Luca Vitiello by Cora Reilly

CHAPTER 16

Aria kept throwing glances my way as we pulled up in front of JFK Airport. I’d barely talked to her all day, and it was obviously bothering her. But this was for the best. Despite my resolve to keep a safe distance from Aria, my hand found its way to her back as we walked into the arrivals hall of the airport. I couldn’t stop touching her. It was maddening.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with Gianna staying with us for the next few days?” she asked.

“Yes. And I promised your father to protect her. It’s easier when she’s living in our apartment.” Scuderi had made it clear that Gianna needed close supervision, and I didn’t doubt it. The girl was trouble.

Aria smiled apologetically. “She will provoke you.”

“I can handle a little girl.”

“She’s not that little. She’s barely younger than me.”

I regarded my wife. Sometimes I forgot how young she was. When I’d been her age, I’d already been a Made Man for seven years, had slept with countless women, had done and seen so much shit, but Aria was young and sheltered, and so was her sister. “I can handle her.”

“Luca, Gianna knows how to push people’s buttons. If you aren’t absolutely sure that you can control yourself, I won’t let her near you.”

What did she think I’d do? Gianna was a seventeen-year-old girl. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her or you in the next few days.”

“Aria!” Gianna’s screech rang through the hall.

The redhead stormed in our direction and collided with Aria. They hugged each other as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Gianna made a show out of checking Aria’s body. “No visible bruises. You only hit places that are covered by clothes?” She narrowed her eyes at me and I gave her a cold smile. I didn’t give the slightest fuck what she thought. Aria, on the other hand, looked worried.

“Get your luggage. I don’t want to stand here all night,” I said.

Gianna turned around and grabbed her suitcase from where she’d dropped it. “A gentleman would have got it for me.”

“A gentleman, yes.” Gianna definitely didn’t bring out anything gentle in me. It was a good thing that my father hadn’t chosen her for me.

I turned and began walking back to the car, only occasionally making sure that Aria and Gianna were close behind in case something happened.

Aria and Gianna actually both wanted to sit in the backseat.

I gave my wife a scowl. “I’m not your driver. Get in the front with me.”

She flinched at my tone, and again I wanted to find a way to get rid of my father. I hated keeping Aria at arm’s length until he was out of the way.

“You shouldn’t talk to her like that,” Gianna butted in.

Aria slid into the seat beside me. “She’s my wife. I can do and say to her what I want,” I told Gianna.

Aria regarded me with furrowed brows, hurt and confusion swirling in her eyes. I almost reached out to stroke her cheek. Fuck, keeping my distance was impossible.

Turning my attention back to the street and away from Aria’s reproachful expression, I started the car and pulled away from the airport.

“How are Lily and Fabi?” Aria asked, turning around in her seat to look at her sister.

“Annoying as hell. Especially Lily. She doesn’t stop talking about Romero. She’s in love with him.”

Aria let out her bell-like laugh, carefree and unguarded. I felt the treacherous twitching of my own stomach, then mouth, but I held back.

Aria put her hand on my thigh with a soft smile. My eyes darted to hers and, without thinking about it, I covered her small hand with my big one. Keeping my distance was a losing game.

When we stepped into the apartment, the smell of roasted lamb and rosemary wafted over to us.

“I told Marianna to prepare a nice dinner,” I said casually. If I really wanted to succeed in pushing my young wife away, I was definitely using the wrong approach. Fuck it.

Aria gave me that smile, that goddamn smile. “Thank you.”

I resisted the urge to dip my head to kiss that sweet mouth. “Show your sister to her room, and then we can eat.” I didn’t wait for her reaction. Instead, I moved into the kitchen area where Marianna was wielding her cooking magic.

“Luca,” she said with a brisk smile, then checked on the lamb.

I reached for one of the roasted potato halves swimming in a sea of olive oil and rosemary. Marianna swatted my hand away, clucking her tongue. “Not before dinner,” she chided in Italian.

My eyebrows rose and, holding her gaze, I took a potato and put it in my mouth. She shook her head. The fucking thing burnt my tongue, but the delicious taste was worth the pain.

“How’s your girl?”

“Good,” I said.

She shook her head. “She’s too beautiful to be alone so often.”

“Marianna,” I warned. I liked Marianna, and I’d known her all my life, but I wouldn’t let her meddle.

She sighed and turned back to the lamb.

The elevator began its ascent, then paused on this floor. I hit the button that unlocked the door and they slid open a moment later. Matteo strode out like a fucking runway model. His eyes scanned the penthouse and, when he didn’t spot his new obsession, his annoying smile dropped. He came toward me and snatched a rosemary potato in passing. Marianna tried hitting him with the wooden spoon, something she didn’t try with me, but Matteo spun around and out of her reach.

