"I know you want it as much as I do, there's no point in denying it."
A R I A
Two weeks.
Fourteen days.
That's how long it had been since Lucien had wriggled his way beneath my skirt and between my legs, or more importantly, since we'd been attacked by a handful of Sabella accomplices.
I would've liked to focus on the latter but it seemed the former was plaguing my mind, altering my attention despite the information we now knew about the attack that was lead from Sicily.
Nonetheless, I had still been in a mood the moment we'd exited the house to find Jinx outside with Tofu inside his jacket, his hair covered in soot before we were promptly driving towards the hospital. By then not only had I been in pissed because my throat felt like it was on fire from the smoke inhalation, but I was also pissed that Lucien had blindsided me with his dámn tongue and hands and rendered my control around him useless.
"Stupid, infuriating ásshole," I muttered under my breath, aimlessly throwing darts from the chair I was in and towards the board pinned to the wall in Aaron's basement.
"You know, you could always just fück him?" Aaron spoke to me in a bored tone, his focus on his laptop where he was looking through some shady software altering to me when I narrowed my eyes.
"He plays my game just as well as me," I replied, huffing and then clearing my throat of the tickle that was the remaining pain of my cough. I sighed, rubbing the side of my neck before standing from my seat and retrieving the darts I'd thrown, my fingers curling around the pointed tip as I looked to Aaron.
He was still sitting, his gaze on his laptop where he was searching for information surrounding the attack through previously mentioned shady software as Tofu curled in his lap and rubbed his head against Aaron's stomach. The visual made me pout, my shoulders slumping as I walked back to my chair and then threw the darts in my hand, my precision betraying me when I didn't hit the bullseye despite trying three times and being trained in the art of accuracy itself.
For fück-
"Wow, you really need some díck in your life if you can't throw darts properly," Aaron mumbled, ducking his head when I threw the closest thing to me (a pen) at him. He chuckled, the sound only deepening the scowl on my face just as the door opened and in walked the devil himself whilst I stood near the board to retrieve my darts once again.
Lucien shoved his phone back into the pocket of his slacks, his eyes on me when I glared at him just because I could and noticed the scrapes across his knuckles that ran in dark red lines. He'd been on business for the past twelve days which meant that I hadn't seen him for that time period, the term high and dry something that I never thought I'd use in my life but found myself doing so frequently when I kept looking at him.
He was tanner than usual courtesy of the Sicilian heat, my jealousy centering in on the fact that he'd visited home and I was kept under surveillance whilst he was basking in the heat despite the circumstances he had gone on. The thought only kick started the ugly and fücking hated feeling of being homesick in my stomach, my chest tightening when I became suddenly overwhelmed before I shook my head and narrowed my eyes at Lucien once again. I liked to think that my jealousy was the only reason behind my sudden annoyed mood, but I knew it wasn't, and by looking at Lucien, he knew it too.
Stupid, stupid good looking man.
He did nothing but let the side of his lips curve in a half smirk, my focus altering back to the darts as I retrieved them from the board and walked back to my seat to throw them.
"So, Salvatore isn't happy that you want to live alone."
The dart I threw after Lucien's words hit the bullseye with ease, my sharp hum echoing in my head as I squinted my eyes at my aim and spoke.
"Did you tell him that he has no say in where I want to live?" I asked, throwing a dart once again as it swayed against the previous one when it also pinned against the center of the board.
"I don't feel like being killed at this moment in time, so no," Lucien spoke and I raised my eyebrows mockingly, my gaze towards the board faltering when Tofu moved away from Aaron and jumped to the ground to step towards Lucien.
It seemed that Tofu had a certain soft spot for Lucien, one that wasn't exactly reciprocated when Lucien squinted at him and sighed when Tofu took residence in front of his polished shoes.
"You know he won't move unless you do something right?" I questioned rhetorically, casting him a look over my shoulder with a sarcastic smile on my face that dissipated with his next words.
"Well then I guess my control over püssy goes deeper than between a woman's legs," he said, muttering how there was no pun intended before taking amusement in my silent reaction of twisted lips and zero fücking words.
I heard Aaron snort from behind me at Lucien's words when I turned, my lower body clenching as I crossed my legs and threw my last dart to the board whilst cursing him in Italian under my breath.
The force I used made the second dart drop to the floor when the bullseye became too crowded, my heels clicking under my feet as I walked up to grab them again and then spoke.
"My father needs to get a grip on his priorities-"
"You are his priority," Lucien cut me off and I inhaled, correcting him.
"Due to a blood oath, I'm not his priority. I am yours," I said, pressing the pad of my thumb to the blunt pointed end of the dart as I watched Tofu paw at Lucien's feet. "Anyways, enough talk about my dad. Did you get that house you were bidding for?"
With my changed subject Lucien nodded, watching me as I sat down and aimlessly threw the darts back to the board.
I registered his response to my question and hummed quietly, my interest piquing considering I'd had Aaron delve deep into the information surrounding the mansion Lucien had decided to buy as a second home. The purchase wasn't as impulsive as one would think since it was the result of his previous house being nothing but broken structure and ashes courtesy of the attack that had commenced two weeks ago.
His new home resided deeper in the private community than he was before, the white paved mansion sitting in the middle of manicured gardens and a large gated one point seven acre land. The aesthetic it gave off screamed nothing but money, the very fact being the only reason that I wasn't surprised when Aaron had told me the hefty price it was going for.
