Page 42 of Ludovico's Vengeance

The doors open slowly, Giovanni gestures for me to go in ahead of him. Once he’s standing at my side, Abel and Rand step in after creating a human shield in front of us. Rand presses the button for the rooftop bar. Shockingly, the ride to the top is quick and not as terrifying as I had expected.

Giovanni’s hand presses gently on the small of my back as he guides me toward the door that takes us to the outside patio. I gasp as I take in the space that is dotted with enclosed igloos, just big enough for two. I turn to face him with a mixture of anticipation and displeasure. He looks just as confused as I feel.

“What is it, Short Stack?” His smooth voice sounds as he bends down to speak into my ear.

“You’re not going to make them stand outside in this cold while we’re in one of these are you?” I scold Giovanni which causes laughter to erupt from him and the two men who have sworn to protect us this evening.

“No,Amore Mio, they’re staying inside. Apart from Jordon who will be our server, no one else will be permitted access to the rooftop this evening.” He presses his lips to my jaw with a quick kiss before he leads me further onto the roof. We don’t stop until we’re at an enclosed dome that is situated in a way that we somehow still have a view of the river below.

My breath hitches as we walk into the structure. A lit Christmas tree and fairy lights complete the ambiance of the space. I take a seat on the couch where Giovanni meets me a moment later. I’m not used to the laid-back look he’s sporting tonight, but I’m a fan; I thought he looked good in a suit, but his ass in those jeans. Fuck, it should be illegal to look so good in clothesandout of them. As if he’s reading my thoughts, he shrugs off the dark sports coat he’s wearing over a dark Henley, halfway unbuttoned. As soon as his arms are free, I audibly gulp. Over the past year he’s somehow become even more muscular, and his ink covered, corded forearms have a way of making me melt.

“What is it?” He taunts me with a knowing wink.

My brain misfires and words fail me, I groan as he chuckles and pulls me into his arms. A moment later he drapes a warm fuzzy blanket over our laps as we bask in the silence and enjoy a moment to ourselves with no one else around for a long time. Just as I’m about to speak, a woman unzips the entrance to our little love bubble. She’s stunning, with a flawless dark complexion. Long raven braids hang down her back while her large brown eyes sparkle with an infectious joy as she approaches us with a beautiful bottle in her hand.

“Hi y’all. My name is Jordon, I'll be taking care of you two this evening.” She presents the bottle she was cradling to show a Crisp Apple Wine from a local winery. My eyes dart to Giovanni who has a sly smile pulling at his lips. “This is one of the most popular wines we have.” She reassures, not realizing the last time this man tried to get me to drink I nearly spat it all over him.

“Thank you, Jordon.” His chuckle warms my insides, “You can leave the bottle, I’ll pour it.”

She grins knowingly at us before retreating from the igloo. My cheeks flush when I realize where her mind went. I mean she’s not wrong. It’s not like this is even the most public place we’ve had sex in the last year.

The pop of a cork drags me from my thoughts. My lips turn up at the corners when Giovanni hands me a glass of wine. I quirk a brow at the beautiful man who leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips before pulling away. His way of telling me to trust him. I roll my eyes and lift the glass to my lips before taking a long pull. He must notice my surprise by the chuckle that escapes him. Before he can stop me, I finish the contents of the glass.

“Oh boy, you’re going to feel that in a minute.” He snorts and pulls me back into him.

I’m not sure how much time has passed since time seems to have gone hazy when Jordon returns to drop off an order of naan bread. My stomach growls as I grab the bowl and take a large bite. I groan around the mouthful of buttery goodness.

“Why is this so good?” I ask as I chew.

His answering laugh brings me to a fit of giggles. I lean back into his warm chest and savor the feel of his steady heartbeat against my spine.

“What made you decide to come here?” I finally get out the question that’s been on my mind all night. “I loved being with your mom and Jade this time last year.” I admit sheepishly.

