Chapter 36

CLEO

O ne morning, Alessio woke me with a coffee on a tray covered in white rose petals.

I spotted more flower blossoms on the bed and floor scattered like a trail.

Intrigued, I got out of bed and followed the path to Blue Bliss ’ front door.

Where Alessio was waiting with an even larger bunch of ivory roses and his SUV.

Without a word, he handed the bouquet to me and led me into the car.

I protested. ‘Honey, I’m in pajamas, Ugg boots, and a robe.’

‘You won’t need anything else fancier where we’re going,’ he growled.

He started the vehicle and drove out of the estate and down the valley for about five minutes until we pulled into a gate .

‘What is this?’ I asked in wonder as the gates opened and we swept up the stunning driveway.

We parked at the sweeping steps to a Hamptons-style house that was so breathtaking that I gasped.

Standing tall with its two stories, the homestead welcomed us with open arms.

‘Welcome to Luminescenza , meaning luminescence. Our new home.’

Eyes blinking fast, I let Alessio lead me into the property, my heart thudding with anticipation.

The estate, nestled in the embrace of the Blue Mountains, radiated a quiet grandeur that promised a beautiful future together.

Stepping into the stillness of the house, it felt like coming home.

Expansive windows let in a golden luminosity that fell over the towering pines standing sentinel in the stunning vista beyond the glass.

There was a harmony in this space, an unspoken rhythm that the city’s cacophony could never hope to match.

Six spacious bedrooms and five bathrooms, including three ensuites, awaited us.

Every detail was more charming than the previous, with joinery and exposed timber beams adding a warm, rustic touch to the elegance surrounding us.

As we walked hand in hand through the house, I imagined the life we’d build here.

The rooms, each more inviting than the last, appeared to whisper of future memories.

The formal dining was perfect for hosting dinners where laughter and conversation would flow as easily as the wine .

The heart of the home was the open-plan kitchen, a space that invited warmth and devotion.

‘Baby, I can see us prepping together!’ I murmured, imagining the aroma of our cherished dishes filling the air.

The piece de résistance, however, was the library.

It came complete with oversized bookshelves, a stunning mix of decor and indoor plants, comfy sofas, and a vintage rug with a modern glass coffee table.

Betters till, Alessio had transported all my books, precious, well-thumbed novels, and limited-edition hardcovers and arranged them on the shelves.

I was so stunned that my words stayed trapped inside as I ran my hands over the familiar spines, my mind spinning.

Still, there came more to explore. From the sunroom to the sitting rooms and library, I already have found a dozen favorite spots to unwind.

The wide verandas, the vaulted ceilings, and the stone fireplace in the living area promised cozy nights.

On the north terrace, I pictured us sharing meals under the wisteria’s shade, warmed by the outdoor fire and pizza oven.

We discovered the 22-meter pool, the renovated cabana with a built-in beer system, and a Brazilian-style BBQ inset in lush gardens, offering peace and tranquility.

The estate also had a tennis court, horse stables, dog kennels, machinery sheds, and abundant water resources.

Lastly, we inspected the charming guest accommodations: a weatherboard timber cottage and a two-bedroom apartment.

‘You like?’ Alessio asked when we stood on a small knoll overlooking the property, staring back at its beauty.

‘I don’t like -’ I declared, speaking my first words since we’d arrived.

His eyes narrowed, and his nose flared. ‘But -’

‘ - I adore, Calibrese. I love it a lot. Grazie, honey.’

He shut his eyes for a moment, sucked his teeth, and let out a long exhale. ‘Fuck woman, I thought you hated it. Which would have killed me given how many other places I’ve had to tour and turn down until I found this place.’

I laughed, tugging him into my arms. ‘Calibrese, you’re so easy to tease. And I cherish you for it. I also adore that you took the time to search for it. It’s perfect, where we can build our dreams, surrounded by love, in a home that would be ours for years to come.’

I woke to sunlight filtering through the gauzy curtains, casting a golden glow across the room.

Blinking sleepily, I stretched under the soft sheets, a contented sigh escaping my lips.

