Page 7 of Bite Marks

She stiffened, her breath catching for a moment before her eyes peered into his. There was a warning in there, but also a sweltering heat that couldn’t be overlooked. “Nunzio, this is for show.”

Nunzio nodded. Since she’d replied in English, he switched back. “And all performers practice off stage. You need to be used to my touch, comfortable in my lap, eager for a kiss.”

Her eyes stayed the same, a little “hands off” and a little “wish it were more,” but her lips twitched at the edge, the hint of a smile that wanted to come out. Her eyes flicked to his lips for the briefest of moments. “Well, are you going to lean in or what?” she asked in Italian.

Nunzio leaned over the thin center console without needing to be told twice. His free hand cupped her jaw and guided her to his lips.

Nunzio had heard the termsparks flewbut found it to be a rather pretentious idea. People get hot for each other, and when two people who are sexually aroused kiss, sure, some fireworks can go off, but none of this electric current bologna. That was until Vanessa’s lips touched his.

Her kiss was a live wire that gripped him, forcing him to grip back. The line of electric energy lanced his spine, and for a moment, the telltale sensations of the change came over him as if she was pulling the wolf to the surface. He resisted, trying to leash the beast but not letting go of their kiss. Then her delicate fingers touched his cheek, and the wolf was subdued as easily as a master telling a pet to lay down.

That left him with the spine-tingling current running up and down his nerves, spreading through his muscles, flexing and relaxing them as the energy saw fit.

His mouth parted her lips, and his tongue tasted her for a brief moment before she placed that same hand on his chest. With barely any amount of force behind it, she pushed, and he backed away into his seat.

“We aren’t going to be playing tonsil hockey at a family dinner.” She swiped a thumb across her plump bottom lip, which sent a residual jolt through Nunzio’s system.

Did she feel that too? Or was that just me? Maybe I’ve never experienced something like that because I’ve been getting with all the loose, floozy types.The fear of her saying no kept him from asking if she’d felt it too. “Best behaviors for all the mas and aunties, right? You’d best keep me topped off with cheek kisses and quick pecks if you want to keep me at bay.” He pulled into traffic and headed to Capo Feluccia’s place.

“I’ll make a note of that.” She smiled and checked her lips in a compact mirror before adding on. “Listen. I know we’re going to have to play close, but I don’t want you taking advantage of the situation. I want to make a safe word to tell you that I don’t like what’s happening.”

Nunzio nodded. “I usually use orange.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care to know about your sex life. And orange can’t work in public. What am I supposed to say? ‘I want some oranges?’ No. I’m going to call youhun, but if I say,sweetheart, that’s your cue that I’m not liking something, and we need to stop and reset. Got it?”

“Sweetheart. Yeah, I got it. I’ll keep my ears open.”

“I’d say you can use it, too, but I have a feeling I could strip naked, and you wouldn’t say anything.”

Nunzio laughed. “Strip naked for me, alone in privacy? I ain’t saying a thing. Strip in front of some other goons, then yeah, I’ll be saying something real fast. I don’t think any of those words are going to be sweetheart, though.”

They made it to the caporegime’s house, where they were greeted by the man himself, Edoardo Feluccia. In his mid-fifties, Ed’s light brown hair had begun to fade away from his forehead, but he’d not given in to any pressures to comb it over, so his hair slid from the middle of his scalp back to the base of his neck. During all the years Nunzio had known the man, he’d been a big, heavyset fella, but a few years of fighting off cancer had shaved him down.

“Nunzio, good to see you.” He shook Nunzio’s hand before turning a bright smile to Vanessa. “Nessa. You look radiant. I’m very happy to have you back in my home.” He pulled her in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re back with us.”

“Is Giulia in the kitchen?” Vanessa asked

Ed turned and motioned them in. “She is. She doesn’t believe you’re coming.”

She laughed. “She doesn’t?”

“She said, ‘Ain’t no way, no how, that boy is going to be the one who brings her back around.’” Ed jerked a thumb at Nunzio and chuckled. “Go say hi, but don’t jump out from behind her. You’ll give her the fits.”

Vanessa glanced at Nunzio and gave him a playful wink and smile. “Come find me when you can.” She walked off into the house as Ed shut the door.

“You did a damn good thing, Nunzio. I don’t know how you managed it, but you did a damn good thing bringing her back into the family.” He turned and put a stern finger in Nunzio’s chest. “Her father ain’t here to say it, so I will. You hurt that girl, and you’re as dead as a rat in the joint. Capisce? She’srara come una mosca bianca. You get me?”

Rare as a white fly.“I understand, sir. Trust me, I completely agree.” After that kiss, there wasn’t any question in his mind that she was one of a kind. But damn it all …I’m a fucking dead man. Once this charade is done, Ed’s gonna string me up by my toes and dunk me in a shark tank.

Screams rang out from the kitchen, followed by giddy laughter and rejoicing.

Nunzio greeted a few of the other made men invited before greeting other family members. They didn’t all share the same last name, but they all fell under the wing of the Feluccia family.

When they sat for dinner, the other guests … especially the women … weren’t too disgruntled that Nunzio and Vanessa were sitting so close to the head of the table since Giulia wanted her Little Nessa next to her.

To her credit, Vanessa pretended to have fun well enough, and who knew, maybe she really was. Her affectionate kisses to Nunzio’s cheeks were well placed, not overly abundant, and not forced either. She came off as perfectly natural. She held onto his arm and blushed when Giulia asked how the two came together.

The idea that they should have gotten their story straight rather than kissed came to Nunzio’s mind, but he slapped it away, not wanting to trade that kiss for the world.

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