Sixteen point four million dollars.
Money like that was something that I knew didn't make a dent in the bank when it came to the mafia. I was sure because I'd been living in a one hundred and forty million dollar mansion in Sicily since I was eleven, but then again that was only a result of my grandfather's profits over a forty year period.
That was the only reason that had me questioning Lucien's credibility when Aaron had mentioned that Lucien had actually bought the property in full whilst he was away on business, my drawled out hum leaving my lips as I wondered about how Lucien had money like that to spend when he was only twenty three.
"Paid for it yourself?" I asked him casually, noticing the way Aaron turned his head up from his screen and gave me a look.
"All sixteen point four million, but I'm sure you'd know that thanks to Aaron," Lucien spoke, his words catching me off guard when I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek and hummed quietly once again.
I was hating the way that he was upping me on my own dámn game and hating myself even more when I felt my body heat at the way he was testing me.
"You have your tech guy, and I have mine," he finished smugly, picking up Tofu before walking towards me and placing him in my hands as I blinked whilst looking at Aaron. "Once you're done gaping into space, I'll be waiting for you in the car. Your dad wants to speak to you."
The door shutting had me turning my head as Tofu snuggled his head against me, my mouth opening and closing just as Aaron burst into laughter.
"The look on your face," he laughed, still chuckling when I threw another pen at him that got him in the head this time. "Jesus, you two are something else."
"Shut up," I told him, huffing to myself as I stood up and smoothed my fingers across Tofu's back. He purred in satisfaction quietly as I picked up my clutch and held it under my arm, my body leaning down as I kissed Aaron on the cheek. "Email me if you find out any more information about the Sabella's!"
"Okie dokie," Aaron called out just as I pushed past the door and walked up the stairs to the main floor. I followed the corridor all the way through the kitchen and towards the driveway before walking out of the house, my hands pulling open the door to Lucien's new Range Rover SVR.
Another expensive (this time impulsive) buy.
It was a slick grey that had anybody and everybody turning heads, the sheer stature it carried with it doing so by itself as I shut the door after me and settled in the passenger seat.
"Are you hungry?" Lucien asked and I shook my head whilst clipping in my seatbelt, my hands smoothing over the leather of my pants before I cringed at the feeling of the large rectangular band aid that was over the now closed cut in my thigh.
It still hurt here and there but it was more discomfort than anything, my fingers going back to smoothing over Tofu's head as he stayed in my lap whilst Lucien pulled out of the driveway.
He answered a few calls in between as I busied myself on my phone with a conversation that popped up with my grandfather, the email he'd sent me making me squint my eyes as I read over the Italian and then looked up to Lucien.
"Did you tell my grandfather that I wasn't present when the Sabella's attacked?" I questioned Lucien, my eyebrows raising at him when he side glanced me whilst indicating right.
"Your father had strict orders to not mention anything about you," he said, taking the turn as I bit the inside of my lip, wondering what my father's motives were just as Lucien pulled out a packet of cigarettes.
With precision that was only successful because Lucien was focusing on not killing us in the car, I swiped him of his cigarettes and threw them out the door when I opened it for a split second.
"Wow..." Lucien drawled out sharply, his fingers still open as if they were holding his cigarettes before he curled them into his palm and then inhaled deeply. "What is your problem?"
"How are you going to run away from the enemy when you were clearly told that smoking after what happened could permanently ruin your lungs?" I asked, his reaction to what I assumed he thought was care and concern making me speak up once again. "I don't feel like dying at this moment in time," I mocked his words from earlier, staring at the side of his face before he looked at me when we came to a stop sign.
"One, I don't need a mafia princess telling me what to do," he said, putting his finger up to signal that he wasn't finished when I proceeded to interject at the ugly name he'd called me. "...and two, I don't run away from the enemy tesoro. I stand my ground."
"Stand your ground when I fücking shoot your head clean off your spine," I muttered, my eyes narrowing once again when he sighed dramatically and placed his right hand over my thigh.
The heat of his palm seared through my pants and against my skin, his fingers pressing into my skin as he purposely slid his hand upwards until I shut them when he reached the apex of my thighs.
I could feel his fingers against me, curling around my thigh and creating a bubble of heat to lower in my stomach whilst he kept his left hand on the steering wheel.
"Move your hand before I cut it off," I told him despite what I wanted, the cool air inside the car inhaled deep into my lungs when I bit the insides of my cheek as he moved his fingers.
"You really get off to the thought of violence, don't you?" he asked nonchalantly, his tone intact as if his hand wasn't trapped between my legs whilst he kept driving.
I went to reply to his words had it not been for the way he moved his fingers, the force against me making me grit my teeth as I clenched my legs harder and watched Tofu stand from my hands before following Lucien's arm and stepping across the console to sit on his lap.
"Looks like Tofu isn't the only püssy that likes me."
He smirked when I shoved his hand away from me harshly once I'd heard his words, my body heated as I was left high and dry for the second time in two weeks because of him.
"You know for someone who didn't want to fück me, you're very contradictory with your actions," I told him, earning a shrug from him as Tofu purred in his lap.
"Men are incompetent idiots who don't know the definition of a promise," he started, sighing mockingly once again when he repeated my words that I'd spoken at the hospital after the attack. "That's what you said before you knocked a doctor unconscious since he wasn't doing what you wanted quick enough...I guess you can say that I'm living up to the definition."
