Somebody's Angel (#5 in a Military Romance / BDSM Romance series) (Rescue Me) (5 page)

Her clit pulsed as he bent to nibble the side of her neck.
Mio Dio
, how was she ever supposed to sit through dinner when all she wanted to do was sit astride Marc’s lap and let him fill her completely as they both rode toward a satisfying climax?

Marc broke away, breathing a little harder himself. “We’d better go before Mama thinks I’ve tied you to the bed and am having my way with you.”

“Marc! You don’t think she knows…well, how we met, do you? I mean, that I…we…like to…you know…” Angelina looked around and whispered, “…do bondage and stuff.”

Marc laughed long and hard as he took her hand and steered her back toward the elevator. “I think my mama assumes anyone I’m with is into that after my little brother told her about an…incident I was involved in here at Bella Montagna in my younger days.”

Angelina wondered what type of incident, but he averted his gaze, giving the impression it was better not to ask. Heat crept into Angelina’s cheeks as perspiration broke out on her forehead thinking about the implications for her. Oh,
mio Dio
. She really wasn’t going to be able to look his mother in the eye now.

Maybe there would be a supply of good wine to ease her discomfort.

Chapter Two

M
arc’s confidence in his parents’ judgment waned slightly when he and Angelina arrived at the penthouse to find Mama deep in conversation with Melissa. Why that gold-digger was hanging around after all these years he couldn’t understand. Mama must think the woman needed the D’Alessio family’s support to get over her “grief” from Gino’s loss. Clearly, the only loss Melissa felt was that of the family’s bank account. Then again, if his mother had supported her all these years, Melissa hadn’t lost much at all. Coming after him on the day they buried Gino told him what little regard she had for his big brother.

Marc guided Angelina over to where they stood, keeping his arm around his girl’s waist. He could feel her trembling and wished he could ease her nervousness. Ignoring Melissa, he said, “Happy New Year, Mama.” He bent to kiss Mama on both cheeks. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Angelina Giardano.” As Angelina hugged his mother and kissed both cheeks as well, he thought that
girlfriend
didn’t begin to describe what she meant to him. Still, he couldn’t very well describe her as a fiancée yet, even though he wanted to declare that soon. He hoped taking her to meet his family would help her to understand how special she was to him.

He’d bought an engagement ring a few weeks ago for when the time was right. Would that time be at midnight tonight? What better time was there to start a life together than on New Year’s Eve? He just needed to be sure he’d get the answer he wanted. Making himself so vulnerable to a woman wasn’t something he did—ever.

“So tell us how you two met.” Melissa’s claws came out quite naturally. She waited for something salacious, if not embarrassing. Angelina stiffened. He hated that his sweet girl had to suffer through the added stress of dealing with Melissa tonight.

“
Il mio angelo
was in need of rescuing, so my SAR partner, Luke, and I did the honors.”

Angelina smiled up at him. Melissa didn’t need to know about the first rescue at a kink club. Instead, he’d referred to the night at the bar near her home where she was trying to avoid Sir Asshole, the abusive poser Dom he’d rescued her from a month earlier. But Melissa would probably interpret it as a rescue by his unit in the mountains.

Relief showed in her eyes. “Marc really was quite heroic.” She glanced back at Mama. “Mrs. D’Alessio, you did a wonderful job raising your son.”

Mama beamed.

Melissa seethed.

Marc groaned.

His mother took Angelina’s hand and led her over to where Papa was pouring drinks. “He was a hero in the war, too, you know…” Her voice trailed off.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Angelina’s backside, knowing he’d marked her as his own just a couple of hours earlier.

“Well, isn’t she just the perfect little submissive, Marco?”

Merda
, if only he could banish this woman to his sordid past! He turned to face the one person he wished he’d never met.

“How is life treating you, Melissa? Any new prospects for nabbing a rich husband here in Aspen?”

Her eyelids narrowed and what barely passed for a smile crossed her lips. “Alessandro and I have dated a few times.”

Oh, hell no
. Marc stood taller. “Stay away from my brother.”

“You had your chance, Marco. If you choose to be with that fat sow, then…”

He followed her gaze to Angelina, who laughed at something Papa said and hadn’t heard Melissa’s vitriolic remark. Angelina’s body was nothing short of perfect—and natural, and he wouldn’t trade it for a thousand Melissas.

He turned back to the bitchy woman, glancing over her implants before he pierced her with a look colder than the ice outside. “You listen to me, woman. If you
ever
say anything to hurt her feelings, I will make it my life’s mission to ruin you. I can and will have you cut off from whatever financial arrangement you have with my parents. I only have to tell them what happened between us the day of Gino’s funeral to show them your true colors.”

Melissa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but Marc chose that moment to rejoin Angelina before he did or said something to upset the peace and harmony Mama desired in her home. He hoped she had seated them far enough away from each other that Melissa wouldn’t bother Angelina. Melissa would love nothing more than to boost her self-worth at the expense of Angelina’s self-esteem, and he wouldn’t stand for it.

“Hey, bro!”

Marc grinned with relief and dismissed Melissa as he turned to see Sandro approaching. He hadn’t seen his brother since Sandro came to Denver on business more than two months ago. Sandro wore a three-piece suit. Dress shirt and pants were as far as Marc would go most times—and only for Mama or special occasions.

Better you than me, little brother
.

The two hugged, and Marc clapped his brother on the back. “How’s life?”

