Sinful Kisses by Emily Bowie

CHAPTER 18

Iwake up with my back against Romeo’s chest. His cock is hard behind me, and his arm wraps tightly around my stomach, and I have nowhere to move.

“Want to know why I’m here?” I turn to him when he speaks. Romeo’s face has never been so serious. “It’s because my family couldn’t keep it together. We lost everything, forcing me to live here. My father’s focus was always on my older brother. I’m pretty sure he forgot he had two other sons. We were too young to be useful to him.”

I slip my hand next to his, our fingers closing our hands together.

“When was the last time you were at his grave?”

He laughs. “Never.”

His answer catches me off guard. “He had a funeral, right?”

Romeo stands, his hands brushing against his boxers. He’s normally calm, so his agitation is obvious. There’s more to Romeo than he puts out there. He pretends to be this cocky, I-don’t-give-a-shit person, but it doesn’t even come close to who he is. He hurts like everyone else.

“I couldn’t go.”

“Let’s go now.”

“If I’m going to his grave, it’s to dig him up as a big fuck-you to him and everyone else who betrayed me in my life.”

His face is cold and rigid, but he speaks passionately. I don’t know what his father did to him, but I can feel the hatred pouring off him.

“If you need to dig him up for closure, let’s do it,” I say confidently and mean it.

“Why would you do that for me?”

“We’re a team. You would do it for me, right?”

His brows go up as he considers my question. I like how he doesn’t just spew off an answer.

“Yeah, I would.”

“Don’t look so put out by your answer,” I half tease. His hand goes through his hair, and the front strands fall back into his face.

His pointer finger rubs at his eye. “I could use some time off the farm.”

Instantly, I perk up, wanting away from here too. “Go put on your running shoes.”

Jumping up, I give him a chaste peck on the cheek. Within seconds, I’m dressed and scurrying to find my shoes.

“Hold up.” I stop. “I need to make a few calls to make this happen. We’ll do it tonight.”

Putting on myrunning shoes, I see they’re a size larger than what I need. Without a doubt, I know the clothes that magically appeared aren’t mine. Lastly, it has me wondering if my real name is even Gia.

Little puzzle pieces of my memory have come back, not that I’ve told anyone. I can picture Alfonso’s face now but still have no idea who he is to me. The way Romeo reacted when I accidentally called out someone else’s name has me wondering why I would picture anyone other than him.

I can also remember my mother. I know I have sisters, but who they are is still a mystery. I’m hoping our little field trip may help bring more memories to the surface. There has to be a reason why no one has checked to see if I’m okay. Someone other than Romeo and Max must be concerned.

It’s strange when I think of my family. My stomach twists uncomfortably. It’s the reason I haven’t asked Romeo about them. I’m hesitant, afraid of what I might uncover.

“Ready?” I jump at Romeo’s voice, feeling silly for him having caught me staring into nothing.

“You know it.” I force a smile.

He stares at me a second longer than normal before turning away.

He opens the door for me, his body brushing past mine. “You don’t normally open my door, do you?” The act feels unnatural yet sweet.

He grunts a partial chuckle. “Thought I’d give you my sweeter version, since you forgot about my crusty old one.”

“I like both versions.”

I slide past him into the passenger seat, and he closes my door. A bottle of whisky sits on the console between us. Unscrewing the cap, I smell it. The scent alone has my lips curling downward. It smells like it would turn my stomach.

“What’s with the bottle?”

“I’m preparing myself for everything.” He places his hand on my leg.

Two of his fingers slide through the frayed holes in my jeans. It causes my heart to pump faster and makes me nervous. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I’m suddenly conscious of everything. His fingers move against my skin a fraction with each up and down motion. His hand stays there the entire trip. The whole time, I’m analyzing it. Should I place my hand over his? Pretend I don’t notice it? It’s strange to feel out of my league with how to handle the situation.

When we get to the graveyard, trees grow tall next to most graves, making the area look more like a garden than a cemetery.

