Finding Beauty in the Darkness

“Okay. Oh, I was wondering if I can use your phone. I wanted to call Amber and I don’t have a cell phone. I was hoping I could go over to the college and we could hang out.”

Shit, I completely forgot I need to get her a cell phone. “How about you have her come here? You guys can go to the pool and hang out. I have an indoor pool and another outdoor one that’s heated.”

“And how would I explain to her that this is a sex house?”

I chuckle at that her description of the bordello. “Nobody is going to be fucking out in the open. Just hang out in the back or on the third floor, or in the kitchen where you usually are, eating your weight in food.” I wink at her. Aria practically lives in the kitchen. She loves her food, especially the sweets. The last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of watching her body change from skin and bones to having some meat on her—and that meat on her looks damn good.

“Shut up!” She slaps my chest, but before she can pull her hand back, I grab her arm and pull her into me. “I’m not complaining. These new curves you have going on are sexy.”

Aria swallows thickly, her eyes meeting mine. Her tongue darts out, wetting her bottom lip, her top teeth tugging on it, and without thinking, my lips crash into hers, needing to taste her. Without invitation, my tongue delves into her sweet mouth, her lips parting as she lets out a soft gasp of surprise as I suck her tongue into my mouth, craving more. In a blink of an eye, I’m grabbing her hips and pulling her up into my lap, her legs straddling me. My hands grab her ass, pulling her even closer, until our bodies are flush, her perky tits brushing up against my chest. Her hands come up to my hair, pulling on the ends, and her ass grinds down on my cock. A loud groan release into my mouth, telling me she feels exactly what she’s doing to me.

There’s a knock on the door and we both jump like we’re teenagers who almost got caught. Aria almost falls to the floor, but I catch her and set her on her feet.

“Fuck,” I mumble. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

She gives me a hurt look. “Wow, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” There’s another knock. “Jesus, I’ll be right there!” I bark out. “It’s just that you’re only twenty years old. You should be in college, hanging out with frat boys or some shit. I’m in the fucking mob. You met my family. I’m not good for you. You just went through a traumatizing event. You’re wife material and I’m not looking for anything more than a good fuck.”

Aria’s hands go to her hips and if looks could kill, I might be a dead man. “I’m so freaking sick of people telling me what’s good for me. I know what’s good for me, and I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions. You’re just like my mom.”

“Your mom?”

“Yeah, my mom. When I was little, I used to ask her about my real father, but she told me it was for the best that he wasn’t in my life. She said he chose a dangerous life over us and he didn’t want me to get hurt. I heard her and Weston arguing once about him being in the mob. It should have been my choice as to whether I saw him.”

Her dad was in the mob? This is new and important information. “Do you know your dad’s name?”

“No, she wouldn’t tell me anything. I’m just so sick of everyone around me deciding what’s best for me, and you’re no different.” Her chin tilts up in defiance, and fuck if it isn’t adorable.

“Ever think maybe they’re making those decisions because they love you and want to protect you? This life is a hard life, Aria. I was born into it and it’s all I know. I’ll never get married. I’ll never bring a woman or kids into this shit.”

“Whatever you say, Giovanni. Can I borrow your phone so I can call Amber?” It doesn’t escape my attention that she didn’t call me Gio like she usually does.

She holds her hand out, ending the conversation. What I want to do is grab her hand, pull her into me, and continue where we left off, but instead I let out a sigh, knowing it’s for the best we were interrupted.

“Yeah.” I hand her my phone, unlocking it so she can use it. “I’ll get you an untraceable phone this week.” She nods then turns her back on me to call her friend. I step outside to find Cecilia and Rome arguing. “What’s going on?”