284
Seb
I carry her up the stairs, back to my room, then inside the bathroom. I place her on her feet and study her closely. A rosy hue tints her chest and her face. I can’t take my gaze off of her creamy breasts, the perky nipples that jut out… My fingers tingle, and I can’t stop myself from cupping her breast. Her breath catches. I lower my mouth to suck on a nipple. I bite down on it, and she gasps. I lick her nipple, and a moan spills from her lips.
“Seb, oh, Seb,” she whines, and all the blood empties to my groin.
I turn my head to suckle on her other nipple. I pull on it, tug it inside my mouth, and swirl my tongue around the swollen peak. She buries her fingers in my hair, yanks at the strands, and a shudder runs down my spine. My cock strains against my briefs, begging to be let out. Che cazzo, what the hell is wrong with me? I need to take care of her first. I release her nipple with a pop and straighten.
“Why did you stop?” she whines.
“Because I promised to take care of you, didn’t I?” I walk over to the sink, and pull out the drawer beside the sink. Pulling out a tube of salve, I turn to her. “Bend over.” I jerk my chin toward the counter.
She shoots me a glance.
“I’m only going to make sure I soothe the hurt I inflicted on you.”
“Hmph.” She presses her lips together. I’m sure she’s going to refuse me, but she turns and props her elbows on the counter. Thank fuck. She’s naked as the day she was born, the thrust of her gorgeous butt a creamy highway leading down to the promised land. I trace my finger down the valley between her butt-cheeks and she shivers. Goosebumps spring up on her skin. This woman is so damn responsive.
My wife. My submissive. She’s mine to do with as I want. A hot sensation stabs at my chest. Possessiveness? Selfishness. If only I could hide her away from the world and keep her all to myself. If only I could protect her from the evils lurking out there. The enemies I have made over the years who’ll waste no time in coming after her once they find out what she means to me. I need to keep her safe.
What happened last night-actually, this morning? I can never allow it to touch her again. Even if it means I need to guard her day and night. I bend and kiss the curve of her hips. She shudders. Straightening, I squeeze some of the salve onto my fingers and apply it over the reddened skin of her behind.
She sighs, then lowers her head so her hair flows about her shoulders.
“How does it feel?” I murmur.
“Good,” she says in a breathy voice.
“You sound surprised,” I reply.
“Didn’t think you’d have a gentle touch.”
“You don’t know much about me, do you?”
She turns to survey me over her shoulder. “Less than you know about me, for sure.”
I cap the salve, and set it aside. “Why don’t you freshen up and get dressed?”
“Oh?” She straightens. “Are we going out somewhere?”
“It’s not safe to leave the house. At least, not until we catch whoever shot at us.”
“Aww…” Her lips turn down. “It would be nice to get out of the house. You have so many bodyguards. Surely they’d be able to protect us?”
“All of the guards in the world couldn’t stop them from getting to us yesterday,” I remind her.
“So, you’re going to change your way of life? You’re going to show them they managed to throw a scare into you?”
“That’s not true, and you know it.” I scowl.
“Then show it.” She draws herself up to her full five-foot, four-inch height, which means she’s at eye level with my heart.
She already has my heart. Cazzo, when did I fall for her? The feelings crept up on me and I didn’t notice. I take a step back.
“I know what you’re doing. You’re my sub. You’re trying to be bratty, poking at me, trying to undermine me, trying to test me and my masculinity.”
“Oh?” She flutters her eyelashes. “You’re the big, bad Mafia guy. I am but your obedient little wife.”
“Right.” I snort. “I understand why you do it, though.”
“Do you, now?”
I nod. “It turns you on to challenge my authority. You ache to get a reaction out of me, and it’s communicating your desire to play. You get off on testing my limits. You adore it when I rise to the occasion and punish you. You can’t wait for me to claim mastery over you. The dynamic makes you aware of your sexuality. It reaffirms that you’re attractive, the center of my attention. You love the interest and the cerebral connection that comes with the mind play. The feelings it conjures up keep you aroused all day. The words, the orders, the reprimands, the harsh commands, the audacity with which I tell you to turn your body over to me so I can treat you like an object, a thing that is made to pleasure me, a slave whose only goal in life is to service me… No one else can speak to you like this. You’d never allow anyone else to have such access to your mind, your body, your heart-”
“Stop,” she whispers, “stop Seb.”
“If I touch you now, I’ll find you even wetter than before, won’t I?”
“Yes.” Her chin trembles.
“Yes, Master,” I correct her.
“Yes… Master.” She bows her head, and in that moment, I fall for her even more. This gorgeous, strong woman who has been through so much, who’d do anything for the well-being of her daughter, who put her trust in me when she asked me to be her Dom, who agreed to marry me because she was confident that I could help her… She lowers her gaze to the floor in front of me.
Does she have any idea just how much she has ensnared me? And it’s not only about her looks or her sexy little body… It’s her spirit, her ability to roll with the punches and come out on top. It’s her little quirks, especially her proclivity to quote from that infernal actor whose name I shall not mention. All of it makes her even more attractive.
And how can I refuse what she wants?
“Okay.” I jerk my chin.
“Eh?” She peers up at me from under her eyelashes. “What do you mean, okay?”
“You want to go out, we’ll go out.”
“But didn’t you say it’s too dangerous?”
“It is,” I raise a shoulder, “but you’re right. Now is the time to show we’re not afraid. Whoever shot at us wanted to scare us. If we stay inside, we’re allowing them to control us. It’s time we take a stand instead.”
“Wow, so you’re actually agreeing I was right?”
“When you are, I have no problem accepting it.”
“Didn’t think your ego would allow that.” She laughs.
