12. Aria

Chapter 12

Aria

Marco stares at me. The burning in his eyes is a rage I've never seen before, not even from my own family. I breathe heavily, exhausted from all the emotions of the day."You're pregnant with his child," he says coldly. "Of course you are."

Marco turns and walks away, and I turn to Franco, who is smiling broadly. "We're having a baby."

It's not a question. I stare at him for a moment and then tilt my head to the side."

What did you say?"

"We're having a baby."

"No, it's not what you said. It's how you said it."

"You just said you're pregnant with my child," he says, looking at me confused.

I shake my head. "I'm on birth control. I shouldn't be pregnant..." My frown deepens. "What did you do, Franco?"

"I didn't do anything," he says calmly. "Why don't we go upstairs."

"Don't lie to me. You can do many things to me, Franco Morelli but don't fucking lie to me, what did you do?" I step away from him as he reaches for me. "No. Don't touch me. Tell me what you did. Did you fuck with my birth control?"

He stands there staring at me. "Aria..."

"Did you? Did you mess with my birth control so I'd fall pregnant?" I clench my fists. "Answer me."

He sighs and looks away.

I shake my head and storm past him. "Unbelievable."

He grabs my arm and pulls me back to him. "Aria, listen to me. I know what I'm doing. It was the only way to stop Marco."

"You didn't think to tell me that was the plan? Or ask me if this is what I want?" I shake my head. "I am so mad at you I could tear your freaking face off."

He pulls me to him. "I'm sorry. Originally, Marco wanted me to switch it. But this is great news. We're married. We're having a baby. We're going to be a family. That's what you've always wanted: a family."

"I didn't have a choice," I say with a frown. "You took that choice out of my hands."

"Are you upset it's my baby?" he asks quietly, tilting his head to the side cutely.

I glare at him. "You know I'm not. "

"Let me run you a bath," he says, stroking my hair back over my shoulder. "Let me make it up to you."

I shake my head, but he captures my chin with his finger and leans in to kiss me softly. "Please." He murmurs. "I care about you. You know that."

I bite my lip and sigh. "Fine. I could use a bath to relax."

"You two make me sick," Giulia says. "All this lovey-dovey nonsense. But I'm excited to be an aunty."

I glance at her and smile. "I'm sure the child will be very spoiled by you."

"Of course, go enjoy your bath." She has a mischievous glint in her eye as she flounces off.

Franco takes my hand and kisses it. "Come, let's go."

"Marco won't let this go so easily, Franco," I say quietly. "Giulia, can you not talk to him? Maybe he will listen to you."

She pauses and looks at me, "I can try, but I can't make any promises. You've crossed him quite badly. Maybe my father can make him see reason."

I nod and let Franco lead me upstairs to his room.

Is this our room now? I look at him. "

I suppose I should move all my stuff in here."

"Why don't you do that while I run the bath?" He says, kissing my forehead.

I nod and go to my room, packing my clothes into a laundry basket and then piling my toiletries on top of it. I carry it to his room. I can hear him in the bathroom, running the water. I go back for the last few items I have and bring them to the bedroom. He walks out of the bathroom and smiles. "We'll sort out space in my closet after the bath. Come."

I follow him and look around his bathroom. It's beautiful, tiled in black. A huge bath sits in the ground in the center. There's a shower to the right, open with three shower heads, one on each wall. The toilet and basin are on the other side, but I don't pay attention to that.

There are bubbles in the bath, and I smile. "I didn't think you'd like a bubble bath."

"It's our little secret," He murmurs, standing behind me. "I like to soak in a hot bath after a long day."

"So you're an old softie," I say quietly.

I feel his hands tugging at my shirt, and I raise my arms. He pulls it off and drops it to the side, kissing my bare shoulder."

I thought we were bathing?" I ask.

"We are. Can a man not worship his pregnant wife." He undoes the clasp of my bra, and I slide out of it.

He kneels down and pulls off my pants and my panties, and I step out of them.

He stands up and starts to undress while I step into the bath and sit on the side, warming my legs.

He steps in beside me and sits down, pushing my knees apart .

"Lie back," he says, "Rest on your elbows."

I do as he says, and I look down at my currently flat belly to look at him. He reaches over to the side of the bath and picks up an ornate-looking jug. He brings it over and pours some warm oil on my stomach. I groan. "Am I getting a massage?"

"You said you wanted one," he says.

He stays kneeled between my legs as he rubs the oil into my skin, massaging my stomach gently. Once I'm slicked up, he massages lower and lower, and I bite my lip.

He slides a finger through my folds and circles my clit.

I tip my head back and let out a deep sigh. "Franco..." I warn him. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"I believe I've started and finished every time," he chuckles, leaning down to suck on my clit.

I spread my legs further as two fingers dip deep inside my pussy. "This feels.... nice."

"Nice?" He chuckles. "I'm sure I can do better than nice."

His tongue flicks at my clit as he starts to move his fingers in and out of me. I rock my hips back and forth, forming a rhythm.

He pulls his fingers out and reaches for my hand. "Come sit on my lap."

"I want to do more than sit on your lap," I growl.

I straddle him, and he slides a hand between us to guide his rock-hard cock into me. I push him so he's leaning back, and I start to move up and down, riding him. He sits up again and captures my nipple in his mouth, moving his hips with mine.

I cry out, running my hands through his hair before I tug his head back and kiss him. "Slower."

He breathes heavily as he slows his hips. I slow mine.