“Not bad.” The two discussed business at Bella Montagna a while, and Marc congratulated Sandro on some of the improvements he’d noticed, knowing his siblings were responsible for modernizing the resort. Seeing Carmella and Sandro take the reins of the business and thrive in the process made it clear that Marc’s decision to join the Navy was the best one he could have made for them, too. Being the youngest of three brothers, Sandro would always have been in the shadow of an older brother, not taken seriously or given much authority. Some of the guilt that had kept Marc away from his family in the past lifted from his shoulders.

“Come meet my girl, Angelina. You’re going to love her.”

“Alessandro, it’s good to see you again.”

Marc hadn’t noticed Melissa nearby until she spoke. Sandro glanced her way but didn’t smile. He gave her a perfunctory, “Melissa. Nice to see you, too.” If that’s how Sandro treated someone he wanted to date, Marc wouldn’t want to be…well, Melissa. Apparently his brother knew what Melissa was after. Maybe Marc didn’t have to warn him to stay away from her after all.

Smart kid.

Marc turned to Melissa. “Excuse us, but Sandro hasn’t met the guest of honor yet.” She glared, none too happy about being supplanted as the center of attention, but Marc took Sandro by the elbow and steered him across the room without a backward glance.

Sandro pulled free of Marc’s hand and slapped him on the back. “Thanks for getting me away from her. She’s a real piece of…work.”

“I’ll say.” Marc laughed to hide the shudder at the thought of how close he’d come to asking that woman to marry him.

When they reached Angelina’s side, Marc waited for a lull in the conversation before introducing his little brother. Angelina smiled at Marc before turning to Sandro. Her face lit up even more. She seemed relaxed now, thank goodness, and stretched her hand out to shake Sandro’s, but he wrapped his arms around her instead and welcomed her to the family properly with European kisses. When the hug lasted a little longer than Marc thought appropriate, he tapped on his brother’s shoulder.

Sandro laughed and pulled away before saying to her, “Thanks for taming this big guy, Angelina. I’ve never seen him so happy and relaxed.”

Angelina’s eyes twinkled as she looked up at Marc. “He makes me really happy, too. I’m not so sure how tame he is—yet—but I’ll keep working on him.”

More than taming, she had brought a sense of peaceful contentment to his life. He’d never been so comfortable in his own home before—hell, in his own skin, for that matter.

Most of the time.

Sandro grinned at Marc. “You were right. I like her a lot.”

Marc watched a blush spread over Angelina’s cheeks as she looked down.
Damn, woman. Cut that sexy shit out or we aren’t going to make it through dinner.

“Happy New Year!”

Marc turned at the sound of Gramps’s booming voice. He hadn’t seen the man since Adam and Karla Montague’s wedding a few weeks ago and went to give him a bear hug. Just like at the wedding, Karla’s grandmother, Vivian Paxton, was by his side. This must be getting serious. Marc grinned. Good for them.

“Angelina, I don’t know if you had time to stop catering to the guests long enough at Adam and Karla’s reception to meet my grandfather, but let me be sure to introduce you now.”

“Ah, the fair Angelina! Of course, we’ve met.” Gramps took Angelina’s hand and bent over it, planting a kiss on her knuckles. “Vivian and I still haven’t stopped talking about that wonderful meal you served at the reception.”

Marc loved seeing the light shining in her eyes at the compliment, or perhaps it was there because of the charm the old Marine exuded. He’d always had a way with the ladies.

A little later, Mama guided everyone to the dinner table. Marc was pleased to see she’d seated Angelina on Papa’s right, as the guest of honor, but he hated that, as the oldest son at the table, he had been relegated to Mama’s right at the opposite end. Keeping his girl’s nervousness at bay with under-the-table touches was out of the question, but Mama was nothing if not formal and Old World about such things.

Gramps sat across from Marc while Angelina faced Vivian. Marc commiserated with Gramps who wouldn’t get to cop any feels with his girl, either, in this seating arrangement. Seeing how demonstrative the two were, Marc had no doubt the hot-blooded octogenarian did so at every opportunity.

Sandro and Carmella sat across from each other, Sandro next to Angelina. Thankfully, his little brother separated Angelina and Melissa. He would protect Angelina from any barbs shot by Gino’s former fiancée. Melissa clearly was the odd person out, with no one in the seat opposite her, showing her current status in Mama’s eyes. Perhaps tonight wouldn’t turn out as badly as he’d expected when Melissa had shown up in the lobby earlier.

Marc grinned down the table at Angelina who smiled back. He watched her relax as Papa engaged her with a question that seemed to require some thought. Unlike her, he couldn’t hear two conversations at once the way she had been able to at her family’s smaller table.

Course after course was presented over the next hour, and conversations flowed around him. An occasional few words drifted to him as Angelina mentioned one of her brothers and Mama Giardano. He loved watching the joy on her face when she talked about her family. Sandro teased her about something, and she blushed. Perhaps he needed to take his little brother aside and be sure he knew the boundaries when it came to Marc’s girl.

Sandro isn’t Gino.

And Angelina certainly wasn’t Melissa. He trusted her. Marc relaxed.

After dessert, Marc returned to Angelina’s side; Papa beat him to pulling out her chair, but Marc took her hand and helped her up. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he leaned down and whispered, “How are you holding up?”

She smiled up at him. “I love Sandro, your parents, well, your whole family. They’ve all made me feel so welcome.”

While she excused herself to go the head, Marc reflected on how important belonging was to Angelina, as were family connections. Marc understood that need better now, but during his younger years he hadn’t felt connected to his own family. He’d never been as stable or obedient as Gino, who always seemed to do what their parents wanted. Earning a Bachelor’s in Recreation and Leisure Studies rather than pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration like Gino had disappointed Mama especially. Abandoning his role in the family business to join the Navy had nearly gotten him disowned.