Bound By Love: Chapter 8

LUCA

Today Aria and I had our first anniversary, but instead of spending it on our yacht in the Mediterranean, I was stuck in a meeting in New York, trying to be Capo and Consigliere in one person, which wasn’t working. I barely had time for her anymore. If she’d tell me where Gianna was, we could cut this ordeal short and Matteo could finally return, but Aria kept her silence.

“It’s ridiculous,” Uncle Gottardo said. “Matteo should be here helping you and not chasing his whore around Europe.”

“I can handle business on my own, don’t worry,” I said sharply.

My eyes moved on to Cassio, who represented his father while the man was in the hospital. “How are you faring with the Bratva? Did they give you trouble again?”

There had been a major Bratva attack on our drug depot in Philadelphia one month ago. “Not since I killed Sergej and his brother Jegor, but we have an MC that’s trying to sell guns in our territory.”

Cassio handled things in Philadelphia with a brutal hand like I did in New York. It was time for him to take over as Underboss officially, but I wanted to wait until Matteo returned before I announced the change. Of course, I had no way of telling when Matteo would ever return. Gianna had managed to evade him until now.

I nodded. We had trouble with a new MC in New Jersey as well, but so far they were too unimportant to warrant an attack.

“The Bratva won’t risk an attack in New York any time soon. I killed too many of their soldiers, but I think they might focus on Atlanta or Charleston next.”

My Underbosses nodded. I gestured at Uncle Ermano, who ruled over Atlanta, and he began his report. I settled back in the chair, knowing this would be a long evening.

I managed to be back home around eight, and only because I’d cut another one of Uncle Gottardo’s rants short. Romero greeted me with a nod then disappeared as I headed outside where Aria was stretched out on the sofa. The moment I spotted her, my annoyance disappeared. I couldn’t stay mad at her even if she was the source of my problems.

She got up immediately and came toward me, guilt filling her face. “I got sushi for us. It’s in the fridge. I thought we could soak in the Jacuzzi a bit. You need to relax.”

I nodded and kissed her, feeling fucking exhausted. Aria hurried back inside and I began undressing then slid into the hot water, groaning as my tense muscles loosened. Aria’s soft steps made me open my eyes. She carried a tray with a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a selection of sushi, which she set down on the edge of the Jacuzzi. I watched as she got out of her dress, and despite my tiredness my cock reacted to the sight of her naked body like it always did. She slid into the water then pressed close to me, and I wrapped an arm around her. She kissed my throat before she raised her eyes to meet mine, looking insecure.

“We are okay,” I told her and ran my thumb over her arm.

She nodded toward the champagne. I reached for the bottle and opened it, even if I didn’t feel like celebrating. I was fucking happy about my marriage with Aria, but today had been a long, shitty day and I wanted it to be over, anniversary or not.

Aria and I drank champagne then she reached for the chopsticks, picked up my favorite eel inside-out-roll and held it out to me. I took it, savoring the taste, and felt another bit of tension lift. When we were done eating, Aria straddled my lap and began massaging my shoulders. I leaned back, eyes closing.

Aria leaned close to my ear. “Why don’t we head up to our bedroom so I can give your back a thorough massage?”

“That sounds like a perfect plan,” I said in a low voice. Aria straightened, water dripping down that perfect body, and I rose to my feet and climbed out before I helped Aria out of the Jacuzzi as well.

After we’d dried off, we moved into our bedroom and Aria motioned for me to lie down on my stomach. I didn’t need to be told twice. She climbed on top of me and settled on my backside, her soft pussy pressed against my skin. Her fingertips traced the tattoo on my shoulder. “Have you ever regretted getting it?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“No,” I said without hesitation.

Aria shifted and pressed a kiss to the tattoo before her hands began their work, massaging the tension out of my shoulders and neck. “That feels so fucking good,” I rasped. I hadn’t even realized how tense I was.

Aria applied just the right amount of pressure on my back and I could feel myself relax further, my limbs becoming heavy.

I woke to Aria’s soft body curled against me, and sunlight tickling my face. My eyes shot open and I groaned. “Fuck.”

Aria’s eyelids fluttered, then she peered at me with those gorgeous baby blues. “What’s wrong?” Her voice was still raw from sleep.

“I fell asleep,” I muttered. “Not only did you have to spend most of our anniversary with Romero, but I didn’t even fuck you like I wanted to.”

Her lips twitched. “I think,” she began, propping herself up on my chest, “that it was a fitting ending to our first year of marriage. After all, you didn’t get any action on our wedding night, so it’s only fair I didn’t get any on our first anniversary.”

