CHAPTER 10

Brian moved slowly and sensuously, lithe like a panther, only picking up speed at the end of each thrust as he snapped his hips and his cock collided into Luca's prostate, inciting an explosion of sensations, a banquet of euphoria, a gala of ecstasy. The whole time, the librarian whispered words of praise and love into the other one's ear.

"You're so beautiful. I could look at this face all day," Brian purred, as his lips brushed over Luca's cheeks, placing small, soft kisses on the corner of his mouth, on his chin, and then all over to the other side. "So perfect, all mine. You feel so good, pet, I won't ever abandon you."

The slower pace had a prolonging effect, and the two men moved together for what seemed like an extended amount of time, yet Luca never wanted it to end. Brian's words caressed his ears like soft cotton, and he let himself drift along on the tide of his Dom's ministrations. He traced his hands along his Master's shoulders and down his back, loving the feel of muscles as they flexed on either side of him.

Brian made Luca feel so breathless that the man was surprised he didn't faint; every part of his lover was pure masculinity. The sub knew his Dominant was finally getting close when his breathing picked up into short pants and one of his hands snaked down the other's front until he held his hard shaft firmly in his grip. All his Dom needed to do was slide his fingers over his partner a few times before he was so close to the edge he could barely function.

"Master…Sir…May I cum, please?" Luca panted out.

"Just Brian right now, beautiful," Brian whispered into his sub's ear, sending shivers down his spine. "You can come whenever you're ready."

That was all Luca needed, a whimper escaping his lips as his balls tightened unbearably and then, when Brian pumped his shaft one more time from base to tip, a scream bellowed out of him as he shot all over their stomachs. The librarian groaned as the other's body clamped tightly around him from the force of his orgasm, detonating his own like an explosion.

Both men lay panting, and suddenly, a wave of mixed emotions hit Luca, and he felt like he was flailing without anything to grab onto. He didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling, and he was so overwhelmed that he started crying. The tears fell slowly at first, but in spite of the man's efforts to stop them, they continued to stream from his stormy-grey eyes.

Brian was sliding out of him when he noticed. "What's wrong, my precious pet?" He took the other in his arms. "Did I hurt you?" He sighed in relief when his sub shook his head no, then continued in a soft voice, at a loss for what to do or say. "Why are you crying? Talk to me, please…"

"I don't know," Luca finally squeaked out, humiliation fueling his wayward emotions.

Brian wrapped his arms around his lover's body and pulled him closer, rocking him slightly and telling him it was okay. "Let it out, my beautiful pet, just let it out. When you're ready, we can talk about it."

But Luca knew he couldn't talk about it and that made him cry harder as he leaned into his Dom's embrace, his shoulders shaking against the other one's chest. The man was exhausted by the time his sobs finally subsided and as his breathing calmed down, his eyelids felt heavy until he couldn't keep them open anymore.

"Go to sleep, my precious pet."

Luca didn't hear if Brian said anything after that as he fell into a deep slumber.

************

"I thought…never mind." Disappointment flooded Stephanie's eyes at the sight of the librarian kissing a man who was not his husband. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Both of you. I pity your husband. I trusted you, a liar and a cheater, with my brother's deepest secrets." She turned around, heading to the library's exit.

"But I'm not a cheater or a liar." Brian protested in a warm voice. "If you just let me explain…"

"Right. And this one is a fucking illusion." Sarcasm poured from Stephanie's voice. "And of course you weren't kissing him, either."

"Okay, look." Brian raised his hands in surrender. "Take a seat, please, and let me call Bart. I'll put the phone on the speaker, so you can listen to our conversation." When the young woman nodded in understanding, he speed-dialed his husband's number. "Hello, babe." He inhaled sharply. "Stephanie caught Luca kissing me, and now she thinks I'm a cheater. Do you have time to come to the library and help me explain things to her?

"I'll be there in five," Bart answered right away. "Will you and the other handsome guy put a show on in the back, for my viewing pleasure?"

"Sir?" Luca gave the librarian the faintest, shiest smile, a delicate shade of pink coloring his cheeks.

"Always, babe, you know that." Brian winked in the phone's direction, then wrapped the Sicilian in a warm, affectionate gaze. "It's alright, my perfect pet."

"Wait…what?" Stephanie stared incredulously at the librarian. "Your husband knows?"

"Yes, he does. I would have never made this move if hadn't he given me his blessing first." Brian gestured to the Sicilian. "I don't think the two of you were officially introduced to each other. Luca, this is Stephanie." He swallowed thickly. "Stephanie, meet my best friend and submissive, who has a good part of my heart."

"So this is the famous Luca, who adopted a baby with Martino." Stephanie fell silent for a few moments, a frown creasing her forehead. "He is your lover and Martino's husband at the same time? Does he have the little redhead's blessing?" The questions were flowing like a torrent from her lips.

"Yes, Martino knows, too, and he's okay with it." Brian paused for a moment. "The two of them are indulging in each other, to put it this way." The confession was followed by another moment of silence. "Look, it's no secret: I've had trouble eating because of stress. Luca came by to make sure I did. He thought maybe if he kissed me it would help," the librarian continued in a somewhat strained voice.