We move together, and the water laps gently at the edges of the bath. I run my hands up and down his chest, and he holds my hips, thrusting with purpose.

"I suppose it's not like I can get pregnant again," I murmur, biting his bottom lip.

"Not that anything's stopped us before." He looks up at me with those sultry, dark eyes. "Bend over the bath."

I get up and bend over the edge of the bath. I feel him spill warm oil onto me and possibly onto himself. I hear him massage it into his cock, the wet sound of skin being tugged back and forth before lubricated fingers part me, and he pushes back into me.

I breathe heavily, rocking back and forth.

"Not too fast," he murmurs.

"No, I want it hard and fast now." I groan, a hand going to my breast and playing with my nipple. "I don't... It feels so good."

It must be the pregnancy hormones, but once he starts moving faster, I give out little yelps every time he thrusts into me. My yelps become loud groans, and then I start crying out his name as my pussy clenches around his cock.

"I'm coming," I cry out. "I'm coming. I'm coming. "

My body shakes as he thrusts deep inside me with a grunt of my name.

We collapse into the warm, soapy water, and I rest back against him. "We should move out," I say quietly."

Marco will be fine. This is our family home." He strokes my sides softly.

"I'm exhausted."

"I know, so am I. It's just one thing after another." He kisses my head. "We'll get it sorted, don't worry. No one fucking touches you while I'm around."

"It's you I'm worried about." I turn my head to look at him. "All the fights with your brother and the attacks."

"We'll be fine," he says softly. "Come, let's get dried off and go to bed."

"So bath is just a euphemism for sex?" I tease, standing up and climbing out of the bath. I wrap a towel around me and wait for him.

"Maybe," he chuckles. I do love that chuckle.

We get dried off and dressed, and I slip into bed. He gets in the other side and wraps himself around me, making me the little spoon.

I sigh and close my eyes, my hand over his.

There's a frantic knocking at the door, and we both sit upright quickly .

Franco hurries to put on some boxers and cracks open the door as I get up and put on a robe.

"Mama, could this not have waited until breakfast?" he asks as she pushes the door open and looks at me.

"I don't care that you two are together, but Marco and Giulia are missing," Sofia looks around frantically. "I don't know what to do. I can't reach Marco, and Giulia was seen being carried into a white van."

Franco races to his closet. "I'll get the best men we have on it, Mama, don't worry."

I go to her and take her hands. "Go down and have Claira make you some sweet tea. I'll be down shortly to help."

Sofia nods and wipes tears from her eyes as she leaves. I hurry and get dressed.

"You're staying here," Franco says. "I can't put you in danger."

"You don't have to," I say. "I'll run the base of operations from here. I'll stay here in case she's returned here. I'll be safe, don't worry."

"He leans over and kisses me. "Keep Mama calm." He grabs his phone and walks out. I finish dressing and head downstairs, walking to the dining room where Sofia is sitting at the table sipping tea. "Franco will find her," I say confidently. "He won't let us down."

"What if they hurt her?" Sofia asks. "She's just a young girl."

"She'll hold her own," I say, sitting beside her. "I'm sorry we married without your blessing." I need to distract her.

She shakes her head. "Franco has always been hard-headed and stubborn. I expect nothing else from him.

"Franco walks in, followed by Donald, Marido and Jarrod. "We're going to Don Vito's estate. We suspect he has Giulia there. We can't find any trace of Marco. Mama, why don't you see if Marco is at the casino? It will give you something to do.

"Sofia nods and gets up. "You stay here," he says. "Let me know if there's any sign of Giulia."

"Be careful," I say, tilting my head to kiss him. "Come back to me."

"Of course," he says before he leaves.

I fret. I don't know what to do with myself to keep busy. I'm worried about Giulia. I want her to be okay if they've taken her because of me because Vito wants me.

I sniff. Why do bad things always happen to me? Why can't I just enjoy my new life?

I hear footsteps, and thinking Franco forgot something, I turn around to speak to him but see Marco standing there in the doorway.

"What do you want?" I ask sullenly. "Giulia is missing, and you're nowhere to be found."

"My sister will be fine. It's you you should be worried about," he says, advancing into the room.

I take a step back and clench my fists. "I will defend myself."

"Ha, how?" He pulls a knife out from behind his back. I stop retreating and stand my ground.

"Marco, stop. This is pointless."

"If I can't have you, then no one can," he threatens.

Marco walks towards me and swipes at me. I grab his hand, turn around, and slam his wrist over my shoulder so he drops the knife before I turn around and knee him in the balls. I scoop the knife up and hold it to his throat. "I'm not a defenseless little fucking girl," I say. "I'm a grown-ass woman with a history."

Marco looks up at me, and I keep the knife at his throat. "I could kill you now, and Franco would be head of this family, do you understand that? And no one would miss you because you're an 'A' grade asshole.

"He stands up slowly, and I lower the knife. "Now, piss off.

"He opens his mouth to say something, reconsiders it, and turns to leave. I lay the knife on the table and sit down, I might never be able to escape the mafia life, but I'll be damned if I die by it. I get lost in my thoughts as the minutes tick agonizingly by.

There is the sound of tires outside, and I stand, worried.

Franco walks in, looking a little haggard. "She wasn't there."

"Fuck," I say. "Where could she be?"

"Donald thinks we should regroup and attack Vito's laundromats. That's where we're headed now." He sees the knife on the table and looks at me.

"It's nothing," I say with a smile. "Go get our sister back."