“I don’t know why I’m putting up with you two insolent boys.”

“Because you can’t resist our charm like the rest of the ladies,” Matteo said with a cocky grin. “Though Luca’s rough charm really leaves something to be desired.”

Marianna muttered something under her breath. She had been grateful when I’d asked my father that she be mine and Matteo’s maid. Marianna had always been terrified of Father, but she could never have stopped working for him. He wouldn’t have let her.

“Why don’t you sit down at the table and not stand in my way?” Marianna said.

Matteo and I moved toward the dining area. “And?”

“And what?”

“How does she look?”

I raised my eyebrows at him when we arrived at the table. “She’s got her bitch face in place.”

Matteo chuckled, as if that were the best news he could imagine.

“You really think marrying her is a good idea?” I tried again. I couldn’t stop hoping Matteo would come to his senses.

Steps rang out, then Aria and Gianna entered the room.

Gianna spotted my brother and made a face as if she smelled something rotten. “What’s he doing here?”

Like a masochistic moth, he was drawn to her fiery bitchiness. He sauntered over to her and kissed her hand. “Nice to see you again, Gianna.”

I rolled my eyes at his antics.

Gianna wrenched her hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

Matteo’s eyes flashed with eagerness. I knew that look. I’d have to keep a close eye on those two. They had already kissed. I didn’t need another exchange of bodily fluids while the girl was under my protection. We all took our seats, Matteo across from me and beside his future wife.

Aria watched them with a small frown, obviously as worried as me, and she didn’t even know about their impending nuptials yet.

Marianna bustled in, serving roast lamb, rosemary potatoes and green beans. Her face softened when she patted Aria’s shoulder. What was it about Aria that made people go all soft?

“Why did you crush that guy’s throat?” Gianna asked when we were done eating.

Aria froze before she turned to me. I leaned back in the chair. This was a story I’d recounted countless times in my life.

“Come on. It can’t be that big a secret. You got your nickname for it,” Gianna taunted me, her eyes holding obvious challenge, but I wasn’t Matteo and not as easily baited.

Matteo grinned. “The Vise is a nice name.”

“I hate it,” I said. As if that one moment defined me. I’d killed more brutally, and yet everyone only remembered that one fucking day.

“You earned it,” Matteo said. “Now tell them the story, or I will.”

“I was seventeen. Our father has many brothers and sisters, and one of my cousins climbed the ranks in the mafia alongside me. He was several years older and wanted to become Capo. He knew my father would choose me, so he invited me to his house and tried to stab me in the back. The knife only grazed my arm and, when I got the chance, I wrapped my hands around his throat and choked him.”

“Why didn’t you shoot him?” Gianna asked.

“He was family, and it used to be tradition that we put down our weapons when we entered the home of a family member. Not anymore, of course.”

Family. That word was a joke. My uncles and aunts didn’t give a shit about Matteo or me; nor did our father. For the former, we were competitors for the position of Capo, for the latter a means to an end. If Father figured out a way to clone himself or live forever, he’d kill my brother and me without hesitation. A family based on trust and love that was something I’d never experienced, nor did I hope for it. Some things were out of reach, and I’d learned not to waste energy on longing for them when I had something I could fight for: the Famiglia.

“The betrayal made Luca so angry, he completely crushed our cousin’s throat. He choked on his blood because the bones in his neck cut through his artery. It was a mess. I’d never seen anything like it.” Matteo flashed me a grin. He’d always been more eager to tell my story than me. He found it amusing, while it only made me angry. I’d been foolish in the past, had put my trust in people who didn’t deserve it, and it had almost killed me. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Trust was stupidity. Love was weakness. My eyes found Aria, who watched me with compassion.

“That’s why Luca always sleeps with an eye open. He never even spends the night with a woman without a gun under the pillow or somewhere at his body,” Matteo’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I realized he was right. Since that day, I’d never been without a gun around other people—until Aria. I glared at my brother. Couldn’t he just shut up?

Matteo raised his hands. “It’s not like Aria doesn’t know you screwed around with other women.”

Did he think that was why I was pissed? He blurted out facts I had no intention of sharing. Aria knew I was unarmed around her. I didn’t want her to read too much into it. Gianna leaned forward on her elbows, eyebrows cocked. “So are you wearing a gun now? We’re all family, after all.”

