Lanaya frowned and then stared at her feet. She struggled to find anything at first, but once she did, her face sank, and tears began to drop from her eyes.After a moment, she sat up, panting heavily. Salvetti returned after getting the first aid bag from behind the sink and assisted her in removing the sweater. She seemed numb and expressionless as she went through the motions. Her heartbreak was so profound that her body gave in to his touch without a fight."When asked for details, he said, "When I was thirteen, I went with my dad to one of our stores. The area was a mess after our opponents rained bullets down on it. We were looking for anything we could save as we moved around, but I took a mistake stride and fell on some blood. When I fell on my behind, everyone, even my father, laughed at me."She gave him the eye roll."My father later told me they had laughed at their misfortune since they had been there. Who were they who mocked you? They wanted to boost their confidence by
Not even five minutes later, while Parker and Andrew cleaned up his wound, Salvetti found himself frowning at them. Salviana hurried in after Lanaya had calmed down a little bit and gently escorted her to the restroom. Salvetti was escorted to his room by Doc, Travis, and Carter.Salvetti had unwillingly accepted because Lanaya's reputation would take a tumble if she witnessed what she did to him. Even yet, he would never forget Lanaya's agonized words that she had spoken to herself just before Salviana had abducted her.To ask why one has failed so miserably.Salvetti's inquiry was so laden with anguish that he had to grab at his chest in response.Nothing was wrong with her at all.As for Lanaya, she had no problems.Her illness was minor.Andrew and Parker raced in as Doc was just getting started on his leg, which, like many wounds, seemed worse than it was. They were accusing him, and if Doc hadn't been attending to his leg, he would have had two more patients to see.Do you mind
Salvetti frowned at the idea and brushed a finger over her cheek to catch her attention."It's possible to convince them to do you one favor if you accept their apologies. They will do whatever it takes to ensure you receive whatever you desire. If they can't, they'll have to pay with their lives." And he went into detail. Astonished, she stared at him.The speaker said, "That's quaint." A hushed voice came from her mouth.It didn't take long, and he was relieved to see beloved Lanaya again, so he smiled.Her brows knitted together in concentration. They owe you an apology, though.When asked, Salvetti smiled devilishly. She really was a bright cookie, though.But don't injure them, if you please. The girl begged.He gave her a grin so wide it showed off his dimples. I swear I won't do anything to harm them. Not that it matters.She gave him a doubtful look. Her breath released, and she narrowed her eyes at Doc. Her gaze wandered from Parker, Andrew, Carter, and Travis in the hall to
Salvetti smiled savagely as he saw Parker and Andrew follow closely behind. They were made to carry Salviana's groceries as punishment for disobeying him. It was unfortunate for them that Salviana was willing to play the role of the spoiled mafia princess.He followed Claire into the shop, and they entered together."All the women are really traditional. They believe that a guy shouldn't sleep with anybody besides his wife in bed. And males have their own set of issues to resolve. It's been almost thirty years since your predecessor enacted legislation to strengthen protections for women."In agreement, Salvetti nodded, but he had to cut the chat short when he saw Lanaya looking at a green outfit. A few tiny black and green jewels adorned the otherwise unremarkable bodice, and a tiny cleavage hole was the only indication of the dress's simplicity. It was fitted through the waist and hips and then flared out somewhat at the bottom. Black heels were exposed via a large split on the mann
She rubbed her head and shook her head. We can keep this between ourselves if you promise not to spill the beans. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she frantically scanned the clothing store to ensure no one had noticed.As her heart rate increased, she swallowed anxiously. A very brief gulpHoly crap, he was corrupting her and didn't even care. Salvetto picked up the spare glass and raised her chin with a finger. He scratched the inside of her lower lip with his thumb."Open." When he gave an instruction, she obeyed hesitantly. He lifted the glass to her lips and tilted it so the sparkling liquid could pour into her mouth. "Swallow." When she did it again, his yearning made him feel like bursting through his skin. He laid the glass down, and some champagne dripped from her mouth.Before drawing back, Salvetto leaned in and licked the champagne line off her lower lip. Lanaya sighed loudly, her eyelids half closed as she licked her lips. Dear God, he desired her.She closed
As they walked back home, Lanaya scowled at the sights they passed. What had transpired during the shopping trip left her in disbelief. To top it all off, this was after he had virtually kissed her in the store!She knew that people avoided her, but it didn't bother her. On many occasions, Salvetti scowled at her as though he didn't understand what was happening. How could they! It seems that even Salviana felt some anger for him.Still, she was driving her nails into her palms with growing rage the nearer they got to the home. This time he was definitely going to murder her. Astonished, she realized she had pushed him. But he couldn't have, either, based on the expression on his face. On the way home, he kept looking at the gadget in his hands every few seconds and giving her a look she didn't understand.When asked what he was up to, Salviana said it was "work things" to ensure he didn't go too far behind on his duties due to his shopping excursion. However, she did observe that he