"Is that also what you tell yourself when you're jacking off to the thought of me in your bathroom?" I blurted out easily, catching him off guard when he pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek and cleared his throat. "You're extremely loud when you want to be."
"I could say the same thing about you when you're fücking yourself with your fingers in your room. Your subtlety is something that you should really work on when you're caught rubbing one out," he retorted effortlessly, his comebacks making my patience grow thin since I wasn't used to the battle against my words.
"Bastard," I muttered.
"Bítch."
"Püssy!"
"You'd love me to fück yours," he smirked.
"Shut up!"
He was unaffected by the slap to his arm and relished in my reaction that was heated anger, my mood deteriorating when the feeling of being left aroused came into full force when we reached my father's house.
I got out and purposely slammed the door to Lucien's car, my heels clicking under my feet as I walked up to the porch and glared at the two fat security guards at the front, the one on the left having been the one to frisk search me once before.
"If either of you touch me, I will cut off your tongues and nail them to your foreheads," I said as calmly as I could despite the pulsing need that was radiating from the middle of my legs because of Lucien. I tried to push the thought out of my head until I remembered why I was doing it in the first place, the sudden visual of Lucien's cóck, hard and standing tall against his stomach filling my mind as I licked my lips before biting over them.
Fücking stupid-
"She's with me," Lucien said to them, the both of them nodding to him as I felt his hand press to the small of my back as he held Tofu in his other hand.
I moved away from his touch when I walked into the house with my head held high, my head turning up to see up to the high ceilings before I proceeded to move so I could walk up to my father's office where I presumed he was.
I failed miserably when I was pulled into Lucien, my áss pressing against the length of his cóck which made my spine go rigid just as I felt his breath across my ear.
"If you want to fück, all you have to do is ask...you know that right?"
His mocking words that I'd used against him made me move his hand from around my waist whilst a scowl settled on my lips, the amused sound that left his lips making my features permanently stay in place as I prepared myself for another problem that I was sure I'd distract myself with.
My father.
~
L U C I E N
"You do realise we are going to your dads for dinner, right?"
Aria turned from opening the oven, my eyebrows raising mockingly at her when she stuffed the beef joint into the oven and then closed the door with her heeled foot when she turned to me.
"I'm aware," were the only words that left her mouth before she resumed chopping potatoes, her hair falling in front of her face as I leaned against the door frame of my new kitchen and fixed my cufflinks.
It was currently Thursday night which meant that the dinner Salvatore had been planning with his family was commencing in an hour, my eyes settling on my watch where I saw that we had twenty minutes to spare before we all had to leave since us men had been invited as well.
I had zero idea why the dinner was happening, but I'd gathered that Aria did when I watched her tuck her hair behind her ears and wipe her hands over the apron that didn't look as fancy as what she was wearing.
As always she was in heels that looked too tall to be comfortable in, the pair on her feet today being white before my eyes enjoyed the length of her legs until they settled on the pale greenish skirt that had a long sleeve top tucked into it.
She looked good, as per usual. Edible, even.
It made my fingers curl into my palms as I licked my lips and breathed through my nose, my stare seeming to be noticeable when she looked up and met my gaze with narrowed eyes.
"What do you want?" she asked me, her tone sharp which I put down to her mood as I smoothed down the lines in my shirt and spoke smugly.
"You," I said simply, adding fuel to the fire in between us before I ducked easily when the knife she was cutting with was thrown towards me.
I sighed dramatically, looking at her as she glared at me and then followed my stare when I turned to see the knife stuck into the wall, the blade shimmering in the light as I grabbed it by the handle and twirled it between my fingers.
"You really do get off to the thought of killing me," I said to her, walking towards where she was before I planted the tip of the knife into the chopping board, the marble counters creating a miniscule squeaking sound when metal hit it once the blade had cut through the eighth of an inch of plastic.
She didn't say anything to my words and instead glared at me again, her eyes heated as I swallowed slightly when I looked at her lips.
It was a task to not take her then and there.
She was beautifully pissed off, the look on her face something I enjoyed immensely as I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows when she went to say something and then shut her mouth.
It seemed that leaving Aria wanting more was a lot more rewarding then hesitating around her.
There was just something about the way that I got her riled up that had me going, my blood infused with adrenaline as I watched her continue to cut potatoes once she'd pulled the knife free from the board.
She was doing so with precision I didn't dare to question, the equal cuts practically identical as I stared unapologetically at her face. She seemed to concentrate to a point where her eyebrows furrowed and her lips stayed in a line, her tongue darting out here and there to lick over her lips until she was finished cutting.
"If you stare any harder, your eyes will pop out of their sockets," she told me without making eye contact, my eyes still settled on her mouth when she spoke.
Despite the joy it gave me to coil her tight, I couldn't deny the way that I was only doing the same to myself. I wanted her badly and I knew she did too when she'd been caught staring at me the instant I'd returned to my new home from Sicily, her eyes dark with a feeling that was mutual but wasn't acted on.
It made me smug, my eyes still on her as she placed the potato slices into a tray once she'd marinated them, my stomach suddenly rumbling at the smell of the food she was cooking.
She noticed, her eyes moving towards me whilst she kept her head in the same place before she tilted it up to look at me properly.
"I'm hungry," I told her simply, watching her roll her eyes before I licked my lips and finished my sentence. "...and not just for food."
