Chapter Twenty

I got up around noon. I hadn’t fallen asleep until seven in the morning. Maximus had texted me to ask if I wanted to go out for drinks. We hadn’t spent an evening together since the war and his bond with my cousin Sara. I told him I needed to be alone for a bit. He sent me a thumbs-up.

Everything okay?

Things had been rough for him. Maybe he wanted to have distraction.

He gave me another thumbs-up.

He’d rip me a new one if he found out why I’d lied to him.

I got some breakfast at the vending machine, a cap on my head to hide my identity. My height and size still stood out but luckily this motel had horrible reviews—for very good reason—and had plenty of vacancies.

Around two p.m. I couldn’t wait any longer and departed. With the current traffic, the ride to the coordinates would take about forty-five minutes but I had every intention of checking out the area before I entered the premises.

I trusted Greta, but still my instincts told me to be cautious on Camorra territory.

I’d been driving for a while, away from the city, when a high fence, a bit like you could find around a military base or a detention camp, rose up to my right. I passed the pebbled road leading straight toward it and tried to get a good look at it from a few other angles. The areal was huge with several buildings from what I could see. I parked a good distance away to avoid being caught on surveillance cameras and pretended I was taking a piss. I would have liked to walk closer but that would have looked suspicious.

I shook my head. This was a horrible idea in a row of many bad ideas.

I knew it but at the same time the pull to Greta was so strong that I threw caution in the wind. I got back into my car and did a U-Turn back toward the pebbled road leading up to a gate. I rolled down the window, making sure I kept my head in the car, though my cap would have probably hidden my face, and pressed a speaker button.

Static sounded, then, “Yes?”

Hearing Greta’s voice, even distorted by speakers, made my heart speed up. “It’s me.”

A buzzer sounded and the gates slid open, but that didn’t bring me inside the premises yet. There was a second gate so my car was now trapped between the closing gate behind me and the one rising up before me. I grabbed my semi-automatic from the passenger seat.

I glanced around for a sign of an ambush, but then the second gate glided open as well. I set the car in motion and followed the pebbled road past paddocks and stables with horses, donkeys, cows and even the occasional pig, sheep and goat. The pastureland spread to both sides of the road. This kind of ranch wasn’t what you expected so close to the city of sin, but Remo was a resourceful man. Finally a white farmhouse came into view and behind it smaller cottages. A porch lined the entire front, complete with a swing.

I stopped the car but didn’t get out right away. The curtains moved and briefly a face peeked out then disappeared. My gun in hand, I cautiously got out of the car, checking my surroundings. It was quiet except for the occasional bird song and cicada. It took my eyes a moment to get used to the bright sunshine.

The front door opened and Greta stood in the doorway, dressed in a white spaghetti strap crop-top, flowy white skirt and cowboy boots. Her hair was down, framing her beautiful face. I swallowed and slowly approached the porch, my fingers still holding onto the gun. When I began to ascend the stairs, a low growl sounded and a big presence appeared behind Greta but she didn’t let the dog pass.

“Bear, stop.”

I kept my finger on the trigger as I stepped onto the porch. It was decorated with colorful flowers in small steel tubs and the wide swing had white cushions with mint pillows that said home. It looked cozy and with Greta’s welcoming presence and sweet smile, I felt at home right away.

I stifled a sardonic laugh. Then my eyes met Greta’s who watched me with a tilted head, her shoulder leaning against the doorframe. “I’m happy you’re here.” I could tell this meant a lot to her, maybe more than yesterday. This place was important to her and she wanted me here.

“Come in,” she said gently and walked into the house, followed by Bear. I followed her into a high-ceilinged living room with wooden beams and a huge stone kitchen island. A pot stood on the stove, and a spicy smell wafted over to me.

“I made chili for us. I wasn’t sure if you would get the chance to grab food somewhere.”

I watched her as she opened the lid and smiled hopefully at me. Slowly she put the lid down on a wooden cutting board, her expression becoming more restrained. “I don’t know how to act around you.”

“Be yourself. No need to act.” I strolled over to her. Bear sat on her other side, never taking his eyes off me. I met his eyes, because I was sick of him staking his claim. If I wanted to be close to Greta, I sure as fuck wouldn’t let a dog stop me. His teeth flashed but I didn’t avert my eyes and took another step closer.

He stood but didn’t attack. With a low grumble he turned and walked over to his bed where he curled up beside Momo.

“You don’t need that.”

Greta motioned at my gun. With a nod, I put it back into my hip holster. She leaned her hip against the kitchen island, regarding me.

