Escaping: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #2) (12 page)

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” Vince worried he’d been too big, too rough, too much for her, but she’d only begged for more. So he gave it to her, as much as she could take, as many times as he could indulge, until they were both utterly spent.

“Oddly boneless. This is what sex feels like? Someone should really alert the media. They’ve totally undersold it.” She shifted onto Vince’s lap when he got into the tub behind her.

“No. This is what
we
feel like. That was the first time I’ve ever made love to a woman, for the record. Everything before you was a blip of quick orgasms and moving on.”

“So it was good for you?” Fallyn questioned uncertainly, her head lolled back on his shoulder as his soapy hands made it their life’s work to be sure she had the cleanest breasts on the planet.

Vince laughed, and it was an easy and lighthearted sound. “Oh,
tesoro
. You have no idea. That I get to do that all over again any time you’ll let me for the rest of our lives? I can’t fathom it.” He kissed her neck. “In fact, I may need you to convince me that what just happened in there wasn’t a dream.”

The water sloshed and the sounds of their impromptu lovemaking echoed off the tiles until the bath went cold however long later.

The two barely made it to the bed, pulling the cast aside sheets from the floor and wrapping them around their tangled bodies, looking every bit like the lovers painted above them in gold on the ceiling.

Twenty.

Beg for Me

The next morning, Vince roused Fallyn with his expert hands roaming over all the places that had been off the map for him until the previous evening. He’d awoken several times in the night, panicked it had all been a dream, and that he would wake to find his dream life and treasured wife had vanished. Now that he was certain she was real, and he was the luckiest man alive, he made it his business to cherish every part of her, kissing, licking and biting until she begged him again to make love to her.

“I love it when you beg for me,” Vince growled. When they finally finished with a gust of passion and elation, he collapsed atop her, burying his face in her supple breasts. “Marry me,” he begged, still breathless.

Fallyn snorted a laugh, her hand clumsy as her fingers brushed through his black hair. “I just did!” She loved his hair when it was mussed from sleep. She guessed that she was one of the few people who ever got to see him so undone, and she relished every second of the intimacy. She could feel his heart pounding through his back as her hand trailed down his spine to relax him further. “How’re you holding up?”

“Breakfast, and then I can go again.”

“I didn’t mean that,” she laughed. “I mean, you’re married. You still feeling good about that? I know it all came together kind of fast. Any regrets yet?”

Vince picked his head up, kissing her lips before dropping his head down on her pillow. “I’ll never regret you. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, Fallyn D’Amato.”

Fallyn and Vince drifted off for a quick nap until Vince woke her again with another invitation, which she happily accepted. When they stumbled into the shower, Vince was weak-kneed and slumped against the tiled wall. “Okay, I really need breakfast now. You’ve got to put on some clothes, or I’m never going to stop making love to you.”

Fallyn shot him a coy look over her shoulder. She was covered in suds, all slippery and wet, and despite his protest, Vince had to be near her again. He kissed his bride over and over, washing her and exploring the parts meant only for him.

Fallyn watched his face, his black eyelashes only made darker by the water, his lips that were parted with the best kind of fatigue. When she pressed her lips to his, the ice blue of his eyes met hers, the lightness shining against the wet frame of dark. “I’m so in love with you,” she murmured. She smiled as he nuzzled her neck while she washed his hair.

“I’ve never felt so young and so old at the same time,” Vince muttered after he rinsed off, stepping out of the shower and into the towel Fallyn opened for him. “We’re going running when we get back. First thing.”

Fallyn dressed with a smile she couldn’t rid herself of. She ordered room service that was about a tenth of the amount of food Vince craved, and then the two left the luxurious nest to venture out into the heart of Italy.

Twenty-One.

Negotiating in Italian

Vince and Fallyn D’Amato stayed in Italy for an entire month, and made love at least three times every single day they were there. Vince tended to his family’s vineyard, taking the time to learn more about the aging process that went into making his favorite selection. On his previous visits, he’d been mostly about the business end of things, but on this trip, he took the time to study the intricacy of the miraculous gifts that nature had for them, breathing in deep and appreciating the details that made up his bottom line.

