Chapter 30

Luther met me in the hallway first, just outside the side entrance. He had changed himself, into his usual black tweed suit and silver vest, dressed for the day's business. "You headed to the office, Milla?"

"I am."

"Mind if I hitch a ride? I can just hang on the back. Won't take no space up at all."

"Sure. Why not?" I shrugged. "Oh, and Luther?"

"Yes, boss?"

I licked my lips, making sure Nico was out of hearing range. "Please keep what I told you between us for now. I'm going to tell Nico about Hightower, I'm just... not there yet."

He winked at me, extending his arm for me to take. "I understand. Just know he'd never look at you differently, Milla."

That wasn't a fear of mine to begin with. No, when I brought this truth to Nico, I wanted to be sure I'd forgiven myself first before I sought it elsewhere.

Nico waited inside the carriage when the footman opened the door for me, unaware his cousin was joining us. As soon as Grimm shut the door behind me, Nico helped me out of my coat.

"You wore my favorite dress, I see," he murmured into my bare shoulder.

"Aren't they all your favorite?"

"True. But you wore this one to my pub, and it drives me especially crazy." As if to prove his point, he slid his false hand up the top of my thigh, and my eyes fluttered as cold metal brushed the heat of my arousal.

"Fuck, Milla."

"What?"

"You're not wearing anything underneath?"

"I never wear underwear with a silk dress. You'd see the lines."

He paused his perusal. "Do you mean that every time we've been together, and you've worn that, you weren't wearing anything?"

"Nope."

"The night we met?"

"Not a thing."

"Seven hells," he groaned. The car moved, and he shifted to sit on the floor between my legs, placing both hands on either side of my thighs. "Ignorance is truly bliss. You're going to torture me with this look for the rest of my life."

Nico slowly gathered the silk higher up my legs, eyes locked on my center until the hem of my dress was above my hips. He cursed again before shouting our driver's name. "Bellamy?"

The grate above my head slid to the side. "Yes, sir?"

"Take the scenic route to the office."

"Oh. Well, alright—"

I shut the grate before she could inquire about Nico's choice. My husband grinned at me with a darkened gaze full of wicked intention. "I want to take my time with you, princess. Is that alright?"

My throat was dry from the hungry breaths building in my chest. I could only nod and brace myself for his wrath, parting my knees for him.

"Very good," he murmured and pushed my legs wide. I gasped, pressing a hand against the wall of the carriage. "Hells, you're beautiful."

Shitting saints... I ached for him, my pulse throbbing across a tender place, and he wouldn't shut the hells up. "You talk too much."

"Do you not like my voice, Milla?"

"Not right now," I breathed out.

His laugh blew a cool breath across the sensitive skin along my inner thigh. Without warning, his hands slipped beneath the bend of my knee and tugged me forward, so that I sat on the very edge of the bench with my legs draped over his arms.

Nico stroked my clit with a metal thumb, making slow, lazy circles around my center. I could only whimper as the beginnings of euphoria filled my hips. My back arched, giving him a better angle, trying to roll my waist to the rhythm of his hand.

His opposite hand clamped down around my hip bone, stilling me. "I don't need your help, Milla. You'll stay fucking still until I'm done with you, alright?"

There he was—the Nicolai Attano I married in my family's courtyard. Arrogant, demanding, in charge. Thankfully, now it was finally working in my favor. I nodded a silent consent and tried to relax against the back of the bench.

"That's my girl." His head dipped then, and he finally shut up long enough to kiss me in the most intimate of ways. His tongue swirled my center, trailing his finger. The contrasting warmth of his mouth and the incessant stroke of his false hand drew a cry from my chest. The hand on my hip tightened, keeping me pinned to the seat as he worked his tongue deeper.

I bit my lip to keep from making any more noise, but my breaths became too desperate not to gasp for air, to feed the flames rising between my legs where that devious tongue reminded me of the language of pleasure, how good my body could feel in the right hands. In his hands.

He broke away for a moment, but his false hand continued to work. "Don't you dare silence those pretty sounds for my sake, Milla. Let the city hear you if you want to be heard. Remind them all that I serve you. There's no one else I'd get on my knees for, princess."

Something changed then, the sensation between my legs. A vibration from his false fingers that stimulated so many points of pleasure, my legs jerked before falling weak. "What the hells is that?"

"My upgrade, as you called it."

Seven hells and shitting saints, he could vibrate them now? The look on my face must have been astonished because he smiled. "That's not all."

"Fuck me."

"Patience, my love. We'll get there, but I think you're wet enough I can show you the best part."

I watched helplessly as he licked my arousal from the forefinger of his false hand. The configuration of the tubes shifted then, rearranging before my eyes, and coming together again to combine his first and middle finger, creating a very thick, very penetrating shape.

