Page 47 of Bite Marks

Her hand raised to his cheek, and she brushed it tenderly. Although they were surrounded by everyone they had ever met, the moment was just for them. Tender. Loving. Open.

"You may now kiss each other," Vanessa heard. Nunzio scooped her up in his strong arms. He tilted her back and gave her a dramatic kiss that was more for the audience than it was for the two of them. They laughed as clapping, whistling, and a few howls wrapped around the room.

Nunzio lifted Vanessa back to her feet as a smile bloomed over her face. Hand in hand, they turned to the crowd, waved, and walked down the aisle together.

After a lengthy photography session, Vanessa and Nunzio joined their guests in the conservatory's banquet hall. The food was not catered. It was brought in by the family and the neighborhood. The aroma around the room made Vanessa's stomach churn with hunger. She was fed and fed well throughout the morning. She didn't think she would be hungry for the rest of the month, but it turned out that weddings, ceremonies, pictures, and playing to a crowd burned a lot of calories.

Vanessa squeezed Nunzio's hand as they walked into the hall for the first time as husband and wife. The phrase caught Vanessa's breath in her chest. She was married. Married to the mob now. But as her eyes swept up her husband's features, she wasn't afraid anymore. Her anger had dissolved as her love had grown for her husband.

Her thoughts said it again …Husband.

The smile would not vanish from her face. Every time she thought about Nunzio, her heart swelled even more. She was sure it might burst if she continued, but Vanessa welcomed the happiness even though she didn't know what the future held.

Throughout the night, Nunzio and Vanessa received congratulations, blessings, and praise from most of the older members of the family. They danced, drank, and ate. Vanessa was surprised at one point when Nunzio asked her mother to dance, and her mother said yes.

However, as Vanessa walked away, she did hear the words "Pezzo," "Gomitoli," and "Spento" slip from her mother's mouth. Vanessa laughed. She was sure her mom had said something about cutting Nunzio's balls off, but she would leave that between them for now. Her mom thawed at the idea that Vanessa was reeled back into the family, but she also knew how good Nunzio was to her. It wasn't an easy transition, and her mother still blamed herself for it because if she hadn't fallen for Vanessa's dad, Vanessa wouldn't have grown up in it, and so on.

At this point, Vanessa just listened and nodded to her mother's rationality. It didn't really matter at this point. Her mother didn't know about Nunzio's strength. If she did, that would be a whole other set of martyrdom she would use as a guilting tactic.

Vanessa sat back as she surveyed the room. It was gold, silver, and glittering. She released a long sigh, ready for it to be over. She was ready to be alone with her husband, no matter how wonderful the party was.

Once the bridal party had their dance, the DJ called the night complete. Nunzio and Vanessa had paid others to clean up for them, so they didn't even have to wait to leave, which was nice.

When they dropped into the limo's back seat, Vanessa kicked her shoes off her swollen feet. Nunzio looked at her and asked, "Are your feet sore?" He slid in next to her, loosened his tie, unbuttoned his vest, and took off his jacket.

Vanessa closed her eyes and nodded. "Mmm-hmm," she hummed.

Nunzio slipped underneath her legs and began to rub one foot. Vanessa moaned as his strong hands massaged the tension and pressed all the right spots.

"That feels good," she whispered, still not opening her eyes. "You'll have to officially be my foot massager for the rest of our lives."

"Deal," Nunzio agreed and switched his position to grab her other foot. As he kneaded and pressed into the bottom of Vanessa's foot with one hand, she felt his other hand ride up her calf.

Vanessa opened her eyes and said, "Are you going to massage my legs too?" She smiled at Nunzio, who raised his brow.

"I’m going to massage every part of you, Mrs. Ciampa-Sarducci."

Vanessa giggled. "We are going to be home in a few seconds …."

"Nope. I asked the limo driver to take us on a sightseeing tour. We have the car for another hour."

Vanessa shook her head, "No. I'm not going to have a voyeur listening in to our lovemaking. That's not my style."

Nunzio laughed. "You weren’t so shy at Sinsations that night."

Vanessa pulled away from Nunzio just a bit. "That was to get your attention. I have it. I have you now." She smiled, remembering how tense and frustrated he had been from her public striptease.

"Well, then, Mrs. Ciampa-Sarducci, you'll just have to be really, really quiet." Nunzio pulled her forward just a bit, so the rest of her legs were off the seat. He propped her head up on the back cushion and reached under her dress.

Vanessa did not argue.

Nunzio's touch was soft and light. She would have dozed off under his fingers if she didn't know what was about to happen. Instead, her body tensed, and she grew excited. Moisture seeped through her undergarments the closer Nunzio got to pulling them off.

Instead of reaching for her panties, first, he pushed the skirts of her dress up around her waist. Vanessa pressed them down as flat as she could to watch her husband do his work.

Vanessa sighed as Nunzio kissed above her one knee, then her other. He walked his lips up her inner thigh, slowly nipping areas with his teeth. Kissing the next with his lips. Dragging his tongue along her skin with the next move.

A groan longed to escape her lips. She bit down to not break the mood. She banished the thought that there was another person so close. She only wanted to think about Nunzio, his magic lips, glorious fingers, and lovely body.

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