Vince toyed with Fallyn’s ring on her finger. “I’ve got a meeting with the family who owns the land next to ours. Every year I try to get him to sell, and every year he buys me a glass of my own wine and laughs at my bid. I could offer him ten times the amount, and he wouldn’t sell it to me. Still, I’ve got to try.”

Fallyn studied his tight lower lip. “You really want to expand, huh.”

His hand hadn’t left hers in half an hour. “I do. But I’m patient. I can wait him out. He doesn’t have any kids in Italy to will his land to, and he’s getting on in years. One of these times, if I’m patient enough, he’ll sell to me.” Vince fed Fallyn a grape from the vine he’d plucked on the tour. Lust overtook his features when her lips brushed his fingers. “The overseer’s office is just inside. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you naked. Let’s go.”

Fallyn chuckled as she chewed. “Too long? We made love twice this morning, and then again after lunch. You don’t want to miss your meeting.”

“I can be quick.”

Fallyn cast him a simpering look. “Luckily, we both know that’s not true. Go to your meeting. I’ll be in the vineyard, pretending I’m a giant and the rows are whole trees I’m menacing through while the villagers chase me.”

Vince tightened his grip on her hand, knowing he couldn’t stand for them to be parted even by the smallest degree. “Come with me. It’ll be boring, but this is my work, and I want you to be part of it.”

Fallyn raised her eyebrow. “Oh, seriously? Okay. You sure I won’t be in the way? I mean, my Italian’s barely conversational.”

“I just like you near me. You relax me.”

Fallyn consented to stay with Vince and walked with him through the winery to the small shop in front that served passersby in need of good wine. Vince led her to a small, round wooden table over toward the side of the rustic café where an old man sat. He stood and kissed Vince on both his cheeks, smiling as if the two of them shared a joke that had gone on since a year ago when Vince had last visited.

Giorgio was tanned from years of working out in the sun, but his welcoming grin was the brightest part of him. He asked who Fallyn was, and she introduced herself in succinct Italian, hoping her demure smile would make up for any language barrier she knew she would come up against at some point.

When Giorgio remarked his surprise that Vince wasn’t alone, Vince explained that Fallyn was his wife. The joy that lit up Giorgio spread out into the sunshine that filtered through the windows, brightening everything. The wrinkles lining his eyes crinkled handsomely, his lined hands stretching upward to thank the heavens for the miracle of love that should always be delighted in. He exclaimed his elation and congratulations that Vince had finally settled down.

Fallyn was taken aback at the immediate acceptance and cheer she had wished her own family could have mustered for her. Despite the fact that she didn’t know Giorgio at all, Fallyn flung her arms around his neck and thanked him, her voice catching as her heart swelled.

Her marriage was a good thing to at least one other person, and that simple truth gave her a significant boost.

Vince pulled out her chair for her and sat down next to her, his poker face seriously compromised by her beauty and the charm she’d captivated him with.

Fallyn was taken aback again when the sommelier showed her and Vince a bottle of red before he uncorked it. “That’s our name,” she remarked with wide eyes as she took in the artful, yet dignified gold logo of the D’Amato Vineyard on the elegant dark colored bottle.

Vince smiled at her, putting the meeting on hold to watch Fallyn’s rapture. “Of course it is. You knew D’Amato wine was ours. You’ve had the sweet red at our house plenty of times.”

She couldn’t tear her gaze from the beautiful script that was framed by a tall stone fence on the logo, matching the stone fence out in front of the vineyard. “Yes, but it wasn’t my name any of those times. This is my name now. It looks prettier somehow.” She blinked up at him, her finger still tracing the curve of the “D” on the label. “We’re married, Vince.”

“That, we are,
tesoro
.”

She waved her hand to excuse her interruption. “I’m sorry. Do your thing.” She handed the bottle back to the sommelier, who uncorked it and poured her a glass.

The men started talking, and though she couldn’t understand all the rapid-fire Italian they shared, she knew enough to appreciate Vince in action. She’d seen him negotiate dozens of times before, and though the landscape and language had changed, his demeanor did not.

Vince was leaned back in his chair, an unimpressed expression on his stoic face as he went back and forth with the land owner on price. The only difference was that his hand remained in hers, his thumb grazing over the skin to test its softness over and over.