I chuckled. Trust Aria to make me feel better. Light in the dark, indeed. My fingers trailed down her spine over her ass and then between her legs, finding her wet. “Maybe we can start our second year with mind-blowing sex to set the mood for the future.”

Aria smiled then moaned as my fingers brushed up against her clit. “That sounds perfect.”

ARIA

Things between Luca and me were back to how they used to be. Sometimes when Matteo sent him an update of his hunt, Luca got tense around me, but it only ever lasted a couple of hours. I wasn’t sure if he knew that I could follow Gianna’s progress through the travel blog she’d established. Perhaps he suspected I knew something, but he’d stopped pressing for information.

I breathed in deeply, loving the crisp morning air. Central Park was quiet this early on a Sunday, except for joggers that made their rounds despite December’s cold. In summer Luca and I had been among them, but in winter I preferred to do my run on the treadmill, though we still got up early to enjoy a morning walk.

Luca squeezed my gloved hand, and my eyes found his. “Dollar for your thoughts,” he murmured.

I smiled and drew to a stop. “Just thinking how much I love that we’re both morning people and that we get to have Central Park almost to ourselves.” Luca was almost always working these days. Without Matteo at his side, he had to take care of business on his own. I only had him during the early morning hours and late at night, but only in the morning did we really find time to talk. The nights were reserved for lovemaking, as Luca was too stressed from the day’s events to give me more than physical closeness. It was my fault, of course. Matteo was still gone because I didn’t tell them where Gianna was.

Luca chuckled, the low sound making me want to find a place where we could be alone. “To think that I used to party until the early morning hours, and now I’m up that early.”

My smile faltered. “Do you mind? You used to be the most sought-after bachelor in the city, and now…” I trailed off.

Luca pulled me close, and bent low so his warm breath ghosted over my face. “I was out all night, always hunting, always moving because there was nothing at home calling me back. Now there’s you and no matter where I am or what I’m doing, the thought of you waiting for me is the best.”

My body filled with warmth at his words, but a slight worry gnawed at me. “What about other women?” I whispered. “You had a new girl in your bed every weekend, and now there’s only me.” I’d seen how some of the female joggers had looked at Luca. I noticed how many of the younger and even older women at social events eyed him, how they undressed him with their eyes. His predator charms lured them in. He was all muscle, all man, all power.

Luca shook his head. “Why would I want anyone else, Aria? There’s no one else I want.”

I curled my fingers over his neck and pulled him to me, my lips brushing his. “I love you, Luca.” His gray eyes softened, and that sight always got me. That look, that side of him, nobody got to see it but me. Perhaps Luca had been the first and only man to claim my body, but I was the first and only person who had that part of him, his soft side, his gentle side. That was all mine.

A buzzing noise drew us apart.

Luca let out a sigh. “Who’s it now?”

Luca reached for his cell in his coat, then glanced down at the screen, and from the look on his face I knew at once it was important.

I froze. “Luca?”

He looked up. “Matteo texted.”

My heart clenched. I swallowed. “And?”

“He got her.”

My breath left my mouth in a puff of fog. “Gianna?” As if there could be someone else.

Luca nodded. I could tell he was relieved, but didn’t show it openly because of me. Relieved because Matteo would finally return to New York after six months of being on the hunt for my sister. Six months. That’s how long Gianna had lived her dream.

I had risked a lot for Gianna: Luca’s trust, my marriage.

But it had been in vain. Matteo had captured her. I should have been miserable but I wasn’t. I was relieved, like Luca, because Gianna would be coming to New York. I’d finally see her. It was a selfish thought because I knew she didn’t want to. She wanted to live a life away from the mob. She and I had always been very different when it came to dealing with the darkness of mob life. She’d wanted out, and I had wanted to find a place inside that life where I felt safe and comfortable. I had found it, and I hoped Gianna would find her own place too. Then worry overcame my thoughts. “What happens to her now? Where are they? Is she all right?”

Luca brought his hand up against my cold cheek. His palm was warm, even in the freezing temperatures. “Aria, your sister will be fine. Let me give Matteo a call.”

I nodded. I would have loved to snatch the mobile from Luca and call Matteo myself, but since our last encounter I wasn’t sure if it would have been right to do it. I had been glad for the months he’d been gone, though at the same time I wished Luca didn’t have to handle everything on his own. I wasn’t sure if I could ever act normal around Matteo again, but I had to try or Luca would get suspicious.