As I rolled over, I was greeted by a sight that made my heart skip a beat.

On the nightstand sat a delicate vessel filled with a vibrant bouquet of wildflowers, their petals still glistening with dew.

A steaming mug of coffee rested beside it, the rich aroma wafting through the air and enticing me from slumber’s gentle embrace.

I reached for the handwritten note propped against the vase .

‘Good morning, zuccherino,’ it read in Alessio’s scrawled script. ‘I hope these little tokens of my affection bring a smile to your beautiful face. Meet me in the garden when you’re ready. Ti amo, always.’

I traced my fingertips over the words, warmth blossoming in my chest.

Damn, we’d even come up with nicknames for each other: zuccherino , for me, as I was Alessio’s sugar, and mio leone d’or o, my golden lion, for him.

How had I won life’s lottery?

Alessio’s thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze me; his tender gestures reminded me of the depth of his love.

In the past few weeks, settling into our home and finding a fresh rhythm had only revealed how much I adored him.

Given our home’s proximity to Lorenzo’s mountain residence and Sydney, Alessio commuted when needed.

Weekends were spent with famiglia, my new family.

Mia and I took turns hosting the Calibrese clan, and our joint barbecues, cookouts, and swim parties became legendary.

When we weren’t with kin, we took advantage of the fantastic bushwalking, rock climbing, cave exploring, and hiking trails surrounding us.

There was also an abundance of wildlife, including wombats, birds, kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos. It was like living in a national park, a naturalist and birdwatchers’ paradise, and the starry nights had to be seen to be believed.

Twenty minutes down the road was a historic stone-built pub on the edge of the mountains, and in the winter, one could stretch by an open fire.

The local village has tennis courts, quaint shops one could explore for days, and friendly, smiling locals .

As for my farm, we’d repaired the cabin and rented the spread to a grandson of the Henderson family who’d decided to take up farming.

The Conti estate was sold off to recoup the state’s costs and pay back fines.

The Caputos left us well alone and, from all accounts, had shut up shop in Goulburn to refocus their efforts on their Sydney and Melbourne-based illegal vapes and drug distribution.

During the week, Alessio worked in the city with his brothers.

Which gave my introverted self a chance to regroup. I wandered in quiet euphoria through our gardens and vegetable patch, nurturing the nascent carrots, tomatoes, and chilies we’d planted.

Anticipating a bumper crop, I gathered ideas for jams and pickles from Mia and Alessio and incorporated their late Aunt Bianca’s recipes into the mix.

Now, sipping the perfect brewed coffee, I breathed in the delicate fragrance of Alessio’s wildflowers.

Damn, the man was a soft touch. He kept spoiling me rotten with heartfelt gestures, tender touches, and whispered words of devotion.

I returned it with joy and laughter, cooking, and long massages that ended up in melting-hot sex.

It was healing. It was heaven.

It appeared he loved life in the country, after all.

It still jolted me how much the man had transformed.

From a brooding city brawler who didn’t know the difference between a tomato and grapevine to a gentleman farmer. One who nurtured chilies with a passion bordering on mania .

Thinking of him, I set the mug down and slipped from the bed.

I threw on a robe over my cami top and shorts.

Stepping out into the light-dappled garden, I spotted Alessio sunning himself on a chaise lounge on the far end of the wrap-around veranda.

He wore a pair of tight, white trunks and nothing else. Stretched out like a predatory cat, his limbs long, thick, sculpted, and freakin’ gleaming in the sun like some god.

I drank in his shoulder-length mane, that fuckin’ sensual beard and mustache, his muscled chest and hips that drove me wild daily.

Sensing my presence, he opened one eye, tagged me, and unfurled a hand to reach for me.

I was wet in an instant, even as I moved to his side and let his sinewed hand wrap around my thighs.

‘Il mio leone d’oro,’ I breathed.

His lips curled as we stared at each other, our passion and yearning ratcheting without a word shared.

His fingers reached for the edge of my cami bottoms and tugged them down.

I helped shimmy them off my feet, turning to see him lift that freakin’ tight ass to slip off his shorts.

