Vendetta (The DeLuca Family #2) Read online

She gave me a sharp nod, but her eyes darted around the bar. I followed her line of sight, noticing a group of large men at the edge of the dance floor watching the altercation. “I’m good, Enzo,” she confirmed, telling me with her eyes to let it go.

  Satisfied with her answer, I turned back to the asshole. He was still standing there, waiting for me to respond to his earlier question. We were about the same height, and while he had an athletic build, I had at least thirty pounds of muscle on the guy. A fact he seemed to take notice of when I stepped forward—into his space.

  “All you need to know is, the next time you see Frankie, you’re going to turn around and head in the opposite direction.” I said, my voice low and calm. “Now, I’m going give you a free pass for the shit you just pulled and let you walk away and keep your pride intact, but know this, if you so much as breathe in her direction again, I’ll make sure you’re breathing from a tube for the rest of your life. Do you understand me, Chad?”

  He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat before darting his eyes behind me to his friends. Puffing out his chest, he took a step back and scoffed, “Whatever,” he said loudly so his friends could hear, “I don’t want her anyways; she’s a pain in the ass.”

  “That’s why I married her,” I smirked, grabbing my beer off the table and taking my seat next to Frankie.

  Chad looked from Frankie to me and back again, his eyes wide. “Whatever dude, I’m out.”

  I laughed and watched him hurry off to his group of friends. Frankie smacked my arm and mumbled something that sounded a lot like ‘asshole’ under her breath.

  “What was that?” I asked, handing her one of the shots I’d brought back.

  “Nothing,” she said grabbing the tequila shot and downing it without the fanfare. “What did you say to him? I couldn’t hear over the music.”

  “Nothing much, just told him to stay away from you,” I shrugged, because it was basically what I’d said.

  “Yeah fucking right, and for the record, you did not marry me because I’m a pain in the ass.”

  “That’s what you think,” I laughed.

  “What the fuck ever, buddy. Now shut up and drink!” she yelled, handing me the last shot.

  I paused before taking my shot to watch her throw hers back. Her throat worked as she swallowed, and I was instantly turned on. Adjusting myself discreetly under the table I racked my mind for something that would distract me from the growing bulge in my pants. But that was the thing about Frankie; nothing could deter my attraction to her. For the past four years, even though it was wrong and I’d made the conscious decision not to go there, my desire for her had never waned.

  “So, who was that guy?” I finally asked. I’d tried to ignore it, but it bothered me that someone felt they could get that close to her without her permission and the fact that she didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

  “Ugh, Chad. He’s the resident playboy, but he’s harmless. He hit on me at a frat party last semester and I turned him down; he’s been smitten ever since. Just another guy that’s never heard the word ‘no’ before. Eventually he’ll get bored and move on,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  “Just be careful, Franny. Guys like that don’t take rejection well, and I just wounded his ego.”

  “Well I’m pretty sure you telling him we’re married was enough to scare him off, but I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  “You have the mace I gave you?”

  “Yes,” she said rolling her eyes.

  “And the Taser?”

  “Fuck, yes. Enzo, I’m perfectly safe. I promise.”

  “And what were you doing at a frat party anyways?” I questioned.

  “Jesus, come on let’s dance,” she suggested, ignoring my question.

  I shook my head. “I don’t dance.”

  Walking around the table, she stood in front of me and wiggled her hips. “Come on, you don’t always have to be the tough guy,” she urged.

  “No.”

  “Fine, I’ll go find someone else to dance with,” she said and disappeared onto the crowded dance floor.

  Motherfucker.

  I took a long pull of my beer before getting up and following her. Because I’d follow her anywhere, even the goddamn dance floor.

  She’s going to pay for this one.

  I pushed through the crowd of sweaty bodies searching for her. She was small so getting a glimpse of her before I was standing right in front of her was going to be difficult. Luckily, it was a small place so after shaking off two blondes that had latched themselves onto my arms in an effort to convince me to dance with them, I found her. Thankfully, she was dancing by herself, but much to my dismay, there were several guys standing around her waiting for their chance to jump in.