At my words she breathed out slightly, her movement's halting for a split second before she shook her head and curled her fingers into a fist whilst pointing the knife at me.
"Your words don't affect me, Lucien," she said to me, smiling defiantly like she'd won the battle with herself.
It made me hum, my body leaning onto the lip of the counter before I spoke up.
"They don't?" I asked and she replied with a simple repeat of my words in a decisive tone, my brain quick to form a plan as I hummed once again and then looked at her.
I'd now known her for a month and knew when she was in control of herself, the only times that she wasn't being when we'd kissed and when my knee was wedged between her legs in the gym.
The thought prompted my words, my abs clenching as my thighs did the same when I felt the familiar swell of my cóck at the thought of her body against my fingertips.
"So you wouldn't be effected if I told you about the things I wanted to do to you?" I told her, smiling smugly when she shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek, her body turning away from me to put the potatoes in the oven.
Whilst she did I followed, her peripheral vision settling on me when I watched her side glance me before she turned to me once she'd closed the oven.
"Do you have a problem?" she asked, anger flaring in her eyes when I shrugged and then followed her once again when she returned back to stand by the counter.
By now I was mimicking her knowledge of how she predicted things, my eyes on her hands as I watched her slyly pick up the knife she'd thrown at me and then turn to me whilst leaning on the same hand to obscure her weapon.
I knew she wasn't going to kill me, yet the adrenaline flowing through my system increased by ten at the assumption of a fight, my muscles tense as I watched her gain back her control and raise her eyebrows at me.
"Cat got your tongue?" I asked her when she didn't say anything for a few seconds, the smile on her face devilish.
"You wish it did."
"Not as much as you want it to," I easily retorted, watching her glare harder at me if that was even possible. "Why don't you tell me more?" I teased, testing her limits as I kept my eye contact with her, my stare hard as I kept my peripheral vision open to the silver light of the blade.
"Vai a farti fottere," she snapped, telling me to go fück myself in reply to my words.
"So you don't want to talk about how much you want my head between your legs?" I asked casually, her features not wavering despite the way she inhaled a little harsher. I moved closer to her, still aware of the weapon in her hand as I kept speaking, my stare still on her. "I know you want it as much as I do, there's no point in denying it."
"Then why won't you give it to me?" she asked, not moving from her spot even when I was in front of her, my hand coming up to move the hair away from her shoulders before I curved my fingers under her ear and against her jaw.
I leaned down, just enough so I could alter my vision without her knowing, my lips ghosting over hers as her own parted before she let out a wavered breath.
"...because teasing you is so much more fun, tesoro."
With my words ringing in her ears she tensed, her hand coming up to inflict damage on me before she realised I was now quicker than her. With ample precision I moved her to where I wanted until she was bent over the counter, her breathing harsh when I twisted the grip I had on her arm before I had it across the edge of the counter with her hand gripped onto the knife.
"Release your weapon bambolina, you'll never get a scratch on me," I taunted, swallowing the groan from my mouth when her áss settled against the length of my hips, effectively pushing force against my already hard cóck.
"Ti odio più di chiunque altro abbia mai incontrato nella mia cazzo di vita!" she snapped, breathless when I pushed my hips into her, watching her bite her lip as she silenced her words that told me that I was the one she most hated in her life.
"Is that because I'm the only person who has spoken back to you and not given you what you wanted, princess?"
"Don't fücking call me that."
"Princess? I think it's cute-"
"I will show you cute when I cut your throat and watch you bleed-"
"Uh uh," I teased, holding her body against the counter with the weight of my own whilst one of my hands kept her left curved against her back, the other keeping a hold on the one that was holding the knife. "Drop the knife Aria, then maybe I'll give you the privilege of sleeping with me."
"Privilege? Why would it be a privilege when I can have anyone I fücking want," she cried out in frustration when she didn't find a way out of the position she was in, my chuckle humourless when she clearly didn't understand the context of her sentence.
"Then why are you so riled up over wanting me to fück you?" I asked her, enjoying the way silence followed from my words just as footsteps sounded down the stairs.
Easily we both acted as if nothing had happened, my grip on Aria now a memory when I slipped the knife from her fingers and into my inside pocket whilst she moved to the sink and washed her hands.
Jinx appeared a few seconds later, my hands already on my phone as I looked up to him and then side glanced Aria when she walked past me like nothing had ever happened to dry her hands.
It was oddly amusing that the both of us had the same idea, my eyes settling on Jinx when he narrowed his eyes at the both of us before they widened when Aria spoke up.
"Jinx, do you want to go upstairs and fück?"
Never mind. I take my statement back.
Jinx blinked several times, my tongue licking over my bottom lip as I looked at Aria from my phone and registered the smug look on her face. It was clear that she thought that she was winning, her plan seeming to be successful until her face dropped a little when I did nothing but shrug like I was unaffected by her words.
Which I was.
"Um, I think that ship has sailed so, no."
"Excuse me?" Aria blurted out, taken back from Jinx's words, especially considering he was kissing her áss the moment she'd flown out here.
"Yeah," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at me wearily whilst I stayed unbothered. "You do realise that even if I wanted to, I can't. Right?"
"And why the fück not?" she asked, clearly annoyed at his response which made me hum smugly.
"You've been seen with Lucien, which means that you're practically-"
"Mine," I finished off for Jinx, looking at Aria when she blinked just like Jinx had done and then let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You're kidding right?" she laughed, her amusement dying down as I tilted my head and smiled at her. "I'm not something that can be fücking claimed," she spoke harshly, anger soon flaring in her eyes once again.
