Page 94 of Of Murder and Matrimony

Tension coiled in my belly at his hesitant words. I lowered my voice. “Please tell me it’s not a Bratva soldier.”

“No.” He waved his hand in the air. “Nothing like that. But not everybody would understand the situation, so it's best they stay away for now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is better than the alternative,” he insisted, relaxing in the chair. I still didn’t understand how he survived in the summer sun wearing a suit. “I would rather somebody live apart from me than perish at my side.”

His words were poetic, his longing evident on his face and in how his fingers tightened around his phone as it buzzed. I considered how life would be if Dante and I could never truly be together. Diego was much stronger than I was to love from a distance. It was a selfless form of affection.

“Will you go see them, at least?” A fairy tale romance quickly took shape in my head as I imagined Diego seeing his love in the dark of night, stealing kisses and whispering sweet nothings before the sun rose and reality crept back in.

“Maybe,” he answered thoughtfully. “There’s a place not too far out of town where we could meet up on a weekend. I should ask.”

I grinned. “I’ll make sure you get the time off if you ask Dante. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind keeping me all to himself for a few days.”

Dante had been like a sticker that went through the wash on a shirt, the adhesive twice as strong and nearly impossible to remove from the fabric. I didn’t mind, but we couldn’t stay wrapped up in each other forever. I wanted to return to my clinic, and Dante had family responsibilities.

Ettore had been noticeably absent in the week since I returned, and Dante told me he’d been working long hours in his office or downtown. That was fine by me. The less I had to see my father-in-law, the better. There seemed to be an increasing tension between him and my husband that I didn’t understand.

Diego let it slip that Ettore hadn’t supported Dante’s rescue efforts or some of his methods. I didn’t ask for more information. I’d heard enough from Adrik to know my husband was a force to be reckoned with when angered. Perhaps a little time apart for father and son would help calm irritated nerves.

I leaned back and floated on the water’s surface, watching the puffy white clouds float by as I moved just enough to stay awake and not sink in the water. Being home filled me with contentment I hadn’t realized was possible.

Diego’s phone rang, and I righted myself in time to see him bite his lip as he answered and whispered, “Hey. Fuck, it’s good to hear your voice again. Let me call you back.”

He ended the call and resumed texting, but kept abusing his bottom lip.

“You should make the call,” I suggested, swimming back to the side of the pool closest to my guard.

“I wouldn’t want to do that in front of you,” he said, stretching his long legs. “It’s personal.”

“While I would try not to listen, I get that. You should still go make the call.”

“I’m not leaving you out here,” he said, though he kept glancing at the phone.

“I’ll get out of the pool,” I offered, hoisting myself up and sitting on the side. “I’m done with my laps, anyway. I’ll grab a shower and meet you back at the house. That should give you enough time to chat.”

Diego considered it for a moment, then stood and nodded. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes if you’re not at the house already.”

“Deal.” I pushed myself to my feet and offered my fist for him to bump. “Enjoy your little chat.”

He chuckled and held the phone to his ear as he walked away, his steps light and brisk as he wandered toward the garden where nobody could overhear him. I patted myself on the back for my good deed and skipped toward the showers. Feeling the love in the air, I went to my changing room and fished my phone out of my shorts, dialing my husband’s number.

“Mia piccola fantasma,” Dante’s smooth, deep voice answered on the third ring. “Are you having a good day?”

“It would be better if you were about to get in the shower with me,” I teased, looking down at my black swimsuit. “I’d let you strip me down. Fuck me against the wall until you give me all that hot come.”

“Fuck,” Dante hissed in a pained whisper. “I'm still at the office. I can’t be getting hard before a meeting.”

I giggled at my effect on him. “Then I guess you shouldn’t picture me standing under the water naked, playing with my nipples. Moving one of those hands down to finger myself as you watch.”

“Olesya,” he warned, his voice thick with desire. “When I get home, I’m going to fuck you so hard the only thing you’ll be able to do is scream my name while you’re coming on my cock.”

“Mm.” I touched between my legs over my suit. My heart raced, and my skin flushed. “I bet you’d like it if I spread my labia so you could see how wet you make me. How much I want you right now.”

“How wet are you?” he murmured, his breathing quick.

I dipped my fingers underneath my suit and felt the slick fluid there. “So wet. Dripping.”

---