Luca dialed Matteo’s number, then waited, but nothing happened, and a new wave of worry overcame me. “Why isn’t he picking up? He won’t hurt Gianna, right? She didn’t do anything wrong. She just wanted to be free. He will bring her to New York, won’t he? He can’t take her to my father. Luca, please—”

Luca wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him, one of his hands cradling my neck. “For some inexplicable reason, Matteo wants your sister. He will bring her to New York, trust me.”

I trusted Luca. It was Matteo whom I didn’t trust. Even more so since he’d attacked me, but Luca didn’t know that, of course, and never would. “But will he hurt her?”

Luca didn’t say anything, and my heart plummeted. “Come on, let’s get back home. I have a feeling we’ll have to fly to Chicago soon to appease your fucking father.” He took my hand and led me toward the exit of the park. He hadn’t answered my question because he couldn’t.

I couldn’t stop fretting over what was happening with Gianna, and Luca sensed it. He tried calling Matteo several times during our ride home, but he didn’t pick up. When Luca’s phone rang, I could have cried from relief, but it turned out to be my father.

Luca’s face darkened as he listened to him. “We will come to Chicago to discuss matters with you. This isn’t only an Outfit matter. Gianna is Matteo’s fiancée.” Pause. “Yes, still, until he decides he doesn’t want her.”

The moment Luca hung up, I asked, “What did he say?”

“Apparently, Matteo found your sister with another guy. I don’t have to tell you how fucking bad that is.”

I turned toward the car window, trying to keep it together. Matteo would see it as cheating and worse, as an attack on his honor. I knew how men in our world dealt with that kind of thing. Trembling, I turned back to face Luca and touched his hand. “Please, Luca, you have to make sure Matteo doesn’t hurt Gianna.”

We pulled into the parking garage and Luca shook his head. “She is his fiancée. I can’t tell Matteo what to do with his woman.”

I narrowed my eyes. He knew I hated that, but his expression spoke a clear language: I had to accept it. These were the rules of mob life.

I followed Luca out of the car, and his strong arm around my waist steadied me. “Don’t worry so much.”

How could I not worry?

Then finally when we arrived in our apartment, Matteo answered his phone.

“A text with ‘I got her,’ that’s all I get from you?” Luca ranted. I pressed close to him, wanting to hear what Matteo had to say, but Luca was too tall and Matteo didn’t speak loud enough for me to hear anything.

“What is he saying?” I asked, panic swinging in my voice.

Luca rolled his eyes at something Matteo said, then muttered, “With what?” He paused. “No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to fucking know.”

“Did he hurt her?” I practically shouted, hoping Matteo would hear me. My throat was tight and my eyes watered. I was going to lose it soon. Luca could tell as his gray eyes leveled on mine.

Luca lowered his voice. “Is she alive?”

I jerked against him, my eyes growing wide. I hadn’t considered that option. Matteo wouldn’t do it, right?

He was a killer and had found Gianna with another man.

Oh God.

Luca squeezed my hand. “I take that as a yes.”

“How’s Gianna? Please, is she all right? I need to know.”

Luca nodded. “Gianna is fine,” he told me, then to Matteo, “When will you be back?”

“Will he bring Gianna to New York?” I asked. Luca gently pried my hand off his arm and motioned for me to stay where I was. Then he walked out onto the roof terrace. I followed but stayed inside, watching him through the windows. I knew I was driving him crazy with my anxiety, but he had never liked Gianna very much. He tolerated her because of me, but he wouldn’t shed a tear if she were gone.

He paced the roof terrace, dark brows pulled together, disapproving. He shook his head, then lowered his mobile and spotted me watching him. He came back in.

“Your sister is all right, Aria. Matteo will be heading to Chicago with her to deal with your father.”

“We will go too, right?” I whispered.

He released a small sigh, then cupped my face. “We will. Of course, we will. We’ll take our plane. Go pack a bag in case we have to spend a couple of days in Chicago.” I nodded and was about to pull back, but he held me in place and bent down until his lips almost touched mine. “You need to stop protecting your sister. She’s a grown-up and she will have to deal with the consequences of her decisions. I don’t want to have to worry about you in addition to Matteo, love.” My heart fluttered at the endearment. Luca wasn’t big on nicknames, but whenever he called me “love” or “principessa,” it felt all the more special.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” I promised. “As long as you are at my side, I can deal.”

“I’ll always be at your side, Aria—that I can promise you.”

He kissed me slow and sweet, before he allowed me to head upstairs.