“I’m actually hungry,” I said, nodding toward the steaming red chili.

Greta took out bowls and scooped generous portions into them before she carried them over to a rustic wood table around the corner. Floor to ceiling windows granted us a view of the paddocks. Greta motioned at the wooden bench and I sank down.

She sat down across from me and handed me a spoon. “I hope you like it. I made it with soy granules to imitate meat.”

I took a spoonful. “It’s good.”

Her face lit up, and she ate a bite herself.

“What is this place?” I asked quietly as I watched her enjoy her food with a pleased expression.

“It’s a safe haven for abused animals. It’s still only in its beginning. I want to add more stables and a house where dogs can live in a pack, and I need a house for cats.” She smiled embarrassedly.

“My best friend used to live in a place like this with his family.”

“My cousin.”

I nodded.

“Not anymore?”

“He has his own place now.” I didn’t mention Sara, it would have only brought attention to my own wife, and I had no intention to talk about Sara and Maximus anyway.

Instead, we talked about the farm as we sat across from each other, enjoying Greta’s cooking. “My sister and her husband have two dogs as well,” I said, nodding toward Bear.

“Really?”

“From a shelter.”

“That’s wonderful.”

My eyes were drawn to another dog bed I hadn’t noticed before where a black and white dog slept soundly. It’s hind-legs and tail were bandaged. “The dog you saved?”

She nodded, compassion filling her face. “Dotty. She’s sleeping a lot because of the medication but I think she’s on the mend.”

I didn’t follow her gaze to the broken creature because I couldn’t take my eyes away from her face.

Sitting like that with a woman and talking felt foreign, but at the same time right in a profound way I couldn’t quite figure out and I knew it wouldn’t ever be like this with any other woman, especially not Cressida. I’d either have ulterior motives or try to escape the situation as fast as possible. With Greta I was content just being close to her and hearing her take on things, which was so unique, positive and inherently kind that it felt even more foreign than our situation in itself. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t have liked to kiss her, to touch her. Fuck, to do so many things to her, but right now, I was content. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d just been content, without my mind running a hundred miles an hour thinking about all the problems ahead.

This moment here was what my parents shared. It was what I’d never hoped to have, and now, with Greta, for a fleeting moment, I experienced it. But this couldn’t last.

Anger at myself rose up like a flash flood. I put the spoon down. “I’m not here to chat and eat.”

Greta jumped at the sudden change in my tone. She put her own spoon down. “Why are you here then?”

Fuck. If I knew why. “Greta, our families are at war.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

I smiled bitterly. “Your brother and cousins kidnapped my aunt and cousin. Isa still has nightmares.”

Greta lowered her gaze, her lips thinning. “I know it was wrong. But you attacked us first. Kiara had a concussion.”

“It was a mistake,” I admitted. I wasn’t sure why I said it. Only Dad knew what I thought of our failed ambush.

Greta looked up in surprise. “Thank you for saying this. I didn’t think you would. I know men like you have trouble admitting to faults.”

“You’re welcome,” I said in a strangely gruff tone.

I stretched out my hand on the table, my palm upward and Greta put her hand in mine without hesitation. I closed my fingers. How could this feel so fucking perfect when it was betrayal in so many ways?

She swallowed thickly. “Do you want me to show you around?”

I wanted many things, but not that.

Greta’s eyes darted down to my lips as if she could read my thoughts on my face. She looked away, her brows snatching together.

“Are you often alone out here?”

“This is actually the first time. It was a hard fight to get this far. But I’m a good shot. I beat Alessio and Massimo at skeet shooting.”

My eyebrows rose. “Really?”

She gave me an indignant look. “Really. It’s a sport, which was why I agreed to take lessons, and once Dad saw how good I was he allowed me more freedom. I could defend myself if the need arose.”

“But you wouldn’t be shooting at clay pigeons.”

“That was Nino’s and Dad’s argument until two days ago. Then they realized I was capable of violence,” she said in a strangled tone.

“It’s not the same.”

She shrugged. “Nobody’s going to attack because only few people know about this place.”

“And one of them is part of an enemy family.”

“But you’re not going to use it to hurt me.”

“No.”

We looked at each other and the pull was so strong I wanted to tug her across the table to claim a kiss.

“Let’s go outside and sit on the swing for a bit,” she said, not waiting for my reply to get up.

I rose and moved toward her. As we headed outside, I put my hand on the small of her back without thinking about it. I’d never done something like that and had always wondered why Dad did it with Mom. She gifted me with a smile that lit up her entire face and even filled her eyes with a beautiful spark.