"With a body and face like that, you'd be stupid not to think that," I said, easily praising her looks before I taunted her. "Although, you might want to lose the attitude. Some men find it intimidating."
"So you're basically saying that because I've been seen out with you, I won't be able to get another man to fück me?" she asked, glaring hard at me as I nodded, strangely happy with the words that left her mouth.
"People fear me," I started, bringing the knife I'd put in my pocket out before twirling it between my fingers. "It's not news that people don't want to interfere with my business, especially when I'm known for breaking bones with my hands without breaking a sweat."
She blinked once again, lost for words as a result of my own.
I would've taken a picture of her reaction had it not been for the fact that she walked out of the kitchen promptly, the apron she was wearing suddenly thrown back into the kitchen through the threshold.
I wanted to laugh but Jinx was looking at me weirdly, my hands adjusting the situation between my legs before I looked at my watch and shouted at everyone to hurry the hell up before we were late.
In a matter of a long ten minutes that was made up of Aria glaring holes into my face and me being annoyed at everyone for taking their time, we were finally on our way to the Moretti estate. Ironically, despite how much she was hating me right now, Aria was sitting in the middle of the backseats in my car, Jinx occupying the passenger seat as he typed on his phone.
"So Johnson says that the info that you wanted won't be sent today because Amelia had the baby," Jinx spoke up as I turned left, my eyes altering to the mirror where I saw Aria turn to Jinx.
"Johnson has family?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and looking dumbfounded as Jinx nodded whilst I leaned over the console to reach into the glove compartment. I rummaged through the things in there before I found what I wanted, my fingers quick to pop the nicotine gum into my mouth since I was banned from smoking till further notice.
"He has three children and has been married for ten years. They just added to the Scott family with a baby girl called...Juliana," Jinx mumbled, a hum coming from Aria's lips before I told Jinx to let Johnson know it was fine and that I sent my congratulations.
I would've been more persistent for information had it not been for the fact that we already had a lead in Sicily, business already being taken care of since I'd visited for two weeks and returned a couple days ago. It seemed that things ran a lot deeper than I would've known, which only meant that conversations had turned into violence which left me with the blood of six men on my hands when I'd flown back out to be at home.
...but that was a story for another time.
"That's odd though, I never knew that," Aria said in response to Jinx's words whilst I kept driving. "I swear mafia men don't really get the whole paternity leave business."
"They don't," I piped in, enjoying the way Aria's features dropped into a deadpan look when I spoke. "However Johnson is basically family, so he's allowed to do what he wants considering he can work from home."
"My father was back to dealing with business a whole six hours after I was born," Aria muttered, a frown on her lips as she looked to the window on her right side.
"Be grateful princess, my father was in Italy when I was born and didn't see me until I was a few days old," I told her, smirking when she glared at the nickname I gave her just as Jinx spoke up.
"How is your dad by the way?"
"Still the same," I said simply, my mood suddenly flat at the mention of my father. It left the rest of the drive to be blanketed in silence until I stopped the car and stepped out onto the driveway. I smoothed my hands over my suit jacket as Aria joined my side when Jinx opened the door for her, the smell of her perfume frazzling my senses for a split second before she was walking in front of me.
"Quick question, why did Aria cook a full blown meal when we're literally coming here for dinner?" Jinx asked me, a simple shrug coming in response from me when I walked ahead and played on his words.
Did she like to stress cook? Was that her thing?
The thought made me snort. I couldn't see Aria stressed since she always walked around like she owned the fücking place, and I definitely didn't see her using cooking as a distraction no matter how good the food she just cooked smelled.
She just had to look like that, speak like that and fücking-
"Lucien!"
My focus altered when I turned at the sound of my name through the foyer of the Moretti estate, my eyes settling on the familiar voice of Salvatore's younger sister, Stella.
My face was cradled as both my cheeks were kissed, my eyes focusing on Stella's face as she beamed up at me courtesy of the considerable height difference before moving her hands to my shoulders.
"You've grown up to be such a handsome man," she cooed, smiling at me and then stepping towards Alex on the far right just as my eyes settled on Aria.
She was standing next to a man who I knew to be Stella's husband Luca, the smile on her face undeniably fake as she laughed weakly and then turned her head.
Her eyes caught contact with mine before they suddenly narrowed, the very action making me raise an eyebrow before she turned back to her uncle and then walked with him towards the dining area.
I assumed it was a family get together when I followed where Aria had walked and saw a few other family members, my brain mentally deciphering the date just to be sure that I hadn't missed the death anniversary of Aria's mother, Damia.
When I realised it wasn't November but instead the first week of October, I relaxed and let my shoulders release their tenseness as I greeted Dean and Blake.
Tevez joined me along with Bradley before I altered my gaze across the large dining table that could seat up to thirty people, china plates along with silverware set in between crystal glasses and candles.
It was strange being invited without my father present but I pushed away the thought as Salvatore walked into the room, his greeting coming as nothing but a handshake before he told us all to be seated.
I was sitting across from Aria with Salvatore at the head of the table four seats down, his presence demanding attention as he said grace once a multitude of traditional Italian dishes were placed in between all of us.
We all began to eat as everyone conversed eagerly, Aria seeming to stay silent as she bit into her food here and there before I watched her play with it aimlessly, her interest centered more on the wine in her glass which she drank like it was nothing.
