Quiet Wealth, page 17
I had felt that with every man I’d ever dated since him.
“Because that’s how I feel when I kiss another woman.”
“Please stop.” I held on to the sides of the table as my gut churned in confusion.
Giuliano Sangiorgi’s E penso a te flowed up and surrounded us with his bleeding words. Elio stood, dropped his napkin on the table, and offered me his hand.
“I don’t dance.” I didn’t do romance that well either. I loved it, but I’d never allowed myself to feel truly intimate with anyone…but him.
“Yes, you do.” He pulled me into the middle of the patio. “Remember what I said.” He gave me a smile, referring to our childhood at his parents’ place. “Form to me, and I will do the rest. I promise.”
I glanced down as my heart battled my head, then slowly lifted my hand and slipped it into his and stepped closer to let my body surrender to his. His warm hand pressed against the small of my back, and I rested my head against his chest and began to sway with him to the music.
“Mm,” he purred as he kissed my head with contentment.
Slowly, I closed my eyes and relaxed, and with the release I let go of the tight hold on my memories and allowed my mind to drift back to our past.
“Come on.” Elio lifted me by the waist and hauled me onto the dance floor where at least a hundred other guests were slow dancing to a live orchestra. I had borrowed a dress from Andrea but still felt completely out of place as he insisted I dance with him.
“Dancing is the perfect way to be with someone without any need for words, without a care in the world. It’s just two people listening to music intimately. I want to experience everything with you, Sienna.”
“Elio.” I loved that he wanted my firsts to be his, but...“I want to, I just don’t know how to.”
“Lucky for you.” He stood straighter and gave me his famous sexy smile. “I’m an excellent teacher.”
I looked around, feeling awkward. I didn’t belong there. I didn’t belong anywhere, it seemed.
“Hey.” He held my chin. “Form to me, and I will do the rest. I promise.”
“Can I ask you one last question?” I was immediately plunged to the present as he whispered into my hair. His hand gently rubbed my bare back.
“Mm?” was all I could say as I fell deeper under his spell.
“Do you still love me?”
I knew he felt the waver in my step, but I quicky regained my composure. Carefully, I leaned back to look at him. I was sure a thousand and one emotions were evident as they danced across my face.
The fact was I had never stopped loving him, and I was scared, so damn scared to be hurt again. I wasn’t sure if I could ever recover from another heartbreak.
“Can we address that one another time?”
He nodded and removed his hand from mine, running the backs of his fingers down my cheek, then he tipped my chin up and hovered over my lips.
Giving in to my heart, I pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips to his, letting the world drop away. His kisses were gentle and tame, and I moaned, loving his taste. The hand on my back slipped low into the back of my dress and touching the top of my lacy thong.
“Oh, Sienna,” he groaned painfully against my mouth, “there’s so much you don’t know and so much I want to share.” His hand moved to my heart and rested there a moment then slid down between my breasts to finger the pendant. “To think a part of me has been sitting right here all these years.”
I held on to the lapels of his jacket, needing an anchor.
“I hate how scared I am around you,” I confessed. I felt like my heart might burst if I didn’t share what was happening inside. “I hate how much I ache for you when you aren’t there, and then when I’m with you I ache in a different way. Like an addiction that feels so good and makes everything seem right, but deep down inside you know that drug might run out and leave you in its terrible wake.”
“I’m so sorry, Sienna.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “You must know that I never, ever wanted to hurt you.”
I nodded. I knew he was telling the truth, but sadly, the damage was already done.
“We’ll just take it one step at a time, okay?”
“Okay.” I settled back into his arms, needing to be held.
Ten minutes into the drive home, I felt her starting to slip away from me. Her eyes were locked on the window, and I could feel the wheels turning in her head. Our secrets suffocated the quiet moments we shared unless we were tangled in one other. I brushed my fingers down her arm and watched as she blinked away another memory.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing.” She smiled through her lie.
“Sienna.” I fingered a piece of her hair as I drank in her beauty. “I want you to know—” Suddenly, the partition dropped, and Vinni’s worried eyes told me something was up.
“Sorry, boss, but…ah.” His eyes shifted to the mirror, and I spotted a car behind us.
“Shit.” I shifted to pull a gun out from under the side bar and twisted on a silencer.
“What’s happening?” She looked around.
“We have company.”
“Shall I call it in, boss?” Vinni waited for me to answer as I assessed the situation.
“No, but let’s visit the festival tonight. Get the plate,” I ordered so we could see who the vehicle was registered to.
“Yup.” He took the next exit, and I reached for Sienna’s seatbelt and unclipped it.
I glanced down at her shoes.
“Any chance you can run in heels?”
“Most likely, I could outrun you,” she shot back, and I grinned at her quick wit and appreciated her lack of questions.
“All right, Vinni?”
“Next turn, boss.”
I checked the clip and loaded one in the chamber. “No matter what happens tonight, if we get separated, you head to any restaurant and tell them my name. They will know how to reach me. Got it?”
“Yes.” She looked out the back window at the headlights that were disappearing quickly.
