Angel’s Trumpet by Sem Thornwood

I woke up to my warm, hard bed moving under me. Huh? Beds don’t move.

I opened one eye and realized I was sprawled over Salvatore’s chest, and he was trying to get me off. I held onto him tighter. “You are my bed. You can’t move.”

He chuckled, and the vibration from his chest filled all my body with warmth. Then I felt his lips on my head. “I have to go, Angel.”

Oh, I loved when he called me Angel. “I love it when you call me Angel.”

Salvatore softly brushed my hair out of my face and looked at my half-lidded eyes. His eyes were fully open and glistening like two emeralds under the ballroom light. His hair was disheveled, but the devil man still managed to look hot as hell. “Because you are an Angel. You are good and kind and smart. Yet you have one flaw.”

My brows came together. I didn’t think I was flawless, but after the night of losing my virginity, I only wanted sweet words. “What is it?”

Sal turned us halfway to get me out of his body and pressed another kiss to my forehead. “You let the devil corrupt you.”

I didn’t even bother for an answer. It had a long and serious answer that didn’t belong to this moment. Instead, I clung to Sal like a monkey to keep him away from moving. “Don’t go,” I plead like a little kid. I didn’t care that he might see me as immature. I was allowed to be like that, at least for today. He did deny me this joy long enough.

He still managed to turn with me glued to him and caged me between his body and the bed. Honestly, it was not a bad position to be in. “We both need to go. How about I take you out tonight?”

The thoughtful gesture was good, but still, I wrinkled my face thinking about it. We have finally talked about our inner demons and took a step to become a real couple. Going out where we were not allowed to be our real selves was not on the top of my list. “Can’t we have a date in the house?”

“What are you suggesting?”

Probably a hint of pink covered my cheeks because of my idea. I didn’t know if he was going to find it childish, but I was not the type to shut up and not tell what I really wanted. “I know you have another TV room. Can we just watch a movie?”

Sal’s face filled with something unsatisfactory. “You prefer watching a movie to a night where we can talk and stuff. It is like we are not even together.”

I threw my head back and let out a laugh. “You are so cute,” I murmured and kissed his collarbone because that was the highest I could reach in this position. “Watching a movie is just an excuse. We are going to talk ignoring the movie, and then we are going to make out.” When a dark smile spread to his face, I put a hand to his chest because I could still feel how he basically ripped me in half last night. “Well, I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I’m still sore. Just some light petting, and then we’ll go to bed.”

For a second, I was a little afraid that he was going to laugh and brush my idea away, but Salvatore only smiled. I know many men didn’t like to be called beautiful, but when Sal’s smile reached his eyes, and those damn dimples appeared, that was the only word I could think of. Beautiful.

He brushed his lips to mine. “I’d prefer that to sit on a stuck-up restaurant for the whole night.” Then he ran his knuckles along my body, brushing a nipple on the way. “Light petting then,” he murmured with an amused voice.

I smiled and nodded. “Light petting.”

Despite my pleas to keep Sal with me on the bed, I also needed to go to school, so probably his effort to get both of us out of bed was smart. The idea of our date tonight kept me going. I did get ready in such delight and didn’t even care about the weird looks Mateo threw my way during our drive to the school. Thankfully he was not instructed to follow me on school so I could get relaxed. I was still not going to tell on him to Salvatore, but he was starting to get on my nerves.

As I was walking down the hall to my class, a long slender arm wrapped around me out of nowhere. “Look who I found here!”

I turned and looked at Dakota’s grinning face. She was just her outgoing self, but she was much more friendly towards me now, and it made me unbelievably happy. I knew I couldn’t be best friends with her but having friends at school was nice.

“Hey, how is it going?” I asked.

She loosened her hold on me, and I saw Jagger also approaching. “I am good. How about you? You guys kind of left in a hurry.”

I shrugged. “It is because of Bella. She is so in love that she cannot stay away from her husband for too long.” As Dakota laughed, I looked at Jagger and realized a shiny lip ring that was not there when I saw him last. It really didn’t look like his jam. “Hey, Jagger, is that a new piercing?”

Dakota let go of me to cover her mouth as she giggled mischievously. Jagger, on the other hand, only rolled his eyes, but I could see his amusement when he looked at Dakota. “Remember how Nate suggested making us some coffee? Well, turns out it was only for you. After you guys left, they brought me to a studio, and my drunk ass thought it was a good idea to get my lip pierced.”

“Why did you not remove it afterward?” I asked, laughing.

Jagger shrugged. He simply said, “Dakota liked it,” and this earned him a little peck on the newly pierced lips.

Then Dakota’s attention was on me once more. “We need to go out together again. I liked your friend too. She could really hold her liquor.”

I rolled my eyes, thinking about the new information I gathered. “Well, not really. She was drinking non-alcoholic drinks all night.”

“Why the fuck,” Dakota asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Turns out she was pregnant.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, she seemed so young. I can't even imagine.” Then she paused, remembering something. “You were also married, right?”