He rubbed the length of it along my center before positioning the tip at my entrance. "Do you want this, Milla?"

"Yes," I breathed out. Couldn't do more than breathe. The filthy sounds he made between my legs were thankfully covered by the road noise. Metallic knuckles rolled over a point that sent shivers across every inch of my skin. Now lubricated with my arousal, they slipped between my center—and I was ready for him. So ready to be filled, and if not with his cock, then with his hand.

He slipped himself in, barely an inch, before the carriage swerved hard to avoid something in the road. We hit a bump during correction that knocked me out of my seat and into Nico's lap. He caught me, hands around my waist, my dress still pulled high over my hips.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Perfect."

His lips claimed mine again and again, no space to be found between us. Sandalwood cologne and cigarillo smoke lingered on his skin as I stole small gasps of air. I tasted myself on his tongue as he swept my mouth. With every kiss, another piece of his affection fell into the place where it belonged, stored in my heart to keep forever.

"Turn around." His voice was a throaty growl. "Place your hands on the bench."

The arms around my waist loosened enough to allow me to brace against the leather seat. Nico's right hand slipped the strap of my dress down my shoulder. A rough hand dipped beneath the fabric, cupping my breast. His callous palm ran over the sensitive peak, squeezed, pinched, and I couldn't help the moan that flew from my parted lips.

"Perfect," he said in my ear. "So fucking pretty, those sounds you make."

My back arched again, seeking his heat behind me. He thrust his hips slowly, pressing his hard cock along the curve of my ass while his false hand returned to my center. I spread my legs wider, kneeling in front of him in the small carriage while he worked every part of me.

"I'll ask again, do you want this?" His false hand slipped around my hip and caressed the slope leading to my entrance.

I nodded, letting my head fall into the curve of his neck. "Yes, please."

He groaned in approval. "So polite. I'll fuck those manners out of you."

Finally, his fingers plunged inside me, filling me nearly as much as I recalled his cock had and hitting a place that sent my head thrashing back into the curve of his shoulder, my fingers slipped from the leather seat and clutched his arm, feeling the corded muscle roll with every stroke and knead over my body.

"I got you, Milla. Relax."

He took control, still holding me against him, still working my breast, still grinding his cock against my ass. I was just about to fall over the edge, the pressure in my hips too much to hold back any longer, when his thumb joined the combination of sensations.

Light vibrations circled my clit as he plunged his false fingers deeper into my center. I was powerless to the climax that rushed through me so hard, my eyes slammed shut and my breath shuddered. I rode his hand, seeking every last swell of pleasure he offered until my form trembled against him, like I had shattered instead. And every piece left of me belonged to him.

His false hand slipped out of me, but he held my waist steady until my breathing caught up with my racing heart. The tension in my muscles relaxed some, melting against his chest behind me.

"Your turn?" I asked, only half teasing.

He kissed my temple. "As much as I'd love to see those pretty lips around my cock, Milla, our driver has already circled the office twice. We should move this inside, shall we?"

I agreed reluctantly, letting Nico help me put my coat back on and smooth out the wrinkles he made in my dress. I didn't know how he knew we'd been circling. Our heavy breaths had fogged the windows behind the shades.

Bellamy knocked—very loudly—twice before swinging the door open wide. We were parked in front of a four-story red brick building in the center of the Row. Nico had moved his offices to be separate from the smokestacks at the steel foundries, if only to acknowledge all the other business the Attanos had going for them outside of the steelworks.

"Where's Luther?" I asked her, noticing the cousin no longer hung on the back.

"Luther?" Nico asked.

"He jumped off about halfway here." Bellamy cleared her throat. "He said something about needing the exercise."

Nico's grey gaze was wide on me when I looked at him again. "You didn't tell me my cousin was hitching a ride."

I shrugged and took the arm he extended to me. "I wasn't letting him get in my way again."

Nico laughed, and it echoed through the quiet street we parked on. "This isn't over," he whispered the promise against the shell of my ear.

I smoothed my hair back, hoping it wasn't as disheveled as I felt. "I'm holding you to that, Attano."

Nico wroteup a contract to prepare for Vincent's visit, letting me proofread the final document. He did so deliberately, taking great care to think on each word before taking the pen to paper.

I smiled as I watched him. Broad shoulders leaned over a massive oak desk. A strand of dark hair fell over his face, between his brows. His style had fallen from the waxy hold as the remainder of his pomade stuck between my fingers.

He wore spectacles that made him look even more sophisticated in his suit, claiming they helped him focus. I thought they suited him.

I took the time to survey his office. Much could be assumed about a man from what he took to work with him, and I enjoyed learning Nico bit by bit. I knew him better than anyone else, knew exactly what he'd say or how he'd react before he did so, had heard countless childhood stories to never be intimidated by him again, and yet—he was like picking up a book I've read a hundred times. There was always something new to be discovered between the lines, a detail I might have missed before.