  Not today, assholes.

  I came to stand beside two guys that were watching Frankie’s hips roll and sway to the beat, trying to figure out what my next move was going to be. I wasn’t lying when I’d told her that I didn’t dance, but I was sure as hell not going to stand by while some other guy’s hands were all over her.

  “The things I’d like to do to that ass,” one of the guys commented as I pushed my way past them.

  “That ass belongs to my wife. Back the fuck off!” I growled, giving the guy that’d spoken up a healthy shove before I broke through the circle that had formed around Frankie.

  Apparently I’d become exceptionally comfortable with calling her that in the past eight hours.

  Hooking her around the waist, I pulled her back into me so her back was pressed to my front. She stiffened suddenly and stopped dancing.

  “It’s just me,” I whispered in her ear before she could break away. She instantly relaxed, her body melting into mine as she began moving her hips to the beat again. I didn’t do much dancing, instead opting to let her dance around me while I swayed back and forth and glared at anyone that looked in her direction.

  “Oh God, I love this song,” she exclaimed turning to face me once again. My hands snaked around her waist to rest low on her back. What I wouldn’t have given in that moment to slide my hands lower and get a grip of that tight little ass.

  “What is it?” I asked. The beat was good but I had no idea what song it was. When I was overseas my unit had been split between metal and country; we didn’t get a lot of dance music.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she said, linking her hands behind my neck.

  “What?” I asked, my heart thundering in my chest at the words that I’d prayed to hear come from her lips for so long.

  “The song, it’s Please Don’t Leave Me by Pink.”

  The song. Of course.

  I pulled her closer and we swayed together slowly while the song played out. It wasn’t a slow song but I didn’t care. I just wanted to feel her body against mine. Her shirt had ridden up in the back, and I ran my thumb back and forth over the exposed skin there. It was so soft. Everything about her was soft and welcoming, and all I wanted to do was sink inside her and make her feel as good as she made me feel.

  * * *

  “Shh, we’ll wake my neighbors!” she hissed as we stumbled up the stairs to her apartment.

  “You’re the one making all the noise,” I laughed when she dropped her keys for the second time. Scooping them up, I quickly unlocked the door and held it open for her.

  Frankie collapsed onto the couch and struggled to pull off her boots, finally giving up and lifting her foot in my direction. “A little help?”

  Her hair was splayed out on the cushion and her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol or the cold—I didn’t know which. She was beautiful, and I had her all to myself. I just wished I had the courage to finally make her mine. Taking her booted foot in my hand I slowly unzipped and pulled it off, letting it drop to the floor with a loud thud. I repeated the process with the other boot, never breaking eye contact with her.

  By the time I was done, my dick was rock hard. Getting to undress her, even if it was just her shoes, was the sexiest thing I’d
ever experienced. From the way her breaths were coming faster, I wasn’t alone in that thought. Frankie stood from the couch and walked over to me slowly, almost as if she were unsure of what to do.

  Her fingertips were the first to make contact with me as she tentatively trailed them up my chest. I stood stock still. I didn’t know what she wanted and I didn’t want to misread the situation and make her uncomfortable. We’d danced around our attraction to each other for years, but neither of us had ever taken it to that level, for different reasons I’m sure.

  I should’ve stopped her. I knew I should, but I didn’t want to.

  My hands itched to feel her skin again, but I kept still, letting her take the lead and let me know how much and how far she wanted to go. If she wanted me like I wanted her, I’d give it to her, no matter how much my mind screamed at me that I shouldn’t, I couldn’t deny her anything.

  “W-why aren’t you touching me?” she asked quietly, so quietly that if I hadn’t been straining to memorize every hitch in her breath, I wouldn’t have caught it.

  “Do you want me to touch you?” I asked, my voice rough with need and desperation.