Luca’s hand around mine was tight as we waited at the airport for Matteo and Gianna to disembark from their plane. The moment they did, I tugged at Luca’s hand and he released me. I ran toward Gianna. She was forced to walk beside Matteo, who kept her at his side, but then finally she was allowed to storm toward me and we collided painfully. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, glad to have her back in one piece.

“Oh Gianna, I was so scared for you. I’m so glad you’re here.” I couldn’t stop the tears.

I pulled back to give her a once-over. It took a second glance to recognize her with her dyed hair. Brown. I didn’t like it. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

Gianna stroked my hair. A rare gesture for her, and it ignited my worry anew. “Gianna? Did Matteo do something?”

“Matteo didn’t do anything,” Matteo said in a hard voice. I jumped, my eyes darting to him. When his dark eyes met mine, I fought the urge to look away as fear bubbled up in me. I thought we’d settled things between us, but my body seemed to disagree. Matteo’s brows pulled together as he regarded me and I averted my eyes. I didn’t need Luca to pick up on the tense atmosphere between his brother and me.

“I didn’t ask you,” I said quietly. When Luca arrived at my side and clapped Matteo’s shoulder, I relaxed. “Good to see you again,” he said, and I could tell he meant it. He’d missed Matteo, his only confidante except for me.

“I’m fine,” Gianna assured me when I returned my worried gaze to her.

“The Boss is waiting,” Stan, an Outfit solider, barked. “Let’s go. It’s not like the whore deserves a big welcome.”

I gasped. I couldn’t believe he’d actually dared to insult Gianna like that. Matteo pulled a knife and hurtled it at Stan, who cried out when the blade nicked his ear. He pressed his hand against the injury, his other hand on the gun at his waist.

“Next time my blade will split your fucking skull if you don’t keep your mouth shut,” Matteo hissed.

“We don’t want this to end badly, do we?” Luca asked in a very low voice, both of his guns pointed at the two Outfit soldiers. “Your boss wouldn’t appreciate it.” Romero, too, was aiming at them. They nodded their reluctant agreement.

Luca put his guns back into their holsters. “Let’s go.”

The other soldier picked up the knife Matteo had thrown and handed it back to Matteo, who didn’t take his eyes off Stan.

“She’ll ride in a car with us,” Stan said.

Matteo’s lips pulled into a cold smile. “This is the last warning you get. Stop pissing me off or I’ll carve a smile into your throat.”

The second soldier grabbed Stan’s arm and pulled him toward a black Outfit car while the rest of us headed toward two BMWs.

I held Gianna’s hand tightly, happy to have her back. I’d missed her voice, even her colorful language. Gianna slipped into the backseat and I was about to follow when Luca gripped my arm. “No. I want Matteo to keep an eye on your sister.”

Gianna rolled her eyes. I squeezed her hand once, then released her and got into the passenger seat beside Luca, who would be driving. I hoped things would fall back into place now, but I knew all of us had a long road ahead of us.

LUCA

Aria was glowing with happiness over having her sister back, and Matteo looked like he was going to have a fucking boner from a look at Gianna.

“You’d probably jump out of the moving car if I gave you the chance,” he told his fiancée.

“I’m not completely crazy. Do you think I’d risk running around Chicago unprotected when my father’s men are obviously out to hurt me?” Gianna bitched back.

She was a pain in the ass, and I wasn’t happy about having to deal with fucking Scuderi because of her.

“So you trust me to protect you but still don’t want to marry me,” Matteo said.

Gianna sucked in a breath. “You still want to go through with the marriage?”

“You could probably ram a knife into his back and he’d still want to go through with it. He’s a stubborn fucker,” I said. Aria put a hand down on my thigh, a small smile playing around her lips. That sight softened my annoyance toward Matteo and Gianna.

“I didn’t hunt you for six months only to let you go.”

After he’d found her screwing around with another guy, I’d have thought he’d lose interest in her, but not Matteo. The mere idea that someone else could touch Aria, see her perfect skin, fuck her, drove me up the wall. Matteo was far more forgiving than me. I’d have skinned the bastard who touched what was mine. I wasn’t sure what I’d do to Aria if she cheated on me, if she betrayed me like that. My pulse raced at the mere idea. I loved her more than anything else, but I didn’t think I could control myself if she was disloyal to me.

Aria’s blonde brows drew together. She squeezed my thigh in silent question. She knew me too well. I gave her a small smile, and she relaxed. My own pulse slowed. There was no sense in losing my shit over something that was never going to happen. Aria was only mine.

