29. Marco

Chapter 29

Marco

L aura's still in my bed in the morning. I halfway expected her to be gone; instead, she's sleeping soundly at seven when I slip into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Flashes of the night before: Laura having a panic attack at the gallery; her story in the car; her laughter over wine; her mouth on mine in bed; our bodies, tangled and sweaty. I barely slept, and that's just fine. I'll be tired today, but I'm also invigorated from having her over and being with her as Marco, instead of as Jackal.

There were no games tonight. It was just two people sharing parts of themselves. I feel like we took a huge leap forward and just confirmed that everything I've been feeling since we met is real.

This isn't just lust. It's not just some sex game we're playing. There's real emotion between us, and I'm falling for her harder than I ever dreamed I could.

I caught a glimpse of the girl she's hiding the night before. That story about what happened to her, it fucking killed me. It made me want to ride out and murder that Nicolas guy just for the crime of resembling her rapist. But that's absurd, and what happened to her was a long time ago now, and it sounds like the guy got what he deserved.

And it still haunts me. I wish I could do more, but there's a helplessness to other people's trauma. I can't fix it, and I can't even make it better. All I can do is be there for her when she needs me and hope that's enough.

"I thought I smelled coffee." She appears in the kitchen doorway wearing one of my black t-shirts. It looks like a dress on her, and when she comes over to kiss me, it raises up slightly above her bare ass. No panties, nothing underneath. Fuck, she's so sexy it kills me.

"Careful," I say softly as I nibble on her lower lip. "If you keep distracting me, you won't get any breakfast."

"Who says I want any? And you're the one distracted, not me."

I cup her ass with both hands. "You can't walk in here looking like this and think I'm going to keep my hands to myself."

"Sounds like a personal problem to me." She grins, takes my coffee cup from the counter, and pats my cheek as she walks away, hips swaying. She's doing it on purpose, and I have to take a couple breaths to get myself under control.

Until I realize, fuck control, and follow her into the bedroom.

The girl's my breakfast today. She tries to escape, but I steal the coffee away, swallow it in one hot go, then pin her down on the bed and take her until we're both twitching, sweaty messes. She sprawls across my chest, grinning and satisfied, still wearing the shirt. I pat her ass, my cock half hard still.

"Is this what I have to look forward to when I sleep over?" She idly teases my tip. "I really like your dick, by the way. Is that weird? Should I stop touching you?"

"Only if you don't want me to fuck you again."

"Oh. Good." She keeps on teasing me. "I'd like it if you fucked me."

"That's weirdly formal. Yes, sir, please fuck me . Actually, shit, that's kind of hot."

"You want me to call you sir?" She grins at me and kisses my chest. "Okay, sir, I'll gladly suck your dick if that means you'll make me come again."

"I like it when you say dirty things. Say something else."

She shimmies down me and licks my shaft. "Right now, all I can think about is you sliding your thick, hard cock between my legs. Do you have any idea what it's like when you go nice and deep? It kills me, Marco, it feels so good. Do you like that?" She licks my tip faster, and fuck, I'm rock hard a second time this morning.

"More," I say, groaning.

She sucks me, hollowing her lips, before pulling back. "I can barely fit you in my mouth. You're such a big boy, Marco. You fill me to the brim and stretch me out. I'm sore after you fuck me, and you leave me wanting to ride your gorgeous dick all morning."

"Fuck, baby," I moan, closing my eyes. She sucks me faster until I can't take it anymore. I hold her down and take her from behind, spanking her ass until she's pink, fucking her rough and deep. "You messy fucking girl. You're so fucking filthy, talking like that, getting me all hard with your dirty mouth. I love it when you take my cock, baby."

Her back arches and I cup her breasts with both hands, and we kiss over her shoulder, until I stroke her clit with one thumb, sending her over the edge.

We come together for the second time this morning.

She gets breakfast eventually. English muffins and eggs. I serve her while she lounges on my couch, looking out the windows at the view of the lake. I breathe in the smell of her skin, still damp from sex, and I don't think I've ever wanted to wrap myself in a t-shirt more in my life. We sit together, legs tangled up while we eat and drink more coffee, watching the sun cross over the lake.

"Can I share something with you?" I ask her, leaning over to kiss her neck.

