Every time she lifts her hand up in front of her to study the rings sparkling on her finger, a smile pulls at my lips. I can’t help it. She’s stunning.
I lean back, pushing my knees into the back of the passenger seat even though it’s pushed as far forward as possible, and slip my hand under her hair to play with her nape.
The large black jewelry box sits open on her lap.
“Will Tristan wear those?” I ask as I tease the flesh around her necklace clasp.
She shivers and smiles at me.
“He’s always asking for a slimmer watch, so he’ll love this one. I just wish he could video call me from it like he can his current one.”
I wrap my hand around her nape.
“You didn’t hear a thing the sales lady said today, did you?” I ask.
Her sheepish expression is too much. I swoop down and take the kiss I’ve been dying to share with her ever since our last one ended.
When I lift my mouth from hers, my half-hard cock throbs in my jeans and her cheeks redden in a blush.
“He can video call, voice call, and text from this watch,” I say against her mouth.
She pulls back and lifts the box in disbelief.
“What? How? There’s no way there’s a camera, speakers, and microphone hidden in this tiny thing.”
I chuckle and point them out to her, but she remains skeptical.
“My watch can do the same, but your bracelet doesn’t have a screen or camera, so you’re limited to voice calls.”
“Show me,” she demands.
We connect Tristan’s watch to her phone and play around until she’s convinced. I smirk and lift her hand to my lips.
“Every piece of jewelry has an emergency button. You press it, I find you.”
“Button? On my ring? Where?”
When I point them out to her, she shakes her head in amazement.
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard of these before. I mean, I know you can buy GPS jewelry online, but this is another level. No one would suspect these are anything but pretty. How did you find them?”
“He didn’t find them. He special ordered them,” Fiero interrupts.
I send him a glare.
“When? We learned we were getting engaged less than four days ago.”
“I placed the order when I couldn’t take you home with me that first night,” I snarl.
“All eight sets?” she squeaks.
“I meant what I said earlier, Aurora. If you didn’t like any of them, I’d keep trying until I got it right.”
“You’re crazy,” she whispers.
As I cup her face and worship her lips, Fiero’s mumbled, “You can say that again,” filters through my ears and prevents me from taking the kiss too far.
I lift my face from hers when Fiero rolls to a stop at the gate to the Achilles’ familial estate, but Aurora chases me with a whine. I wrap my fingers around her throat and nip her bottom lip.
“You can wear your engagement ring, but not the wedding band,” I mutter against her cheek.
She huffs and holds her fist against her chest, almost as though she’s daring me to take it from her, before sighing and offering me her fingers. I slip the delicate band off her dainty digit before tucking it into a ring case and wedging it into my pocket.
“No one takes it off but me, capisci?”
She nods and fiddles with her engagement ring before meeting my eyes. The yearning in her emerald orbs solidifies my plans for the evening.
She just became fully mine. My lover. My wife. My future. I’m sure as hell not letting her leave my sight for the next lifetime.
We can’t leave Tristan to her family, but tonight will be the last night she returns home. If it means war between the Vivaldi and Achilles families, I don’t give a shit. As long as Aurora, Tristan, and my sisters are safe, everyone else can eat a bullet.
Or taste my knife.
Fiero parks the car and quirks a brow at me through the rearview mirror.
“Stay in the car and on the premises. We’ll be back in a few minutes,” I say.
Aurora grabs my hand before I step out of the vehicle.
“Wait, why would we be back? I’m not—”
With the door halfway open and one foot on the ground, I lean back toward her and steal a quick kiss. When I pull back and she gives my lips a dreamy look, I chuckle and exit the car. By the time I reach her door, an angry blush colors her cheeks and she glares at me, but when I offer her my hand, she takes it without hesitation.
As I lead her up the stairs, she dons her emotionless mask, and even though I hate losing sight of her honest expressions, I nod my approval. When I interlock our fingers and give her a gentle squeeze, reminding her this is no longer her home, she offers me one last vulnerable smile before battening down the hatches for battle.
Her mother welcomes us at the door. After a polite greeting, she gives Aurora’s new outfit a critical once-over before escorting us to the sitting room. She launches right into updating us on her preparations for our announcement party next week until I pull Aurora’s hand into my lap. My wife’s ring glitters against the dark blue of my jeans, and even without the wedding band, it’s stunning.
Madona stiffens and stops talking, but despite the fury and curiosity in her gaze, she doesn’t ask.
I thank her for taking such great care of us and ask to borrow both of her children for the evening.
She agrees, but she doesn’t have much choice, does she?