My knees weakened at the sight of his thickness, jutting, throbbing for me.

Exhaling to contain myself, I levered my leg over him and lowered my waist.

I was so soaked, to the point of leaking, and his palm curled into me, slicking all over my clit, driving me wild.

Only this man could get me so high on love, on sex, on life itself .

Hands gripping my midsection, he positioned me, then, with a curl of his lip, slid his cock in, his jeweled head driving me wild.

He buried himself to the hilt with a growl and with a smooth thrust of his groin, hitting my G-spot and plunging so deep I felt him against my belly button.

Hell, every time we slammed into each other, it seemed like I was about to fall off the edge of a cliff into a sea of ecstasy.

My hands fell onto his chest, head thrown back, pussy gripping him as he worked his hips, my pelvis sliding over his, the friction driving me wild.

While one hand stimulated my clit, a lean finger eased down my spaghetti shoulder straps, exposing my tits.

I leaned forward and offered them.

In seconds, his mouth was suckling, laving, one hand plumping so he’d have more of my nipple in his lips.

The pleasure and pressure between my thighs began to coalesce.

‘Alessio, baby,’ I murmured.

‘Do you want my cum?’ he growled.

‘Si,’ I breathed, ‘but not until I say you can.’

He huffed in disbelief at my moxie.

I stared back at him, daring him.

He upped the ante, slamming harder into me.

I threw my head back and rode him, unable to contain all the sweetness and wild he was giving me.

When I detected the telltale flutter at the back of my spine, I jerked my eyes to meet his hot, scorching gaze.

‘Now, cum for me, baby, you deserve it.’

He whipped his head back as my words gave him release.

Neck corded, veins jutting as he groaned long and loud, his cum spurting into me in thick ropey, scorching jets.

I bucked, cumming so hard I saw stars.

We came down, panting into each other.

Alessio’s head remained thrown back on the lounge chair. Eyes closed, throat working as the waves of bliss ebbed through him.

I fell onto his chest, kissing his collarbone, thoroughly fucked and spent.

Finally, he roused, tipping my chin up to meet his amber, heated eyes, soft in adoration.

His arms came around me, his lips finding mine in a gentle, lingering kiss.

‘Buongiorno, mia sola, il mio zuccherino,’ he murmured against my mouth. ‘You slept well?’

‘Like a dream,’ I replied, nuzzling into his embrace. ‘Grazie for the flowers, coffee, and fuck. You’re too good to me, Alessio.’

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest, cupping my breast, flicking my nipple. ‘Hell woman, you’ve turned me into a love-sick diavolo.’

‘Don’t blame me. You’re the one who came after me twice, desperate for it.’

He growled, pulling me into his arms. ‘I’m much the better man for it. Fotto, carissima, you deserve all the sweetness in the world, and I intend to spend every day giving it to you.’

‘You ready for more sweet?’

I arched a brow. ‘What do you mean?’

He lifted a finger to stay me. ‘Wait here.’

He untangled himself from me and pulled on his shorts. I reached for my cami bottoms and stepped into them as he loped off, lips curved, ass tight, sexy as fuck.

He vaulted over a fence and went into one of the barns.

Minutes later, he emerged with a hefty package in his hand.

He eased over the railing again and strode toward me, sensual as sin, golden hair ruffling in the wind.

He set down the box before me.

‘What is it?’

A rustling noise came from inside, and my heart rate ratcheted.

‘Open it,’ he growled, affection in his gaze.

I did, easing back the flaps.

I almost died as two little faces peeked up at me.

Both were white as snow and adorable as fuck.

I gasped, reached into the crate, and held them close.

‘Are you going to thank me for your baby miniature goats?’

They nibbled my ear, and I laughed, nestling myself into their taut, wriggling forms.

I set them down, and they pranced around me.

‘Grazie, my love. They’re so perfect,’ I murmured, stroking Alessio’s chin, my eyes fixed on the squirming little bodies.

‘You told me a dog would be too much but that you loved goats.’

‘You remembered?’

