Page 14 of Unforgettable Underboss

I wait for Valerie’s judgment, but it never comes. Instead, she places her hand over my heart. I breathe into the comforting sensation and cover her hand with mine, letting her touch give me the strength to continue.

“She was brutally murdered by one of herspecial clientswhen I was eight.”

“Oh my god,” Valerie gasps. “Enrico, I’m so sorry. I lost my parents around that age, too. We weren’t a close family, though. Not like you and your mom. I can’t imagine being all alone.”

I draw her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “It’s not a competition,” I murmur. “We can both have painful pasts.”

Valerie props herself up on my chest, those green eyes filled with equal parts hope and reluctance. “And we can both heal, right?”

“Yes, angel. We can both heal.”

She nods and curls on my chest, tucking her head under my chin.

“Aurelio’s father, Giovanni Caparelli, found me while he and his men were looking for someone else. I had been alone in our apartment for days, unsure what to do. He scooped me up and took me home with him that day. Giovanni raised the two of us as brothers, though when the time came to pass on the family legacy, it went to Aurelio. As it should have. I’m not complaining at all. My life could have gone in a far worse direction, and I’ll always be thankful for the mercy I was shown that day. Especially now.”

“Hmm? Why especially now?”

“Because of you, angel.”

Valerie buries her face into the side of my neck, the heat of her blush warming my skin. She’s not used to receiving compliments, and truthfully, I’m not used to giving them. We’ll grow together.

“Thank you, Enrico. Thank you for sharing a piece of your heart with me. Thank you for… for everything…” Her voice trails off and her breathing evens out, letting me know she’s nearly asleep.

Bone-deep satisfaction fills me, knowing I wore her out and left her sated.

“I feel so loved,” she murmurs sleepily.

Her words stop my heart in my chest. The way she said it makes me think she didn’t mean for me to hear her, but I’m glad I did.

7

VALERIE

Ifurrow my brow in concentration as I put the finishing touches on the landscape sketch I started a few days ago. It’s hard to believe I’ve been staying with Enrico for five days now, and even harder to believe he seems to want me as much as I want him.

Every time I think about his touch, his tender kisses coupled with his rough hands, and the way he owns my body… Well, let's just say I’m always on edge, always wet and needy and ready for more of him.

Enrico should be back soon. He left a few hours ago for a meeting, though he didn’t tell me the specifics. I understand. With the business he’s in, details are reserved for those at the highest levels of power.

I shove down the guilty thoughts that have plagued me for days. Yes, I shared the reason I sought him out, but I have yet to explain my connection with the cops—specifically, the cops he and the rest of the Caparellis are trying to get rid of.

Part of me knows he’ll understand. He has to. Right? Then again, when have things ever worked out for me? Growing up in Orchard Grove didn’t exactly make me an optimistic person.

The front door opens, revealing my Enrico in a well-tailored suit, his eyes blazing with the same lust I’ve been feeling all damn day. Everything else can wait. Right now, I need my man.

I stand from the couch and smile at him.

Enrico reaches me in three long strides, crushing me against his chest. He attacks my lips, biting, sucking, and devouring me as his hands grab my ass and press me against him.

I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck and a leg around his hip. Enrico catches my leg, holding it against him. I rub my soaking pussy over his hard cock, and we both moan at the contact.

“I need to fuck you, angel. Need it like my next breath.”

I nod, and he lowers my leg, walking me backward untilI hit the kitchen counter.

Enrico kneels in front of me and hooks his thumbs inside my yoga pants and panties, pulling them down.He follows the material down my right leg with his mouth, kissing every inch of skin revealed. After helping me step out of my pants, he kisses up my left leg. He pauses to place a kiss on my pussy before standing to take my mouth with his, chasing my tongue and sucking it into his mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Enrico trails his lips down my jaw, licking and nipping at my neck. His hands land on my hips, and he spins me so my back is to his front.

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