I did mention that to her before our night at Vista. So, I simply nodded, but Jagger was shocked by it. “You are married?” I just nodded again to his surprised expression.

I lifted my hand to show my ring. “Happily married.” It felt good to say it because there was no lie in it anymore. “People usually notice the ring.”

Dakota wiggled her eyebrows. “Girl, no one was looking at your hands wearing that dress.”

“Yeah, that might be right.” It was also dark in the club, and I didn’t wear it on my finger at school. Today was probably the first day I forgot to take it off to put it on the chain around my neck. It was an expensive ring, and I didn’t want to risk getting paint all over it.

So, like every school day, I took it out and put it on the chain and followed my friends.

 

“He is still fucking here,” I declared even though everybody was aware.

Antonio, Alessio, and I decided to meet in my office at Vista to talk about the current situation with the Russians and Duran Ricci. This was not one of our usual places, but after Mia showed an interest in Vista, I decided to use the office more.

Antonio was at his very calm self. “He is just having dinners with old friends. Also, he still has his daughter with him. He is still using the cover of finding a match for her.”

I pinched my forehead in frustration. After what we did in the warehouse, Russians and Ricci were silent, but the fact that he was still here was not good. It meant that he still didn’t give up. He was after my title. I was young, and I could be crazy, but there was no way I was going to lose against that old asshole.

“Girl being with him is good, at least. We can get inside information,” I declared.

“Yes, but we need Franco for that,” Alessio said. “Let me tell you, the guy is expensive and very creative in terms of sexual acts. He is even more frequent than Antonio.”

Antonio didn’t even move a muscle on his face. “My sexual partners are usually outsiders, and you know it, Alessio. Marriage did turn you into a slut-shamer I see.”

“So, you accept you are a slut?” he asked with amusement.

Antonio was as much of a slut as I was before I married Mia. Alessio was never too pussy-hungry after his young years. It was probably about the fact that he was always in love with Isabella. Now I was settled too, but because Antonio had no emotions, he was probably going to be this way forever. It was fun to joke around and have an easy talk with my friends, but sadly this was not the time. Ricci was not a man who would be afraid to play dirty.

“We have more important things to talk about than Antonio’s sex life,” I said and made Alessio grunt.

“Exactly,” Antonio agreed.

“What do you think he is planning?”

He thought for a moment, but I knew he already had his ideas about that. He was always prepared for any question thrown his way but still always gave it a last thought before answering questions. “He will use the Russians but not in the same way. He saw how you handled things. They won’t want to mess with that again. That last thing only made you look stronger. He wants you to look weak. He’ll do something to make you lose control. You are Crazy Eyes, and he will find a way to use it to his advantage.”

Just like I thought he was going to play dirty. Attacking my business was not a good idea anyway. “How do you think he will do that?”

“He can attack someone you care about. I would increase the security around the house and for Valerio and Verona.” The thought of someone even touching my siblings made my blood boil, and I knew Antonio could see it because his face moved with disapproval. “That is exactly what he is trying to do, Salvatore. He wants to hurt you, so you’ll go crazy and make a mistake.”

“If he touches Verona or Valerio, my rage will not be on his advantage. I might go down, but he won't win anything since I will also kill him.”

Antonio shook his head. “Don’t go mental just yet. He knows I will play the ice to your fire, so he will want a situation where even I cannot stop you. Just be prepared. I don’t think he is going to attack the twins anyway. I believe his target will be Isabella.”

Alessio made a frustrated, growling noise before I could even react. “Then there won't be any problem because I will kill him.”

I looked at him with understanding. I might be crazier than him, but when it came to Bella, Alessio was a beast. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her safety or even just for a little smile of hers.

“Up her protection,” I simply said. We already discussed that since she was pregnant, but now it was even more fragile. “If needed, just lock her in the apartment.”

Alessio’s eyes hardened, but the promise they hold only gave me comfort. “I will not let anyone hurt her.”

“Good. We needed to keep an eye open. “Antonio, talk to Franco again. Bianca might tell him more about Duran’s plans.” I inhaled deeply, and my mouth twitched with the next words. “Now I have a date to attend.”

 

At night we had dinner with the twins, but after I announced that we were going to be in the TV room and didn’t want to be disturbed.

Verona was understanding, but Valerio asked,” Why don’t we watch something together?”

“Sometimes married people need alone time,” Sal explained.

Valerio was old enough to know about birds and bees, but I guessed he was having trouble understanding the emotional side of the relationships. He was not happy about the answer. “You never needed until now.”

“We will, from now on,” Sal only said and pulled me to the TV room with him. I would be very happy to have this kind of date occasionally. Of course, we would go out too but spending alone time with Sal without having sex was also nice. Yet, I knew if I was not sore, tonight would definitely end with sex. We were still on our honeymoon state in regards of sex, after all.

“What do you wanna watch?” Sal asked when I sat on the couch. There was a little smile on his face, and despite the hardness, I spotted when he came home, he seemed genuinely happy right now. My chest tightened at the thought of making him happy. Whatever he believed, he deserved happiness, and I was glad to be the one to give it to him.

