Page 45 of Ti Amo

“Thank you.”

Giovanni sat at the head of the table with Eve in his lap playfully clanging the fork and knife together. Mira walked over to put her in the high chair. Eve bucked and screamed her protest. She refused to leave her father’s lap. “She can eat with me.” Giovanni said in a calming manner. “SitBella, there.” He nodded to the seat at his left. Nico pulled out Mira’s chair and she accepted the seat.

Dinner progressed. Mira’s gaze bounced from one man’s face to the other as the noisy rambunctious crowd at the tables laughed and talked over passing bowls and plates of food. She slipped Giovanni a look to read his mood. He hadn’t questioned her further about the phone call, but she felt tension between them. Maybe it was her imagination. He trusted her after all. There was nothing to fret about. Even Kei would eventually see that her life choices were her own to make. Who knows, maybe one day these men could be cordial toward one another and Eve could have them both in her life. It was wishful thinking.

Giovanni readjusted Eve on his lap and took the knife from her hand. Eve ate from his fork as his gaze lifted to his sister. Mira noticed the way it shifted between Catalina and the empty chair next to her.

“Where’s Franco?” he asked.

Silence fell over that end of the table.

Catalina sipped her wine then placed the glass down. “He had work to finish at the factory.”

“Doesn’t matter, we own the factory he’s to be here. No question.” Giovanni said. Mira noticed the slight tremble to Catalina’s hand, which was soon lowered from the table and placed on her lap.

“Of course, he meant no disrespect Giovanni,” Catalina said with a patient smile.

“What’s with your hair, your face?” Dominic asked.

Lorenzo and the rest of the men at the table immediately turned their gazes toward her. Catalina dropped her head causing her hair to fall over and Mira feared she would bolt at any moment. To do so would alarm the hotheads around them. Instinctually Mira chimed in. “She and Eve were playing in my makeup.”

“Nippy!” Eve said, pointing at Catalina. Giovanni chuckled. The tension at the table eased as a few other men chuckled with their Don.

“Would you all stop picking on Catalina, she prepared such a wonderful dinner for us all. Let’s enjoy it.” Mira said. Conversations resumed at the table. Giovanni began to feed Eve from his plate, and the others scooped double servings of food to their plates. Catalina looked up at Mira and in her eyes she could read gratitude and a mixture of relief. When Mira glanced to Dominic he continued to stare at Catalina. He was the only one unmoved by the explanation.

After dinner Mira tried to speak to Catalina but was unable to. The young woman announced she was tired before making a hasty retreat to her bedroom. Eve was now in Carmine’s lap enjoying a bounce on his knee as he sang to her in Italian. Mira stood. She walked around Giovanni’s chair and slid her hands down the front of his shirt, pressing her breasts into the back of his head. “Come upstairs in an hour. I’ll put Eve to bed,” she whispered in his ear.

He stopped her hands from rubbing his chest. “I have business to attend to. Don’t wait up,” he said pushing her hand away. Mira stepped back barely able to disguise her hurt. Giovanni wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin and rose from the table. His gaze sharply cut over to a giggling Eve being tickled by one of his men. He approached and took Eve from Carmine who apologized. He kissed Eve who grinned up into his face, and then walked over to Mira and put Eve in her arms. “She belongs with her mother, not in the arms of these men.”

“I beg your pardon?” Mira said. “He was just playing with her, Gio—.”

“You two get some rest,” he said dryly turning to walk out with the men following. Dejected, Mira knew her suspicions were right. Giovanni suspected she’d called Kei. So now he’d give her the silent treatment instead of questioning her about it. She sighed in disappointment. The day was over. She would retire and talk to him in the morning. When they both were ready.

****

A lump congealed in his throat. It was late. He had let his anger subside and now he felt hurt and disappointed by her actions. Giovanni entered their bedroom. The darkness was only spared where the lamplight reached the side of the bed. Mira. His beautiful, sweet Mirabella slept with their daughter in her arms. Giovanni loved his girls. Which is why it hurt him deeply when she phoned her ex-lover.Did she think he was an idiot?She lied to his face.