She sank down on the swing and pulled her legs up to her chest. I sank down beside Greta, causing the swing to finally move. She stared off toward the grazing horses.

I did the same, and the last bit of tension slipped away.

At some point, our hands moved closer together and Greta’s fingers brushed mine until we linked fingers once more. I angled my body toward her and suddenly our faces were very close. I cupped her cheek, ignoring the annoying gleaming of my ring and then I kissed her. A soothing, gentle kiss because Greta had been through a lot, that quickly became more heated. Her soft moans, her sweet taste, the playful way her tongue responded to mine, it all drove me higher and higher. I guided Greta to the cushions, and half covered her with my body. She tensed and I pulled back, searching her face for a sign that I’d crossed a line I had no business crossing.

Greta looked overwhelmed and I began to push up but she quickly cupped my face and raised her head for another kiss. “Stay. I was just surprised. I want this.”

I lowered myself once more and found her mouth for a deep kiss. Soon the unrelenting late afternoon sun wasn’t why I was sweating. “Let’s go inside,” she whispered.

I picked her up without a word and carried her into the house. She pointed at an assortment of cushions and patchwork blankets in front of a fireplace. Instead of logs, fake candles gave off a cozy light.

I put her down and followed suit, pulling her against me once more, my lips finding hers for another, even deeper kiss. I lowered my hand briefly to slide the ring off and put it down on the floor somewhere before I pressed my palm to Greta’s cheek again and deepened the kiss.

Greta was curled into me, her skirt ridden up because our legs were scissoring, her hot center pressed tantalizingly against my upper thigh. I was so hard it was painful. I pulled away to regard Greta as I allowed my knuckles to trace her cheek, then her throat and collarbone. She wasn’t wearing a bra beneath the knit crop top and I could see the outline of her nipples pressing against the material. Greta locked gazes with me and reached for the thin strap of her top that had slid down to her arm. Her fingers were shaking slightly when she hooked them in the strap and dragged it further down. I watched mesmerized as the top peeled away from her left breast, revealing a rust-colored, small nipple and the gentle swell of her breast.

I could tell she was trying to find words but I knew what she wanted without her telling me. I leaned down and covered her nipple with my mouth, allowing my tongue to discover its texture and taste.

Greta pressed her pussy even tighter against my thigh as I continued my discovery of her nub. She cupped the back of my head as I sucked more of her breast into my mouth then stroked along the gentle crease beneath it with my tongue only to welcome her nipple back into my mouth. I closed my eyes as I tasted her, focusing on Greta’s low breathing, on the clenching of her legs against my thigh.

“Amo,” she whispered urgently, letting her arms fall to her sides, almost as if she was overwhelmed by her body’s reaction to my ministrations.

I let up and gently untangled myself to give her some time to breathe. She gave me an embarrassed smile as she lay beneath me with spread arms, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Where’s the bathroom? I need to gather myself and I think you need a bit time to yourself as well.”

She pointed at a door to our right. I stood and quickly went there. Once inside I splashed some water in my face then gripped the sink for a few deep breaths. I straightened. My shirt stuck to my skin but at least my cock had calmed down enough that it wasn’t digging into my pants anymore. Raking a hand through my hair, I tried to figure out what to do next. That I’d come here was already a very bad idea. Though that didn’t even begin to cover the number of problems this meeting would cause if someone found out. But now that I was here, I didn’t want to hold back, not if Greta didn’t want me to.

I returned to the living room and paused at what I saw. Greta sat cross-legged, one side of her top still pulled down and she stared down at my ring that she held in her palm.

I should have left the ring at home in New York.

I walked over to her and sank down beside her. She still wasn’t looking at me. Seeing her hold my ring, I wished she would have said yes to me a year ago.

“Cressida doesn’t care about me. The only thing she cares about is the status a marriage to me brings her. I’m a means to an end, not the goal. We can’t stand each other.”

Suddenly she stood, her expression guilt-ridden. “I shouldn’t have called you. I don’t know what got into me. I promised myself to forget you.”

I pushed onto my knees and gripped her hips, peering up at her. “I knew I’d never manage to forget you and I thought about you every single day. You won’t believe how often I considered leaving New York and kidnapping you from Las Vegas so we could live somewhere far away. Just us.”

“Just us,” she whispered reverently then her smile turned sad. “But it’s not just us. We both have people we don’t want to leave behind and you have your responsibilities to the Famiglia and I have my animals.”

“I regret every moment I’m not with you.” The words left my mouth without thinking, but I immediately knew I meant them. It was why I hadn’t hesitated to come here. The prospect of seeing Greta again had filled me with more joy and hope than I’d experienced in a very long time.