I realized that I have never been on a movie date. We should probably watch something romantic and something not very interesting because we wouldn't watch it all the way. I was really not the romantic movie type, though. “Can we watch a cheesy horror movie?”

An amused look spread on Sal’s face. “Cheesy horror?”

“Yes, like something with demons and exorcism. I really find them funny.”

He shook his head but proceed to search for Conjuring. “That was not what I was expecting when you said date night.”

“It will be fun.”

He managed to start the movie and then came to sit beside me. “Of course, it will be fun. You are here after all.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. Sal opened his arm, and I snuggled close to him. We were both wearing sweats and shirts, but his was hugging his body perfectly. His strong arm around me and intoxicating scent were enough to make my insides sing. It was just too casual and too good. “You know, little Mia would be so happy.”

“And grown-up Mia is not?” he asked, his hand drawing circles on my arm.

I nuzzled his chest. “She is happy too. It is just weird, you know. I never wanted anything glamorous I only wanted this. Us so casually together.” And maybe us crazy in love with each other, but there was still time for that, I guessed.

Sal went rigid for a second. “Are you still mad at me for leaving?”

I pulled back to look at his face. God, he was really worried I was. “Of course not. You did the right thing. I mean, I was only thirteen. It was weird.”

“It was,” he accepted, and I could see his eyes going out of focus. “Sometimes I think if it is weird now too.”

“Does it feel weird?” I hoped last night proved it was not.

His gaze returned to my eyes, and he smiled softly. It was not the type of smile he granted just anybody. He wrapped my ponytail around his hand. “It does not. And if it is weird, I can’t find it in me to care.” Then he pulled me to him and bit down my jaw.

I smiled despite the hint of pain as he started biting and sucking a trail down my throat. “We should at least watch a little bit.”

“Why?” he growled into my skin and pulled my hair a little harder to suck on my neck better. His breath sent chills all over my body. “I have waited too long. Now I want to taste you all the time.”

It was really hard to insist on watching the movie when he was devouring me. We did waste a lot of time, and I wanted nothing more than to feel him close to me. Still, there was a reason I made the decision about movie dates and light petting.

I tried to get away from his mouth as much as I could, making him grunt with frustration. “I don’t want this to be just about sex.”

He stopped but didn’t let go. He pulled back to look into my face, and there was something other than the expected anger.

“I am still sore anyway,” I added.

Salvatore shook his head and let go of my hair. For a second, I thought I annoyed him so much that he was going to leave but thank God he didn’t. Instead, he pulled me to his lap and cupped my cheek. “Mia, I am not the best at self-control, and especially after last night, I want nothing more than to fuck you.” He brushed my bottom lip with his thumb. “But that doesn’t mean this is just sex. If it was just about sex, I would have fucked you on our wedding night. It is about you, and just like you make me laugh and smile, you also make me fucking hard. I want more than sex, but it is hard to wait when you are so close to me and so fucking beautiful.”

Maybe I was too easy, but my insides melted at once. I smiled smugly. “Are you turning into a romantic?”

Sal chuckled. “If that is your definition of romance, I must be too lucky.”

I straddled him so that he wouldn't feel bad about what he did. It was not like I didn’t want his touch. “Well, you are not very lucky tonight. That talk and one of those sexy smirks might have been enough to convince me, but like I said, I am too sore.”

A devilish smile came to his face, and he nibbled my bottom lip. “I can still lick you if you are up for it.”

The fact that he didn’t request something for himself but instead suggested giving me something made me smile. Maybe I was the lucky one in this. Still, even that was not on the cards tonight. “I am still bleeding down there.”

His eyes widened with alarm. “Still? Should I take you to see a doctor?”

I caressed his cheeks to soothe him. “No, I looked it up. Turns out some women do bleed a little longer. I have narrow hips, Sal. You destroyed me.” Worry filled his face, but I kissed it away. “I liked it, though. It is not bad, just some spotting, but you know not ideal for what you had in mind.”

This time he laughed, and instead of worry, something playful sparkled up his eyes. He ducked my chin softly. “It is cute that you think your blood will disgust me.” He leaned down and bit down my shoulder. “No part of you can disgust me. You are my angel, all holly and all a gift.”

Just like always, his words warmed my insides, but the underlying meaning also had an effect between my legs. “You are saying you still want to do it.”

“No,” he said and slid his hands under my t-shirt. “I am saying I will do it.”

Despite all my insecurity, I let him do it. I felt a little shy when I saw blood on his lips after sucking me, but when he growled, “So sweet” to my taste and kept eating me out while making pleased sounds, it all went away. I let him work the magic of his tongue.

After he made me come twice, I was very spent. I waited for him to get out of his sweats and free the prominent bulge in them, but instead, he started the movie from the start and pulled me to his lap. He wrapped me into a hug and watched the whole thing with me until I fell asleep.

This was a good life.