Stephanie nodded and gave the librarian a look filled with warmth and sympathy. "I used to do that to Bailey, to make sure he was eating. I stayed with him and kissed the top of his head."

"So you understand in a way." Brian let out a sigh of relief and was about to continue when he saw Bart's car pulling over in the small parking lot. "Here comes the rescue team." He grinned.

"Where's the show you promised me, Mafia Daddy? I'm rock hard already," Bart asked in a loud voice as soon as he stepped inside. "Oh, hi, Stephanie." He blushed and covered his face in embarrassment.

"Babe, you have no filter." Brian let out an amused chuckle and shook his head.

"No, I don't," the younger man replied, a grin stretching his mouth from ear to ear. "I'm Bart the Brat, remember?"

"Later at home, brat." Brian's voice was heavy with lust, and he had fire in his eyes. "Stephanie thought I was cheating on you, and I thought it would be better if she heard it from you that I'm not."

Martino walked in with Gianluca. "I need some books for a project, and Bart was heading this way, so I thought to join him and bring this young gentleman with me."

"Oh, hello, little one! Look at you, handsome prince! I bet your fathers love you so, so much!" Stephanie took Gianluca from Martino's arms and covered his cute face with kisses. "I swear this baby melts my heart."

"All of us adore him." Brian gazed over the little boy, who was completely relaxed in the young woman's arms. "He's a little prince, in every sense of the word. Gianluca, the seventeenth Principe Sforza," the man proclaimed in a solemn voice.

"Bailey wanted to adopt, too, but Grant…" Stephanie swallowed thickly. "That was when he put my brother in the hospital for the first time." Sadness and bitterness mixed in her voice.

"Babe, you know I've struggled lately eating wise, so my pet came by to see if I did." Brian turned to his husband, giving him the abridged version of the story.

"Of course Master hasn't eaten, because he's the most stubborn librarian alive." Luca rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, pet." Brian accompanied his words with a smirk. "So, Luca kissed me to see if that would help, Stephanie walked in, she thought we were cheating on the two of you, and here we are."

"I was wrong, and I'm sorry." Stephanie said in an apologetic voice as she looked between the men. "Now I can see the four of you love each other very much."

These last couple of weeks were quite eventful, a small smile played on Stephanie's lips as she formulated the thought. Each day that passed brought something new that helped her to understand Brian Cavallieri and the dynamic inside his extended family and group of friends better, the scene at the library being only one example.

The longer Stephanie spent in the man's company, the more she wanted him in her and Bailey's life. In the last couple of months, everything happened so quickly, and she would have ended up crushed under the weight of so many problems and situations if it wasn't for his unwavering support and constant encouragement.

First, it was the discovery that Lennox served time in jail for beating someone to death, which, in Stephanie's book, placed him in the same category as Grant, if not worse. She didn't know how to react to that; her first impulse was to go to the man, throw everything in his face, and threaten him with the police if he would ever come close to Bailey again.

However, once she calmed down a bit, Stephanie decided to talk to Brian first, see what he thought. The young woman decided to erase from her mind everything the librarian said about them being siblings and continued to see him as her and Bailey's best friend. She trusted his judgment and thought of asking him for advice before making a final decision.

It was a moment of inspiration because Brian told her the story behind Lennox's incarceration and also silenced her fears about him being a member of the Irish Mafia. In a calm voice, he explained the difference between the Old-World Mafia organizations, be them Italian, Irish, or Scottish, and the gangs formed during the Prohibition era.

Her mother taught Stephanie to never trust anyone, but it didn't work with Brian; since she met the man for the first time, it never occurred to her to doubt him. The librarian possessed an in-depth understanding of the world and human nature. The conversation the two of them had about Lennox and the Mafia made her rest assured that her brother had finally found happiness.

However, not long after that, Bailey told Stephanie he was made differently on the inside and took after their mother. Her sibling's confession shook the young woman to the core, but Brian was there for her, like he had been over the past few months every time she needed comfort, strength, and support.

There were a lot of people like Bailey who lived a happy, fulfilled life, he softly spoke, soothing Stephanie's tense nerves. Jamie, the assistant librarian, for instance, made it no secret that they were special, and no one at The Base marginalized them. On the contrary, half of the male staff members, gay and straight alike, courted them and brought them chocolates and cute little presents.

Principal Peyton Bloom-Hunter was another example of an intersex person who had a life filled with love and achieved all their goals. It wasn't his story to tell, Brian continued, but Lennox was exactly the kind of guy Bailey needed at their side. At that point, Stephanie's phone buzzed, signaling a new message from her sibling.

The young woman opened it and started to read, stopping a few times to wipe away the tears flowing from her eyes. Bailey texted to tell her they were lying in bed, in Lennox's arms, after making love to the man. That it was the most incredible experience in their life . I'm happy, happier than ever before, the message ended.

Thank you for being in our lives, Brian Cavallieri. Stephanie smiled through tears.