“Luca always wears a gun.” Matteo leaned toward Gianna. “Don’t take it personally. I don’t think even I have seen him without a gun since that day. It’s Luca’s tic.”

I could feel Aria’s eyes on me, could see her thoughts whirring behind those baby blues. She knew. I sent her a harsh look, trying to dissuade her from making a big deal of my actions. So what? I didn’t wear a gun around her because she wasn’t an opponent to fear. That was all.

After dinner, I helped Aria move the plates into the dishwater while Matteo and Gianna kept on their arguments in the living room.

Aria yawned again, blinking slowly. “Let’s go to bed.”

Her eyes darted to my brother and her sister sitting across from each other on the sofas. “Not before Matteo leaves. I won’t leave him and my sister alone.”

She had a point. I didn’t trust Matteo to honor the rules of our world when it came to Gianna, and I doubted she gave a flying fuck about losing her v-card on her wedding night. “You’re right. She shouldn’t be alone with him.”

I walked over to my brother, who tore his gaze away from Gianna with a grin. I bent down. “That’s your panty-dropper grin. Bag it and get down to your fucking apartment. You won’t go anywhere near Gianna’s panties before she’s your wife.”

“Says who?” Matteo challenged.

I gave him a warning look and he pushed to his feet with a scowl. What had he thought? That’s I’d allow him to spend the night with the girl? That was a war declaration in the making. Father would lose his shit and make us both pay for losing face. I had a feeling he’d finally found a way to make me pay in ways that would have a lingering effect. My eyes found Aria who leaned against the kitchen counter. It would take time to come up with a foolproof plan to get rid of the bastard; until then, I needed to make sure Father had no reason to target my wife.

With a last grin at Gianna, Matteo left the apartment.

Ignoring me, Gianna moved over to her sister. “He’s obsessed with me.”

She was right.

“Then stop teasing him. He likes it,” Aria said as I walked over to her and leaned beside her.

“I don’t care what he likes.”

I wrapped an arm around Aria’s waist, remembering a moment too late that I was trying to be less affectionate toward her. “Matteo is a hunter. He loves the chase. You’d better not make him want to chase you,” I told Gianna.

Gianna rolled her eyes. “He can hunt me all he wants. He won’t get me.” That’s where she was wrong. Matteo already owned her, and soon she’d find out.

“You don’t intend to go to bed now, right?” Gianna asked Aria.

“I’m really tired.”

Gianna’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, me too. But tomorrow I want you all to myself.” She sent me a scathing look, as if that had an effect on me, before she headed for the guest bedroom. “If I hear screams, no gun under a pillow will save you, Luca.” She closed the door with a bang.

Aria’s cheeks were flushed. I dipped my head. “Will you scream for me tonight?” I trailed my tongue over her throat.

“Not with my sister under the same roof,” Aria said in embarrassment.

“We’ll see about that,” I murmured, nibbling her throat the way she loved it, and was rewarded with a breathy moan. I’d get Aria’s screams tonight. Without another word, I led her into our bedroom. Shutting the door, I tugged Aria toward me then slipped her dress off. My eyes trailed over her white lace underwear in appreciation before I lifted her off the ground and carried her over to the bed where I put her down. I didn’t waste any time before I bowed my head over her parted legs and kissed her pussy through her panties. The material was already soaked, and Aria’s sweet scent tightened my groin with arousal. I kissed my way up to her chest.

“Mine,” I murmured against her breast before I opened her bra and removed it. “I fucking love your nipples. They’re pink and small and perfect.”

I pulled her panties down next and stroked her swollen pussy lips, already eager for attention, but I focused on her nipples until Aria was writhing under me. Then I moved lower and dipped my tongue between her folds. Soon she was panting. When I suckled her harder again, she clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling her moans.

“No,” I ordered, grabbing her hands and holding them down against her stomach.

“Gianna will hear.”

I hope she did. It would probably drive her up the wall. Keeping my eyes on Aria’s needy face, I began teasing her clit with my lips until she couldn’t hold back her sounds anymore. She was so fucking wet that my finger slipped in easily. “Oh god,” Aria gasped.

I fingerfucked her gently as I sucked her clit, and then she came hard. She pushed her face into the pillow, but a few moans rang out loud and clear. The sight of Aria losing control alone made me want to eat her out every day.

I crawled back up her, kneeling between her legs.

“When will you let me take you?” I asked in a low voice as I pressed a kiss to her pulse point.

Aria stiffened. I looked at her. “Fuck. Why do you have to look so fucking scared when I ask you that question?”

“I’m sorry. I just need more time.”