  Turning her face up, she blinked those big brown eyes at me. “Yes,” she said quietly, her voice just slightly trembling.

  I granted her request, taking her in my arms gently and letting my hands find that strip of bare skin on her back that I loved so much. Frankie still hadn’t taken her eyes off of mine. She held me captive in her gaze as her hands wandered over my shoulders and around my neck where they splayed at the back of my head. Her eyes fell to my lips and she wet her own before her gaze flicked back up to mine.

  “I need you to tell me what you want, Franny. I don’t want to get it wrong,” I admitted, giving her waist a squeeze.

  Her breath was coming in pants now, the pulse in her throat thumping along to the same beat as my own. “I want you,” she whispered.

  All my self-control shredded hearing those words fall from her sweet lips. I brought a hand up to gently wrap around her throat, I could feel her pulse thrumming under my thumb—it was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.

  Lowering my head slowly I caught her lips, kissing her softly. I forced myself to go slow, enjoy every second, memorize every inch of her. I had no idea if I’d ever get the chance to be with her again, so I had to burn every detail into my mind, so if this was the only time I got to be with her like this, I could remember it.

  She moaned when I slipped my tongue past her lips, deepening the kiss. My reaction was visceral, the hand on her throat flexed gently, eliciting another wanton moan from her, while my other arm brought her closer. My erection pressing urgently into her stomach, I swallowed her gasp as I picked her up and walked her into the bedroom.

  Placing her at the foot of the bed, I took my time peeling each article of clothing off her. I slid her jacket off first, the buckles and studs clanking against each other as they fell to the carpeted floor. Reluctantly, I tore my mouth away from hers, needing to be able to see her so I could believe it was actually happening, and I wasn’t dreaming.

  Her breath hitched as my hands slid under her shirt and made their way up to take it off. I paused. I couldn’t go any further until she told me it was okay. I didn’t want her to regret this, but I was terrified to ask. I’d been in more life or death situations than I could count, but I was paralyzed in fear that she’d tell me this was a mistake.

  “It’s okay,” she breathed.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded.

  “I need to hear the words, Franny,” I urged. I’d never been this adamant with a woman before, but Frankie wasn’t just any woman. She was my Franny. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she wasn’t all in with me.

  She smiled and raised an unsteady hand to my chest. “I want this,” she said more firmly.

  “Just promise me you’ll tell me if you want to stop, okay?”

  “I promise,” she agreed and lifted her arms so I could continue removing her shirt.

  Following her lead, I slipped the soft fabric up and over her head. My mouth went dry when I saw the lacey black bra she wore underneath. I had to take a breath to calm my nerves because suddenly she wasn’t the only one whose hands were trembling.

  “You’re beautiful,” I said, slipping my fingers under the hook at her back and unclasping her bra. I kissed a trail from her shoulder to her collarbone as I slid the straps down her arms. Reaching behind my head, I pulled my shirt off and tossed it to the ground before capturing her mouth again. This time I didn’t waste any time deepening the kiss. She whimpered, her nails digging deep into my shoulders as she pulled me closer.

  I pulled away again, but this time I dropped to my knees in front of her. Popping the button of her jeans free, I took my time to kiss the smooth skin of her stomach. I gently started to tug them down, my tongue darting out to lick across one of her hip bones. She shivered at the new sensation and her fingers raked over my head, trying to find purchase on my short hair as I finished removing the rest of her clothes.

  Standing up slowly, I lowered her to the bed and quickly pulled off my boots and shucked my jeans. I kissed over every inch of her skin I could get my lips on, my hands following the path my mouth made. I worshipped her, not wanting to miss the opportunity to show her how much I craved her.

  I didn’t stop until she was spread out beneath me, her hair a messy halo framing her face and her body flushed with need. Her hands were all over me, caressing, and holding me where she wanted me. My body was on fire, every touch from her edging me closer to losing what self-control I had left.

  Sliding a hand down between us I strummed her clit a few times, swallowing her gasps. Moving further down I slid a single digit into her tight heat.

