Chapter 35

Clearly the only way to silence Ella's objections was to marry her or knock her up.

Preferably both.

The idea of this sweet and talented woman carrying my child made me want to drag her back to my bed and not let her out of it until she was pregnant. Looking at her now, thinking about a future together, I finally, truly understood the drive to preserve and protect the Cavalieri name. Finally understood the importance of fostering the next generation and the weight of that responsibility.

Like our grapevines, we grew stronger with each generation.

And each new generation carried the honor of caring for those vines for the next one to come.

I had almost poisoned the vine by marrying her sister.

Someone who would not have respected our family's legacy.

While it may or may not have been the right decision for the present, it could've had terrible ramifications for future generations. Greater families than ours had been destroyed by the actions of one errant father, or one weak-willed son.

Legacies were fragile. It would only take the wrongful actions of one generation to ruin the hard work and dedication of the ten generations before.

In marrying Ella, I was at least still stepping up and saving someone who was vulnerable and needed my protection, while also responsibly securing my family's future.

That was assuming we survived the ticking time bombs that were Dante, Antonius, and her sister, Antonia.

My father would be here tomorrow. And I already received a text from Sebastian Diamanti that he was coming in as well. Although not directly involved in our conflict with the Agnellos, the Diamantis had an enormous amount of power and influence which could tip the scales in our favor if things turned ugly and the Agnello syndicate fractured. It was a distinct possibility and one we worried about when I first stupidly agreed to the arranged marriage.

Dante was still a new Don and did not have his entire power base solidified. There was a chance Ella's father could make a play for the throne.

So tomorrow our plan was to basically come up with a new plan on how to deal with Dante, Ella's father, and the fallout from Liliana's godfather's death without starting a full-out mafia war in Sicily.

And that plan definitely would no longer include me marrying Antonia.

Because of their little parent trap prank, Ella was now in just as much danger as her sister, this time from her own father, especially if the rumors about her mother were true.

She now needed my protection more than ever. And I planned to provide it by giving her the protection of the Cavalieri name and fortune. Even now, I considered Ella my wife in all but name… something I would rectify as soon as I talked with Father Luca.

That even after I compromised her reputation by taking her virginity Ella would still sacrifice her own well-being to help her wretched sister galled me to no end. Those people didn't deserve her unwavering loyalty.

Her hand pushed against my chest. "It's not that simple. There are… things… you don't know about."

I moved my hand to clasp the side of her neck. "What things?"

She turned her head away. "Nothing. Just things."

My jaw clenched as I used my grasp to force her head back to face me. "Ella. What. Things?"

"My father's a capo in the Sicilian mafia."

The tightness in my chest eased. "You really are adorable."

Did she honestly think I didn't know about her father?

I reached over and selected one of the warm polpettine. Holding it close to her lips, I said, "Open your mouth and swallow my ball."

Her slender fingers wrapping around my wrist, she tried to push it away, her head pivoting to look around us. "You did not just say that so loudly!"

It was so much fun making her blush, in and out of the bedroom.

I sank my teeth into the savory ball. After chewing, I winked at her and teased, "You really should try a bite. They are very salty and there is a surprising burst of creaminess at the end."

She covered her face and moaned from behind her hands. "Oh. My. God!"

Fuck, I loved the sound of her little moans.

Lifting my hand, I held it close to her mouth again. "My ball was probably too big to fit into your mouth. Did you want?—"

Her mouth opened like a cute little baby bird as she wrapped her lips around my fingertips, then used her tongue to flick the bite into her mouth. Sucking my fingers as she pulled back, she covered her mouth with her hand as she said, "There. I tried it. Now, for the love of God, please stop talking about your balls!"

I shifted in my seat as the hand around her lower back squeezed her close. That was going to be difficult since my cock was now hard. Fuck. Just the sight of her sucking my fingers, despite the innocent intent, sent a kinky shock wave straight to my shaft.

Taboo sex was fun.

Taboo sex with an innocent, shy beauty I was forcing to accept my dominating desires was next level, mind-blowing, ecstasy.