When we step out, a grave has been dug up. A casket sits where dirt once lay. Beside the grave is a large monument. “That’s the family there.” He points to the large, lavish tomb. “Everyone’s name gets to be engraved on this.”

Romeo takes a swig of his whisky. He looks to be lost in his thoughts, and I give him a moment to be alone. I take a step toward the family tomb and look at the names.

Under Pierre Mancini is Jonny Mancini and five engravings that say Baby. My hand traces their names.

“My father wouldn’t allow her to name them.” Romeo’s voice comes from behind me. I can feel him beside me, even though we’re not touching. “He blamed it on her, since he was able to get his whores pregnant whenever he wanted.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. He was a ruthless bastard. Max and I are in the situation we’re in because he didn’t believe in us. And that trickled down….” His words die off.

“Why am I with you guys?” I ask. He’s been letting me in slowly, and this question has been bothering me.

“Because you love me.” He makes it sound like it’s a simple fact, almost like, why wouldn’t I be with him?

“Did I like your father?”

“Fuck no. No one liked him. But he earned respect. That’s how he got to where he was in life.”

Romeo takes another swig of the amber liquid and goes back to the grave, taking a seat on the hard ground.

In silence, I sit next to him. I place my hand over his, our fingers both touching the beat-down grass. We sit like this until he’s downed a quarter of the bottle he brought.

Out of nowhere, Romeo asks, “Do you want your memories back?”

“Why would I, when I get the sweeter version of you?” I tease, trying to play the question off.

His hand pulls from under mine, and his body turns toward me. “Don’t lie to me.”

It’s not a simple question. My heart freezes up when I think about gaining them back. I try to look away from him, but his hand turns my face. His forest eyes search mine. “It scares me.”

He leans in, brushing his lips across mine. He tastes bitter from the liquor. His kiss isn’t gentle but demanding. The taste has my mind going crazy before—flashes of a party. My drinking. Romeo arguing with some girl.

I pull away from the kiss, feeling angry with him. Is that why I drove drunk? Romeo stands up and opens his father’s casket. My head is spinning. Flashes of my fighting with Alfonso emerge. It’s a good thing I’m sitting; otherwise, I would have fallen back on my ass.

I can feel tears wanting to rise, and I try to quash them. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I don’t want to know. I take my time standing. Both Romeo and I are lost in our own worlds right now. I remember stealing his keys, his car. I remember wanting to hurt. I didn’t care if I died that night. The memories assault me one after another. I killed my sister. Tears I was holding in slip down my cheek. As quickly as I can, I wipe them away. Each breath I take feels like a razor being swallowed. I hide in the car, now wishing my memories away. Romeo tosses the bottle into my lap and places something in the back.

I unscrew the cap, taking a large gulp from what’s remaining. It burns all the way down but hurts less than my memories. In five gulps, I have drank the equivalent of 1 gulp of Romeo’s. The car’s speed picks up. Romeo is watching the road intently.

This time, it’s me who places my hand on his leg. He looks down at it but never at me. Romeo may be my family’s enemy, but in this bubble, we’re each other’s friend. He saved me from crashing his car. A car I knew he loved. I remember his arms wrapped around me, telling me I better live.

I can’t go back. My hand goes to my mouth, hurting from the mayhem I have caused.

Streetlights are a continual stream that pass by my window. We’re going too fast to make them out individually. We fly around a corner, his tires protesting and the smell of rubber infiltrating the car. I refuse to hold on to the handle, willingly accepting my fate.

We stop in front of the Mancini mansion. Romeo jumps out, pulling gloves from his back pocket, and puts them on. I watch in the rearview mirror as he walks to the trunk and pulls something out. The whisky tries to escape my mouth when I realize it’s his father’s head. He puts it on the doorstep on display before coming back.

The outside wind and an odd rattling sound fill the car. Neither of us says a word. Even when the car stops back at the farm, we don’t move. I am so tired of feeling. I was better off when I didn’t remember anything. The pain I’m feeling has me wanting to rip out my own heart. It beats, but each time, it’s a reminder I’m alive and my sister isn’t. It reminds me that not even my best friend, who I loved, could tell me the truth until it was too late.