Matteo had really gone through with marrying Gianna. Of course Scuderi had gladly handed her over. She was ruined in our circles. Word about her fucking around would be the hottest gossip in New York and Chicago soon. Nobody would have wanted her, nobody of worth at least. If Matteo hadn’t agreed to marry her, Scuderi would have to give her to a low soldier or worse. She was lucky my brother’s obsession with her was still going strong. I hoped he wouldn’t come to regret his decision after he’d fucked her and satisfied whatever itch he had.

But more than that, I fucking hoped he’d figure out a way to keep her under control. Things in New York would be tense now that Gianna was his wife. I could only imagine what my uncles and aunts and the rest of the fucking family would say to his decision, and worse: to my decision. I had allowed him to marry a ruined woman, after all.

Fuck him. He was practically fucking Gianna with his eyes. He hadn’t stopped leering since we’d boarded the plane in Chicago after the wedding, and he was still at it now that we’d arrived in New York. Of course Aria, too, had noticed, and tension radiated off of her in waves as we stepped into the elevator of our apartment building. She was worried for her sister, always worried. I tugged at her hand to draw her attention away from my brother and her sister, but she didn’t seem to notice.

The elevator stopped with a bing and the sleek doors glided open. Matteo practically dragged Gianna into his apartment. I really hoped he’d get a handle on his anger because I’d be the one left to deal with the mess, and my worry-struck wife.

Aria took a step forward as if to follow them. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back against me. “What are you doing?” I murmured as the elevator doors closed before us. Aria tilted her head up, her face pale with concern.

“He looks like he’s out for blood. I don’t think he’ll take no for an answer.”

The elevator sprang back into motion. “Of course, he won’t, Aria. After what your sister did, she can be glad he didn’t kill her. He was supposed to have her on their wedding night, and she ran off and let other men have what’s his.” That he still wanted her was so fucking typical for Matteo.

Aria shivered. “She didn’t do anything horrible. She tried to live her life. Nothing else. It doesn’t give him or anyone the right to treat her like a whore they can have in whatever way they like,” she said firmly.

Sometimes I forgot how good and innocent Aria still was. It turned me on like nothing else. The elevator halted on our floor and I led her into our penthouse, very intent on distracting her from her worry.

“You know how hotheaded Matteo can be. I—”

I lifted her in my arms and pressed my lips against her open mouth, stopping her from saying more. She gasped in surprise then pulled back, frowning. “Luca,” she said indignantly. “I’m being serious.” I carried her up the stairs and into our bedroom.

“I know,” I murmured as I lowered her on our bed. I hovered over her and she shook her head.

“You are being impossible,” she said, her breathing hitching as I ran my hands up her lean legs, then hooked my fingers in her panties and dragged them down.

“I don’t like it if you don’t take me seriously,” she said quietly as I lifted her skirt and parted her legs, laying her perfect pussy bare to me.

She was aroused, but her voice held a hint of strain so I climbed back up and stretched out beside her, kissing her slowly before I said, “I’m taking you seriously, Aria, but you are worrying about something I have no way of changing. I can’t tell Matteo what to do. I’m his Capo, yes, but Gianna is his wife and I can’t interfere. That’s one of the rules I’m bound to, and you know it.”

Her blue eyes filled with realization.

“Stop thinking about it. Your sister can hold her own.” I wasn’t sure that was true. If Matteo really lost his shit on her, that wouldn’t go over well. From what I knew, his tastes didn’t veer toward the rough side of things in the sexual department, but driven by jealousy and fury as he was, things might get out of hand.

I ran my hand down her side and slid it below her shirt, my fingers brushing over her stomach and then I kissed her again, and this time she opened up, her tongue meeting mine. I got her out of her skirt to have full access to her and moved my hand between her legs. My fingers found her clit then dipped lower. Aria was still worried. She wasn’t as ready as usual, but I knew how to change that. I eased one finger into her, her walls clamping tightly around me, and my thumb pressed up against her clit. As I established a slow rhythm, I intensified our kiss, tasting her perfect mouth, and she parted her legs wider for me, a soft moan escaping her throat. Her face flushed with arousal, her eyes half-lidded, and my finger moved more easily out of her slick channel.

I added a second finger and she kissed me even harder, her hips moving in rhythm with my fingers. I pulled back from her eager mouth. “I love fingering you. So hot and tight and wet.” I kissed her. “Do you like my fingers in you? Fingerfucking your perfect pussy?” I thrust my fingers deeper, curling them to reach that spot.

Aria shuddered out a moan. “Yes,” she gasped as I repeated the motion. My dick was so fucking hard watching her. “I want you inside me, Luca.”