“Is that why you’re in such casual attire? You want to take Tristan out to dinner?”
“Yes. He’ll miss our announcement since he’ll be at camp next week, so I thought an outing was appropriate,” I say.
She nods and requests he be back by his curfew, as though she’s a normal mother instead of a cold bitch who locks her children away every night. When the side door opens and Tristan greets the cook, Madona’s entire countenance sours.
I wonder when she last saw her son beyond locking his door. Does she peek into his room before she jams the key into the lock, or does she secure him away from the world without sparing him a glance?
I may have had a fucked up childhood, but no matter how horrible life was, at least I knew I had a mom who had my back even if I was wrong, solely because we were family.
Aurora’s reassuring smile as Tristan peeks into the room soothes the ache in my heart.
Madona calls him in, but after formal greetings, he stands near his sister. For half a second, pure joy shows on his face when his mother announces our dinner plans, but he tucks his enthusiasm away and thanks us all with annoying propriety.
I navigate us out of the conversation and house before we run into any other household members.
Tristan glares at me when I wrap my arm around Aurora’s waist, but when I nudge her elbow, encouraging her to hold his hand, he forgives me and asks where we’re going.
I counter by asking for his top three favorite places to eat, then lob those options to Aurora to make the final decision. When she laughs, all traces of consternation leave Tristan’s face.
I open the rear passenger door and tell Tristan to scoot all the way to the other side so Aurora can sit between us. He approves of the arrangement and nearly launches himself across the seat.
When I introduce him to Fiero, both man and boy size each other up for a moment before Fiero reaches over his shoulder and offers Tristan his hand. After they shake, Tristan lobs an impressive volley of questions at the battle-hardened mafia man, who answers each one without missing a beat, somehow maintaining his normal dry humor while keeping it child appropriate.
Aurora claims Tristan’s attention and gives him my gift. His excitement wriggles deep into my chest. He hooks his watch up to his phone and dons every item except the sunglasses. Even the shoelace trackers go on his sneakers before we reach the restaurant.
We end up eating dinner in a little mom-and-pop diner a few streets away from Tristan’s school. When I usher Aurora to sit in the corner and take the chair beside her, Fiero tucks Tristan into the chair across from her and boxes him in by taking the outer chair.
We must look ridiculous—two tatted, muscular men scowling at anyone who dares glance at the stunning woman and young boy sitting with us—but we can’t let our guards down when so much is at stake.
Tristan becomes more animated as he scarfs down pizza, breadsticks, salad, and pasta. Aurora relaxes and enjoys his antics while picking at her food, but when she seeks my hand under the table, I decide to not press her to eat more. The tears shimmering in her animated emerald eyes stem from joy and wonder, so I ask for a to-go box and save her pizza for later.
With how tiny she is, I always expect her to eat small portions of low-calorie foods, but she surprises me every time with her appetite. I’ve never seen a specialty pizza with steak strips, extra black olives, extra spinach, a slew of other veggies, and very little cheese, but she seemed to enjoy every bite she took. Even though she didn’t eat as much as I would like, she still finished an entire slice.
As I lead us back to the car, Fiero covers our backs, keeping Aurora and Tristan between us, where they’re safest. Tristan’s full belly catches up with him once he’s tucked in the car. He slumps against Aurora’s shoulder a few minutes into the drive. We enjoy a comfortable silence the rest of the way, letting tomorrow’s worries wait until tomorrow as we digest both the food and the intimacy we found around the dinner table.
Fiero stops the car in front of the Achilles family home.
I steal a quick kiss from Aurora before slipping out of the car and walking around to Tristan’s side. When I open his door and rouse him, he mumbles and rubs his eyes, but settles back onto Aurora’s shoulder.
I scoop him up and wait for mia topolina to scoot closer before offering her my hand. Her hungry eyes wander over my forearms as I help her from the vehicle. If I flex a little more to make my veins a bit more prominent, it’s because Tristan is precious cargo—and I like the appreciation in Aurora’s gaze.
I send Fiero away for the night. He doesn’t ask questions, even though he probably expected to drive me back to the townhouse tonight.
I carry Tristan into the Achilles mini castle and settle him into his bed without interruption from other household members. As Aurora slips into the bathroom to warm a washcloth, I pull off his shoes and slip off his necklace. After wiping his face and arms, she gives him a kiss on the forehead and plugs in his phone before pushing me toward the hallway.
I turn off the light. She closes the door. I scoop her into a cradle hold and carry her into her room.
Her whispered argument fades as I kiss her. I push the door closed with my heel and let her feet slip toward the floor.