Was I missing something here?
I was about to ask what was happening before Salvatore spoke, his voice confident as I watched him clear his throat and smile at all of us.
"So, I have gathered you all here today to discuss the annual charity fundraiser that we hold in Damia's name and memory," he started, clearing his throat as he spoke of his late wife.
It had been nearly thirteen years since but I could still envision the pain on Salvatore's face, the attack lead by the Lorento's being sudden and catastrophic when he'd found her body himself.
His retaliation towards the Lorento's had only been built in the form of anger and grief, his actions resulting in history that came in the form of fücking up their deals of extortion, counterfeit money production and drug trafficking.
He'd also taken it into his own hands to decapitate every single woman that was married to the highest men in power on their side, their heads sent in boxes that my dad had personally taken to them.
It was what had prompted the task of killing Salvatore and the fücked up war that was still waged on all his loved ones, the very reason that Aria had been sent to Italy when she was eleven so that she would be kept safe.
...well that was until a month ago since I was looking over her now.
I sighed as Salvatore went on before I side glanced Aria, seeing her call over a waiter and speak to him just as he nodded and left, returning less than twenty seconds later with a bottle of red wine that she smiled at.
I wanted to roll my eyes at the fact that she took the entire bottle before pouring her glass herself, her etiquette nowhere to be seen when she drank the entire glass in one go before putting it down to the table.
It left a slight thudding sound that made Salvatore pause his words about the location of the fundraiser, his eyes settling on his daughter who smiled widely at him before she poured some more wine and did a mocking cheers.
When she did I looked at Jinx who was sitting next to her, my eyes giving him a warning look to stop her which he only returned with wide eyes and a subtle shake of his when Salvatore resumed talking by speaking his first few words loudly.
"It will be thirteen years since she has left us, and despite the stigma surrounding the number it was always her favourite one," Salvatore said, my eyes glancing between him and his daughter who was downing her second glass of wine in under a minute.
Merda.
"It's why I would like to collectively involve everyone in planning the event that will take place on her anniversary...November twentieth," he finished, earning supportive murmurs that agreed with his words excitedly just as Aria hiccupped and spoke.
"How about instead of throwing a massive event in her name, we just do a small get together to remember her?" she said, putting her two cents in as everyone grew silent at her comment. "No? Wow, you guys are a tough crowd."
"Aria," I said, seeing her turn to me as she narrowed her eyes once again before turning away from me and drinking her wine.
For fück sake.
"In a way, I agree with Aria," Blake suddenly spoke up, agreeing with his little sisters words as Salvatore leant back in his seat and inhaled. "...and it's also a way for her to be involved considering she hasn't been here for the last eleven fundraisers."
When Blake's words registered I looked at Aria once again, seeing her sink down in her seat as she poured another glass of wine and then drank it down like it was fücking water.
Okay, I think I might just understand now.
I mouthed at Jinx to take the dámn bottle from her before things got ugly, his sharp head shaking making me grit my teeth as I prepared myself for the worst.
The weight of my gun felt reassuring despite the fact that I had no business shooting it whilst I was under the Moretti roof, the very fact making me flex my fingers impatiently.
"She is more than welcome to help plan the event," Salvatore spoke, seeming nonchalant about everything as he kept speaking whilst keeping his eye contact on Aria who was drinking another glass of wine.
If someone doesn't fücking-
"It will give us some more time to bond and speak about her time in Sicily," Salvatore said, my head turning in the direction of him as I blinked a couple times to understand his words.
They were fücking out of context considering what I'd seen him do to Aria, the smile on his face starting to become threatening when Aria scoffed, going to pour another glass of wine before she realised it was empty and was calling the waiter over again.
"Jinx," I gritted my teeth, leaving him no choice but to intervene as he mouthed at the waiter to not get her anymore wine.
"Hey, you can't tell him not to get me anything," Aria said to Jinx, all eyes on her before she realised and then piped down by sinking in her chair and looking at her father. "Please, don't stop on my behalf."
I would've kept silent had it not been the fact that I promptly choked on my fücking bourbon when Aria called her father stronzo under her breath. Stella turned to me before to Jinx when he laughed behind his fist, Aria mumbling things to herself as she kept to herself when I wiped my mouth and then apologised.
It stayed semi silent from then on, excluding the way Aria was speaking to herself, ten or so minutes passing in the form of event planning for the annual charity event. It was boring on my part considering I had no idea why we had attended in the first place, my stomach being the only thing satisfied when I finished my food and crossed my arms over my chest.
I kept listening to Salvatore before I suddenly zoned out for a split second, my mind thinking of all sorts of other things before there were a sudden slam of a fist on the table.
The flames on the candles danced with the vibration as the alcohol in my glass swayed, my eyes turning to Salvatore when he narrowed his eyes at Aria who was still talking to herself.
"Aria, are you even listening?" he asked abruptly, clearly not shy of causing a scene in front of family just as Aria looked up.
The glassed over look in her eye was a dead giveaway that she had skipped tipsy and gone straight to being wine drunk, her words the second giveaway when her lips parted and she smiled lazily.
"Actually, now that I think a-about it," she hiccupped, shrugging. "I wasn't."
"These are plans about your mother, at least act like you care or show some fücking respect," he snapped at her, silence ensuing as the waiters kept prying eyes away and started to clean up the plates. "This isn't a fücking game, Aria."