The car came to a screeching halt in front of a massive parade as I swung open the door and pulled Sienna out of the car behind me.
“Stay close.” I linked my fingers through hers and dove into the madness of the crowd. Careful to hide my gun, I wove through the sea of bodies, gently asking people to move without making too much of a scene.
“Shit.” I realized as we started to move out of the spectators and into the actual entertainers who were dressed in Medieval cloaks, we stuck out like beacons.
Sienna caught on to what was happening and started to whirl around looking for something to help us.
“Elio, wait!” She unlocked her hand from mine and approached a younger couple and whispered something to the girl. Her face dropped as she listened then turned into a small smile as she removed her cloak and nodded at her friend to do the same. I scanned the crowd, hating that we had slowed. “Here.” She handed me a cloak and quickly tied hers around her neck, covering her dress.
“Flip up your hood.” Once she did, I took her hand again, and we started moving more in sync with the rest of the crowd.
Every so often, I would glance up to see if I could spot them. I couldn’t, but I knew they were there by the way the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. My sixth sense had never let me down so far, so I knew they were close.
Just as we approached an opening to an alleyway, I spotted him, Stefano’s right-hand man, sniffing along the sidelines of the parade. Three other men joined him, and they whispered together.
“I see them,” I said, answering my vibrating phone.
“If you can duck under the display and head down the alleyway, it drops you off at the cemetery.” Vinni, who was watching our backs from somewhere, huffed like he was running.
“Have you been spotted?”
“No, but I did have to ditch the car.”
“Good. I’ll call when we’ve stopped.”
“Yeah, boss.”
While Stefano’s men had their heads turned in the opposite direction, we skirted across the rows of people and ducked into the alleyway.
Once we were out of sight, I whirled around and held her face between my hands and checked her over. “You good?”
“Yes.” Her chest heaved, and her hands shook, but all things considered, she was a champion.
“No matter what, don’t let them see your face.”
“Who?” She tried to keep up.
I heard a noise, and my head shot up, trying to locate the direction it was coming from. Footsteps became closer, and I weighed my options. We didn’t have enough time to run the full length of the alleyway, and there was nothing to hide behind.
I threaded my hand through her hair, dipped down low, and caught her lips with mine. I used one hand to hide the side of her face, and the other slid up her leg and around her bottom with the gun hidden by her cloak. I knew she could feel it against her skin, but she didn’t react.
“Whoo!” Some boys cheered us on, and I opened my eyes to spot one of the men coming up behind the boys. I kissed Sienna deeper. Part of my head relished the moment, while the other half waited for the boys to leave. Once they did, I whirled her around so her back was to him and pointed the gun from beneath her cloak and fired, sending a bullet straight into his gut. I swallowed her scream, pressing her body to mine and holding her tight.
As terrified as she was, I could tell she was turned on by the way her body rubbed against me. I fought to keep focus.
Between Sienna’s reaction and the smell of gun powder, I wanted to rip her clothes off and sink deep inside her.
Once I knew the second man wasn’t on our heels, I pulled away with all my might.
“Come on.” I motioned for her to follow me, and we headed deep into the dark alleyway to the cemetery.
I checked the gate, and it was locked. I backed her up and used the handle of the gun to hit the lock sharply, breaking it off.
“Now what?” She huffed as she glanced around and wrapped the cloak around her chilly arms.
“Now we hide.”
“Here?”
“I don’t think they’ll mind.” I used my head to point at the tombstones and motioned for her to follow.
The grass was wet, indicating the sprinklers were just on, which wasn’t in our favor. The grass would give away our footprints.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she apologized to the graves we walked over.
“They can’t hear you, Sienna.” I took her hand and tugged her along.
“You don’t mess with the dead, Elio. Damn.” She brushed mud from her high heels.
I chuckled, and as we made a sharp turn, I pointed down at her heels.
“Think of it as aeration.”
“Ha!” She laughed darkly. “Sorry.” She cringed when she missed her footing and used a stone to catch her fall. “Sorry,” she mouthed again with her eyes shut.
“We’ve got to keep moving.”
“Elio.” She lifted her heel that was stuck in soft mud of a fresh-dug grave. “As of right now, I might be joining them, so a little respect can’t do any harm.”
“Any bullet coming your way has to go through me first. Besides,” I scanned the tops of the tombstones for any sign of company, “you’re not the one they’re looking for.”
She stood straighter, and her chin rose with a questioning eyebrow.
“Then why can’t they see my face?”
I hesitated, and I knew she caught it. I’d never been more off my game than since she arrived.
“Another time.” She mirrored my words as I spoke, and I shook my head trying to get it on straight.
“There.” I pointed to a row of mausoleums, and we rushed over, happy to finally find cover.
I tugged hard on the first few doors, but they wouldn’t open. These were smaller and probably independently owned. Therefore, they weren’t open to the public.
“Elio,” she whispered, and I kept moving. “Elio,” she hissed, and I finally looked over at her pale expression. “First row, three stones down, I think there’s someone there.”
Scanning the area, I couldn’t spot anything, so I went back to trying the doors.
“Do you know how to shoot?”