‘I always remember,’ he rasped. ‘Everything you say and do is etched in my mind.’

I leaned in and gave him a long kiss.

‘But wait, there’s more.’

He reached for one of the kids who was butting his knee.

That’s when I saw a small package around its neck.

Alessio extended the goat to me with a smirk. ‘Cleo Michele, your whole being is so beautiful, cara. You help me to discover me. Now, I know it was less obsession and more destiny that we’re together. I want to build a tribe with you, protect and provide for you. I know the past has been hard on you, but Dio, I see the divine in you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?’

With shaking hands, I retrieved the velvet pouch he was extending.

He nodded as I undid the string and delved in to retrieve a stunning emerald green ring crowned by a cluster of diamonds arranged in a perfect square cut.

I gasped at it, twirling it in the air in wonder.

He set the baby goat down and reached for my hand.

‘Woman, will you agree to wife me or play with your new toy?’

He growled with impatience, yet I tagged worry interlaced in his demand.

I leaned back and smiled.

‘Let me think.’ I teased.

‘Cleo,’ he snarled in warning, his face blanching with concern.

I convulsed into laughter. ‘Of course honey, yes, I’ll marry you.’

The look of relief on his face was priceless.

‘Never thought I’d see a badass sweat as much as you did just now.’

He slid the ring on my finger, adding a scorching kiss, then, in retaliation, captured me, threw me over his shoulder, and marched to the primary bedroom.

Where he tossed me onto the bed.

Our desire re-ignited like wildfire.

Shedding our clothes, we made love again with the doors to the garden open, the wind flowing over our bodies entwined in a dance as old as time itself.

‘Ah Cleo, you undo me, inflame me,’ he rasped into my ear, hoarse, raw, grating. Slicking in and out of me as he growled, ‘Luce dei miei occhi, the light of my life, carissima.’

‘Baby, ti amo, you are my life,’ I whispered, rocking under him, lips to his.

I closed my eyes, cherishing those words, committing them to memory.

Alessio’s touch set my skin aflame, his reverent caresses worshiping every curve and hollow of my body. Until I thought I might shatter from the sheer intensity of it all.

Later, we lounged naked in our king-size bed, wrapped in each other’s arms with a view of the blooming garden and the mini goats frolicking in the grass.

A profound sense of peace washed over me.

This was where I belonged, in the embrace of the man who had utterly captured my heart.

We basked in the afterglow of our passion as the sun descended, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson.

In those moments, I knew that this was what true happiness was like—a joy so pure and unbridled that it threatened to overwhelm me.

As I gazed into Alessio’s eyes, I tagged the same wild delight reflected and a promise of a lifetime of adoration.

At that moment, I recalled the days I’d prayed for this kind of ecstasy. Now, I didn’t have to pray anymore.

He leaned in, whispering some spicy, naughty nothings in Italian into my ear.

I laughed, throwing my head back.

So elated.

So free .

So utterly in love with my leone d’oro , my man, my wicked and eternal obsession.

THE END OF ONE BEAUTIFUL, INCANDESCENT ROMANCE

AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER

The Kings of Omertà Series will continue with Valerio and Vitto.

However … a secret ‘brother’ is also about to ghost into the Calibreses’ life …

Who is he, why is he a secret, and what might his incandescent romance be?

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While you wait, explore Saint & Doja’s love story …

Love to Shield You:

When her worst nightmare resurfaces to take her out, Detective Doja Main is under fire and up the proverbial creek without a paddle. With no other options, she does what terrifies her the most - she reaches out to Saint Tahana , one of the scariest operators in Sydney, with the cred to match.

He is Falcon & Eagle’s best shield and deterrent … against low-lives wishing to move in on their patch. His uncanny spider sense for danger and cool-headedness make him the guy other badasses wanted in their foxhole. Because he’s the ‘get shit done’ guy who always wins with the will to cut through B.S . He’s got the long-range vision to see danger before it hits and split-second reactions to diffuse the threat.

Except, he’s the lover she can’t resist … and their bond is treacherous for her defiant heart. She might evade the war against her, only to be lost in his arms forever.

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