My cock twitched, too willing to comply. “Later,” I got out. I sat up so I could watch my fingers slipping in and out between those perfect pink folds. Fuck. I moved my second hand under her shirt, finding her perky nipple and pinching it through her lacy bra. Aria cried out, eyes closing, as her hips arched off the bed. Her walls squeezed me tightly, but I kept fucking her with my fingers as she trembled and moaned. A few golden strands stuck to her sweaty face. So fucking beautiful. And all mine. I was a fucking possessive asshole.

I slowed my fingers as her breathing calmed. She licked her lips then turned those gorgeous blue eyes to me. I smirked and pulled my fingers out of her. She let out a soft moan, lips parted, and I slid my fingers coated with her juices into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around them, her eyes challenging me, and I groaned. My cock gave a fucking twitch. I was going to combust any second.

Aria gripped my wrist and pulled my fingers out from between her lips, smiling coyly. “Out of your pants,” she said.

I chuckled at her commanding tone and pushed off the bed before I turned to her and unbuckled my belt, unzipped my pants and pulled them and my briefs down. My dick sprang free, already leaking pre-cum like I was a fucking randy teenager. That woman turned me on like nothing else. She crawled to the edge of the bed, smiling wickedly. I didn’t waste any time and stepped closer until my shins bumped against the mattress.

Her fingers curled around the base of my cock, and then she parted those pink lips and took my tip into her hot mouth. My hand flew up to her neck, tangling in her long hair. Aria eased more of my length into her mouth as she worked my shaft with her hand. I rocked my hips, needing her to go faster, but she didn’t let me take the lead. Whenever I pushed deeper or faster, she eased back, driving me fucking insane. Her eyes shone with mischief and triumph as they held me in their spell.

“Aria,” I growled, my fingers on her neck tightening, but she ignored my warning tone. She swirled her tongue around my tip, then she released me and moved back. “What are—” I stopped.

She turned around on all fours, presenting her butt to me. She smiled at me over her shoulder and wiggled her hips. I didn’t need more encouragement. My hands clamped down on her waist, and I lined myself up against her opening before I eased into her. I closed my eyes from the delicious pressure and her warmth, and stayed buried inside her for a couple of heartbeats before I withdrew almost all the way only to thrust back into her.

She moaned and I thrust into her harder, my legs slapping against her firm butt. Slowly she lowered herself until her arms were stretched out above her head and her cheek was pressed up to the pillow, allowing my cock to go even deeper. I slowed my first few thrusts in that new angle, knowing her body always needed a moment to yield to me in that position and not wanting to cause her discomfort. When she began meeting my thrusts, I sped up again, pounding her deep and hard, loving her moans and gasps whenever I hit her sweet spot.

“Touch yourself,” I ordered when I could feel myself getting closer. Aria slipped one arm under her body, and her fingers grazed my balls as she started rubbing her clit. Her moans spiraled out of control, and my own release was fast approaching. My balls tightened as I slammed into her and Aria arched up, her walls clamping down on my cock as she cried out her release. I let loose, and came hard as I kept thrusting.

Eventually, I stilled, my cock growing soft and my breathing slowing, as I ran my hands up Aria’s back. She released a small sigh, softening under my caress. I bent forward and kissed her cheek. She tilted her head to meet my kiss with her soft lips. I pulled out of her and she moaned again.

I chuckled at how sensitive and responsive Aria was. In the beginning of our relationship I’d worried we wouldn’t work well in bed together. She’d been shy and fearful, and our first few times had been fucking uncomfortable for her, but now she knew what she wanted and what I wanted, and it was fucking perfect.

ARIA

Afterwards, as we lay curled against each other in our bed, I asked, “Would you have noticed if I hadn’t told you I was a virgin?”

Luca gave me a strange look. “It would have been hard not to notice.”

“Perhaps I could have hidden it.”

Luca kissed my throat, chuckling. “No. Believe me.” He pulled back, gray eyes searching my face. “Why are you even asking such a question?”

I hesitated. Gianna didn’t want anyone to know, and if I told Luca about it, he might let it slip. Gianna would be furious if Matteo found out because of me, even if I still doubted she could hide it from him, and Luca had only confirmed my suspicion.

Luca let out a laugh, and I knew he’d figured it out himself. He knew me too well, and he was too good at reading people. “Gianna?”

I looked away, trying to think of a way to get Luca off the trail.

His head got closer, corners of his mouth tipping up in a grin. “Don’t tell me she didn’t get laid while she was running around.”