  “Fuck,” I groaned, feeling how she squeezed my one finger and imagining how tight she’d be when I finally sunk into her.

  “What’s the ma-matter?” she asked on a moan as I added a second finger.

  “Nothing baby,” I said, pumping my fingers. “You’re just tight as hell, and I need to make sure you’re ready before I take you.”

  She whimpered; whether it was at my words or my ministrations, I didn’t know. I continued to work her over, pressing my thumb to her clit as I maintained the steady rhythm of my fingers dragging in and out of her. Her legs started to shake and her back arched off the bed. She was close, but I stopped anyway. The frustrated growl she let out almost made me laugh, but I was too busy sliding down the bed and between her legs. I wanted to feel her come apart on my lips; I wanted to taste her desire while her screams echoed in my ears.

  Replacing my thumb with my mouth I latched onto her clit and sucked hard. The sudden sensation had her calling out my name, begging me not to stop. Curling my fingers inside of her I rocked them back and forth as I continued to lave at her clit. It didn’t take long for her to break apart, her hands fisting the sheets at her sides as she cried out in pleasure.

  I wiped my mouth on the sheet before crawling over her. A sense of pride bloomed in my chest as I watched her pant and whimper, coming down from her orgasm. I’d done that; I’d pushed her over the edge until she was sated and I was going to do it all over again.

  Picking up her hand I kissed the finger that wore the ring I’d given her. She opened her eyes and her gaze automatically locked with mine. I trailed kisses up her arm, over her shoulder and along her neck until I reached the spot just under her ear.

  “You’re gorgeous when you come,” I whispered hoarsely.

  “Hmm, you’re gorgeous when you make me come,” she murmured.

  “Is that so?” I laughed, leaning down to take her mouth again. I couldn’t get enough of her soft lips; they were puffy with overuse but they were perfection. I’d spent years wondering what her lips would taste like, and now that I was allowed I couldn’t help myself. I had to kiss her.

  I situated myself between her thighs, skating a hand up her leg and over her hip, across her stomach and up between her brea
sts, finally coming to rest over her heart. The contrast of my rough hands against her soft skin was mesmerizing. My hands looked so big on her tiny body. She was so small, I felt like I might break her if I wasn’t careful.

  Lowering myself to my elbows, I hovered above her, my body completely eclipsing her small frame. Raising a hand, I brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her softly again. I positioned myself at her entrance and pushed forward just an inch. Her tight walls squeezed the head of my cock making me want to surge forward, but I held back, slowly rocking my hips back and forth and working myself into her a little at a time until she was able to take all of me.

  Once I was fully seated inside her, I paused, letting her adjust while I took a couple of steadying breaths. Her walls were fisting me so tightly it was almost uncomfortable and I felt like I was going to go off at any second if I didn’t calm down.

  Before too long she started to gently pitch her hips forward in an effort to get some friction. Answering her silent plea, I began to move, slow at first and building to a steady rhythm, her gasps and shallow breaths spurring me on. I couldn’t stop running my fingers over her neck, face, and through her hair; she felt like warm silk everywhere I touched.

  Balanced over her, my forearms on either side of her head, I kissed down the column of her throat, enjoying the vibrations from her moans as I moved inside of her. Frankie’s hands slid over my slick skin, traveling over my shoulders, down my arms and back again, anywhere she could reach. She was learning my body, just as I had done to her earlier. It was as if we were both equally terrified that this would end, and we’d be left with nothing but our memories.

  She started to pulse around me, which in turn, had the base of my spine tingling and my balls tightening before I was ready for it to be over. Sliding a hand between us I pressed my thumb to her clit, pulsing in time with every thrust.

  I surged forward, picking up my pace just as her pants bled into moans. Finally, I started to feel her body shudder beneath me, her moans getting louder. I drove into her faster and harder, chasing her to the edge as much as myself. As soon as I heard the high pitched keening of her release, I let go, stilling and spilling into her with a grunt.