DARK ANGEL: A Mafia Romance -- Book Two: His Dark Desires (2 page)

Chapter Two

The so-called “small and intimate” party turned out to be much larger than we’d thought.

I looked around at all the people talking and laughing in groups, and saw why Amanda had been in such a panic. The large room had been separated into two sections. Several round tables had been set up at the far end, which looked to be enough seating for a small wedding instead of a simple engagement party. Most of the people were standing around tall high-top tables that had been set up near the bar at the back of the room.

I looked over to the right and noticed the bar area had a set of doors leading to an outside balcony area where several people were smoking.

“Come on, I think we need a drink,” Jonathan whispered as he led me over to the bar. We ordered our drinks and turned back toward the crowd.

I smiled at people as they nodded to us in greeting, my scanning the room discreetly. Then, out of nowhere, I saw him. I nearly choked on my champagne. I froze, unable to move as I looked across the room and saw Angelo DeSilvo, standing with a group of people and chatting it up as if he had not a care in the world.

No freaking way…

What the hell was he doing here?

My heart began to pound at just the sight of him. Despite all that had happened, there was no denying that he was so handsome he took my breath away. His hair was black as midnight, and he wore it with a careless elegance only a man with his good looks could pull off.  He had strong, chiseled features and the face of a fallen angel, dangerous and brooding, which only added to his appeal. I swear, he had a presence about him that would make the gods weep with envy. Tonight he was dressed in a dark suit, with his white button-down shirt left open at the top. It was obviously tailored to fit his muscular frame, hinting at his wealth without being overtly obvious. Just looking at the strong column of his throat made me think of the night I’d pressed my lips there, taking small nibbles of his skin.

A jolt of desire made me tremble. My knees went weak and I had to hang onto Jonathan’s arm to stop myself from falling flat on my face. I ignored Jonathan’s questioning glance, unable to pull my gaze away from my dark angel. I wanted to walk over to him, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head into his chest just so I could breathe his scent into my lungs.

All that bullshit I had been telling myself earlier vanished like a puff of smoke. No matter my reservations or the worries that I had about what was between us, I wanted Angelo more than I have ever wanted another man. For one brief moment of clarity, I knew this without doubt.

Then, in the next moment, all that changed…

Like a cold slap to the face, I stared as a beautiful brunette walked over and slid her arm around his waist.

There was a smile on his face as he put his arm around her and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She was a tall woman, although she was still shorter than Angelo who was a few inches over six feet tall. The look of love on her face as she smiled up at Angelo made my heart break inside my chest.

Seeing him with another woman was killing me, but under the hurt was anger. I could feel it pushing aside the pain until my fury was the only thing I focused on. Jealously had me reeling, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it; jealousy wasn’t an emotion that I’d ever really had to deal with before. I wanted to stomp over there in righteous indignation, and slap the grin off of Angelo’s face. I wanted to hurt him for making me fall for his charms, when he was nothing but the player I’d originally thought him to be.

And beneath that jealous rage, I was feeling I was mad at myself for letting my guard down. I had let him push me where he wanted me. Let him take control of me in a way I never had with another man, only to find it meant nothing.
How stupid could I be?

I could practically feel Jonathan’s worried gaze on my cheeks. Tearing my gaze away from Angelo and his date, I pasted a bright smile on my face. I squeezed Jonathan’s arm as I gulped down the entire glass of the champagne in my hand then traded it for his full one. I started drinking that one as well, and his eyes widened as he watched me. He still didn’t realize what was going on.

“Okay, stop,” he said finally, pushing the glass away from my lips. “Now you’re just scaring me. What is
with
you?”

Moving so my back was facing where Angelo and his group were standing, I turned back to the bar and ordered two more drinks. “Do you see that man in the dark suit behind me?”

“Sweetheart, every man in here is wearing a dark suit.”

I glared up at him. “Do all of them look like a freaking god? Maybe, I don’t know, a
dark angel
?”

Jonathan looked back over behind him, and I saw the instant he noticed Angelo. “…Oh.”

“Yeah,” I said morosely as I accepted the new glasses of champagne. “That’s Angelo DeSilvo.”

“Well…shit.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Exactly.”

Unable to help myself, I turned around again so I could see Angelo again. I shouldn’t want him like this. I shouldn’t crave him so much that just the sight of him had me growing wet with need…and it made me hate him.

Suddenly, as if he could feel my gaze on him, Angelo looked over and his obsidian eyes seared me with their intensity. Just like the first time I had seen him, I forgot to breathe for a moment as our eyes locked. The connection between us was so potent it was as if nothing else existed.

“Jesus, I’m getting hard just watching you two,” Jonathan muttered sarcastically at my side. “Now
I
need a drink.”