I tucked up against his side and frowned. “Gianna isn’t as bad as you make her out to be, regardless of her temperament.”

Luca’s body vibrated against me as he succumbed to actual laughter. That low, deep laugh always sent tingles down my spine, and few people ever got to hear it.

His eyes half-closed with obvious amusement, he asked, “Are you serious? She’s still a virgin?”

“Yes,” I said, but as my eyes found the alarm clock on the nightstand, revealing that two hours had passed since I’d last seen her, I amended, “She was. I don’t know the current state of things.”

Luca laughed again. I really wasn’t sure what he found so amusing. “Matteo is going to be in for a surprise. Oh hell. I’d love to see his face when he finds out.”

I swatted his chest. “Be serious. I’m worried he’s going to hurt her.”

“Of course, he will. He’s been waiting to fuck her for months and he’s going to have her tonight. If she doesn’t tell him he’s her first, he’ll take her like he would any other woman.”

Luca was doing a bad job trying to ease my worries. I really hoped Gianna had changed her mind and told Matteo that she hadn’t done what he and everyone else thought she had.

“What was the purpose of running and ruining her reputation if she didn’t even have fun? Trust your sister to fuck it all up.”

I’d asked myself the same question. Gianna had been so eager to run away, to make her own decisions, to escape from the shackles of an arranged marriage, but in the end she’d hardly gotten anything out of it. Perhaps she should have tried to come to terms with her marriage to Matteo from the start. I was wary of Matteo, but I knew he would have tried everything to win her over. Now I wasn’t so sure anymore. “If I’d done what Gianna did, what would you have done?”

Luca’s expression darkened but he was careful not to let me see the full force of his emotions, so I knew it was bad. He pushed the strap of my nightgown off my right shoulder. “You didn’t,” he said as he planted a kiss on the top of my shoulder. “I’m glad you’ve always only been mine. Every little inch of you has always been mine alone, and that won’t ever change.”

I rolled my eyes at his possessiveness. It thrilled and annoyed me equally. With him being Capo, possessiveness was to be expected. He ruled over the East Coast, over hundreds of men, practically owned them and his territory; of course he wanted to own me as well, wanted to control me. It wasn’t always easy to make him see me as an equal, to have him rely on me, and not expect unquestioning obedience. It was a struggle I still hadn’t won completely, but we were on a good path.

What annoyed me more than his possessiveness was him not giving me an answer to my question. His tongue slid over my shoulder, then up to my collarbone. It made it hard to concentrate, but I was determined not to let him distract me like that again.

“Stop worrying about your sister. She can handle herself. And Matteo knows how to make a woman come.”

He wasn’t taking this seriously, nor me either. I sat up, leaving Luca no choice but to stop his kisses, and hoping the higher vantage point would give me an advantage. Luca rolled on his back, relaxed, as his arm eased around my waist. I knew his mood would change soon. “I don’t want to stay at home anymore. I want to do something. I want to be useful.”

Luca’s dark eyebrows climbed his forehead. “You are useful to me.”

“How?” I challenged.

Luca smirked, and that was the last straw. I escaped his grip and slid off the bed. “Regardless of what you think,” I muttered as I reached for my bathrobe, “my sole purpose in life is not to be pretty and warm your bed.”

Luca was quick to react, swinging his legs out of bed, sitting up and snaking his arm around my waist to pull me back against him. I tried to resist but he was way too strong. I let him pull me flush against his body so I was peering down at his tense face, but my body didn’t soften in his embrace. I needed him to see how important this was to me. Since Gianna had run I had done a lot of thinking. I knew I’d grow depressed if I stayed holed up in the penthouse.

“Aria, you are my wife. When you married me, you knew your options would be limited. This life will always be a golden cage. You need to be protected from the Bratva and other threats.”

“If I went to college, that wouldn’t pose an additional risk, Luca. It’s not like the Bratva is going to attack campus. What you mean is that you prefer to have me where I’m not surrounded by other people, especially men.”

Luca’s lips thinned, his arm muscles twitching. “Yes,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t trust men around you. Every guy with eyes in his head is going to want a piece of you. You are fucking gorgeous.”

His compliment did nothing to appease me. I’d heard those words all my life, from everyone around me. My beauty was all I’d ever been known for. It was why I had been given to Luca in marriage. “I’m surrounded by Romero and Sandro and other men all the time.”

“They are my men, and they know the consequences of touching what’s mine,” he growled, eyes filled with the promise of violence. “They would never dare to even leer at you, but outsiders aren’t bound by our rules. I would kill them for touching you like I would my men, but that would only be after the deed was done because they don’t know who you are. They might risk touching you.”