More time, when I wasn’t sure how much time we had. I gave a terse nod.

Aria stroked my chest through my clothes, smiling apologetically. I leaned back and took off my shirt. She helped me out of my gun and knife holsters before she kissed my tattoo, then the wound over my ribs. Suddenly her expression turned daring, and she raked her fingers over my nipples. I groaned then quickly got naked and settled on my back.

Aria leaned over my erection and stopped with her lips only an inch from my tip. “If you’re not quiet, I’ll stop.”

I touched the back of her head, loving this teasing side of Aria. “Maybe I won’t allow you to stop.”

“Maybe I’ll bite.”

I crossed my arms behind my head. “Have your way with me, I won’t make a sound. Don’t want to offend your sister’s virgin ears.”

“What about my virgin ears?” She kissed my cock, making me twitch.

Still a virgin. “You shouldn’t still be one,” I got out, but then Aria started sucking me and I focused on the feel of her hot mouth and staying quiet. Like last time, I warned her before I came and she quickly pulled back.

Afterwards, I spooned her and turned off the lights.

“I’m sorry for what your cousin did,” Aria said suddenly.

It took me a moment to understand whom she was referring to: Junior, my traitorous cousin. The worst thing was that I hardly ever thought about his betrayal anymore because there were so many new threats in my life, not all of them Russian. “I should have known better than to trust anyone. Trust is a luxury people in my position can’t afford.”

“Life without trust is lonely.”

“Yes, it is,” I agreed, kissing her neck. Part of me wanted to risk trusting Aria. It was a part I thought long dead.

I woke after Aria for once. When she returned from her shower, I was already sporting a morning rod. Aria gave me a disbelieving smile, but I didn’t wait long. I got out of bed and pressed her to my chest, facing the floor-length mirror. I made her watch as I teased her nipples, even as her cheeks turned red in shame.

Of course, her sister was an early riser as well, and soon called for Aria right in front of our door, but I didn’t release her. I wasn’t done with her yet. Far from it.

“Your sister is a fucking nuisance,” I whispered in her ear as I eased my finger between her folds then pushed into her. “But you’re so fucking wet, principessa.” Aria rewarded me with more arousal.

“Yes,” I groaned as I thrust my finger into her slowly, watching her as she watched everything.

“Aria?” Gianna hammered against the door.

I stroked her clit and kissed her harshly, swallowing her cries as she came hard under my fingers. I pushed her forward and knelt behind her. Fuck, the sight of her ass and pussy on display was almost too much. I dragged my tongue along her crease then dove back in until Aria’s second orgasm caused her legs to give away.

Panting, she knelt beside me. I straightened, bringing my dick close to her face.

After a moment of hesitation, Aria took me into her mouth. Having her on her knees sucking my cock was the hottest sight I could imagine.

“You’re so beautiful, Aria,” I murmured as I started thrusting gently, trying to see if she could take me like that.

Gianna finally gave up as well, but I could only watch Aria as she blew me slowly. I began guiding her head into a faster rhythm. “Cup my balls.”

Fuck, this felt amazing. I rocked my hips as Aria sucked me. “I want to come in your mouth, principessa.”

When Aria nodded, I almost came right then, but I held off until it just got too much. My hips jerked as I came hard, all the while watching my wife. I stroked her cheek as she tried to swallow everything. I pulled Aria up to me, not wanting her to get insecure, and kissed her harshly.

“I hope you remember this all day.” I definitely would.

After a quick breakfast, I left for a day in the Sphere. Matteo and I had our drug sale numbers to go over and to finally discuss our father’s end.

We settled across from each other in the office.

“So you finally want to give the sadistic asshole what he deserves?”

“He’s barely doing what needs to be done so the Famiglia stays at the top.”

Matteo grinned. “As if that’s why you want to kill him. You don’t like how he treated your wife.”

“I don’t like how he treats a lot of people.”

Matteo’s expression made it clear that he wanted me to cut the bullshit.

I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “He ruins everything. He thrives on misery. I just want him gone. You with me?”

“Do you really have to ask? I’ve wanted to kill him for as long as I can remember.”

I nodded, then leaned back. “We have to be careful. We can’t risk anything being traced back to us.”

Matteo considered that. “Father is paranoid. The only time he isn’t heavily guarded and doesn’t have his bodyguards sitting right beside him is when he meets with his mistress.”

“We can’t kill him ourselves.”

Matteo’s mouth tightened. “I really want to be the one to do it, but I get your point.”

“We’ll figure something out. Father’s got a long row of enemies. There has to be a way to get one of them to kill him.”