Piece by piece, I remove our clothes, leaving them strewn throughout the room, and slide us both under the sheets. She whimpers and writhes underneath me as I take my time exploring her with my mouth and hands. Heat builds between the sheets, but I keep mia topolina tucked underneath, unwilling to expose her in case her mother walks in.
In no rush, I play with her nipples and lick every inch of her chest. Her legs tighten around my waist. I crawl backward and worship her flat stomach and tease along her hipbones before continuing lower.
I press my palm over her mouth just in time to muffle her cries as I run the flat of my tongue over her sex. Unable to resist, I nibble and tease even as she fights and begs me to stop, until her honey coats my face and her pleading devolves into wordless whimpers and moans. I ease my tongue and tease along either side of her clithood, careful to avoid direct stimulation, and slowly press two fingers into her tight, swollen pussy. When she bites my hand, magma escapes from my balls and sears the inside of my shaft, so I surge up her body and plaster my mouth over hers. With two digits sunk deep inside her, I thrust my hips and run the underside of my cock over her clit.
She comes in long, epic convulsions as I growl into her mouth and stroke her G-spot with my fingers. As she soaks my hand, the sheets, and my cock, I lose control and fill her bellybutton with my release. I shudder and dive deeper into her mouth before gentling my kiss and slipping my fingers out of her body. My pearly white seed overflows her bellybutton and seeps down her sides.
I yank a few tissues from the box on the bedside table and use them to soak up the worst of our mess before tossing them in the trash bin and pulling her close. She shivers and wraps her arms around my waist.
“Just for a few minutes, capisci?” she mumbles, already half asleep.
I hum a noncommittal note and pull her leg over my hip before fixing the blankets and tightening my arms around her.
Her breathing changes into the steady cadence of sleep and she snuggles closer.
A little more than half an hour later, the door handle rattles. Aurora’s mother swings open the door, but she stops it halfway, no doubt shocked at the clothes strewn all over the room. Less than a second later, she closes the door.
I smirk into Aurora’s hair as her mother rushes down the hall toward the stairs without locking the door.
With mia topolina tucked safely against me, I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. Time skews. At one point, screaming echoes in my head, but Aurora’s quiet whimper overrides all else, so I pull her on top of me and rumble nonsense until she settles.
Despite being in the viper’s den, I wake in slow increments. Aurora’s scent surrounds me. Soft sheets brush against my naked body. A keyboard clicks quietly nearby.
Aurora no longer lies in the bed with me.
I surge awake and find her in front of her computer. With the screen illuminating her mussed hair and my black shirt dwarfing her slim frame, she’s effortlessly sexy. The clock reads early morning. Tristan’s alarm should go off any second.
The sheets beside me are cold.
“How long have you been up?” I ask.
Aurora jumps and whirls around with her hand over her heart.
“Holy shit, you scared me,” she gasps.
Insult rolls over me.
“Did mia topolina forget she had a dark and dangerous mafia man in her bed?”
She shakes her head. A tiny smirk tugs at her lips, but her thoughts tug it into a frown.
“No, but I think I found—”
She stops talking when her mother’s door opens and footfalls head our way. I lift the covers. Aurora turns off her computer screen and dives into the bed with me.
Her mother passes our room and unlocks Tristan’s door as his alarm sounds. Aurora tucks her face against my chest and hooks her digits over my shoulder. I skim my fingers over the back of her thigh and tease behind her knee.
She’s too tempting. I trace over her hip and fill my hand with her naked ass. Her breath hitches as I grind her damp pussy against me.
Water rushes through pipes in the wall as Tristan gets in the shower.
“Wait, let me shut down the computer. It’s not safe,” Aurora whispers.
Her breath ghosts over my sternum, but I let her go and will my cock to soften as she slips out from under the cover.
When she bends over the keyboard, the hem of my shirt lifts and teases the lower swell of her ass.
I rise from the bed and grab her hips. She hisses and tries to push me away, but I growl and reach under my shirt to fondle her breast.
“Don’t mind me, mia topolina. Focus on the computer. I’ll focus on you.”
Mindful of our surroundings, I use my fingers to bring her to a quick orgasm and spurt my release onto her back. In a moment of insanity, I scoop the viscous fluid up and sink my coated digits into her fluttering pussy. She looks over her shoulder at me with wide, vulnerable eyes.
“You’re too fucking sexy, mia topolina,” I murmur.
She blushes and shifts her weight.
“Are you done on the computer?” I ask.
She nods.