I tore my gaze away from Angelo as a couple walked between us, hiding him from my view. I sucked air into my starving lungs and knew I needed a moment to compose myself. “I’m going to the ladies room,” I gasped. “I’ll be right back.”

Jonathan squeezed my hand in understanding and I broke away, heading back to the doors that led out of the room. Once I was out in the quiet of the hallway I tried to stop the frantic beating of my heart. I started to walk toward the ladies room when a hand clamped around my arm, holding me in place.

“Karen.”

Just the sound of his voice made my resolve falter. I felt the vibrations of that single word through my entire body, and my stomach clenched with the adrenaline. I looked up at him and was once again pulled into that strange connection we had between us, that powerful force I couldn’t name any more than I could resist it.

“Hello, Angelo.” I was proud my voice didn’t waiver as I spoke. The flash of anger that I saw in his dark gaze had my own anger sparking to life.

He’s mad? Well, so am I…asshole.

“Hello?  That is all you have to say to me?
Cara mia
, you have so much to learn,” he growled. Before I could ask what he meant, his grip tightened on my arm and he wordlessly pulled me with him to a set of French doors that led outside.

We were greeted by a cool breeze as he dragged me into the night with him. Sounds of people talking from a few feet away drifted on the wind as they stood outside the doors leading to the party room. Angelo dragged me back into the darkness with him, away from the others. My shiver had nothing to do with the cool night air, but rather was completely caused by the man towering over me. I had no idea what to expect from him, and I loved it and hated it at the same time. I wondered what he was going to do to me…

Just the thought of that was enough to snap me back to the present moment. I jerked my arm away from his grasp, furious at the presumptuous way he took control of me. Ignoring the beautiful skyline and the vibrant city lights, I glared up at him and slapped a hand on his chest. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

His hand came up, trapping mine as he held it over his heart. He took a step closer, overwhelming me with his powerful presence. I wasn’t afraid of him despite his threatening manner, and matched his furious glare as his equal.

I could almost feel his gaze as it traveled over me, taking in my tight, fitted dress. And I could feel my nipples harden as his eyes swept over me and I tried to keep my desire for him under control.

“What are you doing here,
cara
?” he asked then his voice lowered to an ominous growl. “And who is that man you came with?”

I lifted one brow at him, going on the offensive. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about your own date?”

His nostrils flared in anger and he took another step toward me, pushing me back into the dark corner. “She is not my date, and you will answer me. Explain yourself now, Karen.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

His eyes narrowed. When he next spoke, his words came out in an icy, leering growl, piercing through my anger and chilling me to the bone. “You do if you don’t want anything to happen to him.”

Chapter Three

My back stiffened at Angelo’s threat. What the hell was
that
supposed to mean?

His voice was dark with menace. Not menace towards me, but towards Jonathan. This is exactly why I was so terrified of my feelings for him. I didn’t know anything about Angelo, and what I did know of him made me think that somehow, any threat he made was very real.

“Why do you say things like that?” I asked, my voice betraying my fear. He didn’t answer me, and I pressed him with more questions. “…And besides, how can you be angry with me when you were all over that other woman?”

I saw a flash of satisfaction fill his dark eyes and my hand itched to slap his handsome face. How dare he be pleased I was jealous!

“I wasn’t all over her,” he all but purred as he pressed closer, allowing me to feel his steel-hard cock against my belly. Something about the way he looked down at me had a lump of nervousness growing in my throat. There was an intensity about him that both frightened and excited me, but I couldn’t give in.

I pressed my hand firmly against his chest. “Stop.”

“I will not stop,” he hissed. “Now tell me who that man is before I do something you will not like.”

“Are you threatening me?” I seethed.

His dark eyes softened instantly at my question, as his other hand reached up to cup my cheek. “Never,
cara mia
. I may be a dangerous man, but never to you. I will never hurt you. But I told you that you were mine, and you
will
answer me.”

My breathing sped up as looked up into his dark gaze. His handsome face was cast in shadows now, and it somehow made him even more appealing. But I couldn’t give into him – not without knowing who that other woman was first.

My breath hitched as his hand dropped down to my thigh. I felt the hem of my dress lifting and put my hand on his to prevent him from going any further, but he was too strong. I opened my mouth to tell him to stop, but his mouth crushed down on mine, taking me in a scorching kiss.

I let out a grunt as he forced my mouth open, his tongue stroking against my own.
Oh, God,
I moaned inwardly, loving it but not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing. He shoved me tight against the wall, pressing the full length of his powerful body against mine. I couldn’t resist anymore, and my moans became audible as that familiar heat began rising deep within me.