Fallyn sipped the glass of wine that was brought to her, tuning in when Vince leaned forward and his cadence picked up to an excited pitch. Before she could grasp onto the finer points of their discussion, the two men were shaking hands and hugging. Papers were brought out and exchanged, and Giorgio was kissing her cheeks as he bid them both farewell.

“What happened? Did you get the land?”

Vince responded by pulling her toward the back exit, and out into the sunshine that led to the vineyard. “Let’s go. We’re celebrating, and I know just the spot.”

“Vince, wait! Slow down and tell me everything.”

“He’s willing me the land, Fal. His family’s all gone from Italy, and he doesn’t want the land and all of his life’s work to go to waste. Apparently he’s always wanted to give it to me because he knew I’d keep it pure and add it to my vineyard. He was just waiting until I got married. Can you believe that? You just secured me…” He stopped and kissed her with passion that made her blush, though the nearest worker was further than shouting distance away. The blossoming buds seemed to burst and bloom in time with his elation, engulfing the two with the aroma of rebirth and possibility. “You just got me the thing I’ve always wanted.” Before she could reply, Vince picked up his pace to a run, beaming at her laughter that came from his fervor. Their footsteps were quick over the hard-packed earth, the slight breeze luring them onward into the bliss of nature’s honey-scented euphoria.

The spot Vince dashed to was one he’d rested in many times when he’d been a boy, coming with his Papa to Italy on business. The clearing was shaded by a taller tree and a few vines that didn’t produce as much fruit, due to their placement by the tree. He stopped his race, not bothering to catch his breath as he laid Fallyn down on the grass. His mouth crashed on hers, swallowing her squeak as he hiked up her skirt to expose the softness of her thighs to Italy’s sunshine. He didn’t pause at her squirm of fear at getting caught; Vince D’Amato made love to his wife in the middle of his vineyard, digging his fingers into the soil and christening the land with her cries of ecstasy.

Twenty-Two.

Chinese Food

Vince clutched Fallyn’s hand on the flight home, feeling her nerves building as they descended onto American soil. “Tell me my family won’t tear us apart,” she whispered, gripping his hand tighter as she leaned into him on their way to pick up their bags.

“They only will if we let them, so let’s give them some space while we ease into it. First step will be checking your messages.”

“I’m not looking forward to that.” She sighed, reaching for one of her bags. Vince lifted it off the conveyor belt and set it on the rack with the others before she could touch it. “Thank you. You’re good to me.”

Vince quirked his eyebrow at her declaration. “You say that like it’s a constant surprise. When have I ever not been good to you since we’ve been together?”

“I guess I’m not used to you yet. Makes every little thing seem like a grand declaration.”

“Well, that just makes impressing you that much easier.” He loaded up the last of the luggage and made his way to the exit with his wife on his arm. He flagged down Angelo, who had been waiting in the car. “Hey, Angelo. Did you miss me?” Vince greeted his cousin, hugging him and kissing both his cheeks.

“To say the least. You look rested. That’s good. Did you have a nice honeymoon?”

Vince rolled his shoulders back, looking like a younger man than the overburdened one he used to be. “Only the best time of my life.”

Angelo loaded the luggage into the trunk and drove them toward their home on the west side. “We had a pool going to see if you two would ever come back. I’m out a hundred bucks.”

Vince tucked Fallyn into his side, leaning his head to the window in the backseat. “Tell me what I missed.”

Angelo chose his words carefully. “Business is great. A little hiccup with the Fraser Street office building, but we’re on top of it. Should be ironed out by Sunday.” His eyes flicked to Fallyn, who was staring resolutely out the window so the men could have the illusion of privacy. “Carrigan’s been patrolling our street at least twice a day looking for a glimpse of either of you. Killian and Declan came into our territory demanding we hand this one over,” he said, jerking his thumb toward Fallyn, who shrank. “We handled it without it getting too bloody. They’re not happy, and they haven’t calmed down. I thought a month break would be enough, but they’re pretty committed to their Irish tempers.”

Fallyn rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. I’ll tell them tomorrow night. I’ll call a family meeting and go on over.”