“You know what’s funny?” I said, my hands coming up against his chest to push away, but again he didn’t give in. “You never once considered my reaction to their advances. I don’t care if a Made Man or an outsider makes a move on me, because my reaction would be the same. I would refuse them and tell them that I’m married, because I’m faithful. You’re in contact with women all the time and I don’t run around worried that you’ll be touched by them, even though I have more reason to be distrustful considering what happened with Grace.”

He became rigid. “It’s not fair to hold that against me, Aria,” he murmured. “I made a mistake. Back then our marriage existed only on paper, and I never even thought about anyone but you after that. I’m faithful. No other women will ever change that.”

I sighed. I shouldn’t have brought Grace up. She brought back memories I didn’t want to relive and like Luca said, she was a thing of the past. Luca had never given me reason to doubt his faithfulness again. “Why can’t you trust me around other men?”

“I trust you, but I don’t trust them, and while I am capable of refusing advances, you are a small female who wouldn’t stand a chance against a male opponent.”

“We’ve been working on my self-defense skills. I’m getting better,” I said, but really, it was still a long shot before I’d be able to fight off an attacker half Luca’s size. Besides, in the last six months we’d hardly found the time to train at all, because Luca had been busy taking over Matteo’s work as well. “And not all men are ignorant to the meaning of ‘no.’”

“One asshole is enough,” Luca said.

“Romero could be at my side, as he is when I go jogging or shopping.”

Luca searched my eyes. “What would you want to study anyway?”

“I thought about it for a while. It needs to be something useful for the Famiglia. I can’t really work in the outside world. The only way for me to have a job is if I could be part of our business, and that limits my choices. I doubt you’d be happy if I became a chemist and produced our drugs.”

Luca’s mouth loosened, and his embrace became less of a cage. “That would be interesting, no doubt.”

“I thought perhaps I could get a bachelor’s in accounting. That way I can do our books.”

Luca nodded slowly. “An accountant—that’s something even the old-fashioned family members might be able to accept.”

“Does that mean I am allowed to go to college?”

Luca sighed. “If it makes you happy, you can get a degree, but Romero will have to be at your side at all times, and I don’t want word to get around that you are attending college. You know how wary my family still is regarding my capability to be Capo. My uncle Gottardo thinks he should be doing the job, and my aunts would love to see their husbands or sons in my position. I can’t kill them all, not without being provoked. That wouldn’t bring me my men’s respect, so I will have to keep them silent as best as possible.”

“We don’t have to tell anyone about me getting a degree. Romero won’t tell anyone. I won’t even have to tell Gianna right away if you worry she might let something slip.”

Luca stroked my hair from my face. “That’s probably for the best. Your sister is a ticking time bomb at the moment. Let’s only keep Romero in the loop.”

“So you’ll really allow me to do it? When can I start?”

“Whenever you want.”

“The application deadline for NYU’s business program is January 1st. I could try to get my application in by then. I’m not sure if I’ll get everything I need, though, but I could try…” I trailed off.

Luca pulled me down so I straddled his lap. “If you want to get into NYU, you will get in, Aria.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I’d have thought he’d fight me more about this. Getting a business degree and becoming an accountant for the Famiglia wasn’t my dream job. If I’d been raised in a different family, I might have chosen to become a teacher or social worker. I wasn’t sure, but I knew a business degree would be most useful in my position. When I pulled back, I caught the hint of concern on Luca’s face before he masked it and I promised myself I’d show him that me doing something outside the penthouse, me getting a degree, wasn’t a risk for our marriage or his position as Capo.

“With your hair and given our presence in the newspaper, people might recognize you,” Luca said.

“And that would draw unnecessary attention,” I concluded. “How about I wear a wig? It worked for Gianna.”

Luca frowned. “You and her together are a dangerous combination.”

I leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his tense mouth. “Don’t worry. This time you’ll know everything. So what do you think? A wig. Perhaps you’ll like me better with brown hair.”

“No,” he said, twisting a strand of my hair around his long, strong fingers. “Your hair is perfect. Like spun gold, nothing can come close to it.”

I laughed. His fascination with my hair was almost cute. I’d lost count of the times he’d played with it.

“A wig might work. Luckily, Romero is good at staying in the background and he hasn’t been in the public eye.”

“It’s still months before I could even attend college. We’ll figure out everything then. If they accept me.”

“They will,” Luca said without a doubt. I knew my grades had always been top-notch, but I had a feeling he would have his ways to get me accepted even if they weren’t.