My lips tremble, but no sounds come out. Romeo unclasps his seatbelt, and I do the same. Neither of us move to exit the car. We sit in the darkness, our breathing filling the silence.

In a swift motion, Romeo is moving over the console. The passenger side door opens to accommodate his large size. My seat flies backward, and he cages me in. His legs straddle mine, and his hand is around my neck. It’s just enough pressure to assert himself but doesn’t cut off my breathing.

He’s breathing hard, and I wonder if he realizes I now have my memories back. The need to cry is becoming overwhelming. I move against his strong hold. He squeezes but doesn’t hurt me. Instead of staying in place, I move closer to him, his grasp still on my neck. Our eyes stay trained on each other as I inch my way to him until my lips touch his. I want Romeo to take away my pain. The weird part is, I want to take his too. Maybe our two damaged souls can make one that’s healed.

His lips don’t move against mine, and I need my chaotic feelings to be gone. I kiss him with more urgency. When his mouth opens, I don’t waste time. My tongue slips in, trying to pull a kiss from him. Romeo’s body presses against mine. He kisses me back with vengeance. It’s hard and controlling. I can feel his dick grow thicker as he presses himself against me.

“I want all of you, Gia,” he rasps into my mouth. When he pulls away, he’s taking off his shirt. His hands skim up my torso, and I raise my back for him to take mine off too.

It takes a few seconds for my eyes to focus on his face. I find a mirroring depth of pain and something else. My body shudders when his hand goes back to my throat. Not once have I considered he would hurt me. Even right now, when I’m at his mercy, I’m not worried.

His other hand reaches out and folds down my bra. My nipple points out, and he flicks it. My chest rises and falls with each of my deep breaths. His touches create a frenzy within my body. It’s starved for his attention. I’ve never felt this way before.

Pleasure dances through me as Romeo’s mouth latches on to my nipple. My core clenches.

Removing his hand from my throat, he flicks open the button of my pants. He pulls down the denim until they’re at my ankles. Is it wrong for this to feel so right? He’s towering over me, his eyes hooded as he takes canvas of my body. From below, he looks devastatingly handsome, powerful, and dangerous. All things I know are true.

“I’m going to fuck this pussy.” His fingers trace the outline of my panties. “So hard the only name you’ll ever remember is mine.”

He slips off my panties before repeating his pattern on the sensitive skin. “Your memories are never coming back after this. You’ll be begging for your pleasure to stop, and I’ll just fuck you harder.” He’s looking at my pussy, and I know he must see how wet I already am. “You want me to do that?” A crooked smirk lights up his face. “What do you want, Gia?” My name comes out rough.

My eyes drop to his now hard dick. There’s no hiding it in his hands.

“Say it,” he demands.

“Your penis,” I pant. Saying any other word seems too dirty. My mother raised me to be a lady.

“Say it again but with cock.”

My eyes move to his. I refuse to break contact when I say, “I want your cock.”

That smirk grows larger. “Undo my pants.” There’s so much authority to his demand. I relish in not having to think.

Lifting myself onto my elbow, I fiddle with his button before it comes undone. I stop, waiting for his next command.

He steps out of the car, giving us more room. “Pull it out.”

My hands pull down his pants before going into his underwear. It easily flips out in its hardened state. My fingers grasp hold of him and go up and down his shaft. He’s smooth and veiny. No hair restricts my view of his perfect dick.

“Suck it.”

I don’t want to give in too easily. Curious about how he’ll handle it, my hand slides off his shaft and cups his balls.

“Open your mouth, Gia.” I like the way my name rolls off his tongue. Him towering over me has a commanding power to it. Wanting to tease him, I open my mouth and lick his shaft from the base to the crown. Our eyes meet again. It’s burning hot, surged with lust.