Vince kissed the back of her hand. “Can we make it the night after? I’ve got a few things to see to that really shouldn’t wait another day.”

Fallyn shook her head. “No. You need to stay here. Do your thing. I’m going by myself. I won’t see them gang up on you.”

“No. We’re a team now. You have to stop thinking of us as two separate sides. My family, your family. We’re all one family now. I won’t feed you to the wolves like that.”

“They won’t be able to hear anything if you’re there. It’ll just be yelling and punching. I’m not great backup with people I’m not willing to shoot. Nothing like that’ll happen if it’s just me.”

Vince pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fally, the last time you were there, your dad hit you. Like it or not, your brothers aren’t the pinnacles of greatness you think they are.”

Fallyn swallowed. “Vince, I love you, but this is my call. I can handle myself and I know my brothers. I won’t watch you get another rib broken.”

Vince’s fist tightened as he stared out the window, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Fine. It’s your call. But this is the only time, Fal. I mean it. After tomorrow night, we’re together, and they can either get on board or get lost.”

“That’s exactly the message I’m delivering.” Her voice quieted. “There is one place I’d like to go with you, though. Keenan promised he’d try to be supportive. Even said it’d be okay if I brought you by during visiting hours. If you want to come with me to tell him, that’d be okay.”

“I’m there, baby.” Vince kept his usual stoic demeanor, but Fallyn could see her husband’s pursed lips as a sign that there was agitation lying beneath.

When Angelo dropped them off at 247 Hargrove Lane, Fallyn and Vince were so jetlagged that they decided to order takeout and go to sleep, even though it was only six o’clock in the evening. Despite his worry about her family and all they threatened, when they reached the bedroom, Vince pulled Fallyn into his arms. It began to dawn on him that the honeymoon was over, and real married life would have to start. He held her tighter and longer than his normal casual embraces, so Fallyn lowered him to sit on the edge of the bed to get a good look at him. “Hey, what’s going on up there?” She tapped his temple.

“Tomorrow. Your brothers. It’s all going to hit the fan. I’m worried you’ll see everything you’re sacrificing to be with me, and you’ll bolt.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she tucked her finger under his chin to bring his face in for a light kiss. “You’re my husband now. You’re my family. We’re the ones who decide if people come in or out of our lives, not them. I’m just telling them we’re married because no matter how bad things got, I would want to know if they got hitched to someone.” She met his eyes with unswerving certainty. “I’ll come home to you.”

He gripped Fallyn’s strong and velvety thighs under her pink cotton sundress and gently worked the material over her head, revealing the sight he knew would never stop taking his breath away. He was adept at removing her undergarments, and had her naked and spread out on the bed in less than a minute. He cursed loudly when the doorbell rang. “Ignore whoever it is. I’ve got big plans for you.”

Fallyn chuckled lightly. “It’s the takeout. Go get it and bring it on up. I promise to still be just as naked then.”

“I’m holding you to that.” Vince jogged down the stairs and returned with the bag of takeout and a serving tray for them to eat on. He slid it all to the center of the bed, forgetting his appetite at the sight of her golden curves. “You think the food will keep until after?”

Fallyn grinned, sitting up and crossing her legs in full view of him as she opened the bag and took out the chicken fried rice she’d been missing. “Oh, this smells heavenly. First food, then we work it off the fun way.”

She unwrapped the chopsticks and shoved them into her container, taking three bites before she stopped to savor the taste of her first non-Italian meal in a month. The heavy greasy goodness filled her with happiness, but the chicken tasted off. The more she chewed, the stranger it tasted, until she was eating around the chunks. Vince was telling her about problems he’d been having with one of his store managers when the Fallyn’s stomach decided the chicken was persona non grata.

“I’ll be right back,” she told him, cutting him off midsentence. She ran into the cream and peach colored bathroom, wishing she was in her own house, so Vince would not hear her getting sick. Vince’s maid kept a pristine house, down to the perfectly straight pictures of Italy that were hung on the bathroom wall like a threat for newcomers to keep their paws off the furniture.

