didn’t look at it. Fuck, Scarlett. You’re the only woman I know who doesn’t care what a guy puts on her finger. If I didn’t love you so damn much I would be hurt.”
“Oh, fuck you.” I pushed him off me, sat up and looked at the ring better, completely forgetting that Mary was still on the phone. He knew I wasn’t into material things. I didn’t need expensive things. Or huge diamonds that looked like it was straight out of some blood diamond mine. “Tell me where you got the ring, Ciro.”
Grunting, he pushed himself up onto his elbow. Those blue eyes were laughing at me as he grasped my left wrist and waved my hand back and forth, making the light sparkle off the diamond again. “This was something my great grandmother cherished. My great grandfather was a diamond merchant and when this came into his possession the old woman claimed it as her own. She wouldn’t let anyone touch it, least of all her husband who wanted to cut it up to make several engagement rings. When she died, she left it to my father, and made him promise not to give it to me until he was sure I had found someone I planned on spending eternity with.”
My heart skipped a beat as I listened to him speak. He was playing with my fingers as he did so, and I wasn’t sure if he even realized he was doing it. His blue eyes were bright with a mixture of amusement, found memories of a woman he had only met a few times before she’d passed away, and love. So much love. For me.
“I told my father I was going to marry you and he gave me the diamond. Ma wanted me to have it cut into something smaller because she knows how you are, but even though I love you more than life, I couldn’t bring myself to do that to something the old lady loved so much.” He shrugged. “Like you, she meant a lot to me. With that ring on your finger, I feel like I’m cherishing her memory.”
Suddenly, the ring—even as ostentatiously huge as it was—felt like the most precious thing that had ever belonged to me. I threw my arms around his neck, knocking him back onto the bed. “I love it,” I told him. “I love it and I love you.”
His arms wrapped around my shoulder, his fingers tangling in my hair.
“Scarlett? Scarlett? Are you still there? Ciro? Damn it,” I vaguely heard Mary yelling through the phone. “I’m calling your grandmother, Scarlett,” she yelled before hanging up.
She could call anyone she wanted. I had other things to do.
Like show Ciro Donati how much I loved the ring he’d put on my finger. I wasn’t nervous like I had been the night before. He’d shown me he liked everything I did to him. Everything. My fingers were already tracing over his abs. I reached the head of his already straining cock before I’d even gotten to his belly button. The tip was already coated in his pre-cum. As I wrapped my hand around his girth, he released a hissing breath through his teeth.
“You keep that up and you won’t be able to walk for a few days, vita mia.”
I turned my head so my chin was over his heart and I could see his face. His eyes were dark and hungry. I shifted my hips until my drenched pussy lips were rubbing against the base of his cock, teasing us both. My mouth fell open, a soft whimper escaping.
“I’m willing to take that chance,” I assured him as I pushed myself up until I was straddling his waist. I tilted my hips, enjoying the feel of his length pressed against my clit.
His rough hands cupped my ass, squeezing it in a way that exhilarated me. I felt his index fingers trace over the seam of my ass and shivered. How would that feel? Would I like it as much as that little caress promised I would?
Ci
ro was watching me closely, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he squeezed each cheek harder. “Not today, vita mia. You aren’t ready for that yet.”
I bit down on my lip but nodded, trusting him to ease me into the things I was so curious about. I wrapped my hand around his cock and he lifted me until it was positioned at my entrance. With our eyes still locked on each other, I slowly slid down.
My inner muscles were sore, but I loved how his hardness stretched the tender flesh. I took every inch slowly, not stopping until I was seated fully on him once more. His hands eased their hold on my ass until he was rubbing over the globes, encouraging me to go at my own pace.
“I’m yours, Scarlett.” I nodded. “Say it. Tell me I’m yours.”
I swallowed the sudden lump that filled my throat. It was too much, having him inside of me like this, knowing he loved me. Yet it wasn’t nearly enough. “You’re mine,” I whispered.
