21

Chapter 21
Dominic
I’ve committed a cardinal sin by revealing what I know, but Arin’s threat of taking our daughter and once again slipping from my grasp scared me awake. I just found them. How could I stand to lose them so soon after?
Judging by the look of horror on Arin’s face, I might lose them anyway. “This is crazy,” she whispers.
“I have everything under control.”
“Do you? Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like everybody has it out for you. Renato, your own boss… And now Elio’s dead
—”
“We don’t know that.”
“That man said he slit his throat.”
“Until we find his body, nothing’s set in stone. The bastard could have been bluffing.”
Arin sobs into her hands, her shoulders shaking. She’s seated on the couch; the only light on is the side table lamp. Felicia’s fast asleep in her room, none the wiser.
I’ve got Johnny and the rest of the associates under my command keeping a diligent watch of the perimeter, on high alert. Not only do I have Renato to worry about, but if what Milo said was true, my own captain is plotting to stab me in the back. I don’t know who to trust and that has put me on edge.
That’s why I can’t even begin to imagine what’s going through Arin’s head right now.
I crouch before her and place a gentle hand on her knee. “You can’t repeat what I’ve told you to anyone.”
“Why would I? I’d only be putting them in danger, too.” She shivers. “Do you think Miriam was in on it, too? I didn’t question her when she asked to meet at the bar…”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think she’s in on it. Her background checks
out clean. It could have been a coincidence, but…” Arin frowns. “But what?”
“Elio should have known better. He should have known the bar was located deep within Renato’s territory.”
“Do you think he’s in on it?” she asks, her tone unsure.
The thought never occurred to me. Elio might be a giant pain in my ass and a clown who rarely takes anything seriously, but he’s arguably one of my closest friends and trusted confidants. He’s been with me through thick and thin. We’ve had each other’s backs for as long as I can remember. But I’d argue the same about Lorenzo and me. Before Milo put the doubts in my head, I would have sacrificed myself for the man without hesitation.
Could it be that Elio made a fatal mistake? Or is there a chance Elio had plans of betraying me, too? The line between friend and foe is blurring. I don’t like it one bit. It’s clear loyalty means jack shit anymore. The only thing I know for certain is that I have to keep Arin and Felicia safe. No matter the cost.
“I’m going to move you and Felicia to a secure location out of state.” Arin glances up at me, her bottom lip trembling. “What?”
“If I’m right, and I really hope I’m not, things are going to get worse. In order to keep you safe, I need you as far from New York as possible.”
“But what about you?”
“I need to stay. To end this one way or another.”
Arin shakes her head. “No, that’s… You can’t. What if something happens to you?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, I promise.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she insists. “You made such a big deal about us moving in with you, and now you’re pushing us away?”
“For your safety.”
“That’s bull and you know it,” she says, the fiery look in her eyes downright breathtaking. “We have to be smart about this, Dominic. If you send us away, there’s no telling how many people might come after Felicia and me. I’ve been lucky these last few fights, but I’m no fighter. I can’t defend us, and I don’t know which one of your men to trust. Staying here with you is our safest option.”
I turn her words over in my head. “You’re starting to sound a lot like a soldata.”
“No, I’m sounding like a concerned mother who’s had it up to here.” She
gestures with her hand, lifting her palm way above her head. “I’m not going to lie, Dom. I’m scared. Terrified.”
I lean forward and cut her off with a kiss, her words stirring in my chest. This poor woman. This poor, brilliant, unbelievably brave woman. I should have listened to the logical side of my brain and kept as far away from her as possible, but I just couldn’t stay away. Now she’s here in my care with our little girl, and that isn’t a responsibility I’ll ever take lightly. It was a mistake dragging her into my life, but one I won’t allow myself to regret.
Arin kisses me back, combing her fingers through my hair. It’s a tender kiss, one of comfort and longing. “Please don’t let anything happen to us,” she pleads against my lips. Her body trembles beneath my touch. “Please.”
It’s at this moment that something locks into place. It’s possessive, territorial, protective. It was fate meeting her all those years ago, and it was fate when she stumbled into my office. The powers that be have given me a second chance, and I’d be a fool to let it go to waste.
“You’re mine to protect, dolcezza,” I murmur against her mouth. “You and our little girl. I’ll keep you both safe.”
