Page 72 of Corrupted Heir (Mafia Kings: Corrupted 1)

“Yes.”

I found it amusing that Dominic and I had known each other all along. We weren’t only connected by the engagement.

I also remembered the time Maria helped bury Cheshire, when I was sixteen years old, after my father had thrown him in the trash instead of helping me bury him. Even after all those years, the memory of Cheshire left me with a stinging in my chest. It would always sting. But Maria had been there for me when I had no one else.

“You have no idea how much your kindness meant to me,” I admitted. “You’re the reason I became a veterinarian. Your empathy. You taught me the importance of life.”

“I was only doing what was right. You were in pain, and I helped you. That’s nothing to commend.” Maria put her hand on my shoulder, in that affectionate, maternal way. “As you know, Vincent and I were forced to marry, as well. I was just like you, until we started loving each other. And now my love for him is paramount to anything else. You’re a strong woman, Fallon. You’ve got a lot of fight in you. And I know you will grow accustomed to this life.”

***

I retired to the bedroom in the late afternoon after Maria and I finished making enough apple pies to feed a small army—because we apparently were feeding a small army.

Dominic’s bedroom looked like it hadn’t been touched in years other than the occasional dusting. Frozen in time, like a time capsule. Posters on the wall, shelves filled with comic books, and two books, both heavily creased, laid on the bedside table.A Canticle for Leibowitzby Walter M. Miller Jr. andChildhood’s Endby Arthur C. Clarke. So, my husband had been a sci-fi fan in his younger years.

It almost felt like I was intruding, snooping in something extremely personal by looking through his things. But hey, we were married, right?

I changed into a tank top and a pair of shorts, picked upChildhood’s Endfrom the bedside table, and began reading.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Dominic said. He looked around the room and laughed. “I still can’t believe she kept it like this all these years.”

I looked up, startled. When I glanced out the window, orange hues had started to blend with the purple night sky.

“I hear mothers are sentimental,” I said.

His gaze settled on the book in my lap.

“It seems you were a bit of a sci-fi nerd in your younger years,’ I teased.

Dominic approached me, nudging my legs apart to position himself between my knees. I stared up at him, feeling the familiar heat begin to pool in my lower abdomen.

“Are you trying to provoke me,limone?” He pulled off his overcoat and dropped it on the bed. “Because that’s not going to work on me.”

“Isn’t it?” I purred. I lifted my leg, slowly bringing my foot up to graze against his crotch. “Because I’m sure I could think of one or two ways you could punish me…”

“Is that so? Do you want me to punish you, Fallon?” he asked, meeting my eyes like he was trying to look beyond them.

I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely sure it was the answer I meant.

I could feel his cock lengthening fast beneath my toes as something hot and dangerous flashed in his eyes. I’d seen hints of this side of him, enough to know it was there, but I’d yet to feel the scorching heat of it. Until now.

“I like this side of you,limone,” he said, taking a step back so that my foot dropped to the floor. “Stand up and take off your clothes.”

I got to my feet as butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

With hands that shook just a little, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it off over my head, revealing my bare breasts beneath.

“No bra?” he said as his eyes grazed over me, making my insides tremble. He palmed my breasts, catching my nipples between his fingers and tugging.

The friction shot through my body, making me squeeze my thighs together at the same time I pressed my breasts more firmly into his hands.

He shook his head and drew his hands back.

“You’re not finished yet,” he said, eyeing my shorts pointedly.

“Yes, Dominic,” I said, and a sizzle of electricity shot through my veins at my own words.

I pulled off my shorts, revealing nothing underneath them either. And then I stood there, feeling his hot gaze travel over my naked body. I waited for him to touch me, to kiss me, but he didn’t move.

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