Greta stepped closer and touched my head with both her hands. I leaned my forehead against the bare skin of her sternum, my eyes closing. Her fingers raked through my hair gently, her nails scraping over my scalp in a way that almost made me want to purr. One of her hands traced the back of my head then stroked along my neck. Her touch was gentle, but left fire in its wake. My face slid lower and I let out a low breath against her belly, and Greta’s body under me twitched. I brought my palms up from her hips to her naked waist, feeling her goosebumps as I slid my head even lower until my rough cheek rested against the silky skin of her belly and it felt like paradise. Her vanilla scent enveloped me. I opened my eyes and peered at Greta’s skin right before me. After a while of her stroking my neck and my thumbs stroking her waist, a warm, heady scent wafted into my nose.

At first I was sure my mind was playing tricks on me. I drew in an even deeper breath, my head tilted further down and the note hit me again, even stronger. I released a harsh breath, causing Greta to suck in her belly in a soft exhale. “Your breath against my skin…” she whispered, then trailed off.

I lifted my head, searching her eyes.

They were trusting and warm. “It feels good.”

I pressed my head against her belly once more, desire flooding my veins. I took her words as encouragement and pressed a feather-soft kiss to her belly button.

“I’ve never felt this way, Amo,” Greta admitted.

I had a feeling I knew what she meant and it was like fuel for my desire. “Aroused?”

Her fingers on my neck tightened and a new ripple of goosebumps overcame her body. I held her gaze, needing to see her face when she replied.

Her cheeks turned pink at her admittance, and if the heat of her belly was any indication, her body was aflame with desire. “It’s wrong of me to desire you, isn’t it.”

“Is it?” I rasped. In this moment I didn’t care if I committed a sin—fuck, sinning was in my nature—if it was wrong. I wanted the woman before me. I wanted nothing else.

I could see the confusion on her face. Maybe she didn’t realize how her body was responding to me, or maybe she was scared of her own reaction.

“Right now, right here, it’s only us. This is our moment. Pretend the world ends tomorrow.”

Greta opened her mouth, her expression argumentative.

“Pretend,” I murmured, licking along the waistband of her skirt. Greta’s fingers against my neck flexed.

“If tonight was my last night, I’d want to spend it with you,” Greta said.

I wrapped my arms around her hips, and buried my face against her lower belly, my lips practically at level with her pussy.

I drew in another deep breath and the intensity of her scent would have brought me to my knees if I weren’t already kneeling. “Greta,” I rasped. “Will you let me pull down your skirt?”

“Yes”, came her instant reply. I moved my head back a few inches before I hooked my fingers in her waistband and tugged it down. It slid over her slightly curved hips, down her slim legs, leaving her in white lace hipster panties and her crop top. I drank her in, the small gap between her thighs that accentuated her mound even more.

I could see soft curls pressing against the lace of her hipster panties and the lace against her pussy was soaked, so it stuck to her lips and was wedged in her slit. It was such a beautiful sight. I swallowed thickly. Closing my eyes, I breathed her in. She was so lovely and so wet, I was nearing insanity.

When I opened my eyes, Greta was watching me with worry.

I gave her a smile. “Can I pull down your panties as well?”

“Yes please.”

Please. Fucking please. As if she had to beg me to lay her bare. When the tiny piece of lace fluttered to her feet, I allowed myself to take her in. She had a triangle of gentle, black curls crowning perfectly shaped lips. Her little nub was still well hidden but I knew I’d make it peek out soon if Greta only let me. The idea that I might be buried with my face in Greta’s pussy soon was almost enough to make me combust in my fucking pants. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this. Sex had been a bothersome necessity for a while. With Greta it almost felt as if I was a fumbling virgin, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Greta stroked along my arm, bringing my attention back to her.

I saw how overwhelmed she was by the situation and so I reined myself in. Tonight my own desires would take a backseat.

I’d waited for this moment for too long. I’d enjoy every second of it. This moment belonged to us. Maybe the world didn’t end, but we didn’t know if and when we’d be able to see each other again. I needed to make tonight count, to give Greta memories she’d carry with herself all her life. Memories that would carry me through the darkness too. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her mound. I gently guided her back until she sank down on the wide armchair. I kissed her left then her right knee before I met her gaze. Trust and need. I got the latter, not the first.

“Open up for me.”

She elegantly raised her legs and draped them over the arm rests. With her legs parted widely, she offered me a breathtaking view of herself. “I won’t ever forget this moment,” I growled.

“Me neither.”

“I’ll make it unforgettable for you.”