He sat up, still deep inside of me. My arms wrapped around his neck, holding on as his hips thrust upward, blinding me for a few moments with how good it felt. My head fell onto his shoulder, my hair falling around us.
“Always,” his raspy voice growled in my ear.
“Always,” I echoed.
Ciro
I couldn’t bring myself to let Scarlett out of my bed until almost dinnertime and only then because she started complaining she was hungry. My own stomach was growling loudly, reminding me that we hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before.
With her giggling in my ear, she stuffed her arms into one of my shirts and I carried her into my kitchen. I hadn’t been home much lately. Hell, I couldn’t honestly remember when the last time I had been in my own apartment was. Luckily I had a housekeeper come in every few days to keep the place clean and the fridge stocked.
Reluctantly I set her on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I opened the fridge behind me and started pulling out ham, salami and prosciutto. Handing them all to her, I grabbed the bag of freshly washed lettuce and a tomato. My stomach growled louder as I took out the cheese and turned around.
Catching Scarlett checking out my naked ass had my dick hardening yet again. After spending nearly twenty-four hours in bed with this woman, I was still insatiable. Seeing how my body responded to just her eyes touching me, pink filled her cheeks and her mouth fell open in a soft little gasp.
“Don’t even think about it,” I cautioned as I set everything on the island beside her. “You need to recover a little first.”
Her bottom lip pouted out at me. “But I want you again.”
My dick flexed at the sound of her husky voice saying those words. Fuck, I ached for her so badly it was like we hadn’t just spent an entire day exploring each other’s bodies. But she was already raw from our lovemaking and I didn’t want to cause her more pain. We needed a distraction, because I knew if we stayed home that night we’d be in bed for another full day.
I gave her a quick kiss, not trusting myself to linger. “First, I’m going to feed you. Then we’re going to shower—in separate bathrooms so I don’t make love to you against the damn wall—and then we’re going out.”
“Out?” She frowned as she watched me put together our sandwiches. “Out where?”
I shrugged. “We could go to a club, since I know how much you enjoy those.” I smirked when she rolled her eyes at me. “Or a movie.”
“Pass,” she grumbled and stole a slice of ham from the container I was holding.
“We could go back to the compound and spend the evening with your father.” Vito had tried calling me a few times throughout the day, but Scarlett had threatened bodily harm if I dared touch my phone again. I wasn’t scared of what she would do to me, but I’d wanted to make her happy so I’d let him and anyone else who dared call go straight to voicemail.
“We can see Papa tomorrow.” I finished putting the sandwiches together and offered her one. Her eyes brightened at the sight of it. “You’ve never made me food before.”
“Lie.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “I made you popcorn when you were fifteen.”
Her sexy laugh was like a shot of pure lust straight to my dick. I kept my stomach pressed against the island so she couldn’t see how hard I was getting just standing there laughing and eating with her. “That doesn’t count. You put a bag in the microwave. This is different.”
She was right. This was different. I hadn’t loved her then like I loved her now. Making the woman I loved more than life something to eat was a hell of a lot different than making a snack for a girl I’d considered family.
We ate in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. “I don’t want to go out. Can’t we stay here if I promise not to do naughty things to you?”
“I don’t trust myself not to keep my hands off you, baby.” I pulled bottles of water from the fridge for us. “Besides, I want to show you off a little. Let the world know that you’re mine.”
“I could tattoo ‘Ciro’s Woman’ across my forehead and no one would ever question it again,” she offered with a grin.
The thought of my name tattooed on her only made my dick ache more. I took our plates and tossed them in the sink, not caring if I broke them or not. Turning back to her, I grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over my shoulder.
Scarlett screamed, then started laughing. “Where are we going?”
“You’re going to take a long, hot bath and I’m going to take a fucking ice-cold shower. Then, we’re going to go out, because I’m about to fuck you until neither one of us can stand up straight.” I smacked her on the ass but quickly rubbed the slight sting away.