Fallyn was halfway through vomiting up her meal when Vince meandered into the bathroom, confused at her sudden departure. “Oh, honey!” He ignored her pleas for him to leave her and made himself useful holding back her hair. He kept his hand on her back, rubbing in soothing circles while she threw up every last bit of Chinese food she’d just devoured, plus the meal she’d had on the plane. “What happened? You seemed fine, and now you’re sick. Were you feeling bad before and I just missed it?”

“Go out there. I’ll be done soon,” she croaked, slumped over the toilet after she’d flushed it for the third time.

“Not a chance. What can I do?”

“I don’t want you to see this. I’m disgusting!” Another wave hit her, and she sorely wished she was not naked. She waited for her stomach to stop roiling while Vince sang softly to her in Italian, calming her frazzled nerves. “Go back to the bedroom, Vince. I’m serious.”

“
I’m
serious,” he argued. His hands were gentle but his words were sharp. “When are you going to realize that we’re married? I’m your husband. I’m not going to leave my wife alone when she’s sick.” When Fallyn picked her head up, he handed her a tissue to wipe her face with and laid the back of his hand to her forehead. “You’re a little warm, but it’s not a full-on fever, I don’t think. What happened?”

“The chicken tasted funny in my fried rice. I tried to eat around it, but it still got me. It’s your fault. You spoiled me with all that handmade, fresh Italian food.” She made to slump against the wall, but Vince pulled her body to him. “You don’t want me near you. I’m gross.”

“Want me to draw you a bath?”

Fallyn sagged with relief and gratitude. “Really? Yes. That’d be great. I feel like plane and puke and nasty chicken. But you don’t have to wait on me like this.”

He kissed her hair and lowered her down to lay on the cool peach tile. Vince ran the bath, threw away the takeout, dug her toothbrush and an undershirt of his out of their luggage, and got her some mouthwash and a glass of water. He tried not to stare at her breasts that bounced from side to side as she brushed her teeth, and kept his hands off her perfect backside as he helped her into the tub. He grabbed the book she’d been reading off the nightstand that belonged to his father’s library downstairs and picked up reading to her where she’d left off before the honeymoon.

When the water started to get tepid, Fallyn couldn’t help the tears in her eyes as she marveled up at the man she loved. “I can’t believe I ever wasn’t married to you. This is you? This is what you’re really like?”

“This is what I’m like for you. I admit, I’ve never drawn Angelo a bath or held back his hair while he puked.”

Her knee poked through the surface of the water. “I have this image of you from when I was a kid. I was playing outside with Joey and Danny, and you came home with blood all over your hands. I mean, dripping all over. You were washing off in the hose on the side of the house, and you saw me watching you. Everyone was so scared of you, even back then.”

Vince studied her as she recalled the memory. “Were you scared of me?”

“Of course. You were the vicious D’Amato. I’d seen Kill, Finn, Keenan, Seamus and Declan come home like that a few times, and it always scared me.” She looked up at her husband with wonder. “You saw me watching you, and you told me you’d spilled ketchup all over yourself. I knew you were lying, not so you’d get away with whatever it was you’d done, but because you didn’t want to scare me.”

“You’re the one person I never want to make afraid of me,” he admitted, closing the dusty hardcover and setting it on the counter. “In fact, if I can make it so you live the rest of your life without fear at all, I’ll die happy knowing I did right by you.”

“I love you. Thanks for all this. I’m really fine. Just a little food poisoning.”

“I’ll have the chef fired in the morning.”

Fallyn’s eyes widened. “Vince, no. How about we just don’t throw your millions of dollars at his restaurant?”

“
Our
millions of dollars. We’re married,” he reminded her. “My money’s yours now, too.”

Fallyn felt strange about that point. She knew he was being logical, but she’d tried so hard to make sure she could stand on her own without her brothers. To have Vince swoop in and pay for things felt like cheating, and she didn’t want to be a burden on him.

When she stepped out of the tub, he dried her off and tugged his undershirt over her head. She grinned as she inhaled the fragrance of Vince, pressing the shirt to her nose. She could smell deeper now, picking up notes of cinnamon in his cologne and hints of jasmine in his deodorant. “You smell like a dream,” she commented, making her way to their bed. She pulled back the covers and slid under, content that no matter what happened, be it sickness or family strife, Vince would be there, holding back her hair and telling her the blood on his hands was nothing more than a little ketchup.