Page 94 of The Sound in Silence

He shoots me a scathing look, not amused with my teasing.

Erico

For the remainder of the night, my selfishness keeps me in bed with Ariella. The urge to hunt Blake Anders is nearly as strong as the desire to hear her cry out my name over and over.

Maybe it’s shock, but I don’t think I’ve processed that, after all this time, she’s trusts me enough to talk to me. Having no idea exactly how trauma works, I accepted I never would. Maybe she needed to manage the loss more—I don’t know. Della was the only lucky one of us, understandably so, and I accepted that I’d be clinging to the single word she shouted in her dreams.

When she yelled my name in the car, pure instincts had me checking every angle around us, spotting Anders tailgating me, and swerving to safety in less than a blink of an eye. I despise myself for being so focused on the road and getting us through the storm, I hadn’t noticed what he was doing.

But that was it, I assumed. My name as a warning, and I’d get nothing further, but then she laughed and continued to talk. Screamed my name as she came on my cock, while bent over my car, a fantasy I hadn’t realized I had until that moment.

Being home is different. I think. Again, no idea how mental health diagnoses work so I’ve spent the night terrified, that was it. A trauma response to an almost-accident based on a previous one and she’d return to being silent.

Therefore, with Caladin hunting Anders, I’ve been selfish and had her coming over and over, if only to hear my name from her lips as many times as her body was physically able to gift me.

I started out dominating her, stealing four orgasms back-to-back, but ended with me on my back and begging for my own release. This woman is fucking perfect. Once given her power back, she’s happy to share it again. Exactly like I need, like I want.

So pulling from her in the morning is shitty, but I was woken with a message from Caladin, stating he’s caught Anders with support from some of our men. That was an hour ago, but I ignored my job for this.

Watching Ariella wake up in my second home.

Given that we were drenched last night, I took her to my condo instead of driving all the way back to the Hamptons. There’s nothing here; my apartment kept very basic and boring, but it was a safe place for the night. Besides, it’s thrilling to bring my wife to yet another one of my homes, another place she’s the only woman to be in here, other than the housekeeper occasionally cleaning.

Ariella stretches, her back arching and pushing her breasts into the side of my body. A sleepy smile graces her face as she blinks her eyes slowly open, finding me.

“Morning.”Please verbally reply.I’ve become addicted to her voice and not hearing it again is unfathomable.

“Good morning.”

She’s still here. I don’t know why, or how, or if this is how it’ll be with everyone, but a part of me doesn’t care. In fact, I’d love nothing more to be one of the few she’ll speak to.

I can’t tell her everything in my head, so I show her, by rolling her over and kissing her. Our tongues tangle, our legs melding together. My cock wakes up, nestling with her heat.

But then my phone’s vibrations cut through the air and I curse. She laughs, tapping the back of my shoulder until I lift off her. “Stop ignoring your job. You’re the Boss, in case you’ve forgotten. Go do your things. Sounds like you’re needed.”

I roll off her but not before bringing my finger down to her core. “I am needed. To make my wife come.”

“And your wife needs to have her insides left alone for a day. You’ve put them to work last night.” She sits up, groaning, her hand resting on her stomach. “And apparently my abs too.”

“Good. Means you’ll feel me for the rest of the day. Speaking of,” I glance at the time, “since I’m gone for the day, and this place doesn’t have anything for you, I’ve asked Jack to come for you in an hour. He’ll drive you to the mansion. Then later this afternoon, theFamiglia’s doctor is stopping by to check on you.”

I texted him when I woke earlier. Speaking again is one thing, but the fact her mind switched tells me she needs support more than I can provide.

With that announcement, I disappear into the attached closet, much smaller than my mansion’s, and return dressed in a suit to find her pouting.

“Erico, I’m fine.”

“Neither of us have medical degrees, so I agree to disagree until a professional reassures us.” I approach the bed, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. “Caladin needs me. Shower, dress. Jack will text you in about an hour. I’ll see you back at home later.”

* * *

Caladin’s propped against the shut door of the warehouse, picking at his nails mindlessly with a knife. At my approach, he kicks off it. “Make this quick or else we’re gonna need to start putting these fuckers somewhere else. Because by tomorrow, we’ll have her mother’s murderer.” He grins. “Yeah, Corsetti called. Said our intel and coordinates checked out. I’m taking men up North to the border to get him tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect. For now,” I roll up my sleeves and snatch the blade from his grip, “we get answers about last night.”

He follows me into the dimly lit warehouse, where Anders is chained. Caladin shifted the trajectory of the chains so rather than him bolted to the floor, his arms are lifted over his head, a bandana shoved into his mouth. His eyes widen upon my entry and he stumbles back a step, his arms yanking on the chains as he tries to balance on his toes.

“He was buggin’ the fuck out of me,” Caladin comments. “Kept screaming bullshit so I shut him up.”

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