His office was neatly organized, as I expected. A map of the Row hung on an exposed brick wall. The Attanos' land was outlined in red, neighboring the First Sector, where Sabina's territory was pushed into a crevice of the map. Some of Nico's sections were marked red—certain streets blotted out entirely.

"What..." I shut my mouth promptly before I distracted him.

"The homes and businesses on our payroll."

"Saints ..." I murmured. How the hells did they afford to keep so many on good terms with the family? My own had done the same when we were in similar power. Sometimes, a copper or two was the only way to keep lips sealed and eyes looking the other way. One street blacked out was East End. I reached for the place on the map, smiling at the small dot that had become one of my most substantial memories.

"Picking out your next home?" he asked. I turned to find him watching me.

I scoffed. "Nonna would never let us move out."

"Would you want to, though? Say everything goes back to normal and we can move on after this. Would you like to start our own lives together?"

I hadn't even allowed myself to think about it, with the way things were. It seemed impossible for anything to go back to normal after so much bad had happened, but the option was tempting to dream about. "I suppose it would be nice to get some privacy. I love your family, Nico, but they're everywhere."

As if to note his location, Luther whistled as he passed down the hall. Nico smiled again, glancing at the closed door as if understanding my point.

"I guess I don't notice it as much, since I've been around them all my life. It's normal for me."

"And that's sweet," I admitted. "I'm just... not used to being looked after quite so much."

He stood from his chair and slipped behind me, holding my waist to turn me toward the map. "Close your eyes."

My eyes shut as I leaned against him while he guided my arm in front of me. "Point to a spot."

My finger landed blindly on a point, and when I opened my eyes, I found it to be in the Second Sector, not far from the Attano Estate.

"Hmmm," Nico murmured. "That looks like the Green Village. Not a bad spot."

"A spot for what?"

"To build our house, of course."

I laughed. "You're going to build us a house? Nonna will start a riot."

"Nonna can visit when she damn well pleases, but if you want a home of your own, Milla, I'll give it to you." He rested his chin on the top of my head. "The yards are a good size. You could get yourself a dog or something."

"I'm allergic to pets."

"Of course you are."

I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. "It sounds like you're planning to keep me forever, Attano."

His hands slipped from my waist, drifting lower. "I've got lots of plans for you. They all end in forever."

The word sobered the smile across my face. We'd never talked about forever, hadn't had the chance to look past the trouble of tomorrow. Making plans felt facetious when there was so much that could change, that we could lose in a second, but Nico had always been quite the planner.

Maybe, despite the unknowns, I could hope for forever with him as well.

"When is your meeting set to start?"

I felt him turn his head to look at a nearby wall clock. "Twenty minutes."

Pushing his hands lower until they rested beneath my hips, I said, "There's no one else here at the office today, I noticed."

"Just the security at the front and Luther. But I don't think he'll be bothering us."

I slipped from his fingers to stand behind his desk, bracing my hands on the glossy varnish. The desk was wide and came up to my hip, which might be a little uncomfortable, but I'd manage. "Have you ever fucked on this?"

The question visibly startled him, the way his brow rose. "I... No. Never."

"Think we have time?" I slipped one of the straps of my dress off my shoulder. Then the other. I untied the corset-like string that fitted the top around my ribcage, loosening it until the dress fell from my body. I stood in front of him wearing nothing but a bralette and heels.

He stalked towards me, unbuckling his belt. Grey eyes hard as steel took in every detail of my body in the gas light. He'd shed his coat when we walked in, showing off a black shirt beneath a grey tweed vest. A silver coat chain hung from the middle button to his pocket. Everything about his dress claimed he was classy and refined, but that look in his eyes bested the most savage of hunters.

Sometimes, when I looked in the mirror and saw what the prison had done to me, I resented what stared back. But when I saw my reflection in his eyes, I could only feel beautiful.

"I'll make time." With a rush of wind, the contract, his pen, anything loose, blew off the top of the desk. He freed his belt from his pants with a single pull. "Sit," he ordered.

I sat.

Nico stepped between my legs and kissed me hard. My arms fell around his neck, pressed my chest against his until there wasn't an inch to be found between our bodies. My hips bucked against him, seeking the friction of his hard erection pressing back against his pants.

His mouth trailed lower, nipping at the hollow of my throat, while his false hand cupped the back of my neck as his opposite slipped between us, undoing his pants to free himself. Guiding the tip of his shaft, he rubbed it along my clit through the wetness that hadn't stopped gathering there since we got in the car.

He groaned against my skin, rubbing himself along my center as warmth spread once more through my hips. My head fell back, falling into his caress. "Saints, Nico. That feels good."