“I can manage a weapon, Elio.” It wasn’t lost on me she said weapon, not gun.
“Good.” I took her hand and pushed the gun into her hold. “Push that down, aim, and squeeze.” I turned to move on but swung back to her. “And don’t kill my cousin.”
“Of course.” She raised the gun and started to watch my back. “I like him.”
I wanted to curse for bringing her into his shit storm, but I couldn’t go there yet, not until we were safe. Finally, the fourth door opened, and I turned back to see her like stone, barely blinking, the gun gripped tightly, waiting for the worst to happen.
“Hey,” I whispered, “it’s open.” Slowly, I removed the gun from her hand and tugged on her arm to guide her inside.
She paced the tiny room while I found a lighter and lit a few candles that hung low on the wall. It gave just enough light to show what we were next to. A single tomb with a flat surface sat in the center of the room that held a single thick paned window. That was it.
Removing the cloak and my jacket, I used the sleeves of my jacket to tie the doors shut the best I could. I couldn’t tell if she was disturbed by being in a crypt, or if the gunshot in the alleyway was too close. I draped my cloak over the single tomb in an effort to camouflage it a bit.
I heard footsteps and placed a finger to my lips while I leaned against the wall and carefully peered out the murky window.
Sienna covered her mouth and pressed against me, and I could feel her trembling against my back.
I spotted him as he stepped out of the shadow of a tombstone. Raindrops started to fall, making it more difficult to see him through the tiny window. He lifted a cell phone to his ear as he scanned the backs of the crypts, then he slipped behind one of them and disappeared from view. I pulled back from the window.
“Is he gone?” she whispered then jumped when a door creaked a few crypts down.
“Stay down.” I motioned for her to get her body low beside the tomb, and in three strides I had a grip on my coat, tightening the fabric around my fist as much as I could. I hoped like hell the knot I made plus my own strength would hold against any attempt to open the door.
The door next to the crypt we were in creaked loudly, and a moment later I felt a hard tug and held tightly to the fabric of my jacket as it strained against the pressure.
“They’re all locked,” he yelled at someone nearby, or maybe he was on the phone. All I cared about was the fact that he thought we weren’t there. “All right, heading there now.”
Footsteps raced off and were soon drowned out by the sound of heavy rain as it played loudly inside the concrete box we were in. I slowly released my hold and let the knotted sleeve slip out of my fingers.
“Elio?” Sienna whispered from behind me, and I moved close to her.
“Yes.” I swallowed back my desire to confess everything to her as I realized just how too close for comfort the past hour had been. I grasped the top of her arms tightly as her wild eyes found mine.
“I—” She stopped then flung herself at me, kissing me passionately.
Years ago, something terrible had happened to her at the house, and I remembered how she had raced to my place in the middle of the night to fling herself into my arms. My mind immediately went back to the crazy, wild sex we had that night on the balcony. I knew she needed it, as it was her way of letting me ground her, and I had no problem a decade later doing the same for her now.
“Hey.” I ripped myself away from her and held her head between my hands. I looked past those hungry eyes and saw her vulnerability and the pain that smothered her heart, and I knew it was all because of me. Leaning down, I brushed my lips across those trembling ones and felt my own heart pound along with hers. “I know it’s way too late but,” I felt again the pounding of my ribcage, “I’m so sorry, Sienna.”
She blinked back her tears and looked away for a moment, and when her gaze returned, I saw my words had hit home. I gave her a moment then felt her press a little harder against me, giving me permission to continue.
I reached down and hooked my arm under her knee, hiking her leg to rest on my hip. The slit in her dress made everything easier. Running my hand down her bare thigh to her smooth curves nearly made me lose my mind. I used her hips to turn her away from me then kissed her neck from behind. One hand gently slid across her collarbone and up her neck to her chin, turning her to look at me, while the other fingered the bow that kept the front of her dress up. Feeling confident that we were alone for the night, I let my guard down a bit.
“Do you still love this?” I licked her bottom lip. “And this?” I eased her along and tried to be gentle. She began to breathe hard and urged me to move faster. “Oh, so, you want things the way they used to be, do you?” I referred to our old style of making love. She nodded, and I grinned and allowed myself to relax and take her the way we both wanted.
The bow fell away, and the thin ties loosened, falling down her shoulders to expose her bare, plump breasts.
I swirled my tongue around her neck as I licked her favorite spots.
She moaned and used her backside to grind into my erection. I dragged my fingers down her spine and pushed her dress down to her ankles, slipping between her cheeks and massaging her swollen bud, coating my finger in her arousal. With my other hand, I freed myself from my pants and let it hit the top of her ass.
Her back bowed and her head fell onto my shoulder as she let out a hard puff of air. She was just as hungry for me as I was for her.
“Wait.” I took the horrible piece of latex from the package and quickly rolled it on, hating that I had to place even that thin barrier between us. “Lean forward, Sienna.”
I eased her back over the cloak that covered the tomb, lined up, and gently fed myself into her. She shook beneath my fingers as they skirted up her back, into her hair, and grabbed a fistful.
“Home,” I whispered without thought.