“But I don’t want to go out,” she whined.
“I’ll buy you coffee,” I bribed.
“It’d better be really good coffee,” she muttered as I entered the bedroom and headed for the connecting bathroom.
Chapter 23
Scarlett
Mary had been busy while I’d been locked away in Ciro’s apartment the day before. By the time we got back to the compound the next day, it was to find that we had an entire house full of guests. My uncle Gio met us at the door and, after giving me a kiss on the cheek, he pulled Ciro toward my father’s office.
I didn’t know how Mary had gotten my Nona to get on a plane and actually set foot in the States, but there she was sitting in the living room with my cousin Allegra. I loved my grandmother. She was the kind of old-school Italian woman who wasn’t happy unless she was cooking for her family. She didn’t take anything off anyone, least of all her firstborn—my father. She didn’t care if he was the head of the Cosa Nostra or not. When she told him to do something, he jumped to get it done. During the three years Victoria and I had lived with her at the Sicilian compound where she lived with Allegra and my uncle, we’d really gotten to know each other better.
As I walked into the living room, Allegra jumped to her feet and I hurried forward to hug her. Allegra might have grown up in Sicily under the ever watchful eye of her father and Nona, but she’d spent her holidays with me and Victoria in New York. The three of us had always been close and I was happy to see her because if I was going to have a huge wedding like Mary was determined to put together, I wanted her there as one of my bridesmaids.
My cousin and I didn’t look anything alike. Where I was tall she was small. Her jet-black hair was long and glossy, her eyes exotically tilted like a feline and as dark as a moonless night. Allegra was voluptuous and I had been jealous of all her curves since she’d started getting breasts. She was a few months older than I was, but she had been so sheltered by her parents that she seemed younger.
“It feels like I haven’t seen you in months rather than just a few weeks,” Allegra said with a laugh as we pulled apart. “I’ve missed you and Victoria.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” I hugged her again. “It hasn’t been the same without you around.”
“Well, let’s look at this ring.”
&nb
sp; I released Allegra at Nona’s commanding tone and offered her my hand before I even realized I was doing it. The old woman’s eyes widened when she saw how big the uncut diamond was, but she didn’t question Ciro’s choice to give me something she knew I would normally scoff at. For about two minutes I’d hated the ring. When he’d told me it had belonged to his great grandmother and how much it had meant to her, I’d fallen in love with it hard.
“Oh, my goodness,” Allegra murmured as she stood with Nona to look at the ring. “It’s beautiful, Scarlett. I’d be so scared I’d lose it if I were you.”
“The boy did good,” Nona finally said with approval in her thickly accented English. “The two of you will have a good, strong marriage.”
I already knew that, but it was nice to have her approval. Victoria could do no wrong in Nona’s eyes, but she had always been a little tough on me. That she was giving Ciro her stamp of approval only added to my happiness right then. “Thank you, Nona.”
“Scarlett?”
I turned at the sound of my twin’s voice to find her already running into the room. Her face was pale. She looked tired, but there was a smile on her face. “Mary called me yesterday and told me to get my butt home. Something about you agreeing to marry her thick-headed son.”
Seeing the strain on her face dimmed some of my own pleasure at seeing her. I’d spoken to her almost every day over the last week and I’d known she had things on her mind, but I hadn’t even imagined that it was taking this kind of a toll on her. She looked as if she’d lost weight and from the shadows under her eyes I knew she wasn’t sleeping.
“Tor…” I saw her sway as she neared, watched as what little color she still had in her cheeks vanished. I reached for her as did Allegra and Nona, but she was already falling.
I got to her just as her head hit the floor and I dropped to my knees beside her. Nona cried out loudly enough to bring the guards running, but I paid them no attention as they filled the room. I knew what was wrong, knew she probably hadn’t been keeping as close an eye on her blood sugar levels as she should have. This was why I hated being away from her. This was why I worried about her so damn much.