He only responded by entangling his fingers in my curls and gently pulling my head back further, arching my chest with the position. His free hand left his cock to pull down the bralette, to give his mouth freedom to suck and nip at my breast.

My moans grew sharper, building with every sensation he added to flame the fire burning in my blood. Pressure coiled between my legs; an emptiness that longed to be filled. I bucked my hips to run my center along his length as his tongue swirled around my nipple and teeth grazed the surrounding skin.

He whispered curses I couldn't hear beyond the breath panting between my lips, the pulse roaring in my ears. Finally, gently, he lowered me to the top of the desk, running his hand down the valley of my chest to where I opened for him.

"Fucking stunning like this. I'll never get any work done again with this memory locked away."

A knock. A fucking knock sounded at his door.

"Mr. Attano?"

Nico slid his tongue between his teeth. He then motioned for me to be quiet and positioned himself at my entrance.

"What is it?" he called out, just before plunging his cock into me.

I gasped, but Nico clamped a hand around my mouth. Looming above me, he thrust his hips in as deep as he could stretch me, filling me with a surge of pleasure before drawing out again.

"Your appointment is here. A Mr. Abernathy on behalf of Sabina Bianchi."

Nico gritted his teeth. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to control the raspy edge in his voice. "I'm almost there—done. Tell him I'll be with him in a moment."

"He said he's in quite a rush, Mr. Attano."

My eyes fluttered from the waves of pleasure pulsing through me with every slam of his hips into mine. The hand still covering my mouth filtered the filthy sounds leaving my lips.

"Look at me," Nico said tenderly.

I tried to force my eyes open, to look through the haze of satisfaction, to stare up at him as he pounded into me over and over. Each thrust more merciless than the last.

"Sir, I can't see you..." the man at the door said.

Nico covered a groan with a cough. "I don't give a damn if he's in a rush. Give him a drink and tell him to—fucking saints ..."

"You want me to tell him to... fuck the saints?"

"No," Nico seethed. He was getting close, if the tightening grip around my mouth was any indication. I wrapped my legs around his waist, arched my back to give him deeper access. "Tell him... I'm finishing the contract and will be... right there ... in a moment."

My whimper slipped through his fingers, and Michael had to have heard it, because he finally left to tell Vincent Abernathy whatever the hells it took to give us some time.

I smiled against his palm, guided him by the wrist to slip his hand lower until it circled my throat. I almost lost myself feeling that cold hand pinch my airway. Without warning, he took the air from my chest and left me breathless.

"I told you to be quiet." He paused his thrusts. "I don't want that bleeder knowing what I'm doing to you. Is that clear?"

I nodded because I couldn't speak.

He didn't give me my breath back, not yet. Instead, he slammed back into me even harder, until every inch of him was seated inside me. My burning chest tried to scream as bullets of pleasure rippled through my core and tore me apart. Tears blurred my vision on him, my lips opened to take a breath he didn't allow me yet.

He pushed and pushed until I fell over the edge, body writhing with an electric euphoria as my climax squeezed around his cock. Watching me, he let me take a blessed breath, the rush of satiating air only elevating the pleasure to another level I'd never reached before. Not by myself.

He kissed me as he shattered, and I swallowed his moans with the sweep of my tongue, claiming them for myself. He jerked against my hips, spilling into me as his hands gripped my waist with a bruising hold.

After the waves of our joined climax settled into more tolerable undulations, he broke from my mouth, inching back to look at me. An adoration there I'd never seen anyone else offer me before.

"Worth it all."

"What?" I asked.

"You. You were worth everything."

Everything that had happened. All the trials and difficulties we've faced. We—us, together—were worth fighting every damn day for. To one day have our forever.

I'd never fallen in love before. But then again, I'd never felt like this, either. Like this thing between us was writing itself into my soul. I wondered if this was what forever felt like.

"I should get dressed," I whispered. "Before our visitor barges in here and gets an eyeful."

"I really don't feel like killing anyone right now, so that would be for the best." He sighed as he slipped out of me. "Let me clean you up at least."

He tucked himself back in his pants and found a clean napkin from the wet bar to clean off the mess he made down my legs before helping me back into my dress. I smoothed down my hair as he retied the laces cinching the fabric around my chest.

"Have a seat. You deserve the chair." He kissed my shoulder before bending to pick up the contract he'd tossed to the floor.

As soon as I lowered into the leather office chair, another knock rapped against the door. This one much louder and demanding in its intent. Nico rushed to the door and unlocked it, swinging it wide to reveal a red-faced bleeder holding a box.

"Ah," Nico said casually. "Mr. Abernathy. You're very early, to my inconvenience."

He pushed the box into Nico's stomach. "Trouble always seems to come when you least expect it, Mr. Attano. For the sake of the Row, you'll want to make time to open this."