My hands shook as I stopped trying to push him away, only to hold onto him as he forced me into a storm of passion. His touch was electric as his hand slipped the skirt of my dress up, exposing my thighs and heated pussy to the chilly night air. I felt his fingers playing over the thin lace of my thong and embarrassment filled me at how wet I was for him. My pussy clenched and released, aching for the feeling of him pushing inside me, but he simply continued to tease me, building the arousal inside me to a level that left me breathless.

“Tell me who he is, Karen.”

Rage surged through me and I thumped a fist against his chest. Damn him. He was using my attraction to him to control me. “You son of a—”

His mouth slammed back on mine and without warning he slipped two of his thick fingers deep inside my sopping wet pussy. Oh god, his touch was like magic, my body instantly brought alive the moment he pressed into me.

I trembled in his embrace as he drank down my cries of pleasure. Out tongues danced together, touching and tasting each other as he fingered me in the shadows. Every second made it more difficult for me to resist him, my whole world narrowing on what he was making me feel.

“You want me,” he growled, in a tone that made his words an accusation. “You want my touch, so why do you keep fighting this? Why do you keep fighting me?”

He muffled the sound of my sob as I came when his thumb played over my clit. My body shook with release, rendering me helpless in his arms. I tore my mouth away from his. “I don’t know you,” I cried out, finally breaking. “If this is all you want from me then I don’t want it!”

He went still against me, his fingers held deep inside me where he had been stroking against my G-spot. “There may be some things I can’t tell you, Karen, but don’t ever think this is all I want from you. I want everything. I want you to belong to me.”

I slumped back against the wall, with only the strength of his body holding me up. “Jonathan is one of my best friends,” I whispered, not able to bear Angelo thinking that I was with another man after he had just made me come. “We’re not romantic. He doesn’t even
like
women. You’re more his type than I am.”

I could feel the relief sweep through him as his big body relaxed against mine. I hadn’t realized just how tense he’d been until that moment. I had to wonder at this display of insecurity, when he normally seemed so unshakeable. His mouth captured mine again, gently this time. He stroked his tongue over my lips as if to soothe me or reward me. Either way, I didn’t like it – or rather, I didn’t want to like it. Even so, I rested my head on his chest, still trembling from my release.

What was it with us and public places?

“You don’t know how much I want you,” he whispered. “You’re in my head constantly. I can’t stop thinking about you, Karen. It’s madness. We can make this work… if you want to try.”

I sighed. “I don’t know what to do with you.”

My eyes snapped open as I hear the sound of his zipper releasing then I felt him pull the thin material of my thong from my body, leaving me bare beneath my dress. “What—”

“Shh…don’t speak now. You don’t want to get caught here, do you? Up you go. I need you now,
cara
,” Angelo whispered against my lips as he lifted me easily. “Tell me right now if you don’t want this. Tell me right now if you want me to stop.”

I felt the broad head of his cock press against my entrance and forgot how to speak. I couldn’t say the words that would end us. I didn’t want to. There in the shadows, our eyes met and held, saying so much in the silence. He shifted forward and I felt him slide into me, filling me with the full length of his cock.

He was right. What we were doing to each other was madness.

I trembled with fear at the thought of strangers catching me in Angelo’s embrace, but nothing could stop us from coming together as the passion built between us. I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding him to me as his hips began to thrust faster. He rode me hard, pounding me against the wall until I felt the signs of another orgasm building in my belly.

“Don't stop...don't fucking stop!” I whispered as I gave myself over to the pleasure.

“I won’t,
cara
. I can’t. Damn it, I can’t get enough of you, Karen. Give it to me. Come again and take me with you,” he demanded.

My legs tensed as the ripples of my climax tore through me. I opened my mouth in a silent scream and heard Angelo groan against my neck as he came, filling me with pulse after pulse of his hot cum.

I felt his breath on my neck as he pressed soft kisses on my skin. He caressed my ass and thighs and as I rested my head on his shoulder.

Suddenly I realized that we’d just had sex without using anything. Again.

“I got tested yesterday,” I said softly and felt him go rigid against me. “I’m clean, but if we’re going to keep doing this I need—”

“We are going to keep do this…as much as possible. And I’m clean,
cara
. I would never put you in jeopardy if I wasn’t.” He paused for a moment then said, “I’ve never been inside a woman without a condom before you.”

I could hear the truth in his words and a weight was lifted off me. I pulled back to stare at him in surprise when I felt his cock harden inside of me again, even though he’d just climaxed. “Really?”

His smiled was filled with promise. “Just thinking about coming inside you with nothing between us makes me hard.”

“We can’t,” I said with a breathless laugh. “People are going to wonder where we are, and I can’t miss this party. My friend Amanda would kill me.”