She tried to ignore him and failed miserably. She then almost sprinted to her room. He trailed closely after her. Arriving at her front door, Lanaya mustered what little confidence she had left and turned to confront him. That goofy grin on his face had not left as he stared at her."Go away!" Insisted on, she did. His jaw dropped in shock, but he stepped closer and put his arms around her. That's when she pushed him away."No." A deep rumbling came from him. Her pupils dilated as she stared at him. While she may have been crazy, he was completely off his rocker. Not until you explain the nature of the issue.She gave a look a shot. In other words, "I'm good."When I asked him how he was doing, he laughed. "You know that's not the truth, honey."There was a whirlwind of emotion in her at the kind term. But one thing was certain: he wasn't upset by her fury; on the contrary, he appeared to relish it. She drew a deep breath, contemplating whether or not she had gone too far."To what en
Lanaya shook her head emphatically. Actually, he was relieved. He had never been able to do anything with her since Salviana would always interrupt them. But since she was working independently, Salvetti could maintain his progress at the store."'You know,' he said, 'the look you gave me at the mall. To what end was that?"She slid onto her side, facing him again, and her face erupted in a crimson glow."So said Salviana.Just trying to help out here.I really wished to."Again, he let out a hearty chuckle."To be honest, Lanaya, I don't see an issue with that. For my life, I can't even explain how much I liked it."She took a deep breath and gently turned around to face him. While that was going on, he'd shifted back to his side. He winked at her face, and she reacted by clearing her throat.Their breaths mixed as he drew in closer."Are you sure you want to proceed?" She took a deep breath as his lips brushed against hers. When her breasts brushed against him, she realized how clos
In a little coffee shop on the outskirts of Palermo, Mattheo was conversing with his daughter as they sat opposite each other. Lanaya was adamant about sampling every dish Italy's food had to offer, and she was more than glad to take everyone else along with her on her mission. Elisabetta was gently given a slice of tiramisu while sitting on Doc's lap as the two sat side by side. Dimitri was standing opposite Mattheo, busily tapping his phone.Salvetti took a spoonful of Panna Cotta and presented it to his wife, who immediately let out a delighted groan after taking a bite.Even though Mattheo would never acknowledge it to Salvetti, he was really pleased for the couple. It was clear that the two youngsters were head over heels in love with one another. Lanaya was beaming with joy as he led her down the "aisle," which was actually simply a path through the Vineyard, as he led her down the route. Her love-filled smile gleamed brighter than the sun, and her green eyes sparkled in the sun
Don Zino watched the warehouse with a look of disdain as he smoked on his cigar and examined the space. Salvetti wanted all the victims, blood, and rats to be cleared out from the scene as soon as possible. However, he was required to hold off for the time being.He looked at Lanaya with great concentration. Since he stepped foot in the room, he had not taken his eyes off her. She was completely unaware of the identity of the person sitting next to her. Why exactly was he helping her out in the first place?There was a time when Don Zino read some of Dante's works. I instructed the young man to "sit down, youngster" when I saw him.Dante grimaced but yet started looking for a place to sit. Because of the blood and debris, his white suit was already soiled, so it would have been pointless for him to sit in the mud.Don Zino released a heavy sigh, then lifted his arm to draw his weapon. While doing so, he shot Dante in the knee and said, "Sit down, child!"Dante wailed in pain as he crum
Elisabetta combed her fingers over Salvetto's damp hair. He let out a low roar. After spending twenty minutes trying to "tame" his hair, his mother finally gave up. The longer she battled with it, the more noticeable his mother's frown grew.She smacked his arm hard. Stop being so mean to your mother, Salvetti.The expression on his face indicated that he was struggling to control his anger. He didn't dare put his beloved mom to the test. No one could predict the level of violence she may display if she saw him looking at her.After clicking her tongue, she gave his hair a solid slap with the gel.The words "my baby" cooed as she ran a comb over his thick layer of gel and hair.It's like a child saying, "Mom, quit!" He recoiled, shaking his head. What, no other kid around here for me to annoy?She let out a startled gasp. "Annoy?" She raised her arms and shouted something at him in Italian. The man sighed. He had one too many female companions.Salvetti walked to his dressing room aft