Giovanni’s lips dance with amusement as he adjusts himself to face me. His large hands envelop mine while his eyes stare through the wall of insecurities I haven’t been able to knock down completely.

“We will spend the next few days with them. I needed time for just us.” His lips find mine and my eyelids flutter closed while we’re connected for the briefest of moments before he slides away from me. My body begging for more of his attention elicits a groan from my needy mouth as soon as his warmth is gone.

When my eyes open again, I see the beautiful man who has rescued me in so many ways kneeling before me. His chocolate eyes sparkle as the beautiful mouth that was just on mine turns up into a sinful grin.

“Short Stack, I don’t know how to say this without just saying it.” His admission makes my stomach flop, the earlier wine ready to make a reappearance. “I had no plan to stay here after Frederico was taken care of. After Lucia – fuck. I never thought I'd be interested in anyone for more than a warm body again.”

I squirm under his gaze. His warm smile does little to calm me until he leans in for another soft kiss.

“What I’m trying to say is, I never wanted to be Capo.” He chuckles and lifts a hand from where it’s laying on top of mine to drag through his unruly hair. “But in my ascension to the throne, I have found my queen.”

My hands fly to my chest when he lifts a ring box that he’s had hidden under the blanket. He pops the top open, revealing a simple platinum solitaire diamond ring. Tears sting the corners of my eyes as I nod my head to say yes as the words are lodged in my throat. His smile widens even more, one with so much pride that I haven’t seen before. One that I can’t wait to see every day for the rest of our lives.

“My king,” the thought springs free from my lips. I giggle as silent tears of joy fall down my cheeks. He slides the beautiful ring onto my left hand before he stands and pulls me up into his arms. The rest of the evening is spent in each other's embrace while we finish the bottle of wine and dream of what the future holds.

My sole purpose in life, outside of the Ludovico family, is her. It’s been her for the nearly two years that she’s been in my life. The first time I laid eyes on her, she called me Daddy. The only thing I’ve been able to think of since is filling her with my seed and making her mine. If only that were an option.

My place in the shadows is comforting and familiar as I track her movements through the ballroom. Her hair is still as vibrant a pink as the first day we met, styled in soft waves down her back. My cock has been hard as stone, straining against the zipper of my pants after seeing the dress she chose for tonight. Brittany steps more clearly into my line of sight, giving me another look at the strappy black fitted evening gown she’s wearing. The sweetheart neckline, which frames her perky tits to perfection, is the only conservative aspect of the damn thing. Thin straps of fabric crisscross all the way from her shoulders to her lower back which is where the plunging scoop ends, just above the swell of her ass. Every sliver of skin that is on display shows off her deliciously designed tattoos. Her body is a canvas and my favorite work of art.

A groan escapes as soon as I see his stupid ass face walk up beside her. My lips pull into a snarl when I see his hand graze her skin. That slimy weasel has been the bane of my god damn existence since her step-mother introduced them. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit looking into his background. It’s like he vanished after high school; there’s nothing more recent than the Port Windsor High transcripts. Which tells me jack shit that I didn’t already know. After all, my boss had more than one run in with the shit head when they were kids. I’ve never been so grateful to have the less than savory contacts that I do after being a part of this lifestyle for so long. Being able to reach out to a young woman who is even better with computers than I am should give me the answers I’m looking for soon.

His mouth is entirely too close to her neck. My hand wraps so tightly around the steering wheel of my SUV that the leather creaks. Thankful I’m stuck in the shadows outside tonight because my control is obviously wavering where she’s concerned. She’s been seeing Peter for a few weeks now, constantly joining him for events that Mayor Ricci is attending. Even though Giovanni warned her about him, she still decided to play matchmaker with her step-daughter.

My vision blurs with rage when I see him go in for thekillso to speak. Nausea rolls through me as I witness their first kiss. She doesn't appear to respond as beautifully as she did with me. The thought takes me back to our first kiss which is also the last time I’ve touched a woman for more than the sparring sessions I have with Nina, my boss's fiancé.

---