I kiss the exposed flesh of her shoulder from my too-big shirt’s neckline before pulling my fingers out of her pussy and helping her strip.
Tristan turns off his shower. I point her toward the bathroom and pat her ass before gathering all my clothes. After a quick soap and rinse, I towel dry and dress in yesterday’s clothes.
The clothes I wore when I married Aurora.
She emerges from the closet and rushes through the rest of her morning routine. I steal a kiss before leading her into the hall.
After a simple breakfast, we send Tristan off with Mr. Hearthright and head back to Aurora’s room for her purse.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I answer my sister’s call and stop mid-stride when her distraught voice sounds through the speakers.
“Mamma called Camilla, Giorgio. I don’t know what she said, but Camilla’s gone non-responsive. Her nurses called me because they’re concerned,” Serenity says.
Aurora walks out from the bathroom with her brows drawn in worry.
“I’m going to visit Camilla now, but I’d like to know what mamma said before I get there. Can you go talk to papà?”
I meet Aurora’s eyes. She hesitates, but nods and grabs her bag from beside the desk.
“Yes, I’ll head over right now. Is Nico going with you?”
“Of course.”
After saying a rushed goodbye, I hang up and send Fiero a text. He replies with a yes, boss.
Madona intercepts us before we escape out the front door. I apologize for the impromptu sleepover—playing it off as an accident—but she insists I am welcome any time.
I thank her and lead Aurora outside. The overcast sky and foggy morning air increase the dread forming in the pit of my stomach.
After settling Aurora in the seat behind Fiero, I grab my travel hygiene bag and my clothes bag from the trunk before dropping into the back passenger seat.
Fiero drives down the lane without a word. Aurora opens her mouth to speak, but stares in fascination when I pull my shirt off over my head. She strokes my ego with her dazed appreciation as I strip out of my jeans and maneuver my body in the limited space of the car. When I lift my hips and pull on my trousers, she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and presses her knees together.
My naughty girl enjoys a good strip tease.
With my pants unfastened and my half-hard cock straining in my boxer briefs, I lean back and grab her nape. She hisses and glances toward the front seat before I tug her closer.
Fiero clears his throat.
I’ll murder the stronzo if he so much as mutters a single word. After a tense meeting of eyes in the rearview mirror, he decides he enjoys his life enough to not end it early and keeps his mouth shut.
I grit my teeth and tuck in my shirts before adjusting my cock and fastening my trousers.
Aurora turns toward her window with her bottom lip trapped between her teeth again. I lean down and tie my dress shoes.
She sends me furtive glances as I rise, thread my arms into my suit coat, and shrug it into place. When I fish my cufflinks from my bag and move to secure them like normal, her dainty hand settles on my wrist. I’m powerless to deny her when she offers to help. With trembling fingers, she fixes my cuffs and slips each cufflink into place before leaning over me and pulling my tie from my bag.
I cover her hands with mine and meet her eyes. Her gaze softens. She smiles.
I lean forward to give her better access to my nape. She flips my collar and circles my neck with the tie.
She’s the only one I’d allow so close to my throat, and going by her expression, she knows it. She knots and tightens my tie with sensual grace before fixing my collar and smoothing her hands down my front. I lean over and take her mouth with all the emotions welling up in me.
The car slows. I pull back as Fiero coasts through the gates to my familial home. Aurora’s expression flips through several emotions before she dons a bland mask.
As she stares at the house I grew up in, I recall how startled she was this morning when I found her at the computer instead of in bed beside me.
She uncovered something, but her mother interrupted us before she could tell me, and the morning has been so busy, I forgot to follow up.
Despite the early hour, the front door opens and my mother steps out to greet us.
My vision narrows as frustration and fury coalesce within me.
I never realized how cold and calculating my mother was until she led the conversation of my betrothal, but now, with her standing in full makeup and elegantly dressed with a serene, welcoming smile as dark clouds drift across the morning sky, all I see is the villain in Camilla’s story.
She may not have swung her fists at my older sister, but she sure as hell isn’t supporting her. I fully agree with Serenity’s assumption: whatever my mother said to Camilla sent her into a mental spiral.
I need to know what she said so Serenity can help Camilla.
I can’t let my parents fail my siblings anymore. I can’t fail them anymore.
Aurora takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, offering me her support and reminding me of what’s at stake.
I should leave her in the car, but I need her by my side.
I open the car door and pull her out after me before tucking her against my side and starting up the stairs.
No matter what happens, I’ll never be a clueless bystander in my own family again.
It’s all because of Aurora.
Aurora Vivaldi.
My wife.