"See that's funny coming from the one who locked me away in Sicily and refused to let me..." she paused, laughing lightly to herself before her entire subject changed and she looked at me dead on. "This isn't a game but you know what is?"
My chest tightened with anticipation over what she was going to say, her giggling something I wasn't used to as she leaned back into her seat and smiled.
"Lucien and I are playing a game," she spoke out loud, sighing dramatically and then frowning as I said her name warningly. "He won't let me have his díck-"
"Okay, get up," I said to her, predicting the looks I was getting as I pushed my napkin to the table top and proceeded to walk around to get her.
"What?" she asked innocently, looking at me as I rounded the table and stepped to be in front of her. "We can't talk about the elephant in the room? Although that's ironic considering the only trunk I want is your-"
"Aria," I cut in sharply, plastering a smile on my face as I looked at everyone and watched Aria frown when I took her hand and coaxed her to stand up.
"Are we going to go fück now?" she asked casually, loud enough for everyone to hear as I bit the tip of my tongue and inhaled sharply, the men in Aria's family giving me passive aggressive looks that had me turning around to Jinx.
"Can you take her to get some fresh air?" I asked, rubbing my lips together as I emphasised my pleading. "Please?" I said to him, gritting my teeth as he nodded whilst Aria whined about how she hated men all of a sudden, her hand being taken by Jinx whilst he took her out the room.
I took my seat then, pressing my lips together as Salvatore narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, his conversation soon threading through the silence before everyone joined in a minute or so later.
I didn't, instead keeping to myself as I looked at the way Alex wiggled his eyebrows at me. I wanted to throw something at his fücking head but the waiters had done a fine job of clearing everything off the table, a few minutes passing as I collected my thoughts and wondered about how and when Salvatore was going to kill me for what his daughter had said.
It was a pressing thought as everyone kept talking and ignored the real elephant in the room, reality seeming to be too shocking to act on just as Jinx appeared through the dining room door and looked at me.
He mouthed she wants you at me, my eyes rolling at Aria's behaviour as I reminded myself to never let her get drunk again just as I excused myself from the table and envisioned the man in the sky laughing at me whilst sitting back and preparing to watch my untimely death.
I could feel the stares of everyone on my back as I walked past the door and glared at Jinx when he laughed quietly, his amusement falling short when I told him to shut the fück up and tell me where Aria was.
"She's in her old bedroom smoking."
"Smoking?" I asked abruptly, annoyed at the fact that she was doing so despite throwing my cigarettes out and giving me a lecture three days ago.
"Weed, not cigarettes. I don't know how she got it, but she's sat at her window giggling to herself like a crazy woman."
"Like a crazy woman?" I asked him rhetorically, scoffing at him. "She is a crazy woman," I said, shaking my head to myself as I walked up the stairs and made my way to where I last knew Aria's bedroom was.
I passed Dean and Blake's room, the other guest rooms seemingly unoccupied until I reached the far end of the corridor where another set of rooms were, my feet silent over the floor as I suddenly stopped walking, sniffed the air and smelt the familiar tinge of smoke.
I knew where she was just as I opened the door to the room, a sudden flood of muted shades of pink being my visual as I spotted Aria smoking near the open window, a stuffed rainbow toy clutched in her hands as she smoked the blunt in between her fingers with the lights off.
"Where did you get the weed from?" I asked, seeing her turn to me as I closed the door and stood against it, seeing her through the light coming from the window whilst the rest of the room was showered in a dim glow.
"Aaron," she said with a smile, her heels kicked off on the floor as I neared her and took in what was clearly old décor remaining from when she lived here before, my eyes soon settling back on her when I took a seat on the double bed.
I hated to admit that it was an incredibly attractive thing to see Aria dressed to the nines with a blunt between her fingers, her red lips parted as she looked at me with slight hooded eyes whilst humming.
I didn't say anything else for a while considering my eyes were trying to adjust to what was a lot of pink, the colour slightly overwhelming as she laughed lightly to herself and opened the window further.
I watched her as she did, her arms reaching out in front of her before she turned to me, standing up and then stumbling before I steadied her.
"Do you want to s-share?" she asked, staring at me as she followed the grip of my arm and proceeded to sit with me.
I didn't expect her to sit on me but I wasn't complaining, her legs split over my lap as I leant my weight on one hand and then stole the blunt from her fingers just as she parted her lips to inhale.
She frowned but she watched with precision when I smoked with her, the both of us going against doctors' orders just as I used the situation to my advantage and moved my hand to her face.
I tilted her head down and used my thumb to coax her lower lip away from her top one, her mouth parting further to take the smoke I exhaled from my mouth as she moaned low in her throat.
The sound was enough to make my thighs tense and entice the reaction of my cóck, the situation downstairs going unnoticed when she sank the weight of herself in my lap more and titled her head when I smoked again, suddenly focusing on her and only her.
Instantly I relaxed as I blew smoke against her face, her eyes fluttering a little bit which was strange but nonetheless amusing considering when I'd done it before with cigarette smoke she barely even flinched.
"You are so drunk," I told her, earning a defiant no, I'm not in turn which made me resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Her hands settled at my shoulders, smoothing over my suit jacket before her fingers ran through my hair, a few words from her mumbled in French which I didn't understand but also didn't question. With one hand she kept up with her movements, the other taking the blunt from my fingers before she inhaled, creating a low orange glow in the dark at the tip before she pulled me forwards by the tie.