Eve rolled out of her mother’s arms and flipped to her back. Arms and legs flung wide, she wore a yellow and white nightdress hiked up to her diaper. He brushed two fingers across her cherubic cheek. Eve sucked her pacifier in her sleep. The two of them never parted. Giovanni chuckled softly to himself and the last of his prideful indignation abated. He lifted hisbambinawith both palms. Mira didn’t stir. Silently he carried Eve from the room to the adjoining one and placed her in the crib. Eve rolled over, and he tucked her in her blankets. Her eyes popped open. Giovanni offered her pacifier that had fell away into her mouth, and she settled back into sleep. He smiled. His heart beat for her now.

Returning to his room, he toed out of his shoes and pulled his dark crewneck shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He unbuckled his belt and tossed it to the floor as well. After he turned off the lamp next to the bed, shed his boxers, pulled off his socks, he then eased under the blankets with her, nude. Mira turned over and Giovanni kissed her fully. He loved the taste of her. Her perfumed skin was soft to the touch as well. He kissed her cheek then her neck and she moaned. His face lifted, and he waited for her to respond in a more meaningful way. She blinked sleepily at him and her hand touched his forearm. She was his.

When he thrust his tongue at her once more she accepted his kiss and her hold on his arm fell away. Soon after her fingers combed through his hair. He reluctantly broke the kiss to lick and suck his way down her neck to her lovely breasts covered in her nightshirt. Giovanni paused, after having dampened the front of her shirt from sucking on her nipples.

“Take it off,” he grunted.

He moved aside so she could pull the nightshirt off. As she did he pulled on the band of her panties and yanked them down her heart shaped hips and rolled them off her thighs and lower legs. Giovanni was in no mood to talk, argue, and debate the issues between them. He just wanted to be close to her. He tugged her panties off her ankles, going lower on her body, disappearing under the sheets. She parted her thighs and guided them around his neck so the backs of her thighs rested on his shoulders. Apparently his woman had the same idea in mind. His tongue delved between the folds of her slit and then swirled over her clitoris drawing it into his mouth. He covered the swollen nub with his mouth and her body bucked and arched upward. A sweet gasp of pleasure escaped that luscious full pair of lips. The tightened tips of her breasts pointed upward temptingly. Giovanni forced his eyes closed to keep from abandoning the pleasure he gave her between her thighs. Instead he buried his nose into the soft downy hairs covering her mound as he sucked slow and lovingly. He held her steady by her jerking hips and let his tongue tease her into a frenzied state. Her slender hands unconsciously twisted and gripped the sheets, ripping them off the corners of the bed.

Aroused even more by her sweet cries of surrender Giovanni endured the tightness in his groin. He would resist. For the moment he intended to apologize to her slow and sweet. And Mira gasped louder and louder. She grabbed the top of his head and shot upright, while pressing his face against her gyrating center. He pierced her cunt with his tongue as she hissed then shook through her first climax of the night.

“Stop. Stop. Stop. I’m done.” She panted and fell back to the bed. Giovanni’s gaze lifted, and his tongue continued with its figure eight swirls. Her gorgeous breasts heaved and fell with each staggered breath. He was pleased by the bliss on her face. Giovanni eased up on her, covering her body with his as he sucked on one nipple then the other.

“Baby, please let me catch my breath,” she protested, pushing at his shoulders. She looked up at him with such love he regretted being cross with her after dinner. Whatever her reasons were for lying to him he’d forgiven them. He accepted that he wasn’t an easy man to love or trust. He accepted that there were rules in their life he’d have to teach her and not expect her to know. She was after all his and soon she’d be his wife.

“Turn over to your side, Bella. For me.”

He lifted. Mira did as he requested. Giovanni parted her thighs and entered her once more while he drew her snug into his chest. He kissed her shoulder enjoying the warmth from being inside of her. Mira exhaled deeply, her pussy walls constricted drawing him deeper. She rotated her hips to match his rhythm as he moved in and out of her slowly.

“Ti amo, Bella,” he rasped against her ear. “Don’t come. Not yet. Just control yourself and let me have you. My way.”

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