He pulled me close, limiting the space between our bodies, leaving hardly any space for me to breathe in. It was still weird to be this close to a man I barely knew. But then there was a burbling sensation at the pit of my stomach, at the proximity to us. My eyes rounded as I noticed a hint of desp
“I don’t think it’s my best suit,” I admitted. “Vanilla is boring. Besides, I’m more into experienced women.” “You sound like a fucking dick right now,” he groaned and sighed. I rounded my eyes. “Says the one who’s never been with a woman remotely innocent.” “Leona—” He clicked his tongue. “Zia w
EROS Mariella’s trembles returned as I closed the door behind me. I could see myself enjoying the side of Mariella with no self-preservation, but I doubted I would ever get to see her like that. With nothing but the important furniture, the room looked full. The roses and scented candles made the
The bathroom door opened and Mariella slipped out, wearing the lingerie, as I had asked. My throat dried. It was the first time I wanted to disregard her young age. Willingly. She was fucking hot, the dress a perfect fit for her slender hourglass body. Her legs, showing from her upper thighs, were t
“You were supposed to marry the capo.” She didn’t respond to it, but let out a ragged breath as if there was nothing but disappointment on her side. I decided to change the topic. “Not even the boy you were dancing with dared to kiss you? You both seemed pretty close.” “Rocco?” She suppressed a lau
MARIELLA Eros pulled away from me and extended a hand as I whirled around to face him. My eyes scanned the look on his face. I’d had enough men around me since childhood to know when someone looked at me as something other than the boss’s daughter. But I’d never had a man look at me the way Eros wa
I hastened to unbutton his shirt, and he peeled it off his body. My eyes fell on his ripped abs and chest muscles and my throat dried. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen shirtless men with abs before. But I hadn’t seen them from this close. Eros’s were defined and strong. My fingers itched to touch them,
“What happened?” I asked. “You’re unbelievably wet,” he said. I looked away from him and he quickly added, “I would be worried if you weren’t. Now, look at me.” I did. “Part your legs.” “What?” He bobbed his head. “Spread them for me.” Slowly, I untangled my legs from around his waist and held t
I walked toward Ella’s bed and sat down beside her. She pulled herself up with much difficulty and looked down at our daughter. “She’s so small,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. The wait, the pain and everything were worth this—this joy and the deep love I felt in my heart. I met Ella’s gaze a
[FOUR YEARS LATER] EROS I was panicking more than Ella was. But I couldn’t take her screams, let alone look at her. She was covered in sweat from head to toe and her entire body was shuddering. This was partially my fault, I could say. She buried her head back on the pillow and let out another lo
Even in my absence, I had been sure that Mariella was okay. She was upset, which was understandable, but she was safe. Adonis had ensured it. I hurried into my wing and up to my room, unable to control the burdening feeling in my chest. I needed to let out all that I had been holding inside, to tel
Both Mom and Adonis scanned the room. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Ella was running away. Or perhaps hiding something from me. I sincerely wished it was the prior. Adonis took a deep breath and spoke. “Ma, I need to speak to Eros.” I was dumbfounded. I widened my
EROS With all the men guarding me, I felt like a child being carried to the principal’s office. Every fucking one of them had a brooding look on their face. And I had been seeing them every day for the past two months. No more. I was finally returning home. To my family. To my wife. I wondered ho
As I pushed the door, I noticed the girl sitting on the ground, holding a grey shirt to her chest. Eros’s shirt. Had she been holding onto him in this manner? Crying herself to sleep holding that one shirt? Consoling herself that he was alright? “Mariella?” Her eyes widened and snapped toward me.
ADONIS I couldn’t stand the sight of people who pretended as though my world hadn’t completely changed. Many people greeted me as I walked out to the main wing. Danilo, his wife and younger daughter. Terenzio and Fabiola. Niana Galasso and the idiot who got Danilo’s daughter pregnant. My wife and
“My sister has a habit of meddling in other people’s matters. I’m sorry for that.” She probably didn’t know who I was, either. Her expressions suddenly fell, and she said with an apologetic look on her face, “I’m sorry if I sound rude, but my coming here wasn’t really a coincidence.” I frowned. “I h
Eros leaned down and whispered something into his niece’s ears that made Alessia smile bigger. Letting go of his hands, she motioned toward her father. Eros, the matchmaker, was back in the room. He wanted nothing more than what I did and that was to see this little family of ours be happy and one