“Promise?”
“On my life, Arin. On my life.” “Good, now kiss me.”
Our lips crash together in a frenzy, our hands urgently roaming each other’s bodies. It happens all at once and in a blur. I take her shirt off. She makes quick work of my belt. I take a seat on the couch and let her crawl onto my lap, straddling my thighs. She’s not wearing anything particularly fancy underneath, but I don’t care. It’s not the way it looks on her that I like so much, but the way she radiates confidence. There’s nothing sexier to me than a woman who knows she’s got it going on and isn’t afraid to tease me senseless.
I reach around and unclasp her bra, moving in quickly to mouth out her breasts. Arin’s head falls back, exposing the pale skin of her neck. Renato’s man luckily didn’t leave any marks on her beautiful skin. If he had, I would have torn him in two with my bare hands.
Nobody hurts my woman. The only person who gets to be rough with her is me, and only because she asks so nicely.
“We have to be quiet,” she says around a breathy moan. “We can’t wake Felicia.”
“You have to be quiet,” I reply. “I’m going to do everything I can to make
you scream.” “Dom—”
Reaching between our bodies, I pull my throbbing cock free from my pants. I kiss the corner of her mouth sweetly before I smirk. “Go on. Show me what your pretty pussy can do.”
With a nod, Arin carefully lowers herself on my shaft, allowing me to sink deeper and deeper inside her. She’s incredibly wet, the delicious heat of her walls squeezing me as she starts to rock her hips back and forth.
“That’s it,” I moan. I brush my thumb over her swollen clit, sucking a hard mark against the crook of her neck. “That’s it, Arin. Milk my cock harder. I’m going to make you feel so fucking good.”
She clasps her own hand over her mouth to keep from crying out, her moans muffled against her palm. She tries and fails to keep her voice under control, but I’m determined to see her come undone.
“Let me hear that beautiful voice, cuore mio.”
“Ah, fuck,” she mewls. Her face is twisted in a beautiful mix of pleasure and pain. “I’m so—”
She doesn’t finish her sentence, her climax so powerful that her pussy pulses around my shaft, gripping me tighter. She trembles as ecstasy courses through her veins, heat radiating off her skin.
I don’t give her a chance to breathe, spinning us around so her back is flat against the couch. I’m on top of her now, still connected and ready to make her see stars. Gripping her hard at the waist, I thrust into her roughly, adoring how her mouth falls open into a silent scream of pleasure.
“D-Dom, right—”
“Here, dolcezza?” I ask, searching for the spot that will make her sing. I know I’ve found it when her eyes roll back, her brows knitted together.
“God,” she chokes.
“No God here,” I tease. “Just me.”
She comes again, her legs trembling and her breath hitching. Her pussy clenches around me, giving me just the friction I need to drive myself over the edge with her. I’m tempted to finish inside her, but an errant thought plants itself in the back of my mind.
What would it be like to give her another child?
I wasn’t there to help her when she was pregnant with Felicia. An immense guilt has been weighing me down ever since learning about the existence of my daughter, though I’m sure nobody could blame me. It was
our rotten luck we got separated before I could do the right thing and support Arin along the way.
But what if I got a second chance?
I haven’t forgotten about Elio’s conversation about having a big family. My mother’s here every other week to pressure me into finding a wife, after all. It’s a thought that lingers on the back burner, something I ponder about but can never find the time to truly explore. I’d love a big family one day, with lots of kids running around and massive Christmas mornings.
But what does Arin want? Could I convince her to try again? “Pull out,” she rasps. “Please pull out.”
I do because I’m not about to force my wishes on her. She’s been through enough. Raising Felicia all by herself, experiencing a life-or-death situation not once but twice in the few weeks she’s known me. There are too many uncertainties in the air, too many enemies lurking around every corner. The last thing I want right now is to have yet another innocent life involved in my mess.
I spill into my hand with a grunt, my body suddenly weary and satisfied. I lean forward to kiss her lovingly, adoring the way her hair sticks to her face and her cheeks are flushed a deep pink.
“Join me in the shower,” I say.
“Is that a suggestion or an order?” she asks playfully. “Depends. Which will have a favorable response?”
Arin sits up, wearing a dopey smile. “I think you know.” “An order, then.”
She rises with me, taking my hand. “Lead the way.”