As my hips moved, her eyes widened. She looked down at her lap where I had placed my hand between her legs, already regretting selecting pants for her to wear.

"Are you?" She leaned in further and whispered, "Are you… hard?"

"Woman, are you serious? Of course my cock is?—"

She waved her flattened hand in front of my face. "Shhh, keep your voice down."

I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her close until the tips of our noses almost touched. "Of course, I'm fucking hard. You just sucked my fingers."

"I took the bite you offered!"

"Same difference."

"You're impossible. Let me up!"

"Not until I watch you eat another ball."

"You can't be serious."

I waited her out.

With a huff, she reached for a polpettine and shoved the whole ball into her mouth. Her cheeks hollowed and her full lips puckered as she chewed it. Finally, she swallowed and said, "There. Happy?"

My gaze focused on her mouth as I thought of all the absolutely filthy things I wanted to do to it. "Not right now, but I will be later."

She slid off my lap back onto her chair next to me, then reached for her drink. "This isn't strong enough," she muttered.

I chuckled. "Well, that's all you're getting for now. We have dinner with my family tonight. You'll want to be sober, with your wits about you."

"Why?"

I shrugged as I reached for a cheesy wedge of frico, lifting a long, gooey strand of cheese up to my mouth first. "My cousins and uncle will be fine. It's the girls you need to worry about. Don't get me wrong. They're amazing, but they will make you work for it. I don't think Milana and Amara will be there, but Bianca and Aunt Gabbie, who you've already met, will be."

"No, I meant, why are we having dinner with them?"

I rested my forearms on the table as I studied her. "Because they want to meet you formally and because having dinner together is something that families do."

She played with a button on the coat, twirling it around and around. "Do I have to meet them?"

"No, but it will probably get awkward in the hallways and at the breakfast table tomorrow if you dont."

"I just don't see the point in doing a big formal introduction if I'm leaving for Sicily as soon as possible."

I inhaled a deep breath. Patience, I reminded myself. "That would be true if you were leaving, but you're not."

"Matteo, it's just not possible?—"

"What if you're already pregnant?"

She blinked. "What?"

After cupping the back of her head, I pulled her close to whisper into her ear. "I came deep inside your sweet, tight pussy—filling you. It's possible…"

She opened her mouth to respond.

I cut her off. "Before you say something I'll make you regret, know that I will not tolerate even a slim possibility of my child being born a bastard. Until my mother finally told my father about me, I was labeled a bastard and it's not something I would wish on my own son or daughter."

"We simply cannot marry! You're my sister's?—"

"Go ahead. Piss me off by saying it again and Ill pull you over my knee and spank your ass right here in the middle of the cafe."

"You wouldn't dare!"

I leveled a stern look at her. "Watch me."

Before she could respond, a distant train whistle sounded.

I stood and reached for my wallet. Pulling out several euro bills, I tossed them into the center of the table. "I need to go meet the train. The part I need to finish repairing the destemmer-crusher is on it."

Leaning over, I kissed the top of her head, then gestured toward the center of the piazza. "There is a string quartet setting up for the evening crowd. Stay here and enjoy the music until I return."

"We haven't finished talking about this, Matteo."

I curved my hand under her chin and lifted her face. "Of course not, babygirl. There are the wedding arrangements to discuss."

She called after my retreating back. "That's not what I meant!"

Ignoring her, I gestured for the manager as I crossed the patio.

"Yes, Signore Cavalieri."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Elio, keep that arrogant prick waiter away from my girl. And while you're at it, send over an espresso and something sweet for her to eat."

"Yes, sir. I'm very sorry about the pesto."

I patted his shoulder. "And tell the Chef it wasn't personal. I was just making a point."

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir. And might I say, sir. She's exquisite. You are a lucky man."

Glancing over my shoulder at Ella, I nodded. "That she is, Elio. Inside and out."

After returningfrom the train depot and stashing the part Alfonso was waiting for in the car, I returned to the cafe for Ella.

But she wasn't there.