His hands grip the back of my neck, my breaths coming out heavy. The way his thumb brushes the back of my hairline has electricity zapping down my spine, right to the top of my thighs. If he were to touch me, he would find out how much I like him trying to overpower me. I never thought I’d like to be controlled, and here I am wetter than hell because of it.

I move my neck but let him believe he’s doing the work. I start with his crown and lick around it like a lollipop before taking his entire length in. His hand threads through my hair and wraps it around his palm. Every inch of my skin sizzles. I’m hot and would love nothing more than for him to rip off my clothes.

I get lost in sucking his cock. It bumps the back of my throat each time, and he grunts with a moan. “Your pretty mouth was made for me.”

With a yank of my hair, his dick pops out of my mouth. He holds my gaze before crushing his lips to mine. His rough hands undo my bra, my breasts falling into his palms.

Using no effort, he pulls me up toward the back seat. My head is off the headrest and bumps into the back. I feel his hot breath first on my bare skin, and it heats my core. Alfonso never ate me out, saying no man in the mafia would ever get on their knees for a woman. Now I realize it had everything to do with it not being the right body part he enjoyed.

Here Romeo is, his large frame crammed into the front of a car, while his head dips between my thighs. It’s erotic. I can feel his tongue, my body wiggling on its own, wanting him to taste me.

A deep, dark chuckle vibrates across my sensitive skin. His calloused pads skim my skin as I feel cold air brush against me.

I moan at the same time I feel him lick my folds. “Romeo, yes.” My hips push toward his mouth, and his hand tries to hold me down by splaying across my stomach.

“I’m going to claim every part of you, Gia.” His other hand grips my ass so tightly that it almost hurts before he releases it. “Even this sweet ass of yours.”

I’m too delirious to focus on his words. All I know is he’s sending me to heaven with that tongue of his. He sucks on my clit, and I become lightheaded. All my blood is fighting on where it should be rushing—to my clit or my head.

His tongue flicks my clit back and forth, never letting up. His fingers enter me, circling my tight pussy before it slides back. I jump at the sensation of his finger under me. “Relax,” he grunts, not sounding concerned. He switches the movements of his tongue to my entrance and fucks me at the same time I feel his finger circling my rosebud. The sensations work together, and I’m not sure if I’m even in my body anymore.

The pleasure is overwhelming. His finger pushes through my tight, puckered, forbidden entrance, his mouth sucking on my clit, and I scream his name. The whole county can hear me I’m so loud. I can’t stop. My endorphins run rampant. My body tingles and shoots pleasure like fireworks. It refuses to stop. I moan out hard and loud until my body feels weak. Holy shit. I never knew it could feel like that.

“We’re not done yet, princess.”

He refuses to let me come down from my high. He flips me around and pulls me to his front. With no warning, he slams into me. My knees rest on the seat, but with the small space, I have to hold myself up with my hands.

His back rests over mine, still in full control. I can feel his balls slap my clit with each of his harsh movements. He is back to wrapping my hair around his hand.

I push back, matching each of his movements. His fingers circle my clit once again, attempting to tease another orgasm from me. The slick slap of skin is heard over our breathing and moans.

His scent clings to me. It smells like soap, whisky, and the undeniability of man. The way he controls my body and overpowers me could become an unhealthy addiction. I don’t ever want him to be done.

“Fuck, Gia.” He says my name, and my heart flutters in a way it never should.

Then he’s groaning out, and I can feel him fill me with his cum. His body rests over mine, and neither of us makes an effort to remove ourselves from each other. We stay glued together for several minutes before he slowly removes his cock from my pussy.

He opens the door, stepping out, and I turn onto my back to watch him. He glances at me and is searching for something. I’m not sure what.

Both hands grip the frame of the car, and he peers in. “I’d say I’m sorry about the bruises, but I’m not.” He grins cockily, and I laugh.

Helping me out, he places his shirt over the top of me, and I remove my pants completely.

“I’m going to shower.” I hesitate, but my feet move of their own accord and step into him, brushing a kiss across his cheek. He gave me exactly what I needed.