He let out a sigh as he slowly pulled out of me. I grimaced as I felt our mixed release drip down my thighs.

“Stay right there,
cara mia
.”

Angelo squatted down in front of me and pulled out the handkerchief that was in the front pocket of his suit. He slowly cleaned me, flicking his fingers over my clit as he did. I laughed and pushed playfully at his head. “Stop it, we don’t have time for another round.”

“Then later.” His obsidian eyes met mine as he picked up my damaged thong and slowly rose to his full height, putting the soiled cloth and the scrap of lace into his pocket. He handed me my purse that he had picked up from where I had dropped it. I blinked down at it, surprised that I had forgotten I had been holding it before he had touched me.

“You are going to owe me a lot of underwear if you keep destroying my things.”

His smile was wicked. “I look forward to buying you whatever you like, as long as I get to remove it from you later.” He caught my eyes again, suddenly serious. “Come home with me after the party, Karen.”

“I…”

He leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against mine. “You want more than sex from me? I’m willing to give it to you. Come home with me and we’ll talk.” My eyebrow raised at that and he chuckled. “Okay, we’ll talk in between bouts of my fucking you to screaming orgasms.”

“Fine, but next time we have sex it better be in a bed.”

“Done.” He took my hand in his and the protective way he guided me back to the doors made me feel so feminine. “And Karen? That woman you saw me with…was my sister, Maria.”

Crap.

“Tony is my cousin and I offered to host this party as soon as I heard that he’d asked his girlfriend to marry him.” He shot me a smile. “I had no clue you were acquainted with either of them.”

“Amanda, Jonathan and I went to school together. She was my roommate, but we’re more like sisters.”

“Ah, so you are practically family already…” he murmured.

I didn’t understand his statement as we walked back into the hallway. I was relieved to see that the doors were opened as several more people arrived. It seemed like the cocktail hour was still in full swing. I leaned into Angelo and liked how he immediately lowered his head so he could hear me better.

“I think I’m going to make use of the ladies room while I’m out here.”

“Good idea. I’m going to go clean up, too. I’ll meet you right back here.” He smiled at me and the sight of his dimples made my heart thump in my chest. “I want you sitting by me when we go back in. I don’t trust the men in there not to pounce on you if I’m not by your side.”

I laughed. “This is your family, right?”

“Exactly.”

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed the door open to the ladies room. I made quick use of the facilities and chuckled to myself at having to go back to the party wearing nothing underneath my dress.

When I walked back out in the hallway I saw the doors to the private room were closed again. Angelo was waiting right where he said he would be, only he wasn’t alone. A young man stood in front of him with a vicious look on his face. The other man also looked Italian, but from the conversation I heard, he didn’t seem to be part of Angelo’s family.

“You can’t hide behind your uncle for much longer, DeSilvo. Things are gonna be changing soon,” the man sneered.

“I don’t hide behind anyone. Never have, never will.” He had his hands up by his shoulders, trying to calm down the agitated stranger, but it wasn’t working.

“Bullshit. You and your little cousin think you are so much better than the rest of us, but you’re not.”

“You’re drunk, Carlo. I think you should leave now.” The disgust was clear in Angelo’s voice.

“And I think you should…” Carlo’s voice trailed off as he saw me. He grinned evilly as he eyed my body and the lascivious stare made me want to shiver with revulsion.

“Angelo?” I questioned softly, unsure what I should do. Angelo moved to me quickly, placing himself protectively in front of me with his hand pressed to my hip as if he wanted to shove me behind him.

“Ah, and who is this pretty piece? Why don’t you come over here, baby, and try out a real man?” Carlo grinned at me, grabbing his crotch in an obscene gesture.

My own anger stirred by the insult had me snapping, “Not even on a bet, asshole.”

“Listen you little cunt—”

Angelo pushed me behind him and took an aggressive step forward. I reached out to grab his arm and could feel him vibrating with anger beneath my hand. “You son of a bitch. Don’t you even look at her,” he growled.

“Carlo!”

I looked over to see an older man had climbed the stairs. Where Carlo seemed like a petulant man in his early twenties, this newcomer seemed more around Angelo’s age. Carlo seemed to wilt under the displeasure in that one word and backed away from us. The man had a distinguished look about him as he cast a fierce frown at the younger man.

“Hey, cousin, I—”

“Go downstairs. Now.” The command was even more effective by the softness of his voice. Carlo glared at us before stomping down the steps. The man turned toward us and I could feel the tension filling the space between us, but neither the newcomer nor Angelo made any move to bridge the gap. I felt caught in a war of wills that I didn’t understand, and my restraining grip on Angelo’s arm turned into a steadying connection for the both of us.