13. Quiet

THIRTEEN

Quiet

JULIAN

W ith Josie keeping Milana occupied with Nico and showing her around the house and to our room, Alessio and I retreat to his den and go over the rest of the pictures that Josie and Valentina had snapped from the wedding. There are a couple more with the same background, but they're even less clear and have a more obstructed view of the man.

There's something familiar about the guy, but I can't pinpoint where I've seen him before.

"There's something about him," I say.

Alessio is looking on the screen at the photo that's been enhanced and sent to him by one of our tech guys, but it's grainy at best. "I know what you mean."

"Milana says he looks sad," I comment.

"We won't know until we identify him and bring him in to ask him," Alessio retorts.

There's a knock on the door; it's Josie. "I wasn't planning on a full dinner, but did you want me to make you both something?"

"Just a couple of sandwiches would be fine," Alessio replies for both of us.

"How is Milana?" I ask.

"She's playing with Nico in the playroom, but she seems tired. I think she might head to bed early. I put you at the other end of the hall, the very last room. It has its own private bathroom and gives you a little more privacy," she says with a grin.

"Thank you. I appreciate all that you've done," I tell her sincerely.

"My pleasure. Milana really is a sweetie. Nico thinks she's awesome, and you know what a great judge of character he is," she teases. She clicks the door shut when she leaves.

Alessio pushes back his chair and says, "You've grown to care for this woman."

I guess I have. I like spending time with Milana. She's not pretentious, definitely not high maintenance, and easy to talk to. We seem to have the same tastes in movies, both of us preferring comedies. Although, she confessed to liking a sappy, girly movie from time to time. But I think what I like the most is her strength of character, and her genius ability to care about others.

Milana never flinched when all the traditions were being imposed on her. She knew this was a rite of passage that could not be avoided if she were to gain acceptance into Il Destino , and she forged past it with grace. She's been nothing but respectful with my parents and has bonded with Fausto. I've seen her making an effort to watch football with him and asking questions to learn more about the game.

It could be said that Milana's doing all this for her own survival. If she doesn't blend well, then life will be difficult for her. But I think there's more to it. She's never had a proper family, never had a home to call her own. Even as a child, she was more of a nuisance to her father than anything else until it was convenient for him to use her for his own ends. Milana wants to belong.

"I do care about her. I believe she's genuine in what she says and does. I also think she's warm and gentle and wants to please us," I respond.

"I think you feel more than you admit." He grins, but I remain silent. He's right, I do feel more than I should. To fall in love is perilous for the one who has our love. The enemy goes after what we care for most to hurt us. Alessio lifts a brow, but decides to move back to the topic at hand.

"Do you think we can get someone to clean up the image and it could give us a better indication of who this might be?" I ask. Alessio hates asking for help from another family. Even with the alliances with Marco, Reno, and Raffaele, he likes to keep things in our own inner circle. It's the smart thing to do, but not always possible. It's not that we haven't stepped in when we were needed. On many occasions, our men have put their lives on the line to help out.

"It's a possibility. Niccolo is asking Davide to look at it and see what he can do," Alessio says.

"Davide? Is he back?" I haven't seen him in months. Niccolo's younger brother has shied away from Il Destino. After Niccolo's father died, Davide wanted nothing to do with our Mafia family and tried to distance himself as much as possible. Unfortunately, there is no way out of this life when you're born into it. You're a target to the enemy from the time you're born until you die. I know for a fact that Niccolo's had eyes on Davide even when he was away at school.

"Graduating and getting his final degree this year. He's done. It's time for him to find his place with us," Alessio says curtly.

I hear it in his tone: Alessio's patience has worn thin. Davide has three degrees, and at twenty-seven, he needs to pull his weight. His computer science degree was the last indulgence Alessio allowed. Davide is a made man. He's had his indoctrination into the family. He even came back when Alessio needed him to take care of Valentina and Josie. He's dependable, honorable, and loyal, and he would do anything for Niccolo and his family. I think his father's death affected him deeply, and Niccolo was working so hard at being the man of the family while his mother fell apart and could barely manage that Davide retreated into himself.

I know better than to ask what plans Alessio may have for Davide, so I move on to other business matters that need to be discussed.

Hours later, the house is quiet, and Alessio and I retire for the evening. At the top of the stairs, Alessio points down the other end of the hall to the room where Milana is situated and bids me good night. The room is lit with a glow from the bedside lamp, where Milana is curled into a ball with her hands under her cheek, her lips pouty and soft puffs of breath blowing in and out. Her long, dark brown hair is strewn over the pillow.

The sight of her makes me hard. Remembering how she cried out my name the night before as she came makes my cock strain against the material of my pants. I ache to be inside her again. Her body is partially concealed by the covers, one leg out from under the sheet, exposing her delicate flesh.

I strip off my clothes and slowly peel back the blanket. Her nightie has risen up her thighs, her white panties on display for me. I want to rip them off and bury myself in her pussy. I climb onto the bed from the end, running my hand over the skin of her ankle, her shin, then higher. Milana moves in her sleep onto her back, making my job a whole lot easier. I nudge her legs farther apart and elicit a soft sigh, but this still doesn't wake her. Crawling between her silky thighs, I pull aside the gusset of her panties and feast on the sight of her plump pussy lips, making my mouth water.

My tongue slides through her slit. She moans, and I run my tongue over her clit. Her hips wriggle, but I clamp my hands on her waist, holding her immobile, letting my mouth roam through her sweet nectar. She gasps, her hand coming to fist in my hair.

"Julian." She groans my name in the sexiest way possible.

"Quiet, miele mia. We don't want Alessio running in here to see what's the matter." I close my mouth over her clit and suckle on her most sensitive area. She bucks, but has nowhere to go. She tries to close her legs, but my shoulders hold her open for my mouth to do with her as I please.

"I can't—" she says in a hushed plea.

"Quiet, baby."

I eat her pussy like a starved man. Milana arches her back, and her legs tremble. She's close, but I need to be inside her. I stop and move so that I can look into her brilliant green eyes as I align my cock at the entrance of her pussy. I thrust inside her, then my mouth covers hers to stop her from crying out, smothering her moans. Milana hooks her legs around my hips, moving in tandem with my thrusts, her fingernails grazing down my back. Suddenly, she wrenches her mouth from mine and sinks her teeth into my shoulder to stop herself from crying out as she comes hard. I bury my face in her throat and suck on her flesh, knowing it will leave my mark on her as she has on me.

Her breathing ragged, her chest heaving, I roll us so that Milana is lying on top of me. She closes her eyes as she rests her head on my chest, her hand over my heart. She must be able to feel my rapid pulse slowly coming back to normal.

I move the hair away from her face as she turns her gaze to meet mine. I like her like this: lips swollen from my kisses, eyes glazed over in the hazy afterglow from the orgasm I just gave her, and completed sated.

"I like you like this," I say.

"Like what?"

"Close." I squeeze her more tightly against my chest, "I want you to stay right where you are. Can you sleep in this position?" I run my fingers through her long tresses.

"Yes," she whispers, then lays her head back down. A serene silence takes us both into a blissful sleep.