"Of course. If you're in a sharing mood, go for it."

"Just a warning, it's about my dad. About how he died." I give her a second to process. "He killed himself."

"Oh." She frowns up at me. "Oh, Marco, that must've been hard."

"I was a kid, you know? I didn't understand. Mom was a mess after he did it, a real fucking wreck, and I only found out later that he was in some serious debt. That's why he decided shooting himself in the head was the only way out. Left me and Mom here on our own, to fend for ourselves, and when shit got too hard and Dad's debtors came knocking on her door, Mom ditched me. I don't know what happened to her, but one day she was here, and the next she disappeared. Maybe she's dead, who knows. Might as well be. But my aunt took me in, and lucky for me, because otherwise I would've gone into the system, and who knows what would've happened to me there."

Laura raises my hand to her lips and kisses it. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine abandoning my son in the middle of all that."

"Yeah, I can't either. Mom wasn't in a good place before Dad died, and I guess everything after was too much for her. Anyway, I'm not making excuses. Fuck her. And fuck him. But I wanted you to know that part of me."

She nods a little and leans in closer. "I know what you mean. It felt good telling you about Ethan last night."

"It feels good telling you about my parents right now. I don't talk about it very often." Not even Valentina knows, but I decide it's probably not the best to mention her right now.

"If you ever want to talk about it more, you know I'm here."

"Same goes for you. But I don't know, for me, the past is the past. I fell in with people that helped me channel some of my anger into more useful purposes, you know?"

She laughs softly. "Like Luciano Santoro?"

I grunt and look away. "He was a big part of my life." In more ways than I think she could understand, he saved my life.

"It's okay. I mean, it's weird, but it's okay. You can tell me about it, if you want."

"There's not much to say. I fell in with Luciano after he helped me with my dad's debt and I started working for him. He gave me purpose and directed me when I was busy getting into trouble and fighting just about anyone who was willing. That's when I realized my computer talent was more than just some goofy kid shit and could be a real asset. Without him, I would've ended up drifting through life with no real meaning behind my actions. Luciano gave me the gift of a family and a cause."

Laura stares at her cup before turning her head to kiss my arm. "It's weird, hearing someone talk about Santoro like that. In my family, he was basically the devil. Him and my dad, they had a complicated relationship. They loved each other and hated each other just as much. I feel like those two nearly took the whole city down with their feud."

She's right about that. The war between Santoro and Bianco was epic and awful, and I'm still dealing with the fallout. "We don't have to let that get between us," I say, but I'm conflicted. All this time, I've been plotting to fight her family, and now suddenly I'm saying shit like that. How can I mean it, when I plan to restart the war? But right now, Laura feels more important than revenge. The fight, the struggle, the anger, it's all fading with her in my arms.

"I don't want it to, but I'm also not sure what my brother's going to say when he finds out about this. I mean, you were Santoro."

"He's been leaving me alone for a while now. Maybe I'm not on his radar anymore."

"Trust me, you are. Everyone that used to be a part of the Santoro mafia is. I just—" She chews her lip and doesn't finish that thought.

Silence falls between us. For the first time, there's an undercurrent of uncertainty, and I don't want to let it fester. I take our dishes, put them in the kitchen, and return to her. She's sitting on the couch staring at the window, and I drop to my knees, gently pulling her chin toward me.

I kiss her. I let her taste linger on my lips. "I want to let it go," I whisper and kiss her again. I kiss from her chin to her neck. I mean it, God, I really mean it—I want to let it go so badly it's like a muscle ache I can't quite stretch out. I pull up her shirt and kiss her chest, lick her nipples. "This shit between our families, I'm going to let it go."

"And then what?" she says, her breath coming faster. I kiss lower, moving toward her pussy. I love her body, her smooth skin, the swells of her hips and her gorgeous little mound. "I don't think our families will let you."

"We'll find a way." I spread her legs. I lick her, top to bottom. I'm not sure if I'm delusional or if I'm lying to myself, but I'm convinced that Laura's my future. "I want to find a way with you, baby."

"I want that too," she whispers, breathing faster. "And not just because you're going down on me."

"Partly that though." I kiss her again, and I lose myself in her noises and her taste, ready to set aside everything else for at least one more day.