“I’m a Sovrano. Of course I have an ego, but that doesn’t mean I won’t back down when I’m wrong.”
“Macho, dominant, and reasonable?” She shakes her head. “You’re almost too good to be true.”
“I’m all of those, and also, if we stay here talking, I’m going to bend you over again. And this time, I’m going to bury myself inside you. And then, I won’t be able to stop myself until I’ve had you over and over again.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Her eyes light up.
“No, you wanted to go out, and we’re going out.”
Her breathing grows erratic, and a shiver runs down her body. “Why is it, everything you say turns me on?”
I raise my gaze to the ceiling. “Now, she admits it.” Turning her around, I point her in the direction of her bedroom. “Go on, get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready.”
Half an hour later, I open the door of my Maserati, and usher her inside. I walk around and slide into the driver’s seat. “It’s still too cold to drive with the top down, but come summer, I promise you’re in for a treat.”
“Oh, this is already a treat.” She glances around the interior of the car with wide eyes. She runs her hand down the leather of the seat, across the console, and cazzo, I swear I can feel her touch on my skin. My cock thickens, and heat flushes my chest. I turn on the ignition, then back the car out of the garage and onto the driveway.
I drive out onto the road, and wave to Antonio, Michael’s bodyguard who’s been assigned to protect us. Michael, of course, has an entire team in place to protect him and Karma. He slides into his car, and is accompanied by another of our men. Behind him, another car starts up, with two more of our men.
“So, they’re going to follow us wherever we go?” She turns to me. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“To a place where they have the best pasta, the best gelato, and the best espresso on the Amalfi coast.”
“You Italians measure everything in terms of food, don’t you?”
“What else is there to life, besides the three F’s-food, fucking, and family?”
“Of course,” she says dryly.
“You don’t agree?”
“It’s hard to disagree with it,” she admits as I guide the car down the road, and through the streets of Palermo. Another ten minutes and I swing onto the road taking us back toward the coast. I step on the accelerator, then turn to find her watching me. “What?” I smirk. “Admiring the view?”
“I’m not going to say yes, and add to your already inflated opinion of yourself.”
“Just admit it; you find me irresistible. You can’t resist my charms. It’s why you married me, after all.”
She snorts. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She fiddles with the dials on the console, and strains of Puccini fill the space.
“Whoa.” She straightens. “Opera? I’d never have guessed, but then, even on a day off, you are dressed in a suit, so I suppose it fits the entire Mafioso persona.”
I glance down at myself, then raise a shoulder. “This is how I always dress.”
“But today’s a day off. You could’ve worn jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I do own jeans and a T-shirt.” I scowl at her.
“When was the last time you wore them?”All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
“Huh.” I navigate a turn, then stare at the road, considering her observation. “I did dress casually,” I point out.
“You’re wearing a suit, Seb. That’s not casual.”
“I didn’t wear a tie.”
She snorts. “Are you serious?” She peers at my features. “You are serious. OMG.” She waves a hand toward her knee length skirt and blouse, which she has paired with a sweater. “Now, what I’m wearing is casual.”
“Not to mention sexy.”
She reddens a little. “Thanks, I guess,” she murmurs.
“You could wear a sack and I’d still find it sexy,” I admit.
“And I find your suit beyond sexy.” She twists her fingers together in front of herself. “Look at us-a mutual admiration society.”
“Nothing wrong with being attracted to your spouse,” I say in a mild voice. And since when have I become the voice of reason? Somehow, she seems to bring out the worst, and the best, parts of me. When I’m with her, I can’t predict anymore how I’m going to behave… And it’s both exhilarating, and a little bit annoying. But in a good way.
I suspect, many years down the road, I could be driving with her and she still won’t bore me. Is this what they mean by falling in love? Love. Love? Stop that! I shake my head. She’s not really your wife. She’s someone you married to fulfill your promise to Nonna. But somehow, that doesn’t seem to be the truth anymore. The more time I spend with her, the more I’m digging myself into this hole from which there is no escape. I’m completely falling for her, and I haven’t even fulfilled my promise to her of making her submit to me first.
“Riding a motorcycle is like being a puppy,” she exclaims.
I turn to her. “Excuse me?” I blink. “No, wait. Let me guess-another of your quotes from The-Actor-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.”
“Good guess. Thought I needed to say something to break the silence.” Her lips kick up. “You have to admit, it’s rather effective.”
“I hate to admit it, but it even fit the occasion.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe I said that.”
“Yay,” she cheers, then fist-pumps. “You’re getting into the mood. I promise you that The-Actor-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named has a quote to fit every occasion.”
“Hmph.” I press my lips together. “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re going to pepper all of your conversations liberally with his quotes.”
“Where would the fun be in that?” She swipes her hair over her shoulder. “It’s effective because I choose the occasion of usage. If I dropped quotes too often, they would lose their potency.”
“What’s losing its potency is the idea of this trip. We should have stayed back at the house where I could have fucked you like a proper Italian husband on the first morning of our married life together.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it.”
“A promise?” Her forehead scrunches. “You mean-”
“I promised that I’d make you submit to me completely, and I intend to do that first.”
“So, you’d deprive yourself and me because I asked you to be my Dom?”
“I take my role very seriously, I’ll have you know.” I turn off the main road and onto an unpaved drive.
“Yes, but you can be both. You can be my Dom and my husband.”
“First your Dom, then your husband.”
“I can’t understand what the difference is.”
“You’ll see.” I bring the car to a halt at the point where the road gives way to a grassy slope. At the very edge is a small structure perched on a ledge, and beyond that, a view of the ocean.
“Wow…” she whispers. “What is this place?”