Goddámn.
I anticipated her next move, smirking at the way she blew smoke against me before she moved the blunt to my lips and looked at me through her lashes whilst waiting for me to smoke from her fingers.
"You always like being in control, don't you?" I asked her before I smoked whilst she kept the blunt at my lips, her lazy smirk being the response to my words as I recalled an image in my head and suddenly thought about red lines over her wrist.
Instantaneously my body heated at the images in my head whilst I smoked out the rest of the blunt, my séxual preference for restraint suddenly (but fictionally) involving Aria as she played with the fabric of my tie. The muscles in my body turned to liquid with the beginning of the high I was riding just as Aria's arms crossed over my neck before she moved to me when I let smoke billow from my lips, her hands cradling my face as she stared at my lips and licked over her own.
Our chests met just as she ran her thumb over my lower lip, my teeth baring as I bit onto the tip of her finger and watched her smile at the action before she leaned down and pressed her lips to mine.
At the feeling my body tensed, a groan rumbling deep in my chest when I realised how much I wanted to kiss her since I'd deprived myself for the last two weeks, the taste of wine invading my mouth as I pulled her closer and relished in the sound that left her lips.
The kiss quickly turned feverish, my hands on her hips as I slid them down to her áss to shift her closer to me, her nails scratching slightly into the side of my neck as she moaned in a wavered breath when my tongue touched over hers.
As I'd noticed before she grew languid when I did, her body soft and compliant to my hands as I kissed her hard, the heat growing in my body as my head spun and my hands grew bolder.
Before I could think her top was in my hands and pulled over her head, her breathing erratic and matching my own as she pushed me down to the bed and moved on top of me, her legs split over my lap as she straddled me.
"Gesù Cristo," I muttered, groaning low in my throat when I stared at her cleavage pressing against the black lace of her bra, my cóck hard and straining against my pants as she leaned back down to kiss me.
I complied easily, wanting to hear her again as I slid my hands up her legs until I was pushing her skirt up and cupping the curve of her áss, my thighs tensing at the way she moaned against me before I rolled us over with ease. Her legs parted as she pressed her chest to me, her hands desperate against me as she moved her hands down my chest until she was palming the length of my cóck and moaning between us.
I groaned into her mouth, holding her leg bent against my body as I stayed in between them and kissed her, my lips kissing past her mouth as I pressed my mouth to her neck and mumbled my words whilst I ground my hips into the heat between her legs.
"Voglio farlo con te," I bit my lip, letting her know that I wanted to fück her which produced a whimper from her lips as I kept kissing down her neck, hearing her say my name breathlessly.
Her skin was hot against me, my tongue tasting the heat of her as her hands moved to my head whilst I held her by her hips, her skirt suddenly annoying me as I went to unzip it before I heard her groan.
I knew it wasn't out of pleasure so I looked up, her chest suddenly deflated before she groaned again and sat up abruptly, my body moving when she convulsed lightly and then moved off the bed in a hurry.
I was going to ask what was going on before she stumbled towards the en-suite bathroom, the sound of the toilet seat opening harshly echoing in my ears along with the sound of her throwing up.
I sighed, rubbing my lips together as I swallowed and stood up and off the bed quicker than I would've liked, my hands quick to find her top as I stayed outside until she was done throwing up.
When I knew she was I walked in, her mumbled thanks sounding out barely as she sat on the floor and wiped her mouth with some tissue, the toilet flushing seconds later as I helped her up from the floor when she placed her hand in mine.
She swayed, a groan sounding out from her lips as I steadied her and sat her down on the closed toilet, her hands running through her hair as she stared at her feet. We didn't say anything as my hand rubbed against my forehead when she tilted her head up, her eyes lazily blinking as I took the cup next to the sink and filled it with some water.
I kneeled in front of her, handing her the glass of water to drink which she took with a mumbled and slurred thanks, quiet hiccups threading through the silence between us as I leaned against the sink and looked at her once again. I didn't respond, instead sighing deeply as I watched her sip at the water, my hands pulling the cup down when she drank too fast as I tried to register what had just happened but found it hard to as I was being pulled back and forth from reality courtesy of my high.
She frowned at me when I didn't say anything, still somewhat tipsy as I let her drink whilst my phone vibrated, my hand taking it out as I registered the text Alex had sent me that spoke about Salvatore wanting to see me before I was suddenly distracted when Aria spoke up with words I wasn't prepared for.
"I killed Ryder's son."
*A/N*
RYDERS SON? MR RYDERS SON?
Oh my gawD he fahking-
Ok lemme noT IM FKSJDKSMDM
BUT YOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Here is nearly 10k words for the fact that I didn't update last week I'm soRRY
DKSKDK
Are y'all prepared for secrets to be revealed cos *faints suddenly*
Holy shît tho, like Deal gained nearly 3k reads and I'm dlskdkksmss
Thank you so much for the feedback like, I'm shOOK
Read between the linESSSSSSS LORD
OTHER THAN THOOOO DKSKDKD
are we liking this teasing lucien is giving aria?
Y'all ready for some finger action next chapter?
Thoughts on laria themselves? Are you seeing the subtle feelings grow?
*yellS INTO THE VOID*
LORD
JESUS
I'm so hyped clsjdkemdmem
I could keyboard slam all day but because I can't I'm just gonna leave casually
LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT!!
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