When the bed moved, Lanaya woke up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and raised her head to see Salvetto's relaxed stretch. She owned him. It was the mere idea of it that made her tremble.Salvetti swung around to face her and stared. As his eyes wandered over her body, the front of his briefs puffed out tremendously. Despite being covered up with one of his shirts, he made Lanaya feel exposed.A prayer to Lanaya, the gods. As he mumbled, her blood began to boil. "In other words, I need you. What a lot."She looked down as he leaned in and touched her nose."But not just yet. You aren't prepared to deal with my hunger."Her response was a scowl. Not what you stated at all last night.Under lashes of obsidian, his golden eyes glowed like pools of scorching pirate gold.However, she was correct. They had not shared a bed the night before. His preferred position was with his head buried between her knees as she cried and thrashed around in an emotional tangle. She remembered how she'd
This process lasted for a total of seven hours. Most men were drunk, and the ladies were delightfully buzzed when the blue-haired maid hurried in, having played nurse. After Salvetti was evicted from his office a few times, Ash and Darian fled.Salvetti cast his gaze over the space. As the dining hall could adequately accommodate everyone, that's where they'd agreed to spend the night. The birth of Sasha's child, the cook, reasoned, deserved a celebration. Everyone was eating except for Barrow, who had brought his pistols and cleaning supplies with him when he relocated. Salvetti toasted him with Scotch because becoming a parent was a major life event.Majority-rules-Capital-P Serious.However, Barrow had already finished the Scotch and asked for something stronger.Thus, Salvetti had taken the Russian approach and gave him two bottles of Vodka. The first bottle was almost all ingested by him. Lanaya was talking to Blaire and Chloe, oblivious to his presence.He had just realized he n
A little while later, a knock at the office door tore them apart. After they were done, Salvetti unbuttoned Lanaya's shirt and re-tucked in his pants. Then he had idly made out with her while she sat on his lap. His fly was undone, so she could see his cock between his legs.Why is it still so challenging? Is that typical? However, neither Lanaya nor Salvetti seemed interested in answering questions.Salvetti looked at the door as Lanaya leaped from his lap to pull on her underwear. She had totally missed the fact that they were actually inside a nightclub.Inquiring, "Where is -"Still stunningly half-naked, Salvetti rose and grabbed her turtleneck from the doorway."Here."He hurriedly assisted her in getting it on, and then she put it on, and he helped her with her hair. Lanaya spun around and, embarrassed, tucked him inside his pants. When she began buttoning his shirt, he raised an eyebrow at her."Please don't let anyone see you," she said. With the expectation that he wouldn't
The tension in the room boiled Salvetti's blood.He had hoped that Lanaya would be sound asleep or occupied watching a movie with his obnoxious sister when he went to the club to do some private work. Only two hours later did the club's bouncer need to call Parker, who whispered to Andrew, who told everyone in the club that Lanaya had arrived.He had naively assumed that his curiosity was the only motivation.Twenty minutes later, he watched the footage and saw a wet fantasy materialize amid the dance floor. If he hadn't become tough overnight, I'd be surprised. The only reason he didn't just cover her up and start shooting everybody in the club was because of the grin on her face.She was having a good time, and he was sitting there watching her with an evident hard-on. Not until she returned to the loft with Mattheo did he muster the energy to readjust himself and emerge from hiding under the table.In addition, she had the nerve to present an innocent and remorseful face when he fi
While the Siciliano came and went, Salvetti, avoided going to Lanaya's quarters. All of this action was make her more anxious. She had run into her closet and huddled there, knees to chest, but the longer she waited for Salvetti to return, the less air she could breathe.Not that hiding there was a great idea, but she had nowhere else to go. When she tried to hide under the bed once before, Nathan Gallagher yanked her out by the hair and nearly threw her down the stairs.Her fear increased when she heard footsteps approaching for the simple reason that those weren't Salvetto's footprints. After violently opening the door, Lanaya released a startled cry of terror."Would you chill?" A superior voice came from above her. Saying, "If I really wanted to kill you, I'd just shoot the door and hope I hit you," is a common way to threaten someone into submission.Salviana towered over her, one hand on her hip, the other on the doorframe. She almost looked judgmental in her expression. As if s
Just after lunch, Salvetti dragged Lanaya into his office by the upper arm. She fought him the whole way; he didn't let her go until he'd locked the door. She crossed her arms over her stomach and scowled at him, a momentary look of terror crossing her face.The man looked at her blankly. Her erratic emotions were novel. While she had improved her ability to interact with others, he knew she was still terrified of them. Is this her method of coping with the terror she feels? Or was it simply the release of feelings she had repressed?Given Gallagher's character, it wasn't hard to deduce that they made her feel that her feelings and troubles didn't matter. He reasoned that if she didn't know how to go through her feelings and get to the bottom of the issue, then her reaction made sense. The closer Salvetti got, the more she retreated, attempting to evade him.He knew Lanaya was nervous, but that wouldn't stop him this time. To grow stronger, there was no other option. When she fell, her