Page 85 of Mafia Virgin (The Kings of Italy)

Giacomo stood and held out his hand. “Come. Let’s shower.”

A shower was the last thing on my mind right now. “You contacted my father?”

“Of course. Except your uncle keeps saying he speaks for Don Mancini.” He turned and walked to the bathroom. I was momentarily distracted by the absolute perfection of his glutes as he moved. Holy smokes, there was zero fat on this man. Narrow hips and a broad muscular back . . . .

“Emma!” he called as he disappeared into the bathroom. “Stop staring at me and get in here. I want you clean so I can dirty you up again.”

I shook myself and heaved off the mattress. He’d already started the shower by the time I walked in. Steam billowed from the glass enclosure as he pulled open the door. “In.”

“Wait.”

His face twisted with impatience. “Stop arguing with me and get in the shower.”

“I need to use the bathroom first. I’m not risking a UTI just because you’re impatient.”

He shook his head, but got into the shower without me. Thankfully the toilet was hidden behind a tile wall that divided the bathroom. After I finished I stepped into the shower and joined him. Heat enveloped me as the water cascaded over my head. My muscles sang with joy. I hadn’t realized how sore I was until now.

I was no longer a virgin.

It was strange, but not strange. There was no pain other than a dull ache. That, and the memory of his body moving inside mine. The piercing had been a revelation.Yum.

He swept my wet hair to the side and pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder. Goosebumps raced up and down my body. I was quickly coming to learn that my husband was both tender and tough. Rough and gentle. Thoughtful and smart. He was a mix of many things, not only what he showed to the world, and I found it fascinating.

But we had things to discuss.

“Tell me what Virga has on you.”

His whole body locked up and he moved away, starting to clean himself with brutal efficiency. It was obvious what he was doing. Sighing, I reached for the shampoo. “Why won’t you trust me?”

“Because I don’t trust anyone.”

“Giacomo, we just had sex.”

He did that lip curl thing that happened right before he was about to say something cruel. I was proven right when he snapped, “I don’t need to trust a woman to stick my dick inside her.”

Ouch. “What about to come inside her and have a baby with her?”

“I didn’t come inside you.”

“It’s only a matter of time before you have to—unless you trust me to help you with whatever Virga is blackmailing you with.”

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t help me, just like I can’t help your father. Nothing can be done except eliminate Virga.”

Uneasiness filled my chest as I searched his face. “Wrong. My father can be transferred someplace where Virga’s men can’t find him. Right now they’re in his bedroom, playing cards and watching tv with him. It’s terrifying.”

Giacomo opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating, and the uneasiness in my body compounded. “What?” I croaked. “Spit it out. What are you not wanting to tell me?”

“Emma,” he said on an exhale. “You know how our world works. Virga’s men can’t get close to a man like your father unless . . .”

“Unless, what?”

“Unless your uncle allows it. Capisce?”

All the air left my lungs in a rush and I clutched at the wet tile. “No. You are saying . . . ? No. Absolutely not.”

“Bambina, think about it. Your father has been protected this whole time, his brother running the business while no one suspects a thing. Now Virga finds out, takes you away and his men are allowed to be in the same room as Don Mancini. You know this doesn’t happen without your uncle’s involvement. It isn’t possible.”

“You’re saying my uncle wants my father dead.”

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