His: Tony (The Sabatini Family 2)

“Nothing, Tony. Please let it go,” she pleads.

“I can’t let anything go when it comes to you.” While I had hoped Carmella would come back, she reached out through Dominic to let me know she won’t be. In the end, I think it’s better this way. I already have a few women I’m considering to replace her as a housekeeper, women who will enter this house with Christy in place as the woman of the house.

Her eyes go soft, and she’s in my lap. I hold her close, loving how she’s become freer with her touches and the way she climbs into my lap as often as Rosie does. “Alicia loves you. She cares about you. I’m grateful for her being here for you. Allow her the time to work through her anger. Don’t push it, please.”

I don’t want to let anything go. An offense to my woman is one to me yet Christy is right. I have never forgotten the tears Alicia cried for me. Over the years, I have come to think of Alicia as the daughter I never had. She is very much a Sabatini in that we protect our own. I can imagine it would be hard for her to simply welcome Christy back with open arms and a smile. “Fine, I’ll give her time. If she ever gets to—”

Christy kisses me, her hand going down to my cock. I send a hand into her hair and pull her back. “Manipulating me with sex?”

Nodding, she smiles. “Is it working? Cora will be back from taking Rosie to the park soon.”

“Just this once,” I growl as I take her mouth and get us upstairs.

***

Christy

The next two weeks pass by in a blur. I don’t hate the nanny, Cora or the new housekeeper, Flavia. I do hate Lillian, Chloe’s grandmother, who is too damn familiar with Tony as far as I’m concerned. The woman came from Milan a year ago. Since she was older and new to Chicago and usually at Chloe and Enzo’s home when Tony was. She and Tony had formed a friendship based on their love of Italy, cooking, and wine.

I hate the way she’s stunning, graceful, and comfortable in her own skin. She’s only five years older than Tony, not the twenty years younger I am. Every time I see them together, and it is together as the woman is often close to him when they are in the same room, I want to scratch her eyes out. At first, I wonder if he has fucked her. However, as I watch them, I breathe easier. He hasn’t. It’s clear though, she would welcome it in a heartbeat.

We’re in the car on the way to Dominic’s club to meet with Dominic, Regina, Chloe, Enzo, and I can’t understand why, but Lillian too. The idea of a long night watching her with Tony is stressing me out by the minute. How the hell do I even talk to Tony about it? Maybe I should talk to Lillian instead?

When Tony parks, he doesn’t get out of the car. “What’s the matter with you?”

God, he’s going to think I’m an idiot. Do I have a right to complain? Sometimes I don’t feel like I have the right to say anything, my penance for my fuck up.

“Before we go inside, I need to know what the fuck is going on.”

“Lillian,” I blurt out.

The lines I haven’t seen in weeks appear as he punches the overhead light on. “What about Lillian?”

“She touches you.” My eyes go down to my hands twisting in my lap. “And she laughs at everything you say. And she knows everything about wine like you do. And she’s always right fucking next to you. And she’s pretty, and I hate her.”

That exhale almost laugh thing. “I don’t give a fuck about Lillian. I’ve never laid a hand on her.”

“I know. It’s the only reason I haven’t scratched her eyes out. But she looks at you like she wants you to, and she lays her hands on you every damn time she sees you.” I twist the ring he put on my finger, that I’ve never taken off.

“That ring you are playing with means her putting her hands on me don’t mean shit.” He shrugs. “She’s Italian. We can be a little handsy. Forget about it.”

“Forget about it? I can’t wear a dress you deem sexy because some man will see me in it, but another woman can put her hands on you?” I wish I had shot his ass. I’m so pissed, I get out of the car before I say something I can’t take back.

Tony catches up to me as I walk through the door. “Knock it off, Christy. You will fucking behave in front of my family.”

Did he tell me to behave like he did to Rosie? “Fuck you.”

His hand goes around my arm. “Christy, I’m warning you.”

“Or what?” I seethe at the way he’s treating me like I’m some unruly child. The first time I try to talk to him about something really important to me and this is how he reacts? Fuck him.

“You won’t like it, piccolina, not at all.” Gravel and smoke flick at me as he pulls me up against his hard body.

Fuck, why am I melting into him when I’m angry with him right now? Suddenly, Regina is there, and we both pretend everything is fine.

Once again, Lillian manages to be on the other side of Tony. Within minutes of us sitting down, her hand covers his. Tony’s eyes flick up to mine, he sighs, and moves his hand away under the cover of using it to check his cellphone. That doesn’t stop her from brushing something away from his chest, and I’m ready to explode. Before I embarrass myself, I mutter that I have to go to the restroom and leave the table.

I’m hoping Regina will follow me, but she doesn’t. I linger outside the restroom, not really wanting to go back to the table yet.