Page 25 of Vincenzo's Promise
His tongue traced the softness of my lips before his kiss became urgent and exploratory. I straddled his lap, the bulge in his pants grazing my center. His tongue explored the depths of my mouth with an urgent need while his large hands ventured under my long skirt until he firmly grasped my ass, moving my center against his growing erection. I groaned, pleasure radiating through me.
At that moment, I cared less about my predicament and cared more about how much I wanted Vincenzo to fill me with the nice-sized bulge moving against my body I wanted more. I needed more. He ignited a fire that had been dormant for a long time, and I wanted to forget the loneliness and fear draping me. I ached for his touch, for his affection. No matter how minor it was, I wanted it. For months, I wondered what he’d taste like. How he’d feel.
All I wanted was Vincenzo De Maio inside me.
Whether he knows it or not, the way he feels about this marriage, and me, is changing. I can feel it.
Rapid tapping on the window broke our lust-filled moment.
He cursed under his breath and released a disgruntled groan. I hadn’t realized we were already at the airport.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine with his eyes closed. “You have nothing to apologize for, Bella. Remember, I made a promise to you and it’s a promise I intend to keep. There’s nothing or anyone who can keep me away from you. Whoever this guy is, he’s a dead man walking.”
I believed every word he said, including the part about the guy. Before I could respond, he quickly pecked my lips one final time, lifted me from his lap, and adjusted his hard length before he opened the door and got out.
Damp, chilly air brushed my skin when the driver opened my door. I quickly fixed my appearance and pulled on my coat, then emerged from thebackseat. The rush of cold air against my face caused goose bumps to rise and a cold chill to race through me.Looking up at the gray sky, I inhaled the frigid air, then exhaled in hopes of calming some of the sexual frustration that had replaced my fear. I hoped we were going somewhere warm. I needed sun and pristine beaches to relax and completely forget about what had happened. It had been a few years since I’d had a man in my bed, and I couldn’t wait to fill the void.
My attention turned to Vincenzo, whose gaze had turned deadly while he relayed the information and handed the note from my stalker to the man who’d entered the restaurant with him the day he found out who I was.
“Bella, could you come here, please?” Vincenzo called.
The man smirked, and Vincenzo glared at him.
I walked over, and he enveloped me in his warm embrace. I leaned into his body, feeling safe in his arms, and wrapped my arms around his waist. It was the most natural thing to do, and Vincenzo didn’t seem to mind. He looked down at me with that gorgeous smile and kissed me on the forehead. The man’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between us.
“This is my cousin, and my Consigliere, Angelo De Maio. Angelo, this is Isabella Lombardo.”
“Nice to formally meet you, Angelo,” I said, reaching out my hand. Instead, he pulled me into a hug. “Oh!”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Isabella. Welcome to the family.” He laughed when Vincenzo pushed him away from me. “Can I call you Bella, too?”
“No!” Vincenzo blurted out before I could answer.
“Zo, I have no problem with Angelo calling me Bella. We’re about to be family after all.”
“Well, I do,” he replied, looking at the shock on Angelo’s face.
“Zo?” Angelo asked.
Vincenzo groaned and rubbed his forehead. “Not one fucking word, Angelo.”
I looked at the men and shook my head. They liked pushing each other’s buttons, and I was sure Angelo wanted to see what kind of reaction he could get out of Vincenzo. The glare Vincenzo aimed at him and Angelo’s deep laughter let me know he’d achieved what he’d set out to do.
“Let me know when you take care of what we discussed,” Vincenzo said, his palm against my lower back. He then escorted me onto a private plane without waiting to hear anything else Angelo had to say.
“Sure thing,” Angelo called out. “And, Zo, make sure you do everything I would do!”
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped when Vincenzo flipped him off just before we boarded the private plane. It was good to see the interaction between him and his cousin. It reaffirmed my belief that Vincenzo wasn’t entirely the person he liked to portray to everyone.
Not saying he wasn’t ruthless. I was sure he was all those things and more, including a killer. However, my father was the same way. To those on the outside, he hid the good parts of himself, just like Vincenzo. Sometimes, the other side they kept hidden peeked through. This was what I witnessed with Vincenzo and Angelo.
Once we were seated, I couldn’t stop smiling. I wasn’t going to let the reemergence of my stalker ruin the connection I was trying to build with Vincenzo. If I married him, I wanted it to be more than a marriage in name, even if we didn’t love each other at this moment. That would eventually come.
Vincenzo sat beside me, after having a brief conversation with the flight attendant, buckled my seatbelt, and then his own.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking how much I like this side of you.”
